I was on the fence when it was first announced (just because i had heard the reports about steam machines back in the day) but when I found out you could open it up and upgrade the storage yourself I decided to bite the bullet.
I have never regretted the purchase. I immediately stopped gaming on my (Linux) desktop and have been gaming on the Steamdeck now (almost) exclusively for the past like 3 years. I've upgraded the storage (64GB to 512GB) and replaced the thumbsticks when the old ones fell apart.
Yup. Autistic and noise cancelling headphones help me in all kinds of environments I wouldn't be able to deal with otherwise. Including the airport!
I still need to find some good NC earbuds though. The Bose quiet comfort are fantastic but unfortunately known to stop working repeatedly (I'm about to get my 6th pair replaced through warranty over about 18 months!)
I also bought the Vive back in `16. Can't believe that was 10 years ago! I moved two years ago though and never set it back up. I figured at the time that Valve would have a new headset that didn't require base stations soon. Finally coming this year, so if someone wants to buy an OG Vive...
Not a purchase, but Home Assistant is easily the most enjoyable gadget and piece of tech I've had in years. It's ridiculously flexible and can do just about anything you can imagine.
I've been able to automate dumb devices (like an old top-of-the-line receiver) and give them smart features rather than spending thousands to replace them. Occupancy detection saves energy by changing thermostat settings when people aren't home, and lights come on when we're 60' from the front door after a walk. Multiple leak detectors and a temperature sensor in the fridge let us know when something's wrong before damage occurs. We get notifications when the dryer and washer cycles are complete allowing us to complete the laundry in one day instead of two.
The system is configured to change change interior light brightness and hue based on time of day so at 7PM we have bright room lighting and at 2AM it's very dim. We get immediate notifications of package deliveries with the integrated Frigate NVR and a $15 camera. Firewall settings are dynamically changed so devices that require Internet access only have it when they are actually in use. Integrations exist for VLC, Spotify, Jellyfin, Paperless, Apple, TVs, alarm systems, solar power systems, routers, automobiles, and hundreds of other brands and devices.
Yes, much of the same can be done with connected appliances, lights, and other smart devices using separate apps and control interfaces for everything, but what's different about Home Assistant is it's all integrated and all control and storage can be local. We have no cloud or corporate services involved for any of this. Google, Apple, Amazon and Samsung can't one day decide to pull the plug on things we've already paid for.
The big problem with Home Assistant is there are so many uses you can easily end up spending way too much time tinkering and never get anything else done.
How much work was it to set all that up and how much did it cost? I've messed around with home assistant, but found the upfront cost (in time and money) a bit high for automating a handful of things.
I started with things I already had, an old Raspberry Pi, some smart plugs and bulbs, an alarm system, wifi thermostat and OpenWRT router and initially installed the software just to play around. It didn't take long before I was able to control everything from a single dashboard instead of multiple web pages and apps. I found that since it connects everything it can change the thermostat and turn on lights when alarm system motion detectors or door sensors are triggered or not triggered for a few hours. Our cell phones are used for presence detection and none of that required additional hardware.
The additions beyond that have been done slowly and the costs have been minimal. At this point I've probably I've probably spent <$450 over 4 years including $180 for an inexpensive laptop. This is for something that's in use constantly. I enjoy learning and puzzles so I'd spend an hour or two here and there figuring things out. For me it's been time well spent.
Individual devices can range from dirt cheap to fairly expensive, but it all adds up over time.
Getting things initially set up is usually easy. Getting things automated correctly to your liking is a rabbit hole that is as deep as you want to dive into it.
What's really nice about HA is being able to do whatever the fuck you want whenever you want. You can take it in bites buying devices in waves and tweaking automations in waves.
That's how I've done it over the last 4 years or so.
I'm planning to install it on a spare old RPi2. I hope it'll be powerful enough. I have Broadlink RM pro that I can't wait to use without the horrible proprietary app for it.
It's likely going to be struggling with that hardware, but it should give you a look at the UI and some of the features. I've spent years running Home Assistant and am still learning new things all the time, which IMO is one of the best things about it.
For most anything that can be connected to some kind of network (ethernet, wifi, zigbee, IR, z-wave) HA can do just about anything you can imagine. I keep thinking of new stuff that's not hard to implement, for instance I just set up volume leveling for difference sources on my old IR-only receiver so we don't get blasted if someone leaves the volume up high.
Since HA can use almost any info from the web you can use it to do things like control a swamp cooler based on outdoor temperature and dew point. Using windows sensors (from an alarm system or zigbee) you can shut off the heat or AC when the windows have been left open for a specific amount of time and turn them back on with the windows are closed. You can send a notification if you leave and forget to set your home alarm.
It looks like your Pi2 might be able to run the software, but that hardware was introduced 11 years ago and it wasn't a powerful device even then. HA is also depreciating 32bit hardware. If it doesn't work on that and you don't want to buy new (or used) hardware, installing a HA VM on another PC might be a good way to start.
I think I either have a 4 or 5. Theres a website that has the batteries. NewPower99.com I got Amazon Kindle D01100 Battery Replacement Kit with Tools. Everything was mostly easy except the glue amazon used was HARD to get off the old battery! It was super stuck. Had to pry off the old battery and that could have gone bad. Risk of Spicy pillows. But it has many weeks worth of battery now.
