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ReviewsAccessories & WearablesFitbit’s Newest Inspire Fitness Trackers Fail To Do Just That
Despite what wearables makers would have you think, it’s not just all smartwatches. There’s still a place for the humble fitness tracker. For starters, they’re much cheaper than smartwatches, provide accurate fitness tracking, have better battery life, and are perfectly adequate at delivering push notifications. This basically sums up Fitbit’s new flagship fitness trackers, the … Continued
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ReviewsHeadphonesSamsung’s New Galaxy Buds Almost Give AirPods a Run for Their Money
Everybody loves to compare the new Samsung Galaxy Buds to Apple’s AirPods. It’s pretty obvious. Samsung and Apple make popular phones, and now both companies have truly wireless earbuds to pair with them. I’ve spent two weeks with the $130 Galaxy Buds. They’re frankly pretty awesome. But are they better than AirPods? That depends on … Continued
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ReviewsSmartphonesSamsung Galaxy S10e Review: Cheaper, Smaller, Just Right
It wasn’t long ago when premium smartphones cost around $700. But after suffering through several release cycles littered with $1,000 flagships, it’s clear those days aren’t coming back. To fill in the gap, phone makers have started putting out streamlined, slightly more affordable versions of the flagship devices, typically with a handful of more luxurious … Continued
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ReviewsYou Are Not Ready For HoloLens 2
Microsoft figured it out. Tuesday I got my first opportunity to try out the HoloLens 2, and after slipping it over my head and taking a quick moment to calibrate the eye tracking, I was instantly able to move around the room and interact with objects crafted from light. It was annoyingly natural to participate … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
ReviewsSmartphonesSamsung Galaxy S10 Review: An Android Champ to Get Excited About
If the Pixel 3 was Google’s crowning achievement for showing how good a software-first approach to phone design can be, then the Galaxy S10 is a tribute to the hardware gods. Between a new take on the tired notched selfie cam, a redesigned rear camera setup with three different lenses, and incredible battery life, the … Continued
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ReviewsLaptopsDell XPS 13 Review: This Time It’s Practically Perfect
The Dell XPS 13 has been so dangerously close to perfect for so long that the latest iteration left me a little surprised. I was turning it this way and that to find something I could fault it for, not because I wanted to unfairly ding the product, it’s just that nothing is perfect. But … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
ReviewsFitbit’s Cheap New Trackers Undercut the Apple Watch by a Ton
Apple might dominate when it comes to smartwatch sales, but Fitbit’s looking to make a dent in its lead by launching four new devices today: the Fitbit Versa Lite Edition, the Inspire and Inspire HR, and the Ace 2. As its name suggests, the Versa Lite is a streamlined version of its popular Versa smartwatch. … Continued
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ReviewsOther GadgetsDr. Scholl’s Found a Good Use for 3D Printing, and My Feet Are So Much Happier for It
If a large part of your day is spent on your feet, a good pair of shoes can only do so much to keep you comfortable. Every foot requires different levels of support and cushioning, and ideally, we’d all visit a pedorthist for a custom set of shoe inserts, were it not so expensive. Dr. … Continued
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ReviewsHeadphonesI Really Wanted to Love Jaybird’s Wireless Sport Earbuds
All earbuds are, at least in my experience, a trade-off of one kind or another, especially true wireless earbuds with words like “sport” or “active” in their name. Ergonomics, battery life, and sound quality all fight for representation in a vanishingly small form factor, at best striking an acceptable balance of mediocrity between all three. … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
ReviewsThe Huawei Mate X Is Even More Exciting Than You Think
By now, anyone even remotely interested in tech has probably heard about the Mate X—Huawei’s fantastically expensive bendable phone that despite launching second, somehow managed to steal the spotlight from Samsung’s Galaxy Fold. The Mate X even managed to turn some skeptics into bendy phone believers. But not me, I’ve always been bullish about flexible … Continued
