If you’re trying to spend less time on your smartphone, buying another phone sounds like a strange solution. The problem, however, isn’t necessarily having a phone in your pocket. It’s carrying a device designed around notifications, apps, social feeds, videos, and an effectively endless supply of things to look at. That’s where dumbphones and minimalist […]
6 Dumbphones and Minimalist Phones for Cutting Screen Time Read More
Getting into vinyl creates an awkward buying problem because many affordable turntables prioritize simplicity by removing adjustments, while enthusiast-oriented models offer greater control at the cost of additional equipment, setup knowledge, and expense. If you’re buying your first turntable, finding something that’s easy to live with now but won’t feel restrictive once you understand the
Kanto OBI3G2: A Beginner Turntable That Leaves Room to Grow Read More
Pilot watches can be impressive until you actually put one on your wrist, because chronograph subdials, slide-rule bezels, and aviation styling often arrive inside cases that are larger than some people want for everyday wear. Price: $446.25 Where to Buy: Amazon The Citizen Blue Angels Navihawk Promaster CA4667-53L takes a more approachable route by keeping
The Blue Angels Navihawk Is Citizen’s More Wearable Pilot Chronograph Read More
Small pocket knives solve an obvious carry problem. They take up less room and add less weight to a pocket. The tradeoff is a shorter grip and less leverage when cutting gets tougher. Price: $23 Where to Buy: Amazon (Gray, Green) The Firebird Ganzo FH924-GR and FH924-GY approach that compromise with the same basic design.
This Sub-3-Ounce Ganzo Folder Is a Tiny D2 EDC Option Read More
Gaming monitor buyers often face a simple tradeoff. Higher refresh rates can mean spending more money. Going cheaper can mean settling for a slower panel or fewer gaming features. Price: S$189 (About US $140) Where to Buy: Xiaomi The Xiaomi Gaming Monitor G25i 2026 targets that gap. It combines a 24.5-inch 1920 × 1080 Fast
Xiaomi Gaming Monitor G25i 2026 Pushes 240Hz Into a 24.5-Inch Full HD Screen Read More
A laptop keyboard is fine until it isn’t. Maybe your back-to-school setup is an iPad that is great for reading PDFs but frustrating when you need to write a 1,500-word paper on its glass keyboard. Maybe you travel with a phone or tablet because carrying a laptop, charger, mouse, and everything else turns your personal
5 Portable Keyboards for Back to School or Travel That Won’t Take Over Your Bag Read More
Portable batteries are easy to share in theory and awkward to share in practice. If someone else needs your power bank, you usually have to hand over the entire battery, give up the cable attached to it, or stay nearby while two devices share the same charger. Price: $79.95 Where to Buy: Apple The Nimble
Nimble SharePower Splits One 10,000mAh Battery Into Two Chargers Read More
Retro gaming has a hardware problem that becomes more noticeable every year, because original Game Boy systems are getting older while collectors still want to enjoy the cartridges they have spent years building up without relying entirely on decades-old screens, batteries, and electronics. The Analogue Pocket offers a modern answer by combining original cartridge support
Supreme’s 24K Gold Analogue Pocket Turns Retro Gaming Into a Collector’s Piece Read More
A compact pocket knife is easy to carry until you actually want more handle and more blade in your hand. Small EDC folders disappear nicely into a pocket, but that same compact size can become limiting when the job feels bigger than the knife. The Eafengrow EF97 Pocket Knife goes in the opposite direction with a
Eafengrow EF97 Is a Chunky Pocket Knife for Anyone Tired of Tiny EDC Blades Read More
Buying your first automatic watch sounds simple until you start looking. Then you discover a sea of round cases, black dials, steel bracelets, and supposedly vintage-inspired designs that start looking remarkably similar after the tenth browser tab. That is where these two Seiko Recraft models get interesting. The Seiko SNKM97 at $212 and the Seiko
Two Seiko Recraft Watches for Anyone Tired of Ordinary Round Watches Read More
