Patrick Campanale

If you have a Nintendo Switch, you’ve likely thought about picking up Nintendo’s official Pro Controller. It’s a great accessory, and I seriously love mine. But, not everyone wants to drop $65 on a controller. If you have a PS3, PS4, or even Wii or Wii U, now there’s a way to use those controllers with your Switch easily.

8Bitdo, a well-known accessory manufacturer, recently launched a wireless Bluetooth adapter that works with the Switch, Windows, Mac, and Raspberry Pi. This accessory costs around $20 plus shipping from 8Bitdo’s official Amazon storefront and could be a game changer for many.

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Amazon offers the DJI Mavic Pro drone for $769 shipped. Normally $999, this is the lowest we’ve seen Amazon offer the drone for and just a few dollars above our previous mention. If you’ve been wanting to capture crispy video and photos from an aerial perspective, this is a fantastic option. Rated 4.2/5 stars.

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Our phones have amazing cameras. Honestly, regardless of what phone you pick up these days, you’ll likely get a camera that will beat most point and shoot offerings. One thing that dedicated cameras have over phones, however, is options for lenses. You can change your zoom range, get in closer, farther away, make the shot look however you want.

Normally, on our phones, we can do something similar to that, but it’s limited to software zoom. Software zoom is never as good as optical zoom as you’re just expanding the image, not actually getting closer. That’s where lens cases come into play. ShiftCam 2.0 is a case that features multiple lenses you just slide up and down, making changing your cameras view super simple.

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Best Buy is currently running a sale on the Google Pixel 2 XL. Taking $400 off of the device on Verizon, it drops from $35.41/mo. starting price to $18.74/mo. This savings comes in the form of $300 in monthly bill credits and a $100 instant discount. Given that we just saw a $100 discount on the Pixel 2 XL from Google yesterday, this is a great deal if you’ve been wanting to pick up Google’s latest flagship. You can learn more about the Pixel 2 XL in our hands-on review.

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Smart cars, smart speakers, smart headphones. It seems these days that everything is becoming smart, with perhaps the exception of people themselves. One of the latest innovations we’re starting to see is things around our home becoming “smart.” When it comes to converting a home from not-smart to smart, it can be quite costly.

Replacing all of the blinds in your home can be a huge pain, as well as quite expensive. That’s where iBlinds comes in. For $75, iBlinds can convert existing 2-2.5-inch horizontal blinds into Z-Wave controlled blinds.

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Getting stable video can sometimes be a challenge. Whether you’re capturing video with your smartphone, action camera, or DSLR, keeping the camera from shaking is always a pain. That’s where handheld gimbals come in, though generally, they can set you back a pretty penny. There are smartphone gimbals like the DJI Osmo Mobile, and when it comes to action cameras, there’s the GoPro Karma Grip.

If you want to stabilize your DSLR, however, those options are slightly more expensive and can be harder to use, depending on what you get. Kylin M aims to change just that by providing a single stabilizer that works with all types of cameras, from beginners with phones, to professionals with the Panasonic GH5, the Kylin M can balance them all.

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Bang & Olufsen is known for its high-end audio experience. However, the company recently decided to team up with LG to provide a truly unique cinematic experience that you can bring right into the living room. The BeoVision Eclipse Wood Edition is a uniquely designed 4K HDR OLED TV that features the “world’s best TV sound.”

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MetroPCS is currently running a deal where you can get a free iPhone SE 32GB when you switch from your current carrier. In order to redeem this sale, you must visit a MetroPCS store (find a store near you), activate a new line of service (or port in a line), and then choose an unlimited data plan. Sadly, current T-Mobile customers are excluded from this deal.

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Canon has long made cameras that many people have loved and adored. In fact, I still have a Canon T3i that I use as a b-camera when doing video and my primary photo camera. One thing that Canon has lacked for years, however, is a budget-friendly consumer-focused 4K DSLR.

