The Archive.

Newsletter·Newsletter

I built something new and you're the first group I'm asking

Review·Health

Eight Sleep FAQs

Every question I get about the Pod, answered from three years of sleeping on one.

Comparison·Health

Apple Watch Series 10 vs. SE 2

I buy both every year. Here’s when the Series 10 is actually worth it.

Comparison·Health

Eight Sleep Pod 4 vs. Pod 3

Eight Sleep’s four upgrade claims, tested against reality.

Review·Health

Eight Sleep Pod 4 Cover

In 2022 there wasn’t one independent Eight Sleep review online, so I spent $2,000 to write it.

Comparison·Health

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. SE 2

Four straight years of “just get the SE,” then the Series 9 made me hesitate.

Review·Health

Levels Health (2023)

Two months and $600 of diabetic-grade glucose monitoring, so you don’t have to.

Comparison·Health

Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Series 9

I’m all in on new Apple gear, but the original Ultra didn’t tempt me. The Ultra 2 did.

Comparison·Vacuums

Eufy vs. Roomba

After 14 robot vacuums in three years, the quiet, cheap Eufy 11S is still the pick.

NFT Guide·NFT Guide

Ledger vs. Trezor

The two hardware wallets worth trusting with your NFTs, compared.

NFT Guide·NFT Guide

Are NFTs Dead?

Money laundering? Ponzi scheme? Taking the three biggest NFT myths seriously.

Comparison·Health

Apple Watch Series 8 vs. SE 2

Two months of double-wristing says the SE 2 is still the smart buy.

Review·Health

Eight Sleep Pod 3 Cover

600 nights on the Pod 3, starting from deep skepticism.

Newsletter·Newsletter

Power Moves Update for 2023

A letter to subscribers on where Power Moves went in 2023.

NFT Guide·NFT Guide

Why NFTs May Fail

Most NFTs will end up worthless for the same reason most art does.

NFT Guide·NFT Guide

How to Secure Your NFTs

Hardware wallets and healthy paranoia: how I keep my NFTs from getting stolen.

NFT Guide·NFT Guide

Four NFTs to Buy Under $50

Four picks under $50 for people who keep asking.

NFT Guide·NFT Guide

How to Buy and Sell NFTs

MetaMask plus OpenSea, step by step.

NFT Guide·NFT Guide

Where to Buy NFTs

How the NFT marketplaces differ, and which one fits you.

NFT Guide·NFT Guide

Why Do People Buy NFTs?

Three reasons this hobby ate my brain.

NFT Guide·NFT Guide

Why Are NFTs Valuable?

What buying a $9K ape JPEG taught me about digital value.

NFT Guide·NFT Guide

What Is an NFT?

The plain-English version: a tradable token that proves you own a thing.

Review·Health

Eight Sleep Pod 2 Cover

No free unit, no sponsorship. $2,000 of my own money on the line.

Review·Health

Whoop 4.0

Two months in, same problems as my 3.0. I still can’t recommend it.

Comparison·Security

Ring 1 vs. Ring 3 vs. Ring 4 vs. Ring Pro

Four Ring doorbells, one lineup ranking for 2021.

Review·Smart Home

IKEA FYRTUR Smart Shade

A HomeKit must-have from, of all companies, IKEA.

Review·Apple

Belkin MagSafe Car Vent Mount

It has one job, holding your MagSafe iPhone on a car vent, and it does it well.

Newsletter·Security

If Your Passwords Are Your Pet’s Name, You Need to Read This

A wake-up call about lazy passwords, plus what I actually use.

Comparison·Streaming

Chromecast with Google TV vs. Apple TV 4K

The $49 Chromecast is the streamer most people should buy. Here’s where Apple TV wins.

Newsletter·Newsletter

The Biggest Technology Breakthrough Since the Internet

The two lives I lived in 2021: tech reviewer by day, crypto-obsessed by night.

Review·Trackers

Apple AirTags

Find My makes every other tracker feel five years behind.

Review·Lighting

Nanoleaf Shapes

The triangle lights behind me in every YouTube video, explained.

NFT Guide·NFT Guide

5 NBA Top Shot Tips

Five tips from a collector who’s felt more like a gambler lately.

Review·Health

Eufy Smart Scale

I paid $20, the same as my dumb scale, and it does ten times more.

Comparison·Security

Eufy vs. Ring 1 (2nd Gen)

Free motion recording and better video: the battery Eufy beats Ring.

NFT Guide·NFT Guide

Why NBA Top Shot Will Overtake Basketball Cards

25,000 collectors queued for 2,673 packs. Something is happening here.

