Expert news and opinions on the latest hardware, gizmos, and tools.
It’s been nearly ten years since Apple got wacky with a tiny slab of glass and metal that begged to be touched. Now every phone looks the same, and consequently bores us all to tears. Motorola’s Moto Z, with its array of modules and crazy thin profile, isn’t like the other guys. It’s an audacious … Continued
It’s a lot to ask a machine to be both a laptop and a tablet, but Acer comes damn close to nailing it with its new Switch Alpha 12. To make it work, Acer had to get weird with design. Acer’s not the first to try something unusual to make a hybrid that combines the … Continued
We spent two months and logged a total of 1,000 miles putting 15 bike tools through dozens of en route and at-home repairs, and found the Topeak Mini 9 to be the best multi-tool for casual cyclists. If you’re willing to pay more for a lighter tool, check out the Specialized EMT Pro Road. If … Continued
If you’re looking to dabble in VR using the smartphone you’ve already paid for, instead of spending over a $1000 on an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive setup, Google Cardboard is a great affordable alternative. But why spend $20 on some folded cardboard when for $40 you can get Mattel’s upgraded View-Master VR that’s more … Continued
Samsung’s gone and done it guys. It’s made a perfectly wonderful laptop that retails for under a grand, is of exceptional quality, and is neither under-powered nor teeming with crappy finishes. This is the college-bound laptop everyone, including Apple, has failed to make for the last couple of years. We’ve been busting Apple’s balls a … Continued
After considering 70 contenders and testing for over 30 hours, we determined that the Anker PowerPort Solar Lite is the best portable solar charger for people who want to power a phone or small device when in an emergency or off the grid. We also like the RAVPower 15-W Solar Charger, which is marginally more … Continued
Most smartphones are too fragile for job sites. They break when they’re dropped, or crap out when submerged in water. The Cat S60 is different. It’s designed to take a ton of punishment and continue to operate. It works when it’s completely underwater, can be used normally when the screen is wet, and most importantly … Continued
We spent a combined 80 hours researching and testing coolers to find the best hard and soft coolers for your next outdoor adventure. If you’re going to be gone for just a day or two, the AO Canvas Series 24-Pack Soft Cooler can keep up to 24 cans cold for 24 hours. For trips lasting … Continued
The audiophile community is an insular place where science and hard facts can often take a backseat to PR speak that’s treated like religion. Yet some headphones and earbuds rise above the noise and the companies that produce them gain titanous reputations. Noble, a small company operating in the US, with production in Japan, has … Continued
In 2008, Polaroid announced it would no longer produce instant film. Then, the Impossible Project took the opportunity to buy up what little was left of this division of the company and has spent the last eight years reformulating and reviving the once-popular original format instant film. The I-1 ($300) is Impossible’s first proprietary camera, … Continued
We spent 12 hours of researching and testing to find the best window fans for bringing in cool air at night or extracting hot air out of a kitchen window. For most people, the Pelonis 9″ Twin Window Fan is a great value. But the pricier Bionaire Twin Reversible Airflow Window Fan is worth an … Continued
The ploy of the rechargeable, Blu PLUS+ vape is obvious: It looks like a cigarette and the charging case resembles a pack. “It’s just like real smoking!” it seems to beg of your disbelief. It isn’t. But that should be obvious. And it’s far from the biggest problem with the Blu PLUS+. Despite sharing roughly … Continued
HP’s Spectre 13 is a mixture of innovation and repetition. Its singular obsession is a familiar one: make a laptop as thin as functionally possible. The result is a luxe machine worthy of your attention—but not necessarily your money. This glossy slab of processing power is simultaneously one of my favorite Windows machines I’ve tested … Continued
Leica is a respected institution in photography, and rightly so. Over the last 100+ years, the company has mastered the crafts of making exceptional lenses, designing beautiful bodies, and creating a palpable aura of superiority around all of its products. That’s what it wants to do with the Leica X-U too. It’s the camera Leica … Continued
Broadly speaking, there are two types of people who need a portable hard drive. One type just needs a little additional storage periodically and would rather have something flexible and portable than a big honking drive that plugs into the wall. The other is the high-falutin’ “professional on the go” who is taking pictures, recording … Continued
I hate cables. I’m not particularly crazy about aesthetics—my bedroom floor is currently covered with a nice, healthy layer of clothing and detritus—but when it comes to the charging cables of the various gadgets I own, I inevitably find myself deeply irritated by their rubbery, Medusa-esque tangles. Imagine my delight, then, when Mophie announced “Charge … Continued
“Fitness abhors a wire” is a quote I just made up, but it makes a lot of sense. The last thing you want to deal with is wire snaking from your head and getting tangled up in the intricate movements a quick run, a downward dog, or some dumbbell curls. That’s why Bose made new … Continued
We were wolfing down lunch in a dank Austin chili parlor, and I flicked my wrist. The time flashed, blue and bright on the OLED screen, and my friend’s eyes darted to the wearable. “What is that,” she asked—her interest piqued—her need for some perfect blend of Fitbit and Apple Watch apparent. It’s the Samsung … Continued
If Windows 10 is going to win legions of people over as more than the operating system that you have on your work computer, it needs gear like Samsung’s new Notebook 9. It’s not the most-powerful Windows laptop, or the prettiest. It’s just a valiant crack at a no bullshit machine that’s a pleasure to … Continued
“Is that a… laptop?” the waitress at the diner near my apartment asked (I had taken the Lenovo Yoga 900s with me to get some work done). “Sort of!” I said, quickly bending the screen around to demonstrate the Yoga line’s defining feature: the watchband hinge that converts the device from an ultra-thin laptop to … Continued