Accessory

Thanks to a same-day store pickup option, Best Buy's current deal for the popular Logitech G604 Lightspeed is an excellent last-minute gift for avid gamers who could use a wireless gaming mouse upgrade just in time for Christmas.

Sporting both active noise cancelation and an audio transparency mode like most competing products, the OnePlus Buds Z2 wireless earbuds come with a superior battery life of up to 38 hours (24 hours with ANC turned on). With a list price of US$99.99, the OnePlus Buds Z2 can be acquired now from Amazon for half the price.

Sold as the "Ultimate Entertainment Bundle," the combo that brings together the Fire HD 10 tablet and Fire TV Stick 4K is only available with the 32 GB lockscreen ad-supported tablet in black. However, the 50% discount pushes the price down to a wallet-friendly value of just US$99.39.

Available from 32 GB to 1 TB, the SanDisk Extreme family of microSD memory cards is now down by up to 47% on Amazon. This generous discount is applied to the 1 TB version, which can be acquired for US$159.99, down from a list price of US$299.99. The 256 GB and 512 GB capacities also come with discounts over 40%.

Unveiled earlier today and set to enter the mass production stage next year, the industry's first 12 nm-class DDR5 DRAM by Samsung aims to push forward computing, data center, and AI applications. Although not the fastest ones, these chips come with the industry's highest die density, which allows a 20% higher wafer productivity.

Bose has revealed that it is now an audio partner for Volvo in-car systems, starting with the new EX90. The new all-electric vehicle thus comes with a branded multi-speaker array optimized for its sports utility vehicle (SUV) design. It is rated to create a surround-sound effect that serves each seat with "accurate" bass and noise-dampening technology.

Most new ultrabooks may have sacrificed some ports in order to get to CES 2023 as thin and light as possible. The new 500 USB Type-C Universal Dock can augment those PCs to USB ports aplenty, dual 10 gigabit per second (Gb/s) type-Cs included. Lenovo thus touts the new accessory as a perfect companion to one of its new IdeaPad laptops.

Lenovo has unveiled a new webcam called the Lenovo Go 4K Pro Webcam. It has a physical privacy shutter, AI-assisted autofocus, and can record videos in HDR. It will be purchasable in July2023 for EUR 119 (US$126).

Lenovo's newest wireless keyboard/mouse combo can last up to three months on a singe charge. Both components are made from ocean-bound and post-consumer recycled plastics. The combo can be purcahsed for EUR 79 (US$83)

Released less than three months ago, the Fitbit Versa 4 is slightly thinner than its predecessor and sports an improved multi-path optical heart rate tracker. It comes with Google Wallet & Maps, automatic exercise tracking, and challenges. Amazon's ongoing 30% discount takes the US$229.95 list price down to US$159.95.

Xiaomi has revealed the Mijia Dictionary Pen, which is currently crowdfunding via Youpin in China. You can use the device for document or voice translations. The gadget has two scanners, including an 8 MP camera on its back and over 15 million Chinese and English words in its vocabulary. An OTA update will add Japanese, Korean, German and Russian words in January.

Samsung has introduced the Galaxy 25W Battery Pack, a new power bank that supports Super Fast Charging and can recharge two devices simultaneously via USB Type-C. Offered with a 10,000 mAh capacity, the Galaxy 25W Battery Pack features a plastic design and weighs just over 200 g.

The California-based OEM ViewSonic has announced that its X1 and X2 FHD LED short-throw projectors are the first to attain the new TÜV SÜD certification for eye protection for their category of display devices. Therefore, ViewSonic can now say that the projectors' up-to-100 inch output can be enjoyed by users of all ages without fear of fatigue or discomfort, despite their high brightness ratings.

John Carmack has resigned from Meta and the development team behind the Meta Quest VR headset. Citing inefficiency problems that plague the company as a whole and VR development specifically, Carmack has quit Meta to work on his AI-focused startup.

OnePlus has unveiled plans for a move into PC accessories today (December 17, 2022) as part of its ninth anniversary event. The well-known mobile device brand has outlined plans to make its own mechanical keyboard, complete with its own custom switches and gaskets. They are touted to fit into a "meticulously crafted" metallic casing for a unique typing experience.

Although the deal only applies to the Satin Silver finish and only for US-based customers, the 43% discount that pushes the Beats Solo3 wireless on-ear headphones from US$199.95 to US$114.95 should not be overlooked. Compatible with both Apple and Android devices, these wireless headphones provide up to 40 hours of battery life.

