Reviews

SwitchBot makes some of the most affordable HomeKit-compatible robot vacuums on the market. I've been testing the SwitchBot S20 and the K11+ for the last several months to see how they measure up to some of the more expensive models that I've reviewed. SwitchBot S20 The MSRP for the S20 is $799, but SwitchBot runs sales often that drop the price to under $500, so it's competitive with some...

Smart home device manufacturer Aqara today launched the Thermostat Hub W200, a new Matter-enabled thermostat that comes with several features that set it apart from existing smart thermostat options. The W200 is Aqara's first thermostat created for North America, and I've been testing two of them for the last couple of months prior to launch. The W200 is a thermostat, but it's also a...

Last month, tech columnist David Pogue released a new book titled Apple: The First 50 Years. In the U.S., the hardcover book is regularly priced at $50, but it is currently on sale for around $35 on Amazon as of the time of this writing. Published ahead of Apple's 50th anniversary on April 1, the 600-page book explores the first five decades of the company's history. Pogue interviewed 150...

Accessory company Alogic has been releasing an increasing number of displays, and the latest model arrives as a 40-inch 5K2K ultrawide model that joins existing 34-inch and 40-inch 4K models in the Edge family. I've been testing out the new 40-inch 5K2K model for the past few months, and I've found it to be a solid display offering major screen real estate for productivity users. As a...

Smart lock company Nuki today launched the Keypad 2 NFC, which is the first keypad that includes support for Aliro. Aliro is a smart lock standard that supports interoperability between mobile devices and platforms, allowing smart locks to work with any smartphone or wearable device without the need for a dedicated app. Aliro was designed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, which...

Govee today introduced its newest lighting product, Matter-enabled string lights with chromatic bulbs that have multiple LEDs inside. The Govee Chromatic String Lights feature large, pill-shaped bulbs that can display multiple colors at once, creating unique lighting effects. Priced starting at $170, the Chromatic String Lights come in a 32.8-foot strand with 10 bulbs or a 65.6-foot strand...

The first reviews of the MacBook Neo were published today by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the laptop launching on Wednesday. Available in Blush, Citrus, Indigo, and Silver, the MacBook Neo is powered by a version of the A18 Pro chip from the iPhone 16 Pro. The laptop is equipped with a 13-inch display, up to 512GB of storage, and a non-configurable 8GB of RAM....

The first reviews of the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple's M5 Pro and M5 Max chips were published today by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the laptops launching on Wednesday. In addition to the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the new MacBook Pro models offer up to twice as fast SSD speeds compared to the previous generation, and storage now starts at 1TB. ...

With the Studio Display and ‌Studio Display‌ XDR set to launch on Wednesday, members of the media have started publishing their reviews of the new display options. According to The Verge, the ‌Studio Display‌ is the same panel as the prior model, but with an upgraded camera, speakers, and ports. The brightness is the same, and there appear to be no other changes to the display quality. The...

The first reviews of the iPhone 17e were published today by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching on Wednesday. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as the iPhone 16e, but it gained Apple's A19 chip, MagSafe for magnetic wireless charging and magnetic accessories, and Apple's second-generation C1X cellular modem. In the U.S., the iPhone 17e starts...

The first reviews of the iPad Air with the M4 chip have been shared by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching this Wednesday. The new ‌iPad Air‌ features the M4 chip, 12GB of memory, the N1 wireless chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity, and Apple's C1X modem on cellular models. Everything else remains unchanged compared to last year's M3 model. ...

Govee makes just about every kind of light you can think of, and many of those are Matter-capable and able to connect to HomeKit. Earlier this year, Govee came out with a series of Matter star projectors, which you can hook up to your Apple Home setup. There are three new projectors, including the Star Light Projector Nebula, the Star Light Projector Ocean Wave, and the higher-end Galaxy...

Anker is well-known for its charging accessories, including the Solix line of high-capacity power stations. Earlier this year, Anker came out with a new Solix C1000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station, which I've been testing for the last several months. The C1000 has your standard power station aesthetic, made from durable black and gray plastic. It has two handles at the sides, which makes it...

Bluetti's Elite 30 V2 that came out earlier this year is a portable power station that's ideal for short trips, plus it works well as a temporary backup for powering small electronics in a power outage. The Elite 30 V2 is one of many power stations that Bluetti offers, and it is on the smaller, more compact side with a 288-watt-hour capacity. This is the first Bluetti power station that I've ...

Satechi offers several accessories that include Find My integration, all of which either have more convenient form factors than the AirTag or expanded versatility. The Satechi FindAll range includes a Passport Cover, Glasses Case, Luggage Tag, Card, and Keychain, several of which I've been testing for the last few months. The entire range is made from a vegan leather material that's pleasant ...

Ecovacs recently came out with its newest robot vacuum, the Deebot X11 Omnicyclone. Like the last couple of models, this new vacuum has Matter integration and it's able to connect to HomeKit so it can be sent off to clean the floor with Siri voice commands. Design The X11 is the same size as the prior-generation X9, coming in at 3.86 inches tall. I've tested several robot vacuums now, and...

It's been over four years since Apple launched its Find My network accessory program, and unlike the AirTag, Find My-compatible devices have been evolving. Chipolo recently came out with a pair of new accessories that integrate with ‌Find My‌, the Loop and the Card. Prior to this review, I saw some complaints that prior Chipolo products stopped working after a few months, so I wanted to do a...

Last month, Mophie announced the launch of its Max Charging Stand. Aimed squarely at those with multiple sets of Apple's headphones, it can charge AirPods Max headphones plus a pair of AirPods or AirPods Pro at the same time. Priced at $150, it immediately garnered criticism in our forum, largely over its price point compared to its functionality. But is it actually worth it? I've spent a...

Bird Buddy is a company known for its camera-equipped bird feeder, a product that started out on Kickstarter. Since debuting the original bird feeder in 2021, Bird Buddy has expanded its product lineup, giving people more ways to bring nature indoors. I first reviewed the Bird Buddy last year, but I am revisiting my review because there's an upgraded camera that's now available, along with a ...

The first reviews of the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip have been shared by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching this Wednesday. Apple began accepting pre-orders last week. Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the new 14-inch MacBook Pro already surfaced prior to today, revealing that the M5 chip is up to around 20% faster in the laptop, compared to...