Its my favorite ATM and its pretty old. I wish I could get another one OR get the screen replaced. I have a couple of spots on mine over the years of usage. I read on it almost every day. Its the only ebook reader that can work with ALL the text from https://wanderinginn.com/ . I bought the ebooks but my eyes hurt reading on the laptop for a long time. Plus I want a break from the same area of the house I work at. The new KOBO cant load more than 10MB of pure text. But the old kindle can!
I cant imagine transferring it to usb c. GL if you do decide to do it! I personally would get a small microusb to usb adapter and call it a day.
I love my Kindle Oasis, because I enjoy having physical page turn buttons. I installed KOReader on it a while back, so it hasn’t received any of the (wildly unpopular) recent updates.
the wristband on my casio (mq24) is constantly breaking after about 2 years of use each; have you replaced the one on yours or is the stock one still good?
Framework laptop - they took the best parts of the MacBook, made it repairable and fully support Linux. Priced fairly, with the option to separately purchase RAM and SSD. And they've even provided free replacement parts years after the warranty expired!
My 2012 MacBook Pro is still going strong, still my primary home computer, still does everything I need. Maxed out the memory and upgraded to a SSD hard drive years ago and it runs great.
I have a 2015 model. They had just released the new one with the shitty keyboard and no ports but I managed to get the previous model and went with 512GB SSD. I cost me an arm and leg but holy fuck has it been an excellent computer. I'm not even an Apple user besides that laptop but I gotta give it to them - the hardware and software work flawlessly together.
I don't use the water bottle kind. I might switch to one because it's less unusual to be seen filling up a water bottle in public versus a tank or cup.
Mine is a cup that screws onto the device, and acts as a cover when not in use. It's relatively compact, about the size of a flashlight. I keep it in my backpack or purse.
Something I am very curious: how do the guitar controllers compare against each other? I'm saying this as someone who has been buying and reading up on quite a few rhythm game controllers (DDR/ITG, Taiko, more esoteric things) and knew of the whole slew of comparisons/tierlists between controllers... I knew close to nothing about Clone Hero controllers for high-level gameplay so
I’ve only ever used this one and the Wii guitars from World Tour. The CRKD is nicer because:
support for many more devices without any special adapters (I used it on my Switch at one point)
reactive LED lights
quieter strum bar
overall nicer design without a big wiimote-shaped hole
I play Clone Hero a lot but just casually, so I can’t really speak to anything about latency or stuff like that. I can at least say in all aspects it’s on-par or surpasses the Wii guitars.
The AI bubble blowers are running out of tech segments to inflate and have now set their sights on the CPU manufacturers. Intel has jumped like $80 a share in the last month or two
About a decade ago I bought my first mechanical keyboard -- tenkeyless with cherry mx red switches. The keys still feel like a dream to this day. I like 'em much better than rubber dome switches.
I don't get mechanical keyboards. Every time I have tried one I find them to have too much key travel and to be way too noisy. I've always considered Apple's keyboard the gold standard. I'm sure there is something to mechanical keyboards as they're clearly really popular but I guess I'm just ignorant about that.
It's true they are noisier. Even the quietest switches (reds) are noisier than rubber domes. That took me a bit to get used to.
As for key travel, 4mm is standard for most keys unless we're talking about laptop keyboards. The difference is the force required at each point of depression.
I don't like that big 'hump' membrane keys have to get started moving (lower left). My keyboard is linear (lower right) and it just makes more sense to my fingers. I also like that I can actuate keys halfway to bottoming out. Rubber domes usually bottom out right after actuation.
There are actually extremely silent mechanical keyboards now, much quieter than reds/blacks/browns. The silenced Realforce Topre keyboards (if you consider Topre "mechanical") are much quieter than typical dome keyboards.
For me the best tech purchases aren't really the ones that bring me joy. They're the ones that become invisible because they take away points of friction.
So I would say my Brother printer is one. It's been incredibly reliable for more than a decade now.
Switching over to Ubiquiti Unifi access points for wifi has been worth it too. It's a pain to run wires for them, but having a solid signal everywhere in the house in all kinds of weather is just amazing. They've been running for a decade too, though I did just replace one so I can have a 6GHz connection in one room. Not really sure that particular upgrade was actually worth it, but the system as a whole has been so nice. There's just never anything to fix about the wifi anymore. (Well, okay, occasionally there's something to fix with the Internet, but it's usually just "Comcast is down," and we have to wait until they fix it, and sometimes also reboot the modem. The wifi itself is pretty bulletproof.)
So yeah. Tech that works reliably and invisibly for years on end is what I find really valuable. Gadgets can certainly be fun, but great tech is just there in the background making things easier.
yeah I have not used a game system in awhile. I actually rationalized the purchase of the steamdeck as possibly a laptop replacement. What I found though is its just nice to decouple gaming and other laptop stuff. Not to mention two of my best times to use it is in transit or on the throne.
playvital. my wife bought them so I had have her look it up. Im not ready to say they are like any better it just happened to work out and we have not used them for other skins or protective coatings.
I had issues with both the power and hdmi but unfortunately it was so intermittent by the time I realized it, it was to late to return. When i looked it up many others seemed to have similar issues so you might have been lucky or maybe they fixed whatever it was at some point. Its kinda funny because its such a simple thing. If I had to do over I would have bought third party on the dock.