Sure, Canon has 4K offerings with its C200, 5D Mark IV, and 1DX Mark II, but these cameras are not focused on average consumers and are priced accordingly. Thankfully, the Canon EOS M50 is Canon’s entry into beginner 4K cameras and starts at $780, which is a great price for the features you’ll get.

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One trend I love seeing with computers lately is battery life improvements. It used to be a feat if your laptop lasted longer than 2-3 hours, and now many laptops can go 7+ hours with continual use before needing to be charged. Naturally, processor-intensive tasks can drain the battery faster, but that’s where Windows 10 on ARM comes in.

Windows 10 on ARM processors, or Microsoft’s Always Connected PC platform, is a newcomer to the mobile computing space and one that has me quite excited. Announced a few months ago, the first Always Connected PC is now available on pre-order from HP with delivery beginning in early March.

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Kingston has become a household name when it comes to electronics. I have many of the company’s products around my home, from SD card readers to its HyperX series of RAM, Kingston offers a wide variety of accessories. Recently, however, Kingston announced the Nucleum and DataTraveler Bolt Duo adapters for Apple devices, as well as the MobileLite Duo 3C.

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Virtual reality is finally starting to become more mainstream. Prices are coming down on headsets, and more content is becoming available. Many companies are starting to get into the virtual reality space, and even more are trying to create wire-free experiences.

One downside to virtual reality has always been the cables required for high-quality content. But, that might change with Qualcomm’s latest product.

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If you haven’t heard about Amazon and Whole Foods, I’m not sure where you’ve been the past several months. But, Amazon owns Whole Foods, and the online shopping giant is giving its Prime members special discounts at retail locations. What’s the latest discount? Well, 5% back for Prime members who use the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa, of course.

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Portable gaming has come full swing. It was big years ago with the Gameboy and then slowly started dying off. Though consoles like the Nintendo DS and similar have lived through the years, portable gaming really saw no revolution until the launch of Nintendo’s ground-breaking Switch. The Switch is a fantastic portable console and revolutionized how people play games while mobile, but is still limited by the fact that it’s a console.

That’s where the GPD WIN 2 comes in. The GPD WIN 2 is a portable Windows PC with a Core m3 processor, Intel HD 615 graphics, and 8GB of RAM. The M.2 SSD is swappable should you need to, and it comes with a 128GB option pre-installed. Windows 10 allows the GPD WIN 2 to run full desktop-class applications, even programs like Origin or Steam, and that’s a real game changer.

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eBikes are becoming all the rage lately. I recently got one and it’s actually fantastic. Though I don’t live in a thick suburban area, it’s really nice to use when I have to run to the mailbox down the street or even a quick store run. Normally, though, eBikes are quite expensive (for a bike) and lack in a few areas. Nireeka is a newcomer to the eBike space starting at $799 with some killer features.

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As more and more cameras become connected, camera companies are starting to adapt. There is a culture around “smartphone photography” where you take and edit a photo on your phone before posting it online. I, for one, would much rather take an image with my camera and edit it on my computer before posting.

Connectivity is one area that needed to be overcome to combat smartphone photography, but editing also needed work too. That’s where lenses come in. Lensbaby’s Burnside 35 is a new lens that’s basically several different photo filters in one, no editing required.

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Leica is well-known for making high-end cameras for photographers. With crazy good sensors, amazing color science, and flawless glass in its lenses, owning a Leica is much like owning a Lamborghini; expensive and prestigious.

The Leica Q is a well-known camera when it comes to high-end photography. With a 24.2MP full-frame sensor and a fixed 28mm f/1.7 lens, you’re going to be hard-pressed to take “bad” photos when using the Leica Q. But, the Q isn’t entirely new. What’s new is the limited “Snow Edition” for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

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VIZIO makes tons of TVs. I actually have 5 VIZIO TVs in my home, believe it or not. Offerings from VIZIO pack great TV panels at prices that won’t break your budget. Vizio offers several different TV lines, depending on the features you want.

