Who doesn’t love walking into a freshly vacuumed room that they didn’t have to clean themselves? I’ve been enjoying that with the Eufy RoboVac G30 Hybrid. Not only can it handle the daily morning vacuuming of my approximately 10′ x 14′ office, but it can even mop it for me — when I want it to.
I’ve got something of a mystery on my hands, and I’m hoping the readers of Gear Diary can solve it. I have a pair of TCL SOCL500TWS Wireless Earbuds, which are great, but they fell out of my regular headphone rotation about nine months ago. There’s no real reason for this, they didn’t do anything wrong; I’ve just been reaching for others for work and exercise. Apparently, they felt neglected because a very strange event happened today…
If you’ve been looking for a vehicle that is big enough to haul the entire family but isn’t as huge as a full-size SUV, the all-new 2022 Kia Carnival might be the perfect fit. Replacing the outgoing Sedona, the front-wheel-drive Carnival can hold up to eight people comfortably and haul all their gear.
Due to the United States’ trade sanctions against Huawei, Samsung and Motorola make the only folding screen smartphones currently available here. But if you live elsewhere and don’t rely on Google apps or services, this might interest you. The Huawei Mate X2 has just been announced; it’s their foldable flagship smartphone updating the 2019 Mate X, and it appears to be an amazing piece of hardware. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-PCMCYcvBM&authuser=1
There are new Lenovo ThinkPads, just in time for you to get your tax refund and justify that urge for a new shiny upgrade! There’s a lot here, so brace your wallet and get ready. Even better, you can feel good about upgrading to a new computer since Lenovo has been aggressively targetting reducing their environmental footprint, lowering it by 92% relative to 10 years ago. On to the good stuff, the gear!
Do you remember the no-button iPod shuffle? Apple removed the buttons, and many of us bought accessories that brought them back. In recent years the same thing is happening with Apple’s laptops. My MacBook, for example, has just one USB-C port. That’s simply not enough. And that’s why moshi just released the Moshi Symbus Mini 7-in-1 Portable USB-C Hub.
Spotify has become the go-to music and podcast streaming service for many with good reason. Breaking the traditional recording industry model and making the release of new material more accessible and monetizable for musicians and content creators, the service has made it possible for unknown talent to break out and for established talent to get their material out to even more listeners. Whether you use Spotify Free or Spotify Premium, you’ll be interested in today’s Spotify Stream On event.
We’re big fans of Extract Labs here at Gear Diary. Their muscle cream saved the day at CES 2020, and we’ve had great experiences with their tinctures, gummies, and softgels. However, the one caveat whenever we sing their praises is that the kind of quality you get from Extract Labs is not cheap. Luckily, they’re having a huge sale this weekend, with an automatic 20% off discontinued flavors and 15% off the others if you use code FREE15.
I’m a huge advocate of AfterShokz, especially if you’re the type to listen to music while running, walking, hiking, etc. Having your ears open while still being able to enjoy music is a home run. AfterShokz thinks hearing your surroundings is important when you’re working too, and they’re applying their bone conduction headphones concept to a work-centric headset with the AfterShokz OpenComm. Does bone conduction spiff up well for the office? Read on to find out!
Tom Bihn makes some of the best backpacks on the market. I’ve recently covered their Synik 30, which I was thoroughly impressed with, so when I was offered the chance to check out the new Tom Bihn Guide’s Edition Paragon Backpack, I was eager to do so.
Nomad’s phone cases are some of the best, most refined, and most protective on the market. But when Nomad first introduced their iPhone 12 cases, they weren’t specifically designed to work with Apple’s new MagSafe charging system. The company has now released a line of Rugged Cases specifically designed to work with MagSafe for iPhone 12.
Raina and I have been trying to get out and hike in the woods near our home each weekend. It’s an important part of how we are getting through this pandemic winter. The new JBL Clip 4 is a great way for us to take our music with us. It is small, it is under $70, and it sounds impressive.
Calm is the #1 sleep and meditation app in the App Store today. Not only does it allow you to listen to peaceful audio to match your mood, but they now have Calm Mindful Puzzles.
A full Windows operating system isn’t necessary to accomplish much of what many people do on their laptops. Many of us have found that Chromebooks are an affordable go-to for getting things done. If you’re in the market for a new Chromebook, you’re going to want to check out the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2; it starts at $549, and pre-orders open today.
Okay, now before you all immediately start discussing price, let me say this: the AirPods Max are absolutely expensive and the only reason you should get them if you truly want them. This review is not here to praise or condemn them, but instead to tell you about one of the few products that actually made them worth my $549 — the WaterField AirPods Max Shield Case.
You probably know LG for their extremely impressive televisions, or their home appliances, or their phones. LG makes a huge lineup of impressive devices, and we’re getting more info on prices and availability for the LG gram laptops they announced at CES.
I love a large portable speaker, and my latest in for testing is the JBL PartyBox On-The-Go. This massive and multi-talented speaker pumps out 100W of bass-boosted sound that can easily fill a large room or the typical backyard. If you like to sing along, the PartyBox On-The-Go includes a wireless mic with adjustable gain, echo treble, and bass. If you or a friend plays guitar, they can plug-in and either strum along to the music or use the PartyBox as an amp to play their own compositions.
Greg reviewed the very first pair of Master & Dynamic headphones. He swore by them and, in the years since, Judie and I have also become fans. The company’s MW65 Over-the-Ear headphones are among the best ANC headphones I’ve tried. It’s why they are one of only a few items we have ever designated as a Gear Diary Editor’s Choice. Apparently, we aren’t the only ones who appreciate them.
Pulling out a stick stylus is rather plebeian, right? I mean, pretty much anyone can get one of those. If you want to appear like you’ve got everything under control and are living large — even if only to those in your latest Zoom call — obviously, you need to put the $250 Adonit Prime Stylus on your credit card.
If you’re still trying to figure out what to get your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day, and you’ve been stumped on what to do to make a great impression, we have the solution. Our Valentine’s Day Gift Guide has products that go way beyond the usual chocolates, flowers, and dinner out. Time’s running out, but many of these will still make it in time if you order soon. Be sure to check out our giveaway at the end of the gift guide, too!
It seems more and more people have started a podcast during the pandemic, and with apps like Clubhouse, Stereo, and Zoom, it’s been made even easier to connect to your community. But how do you do it without spending a fortune on the setup? The answer is with the Shure MV7 Podcast Microphone and Shure AONIC 4 Sound Isolating Earphones.