A Gaming Phone With Exterior Cooling + Latest Gadgets
On The ROG Gaming Phone
Dropped earlier this year, the ROG Phone 5 UItimate is the top tier choice for people looking for a gaming phone. It has all the grunt a phone in 2021 possibly needs to have lagless gameplay, and includes tweaks to its overall design that makes it particularly gamer-friendly. A charging port built into the side of the phone means the cable is out of the way while holding the phone horizontally. The top edges while in landscape view contain ultrasonic sensors to give you the option of tapping for L1 and R2. Two touch controls hidden in the back of the gaming phone give you an extra set of keys to simulate L2 and R2.
It comes with a 6000 mAh battery with a PCB centered in the phone to remove hotspots away from the hands. In terms of specs, the gaming phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, 18GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a 2448 x 1080 6.78″ display developed by Samsung running at 144 Hz. Oh it also has a rear display purely for flexing on passers by. To really take things to the next level also grab the AeroActive Cooler 5 which acts as an exterior cooler. It doubles as a kickstand and comes with two extra clickable buttons. It lowers the surface temperature of your phone by up to 15 degrees meaning you can thrash the CPU just that little bit harder.
You can pick up your new gaming phone from PBtech for around $1,699.
rog.asus.com
Apple Airtags
Apple once again swans into a crowded market with its classy option. This time it’s their Airtag, an iPhone accessory that helps track your most valuable possessions, as long as you’ve thought to tag it before going and losing it.
Attaching it to a bag or set of keys will hook it into the Find My network, which uses other nearby Apple devices to anonymously nark on its location (if your own phone is out of Bluetooth range). It’s IP67 water- and dust-resistant and uses an app to give you exact distance and direction to tell you where your stuff is using sound, haptic, and visual feedback.
You can either buy one for $29 or $99 for a four pack. Ordering off the official Apple website will allow you custom engraving based on 31 Emoji.
Projecting with Force
The Anker Nebula Capsule II Star Wars R2-D2 Limited Edition Smart Mini Projector’s name is bigger than the projector itself. This little Decapitated R2-D2 isn’t much bigger than a can of Coke and has enough power to get you through A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back on a single charge.
It can do a crisp 720p up to 100 inches diagonally wherever you have a flat surface to project it. It has a brightness of 200 ANSI lumens and is packed with built-in speakers. For added functionality it has Chromecast, Google Assistant and Android TV.
If you aren’t into the goofy Star Wars merchandising you can pick up a standard version in a subdued black.
us.seenebula.com/products/d2421
Polaroid, But Tiny
When you have a super computer covered in surveillance equipment idling at all times in your pocket, it can be a bit hard to justify a dedicated camera. Polaroid has challenged this problem by asking us, “Yes, but what if it’s really small?”
The Polaroid Go is 4.1 inches long, 3.3 inches wide, and 2.4 inches tall, and if Polaroid is to be believed, “the smallest analog instant camera in the world”. With that many qualifiers, it must be true! It has double exposure for people wanting to get artsy, a reflector and timer for selfies and USB charging. The truly killer feature of Polaroid that will never get old or be made redundant, is, of course, its ability to instantly print out your shots.
JBL Brings the Thunder
JBL have expanded their lineup once again with three new offerings. The little and cute JBL GO 3, the JBL Clip 4, and the JBL Xtreme 3. I’m not particularly a fan of the Clip 4, which has strong purse vibes but this is more than made up for by the compact Go 3, and luxurious party in a box Xtreme 3 which definitely puts the Xtreme into Extreme.
This thing is screaming to be toted to every picnic and bbq with its carry strap and built-in bottle opener. You know a waterproof and dustproof Bluetooth speaker is carefully positioning itself when it decides to do a powermove like that. It has stereo sound and a battery life of up to 15 hours. It also has a PartyBoost feature for linking multiple compatible JBL speakers. The marketing says it can be “fully submerged while playing your favourite tunes” but I’m not going to risk its $429.95 price tag finding out.
Link to the Pup
Why not start tracking your pets every move with Link, a fitbit style device designed specifically for Rover. The collar is handy for pets that either need special attention, or love to hop the fence for a roam. The associated app can track pets in real time and can give you notifications if they leave designated areas.
You can track activity to make sure your mutt is hitting its calories and can give you recommendations for activity levels based on your dogs breed, behaviour and size.
It also comes with an LED light and the ability to create tones and vibrations which can be used as training aids.
Perfect for the kids and pets alike!
Our Questionable Pick: The Trash Mat
Kickstarter is an amazing place where people’s most outlandish ideas can become a reality thanks to easily opened wallets. Now just because 2,729 people collectively spent $743,002 on rubber recreations of 3D scanned garbage doesn’t mean I need to like it.
Called Stoic, these swappable mats are an answer to standing desk’s biggest problems, namely foot fatigue while standing on hard flat surfaces. They posit that other anti-fatigue mats suck, and what you actually need is a re-creation of riverstones and pinecones.
One day our ancestors will dig these things out of a landfill and ask one another what we were doing and the only answer will be, “spending their time wishing they were outside I guess”.
kickstarter.com/projects/monkiibars/stoic
