c/gadget-reviews

Just swapped my old USB-A hub for a USB-C one and it was a game changer

I was using a cheap Anker 7-in-1 USB-A hub for my laptop but kept getting dropouts on my external drive. Picked up a Satechi USB-C hub for $45 at Micro Center last week and the transfer speed difference is night and day. Anyone else notice how much smoother everyday stuff gets with a simple upgrade like this?

My drone review backfired big time last weekend at the park

I was out at Centennial Park testing a new flight controller for a review I was writing. About 4 minutes in, the thing just dropped out of the sky and bounced off a bench. Turns out I skimped on checking the solder joints on the power leads. I had to rebuild the whole arm and replace two motors. Now I always bench test with a multimeter before I even arm it. Anyone else ever have a review unit fail on them mid flight?

Stopped by a tech repair shop in Portland and saw a guy fix a phone screen with a heat gun and a playing card

I walked into this small shop on Hawthorne last weekend to grab a charging cable, and this dude was prying open a cracked iPhone screen using a trading card - a Pokemon card no less. He said he's been doing it for years and saves like $50 a month on specialty tools. Made me wonder how many other 'pro' gadget repair tricks are just clever hacks we overpay for. Anyone else seen repair shops get creative with weird tools?

My $120 'smart' meat thermometer kept telling me my chicken was raw when it was clearly done, but my brother says his works perfectly.

I mean, it's either a total waste of cash that burns you with undercooked fears or a lifesaver that saves you from food poisoning, so has anyone else had a gadget that just refused to work right for them specifically?

My buddy's old phone trick saved my new tablet from a stupid mistake

I was setting up a new tablet last week and my friend Jake saw me about to use a cheap charger from a gas station. He said, 'Dude, stop, that thing will fry your battery in like six months.' He showed me his own phone, which had a swollen battery from using bad chargers. Now I always check the voltage matches exactly, even if it means waiting a day for the right cord. Has anyone else had a gadget get messed up by the wrong power supply?

Appreciation post: My cheap fitness tracker finally died, so I borrowed my friend's Garmin

I wore his Forerunner 55 for a run yesterday and the difference in GPS accuracy was huge (my old one would add almost a quarter mile to every route). Has anyone else made a switch that showed them what they were missing?

My new phone's camera totally ruined a trip to the Grand Canyon

I got the new Pixel 8 Pro last month and the reviews were all about the amazing camera. Last week I was at the Grand Canyon at sunset, the perfect shot, and the phone just kept over-processing the colors. The whole sky looked like a fake orange painting, not the real view. Has anyone else had a flagship phone camera mess up a real moment like that?

Pro tip: my old $20 fitness tracker was a total lie compared to the new Garmin

Honestly, I wore my old budget tracker and my new Garmin Forerunner 55 for a week, and the step counts were off by like 3,000 a day. Ngl, the Garmin's GPS and heart rate sensor just seem way more accurate based on how I actually felt during runs. Has anyone else done a side-by-side test and been shocked by how bad the cheap ones are?

Just saw a demo at the Austin Tech Expo where a smart speaker recorded a private conversation.

Question about a 3 year old fitness tracker that just gave up

My Fitbit Charge 3 from 2021 finally died last month, the screen just went black and never came back. I tried every reset trick on their website and even left it on the charger for a full 48 hours with no luck. Has anyone else had a gadget just quit like that right after the warranty ended?

My old phone's battery was dying by 2pm, so I tried a trick from a repair shop video.

I turned off background refresh for every app except messages and email, and my Pixel 6a now makes it to 7pm. Has anyone else found a specific setting that gave you way more battery life?

I tested two phone battery packs on a camping trip and one was a total letdown

Last weekend I took a 10,000mAh Anker and a cheap no-name pack with me to the woods. The Anker charged my phone from 5% to full in about an hour, but the other one took over three hours and got really hot. The difference was the power output rating, which I didn't check before buying the cheap one. Anyone have a good brand for a bigger pack, maybe 20,000mAh?