The TicWatch GTH 2 is a fitness-tracking smartwatch rated to track the user's skin temperature as well as their heart rate and blood-oxygen levels. It has a display 10% larger than its predecessor, yet is rated for up to 10 days of battery life. The GTH 2 is now available at a price of under US$100.

OPPO has unveiled new foldable Android smartphones as the acme of its market-ready mobile tech. However, it has also indicated that its successors might go beyond that in terms of design. They include a new kind of smartphone made completely of glass, a potential next-gen smartwatch and the OEM's latest edge-to-edge display tech.

Anker has discounted its 737 Power Bank (PowerCore 24K) in the US, UK, Canada and the EU. Customers can save up to 29% or US$49 off the device at Amazon or the Anker online store. The gadget has a 24,000 mAh battery and can charge or be recharged at up to 140 W.

OPPO has announced some new special editions of existing products as well as its latest foldable Android smartphones today (December 15, 2022). They include the Watch 3 Pro Glacier Gray, a new SKU of the OEM's highest-end smartwatch optimized for skiing; the Golden Years Edition of the Enco X2 flagship TWS earbuds and a new artist's rendition of the OPPO Pad.

Xiaomi has revealed the Mobile SSD 1 TB via a crowdfunding campaign in China. The company claims that the device can read and write at speeds up to 2,000 Mbps and is compatible with a wide range of products. The compact gadget weighs 60 g (~2.1 oz) and is 77.8 mm (~3.1-in) long, making it easy to transport.

The new Mogo 2 Pro is Xgimi's first projector to feature the company's latest version of Intelligent Screen Adaptation (ISA). The new version of ISA allows the projector to automatically focus the image and correct the keystone without interrupting playback.

OPPO's already action-packed Inno Day event has also introduced the OEM's latest augmented reality (AR) device. The second-gen Air Glass is touted as durable yet super-lightweight, and to come in various styles and support corrective lenses if necessary. They are rated for AR applications such as real-time captions and translation, head-mounted navigation and conferencing.

AOHi asserts that its upcoming crowd-funding campaign will help the user get their charging cable to the ideal length, using a new "modular" system. It is a new take on power accessories with ends rendered universal with magnetic contacts, although this one is touted as compatible with ultra-fast charging as well as with iPhones and iPads.

Now that Wi-Fi 7 is all but here, Qualcomm has anticipated demand for new total-home or home mesh systems compatible with this new standard. The OEM's latest Immersive Home Platforms are touted as small yet powerful enough to deliver 20 gigabit per second (Gb/s) worth of broadband capacity in unobtrusive form-factors.

OPPO has revealed that its line of in-house chipsets has a new member as part of its ongoing Inno Day 2022 event. The MariSilicon Y is also its maker's first ever custom SoC for sound, designed with "industry-first" technology to achieve "ultra-high" transmission rates over Bluetooth. It is also rated to support lossless audio and integrates its own neural processing unit (NPU) for hundreds of billions of calculations per second.

Certified 80+ Platinum and built using low-ESR capacitors, the Asus ROG Thor 850 PSU features dustproof IPX5 wing-blade fans, ROG heatsinks, Aura Sync addressable RGB lighting, and a LiveDash OLED panel that displays the power draw in real-time. After a 44% discount, it is now available on Amazon for US$139.99.

Have you ever plugged in your USB-C charging cable and wondered how much juice it's actually pulling? You could always use a separate wattmeter, of course, but integrating a meter directly onto the cable itself is an even more convenient solution.

The latest, tenth-gen version of Apple's most vanilla iPad comes upgraded to a relatively new A14 Bionic SoC and (perhaps more importantly) USB type-C for charging and syncing. However, as the famous durability vlog JerryRigEverything has now discovered, it also comes with drawbacks besides its confounding choice of first-party stylus support.

Available separately in 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB versions, as well as bundled with a 5 mm low-profile heatsink (only the 500 GB and 2 TB variants), the Crucial P5 Plus NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD is now discounted on Amazon. The discounts start at 37% (500 GB with heatsink) and go up to 53% (2 TB, standalone).

Released as a cheaper alternative to the AirPods Pro, the US$150 Beats Studio Buds TWS ANC earbuds are now down to less than US$90 thanks to a 40% Amazon discount. Unfortunately for those who would like to get them in black, red, white, or gray, the only discounted color choice is Ocean Blue.

