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Acer Nitro 5 Review: A Stand-Out Budget Gaming Laptop

It’s not a stretch to say we’ll probably see new gaming laptops with bigger and better graphics cards soon with 2021 and CES right around the corner. That’s all well and good for anyone who wants the latest and greatest, but many people would prefer something that just good enough—aka something on a budget. These…

Laptops Joanna Nelius Dec 8

The HomePod Mini Is a Perfect Smart Home Overlord

The HomePod Mini is $50 more than the Echo Dot, $75 more than the Nest Mini, and the exact same price as the larger Nest Audio. Its voice assistant, Siri, is not nearly as smart as its rivals. Its audio quality is only so remarkable. It is shaped like a Magic 8 Ball, which is…

Home Entertainment & Smart Home Alex Cranz Dec 7

Nurvv Run Made Me a Faster Runner, but I Don’t Know if I’m a Better One

I’ve never been a particularly fast runner. As a wearables reviewer, that kind of bugged me because so many running apps and smartwatches are geared toward helping you get faster. But no matter how many interval runs, fartleks, or tempo runs I did, I struggled to shave off more than 20-30 seconds off my time.…

Accessories & Wearables Victoria Song Dec 7

Philips Hue’s Play Gradient Ain’t Cheap, But It’s the Lightstrip Your TV Deserves

With the idea of going to a good ‘ole movie theater seeming like a bigger and bigger pipe dream every day, I’ve spent a lot of time this year thinking about how to upgrade my TV and movie-watching experience. Right now, watching TV is one of the few reliable methods of stress relief a lot…

Home Entertainment & Smart Home Sam Rutherford Dec 4

The Mikme Pocket Is a Solid Little Voice Recorder for Your Phone

The Mikme Pocket is something you don’t know you need until you try it. Created by a hardware startup in Vienna, Austria, this pocket-sized audio record is the second product in the Mikme line and, arguably, and it makes it easy to record meetings, vocals, and video soundtracks with a box the size of a…

Other Gadgets John Biggs Dec 3

You’ll Be Perfectly Happy With the Fitbit Versa 3

Fitbit’s Versa line of smartwatches has always been a winner: They’re less hideous than the Ionic and the Blaze (which we’re still trying to forget), less expensive than most of the competition, and decently full-featured. The Fitbit Versa 3 continues that steady, dependable, and affordable tradition, though the simultaneous launch of the more premium Fitbit…

Accessories & Wearables Victoria Song Dec 3

The Vizio Elevate’s Rotating Speakers Are a Clever Dolby Atmos Solution

Dolby Atmos soundbars have a problem: They struggle to simulate height. Regardless of how many drivers a speaker has or how fancy its room-tuning audio is, you can tell the sound isn’t coming from above you. That kind of sucks when you have a fancy home theater setup but the spaceships on-screen don’t sound like…

Home Entertainment & Smart Home Victoria Song Dec 2

3 Magical Creatures Convene in One Grimy Dive Bar in This First Look at City of Iron and Dust

“Three assholes walk into a bar” is not your typical fantasy novel intro, but it’s definitely evocative enough to make you want to read more. J.P. Oakes’ debut City of Iron and Dust—set in a gritty world of goblins, fae, and other magical ne’er-do-wells—isn’t out until next summer, but io9 has a first look at…

Books & Comics Cheryl Eddy Dec 2

December’s New Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books Just Might Help You End 2020 on a Good Note

December is usually a pretty light month for new book releases, and while 2020 has been anything but traditional, that’s still the case here. However, you’ll find there are plenty of enticing new volumes heading to shelves, including an entire book of stories written during lockdown. Stay home, stay safe, stay reading! The Blade Between…

Books & Comics Cheryl Eddy Nov 30

The Asus RT-AX86U Is a Wi-Fi 6 Router That Doesn’t Sacrifice Looks for Power

Wi-Fi 6 has accelerated its creep into mainstream wireless networking, urged along by the similarly accelerating spread of gigabit internet. Until the last few months or so, purchasing a Wi-Fi 6 device has largely been a decision more about future-proofing and less about immediate gain. That’s quickly changing, however, with all manner of wireless device…

Home Entertainment & Smart Home Wes Davis Nov 30

The Signals BBQ Thermometer Wirelessly Watches the Meats

As a fan of multiple meats, I’m always checking hamburgers, steaks, and other grilled gobbets with a portable thermometer to test for doneness. Until the ThermoWorks Signals, I haven’t been able to find a product that acts as sort of a meat tender, something that will monitor multiple foods at once. It’s not a new…

Home Entertainment & Smart Home John Biggs Nov 26

Hydrow Is a Great Peloton Alternative if You Hate Cycling

$2,245.00 A muscle-bound and joyful young man is cutting down the Charles River like a water strider. His chipper banter distracts you briefly from the whir of an internal flywheel and a constant stream of numbers—split times, speed, strokes per minute—helps keep up the momentum. With a little more push, a little more pull, you…

Other Gadgets John Biggs Nov 25

I’ll Just Say It: Jabra’s New ANC Earbuds Are Better Than AirPods Pro

Jabra’s Elite lineup of Bluetooth earbuds have been a favorite of mine for years. But as the competition has become more intense and earbuds are packing in more features for less, Jabra was missing one big thing: active noise cancellation. The $230 Elite 85t with ANC is here, and after using these earbuds for a…

