Review

With two new eReaders in the Sage and Libra 2, Kobo is not only tackling familiar designs, but also changing how you read ebooks on them.

 It’s hard not to like flying a drone, or even watching one being flown. The novelty of drones, in general, is still fresh, and as awareness grows, so do their capabilities. The Parrot Bebop 2 is one of the easiest to get acclimated with, maintaining the simple look and feel of its predecessor without changing a great deal about its performance.

I’ve been in the FitBit ecosystem for a long time: I started with a Fitbit Flex, upgraded to the FitBit Force, and then went back to my Flex after about a year. Through my FitBit tenure I’ve absolutely loved my FitBit Aria scale. I was excited when the FitBit Blaze was announced; it’s a smart watch-style device that brings some incredible new features to FitBit users. Is it the next generation of must-haves for FitBitters? Read on to find out.

 Jaybird’s X2 Bluetooth Wireless earbuds have been a top choice for fitness enthusiasts, and for good reason. No wires connecting to your mobile device, excellent fit, sweat-proof design, decent battery life and high quality sound. The new Jaybird Freedom earbuds take the X2’s best features to the next level, with a new micro size metal design for improved fit and sound, and a clip-on external battery for 8-hours of use between charges.

Electric mountain biking is here. The Aventon Aventure.2 comes with fat tires, a powerful motor, and front suspension for speedy trail riding.

The Apple iPhone 17 line includes four new models, but the iPhone 17 Pro is probably the best option for most.

Wi-Fi is the greatest thing since sliced bread —so long as everything is working the way it should. No ethernet cables strung all around the house (I remember those days) and the ability to use a Wi-Fi enabled device anywhere. At least that’s the promise. The reality is many homes have zones where Wi-Fi is dead or very slow. Building materials like concrete, ceramic and metal can block Wi-Fi signals and decorative items like glass mirrors can deflect them. While one approach to improving Wi-Fi coverage for your home or small business is to install a newer, more powerful router, you can often get just as much of an improvement for a lot less money and fuss by installing a range extender. In this review, I look at the latest such device from D-Link, the DAP-1520 Wireless AC Dual Band Range Extender.

If you're looking for the right pocket sized recording device but don't want to go with the old school pocket recorder option, try Zoom's IQ6 for your iOS device. In just seconds, this tiny microphone snaps into your Lightning jack and turns your iPhone, iPad or supported iPod into a powerful little recorder with flexible stereo sound recording options.

Now that Microsoft is offering a version of its ubiquitous Office productivity suite for the iPad, Apple’s tablets are even closer to being a device that can be used for getting serious work done. Mouse support and multi-window functionality in a future iOS version would be nice, but with a decent Bluetooth wireless keyboard, an iPad does a pretty good job these days. I took one of the best-known iPad keyboard solutions for a test run and was impressed by just how good the experience can be. The ZAGGkeys Folio not only offers a compelling Bluetooth keyboard, but it mounts it in a clamshell enclosure that transforms the iPad into an ultra-portable laptop. How well does the ZAGGkeys Folio work? I wrote this post (over 1,000 words) using a ZAGGkeys Folio and my iPad Mini with Retina Display and it was virtually as fast as my usual PC-based writing setup.  

The Adagio California Infrared 2" Professional Blowout Brush is a great tool to help achieve smooth, straight, sleek hair at home.