There’s a familiar problem with pocket multitools: they give you a lot of tools, but not always the one you actually need. Price: $39.99 Where to Buy: Amazon You might have a knife, scissors, file, bottle opener, and several screwdrivers in your pocket. Then you encounter a loose nut on a bicycle, furniture, or piece
BIBURY Mini Multitool Pliers Puts an Adjustable Wrench in Your Pocket Read More
Open-ear earbuds solve one problem by creating another. Keeping your ear canal uncovered makes it easier to hear traffic, coworkers, announcements, or someone calling your name, but the open design typically makes bass harder to reproduce and allows more sound to escape than sealed in-ear earbuds. Price: $49.99 Where to Buy: Amazon The SOUNDPEATS UU2
SOUNDPEATS UU2 Tackles Two of the Biggest Problems With Open-Ear Clip Earbuds Read More
Windows gaming handhelds keep getting faster, but they’re also becoming harder to call affordable. Intel’s new Panther Lake-based Arc G3 hardware illustrates the problem: the architecture promises considerably more performance for portable gaming, but premium devices built around it are pushing handheld PCs toward laptop-like prices. Now a new report suggests Intel may be looking
Intel’s Panther Lake Lineup May Soon Get a Budget Chip for Gaming Handhelds Read More
If you’re shopping at the affordable end of the smartphone market, battery capacity can matter more than another camera sensor or a benchmark score. Phones used heavily for messaging, video, navigation and calls put plenty of pressure on the battery, particularly when a charger isn’t nearby. Price: 1199 yuan (About $178) Where to Buy: JD.com That’s
Honor’s New Budget Phone Bets Everything on a 7,500mAh Battery Read More
Keeping up with Timex has become surprisingly difficult. The company releases enough watches, collaborations, reissues and collection extensions that an interesting model can appear, spend a few weeks in the spotlight, and then get buried beneath the next launch. That makes the first half of 2026 worth revisiting. These aren’t necessarily the six biggest Timex
Forget the Hype: 6 Underrated Timex Releases From H1 2026 Read More
Pocket knives are convenient, but choosing a compact folder usually means balancing blade size, handle space and the additional mechanics of a folding design. A small fixed blade removes the pivot and locking mechanism, although carrying one generally requires a sheath. Price: $123.47 Where to Buy: Amazon The TOPS Knives Street Scalpel 2.0 (SSS-02) is
This Compact Fixed Blade Gives You More Handle Without a Bigger Knife Read More
If you want to spend less time on your smartphone, buying a traditional dumbphone creates a different problem: plenty of everyday tasks now assume you have a smartphone in your pocket. Price: $199 Where to Buy: Dumber Mini WhatsApp groups replace text messages. Google Maps gets you around unfamiliar cities. Banking apps approve transactions. Tickets
This Tiny Android Phone Keeps the Apps You Need and Ditches the Distractions Read More
If you’ve ever tried taking a big Bluetooth speaker outdoors, you’ll know the compromise. Small portable speakers are easy to carry but can struggle once you have a crowd, while proper party speakers can deliver the volume but become another bulky piece of equipment you need to haul around. Price: $499.99 Where to Buy: Amazon
LG XBOOM Blast Brings 220W of Party Power to the Great Outdoors Read More
Back-to-school shopping has a strange habit of focusing on students while ignoring the person who has to keep 25 or 30 of them moving in roughly the same direction all day. Teachers don’t necessarily need more technology. They need fewer little problems. The worksheet everyone needs to see. The slide deck that traps you beside
7 Must-Have Back-to-School Tech Gadgets Every Teacher Needs Read More
Buying a Pixel 11 is the easy part. The accessory shopping gets messy fast. You need a case before the first accidental drop. You probably need another charger. Then there are screen protectors, magnetic batteries, car mounts, charging stands, and a growing pile of products promising Pixel 11 compatibility before many reviewers have had enough
11 Pixel 11 Accessories to Shop For This Early Read More