Since 2016, VIZIO TVs have shipped with SmartCast, a custom TV interface to help you interact with Internet-enabled features. Up until now, you’ve needed either the included remote or a smartphone/tablet to control a SmartCast enabled VIZIO TV. Starting today, however, that’s changing.

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If you own a Nintendo Switch, you likely either own or have heard of, Splatoon 2. The hit game allows you to spray ink everywhere in a race to dominate the game board before the opposing team does the same. As one of Nintendo’s best sellers with over 4.9 million units sold, this is a must-have for many Switch owners out there.

Starting on March 16th, Nintendo will be releasing Splatoon 2 Starter Edition. This new version will include the base game along with a 100-page strategy guide and a 2-pack of stickers, all for $59.99. The base game runs the same price currently, so you basically get a free guide to help you conquer your friends and enemies alike.

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We recently did a giveaway of Function101’s Bento Stack, and you loved it. So, for those that didn’t win, we decided to team up with Function101 to offer an exclusive 30% off of Bento Stack.

Normally $50, when you use our exclusive coupon code 9to5toys, you’ll receive 30% off Bento Stack and Bento Stack XL at checkout. This means the price will drop down to $34.97 for both models. Shipping adds $10 globally. This discount is stackable too so you can order multiple organizers at the sale price.

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We’re finally starting to see more and more third-party smart speakers using platforms like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. One of those smart speakers is made by British company KitSound, called the Voice One. I’ve spent the past week or so with this premium Alexa speaker running it through its paces, so let’s dive into our full review.

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360 cameras are becoming more mainstream and honestly, so are wearable cameras. There are several offerings now for wearable cameras, even from companies like Google. One thing that we’ve not really seen much of is easy-to-use wearable 360 cameras. FITT360 looks to be one of the first around that offers this feature, so let’s take a look.

FITT360 is a neckband that has multiple cameras on it to capture 360-degree video. With a built-in battery and easy to access quick record button, this means that you’ll never miss another moment again.

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When it comes to digital cameras, we’re finally starting to see more entry-level versions get 4K upgrades. Most smartphones can record in 4K, and while the quality is fairly decent, it’s nothing like a full-fledged camera. Olympus is the latest to join in the upgrade with its PEN E-PL9 mirrorless Micro Four Thirds camera.

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Charging Apple accessories and phones can sometimes be cumbersome. Whether you have an iPad Pencil that you hate leaving plugged into your device like a lollipop, or it’s remembering to charge your Magic Mouse with its belly button. carrying tons of cables can be annoying. Node is a new cable that can potentially change that. Read on for more information.

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It’s giveaway time! Today, we’ve partnered up with the Function101 team to give away 3 of the company’s Bento Stack accessory organizers. When we went hands-on with these back in December, you really loved this organizer, and so do we! Bento Stack is a fantastic way to organize your Apple accessories for when you’re on-the-go.

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4K televisions are finally becoming mainstream. You can generally find pretty good deals on them if you look hard enough or wait for specific sales to hit. But, 4K has been out for years and is just becoming mainstream. Most phones now can shoot in 4K, cameras are finally catching up and becoming affordable. So we’re good with that, right? No need to go any higher, 4K is already super a high-resolution, right? Wrong. While 4K is very high-resolution (4 times that of 1080p), 8K is what’s next.

There are already a few 8K cameras on the market, none consumer focused, but I’m OK with that. Panavision, a company you might have heard of, recently announced its 8K camera, but what does that mean for consumers who will never purchase (or even use) said camera? Read below to find out.

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Everything is becoming smart these days, and pens are no exception. There have been other smart pens launched over the years, but most require you to use a special kind of paper so the pen can know what you’re writing. While convenient to have your written words instantly digitized, using special paper was always a hassle. Whether you ran out, or just forgot to bring it with you, without that paper you were going nowhere fast.

That’s where eBeam comes in. eBeam is a new smart pen that needs no special paper, in fact, eBeam needs no paper at all to track what you’re writing.

