Gadgets

Gadgets

Verizon's Fios home internet uses a fiber-optic cable network to provide fast and reliable service with plans ranging from 300 Mbps to 2 Gig download speeds. This means you'll be able to connect every device in your home for streaming, gaming, and browsing the web without risking a bottleneck or slowdown. The 5G Home Ultimate plan offers an unlimited data cap as well as the fastest 5G internet speeds in your area.

Just $28, the Ocoopa hand warmers have more than 7,000 five-star ratings and have been purchased almost 150,000 times in the past month alone. That's about three times every minute, around the clock. While searching "hand warmers" on Amazon yields more than 10,000 results, these have apparently beat out every other option for their quality, size, battery life, and more.

The Redmi Note 15 series has arrived to markets outside China a month or so earlier than the usual 12-month cycle Xiaomi uses. Still, according to Xiaomi, we can expect generational upgrades in more than one aspect. The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ is the first phone in the series that we'll review. But before we begin, we want to make it clear that the Chinese Redmi Note 15 Pro+ is not the same as the international model we are reviewing today.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8 is expected to arrive next summer, and today some details about it have been outed. It will allegedly come with the same 200MP camera that its predecessor also uses. This will be paired with a 12MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, an improvement from the Fold7's 10MP shooter. The ultrawide camera will be new too, borrowed from the Galaxy S25 Ultra, with 50MP resolution. That will also definitely improve upon the Fold7's 12MP snapper.

The company this week announced Sound Suite, its modular home audio system, comprising the H7 soundbar, M7 and M5 surround speakers, and W7 subwoofer. Most notably, LG's H7 soundbar is the first to incorporate Dolby Atmos FlexConnect. Also: CES 2026: Everything we're expecting to see (and how to watch) This audio technology eliminates the need for a fixed number of surround speakers, allowing them to be placed anywhere within a room while still achieving optimal spatial audio performance.

The final days before the holidays arrive with their own particular pressure. Gift lists grow longer while time grows shorter, and the temptation to settle for whatever's left on the shelf becomes real. Yet the best stocking stuffers aren't about expense or elaborate planning. They're about finding objects that feel intentional, considered, and genuinely useful. What separates a thoughtful gift from a forgettable one often comes down to design intelligence and material honesty.

I pledged no allegiance to any faction during the console wars. But I'll admit I felt, and still feel, most at home in the Xbox ecosystem. It's the achievements, it's the controllers, it's everything. So I couldn't help but feel envy through the years as Nintendo, PlayStation, and even PC diehards all got handheld devices before Xbox. (Sorry, but Cloud Gaming isn't it.)

Also: Should you upgrade your Wi-Fi router to mesh? I tested it for a month, and here's my verdict Yes, cellular could provide faster service compared with Wi-Fi, according to the latest data from Speedtest provider Ookla. To conduct its research, Ookla analyzed Speedtest user data for median download speeds at 50 of the top US airports for the first half of 2025. The testing compared Wi-Fi coverage against that of mobile carriers AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

Some gaming monitors get touted as being "ultra-wide" but this one really earns that namesake. The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 gaming monitor stretches an intimidating 57″ across. If you're in the market for a monitor that is just one step shy of spanning 360 degrees around you're head while you play, well, this might be exactly what you're looking for. Amazon has the Samsung monitor listed right now for a staggering $850 off. That brings it to $1,450-about 37% off its original price.

If you're a fan of Amazon's ecosystem, whether that's asking your Alexa speaker to tell you about the weather or compulsively checking the video feed from your Ring doorbell, then it makes sense to expand and build onto the system. It's always easier to keep to one ecosystem as much as you can with smart home gear, letting you stick to a single app and single subscription if you decide to invest in one.

It looks like the holidays aren't a bad time to shop for a VPN subscription. ExpressVPN, Engadget's pick for the best premium provider, currently has a less premium price. This deal gives you two years of the Advanced plan (with a bonus of four free months) for only $101. When it isn't on sale, the same subscription would cost $392.

The DJI Mini 3 can fly for 38 minutes on one battery which means it can actually film instead of just hovering nervously and watching the gauge drop. With that longer flight window, you can look around, set up shots, and actually get the footage you planned without having to land in an emergency halfway through. The Fly More Combo gives you 114 minutes of airtime across three batteries which is enough time to shoot for an entire afternoon.

