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ReviewsAmazon’s New Fire TV Stick Is the Cheapest Way to Get Alexa in Your House
When people ask me what streaming device to buy, my initial reaction is always to say, “just get a Roku.” But after using the fantastic (and cheap!) Fire TV Stick for the last few days, I think my recommendation might just change. At $40, the new Fire TV Stick is a terrific streaming device that … Continued
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ReviewsThe Google Pixel Is Too Dumb and Ugly to Replace Your iPhone
The Pixel is the first Google phone built from top to bottom, and the company thinks it’s finally made the Android device that can conquer the iPhone. It’s a valiant effort, but is it enough? On previous Nexus-branded devices, Google contributed Android software and let manufacturers like LG, HTC, Samsung, and Huawei build the phones. … Continued
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ReviewsThe Lenovo Yoga Book Is the Future of Laptops, But It’s Missing an Operating System
Lenovo’s new Yoga Book draws the eye like no other tablet or laptop available today. People aren’t always sure what I’m reading my comics and or jotting down notes on, but they know it’s fascinating, and tiny, and cool. With its capacitive touch keyboard that turns into a drawing tablet with the press of the … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
ReviewsI Tried the Soylent Bars Making People Barf, and Lived to Tell You What They Taste Like
Here’s how it went down: Gizmodo reported that Soylent’s Food Bars were making people throw up and suffer from “uncontrollable diarrhea.” In particular, we wrote about how bars with a specific expiration date—July 14, 2017—had sent some customers to the emergency room. This week, Soylent recalled the bars. It turns out, that was only the … Continued
By Eve Peyser -
ReviewsGoPro Hero5 Review: A More Perfect Action Camera
We use a lot of GoPros here at Gizmodo. We use them to shoot timelapse battery tests for phones and 360 degree videos of multibillion dollar transit hubs and test runs of quarter million dollar cars on a dirt track. So a new GoPro action camera with a lower price tag and badass features has … Continued
Alex Cranz & Michael Roselli -
ReviewsThis Tiny Robot Is Cuter Than My Dog
My dog hates the robot. When I sit on the floor to play with the robot, the dog gets up with a huff and comes over. His tail wags, and he gets in my face. When I avoid him because I have a robot to review he…sits on the robot. It makes upset little noises … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
ReviewsFinally, a Great Gaming Headset Without All the Stupid Flash
Gaming headsets have spent the last few years in a vicious race to the bottom. It seems like each new product is bigger, pricier, and flashier than the last. The companies that make these headsets have seemed more obsessed with bright lights and bizarre eye-catching shapes than they have with making genuinely good headsets that … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
ReviewsHome Entertainment & Smart HomeRoku Premiere+ and Ultra Are Better Than the Competition and a Third the Price
Last month, Roku unleashed a whole slew of new set-top boxes meant to cater to every single person ever. There’s the box for people with old TVs (Roku Express+), the slightly different box for cheapskates (Roku Express), the boxes for regular joes (Roku Stick and Roku Premiere), and the coolest boxes—the two meant for people … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
ReviewsBuilding Lego’s Gigantic Motorized Excavator Is Easily My Greatest Accomplishment
When you’re a kid, building a Lego fortress that can withstand attacks from G.I. Joe and Transformers is a real accomplishment. As an adult, you need a bigger challenge, and that’s what Lego’s 3,929-piece Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator set provides. It’s the most work I’ve ever put into building a toy, but the resulting edifice … Continued
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ReviewsThis Absurd $400 Hair Dryer Is Actually Worth It
No one should need or want a $400 hair dryer. The number one hair dryer on Amazon costs $36, the one under my sink cost $70 in 2003, and the one my hair dresser uses daily on clients costs between $100 and $150. A $400 hair dryer is more than twice the price of anything … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
ReviewsThe New Boosted Board Tried to Kill Me
Everything felt great, until I found myself skating halfway down the steep side of the Williamsburg Bridge with the Boosted Board throttle cranked to the max. I was going too fast, and I knew it. So I dropped a foot—a dumb thing to do. A split second later, I was on the ground, bleeding and … Continued
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ReviewsPlaystation VR Review: This Is the VR System You Actually Want
I was slotting my grappling gun back into place on my belt when it became clear to me that Playstation VR isn’t just really good VR. Playstation VR is the first virtual reality system any regular person should bother with. More than the fantastic gaming experience you get with Sony’s new system, I was floored … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
Reviews
Roku Express Review: All the Streaming Stick You Need for Just $30
When the very first Roku launched in 2008, the bulky box had a clunky interface that only played Netflix. How far we’ve come. That initial idea ended up spawning an entire genre of streaming devices and set-top boxes that have basically helped change the way we watch movies and TV at home. Roku has sold … Continued
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ReviewsiPhone 7 Camera Review: The Best Smartphone for Photos
The camera on the iPhone has developed such a reputation for excellence that it’s one of the device’s central selling points. It’s worth upgrading to a new phone just to get the latest and greatest camera. After a week of rigorous shooting, one thing is totally clear: the iPhone 7 has a damn fine phone … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
Reviews
Blue’s Tiny New Microphone Wants to Be Good at Everything
Blue has long been known for excellent USB microphones—namely the Yeti and its younger brother the Snowball, both of which function intuitively for people outside the audiophile community, while providing dependable recordings with little fuss. That attention to detail has been shrunken down even further with the new, $200 Raspberry. But what need does it … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
ReviewsFitbit Charge 2 Is the Best Fitness Tracker, Period
Fitbit is quickly becoming the Xerox or Kleenex of fitness trackers, but its popularity hasn’t come without a few hurdles. With the Fitbit Charge 2, we finally get a device that’s polished enough to justify the hype. When the Fitbit Charge and Fitbit Charge HR hit the market nearly two years ago, it seemed like … Continued
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Reviews
iPhone 7 Review: Ready or Not, This Is the Future
At a glance, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus might be confused for their predecessors, the 6s and 6s Plus. It’s deceptive. The iPhone 7 is perhaps the most drastic revision of the phone since it was first released nearly a decade ago. It’s not just the missing headphone jack. There are several other … Continued
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ReviewsAccessories & WearablesThe Apple Watch No Longer Totally Sucks
The original Apple Watch wasn’t amazing, but it did what it set out to do. You could answer phone calls on your watch, see notifications from your phone, and even track your heart rate. And with the most recent software upgrade, the watch has speed and interface improvements that refine it further. You can now … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
Reviews
There’s Finally a Perfect Photography Backpack
I have a bag problem. It’s rivaled only by my shoes and my jacket problems. I collect the things. I throw away too much money every year on the quest for the perfect bag for travel, or every day, or evening, or conventions. I have four different bags just for lugging my camera equipment around. … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
Reviews
Bowers & Wilkins’ P7 Wireless Are My New Favorite Headphones
Testing headphones is a fun job for a music lover. Even if they suck, you get paid to listen to music. Yet sometimes, a set comes along that makes you want to listen because it’s suddenly more fun. The Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless are those headphones for me. Bowers & Wilkins is a half-century-old … Continued