Gear Bits | Gear Diary

Limited-Edition Traeger Louisville Slugger Pellets Are the Perfect BBQ + Baseball Collaboration

The smell of fresh-cut grass and warming temperatures signify baseball season is upon us. I am the head baseball coach at a high school in Texas, so this time of year is always special. Just in time to help kick off baseball and grilling season, Traeger, the pioneers of wood-pellet grills, has partnered with Louisville Slugger, the official bat of Major League Baseball, to bring us the limited-edition Traeger Louisville Slugger Pellets. I can’t think of a better collaboration to celebrate the traditions of baseball and barbecue!

Gear Bits

Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Will Expand On-Device AI Capabilities for Even More Smartphones

Meet the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Mobile Platform, the latest chipset to improve mobile experiences. The latest from the flagship Snapdragon 8-series family, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 promises an even higher level of personalized smartphone performance.

Gear Bits

Kitchen Mama Orbit One Can Opener Promises to Open Cans Automatically While Giving Your Wrists a Rest

A new Kickstarter campaign is offering a rather handy kitchen solution for those who struggle with manually opening cans. The Kitchen Mama Orbit One automatic can opener promises to remove the hassle and wrist-twisting from opening cans with its one-button, automatic operation.

Gear Bits

Vivint Smart Home Vehicle Detection Added to Outdoor Camera Pro for Real-Time Alerts and Recordings When a Vehicle Enters the Designated Area

In my smart home setup, we have covered many Vivint products. The system adds a lot of convenience and next-level security to a home. The cameras keep adding features and getting smarter, making managing security remotely easy. The new Vivint Smart Home Vehicle Detection for their Outdoor Camera Pro does just as the name implies — it will alert you when a vehicle arrives, leaves, or passes through a designated detection zone.

Person using Box Refresh to cover a label on a cardboard box so they can reuse it

Gear Bits

Box Refresh Is a Great Way to Give 50 Shipping Boxes a Second Life

If you’re like me, you do a lot of shopping online, and you know what that means — tons of cardboard boxes that need to be broken down for recycling (best case) or trash pickup (worst case). I try to reuse as many boxes as possible, but some are so stickered up that I’ve nearly destroyed their integrity by ripping the top layer of cardboard down to the inner ribs while trying to remove some of the shipping labels. Box Refresh offers a practical, eco-friendly alternative to reusing your boxes without dealing with that.

Crowdfunding, Gear Bits, Outdoors

YASHICA Vision Binoculars Offer a Full-Color Night Vision Mode for as Low as $139

YASHICA, a leading Japanese camera brand that’s been in business for over 75 years, has just unveiled the YASHICA Vision—a groundbreaking night vision device that’s currently available to back on Kickstarter. If you’ve ever wished for a better view while trying to engage in low-light observation, you’ll love that YASHICA Vision promises to be a valuable companion for you to explore the mysteries of the night with clarity and precision.

Outdoors, Gear Bits

The WASAGUN Folding Portable Grill Table Is the Ultimate Outdoor BBQ Companion

Whether you’re camping, on the back patio, or tailgating, having a portable table that’s perfect for meal prepping, cooking, and serving makes a big difference, which is why the new WASAGUN Folding Portable Grill Table looks especially intriguing. This portable table boasts a foldable design that allows it to be easily moved and quickly set up in just a few steps. With two layers of shelves for ample storage and a side shelf design that expands the tabletop area, the WASAGUN folding portable grill table looks like the perfect solution for many outdoor cooking scenarios.

Gear Bits

Philips Hue Has New Home Lighting Options and a New Security System Available

I love the Hue lighting system in my home, and each year, I find ways to expand the system. That’s easy to do since Phillips Hue is constantly improving and adding new offerings! Philips Hue has announced new indoor and outdoor lighting solutions and a home security system.

Game Diary, Gear Bits

Enjoy Retro Gaming with the Atari THE400 Mini — Pre-orders Are Open Now!

For retro gamers, the Atari THE400 Mini is a dream come true; it offers a nostalgic journey back to the golden era of gaming. THE400 Mini pays homage to the groundbreaking Atari 400, the iconic home computer that debuted in 1979. This faithful recreation captures the essence of the original Atari 400 while incorporating modern technology for an authentic retro gaming experience.

Game Diary, Gear Bits

SteelSeries Launches Special-Edition Dragon Arctis Nova 7 Wireless Headphones to Celebrate the Lunar New Year

If you’re a gamer looking for a not-so-subtle way to celebrate the Lunar New Year, or if you happen to like the color red and dragons, you’ll want to take a look at the new $199.99 Dragon Arctis Nova 7 Wireless – a special edition headset from SteelSeries. Crafted by a team with Chinese and Taiwanese heritage, this headset pays homage to their roots, embracing the essence of family gatherings, festivals, and the onset of the 2024 Lunar New Year.