Hot take: Smart home setup is a total time trap

I spent a full weekend, about 14 hours, just trying to get my new smart lights and thermostat to talk to each other. The problem was a weird firmware update on the hub that kept failing silently. What's the most time you've wasted on a gadget that was supposed to make life easier?

My neighbor said his new smartwatch review felt pointless after the next model came out a month later.

He told me he spent 3 hours writing a detailed review for the Garmin Venu 4, only to see the Venu 5 announced right after he posted it, which made me wonder if the whole gadget review cycle is moving too fast to be useful anymore.

Heard a kid call a digital camera a 'big phone' and it got me thinking

I was at the park and a little boy pointed at my old Canon PowerShot and asked his mom why my phone was so big. It made me remember when a camera was just a camera, not an app you close by mistake. Do you think gadget reviews focus too much on phones now and skip over the good stuff that just does one job?

Pro tip: Everyone says you need a screen protector for your new phone, but I think that's wrong.

I've used my Pixel 8 for almost a year now without one, and the screen is still flawless. Modern glass is way tougher than people give it credit for, and a protector just ruins the feel. Has anyone else ditched the screen protector and been fine?

My trusty old laser level finally gave up the ghost on a job in Eugene

It was a Bosch GLL 2-50 that I've had for about eight years, and it just stopped projecting a line halfway through setting up a tile grid. I had to run to the local hardware store and grab a new one to finish the day, which set me back a bit. Has anyone else had a favorite tool die at the worst possible time, and what did you replace it with?

My sister said my phone review was missing the point

I was showing her my new phone, going on about the camera specs and the screen refresh rate. She just shrugged and said, 'But does it make you happy to use it every day? That's the only review that matters.' It hit different because I spend so much time looking at numbers and charts. She doesn't care about benchmarks, she cares if the battery lasts through her shift at the hospital or if it fits in her pocket. Now I'm rethinking how I judge gadgets. Should a review be about raw performance, or about how it fits into a normal person's life? Which side do you guys lean towards when you read a review?

My phone fell in the sink and I fixed it with a bag of rice from 2018.

I was washing my hands and my Pixel 6 slid right into the full basin, so I panicked and grabbed this ancient bag of jasmine rice from the back of my pantry. After leaving it buried in there for two full days, the thing actually powered back on and works fine! Has anyone else had a weird fix like this actually work on a gadget?

Rant: Everyone keeps saying the new phone's battery is bad, but I think they're just using it wrong.

I've had mine for three months and get a full day easily by turning off the always-on display, something most reviewers don't even mention. What's one gadget feature you think people overlook that makes a huge difference?

My new phone's screen went from perfect to scratched in a week because I skipped the case.

I was trying to keep it slim, but after it slid off my coffee table onto a hardwood floor, there are three deep gouges that catch my thumb every time I swipe, so what screen protector actually works with curved edges?

My old phone's battery health hit 78% and it finally clicked why my day felt off

Honestly, I never really checked the battery health number on my phone. I just knew it was dying fast. Then I saw it was at 78% after having the thing for almost three years. Tbh, that specific number made me get it. It wasn't just a bad day, the battery was actually worn out. I looked it up and that's the point where they say you should think about a replacement. It mattered because I was always carrying a charger and missing calls. I got a new battery put in for about $80 and it's like a different device. Has anyone else had a gadget where one specific stat finally explained a bunch of small problems?

I was reading a review for a new smartwatch and the battery life claim was way off

Pro tip: a broken screen at a coffee shop taught me to always check the warranty first

I was at a coffee shop in Austin and my phone slipped off the table, cracking the screen pretty bad. I found out my warranty covered a free screen replacement, which saved me about $150. Do you guys actually read the warranty details before you buy a gadget?

Just realized my old way of checking the weather was a whole show

I used to watch the local news at 6am for the forecast, but now I just ask my Echo Show in the kitchen while making coffee. Anyone else have a gadget that replaced a whole routine?