Review·Health

Amazon Halo

A solid sleep tracker with an always-listening mic. Who is this for?

Comparison·Security

Nest Hello vs. Ring Pro

Nest Hello’s build quality and smarts edge out Ring Pro.

Newsletter·Wifi

Explaining WiFi 6 to My Grandma

What the new radio inside your router actually does.

Comparison·Speakers

HomePod vs. Sonos Five

Sonos Five sounds best and plays with everything; HomePod overdelivers for its price.

Newsletter·Newsletter

Annual Letter to Readers (2021)

A million people saw something I made in 2020. Here’s what’s next.

Comparison·Speakers

Sonos Move vs. Bose Portable Home Speaker

Three weeks in, Sonos Move sounds better and runs on better software.

Comparison·Health

Apple Watch Series 3 vs. SE

Three weeks of double-wristing says the SE is worth the extra $80.

Comparison·Apple

iPad Air vs. iPad (8th Gen)

The 8th-gen is the iPad for most people. The Air’s $300 buys nice-to-haves.

Comparison·Streaming

Apple TV vs. Roku

Apple TV is the best streamer; Roku is the value play.

Review·Miscellaneous

Traeger Pro 575

40 cooks in three months asking if WiFi pellet beats propane.

Review·Miscellaneous

Bertello Pizza Oven

The Shark Tank pizza oven I never asked for and now won’t shut up about.

Review·Miscellaneous

iPhone vs. Canon M50 for YouTube

Six videos on iPhone, then I bought a Canon M50. The reason wasn’t image quality.

Review·Health

Upright Go

It fixes your posture by nagging you. It works. It’s still annoying.

Review·Lighting

Casper Glow Light

I love my Glow Lights. At $229 a pair, most people shouldn’t buy them.

Review·Streaming

YouTube TV

The best cable alternative, with stream quality nobody else matches.

Review·Security

EufyCam E

Arlo’s design, Eufy’s privacy: your clips never leave home.

Review·Security

Arlo Pro 2

The battery-powered camera to beat, thanks to its integrations.

Newsletter·Newsletter

Annual Letter to Readers (2020)

What started as an excuse to buy gadgets became a daily job.

Review·Security

Ring Stick Up Cam

The battery and app are fine, the paywall isn’t. I’d take Blink.

Review·Headphones

AirPods Pro

The Pro trade: noise cancelling in exchange for all-day comfort.

Review·Security

Blink XT2

Accurate motion recording and free storage make it an easy pick for casual use.

Review·Streaming

Chromecast (Gen 3)

No remote, no interface. Great if your phone is the remote you want.

Review·Wifi

Orbi RBK50

The dedicated backhaul delivers speeds mesh rivals can’t touch.

Review·Streaming

Roku Stick Plus

The best-value streamer: more content, fewer ads than Fire Stick.

Review·Streaming

Fire TV Stick 4K

A real remote makes it the pick for most people, ads and all.

Review·Trackers

Tile Mate

Superior range puts Tile ahead of every other Bluetooth tracker.

Review·Trackers

TrackR Pixel

Poor range, two-month batteries. The $15 price is the only good news.

Review·Headphones

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

Superior build and crisp sound make these the noise-cancelling headphones to beat.

Review·Headphones

Sony WH-1000XM3

Longer battery and livelier sound than Bose, in a dated design.

Review·Smart Home

Google Nest Hub

The best kitchen assistant: intuitive screen, better content.

Review·Smart Home

Echo Show 5

A nice Echo Dot upgrade that still isn’t a Nest Hub.

Comparison·Vacuums

Neato D7 vs. Roomba i7

Mostly hard floors? The efficient Neato D7 is the better bet.

Review·Apple

iPad Pro (2018)

Apple’s fastest chip yet meets the MacBook question.

Comparison·Vacuums

Dyson V10 vs. V11

The V11 wins on quiet, runtime, and smarts. Worth it if you can swing it.

Review·Security

Ring Alarm

Free self-monitoring makes Ring the DIY security kit to beat.

Review·Security

SimpliSafe

Great hardware that’s almost useless without the $25/month plan.

Review·Security

Skybell HD

Free cloud recordings, if it decides to record.

Review·Miscellaneous

Polaroid Zip

Fine prints, fun gimmick. Just don’t expect photo-lab quality.

Review·Miscellaneous

HP Sprocket

As good as portable printers get, which is a qualified compliment.

Review·Headphones

Powerbeats Pro

The secure fit AirPods can’t give you, with battery to spare.

Review·Headphones

Bose SoundSport Free

For Android users and premium-sound seekers, these beat AirPods.