Gear Bits

Get Bold with the Limited Edition Nomad Night Watch Red Collection for iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch

Red is bold. Red makes a statement. And red is the color of the latest limited edition drop from our friends at Nomad. The Nomad Night Watch Red collection, which includes cases for the iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, and Apple Watch, makes a powerful statement. But hurry — this is a limited edition drop, and once it sells out — that’s it!

Gear Bits

John Deere and SpaceX Join Forces to Create a Solid Rural Farming Connectivity Solution

In a groundbreaking move, Deere & Company has inked a deal with SpaceX, bringing cutting-edge satellite communications services to farmers grappling with rural connectivity challenges. Powered by the renowned Starlink network, this innovative solution is set to transform how farmers harness precision agriculture technologies, steering away from conventional norms.

Gear Bits, Events

Mophie Brings Portable Power to Your Daily Arsenal

Once, at a CES several years ago, a member of the Gear Diary team had something unthinkable happen — she ran out of battery on her phone. Yes, we obviously had access to wall chargers, but running out of juice on the go was still a major issue. No one understands the importance of not losing power like our friends at mophie, and they’ve got some new power solutions to ensure it doesn’t happen to you! First, mophie is bringing back its iconic juice pack for the iPhone 15, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max. It’ll retail for $99.95 and…

Gear Bits, Events, Health and Fitness

Garmin Recognizes Women Need Devices That Work as Hard as They Do!

Garmin is synonymous with excellence in GPS tracking for athletic activities. But also, when most people think of Garmin, they think of big, chunky running watches. It’s safe to say that most GPS watches aren’t designed for aesthetics first, but Garmin has some cool ideas up their (sweat-wicking) sleeves to make fitness tracking a lot more comfortable. First of all, if you’re someone who has ever had to wear a support garment under their shirt, you’ll know that chest straps can often get in the way of sports bras. Garmin is trying to solve that with the HRM-Fit. It’s designed…

Gear Bits, Events

GPS Tracking Moves to the Next Level with Tack GPS Plus

GPS tracking has swiftly gone from a vaguely creepy concept that gets joked about to something that is legitimately improving people’s lives. Tack GPS Plus is a multipurpose GPS tracker that can use AI smart power to stretch up to 30 days between charges and even pinpoint elevation changes.

Gear Bits, Events

Eureka J20 Robot Vacuums, Mops, and Vigorously Cleans Nasty Floor Stains While You Relax

Robot vacuums are one of the coolest inventions to come out of the last few years. It’s a toss-up between video chat and robot vacs for which development has made life feel closer to the Jetsons, but Eureka is making a strong case for the robots with the new Eureka J20 Robot Vacuum/Floor Washer 2-in-1.

Gear Bits, Events, Outdoors

Jackery Solar Mars Bot Uses an Innovative Automatic Sunflower Solar Tracker System to Intelligently Move Toward Better Light for Charging

Jackery has been a name in the portable power solution industry for some time and has many great power products. Their power stations are well-built and handy for power outages or camping trips. The new Jackery Solar Mars Bot and solar generator for rooftop tents are innovative designs to keep the power going.

Gear Bits, Outdoors

RVing Goes Luxury Green with the Futuristic Pebble Flow

Hitting the road in an RV sounds like a romantic way to travel, but if you’re interested in a true home away from home, it’s not for those without some skills. Hitching it up, properly towing, or backing one can require expert-level skills, and you still have to set everything up once you get to camp. But if you have a Pebble Flow, the semi-autonomous electric travel trailer, you’ll enjoy a much easier experience all around!

Gear Bits, Events

EcoFlow Delta Pro Ultra and Smart Home Panel 2 Launch As a Whole-Home Back-Up Power Solution

EcoFlow has been a proven leader in alternative power options and continues to innovate with new products and expandable systems. They’ve just launched the Delta Pro Ultra and Smart Home Panel 2 as whole-home backup solutions.

Gear Bits, Events

MediaTek Brings Big Improvements to WiFi, Television, Smart Homes, and More!

The folks at MediaTek are consistently launching new chips and platforms to keep up with the changing technological landscape. They’ve got some exciting news coming out this week, with developments under the hood and ones you’ll interact with more directly!

Gear Bits, Events, Health and Fitness

Zepp Expands from Watches to the Amazfit Helio Ring and Zepp Pixie Clarity Hearing Aids

Zepp may not be top of mind for everyday smartwatch users. But anyone who has used their Amazfit devices knows they’re phenomenal devices that pack some serious fitness features in attractive packages. And now they’re branching out from just watches to smart rings and hearing aids! Look at the Amazefit Helio Ring and the Zepp Clarity Pixie hearing aids, and tell us what you think!