SCUF Gaming has built a reputation for innovation and for pushing the boundaries of controller design. It's the company that holds the patent on back paddles and trigger stops, two features that have become staples of Pro controller design. The one issue is that its products tend to be on the expensive side compared to its peers until this year, when it released the Valor Pro line for Xbox and PC.

Phantom Chess features a hidden, silent drive system that allows pieces to move autonomously, while its exterior remains pure walnut and maple, eliminating the visible motors and toy‑like aesthetic that have defined automated chess until now. Drawing on precision sensor grids and ultra‑quiet linear actuators, Phantom turns the board itself into an intelligent interface, creating an entirely new category of connected chess experience.

Also: This stereo amp made me feel like I was hearing my favorite band for the first time Selling for $170 on Amazon, the is a midrange soundbar that does one particular thing very well: ensure you can hear every word of dialogue spoken, an issue that frustrates some to the point of watching with subtitles on. Thanks to this soundbar, though, you won't have to do that any longer.

If you value peace and quiet, particularly when traveling, Bose's first-gen QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are worth checking out. They're our favorite noise-canceling headphones for travel, and right now, you can snag a pair for an all-time low of $279 ($150 off) in select colors from Amazon, Best Buy, and Bose. All three retailers estimate that shipments should arrive before Christmas, with Bose saying its cutoff for free two-day shipping is December 22nd at 12PM ET.

When he was 27, snow cross racer Mike Schultz (who got the nickname "Monster Mike" because of his renowned fearlessness) drifted off course in a race, flew off his snowmobile, and obliterated his knee. It required multiple surgeries and multiple days in a coma to save his life. Ultimately, his medical team had to amputate his leg.

Holiday lighting has long relied on repeated patterns and static effects, but this music-reactive LED Christmas tree brings a new dimension to seasonal decor by turning sound into visual effects. The project is a simple wooden frame with off-the-shelf LEDs and an audio sensor to create a festive display that animates in real time with sound. Built around an ESP32 microcontroller running the open-source WLED software, the assembly combines woodworking, basic electronics, and wireless configuration into a project that is both instructive and visually striking.

As the year draws to an end, hosts Michael Calore and Lauren Goode have some news to share with listeners. But first, they head over to the pool to unwind and reflect on what they'll be watching for in the tech space this upcoming year, and what they think should stay behind. Articles mentioned in this episode: You can follow Michael Calore on Bluesky at @snackfight, Lauren Goode on Bluesky at @laurengoode, Brian Barrett on Bluesky at @brbarrett, and Zoé Schiffer on Bluesky at @zoeschiffer.

Shopping for thoughtful gifts that the travelers in your life will love is no small feat, so we've rounded up the 11 items you'll want to leave off your list this year-plus, the brilliant replacements that will earn a spot on their packing lists for years to come. From Loop Earplugs to a Trtl Neck Pillow, these are the worthwhile replacements for the most uninspired travel gifts, starting at just $11 at Amazon.

Look, most patio heaters are basically expensive lawn ornaments that happen to produce a tiny bubble of warmth if you stand directly underneath them while wearing a parka. The Timber Stoves Revere Patio Heater is not that. This American-made beast is more like a seven-foot tall sculpture that moonlights as a radiant heating powerhouse, and honestly, it's about time someone figured out how to make outdoor heating both beautiful and brutally effective.

Donkey Kong fans can grab the Donkey Kong Bananza Amiibo for $20 (was $30) at Amazon right now. This is a Lightning Deal with limited quantities. At the time of writing, over 20% of the available Donkey Kong and Pauline Amiibo figures have been claimed. Amazon also has deals on two Amiibo figures that launched alongside the Nintendo Switch 2: Yunobo from The Legend of Zelda and Jamie from Street Fighter 6 are available for $8 each.

The Realme Neo7 made its debut in December of last year, and so you may be wondering what happened to its successor. Fret not, for the Neo8 is on the way, according to a new rumor out of China. While it's still unclear when it will arrive, when it does it will sport an 8,000 mAh battery, upping the ante from its predecessor's 7,000 mAh cell. The Realme Neo8 is allegedly powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC.

The Aloha browser, according to its site, stands for the freedom of users to be online privately. How does it achieve this? The list of features geared toward privacy and security makes it clear: Also: Looking for a Chrome alternative? My top 5 free open-source browsers More VPN locations VPN automatically connects to the fastest server VPN autostart Phone-wide VPN connection Auto kill switch to keep you protected More customizations and exclusive color themes Advanced file management with private, locked folders