Not a purchase per-se, but Linux - investing time in learning it has paid for itself hundreds of times over.
A MacBook Air with apple silicon - it hurts to use anything else.
ESP8266s / ESP32s with ESPHome - being able to craft real world solutions with very limited electronics skills is amazing.
I recently went on a trip to Italy and my e-reader was the unexpected MVP of that trip. Any downtime at the hotel or on the plane instead of staring at a tiny screen I was reading books and felt refreshed instead of drained afterwards, and it took up less space than if I brought just a single book with me. I also didn't need to charge it once on the entire 10 day trip because eink is so freaking amazing
My over the ear earbuds, probably. I use them daily, they're good for normal music or videos and they dampen sound and don't fall off so I can drum with them in. It's been a lot of fun just jamming to tunes.
Direct Attached Storage. It’s kinda like NAS but not in network. One could argue it’s just an external hard drive. If I remember correctly I went with one because it was more affordable. I was on a tight budget at the time.
I love my modular synthesizer, although the cost of it is not good value for money so probably can't count as my best tech purchase.
My sim racing rig has the same issue, it's bought me thousands of hours of joy but is prohibitively expensive.
My ergodox mechanical keyboard is a solid contender. The original model, Hand built, cherry MX clears. It's lasted easily 10 years and I hate typing on anything else.
But I think it's probably my headphones. Beyerdynamics DT770 pro's. They sound great, they're super comfy, and not terribly expensive. I've had them for probably 10 years and I see no reason I won't have them till the day I die
I've owned a bunch of TVs over the years, starting with a 12" Panasonic "portable" CRT that just about fit on a shelf in my bedroom. But none of them can hold a candle in just how impressive they look to that LG. Even my first LCD, a 32" Sony (which I still have) impressed me to begin with, but ultimately it just became a TV to look at. But I've had this LG for a year and it still blows me away when I watch something that's letterboxed and the black bars are so black that you can't tell where they end and the (extremely thin) bezel begins. And it only cost me £800.
The software updates piss me off though, so I've revoked its internet privileges.
But I don't think a bit of tech has brought me quite as much joy as my Kobo Clara HD still does, some six years after I bought it.
A had a Kindle for a year before, and while it was fine, it annoyed me how much I felt I owed to Amazon with it. Loading books from not-Amazon was a pain in the arse. Calibre could do it, but only certain formats were allowed to have cover art. Then it went tits up, so I replaced it with my Kobo and it was like breathing clean air for the first time in my life.
The Kobo couldn't give a shit where the books came from, it treats them all equally. The battery still lasts for weeks, even after six years, and just a couple of weeks ago I worked out how to sync it with Grimmory, running on my home server, so I don't even need to plug it in to copy books to it anymore. Just upload them to Grimmory, which automatically puts them onto the Kobo shelf, so when it syncs overnight it downloads them. And it has Instapaper built in now, so I can save articles to read on that nice, clear screen.
And all in something that cost me about £90.
Yeah, if you enjoy reading and are on the fence about an e-reader, get a Kobo. The old Clara HD is perfectly good, and probably quite cheap now.
Yup my kobo libra colour. It was pretty pricey but well worth it. Had a Kindle for about a decade or so before that so it was a big upgrade.
Love that it's easy to borrow from the local library on it (couldn't do that on Kindle where I'm from) or yeah, books from anywhere. I quite like the colour e-ink, I don't read much in it but the occasional illustrations in books is cool to be able to see in colour.
I do annotate a fair bit so the different coloured highlighters help there too.
And I love having the notebooks. I've been writing creatively so much more now that I have it. I missed handwriting but I have so many physical notebooks I would buy and then not use or use once or twice lol. Having the kobo with me all the time is great because I have all my notebooks on it for different things. It's helped my productivity a lot!
There's only one thing that I came across recently that I wish I could do and haven't found a way. I transferred some of my typed poetry to my kobo and I wish there was a way I could throw it in with my handwritten notebooks rather so I could keep editing there rather than having to switch to the pdf version in the other section. But that's really only a pretty minor thing in terms of e-readers!
Yea I know. I saw Project Hail Mary in an IMAX theater a month ago... so different...
So immersive...
Also so loud...
My favorite thing was that quiet sequence and the light flashing sequence
::: spoiler spoiler
Where the astronaut guy (lol forgot the name already) was like about to die and Rocky went and saved him that sequence...
So epic
:::
That was the first time I've been in a movie theater...
Also is this guy British? Lol, do British people talk like that. Its so funny to see them trying to be as insulting as possible while looking "professional" doing it. xD
Two right now. One is a Kobo e-reader. The other is a bone conduction headset. The latter allows me to ride my bike with my tunes but allows me to hear traffic and other environmental hazards. Very comfortable to wear too.
Really depends on the fit. If the induction pads sit on your head properly the sound is honestly better than similarly priced earbuds, with the added bonus of no occlusion sounds, which I hate. I get the best results with mine when I wear them under over-ear nose protection earmuffs. Also they can be drowned out easily by regular sounds like traffic. I took them on a flight and couldn't hear a thing over the engine nose.
TLDR try before you buy
I have a set of Logitech 2.1 thx computer speakers that are probably close to 20 years old. Never faltered, unbelievable sound quality and has survived 5 or so moves.