Review·Headphones

Apple AirPods 2

Buy them for the seamless pairing, not the sound.

Review·Wifi

Linksys Velop

Pick Velop only if phone-app polish matters more than raw performance.

Review·Streaming

Spotify

The discovery algorithm nobody else can touch.

Review·Streaming

Apple Music

Good, but only worth it if you’re all-in on Apple.

Review·Security

Nest Indoor Cam

Three hours of free snapshots. Everything else costs a subscription.

Review·Security

Amazon Cloud Cam

The best free plan in home cameras, and it’s reliable too.

Review·Vacuums

Deebot N79S

Stronger suction and longer battery than Roombas at this price.

Review·Vacuums

ILIFE A4s

It competes with the big brands and undercuts them on price.

Review·Vacuums

Shark ION F80

Great suction, two batteries, a few design head-scratchers.

Review·Speakers

UE Megablast

Big, clean sound at high volume. UE’s best-sounding speaker.

Review·Speakers

JBL Xtreme 2

The loudest speaker I’ve tested. Bring a backpack.

Review·Speakers

JBL Charge 4

Great sound and long battery make it the portable speaker for most people.

Review·Speakers

UE Boom 3

Best design on the market, C-minus sound, too high a price.

Review·Speakers

UE Megaboom 3

Great outside; the bass falls apart at full volume.

Review·Speakers

Bose SoundLink Color

Good sound that can’t fill a room, at a price that should.

Review·Speakers

JBL Flip 4

Amazing sound for the money, just a step behind Charge.

Review·Speakers

Bose SoundLink Micro

Shocking bass for the size; the price is less charming.

Review·Lighting

LIFX

The smart lights to get if you only want a couple, no hub required.

Review·Lighting

Philips Hue

Three years in, still the best smart lights. Platform support seals it.

Review·Wifi

Luma Whole Home WiFi

The worst mesh system I’ve tested: inconsistent hardware, messy software.

Review·Smart Locks

Schlage Connect

A budget lock that works, with the looks and volume to prove it’s budget.

Review·Smart Locks

Kwikset Kevo

A great idea, two weeks of touch-to-unlock roulette.

Review·Smart Locks

Kwikset Premis

A sleek lock with a keypad you can’t count on.

Review·Speakers

Google Home Max

Great speaker, late arrival: Google’s answer to HomePod and Sonos.

Review·Headphones

Jaybird Run

A tight fit is the only thing these get right.

Review·Headphones

Sony WF-1000X

Excellent noise cancelling until you move and the audio cuts out.

Review·Apple

iPhone X

Six weeks with the X, coming from an iPhone 7.

Review·Health

Apple Watch 3

Finally fast enough to matter. The best smartwatch yet, issues and all.

Review·Speakers

Bose SoundWear Companion

A speaker you wear like an NFL q-collar. Cool idea; niche result.

Review·Miscellaneous

Amazon Fire HD 8

Tablets never made sense to me. At this price, the Fire HD 8 almost does.

Review·Vacuums

Eufy RoboVac 11

It just keeps chugging. The entry-level robot done right.

Newsletter·Newsletter

2016: My Year in 54 Bullet Points

My year, told in 54 bullet points.

Review·Apple

MacBook Pro (2016)

Writing this from a Starbucks so everyone can see the Touch Bar.

Review·Apple

iPhone 7

Six favorite features, compared straight against my 6s.

Newsletter·Newsletter

6 Things I Learned From Creating Bidiction

The autopsy of my first startup.

Review·Health

Apple Watch 2

If you liked the first one, keep it.

Newsletter·Newsletter

Bidiction

The “revolutionary” auction site I built to fix eBay.

Newsletter·Apple

It’s Time For Apple To Stop Catering To The Mainstream Market

An Apple fan’s case for ignoring the mainstream.

Newsletter·Newsletter

How to Turn Aspiring Entrepreneurs Into Frauds

How MLMs recruit optimists and graduate frauds.

Review·Smart Home

Amazon Echo

Think Siri, but standalone and always listening.

Review·Wifi

Eero Home WiFi (Gen 1)

Twitter swore Eero tripled their WiFi speeds. I had to find out.

Review·Speakers

Sonos Play:5 (Gen 2)

From a Sonos-stuffed living room: what $500 actually buys.

Review·Health

Sense Sleep Tracker

Four years of sleep tracking later, Sense is the best I’ve used.

Review·Streaming

Amazon Prime

$18,536.44 since 2012. Prime made spending frictionless.

Newsletter·Newsletter

10 Life Lessons From a Man in His Young 20’s

What saving for a house by senior year taught me about trade-offs.