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When it comes to protecting our devices, a case is generally seen as the easiest way to do so. What brand, however, is always a hard decision. I’ve used Urban Armor Gear cases for years, and even have one on my iPad Pro right now. Putting a Urban Armor Gear case on my iPhone X was a no brainer, but they offer several styles, so which should you choose?

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The Nintendo Switch is in millions of homes nationwide. It’s in my home, and several of my friends’ homes, and many of your homes. Nintendo needed this win after the failed Wii U launch following its successful Wii. To no one’s surprise, Nintendo has sold an exorbitant amount of Switch units, but just how many has really baffled me.

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If you game on PC, you likely have a gaming mouse. At least, a gaming mouse of some sort. I had the Razer Mamba Chroma wireless gaming mouse for a while, and seriously loved it. The ergonomics were great, it was wired or wireless, and the sensor was fantastic. But it was a normal mouse. It had a left and right click, scroll wheel, and then back/forward buttons on the side. But there was nothing really “special” about it besides the sensor and that it was wireless with RGB lighting.

PC gaming mice have kinda been stagnant lately. Sure, a new mouse might come on the scene that has a better sensor, or maybe less latency over wireless communications, but where’s the real innovation. There’s actually a kickstarter for a mouse called the Lexip, and it’s for several things that could really be game changers for PC players out there.

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When it comes to smartphone photography, there are a few leaders, and iPhone X is definitely one of them. I love my iPhone X when it comes to taking photos on the go, but there are times when I wish I had a slightly different perspective. That’s where camera cases come in, and bitplay just released its SNAP! lens system for the iPhone X.

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Wireless charging is becoming more mainstream. With that, more devices are getting it built-in so you can use it easier. The latest craze to sweep the tech world is wireless charging batteries. Most are smaller in size and they normally don’t have tons of features.

IDMIX is a new external battery on the market that features Qi wireless charging, Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0, and USB-C PD in a single package. With two versions, an 8000mAh and 18000mAh offering, IDMIX is a great alternative to the normal external battery choice with plenty of features to go around.

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The Nintendo Switch is a modern marvel. If you’re looking for a fantastic gaming console that has both portability and fun at its forefront, then the Switch should be your first choice. This isn’t a review of the Switch, however. Today we’re going to be talking about one of its shortcomings and how to fix it: storage.

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Capturing that hilarious moment, or maybe that game-winning goal can sometimes be a challenge. There are action cameras that you can wear, sure. But, generally those are somewhat large. Smaller ones exist, but the battery life is generally terrible.

If you’ve ever been in a moment where you said “I wish I had a camera to capture that” then this is for you. Caply is a super-compact action camera that features up to 5 hours of 1080p video recording or 24 hours of timelapse recording on a single charge.

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Update 2/7: As noted by USA Today, Toys R Us discounts are starting to roll out. Sales could start as soon as today in some stores, with others beginning shortly thereafter. These sales look to be over by April 15th, so you’ll have around 2 months to get the discounted prices. There’s even word out there that some (or all) furniture and fixtures are included in this sale so you might be able to score some great stuff for a man cave or even your own store.

It’s not news that Toys R Us is in trouble lately. Last fall, the company announced a “financial restructuring” would be taking place. In short, Toys R Us was in financial trouble and filed bankruptcy. Through this bankruptcy, however, the company’s leadership team decided to keep stores open. This would help them keep somewhat afloat and also keep from having to close/re-open stores once ready.

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Storage demands on both consumers and businesses are ever-increasing. Just last year, Samsung announced a 400GB microSD card for use in phones, tablets, cameras, and more. I recently visited CES in Las Vegas and had multiple 256GB microSD cards with me in case I needed to capture tons of footage or have a second backup medium.

Until now, 400GB has been the ceiling of microSD cards, with the SDXC standard supporting up to 2TB drives “in theory.” Well, we’re one step closer to proving that theory with Integral Memory’s latest announcement, a record-breaking 512GB microSD card.

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All electronics look the same. You and a friend might have the same phone, laptop, or even gaming console. Sure, there are sometimes different variations within devices, be it black or white, or maybe Xbox One X compared to the normal Xbox One S.

