Reviews

Pax 2 Vaporizer Review: It’s Like Smoking In the Future

Vindication is a glorious and complicated thing. When the original Pax vaporizer hit the market a few years ago, it promised to change how the world smoked. But with its finicky mouthpiece and penchant for clogging, that promise smoldered. Now, there’s the Pax 2—and holy shit is it a transformation. What Is It? The Pax…

Windows 10 Is Hiding a Great Video Capture Tool

It’s not on the list of headline features, but the latest version of Windows is hiding a very welcome and well-executed feature: a video-capture tool baked right into the operating system. On previous versions of Windows, recording a video of your screen meant navigating the usual muddy creek of ad-infested freeware; the lack of integration…

How to Deal With Harsh Criticism of Your Writing

There’s nothing more vulnerable than the act of making up stories. Whether it’s an introspective personal story or a seat-of-your-exploding-pants thriller, you’re taking something out of your unfiltered imagination and putting it into the form of a product. That people then criticize. How do you handle that? Learning to deal with criticism is one of…

Why I’m Upgrading to Windows 10

One week from today, Windows 10 will arrive. I’m not going to wait. I’m putting it all on the line, starting today. Today, I’m upgrading my personal computers to Windows 10—a Lenovo ThinkPad X240 laptop, and a homebuilt desktop gaming PC. These are not machines provided by Gawker Media or review units from Microsoft, they’re…

We called the Chromebook Flip “The $300 Google Laptop You Didn’t Know You Wanted.”Now, it’s actually on sale! You can get one at Amazon or direct from Asus. Oh, and it’s just $280, not $300, for the 4GB version we recommend. Contact the author at [email protected].

You can now buy the new Pebble Time smartwatch at Best Buy and Pebble.com. It still feels like a work in progress… but in some ways, it’s the best smartwatch out there. Just know that the Pebble Time Steel is also on the way. [Pebble Blog]

What’s Inside GoPro’s Tiny New Camera?

GoPro’s new camera is a tiny cube. It’s unlike any GoPro ever made. What’s packed inside? iFixit tore the GoPro Hero4 Session apart—literally—to find the answer. What did they find? Tiny circuit boards, of course, a fairly tiny lens assembly, and a totally sealed transparent cube they had to tear apart with a saw and…

Zenfone 2 Review: Why Shouldn’t You Buy This Fantastic Budget Phone?

For the past year, if you wanted a cheap-but-good smartphone, the internet would point you firmly in the direction of OnePlus and its too-good-to-be-true One smartphone. Now, it has some competition: the ZenFone 2 from Asus. https://gizmodo.com/oneplus-one-review-an-unbelievably-fantastic-smartphon-1598476240 What Is It? An unlocked 5.5-inch Android handset, which you can easily buy off-contract and use on any…

Sony RX100 Mark IV Review: A Great Camera for a Ridiculous Price

Sony’s RX100 is perhaps the most desired and groundbreaking compact camera of the decade. Every year, it gets better. But every year, it costs more. Is this latest model really worth $1000? What Is It? A very small camera that takes very high-end photos. It accomplishes this with a 20 megapixel 1-inch sensor, which is…

Here’s How a Cheap $160 Action Cam Measures Up to a GoPro

GoPro’s name is spoken almost as a synonym for “action camera.” Yet there are many alternatives out there. They may not be as trendy, but they might save you money if you’re willing to sacrifice some things. One such camera is the new $160 Monoprice HD Sport 2.0. Watch our comparison video to see how…

Chromebook Flip: The $280 Google Laptop You Didn’t Know You Wanted

Remember when cheap laptops were crap? Not anymore—because you can buy this amazing new transforming Asus Chromebook for just $280. Oh, and did I mention it’s the first Chromebook that doubles as a tablet? What Is It? The Asus Chromebook Flip C100 is a Chromebook, which means it’s a laptop with a glorified web browser…

This Flashy Smart Ring Let Me Put My Goddamn Phone Away

“Your power ring is lighting up!” my co-worker exclaimed, his eyes wide. A new text message came in, causing a tiny purple light to wink on the side of my finger. I was testing the Ringly smart ring. I smiled. For months I’ve been bombarded with Ringly ads, in browser banners and in my Facebook…

The Best Chromebook For Every Need

I basically live in Google’s Chrome web browser. It’s a decision I made to save my sanity when it became part of my job to change laptops every few weeks. No need to back up files that way! But it made me wonder how well I could live with only Chrome—if I could replace my…

The New GoPro Session Is Smaller Than The Garmin Epix Smartwatch

GoPro’s New Camera Is a Tiny Cube. I Took It on Adventures.

I’ve been keeping a secret, and today I can spill the beans. Last month, I took a new camera on some adventures. Yes, it’s a GoPro. A smaller, lighter, more versatile GoPro than you’ve ever seen. Full disclosure: GoPro flew me and a handful of other journalists out to Vail, Colorado for a few days,…

My GPS Smartwatch Doubles As A Toaster, What Do You Want To Know?

I just got one of the new Garmin Epix touchscreen, GPS navigator smartwatches in for review. I do not have slim wrists; this thing is HUGE. How would you like to see us test it? Over the next few weeks, we’ll be using this watch for mountain biking, hiking, hunting and just laying around the…

There’s a new model of the Surface Pro 3 that gives you a Core i7 processor and 128GB of storage for $1300—the same price as a Core i5 model with 256GB. You know, in case that’s what you were waiting for. [via The Verge]

Breville Grind Control Review: Can Full Auto Satisfy a Coffee Geek?

As much as I love the ritual of my daily manual pour-over, even a coffee geek like me sometimes wishes for an easier method. There are a few great automatic coffee machines out there, but the Breville Grind Control features a built-in burr grinder—an essential device for great coffee. It promises high quality with as…

IKEA’s Wireless Charging Is Almost Like Having Magic Furniture

Cheap and easy wireless charging sounds like Nikola Tesla’s fantasy brought to life. It’s downright futuristic to think your smartphone could suck up juice just by placing it near a power source. And that’s exactly what IKEA wants to do with its new wireless charging devices. Yes, that IKEA—the Swedish furniture empire. Perhaps you aren’t…

DJI Phantom 3 Review: Stunning Video + Easier Controls = Hell Yes

DJI’s Phantom 2 Vision+ really upped the ante for a consumer-friendly all-in-one aerial photography drone. It shot solid 1080p video, and its built-in stabilized camera kept the shot super smooth. Well, the Phantom 3 is here—and while it isn’t perfect, it blows the doors off the 2 Vision+. It’s a mighty sweet birdie. What Is…