Headphones Caitlin McGarry Nov 25

Image: Platypus Industries / Image: River Horse Games / Image: Modiphius / Screenshot: Renegade Game Studios

Star Wars Miniatures Get a New Home, Black Friday Deals, and More in Gaming News

Welcome back to Gaming Shelf, io9’s column all about board games and tabletop roleplaying games. This time around, we’ve got some interesting news about the future of Star Wars miniature games, as well as a first look at Modiphius’ official Dune roleplaying game. Plus, a few Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to look out…

Games Beth Elderkin Nov 24

Playing Mario Kart IRL Is a Shockingly Good Time

While there are plenty of places where you can pay to put on a Mario cap and tool around in a go-kart making like it’s the Rainbow Road, real-life Mario Kart lacks the fun power-ups and gentle mayhem of the video game. I assumed Nintendo’s Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, which lets you drive a…

Other Gadgets Alex Cranz Nov 24

Amazon’s Eero 6 Is the Cure for Your Stuck-At-Home Internet Problems

We’re all trapped at home sharing broadband for the foreseeable future with no end in sight, and our internet setups need some help. You might be looking at mesh routers as a solution to help blanket your house with wifi and ensure that every Zoom meeting, online class, and virtual exercise session goes off without…

Home Entertainment & Smart Home Florence Ion Nov 24

The Shambling Corpse of RadioShack Is Rising From the Grave

Retail Ecommerce Ventures, a company that buys and resurrects old brands as e-commerce sites, has bought a number of RadioShack’s global assets, rocketing the defunct brand back into the spotlight once again. According to a release, REV purchased the assets for an undisclosed amount and is exploring bringing back some beloved RadioShack brands. The company…

Tech News John Biggs Nov 19

The Best Gadgets for Creating the Perfect Home Theater

Right now, we’re spending more time at home than ever before, and many of us may be investing more in our home entertainment systems than we have in the past. If you’ve been considering upgrading to a better TV setup or snapping up a new smart speaker to help you control your connected home, now…

Reviews Catie Keck Nov 19

AMD RX 6800 XT and RX 6800 Review: AMD Finally Does Ray Tracing

I was definitely excited when AMD announced all the specs and neat features of their 6000-series graphics cards at the end of October, albeit skeptical of what kind of ray tracing performance AMD’s latest GPUs would have. AMD was quiet about the ray tracing performance, and it could have been because its cards wouldn’t beat…

Gaming Joanna Nelius Nov 18

This Nice Looking Smartwatch Has Not One, But Two Voice Assistants

It’s barely been three months since Huami launched the Zepp E smartwatch, and yet it’s already got its second Zepp smartwatch ready to go. This time, we’ve got the Zepp Z, a more classic looking watch that adds Amazon Alexa compatibility. In terms of specs and features, there’s not that much of a difference between…

Gadgets Victoria Song Nov 17

Acer Nitro 5 Review: A Stand-Out Budget Gaming Laptop

The HomePod Mini Is a Perfect Smart Home Overlord

Nurvv Run Made Me a Faster Runner, but I Don’t Know if I’m a Better One

Philips Hue’s Play Gradient Ain’t Cheap, But It’s the Lightstrip Your TV Deserves

The Mikme Pocket Is a Solid Little Voice Recorder for Your Phone

You’ll Be Perfectly Happy With the Fitbit Versa 3

The Vizio Elevate’s Rotating Speakers Are a Clever Dolby Atmos Solution

3 Magical Creatures Convene in One Grimy Dive Bar in This First Look at City of Iron and Dust

December’s New Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books Just Might Help You End 2020 on a Good Note

The Asus RT-AX86U Is a Wi-Fi 6 Router That Doesn’t Sacrifice Looks for Power

The Signals BBQ Thermometer Wirelessly Watches the Meats

Hydrow Is a Great Peloton Alternative if You Hate Cycling

I’ll Just Say It: Jabra’s New ANC Earbuds Are Better Than AirPods Pro

Star Wars Miniatures Get a New Home, Black Friday Deals, and More in Gaming News

Playing Mario Kart IRL Is a Shockingly Good Time

Amazon’s Eero 6 Is the Cure for Your Stuck-At-Home Internet Problems

The Shambling Corpse of RadioShack Is Rising From the Grave

The Best Gadgets for Creating the Perfect Home Theater

AMD RX 6800 XT and RX 6800 Review: AMD Finally Does Ray Tracing

This Nice Looking Smartwatch Has Not One, But Two Voice Assistants

Rise and Shine and Grab the Breakfast Drugs: the ‘Rick and Morty’ Season 9 Trailer Is Here

Delta Becomes Third Airline to Hike Bag Fees as the Iran War Makes Jet Fuel More Expensive

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Touchscreen Laptop Is Now Cheaper Than an Entry-Level iPad at Best Buy

Polaroid’s New Hi-Print for Phone Photos Doubles as a Freestanding Frame

Researchers Turned Acid From Car Batteries Into Something Surprisingly Useful

‘Starfleet Academy’ Star Karim Diané Is Heading to IDW’s ‘Star Trek’ Pride Comic (Exclusive)

Artemis 2 Day 7: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

A Cure for Knee Arthritis? It May Be Closer Than You Think

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

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