Tag Archives: products

“Did Real Tone get worse?” That was one of my criticisms of the Pixel 8A when I reviewed it a few months ago. Google’s midrange smartphone packs a wallop for $500, but Real Tone, the camera feature designed to produce more accurate skin tones, especially for people of color, was …

The clock is ticking for Google. The company has largely been playing catch-up in the wearable-computing space ever since its acquisition of Fitbit and revival of Wear OS, the operating system that powers smartwatches from various companies, including Google, Samsung, and OnePlus. The platform debuted as Android Wear in 2014, …

Choice is the theme of this year’s Made by Google hardware event, the annual spectacle where Google announces new Pixel devices. The company has unveiled four new smartphones—the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold—alongside the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro …

Just like no one wants to hear a restaurant reviewer complain about eating at high-end restaurants with his friends every night, no one really wants to listen to a gadget reviewer who can’t get a high-end home theater system to work. When I was assigned this piece, I could not …

I'm insanely jealous of anyone who doesn't use a case on their iPhone—walking around freely without fear that they might accidentally drop it and shatter the fragile screen. I treat my iPhone like a Fabergé egg, complete with a heavy-duty screen protector and case. This is partly because I'm extremely …

we love Patagonia for all sorts of reasons. It was founded by legendary dirtbag climber Yvon Chouinard, who ate cat food. The company supports families with great onsite childcare. Famously, in 2022, Chouinard gave the company to a trust and a nonprofit to ensure that all sales would go toward …

Nine years have passed since Google introduced the third-generation Nest Learning Thermostat, but the wait for the fourth-generation model is finally over. Today, the company unveiled its latest smart thermostat. It arrives on the same day as a next-gen version of Google's iconic Chromecast streaming dongle—now called the Google TV …

Back in the 1950s, when color TV was invented, everything was simple. TVs were either color or black-and-white, and you could tell at a glance which was which. Today, you can find TVs and monitors that somehow promise more colors, but what does that mean? And why do manufacturers use …

Sure, duh: Vehicle lights serve the important and vital safety function of allowing drivers to see where they’re going, and everyone else to see when they’re coming. But for decades, car designers have clocked headlamps and tail lights as an opportunity for creativity, to build a distinctive brand that says, …

Nothing has a new smartphone—the Phone (2a) Plus—nearly identical to the Phone (2a) it released earlier this year, but with slightly beefed-up specs. It costs $399 and is available in the US through the same beta program. But it isn't the new Android handset we find most interesting, it's the …