No matter what, though, the stylings of the units will always look the same. Similarly, gaming consoles, in particular, stand out when they are on an entertainment center, which can sometimes be the goal, and other times be the exact opposite of what you want. Head below to read our full thoughts from installation to final product on Toast for the Xbox One X.

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Update 1/23: Samsung has officially announced the 860 Pro and 860 Evo consumer SSDs. Storage sizes range from 256GB to the rumored (and now confirmed) 4TB, with prices going from $139.99 for 256GB Pro to $1,899.99 for the 4TB Pro model. Samsung’s 860 Evo 256GB starts at a much more approachable price of $99.99. As expected, the 860 Pro drives feature up to 560/530 MB/s speeds and come with Samsung’s normal 5-year warranty.

SSDs are becoming more commonplace in everyday life now, and I’m super excited about that. One of the best upgrades computers have received in recent memory is not faster processors, graphics cards, or RAM. It’s storage, and that is mainly because you can request data as much as you want, but unless your storage drive can keep up, you’re out of luck.

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If you follow computers much you likely know of the graphics card shortage we’re in right now. Graphics cards like the GTX 1070 went from a launch price of around $350 to now fetching generally $700+ on Amazon, mostly from third-party sellers. Higher-end cards like the GTX 1080 and 1080Ti saw even larger price jumps, and are just as hard to come by. My GTX 1080 that I purchased back in January of 2017 for $650 is now worth over $1,000.

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We’ve all been there before, preparing for a big family dinner when you go to grab the turkey, only to find out it was never defrosted. So, you rush to get the turkey out, run it under water, wait, leave it in a bag in hot water, er, there’s nothing really to do.

Frozen meat like that takes so long to defrost that if you forget to do it, you’re really just out of luck. There is no good way of defrosting meat fast, sadly. This new defrosting tray claims that it can defrost a frozen steak in 10-12 minutes, while normal defrosting time would be 25+ minutes. Frozen chicken? Well, Yeti Touch also claims that it can defrost that in 14-16 minutes versus the normal 30 minutes required.

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Hasselblad cameras are beautiful. There’s no other camera a photographer could dream of having other than a Hasselblad, but they come at a cost. The high-end camera company’s cheapest camera is over $11,000. Because of this, Hasselblad cameras are reserved for the high-end only, but that doesn’t stop us from dreaming about the new releases this insane camera company comes up with.

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wholesale_connection (99.5% positive feedback lifetime, top rated seller) via eBay Daily Deals offers the Onkyo TX-NR676 7.2 Ch Wireless Network Streaming A/V Receiver with 4K HDR, AirPlay, Bluetooth, more for $397 shipped. Normally $550 at most retailers and $500 at Amazon, this is the lowest we’ve ever seen it go. If you’re looking to add a high-end receiver to your home theater at almost 33% off, this is your chance. Rated 4.1/5 stars at Amazon and 4.5/5 stars at Best Buy.

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Everyone seems to be making a VR headset these days, some great, some not. One common theme among many is weight, as in the headset weighs quite a bit and can become tiresome to wear. There are a few reasons for this, including the tons of computing power built into the headset itself and the battery being stored in the headset, which the newcomer Cinego does neither of.

Cinego features a remote that handles most of the processing and battery housing so the headset can be lighter. In fact, the Cinego headset only weighs around 200 grams. This equates to around 7 ounces or less than half a pound. To put that into perspective, without cables the HTC Vive (similar resolution) weighs 555 grams and is not battery powered at all.

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Mechanical keyboards are amazing. Seriously, there is no better typing experience than using a fully mechanical keyboard. I’ve been using mechanical keyboards for years, starting with a Logitech G710 a few years ago.

Fast forward to now and I use a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar when mobile and a Das Keyboards Professional 4 when at my desk. Though I do like the keyboard on my MacBook Pro (while many others don’t), I still prefer a good mechanical keyboard.

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