This led me to my other joy, a legit home theater setup. I spent too much but I do not regret it. I'm sad because my current space doesn't allow for the full size towers and massive sub, but hopefully I can get them out of storage early next year. I miss having the full blown atmos setup.
The most recent, best tech purchase was the Nintendo Switch 2, and not for the reasons you think.
So, this is Denmark. A Switch 2 with Mario Kart World goes for 4000 DKK (€535, $630). With my budget there isn't a chance in hell I could afford that. Even if I could, the Switch 2 simply isn't worth it, especially considering I have a Steam Deck.
So what's the story?
Well, last year a telecommunications company rebranded themselves into "Norlys" ("Northern Lights") and started making some deals to attract costumers. One such deal was a 20% discount on a Switch 2 with Mario Kart World bundled, if you subscribed to their most expensive service. Yeah whatever, that's still 3200 DKK (€428, $504) and then you're stuck paying 300 DKK (€40, $47) every month for six months.
But...
I have a friend who works for Telenor, and he has a friend who works for Norlys, and my friend of a friend called my friend with a real hot insider tip; someone royaly fucked up somewhere, and anyone buying the Switch 2 and the six month subscription lock-in will get it for 99 DKK (€13, $16) and no subscription lock-in!
So yeah, me and my friends all got a Switch 2 and a game for a tiny fraction of the cost.
I recently got an AYN thor. What sort of things have you been playing on it?
I've not ventured too far into a gaming library yet and was wondering how others are using it.
Installed my huge emulator library, but GameNative is where I spend the vast majority of my time. It runs PC games from basically any online market (Steam, Epic, Amazon, etc).
Plays 2d perfectly and most of my games are indie titles.
The ability to imagine something, model it in 3D, and then send it to a box and have it “magically” become real via 3D printing will never not amaze me or stop being cool.
Plenty of other useful tech toys like a jellyfin PC or a 3D scanner, but the printer is the thing I enjoy the most.
Honorable mention; The Apple Watch SE 2 I bought for my wife so she stops thinking she's going tachy or having a heart attack 9 times a year. Considering the cost of an average ER trip, and the hit to my sanity when these things only happen at like 3 AM, I'll gladly upgrade her to the pro version or whatever when the SE kicks the bucket.
I got an Insignia from BestBuy a few years ago. There was a smart version that was 2 inches bigger for 25 dollars less, and I opted out of that. To say the salesman was floored by this decision would be accurate.
The tv's with really nice screen tech that is dumb usually costs more I find. Every time I go tv shopping I just end up getting angry about it and talk myself out of it again. I like some of the Hisense stuff but Samsung panels are really the best and the price reflects that.
Yamaha Reface CS. A remake of 70s analog synthesizer. Even if I don't make music professionaly, I enjoy playing melodies I've learned, fooling around with sound, and every time I catch a sight of it, it sparks joy in me. I own it for more than 2 years.
Also it's fairly cheap for synthesizer, 370 euro, but definitely it's not a toy, but rather a full blown instrument.
I loved my lg g2, but a tiny scratch ruined the touchscreen sensor after a couple of years. My literal "perfect phone" would be the lg g2 form factor with a newer SoC and GrapheneOS on it.
yeah, sadly the issue is coming to mine as well since about 2022. right now the dead zone is in the upper area above the keyboard and below status bar, so it remains usable.. but if it kills the keyboard, i'll have to switch :(
A few years ago, I used my meager seniority award at work ($100 for ten years! Yay...?) to get a Monoprice Select Mini 3D printer. That set off a journey that has been a lot of fun. I'm using a Sovol SV08 now, but the Mini was a great gateway printer at that time.
Not a purchased by me, but the mechanical watch my grandfather gave to me some 40+ years ago. It was his watch, and was already used when he gave it to me, but it still works great today.
A good stack of quality paper (don't get me started on watercolor paper).
The humble pencil, B2 or B4. This may sound like a joke but despite its age and it being so low-tech the pencil is still an unrivaled piece of technology that even Apple can only try to mimic with its expensive Apple Pencil.
My most recent purchase, and a lot more 'high' tech than the pencil: a pocket Sony voice recorder, from the 90s. It uses standard AA batteries (that will last for weeks if not months), it needs no monthly subscription, and no online access, it fully respects my privacy, there is no ads in it, it uses MP3 and can record on either its internal memory or use SD cards, and it... works great with Linux. I love it.
Theres a somewhat famous artist that is in my local area. He did a talk about paper (like papyras and all other kinds). It was fascinating! Over 40 people showed up to his talk.
Papers in all its forms is fascinating (and amazing) :)
Even more so when one start realizing how many forms it can take and has taken (animal skin 'paper', anyone?). Happy to know people showed up to listen to the talk!
Most fun tinkering with: used Lenovo ThinPad T480, on which I swapped out the storage, RAM and wireless network module {1TB, 32GB, WiFi 6e}. I also learned Arch Linux and some C programming on it.
Bringing it with me everywhere and is not my phone: my rooted Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ and my Deltaco WK90b keyboard, a form factor which they have stopped making, which is bonkers. I bring these two to local coffee shops and libraries and learn coding on Termux.
