‘Tis the season for giving! Gear up for the new year and check out some of the hottest new gadgets for the techie in your life. Whether you’re trying to find the perfect watch or the latest game console, there’s something for everyone in this holiday gift guide. Upgrade your life (and the lives of your tech-savvy loved ones, too) and dig into the latest and greatest from the world of tech. Check out my reviews below.
APPLE WATCH SERIES 3:
The Apple Watch Gray Ceramic Series 3 is the $1,500 Apple Watch that comes in white ceramic and gray ceramic Watch cases. Updates include the ability to use the Apple Watch LTE to make phone calls, receive text messages and iMessages right on your wrist. You can also stream up to 40 million songs with Apple Music!
Ask Siri to set a reminder, send a calendar invitation, or give you directions, all without your phone. Leave your phone at home and still get alerts from your favorite apps. Of course, the Apple Watch Series 3 is still waterproof, allowing you to receive phone calls even while you swim and surf! Built-in GPS records the distance, speed and route of your outdoor workouts. And an altimeter tracks elevation during your hilliest rides and highest climbs.
Apple Watch Series 3 tracks all the ways you move throughout the day, whether you’re biking to work, doing cartwheels with the kids or hitting the gym. And with cellular, you can share your activity progress from a trail, the track, or even the middle of the ocean.
XBOX ONE X:
Take a look at all the Xbox One X features and Xbox One X specs in the above clip, which includes info on Xbox One X 4K gaming, Xbox One X enhanced games, differences with the Project Scorpio edition and more.
IPHONE 8 PLUS:
Can’t decide between the two newest iPhones? I’m here to help. There are several ways the iPhone 8 outshines the iPhone X, including the Portrait Lighting mode, wireless charging, fast charging, louder speakers and much more. Check out the review above.
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 8:
There’s a lot to like about the Galaxy Note 8 but I narrowed my review to four knockout features:
1. The Galaxy Note 8 dual camera, both with optical image stabilization
2. The S Pen features that help with productivity
3. App Pairing (launch 2 apps at once)
4. More powerful specs (6GB RAM built in)
5. Gigabit LTE
The new Nintendo UNIQLO T-shirts are now available! These were the best gaming T-shirts from the UTGP 2017 T-shirt design competition.
TOP 5 PANASONIC GH5 ACCESSORIES:
The Panasonic Lumix GH5 micro 4/3 camera was released earlier this year and I put together a list of the best Panasonic GH5 accessories that I recommend for anyone looking to invest. The above review includes the GH5 battery grip, XL5 mic interface, SanDisk SD UHS-II SD cards, extra batteries and an AC adapter.
HP ENVY 34 CURVED ALL-IN-INE ULTRAWIDE PC:
Check out the amazing ultrawide monitor goodness of the HP Envy All-in-One PC. This video includes a rundown of all the features, such as the Bang & Olufson-tuned speakers, the built-in Qi wireless charger for smartphones and tablets, the Technicolor-enhanced ultrawide display and much more. If you’re looking for a great All-in-One that incorporates a top-notch display with great specs, the HP Envy 34 Curved All-in-One is worth considering.
The Sony XBR-65Z9D is the best LED LCD television that you can buy, and it has a price tag to match. Sitting at the top of the line for home theater displays, the Sony Z9D vs LG OLED debate has raged since its release, but many argue that the Sony Z9D features make it better than LG’s 4K OLED.
The Sony Z9D peak brightness is fantastic, and blacks and contrast are the best I’ve seen on an LCD television. The Sony Trilluminous display supports a wide color gamut and HDR, resulting in fantastic visuals. Check out the video for the full Sony Z9D review.
Nintendo unleashed its latest home console onto the world earlier this year—the brand new Nintendo Switch launched on March 3, allowing you to play your home console games in 1080p high definition on your television, and for the first time, you can take them on the go and play them right on the Nintendo Switch tablet 720p display! Andru Edwards opens up the Nintendo Switch in this episode!
SONOS PLAYBAST: BEST WIRELESS SURROUND SOUND?:
Sonos has released a new soundbar called the Sonos Playbase, meant to sit below your TV set. It’s similar to the Sonos Playbar, but that product is optimized for TVs that are mounted on a wall, while the Sonos Playbase is meant for TV sets on a stand. The Playbase is a full Sonos system, so aside from providing great TV audio, it also streams all the music, podcast and more from more than 80 streaming music services such as Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Napster and more.
