Whether it’s a gift for a friend or a treat to yourself, November is a wonderful time to purchase tech gadgets. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and a six-week season of shopping make it hard to not spend money.
Before you go off blindly buying something you’ve never heard of just because it’s on sale, do a little homework. Ask around, check reviews, and turn to others for help. That’s where we come in; this is our platform for sharing our opinions on tech and other items worth buying.
Relay Go
Keeping track of your kids is always a bit of struggle. You want to give them the freedom to let them play, but you want to make sure they’re safe. There are options out there like getting a kid’s smartwatch that can track them or giving them an old phone, but most options come with some pretty serious downsides.
That’s where the Relay Go comes into play. Relay Go is best described as a cute walkie-talkie that runs on a mobile network so you can use it pretty much anywhere. The small, puck-like devices have a large button in the middle surrounded by a speaker grill. Pressing the button broadcasts your voice to all of the other devices in your network. We’ve been using two devices so my daughter and I can talk back and forth. But, you can also use the mobile app if you’d like, too. The app also allows you to track where the Relay Go is on a map, which makes locating your kid pretty easy.
I’m pretty impressed at how durable the Relay Go is. It’s made out of a hard plastic-like material that stands up to some abuse. Both our units have been dropped multiple times, including on concrete, and have no noticeable scratches.
The devices connect to both cellular networks and WiFi networks seamlessly so you’ll never have to mess with connection settings. This is truly a setup and go solution. We love how easy it is to get going and communicate with your child. You can grab the Relay Go from the company’s website.
Jabra Elite 65T Active
Jabra is one of the most respected names in audio devices because it simply makes fantastic products for a decent price. We’ve previously taken a look at the Elite 65T, Halo, Eclipse, and more.
Now, the company is back with a new offering, the Elite 65T Active. As you may gather, the truly wireless earbuds are a lot like the Elite 65T, but are more focused on those who want to go hard at the gym.
With a snug fit and an IP56 rating, these are the perfect gym earbuds. You have the ability to completely block out the world or use Jabra’s passthrough technology which allows some of the sound from the outside world through the earbuds. I’ve found the feature really useful when I’m listening to music and someone needs my attention. Now I don’t have to bother with taking my earbuds out and putting them back in when I’m done.
Battery life is another stand out here. The Elite 65T Active are rated for five hours of usage with an extra two charges in the carrying case. The case also features rapid charging with gives you up to 1.5 hours of usage in 15 minutes of charging. I’ve found that I get more like 6 to 6.5 hours of usage at lower volumes, which is class-leading.
If you’d like to pick up the Jabra Elite 65T Active, you can find them at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart (refurbished).
Creative Stage Air
Creative, like Jabra, is a gigantic name in audio. The company is known for its high-quality speakers, DACs, amps and more. Now its hitting the market with a brand new type of speaker, a super budget sound bar.
Sound bars have been gaining popularity in the last few years. No longer do you have to mess with a million long cables and a receiver to get excellent sound from your TV. The Creative Stage Air looks to dominate the budget end of that market.
The Stage Air is small. At only about a foot long and around a pound in weight, it’s super portable. Why would you want a portable soundbar? Well, it has Bluetooth too so you can use it as a portable Bluetooth speaker or connect it to your television through the Aux port. It also has a USB port so you can play MP3s directly from the soundbar from a flash drive. Pretty nifty.
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So, how does it sound? Well, you’re not getting going to get amazing audio here, but we do think it punches above its weight. At only $40, this thing is super cheap but provides a decent audio experience.
You’re not going to get deep rumbling bass or a huge sound stage, but you shouldn’t expect that from a $40 soundbar either. We think this is perfect for something like a child’s room, your dorm room, or adding some extra umph to your computer audio setup. You can get the Creative Stage Air at Creative’s website and Amazon.
Ecoflow River Rapid
Battery life in phones still sucks – that’s all there is to it. Sure, there are some standout phones out there that can last all day with heavy use, but most phones just can’t. Between power-hungry processors, high-resolution displays, and demanding games, batteries just can’t keep up.
So, we’re forced to lug around huge heavy batteries or go scurrying for a power outlet any time we can. Or, you can just grab an Ecoflow River Rapid and avoid all that nonsense.
The River Rapid is a super tiny battery that packs in 5,000 mAh. That’s enough juice to charge up almost any phone with a little more left over to top off. There are batteries with more capacity, but none that match the Rapid’s size. It’s just over three inches long, and a hair over an inch long and deep. It’s super small compared to other batteries out there.
And there’s a pretty good reason why Rapid is in its name. It offers two ports- one USB C 18W Power Delivery port and one 18W Quick Charge 3.0 port. This thing will charge up your phone in a snap. It also recharges quickly, supporting up to 12W input as well.
This is my new favorite battery and I take it everywhere when I’m running low on battery life. You can grab one for yourself from Ecoflow’s website.
Funcl W1 Wireless Earbuds
Recently launched on Indiegogo, the Funcl W1 are quality earbuds with an affordable price tag — just $19.
The earbuds pair via Bluetooth 5.0, and feature touch controls, automatic on/off, and IPX5 waterproof and sweat-proof coating.
The Funcl W1 has a 150ms optimized latency which is slower than what you’d get from other, pricier options. The AirPods and Bose SoundSport Free have 100ms, for example, while the Jaybird Run have 60ms reponse.
As far as battery goes, you’ll get 4.5 hours of playtime per charge. The carrying case that comes with the earbuds houses its own battery and can provide a total of 18 hours of listening. Learn more at Indiegogo and purchase yours for $19.
