Do you prefer physical books or eBooks? I’m a little of both, but lately I’ve gotten back into sitting on the couch with a regular book and flipping actual pages. There’s something nice about it. Keeping track of all those books, though? That’s another story. That’s why I was excited to try Hylle, an app that promises to turn photos of your bookshelves into a searchable library.
Turning an ordinary living room into a home theater can be appealing, until you start figuring out where the projector should go, how much space you’ll need, and whether the picture will look decent with the lights on. The new AWOL LuxVision aims to address those concerns while adding serious gaming capabilities. First introduced at IFA 2026, this flagship ultra-short-throw projector combines 4K resolution at 120Hz, optical lens shift, and enough brightness to make daytime viewing a possibility. It’s now available for preorder, although its $5,999 price puts it firmly in premium territory.
Video doorbells have spent years fighting the same problem: a porch is taller and wider than a camera can comfortably see. Eufy‘s last answer was the E340, which put a second camera on the bottom to watch for packages. The new Eufy Video Doorbell S4 goes a different way, with a single fisheye lens that covers 180 degrees both side to side and top to bottom, then uses AI to frame and follow whoever walks up. We swapped out our own E340 for the S4 to see whether one lens really can do the work of two.
As family entertainment evolves from individual screen time to shared experiences, parents are seeking healthier ways to combine digital entertainment with exercise and family bonding. As a global smart technology brand, Blackview now officially launches the PlayPop 8 AI Motion Gaming Console, recognized with the NETZWELT INNOVATION AWARDS at IFA 2026 and positioned as “Your New Favorite Family Playmate.” With AI full-body motion tracking, a rich game library, multiplayer interaction, and privacy protection, PlayPop 8 brings a more active, engaging, and immersive entertainment experience to the whole family.
Most wearables obsess over the body, tracking steps, sleep, heart rate, and how long you’ve been sitting. The $499 Neurable One aims higher, combining premium over-ear ANC with 12 EEG sensors woven into the ear pads to measure brain activity. Its app turns that data into estimates of focus, cognitive load, processing speed, sleepiness, stress, and remaining mental energy. That’s an ambitious amount of insight to pull from something that still has to sound good, feel comfortable, and work like normal headphones, and this isn’t Neurable’s first trip around this particular block.
A dizzying array of “portable power stations” is on the market these days, ranging from tiny, bread-loaf-sized, low-wattage/low-storage options to robust, permanent whole-home solutions. The VTOMAN FlashSpeed Pro 3600 Portable Power Station lands right at the divide between portable power stations and the large stationary home backup units, combining both large storage capacity and portability, though there should probably be an asterisk next to that last term. What’s in the Box VTOMAN FlashSpeed Pro 3600 Portable Power Station AC Charging Cable USB Type-C to Type-C USB Type-A to Type-C User Manual Specifications Battery Capacity: 3096 Wh Battery Chemistry: LiFePO4 Dimensions…
Once upon a time, reliable indoor lighting wasn’t an option. Before the modern power grid, people depended on something simpler: the sun. Older homes featured enormous windows to maximize daylight. Our rural mountain home, built in the late 1800s, is no exception. I love the huge 60-inch windows on both floors, but there’s a downside. The western side practically bakes in the summer, and none of our windows offer UV protection. So, when I was offered the chance to review the Graywind Motorized Blackout Roller Shades, I was eager to see whether modern technology could solve an old-fashioned problem.
If you are looking at adding a rower to your home gym but don’t want to drop a ton of money, the Merach NovaRow R50 Pro could be the answer. With a smooth air-resistance system, a comfortable seat, straps, and a bar, plus a backlit display and app workouts, the R50 Pro offers more for less. I’ve wanted to add a rower to my home gym for a while but didn’t want to spend $1,000 on a Concept2, so when Merach asked me to test their new NovaRow R50 Pro, I jumped (rowed?) at the chance. Let’s see how it does.
Permanent outdoor lights are a simple pitch. You install them once, they stay tucked under the roofline all year, and you never have to drag out a ladder in December again. Govee has sold them for a few years, and the new Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 Pro adds a trick the earlier sets didn’t have: each light throws two colors at once. We’ve had the white 200-foot kit on our house for about two weeks, running every evening, to see how the dual-color effect looks on a real roofline and how the Govee app holds up.
The Noise Master Buds Max active noise-canceling headphones deliver great sound and include new features I haven’t tested before, like automatic pausing when you remove them and quick call mode. They are super comfortable and offer 60 hours of playback on a single charge. If you are looking for new headphones, the Noise Master Buds Max are worth a look.