Having own the longest: my sound mixer Notepad 8fx by Soundcraft, 42 inch 4K Philips TV and Adam A5X studio monitors. The studio monitors, I have had for more than ten years. The mixer and TV, for about seven. This is my media setup for consuming video and audio. I play video on the above mentioned Lenovo laptop, streamed from my Linux ISO torrenting rig and audio I mostly play from my vinyl player. This also used to be me karaoke setup when I still had a Nintendo Switch and when I still was happy.
My Moza direct drive wheel, pedals, shifter, handbrake and multi-function stalk. They have transformed my sim driving experience. And hate Meta all you like, but my Quest2 has likewise made sim driving all the more awesome. I'm looking forward to the Steam Frame, though, so I can ditch Meta altogether.
Also adding a vote for the Steam Deck. Outside of sim driving, it's been my primary gaming device since I got it.
Hi simracing pal! You have pretty much the same setup as myself. I also have the very reasonably priced cog shh motion rig (about 3k euro), and a Pico 4 vr headset. My rig keeps getting better and better... Next purchase may be a better graphics card, when prices go back to normal in a few months or years.
Cool. I don't really have the space for a motion rig, but I have been to this place. Very fun.
I've also been looking at the Pimax Crystal Light for a VR headset. I'm waiting to see how the Steam Frame compares to it price-wise. How's the Pico 4? That's more comparable to the Quest isn't it?
After a little over a year with a Framework 16, which I had multiple problems with (garbage build quality and tolerances, multiple USB A and C expansion modules all utterly unreliable in any slot), I sold it and instead got an HP ZBook Ultra G1A. Really feeling vindicated getting a laptop with 64gb of 8000mt/s RAM last year given the RAMpocalypse.
Still wasn't cheap but the thing is insanely powerful for its size, especially the GPU which is crazy good for "integrated"
My IBM Model M that came with my childhood PC was my primary keyboard into my 30s until a coworker sabotaged it (it was a bit loud I suppose). Not technically my purchase, but damn was it solid.
I bought a used 21" Sony Trinitron CRT monitor crazy cheap back in the mid 90s when typical monitors were 14". I felt like a king, that thing never stopped working, but I was pressured to part ways with it two decades later by my wife.
Edit: I'll add on my Beyerdynamic DT 770 headphones. My current pair are 20 years old and I have just replaced the pads a few times as well as some cheap support part (was less than $3 from the manufacturer). These things are basically invincible and they are still my travel headphones as they can take a beating on the road.
I'd say purely based on usage time, my Bose Quiet Comfort headphones. I've had them since 2013 and have gone through a few pairs. My first set got chewed up by my then young now late guide dog. I was unaware you could replace the ear pads, so I bought a whole second pair. My bad. This second pair has lasted until today, though I upgraded to the QC ultra for the built-in bluetooth and use the old wired pair in my ham shack.
I bought them originally for work. I worked in a call center. The crappy plantronics headset they gave me wasn't going to cut it for 8 hours a day, so I looked for something better. Ended up buying the QC's plus an adaptor for a standard Cisco VOIP phone to TRS connectors. Used the QC's plus a cheap lapel mic.
I'd say the name "quiet comfort" says it all. I didn't care about how they sound since they handily beat the cheap earbuds that came with phones at the time as well as that plantronics nightmare from work. What they are is quiet and comfortable. They served me for 8 hours a day over four years.
Roland AE-30 (wind synth). It's great to get back to playing "saxophone," as well as use it in my MIDI setup to control other synths. Added bonus: it's small enough to pack just about anywhere, and I can practice anywhere, anytime with headphones. Even just running scales is chill, meditative time, especially during stressful workdays.
Kind of my desktop PC as well but it's almost 20 years old already and the case is the only original component on it so I'm not sure if it counts as the same PC anymore.
Yeah, I remember when I first discovered it I had to look under the display cabinet to see if they had a subwoofer there or if that depth was really coming from that little thing. I'm sure it's way outdated now but it still works so I'll keep using it. That thing has paid itself back many times over already.
Like I could go on a rant about how much better hearing aids are these days than when I started wearing them 20 years or so ago. They were annoying pains in the ass back then and now they work better, sound better, and are significantly less inconvenient. And i don't have to ask my wife to speak up as often.
So far, my phone, a Google Pixel 6a bought and promptly Graphenified 4.5 years ago that is still going strong. Not perfect but it does it job
Steam Deck is a close second, it has rotated between being my primary/secondary gaming device and even my primary desktop for varying amounts of time, and it served every single role well. All while being dirt-cheap for the specs it have
I bought a Lily58 DIY kit a couple years ago. I don't think I could ever go back to using a full keyboard. It's just so comfortable. My shoulders aren't tense anymore. My hands aren't bent out anymore. I'm not scrunched up like a ball when I type. Then switching layouts to Colemak-DH was another plus. The two things combined really helped my body relax in front of a PC.
Might get cooked here because it’s an apple product but I bought AirPod max 2’s and I initially hated them for the first day or so. I recently flew over 8 hours with them and god damn are the incredible. The noise cancellation is top notch, I couldn’t hear anything on the plane or in the airport. I wear them for hours at home in transparency mode and I really enjoy listening to music with them. I also use a MacBook for work and iPhone for personal use so the ability to switch devices so easily is a nice touch as well.
Why? Because it saves my wrists but the real reason is because it makes me feel smarter. The same way using neovim makes me feel smarter. I use vim btw.
