To find the best room fans for most people, we brought three fan types—tabletop, pedestal, and box fans—into our labs and vigorously tested them for wind speed, ease of use, noise, and energy consumption. As for safety—another one of our concerns during testing—all of the room fan models we tested are designed with guards that…
We all want a good, strong Wi-Fi signal throughout our homes, but figuring out how to achieve it without overspending can be tricky. Even once you’ve decided to replace the router from your internet service provider, do you get a new Wi-Fi router or invest in a mesh system? I covered this briefly in my…
Atlas can already dance and perform acrobatics but, like other humanoids, lacks the intelligence needed to understand its environment, make complex decisions, and manipulate unfamiliar objects with its hands. That could start to change with the addition of an advanced AI model like Gemini, though it’s unclear how robots will match the adaptability and subtlety…
Things get extremely complicated when it comes to the many iterations of USB 3.0. Because all the branding has become inconsistent and unhelpful, we recommend ignoring these labels altogether and just searching for the actual speed ratings. The good news is that many USB hub and docking station manufacturers have started to give up on…
The Svarva lamp can be twisted into different shapes. Courtesy of Johan Ejdemo PS Svarva Floor Lamp “Some stuff I did myself, like this one. The Svarva lamp we made with the design group Front for the PS 2009 collection. They were quite newly established and so we did an armchair and this lamp. The…
Phone screens are better than they’ve ever been—bigger, sharper, and brighter—but they don’t always offer the best displays for extended reading sessions. If you’ve got a lot of text to get through, you might find yourself turning to a Kindle instead, or even a good old-fashioned physical book. There are ways to tweak the screen…
I found the Pro 3’s new heart rate monitor functionality to be a solid addition when I used the earbuds while working out. I could listen to music or a podcast, while the AirPods fed my heart rate information to the Apple Fitness app on my iPhone. Which means I could leave my Apple Watch…
In most cars, the low-fuel light generally comes on when you have less than 50 miles of fuel range left. What you need to remember is that even though technology keeps improving, it’s still always better to err on the side of caution when it comes to how much fuel you keep in your tank….
Honorable Mentions During the winter, a whole WIRED crew tests ski clothes almost constantly. Here are a few other items that we like. Courtesy of REI Hestra Fall Line 3-Finger Gloves for $152: I’ve long admired Hestra gloves from across the lift line, impressed by the Swedish company’s elegant stitchwork and thoughtful design touches. This…
If you’ve ever found yourself in a restroom with single-ply toilet paper you needed to use a lot of, you know what I mean. Comfort and softness are critical to a good roll of toilet paper, but other factors come into play as well. We tested 15 different types of toilet paper through rigorous testing…