The Phantom Black and white Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro TWS earbuds are now discounted on Amazon by no less than 50%. Thanks to this discount, the US$199.99 list price of this popular audio accessory is now down to just US$99.99. Sadly, the purple color choice is only 18% off, so its discounted price tag reads US$163.71.

If you're still stuck on Wi-Fi 5 and recently purchased a new laptop or smartphone, then it's more than likely that they can support speeds much faster than what your current router can provide. Now may be the time to upgrade your home wireless without needing to break the bank.

Xiaomi has made a new Pro version of its Sound smart speaker official . It has upgraded to a new adjustable ambient lighting effect as well as a new "7-part" speaker system. The Sound Pro also supports NFC and the latest ecosystem support baked into MIUI 14 for easy pairing and control using a new 13-series flagship smartphone.

Xiaomi has unveiled its latest router official alongside its new flagship Android smartphones. The first-gen device can support up to four 2.5 gigabit (Gb) wired connections, and also purports to support "10Gb wireless" thanks to its tri-band support. The OEM also asserts that it is fast and powerful enough to even support "light NAS" work if necessary.

Xiaomi has laid claim to a debut for the advanced LHDC 5.0 codec in TWS earphones with its new Buds 4. They are also rated for "intelligent" active noise cancellation (ANC), Independent Spatial Audio and up to 30 hours of battery life. They are available to order from now, albeit in China only, at a lower starting price than their Pro counterparts.

The massive 60% deal currently live on Amazon brings the Philips H9505 over-ear hybrid ANC headphones down to US$99.99 from a US$249.99 list price. With the same 27-hour battery life regardless of ANC status, these headphones feature a rounded over-ear design and custom control via the Philips Headphones app.

Xiaomi has prefaced its launch for its latest 13 series of flagship smartphones with an introduction to the new software the devices will run out of the box. MIUI 14 is based on Android 13, and is rated to bring improvements in terms of user privacy, UI layout and system resource usage with it. The new OS is also backed to improve control over connected devices throughout the home and the user's life.

With a list price of US$49.99, the latest model of Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K is now discounted by 46%, so those interested can get it for just US$26.99. In addition to 4K Ultra HD support for Dolby Vision, HDR, and HDR10+, this product also comes with Dolby Atmos audio and Alexa Voice remote.

Featuring 12 mm drivers tuned by AKG, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live TWS earbuds also come with active noise canceling, long battery life, and always-on voice assistance via Bixby. Currently discounted by up to 35% on Amazon (depending on the color), these earbuds can be acquired for less than US$100.

The European Union has set December 28, 2024 as the hard date when most electronics must include USB-C charging in order to be sold in EU member states. Perhaps most notably, this will force Apple to fully abandon its Lightning standard in order to sell iPhones in the EU. Laptops will have to include USB-C charging by 2026.

The Xiaomi 13 might be a compelling choice of a new Android smartphone thanks to its combination of the latest and potentially greatest SoC from Qualcomm and an all-new, flat display. However, this putative dream of thin-bezel fans is reportedly proving much less of one for accessory-makers, who allegedly claim that its lack of chin or forehead make a hard fit for a screen protector, especially if the user also wants to use a case with it.

Audeze today announced its latest gaming headset, the Maxwell. The closed-back headset can be used wired or wirelessly (via Bluetooth 5.3) and features 90 mm planar magnetic drivers. The microphone is a detachable cardioid designed by Shure.

Anker has currently discounted its 577 Thunderbolt Docking Station in the US and the UK, offering up to £90 (~US$110) off the device. The 13-in-1 gadget has a range of ports, including Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, USB-C and an SD card slot. The gadget works with non-M1 Macbooks and Windows laptops with a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 port.

Capable of write speeds up to 1,000 MB/s and 1,050 MB/s reads on USB 3.2 Gen 2 supported devices, the Samsung T7 portable SSD is compatible with PCs, laptops, and consoles. Offering password protection and resistance from shocks, drops, and overheating, it is now discounted on Amazon by up to 44%.

Wireless mechanical keyboards with per-key RGB and fast response times can be quite expensive. At its normal retail price of >US$200, the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless is one such keyboard. Fortunately, Amazon currently has the device for a cool US$68 off, making the compact keyboard considerably cheaper.