Sorry I know I’m not special for using neovim on a Advatage360, but also you gotta try it. Guaranteed to make you feel smarter
I think that, for the majority of my IT career of ~30 years, it has got to be Thinkpads. First IBM and then Lenovo. If you pick the correct model, you get a solid workhorse with a fantastic warranty/service plan and amazing Linux support if you need it.
More recently, it has to be the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7x Gen 1 (not the Gen 2). In my firm we spend ungodly amount of hours on calls and the Nova 7x is extremely comfortable, it has superb built in background noise suppression, a fully retractable mic, a mechanical mute button and, most importantly, the Gen 1 supports three separate modes of connectivity (four if you count the dongle.toggle switch). The Gen 1's three connection modes are Bluetooth, 3.5mm wired, and 2.4 ghz wireless (via usb-c dongle). The 2.4ghz dongle can switch between PC and Xbox. Linux users who have trouble with the input/output mix while on wireless can use a standard 4 pole 3.5mm cord to connect the headset without issue. I have mine connected via wire to my linux main, 2.4ghz to my client compatibility Windows system, and Bluetooth to my phone.
NOTE: The Razer Barracuda X is also triple input, but the mic does not retract and I have not tested to see if it has built in background noise suppression/voice isolation like the SteelSeries do.
EDIT: With the Nova 7 Gen 2, SteelSeries removed the 3.5mm port.
Switching to macOS as my daily driver years ago. Seeing the enshittification of Windows in the last ten years has been pretty breathtaking.
Side note, switching to Linux (hell yeah CachyOS!) for gaming has been a pretty rewarding endeavor. It has plenty of pitfalls, but I work in tech, and that's half the fun. The other half was that I re-imaged my Windows 10 gaming PC to be a CachyOS gaming PC, for free, and CachyOS wasn't all like "your hardware is too old, create e-waste and buy a new one with a Copilot button on it".
A Logitech speakers system. Got it about 20y ago when the brand was still awesome (and actually called Logitech). 100% analog and it works to this day. I dread the day it dies.
i bought a new 2.1 system for my pc a few years ago and there isnt much that changed compared to the old ones. so you don't have to fear as much enshittification as in other Logitech branches
Garmin running watch. Never liked running but am a list checker and analyst; seeing my inactivity or progress drive me to be more consistent and active. I'm massively healthier and happier as a result. Also first one lasted 10 years, 1-week battery life. Just bought a replacement last year(face was scuffed up after 10 years but was still running like a champ). No idea why other watches have such crap battery life without offering more features than Garmin but it's brought me joy, mental and physical health.
nice. Ive thought about getting a smart watch but specifically for blood pressure. But ive seen a lot of reviews saying its not accredited. Which kinda sucks.
Withings is the only one that both has BP monitoring AND a long battery life without sacrificing app security.
I just hate the look of the Withings watches.
Like OP, I love my Garmin. I have one that lasts 30+ days each charge; tracks my sleep, heart rate, steps, and calories; and gives me minimal notification and music control.
If it could reliably monitor BP and last at least 30 days between charges, I might consider an upgrade. Until then, I will wear this thing until it dies.
Is gadget bridge OS? I'm not familiar with what it does/offers, etc.
Data privacy was somewhere Garmin was better than other providers when I looked at it, though that's relative and also with how fast companies are coming out fascist maybe I've missed them losing any privacy advantage?
A Tribit Bluetooth speaker. It's waterproof, loud enough and lasts for many hours. I use it in the shower mostly, but it's been a car speaker, landed in mud and been washed in the sink. Is good
My first iPhone, the 6s. I'm sure if I still had it, it would still be kicking ass. After that I got the SE 2, the 13 Pro, and now the 16 Pro Max. I do like having USB-C, but the SE 2 and 13 Pro were unnecessary.
So, an iPhone — but you really have to be careful. Some of them are bested by the next one. A few of them are good to run for a decade or so.
Not dumping on Android. I went through a few of them before I switched, and I liked the Galaxy S3. The others were all trash. I have a Galaxy S10 and I love it. I think these days it really doesn't matter what you have as long as it has USB-C (for universal charging) and it's decent or recent. The S10 will run for ten years. A lower-end Galaxy from a few years more recent would probably be fine, too. And that's the thing with iPhone — none of them are bad, per se, they're all flagship quality, they just have different compromises. Some Android phones are straight up duds. If you're fairly tech savvy, this isn't an issue. So, if you don't like Apple, get a Galaxy S26, it should last you a long time. If you do, the iPhone 17 is the best deal in tech. It should last you at least a decade if you don't suffer from FOMO.
MacBook Air. I've gone through a few Wintel laptops. None of them are good. No laptops are great for gaming, so you might as well get the MacBook. For a desktop, it's a harder decision because no Macs are reallly good for gaming; even if you spend a few grand on a Studio, it's only gonna be mediocre for gaming and you have fewer choices. Spend less on a decent gaming PC and have a better time. If you don't care about gaming, it's an easier decision.
I really like my unihertz Atom phone. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's small and damn near indestructible. Thinking of trying to install linux on it.
I upgraded 2 computers with 32GB DDR5 kits and 2 TB SSDs around September of 2025 and started seeing memes about ram prices just a couple of weeks later later and was royally confused
Picture quality on the One Pro is amazing. Crisp and clear.
Sound is really good. Image is stable, but reacts weird in moving vehicles when using the body anchor mode since it can't know about the motion of the vehicle.
