I let Gemini in Google Maps plan my day and it went surprisingly well
I let Gemini in Google Maps plan my day and it went surprisingly well

You may be familiar with Gemini as the thing that’s in every Google service you use – whether you want it or not. While it’s been a constant, sometimes unwelcome presence in Gmail for at least the past year, it’s a relatively new addition to Maps. And you know what? It’s kind of great. To […]

Is the Slate Truck too minimal for its own good?
Is the Slate Truck too minimal for its own good?

The first thing you notice about the Slate Truck is its size. It’s small, surprisingly so. In a country where trucks often come with their own zip code, Slate’s pickup is refreshingly puny, measuring 174.6 inches long, 70.6 inches wide, and 69.3 inches tall, with a curb weight of approximately 3,602 pounds (1,634kg). As a […]

This even smaller credit card-sized e-reader has one tragic flaw
This even smaller credit card-sized e-reader has one tragic flaw

There’s a new smallest e-reader in my life. The Xteink X3 is even smaller and thinner than Xteink’s X4 while also improving on the X4 with refined (but still far from great) software, simplified buttons, and an improved magnetic mount on the back. It’s a better compact e-reader than the X4 if extreme portability is […]

A YouTuber channeled his distaste for the PS5’s design into slick console covers
A YouTuber channeled his distaste for the PS5’s design into slick console covers

The PlayStation 5’s curvy design is divisive. The Verge’s Andrew Webster called it a “robotic clam” in his 2020 review, which is actually kind of endearing. Personally, I kind of got over hating it sometime during the past almost-six years of its existence. Small form factor PC enthusiast Devyn Johnston is someone who did not […]

The Galaxy S26’s photo app can sloppify your memories
The Galaxy S26’s photo app can sloppify your memories

The Google Pixel 9 walked so that the Samsung Galaxy S26 could run. Google introduced AI editing tools to Photos slowly. It started with changes to the background – make the sky more blue, or remove crowds of tourists. Things got weird once the company added natural language requests and let you ask for basically […]

These retractable studded tires might save our roads, ears, and lungs
These retractable studded tires might save our roads, ears, and lungs

If you want to feel truly invincible when driving in the snow, you need a set of studded snow tires. They’re illegal in some places, typically restricted to the frigid months of the year in others. Spring for a set, though, and they’ll see you through the worst, slipperiest, snowiest driving conditions you can imagine. […]

Can my favorite Game Boy gadget tell fake cartridges from real?
Can my favorite Game Boy gadget tell fake cartridges from real?

The $50 Epilogue GB Operator has a brand-new trick up its sleeve. In addition to backing up Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges and saves to a PC (and writing saves back to carts again!), it can now plug into your phone with a brand-new Retrace app for Android and iOS. […]

My brief, weird time with the Samsung TriFold
My brief, weird time with the Samsung TriFold

I was ready to give up on the Galaxy Z TriFold. We had a strong case for getting a refund from the eBay seller – they’d claimed it was the version sold in Taiwan, but the phone that arrived at my door came with a Chinese serial number. That meant no Google services and lots […]

DJI’s Avata 360 is a more functional, flexible 360 drone
DJI’s Avata 360 is a more functional, flexible 360 drone

DJI’s Avata 360 finds the company at an odd time. For one, it’s been beaten to the punch – upstart Antigravity’s A1 became the first 360-degree drone when it launched last December, and DJI is playing catchup (and filing lawsuits). But this is also the last DJI drone you may ever be able to legally […]

Gemini task automation is slow, clunky, and super impressive
Gemini task automation is slow, clunky, and super impressive

I’ve been testing out Gemini’s new task automation on the Pixel 10 Pro and the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which for the first time lets Gemini take the wheel and use apps for you. It’s limited to a small subset right now – a handful of food delivery and rideshare services – and it’s still in […]