Ted Kritsonis

Google unveiled its highly-anticipated Pixel smartphones, officially retiring the Nexus name, and claiming to have produced “the best smartphone camera anyone has ever made.” While it’s too soon to confirm that, the devices are the most luxurious designs under Google’s branding, and are firmly in the premium category.

Fitness bands are a pretty personal product. Ask anyone who has one, and you will either get a rave review or a depressing story of feeling letdown by what the device promised. Fitbit has emerged as a category leader in this area, and what it does can set the tone for others, which in turn, sets the bar higher for the Charge 2.

The latest Kobo Aura One is big and waterproof, and its beautiful screen makes it one of the more compelling eReaders available.

Finding a tablet that doesn’t do it all is easier than one that does, and it’s clear early on that the LG G Pad III falls under the former camp because it isn’t designed to perform like a premium device would. With that in mind, and the interesting inclusion of a blue light screen filter to go easier on the eyes, this is a tablet worth considering if you want to keep usage light.

DJI unveiled a new drone called the Mavic Pro that continues a recent trend toward smaller sizes and lighter weight in the overall category. Compact and foldable, the drone slims down to about the size of a water bottle, and comes bundled with a new controller and a headset to see all the action in first-person view.

GoPro announced a new lineup of devices, including a drone, and a couple new cameras. People have long been capturing amazing aerial footage by mounting GoPro cameras to drones, so it seems logical that GoPro, who already make a wide variety of mounts to accompany their cameras, would venture into the drone space with a model of their own. People have also been using GoPro cameras underwater for many years. Until now that has necessitated enclosing the camera in a waterproof shield of some kind. GoPro's new waterproof cameras will make capturing footage in or near the water much more convenient.

When it comes to big phones, or “phablets” as some still term them, Samsung’s Note line was the catalyst four years ago. The Galaxy Note7 is a culmination in two strides that borrows from other Samsung devices, yet manages to look different enough to stand out. The result is one of the best all-around handsets to come to market this year.

Samsung doesn’t give up easily, it seems. The company has repeatedly tried and tried again to create a winner in the wearables category, only to achieve mixed results. The Gear Fit2 isn’t a smartwatch, but rather a fitness band that can sort of act like a smartwatch because of its large screen and litany of features.

Samsung has released a few new products today, and among them is the Gear 360, a standalone camera that can shoot photos and video in 360-degrees. This device, with its spherical form factor, has two lenses that capture 180-degrees on each side, with software stitching them together for a full image.

Large enough to enjoy any type of content, yet portable enough to move around the house, the Samsung Galaxy View is all about size and convenience.