I wish the fov was a little wider, but it's one of the best in the industry, so I'm nitpicking. My biggest complaint is that it gets a little warm, and has to rest on your forehead for the best view.
But it's effectively replaced my TV in most cases.
I also have a Viture One. Image quality on it kinda bad - it's lower resolution and the chromatic aberration is pretty severe at the edges. Also, the way the screen prisms are set up also gets you a reflection of your shirt. But it feels sturdier and the proprietary cable is easier to attach in the dark so it's nicer for travel.
The Dirtywave M8 handheld music tracker. It’s a studio in your pocket. It looks like a goth Game Boy, using only 8 keys to create entire songs. It has multiple synth engines, a sampler, built in limiter, compressor, and effects, an amazing sequencer, and it just sounds awesome. It can be an audio interface, it can control other hardware synths, and you can use it anywhere.
Once you learn the basic controls and navigation, the user interface is easy and consistent. I suck at making music, but I can do it so fast on the M8 because it’s always with me and I can grab random chunks of downtime to work on songs instead of wasting time doomscrolling on Lemmy.
Recently, I'd say it's the new¹ desktop/monitor I got. Needed a monitor upgraded and new HDMI ti make it all work. I was a little bummed about the monitor upgrade since the old TV I was using works perfectly fine, but the new monitor at least takes up less bulk and weighs less, so I'm not as worried about a collapsing desk.
Definitely an upgrade from the ~$400USD budget computer I got around 2021. Don't remember what graphics card, but as a software guy and not a hardware guy, I see 2021 release year and the ability to run Yooka-Laylee without lag and I am happy.
Don't have access to it right now, so I cannot say anything more specs wise. Either way, I like it well enough.
It was one of those things that went from no idea anything like it existed to solving a problem I'd been dealing with since I got a computer.
I believe they're out of stock forever now and the company had some issues with support and refunds, but I got mine, it works, it's great, and I'll use it for as long as I can!
Lately, it’s been the MCON. It’s a little slide-out phone controller that mounts to my phone even when the case is on. So now while I’m on the road to my next photography thing, I’m not just limited to touchscreen games anymore. Working through Control lately!
my desktop pc
built last year on am4 platform and ddr4 RAM, even though it's old since ddr5 had already been out for a year at that point
for the gpu, I bought the amd 6800xt , and that had been out for 4 years already
It was great that I didn't feel ripped off, and it doesn't feel outdated yet.
Works great, and does everything I need it to do. Can play all the games I want to play.
I also got a Bambu Lab P1S combo. It’s really great. I used it to make frames for all of my wife and my wedding photos. I printed 28 frames and hung them all on the wall.
Soundpeats Wireless Airbuds. They are just really good wireless headphones for the price point. Pre tariffs I got them for like $40. I like that I don't have to stress about losing them.
Bought one of the cheap fitness trackers (Xiaomi Band 8) out of curiosity for the step counting.
Has become one of my most used tech items ever.
Incredibly useful, not just the fitness tracking (that too, though - probably also actually improved my health).
Checking messages without taking out the phone, setting timers for all kinds of stuff, an alarm clock that alarms not my wife but just me, remote controlling audio and video playback, and - last but not least - after 20 watch-less years finally being able to tell the time just by looking at the arm again :-)
I originally wanted an Pioneer/AlphaTheta turntable system since I started on Rekordbox, but after some research I found out that the SC LIVE 4 has what a (nearly) equivalent $3000 Pioneer model has at a more reasonable $1300.
Steam Deck, hands down. It rules being able to play PC games in bed with my partner by my side.
Its sooo gooood!
I thought about getting one but took to long to decide and now they are not available anymore :(
I was on the fence when it was first announced (just because i had heard the reports about steam machines back in the day) but when I found out you could open it up and upgrade the storage yourself I decided to bite the bullet.
I have never regretted the purchase. I immediately stopped gaming on my (Linux) desktop and have been gaming on the Steamdeck now (almost) exclusively for the past like 3 years. I've upgraded the storage (64GB to 512GB) and replaced the thumbsticks when the old ones fell apart.
Tl;dr: Agree! Steam Deck no regrets!
Noise cancelling headphones are incredible, using them in a noisy airport eliminated 80% of the discomfort of travelling
noisy *office
discomfort of *coworkers
(except you Sean, you’re okay)
mine hurt my ears after an hour. it doesn't happen though when I turn the noise cancelling off.
Some noise canceling is better than others. If you get a chance to try another set, see if it still hurts
i've had three pairs, three brand. same effect.
i think the noise cancelling is just too loud on the airplane.
Yup. Autistic and noise cancelling headphones help me in all kinds of environments I wouldn't be able to deal with otherwise. Including the airport!
I still need to find some good NC earbuds though. The Bose quiet comfort are fantastic but unfortunately known to stop working repeatedly (I'm about to get my 6th pair replaced through warranty over about 18 months!)
My Fairphone 5, because it has allowed me to break free from Google and other big tech companies by letting me install whatever I want on it.
And my good old Thinkpad.
Nice i have a fairphone 4. Such good phones!
i'm so annoyed cus i have one but aus put a law making sims not work on it anymore :<
Yup I just got the FP6 and I am really happy with it.
Steam Deck OLED has been pretty great. Also the HTC Vive VR headset, back in 2016.
