I’m here at my neighborhood bar to feel … something. What that feeling is supposed to be, I don’t quite know. Buzzed, perhaps. Maybe tipsy. But only, I’m told, the best parts of being tipsy: relaxation, conviviality, a light yen for human connection. The chance to forget, for one moment,Continue Reading
The gap between flagship and midrange phones continues to close, thanks to devices like Xiaomi’s Poco X7 Pro. Starting at just $350 (£309), you get a large screen, silky performance, and bags of stamina. The hardware includes generous storage, fast charging, and an IP68 rating. The usual compromises are here,Continue Reading
There’s plenty more bounty, from standards like in-ear sensors for auto-pause to advanced options like computational voice isolation for notably clear calling and Spatial Audio with head tracking (if you’re into that) via gyroscopes and accelerometers. The Pro 2’s IPX4 water resistance could (and should) be better, but they atoneContinue Reading
I’ve yet to meet a pair of KEF speakers I didn’t like. The brand’s penchant for providing rigid and musical bass, a warm and smooth midrange, and effortless treble extension keeps wireless models like the LS50 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) and LSX (9/10, WIRED Recommends), and the wired R3 Meta (9/10,Continue Reading
I think it’s a universal law that your makeup looks best if you apply it while sitting on the floor. As someone who travels frequently from tent to car to hotel to friends’ houses, a good lighted makeup mirror is indispensable. As I mention in my guide to the bestContinue Reading
At CES 2025, I lost my mind over the Eufy E20. Robot vacuum design has stagnated over the past few years, but this was something I’d never seen before—an adorable robot vacuum that had three functions in one! Run it as a regular robot vacuum to map and pick upContinue Reading
Hilleberg, a small, unassuming Swedish company, has been quietly churning out some of the sturdiest, toughest, most wind- and weather- resistant, best-made backcountry shelters you can buy for decades. The Akto was first released in 1995 and has seen only one design change in all those years. This is whyContinue Reading
For the longest time, I struggled with latency when recording audio, or the time it takes for recorded sound to register on the screen. I’d plug in my audio interface to my computer, get all my drums all mic’ed up, and have a hard time getting my stuff to syncContinue Reading
You either fall into the “it’s just a phone” camp, or you’re someone who meticulously pores over all the new features of a smartphone, stays up to date on all the top devices every year, and feels a sense of pride when you look at your shiny, pricey investment. ThisContinue Reading
Testing fitness gear for WIRED means I work out six days a week, sometimes twice daily. So when I got my hands on the PowerDot 2.0 Duo, I was excited to see whether it could ease my post-workout soreness. At-home devices like this aim to commercialize medical technology that wasContinue Reading