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ReviewsThis Bendy Smartphone-Watch Hybrid Actually Isn’t as Silly as It Looks
By now, it’s clear MWC 2019 turned into a breakout celebration for all sorts of bendy-screen devices. So after the appearance of Samsung’s Galaxy Fold and Huawei’s Mate X, I went on the hunt for more gadgets with flex displays. That’s when I remembered that Nubia—makers of weird devices like this dual-screen phone—brought a revamped … Continued
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ReviewsHome Entertainment & Smart HomeThis Cheap Robot Vacuum Isn’t Super Flashy, But It Gets the Job Done
Even though they’re still kinda dumb, robot vacuums happen to be the most successful type of home robotright now. But a couple of years ago, they were too expensive for the average person, and budget options tended to be hilariously awful. They’d miss obvious dust bunnies, crash into furniture, and get hopelessly lost under your … Continued
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ReviewsEnergizer’s Extra Juicy Phone Is Dumb Thick
Every year, the battery life of phones gets just a little bit longer, but somehow there’s always a handful of people who still want more. So as is if to end battery life anxiety once and for all, this simply massive Energizer phone popped up at MWC to really prove that a phone really can … Continued
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ReviewsTabletsSony’s Beautiful E-Ink Tablet Made Me Feel Great Joy, Disappointing Frustration
If you’re a book worm, there’s a good chance you’ve upgraded to an e-ink device like Amazon’s Kindle to make it easier to wrangle your library. But what about the other paper you’re buried in? Will e-ink one day be a substitute for all the notepads and sticky notes strewn across your desk? Two companies … Continued
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ReviewsHTC Did the Unthinkable and Made a Hotspot That’s Cool
It’s much more than a simple hotspot, but too bulky to be a smartphone and too small to be a tablet. But none of that really matters because with its new 5G Hub, HTC did the impossible and made hotspot that’s worth caring about. Typically, hotspots are single purpose affairs. You turn them on, they … Continued
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ReviewsSony Made Some Tallboy Phones and They’re Kinda Awesome
Phones are getting weird again and in just the past couple days, we’ve seen a wildly expensive bendable phone, a phone that can read your palm, and a bug-eyed phone with five cameras on its back. And while Sony’s latest batch of Xperia phones aren’t quite that strange, there’s something undeniably intriguing about Sony’s new … Continued
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ReviewsLenovo’s External USB-C Display Could Be on Every Laptop User’s Wishlist
Portable monitors for laptops aren’t an entirely new class of gadget, but prior to the widespread adoption of USB-C, they were always kind of a pain in the ass. That’s because you needed one cord for data, and another cord for power, with older models often ending up too big and bulky for most people … Continued
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ReviewsThe 5-Camera Nokia 9 PureView Speaks to the Photographer’s Soul
Rumors have been swirling about a mysterious Nokia phone featuring a bug-eyed multi-lens camera setup on its back for more than six months. Some thought it would get announced at CES, or during the slow time for phones in early Q1, but finally at MWC 2019, the long wait is over. But from the front, … Continued
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ReviewsRicoh Finally Updated Its Cult Favorite Compact Camera, and It’s a Beauty
The Ricoh GR II is a cult favorite—A tiny pocketable point-and-shoot camera with a big APS-C crop sensor and a fine 18.3mm f/2.8 fixed lens. While Sony dominates the point-and-shoot field with its versatile RX100 series, the GR II has been a minimalist alternative built for photographers who want to take a step back from … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
ReviewsXiaomi’s Mi 9 Is a Solid Mid-Range Phone You Probably Won’t Be Able to Buy
Since becoming one of China’s most popular smartphone brands, Xiaomi has slowly been gaining steam globally, claiming the top spot in India while also expanding into the Middle East and Europe. And while you can buy a smattering of Xiaomi products like the Mi Box in the U.S., Xiaomi phones are still a no go, … Continued