The new Arcade Belts Vernan Kee stretch belts feature new colorways designed by Vernan Kee, bringing a touch of Navajo-inspired color and pattern to your daily wardrobe. Designed and inspired by Vernan Kee’s respect for nature and Navajo heritage, each belt features striking geometric shapes that reflect his modern interpretation of traditional rug patterns. We will take a look at these three new patterns for the Arcade stretch belt and see whether they deserve a place in the wardrobe.
A week on Sanibel Island, Florida, let me take a few gadgets out of my office and see how they fit into a vacation. The Roku Streaming Stick Plus was my favorite and will be coming with me on future trips. The Ohsnap Snap Grip Stand was handy on the plane, while the Piorama OMNI Pad turned out to be a little too small for all the gear I wanted to bring. I still like the bag, but I’d use it for everyday carry instead. Read on to see how I used all of these travel gadgets.
Segway knows their way around the e-bike world, and nothing showcases their love of mobility vehicles and style better than the Xyber line. The original Xyber brought dirt-bike attitude and serious performance to Segway’s e-bike lineup, and now the line is expanding to street riding, too. The new Segway Xyber Air takes everything great about its predecessor and makes it lighter, more affordable, and focused on everyday riding.
Most dash cams are a box stuck to the windshield with a wire trailing down to a 12V socket, or a hardwire kit that sends you digging through the fuse panel. MANGOAL builds its cameras differently. Each one is molded for a specific vehicle, so it sits behind the rearview mirror as if it were part of the car. We installed the Front 4K and Rear 2K MANGOAL Dual STARVIS 2 model made for the 2023 to 2026 Honda CR-V in our own CR-V and have been driving with it for about two weeks.
I recently purchased a Pixel 11 Pro XL. When I purchase a phone for $1,000 to $1,300 (or more), I need an impact-resistant case to protect it from inevitable drops. I initially purchased an inexpensive impact-resistant case, but then I heard from other Gear Diary Pixel owners that TORRAS makes a military-grade drop-protection case with a built-in stand for my Pixel: the TORRAS Ostand Q3 Air case. I wanted to try it out. Now for the important question: do I trust it to protect my phone?
I am a huge collector of cartomancy decks. I mostly collect tarot decks, but I’ve also expanded my oracle deck collection quite a bit. I’ve been into this scene for about a decade now, and I love it more today than when I impulsively bought my first deck while in line at a Barnes & Noble. Only a few years later, in late 2019, I picked up Llewellyn Publications’ then-new release, the Forest of Enchantment Tarot kit.
Robot vacuums have been around for a while, but the underlying technology keeps improving. I was first introduced to one of Narwal‘s robot vacuums a little over a year ago and was incredibly impressed by its quality and features, so I was immediately interested to see how their latest offering, the Narwal Freo 20, held up in comparison. Read on to see how it did!
Ring has spent years building cameras around the front door, and now it wants a bigger role in what happens when you reach for the handle. The $249 Ring Smart Lock, due in the U.S. in early 2027, replaces a traditional key with fingerprint access, a backlit touchscreen keypad, the Ring app, and Alexa. Its most interesting trick is far less flashy: a built-in hand-powered crank that can revive the lock when its battery dies. That sounds almost comically low-tech for a smart-home product, but it addresses a very real weakness in connected locks nicely.
When fall comes to Pennsylvania, you think of bonfires, apple cider, and cozy sweaters. Well… some of you do. I’m thinking about seasonal beers! And what better way to welcome the season than by sampling a variety pack from Elysian Brewing, the king of pumpkin beers? We’re looking at the Elysian Brewing Pumpkin Pack, a 12-pack that bundles three different (but related) styles for your parties, tasting sessions, and fireside enjoyment. Testing products is a hard job, dear readers, but I humbly make this sacrifice to arm you with knowledge. To the review!
For a long time, buying a gaming monitor meant picking a side. You could have 4K, or you could have a really high refresh rate, and OLED was its own expensive conversation. The Lenovo Legion Pro 27UD-10 doesn’t make you pick. It’s a 26.5-inch QD-OLED running 4K at 240Hz, and we’ve had one on our desk for three weeks as the only screen for two computers, a work PC and a gaming PC. That’s a lot to ask of one monitor, so we were curious how it would do.
I’ve reviewed quite a few lawn mowers over the years, from traditional gas models to robotic mowers that practically do the job for you. But sometimes you just want a simple mower that you can pull out of the garage, push a button, and get the job done without gas, cords, or a complicated setup. That’s where the NovorikX 40V Electric Cordless Lawn Mower comes in. It’s a lightweight, battery-powered push mower with two 20V batteries, a brushless motor, and a 17-inch cutting deck. Let’s see if this budget-friendly little mower has what it takes to tame my yard today.