I also bought the Vive back in `16. Can't believe that was 10 years ago! I moved two years ago though and never set it back up. I figured at the time that Valve would have a new headset that didn't require base stations soon. Finally coming this year, so if someone wants to buy an OG Vive...
Not a purchase, but Home Assistant is easily the most enjoyable gadget and piece of tech I've had in years. It's ridiculously flexible and can do just about anything you can imagine.
I've been able to automate dumb devices (like an old top-of-the-line receiver) and give them smart features rather than spending thousands to replace them. Occupancy detection saves energy by changing thermostat settings when people aren't home, and lights come on when we're 60' from the front door after a walk. Multiple leak detectors and a temperature sensor in the fridge let us know when something's wrong before damage occurs. We get notifications when the dryer and washer cycles are complete allowing us to complete the laundry in one day instead of two.
The system is configured to change change interior light brightness and hue based on time of day so at 7PM we have bright room lighting and at 2AM it's very dim. We get immediate notifications of package deliveries with the integrated Frigate NVR and a $15 camera. Firewall settings are dynamically changed so devices that require Internet access only have it when they are actually in use. Integrations exist for VLC, Spotify, Jellyfin, Paperless, Apple, TVs, alarm systems, solar power systems, routers, automobiles, and hundreds of other brands and devices.
Yes, much of the same can be done with connected appliances, lights, and other smart devices using separate apps and control interfaces for everything, but what's different about Home Assistant is it's all integrated and all control and storage can be local. We have no cloud or corporate services involved for any of this. Google, Apple, Amazon and Samsung can't one day decide to pull the plug on things we've already paid for.
The big problem with Home Assistant is there are so many uses you can easily end up spending way too much time tinkering and never get anything else done.
How much work was it to set all that up and how much did it cost? I've messed around with home assistant, but found the upfront cost (in time and money) a bit high for automating a handful of things.
I started with things I already had, an old Raspberry Pi, some smart plugs and bulbs, an alarm system, wifi thermostat and OpenWRT router and initially installed the software just to play around. It didn't take long before I was able to control everything from a single dashboard instead of multiple web pages and apps. I found that since it connects everything it can change the thermostat and turn on lights when alarm system motion detectors or door sensors are triggered or not triggered for a few hours. Our cell phones are used for presence detection and none of that required additional hardware.
The additions beyond that have been done slowly and the costs have been minimal. At this point I've probably I've probably spent <$450 over 4 years including $180 for an inexpensive laptop. This is for something that's in use constantly. I enjoy learning and puzzles so I'd spend an hour or two here and there figuring things out. For me it's been time well spent.
Individual devices can range from dirt cheap to fairly expensive, but it all adds up over time.
Getting things initially set up is usually easy. Getting things automated correctly to your liking is a rabbit hole that is as deep as you want to dive into it.
What's really nice about HA is being able to do whatever the fuck you want whenever you want. You can take it in bites buying devices in waves and tweaking automations in waves.
That's how I've done it over the last 4 years or so.
I'm planning to install it on a spare old RPi2. I hope it'll be powerful enough. I have Broadlink RM pro that I can't wait to use without the horrible proprietary app for it.
It's likely going to be struggling with that hardware, but it should give you a look at the UI and some of the features. I've spent years running Home Assistant and am still learning new things all the time, which IMO is one of the best things about it.
It had to be normal running it on a RPi2 at one point though, right? I remember it was already around when that pi was still new.
I'm not clear on what things HA can actually do, really... I just saw it as a glorified remote control mostly I guess 😅
For most anything that can be connected to some kind of network (ethernet, wifi, zigbee, IR, z-wave) HA can do just about anything you can imagine. I keep thinking of new stuff that's not hard to implement, for instance I just set up volume leveling for difference sources on my old IR-only receiver so we don't get blasted if someone leaves the volume up high.
Since HA can use almost any info from the web you can use it to do things like control a swamp cooler based on outdoor temperature and dew point. Using windows sensors (from an alarm system or zigbee) you can shut off the heat or AC when the windows have been left open for a specific amount of time and turn them back on with the windows are closed. You can send a notification if you leave and forget to set your home alarm.
It looks like your Pi2 might be able to run the software, but that hardware was introduced 11 years ago and it wasn't a powerful device even then. HA is also depreciating 32bit hardware. If it doesn't work on that and you don't want to buy new (or used) hardware, installing a HA VM on another PC might be a good way to start.
My old casio watch works after a decade of use.
My old kindle just got a new battery but its over 14+ years old.
And my CPAP is probably the thing that does the most work for me.
what model Kindle? I've always kept a few kindle 4s on hand as backups :D
only thing I don't love about it is the microusb connector, I've dreamed of doing a type c conversion but it's harrowing taking one apart
I think I either have a 4 or 5. Theres a website that has the batteries. NewPower99.com I got Amazon Kindle D01100 Battery Replacement Kit with Tools. Everything was mostly easy except the glue amazon used was HARD to get off the old battery! It was super stuck. Had to pry off the old battery and that could have gone bad. Risk of Spicy pillows. But it has many weeks worth of battery now.
Its my favorite ATM and its pretty old. I wish I could get another one OR get the screen replaced. I have a couple of spots on mine over the years of usage. I read on it almost every day. Its the only ebook reader that can work with ALL the text from https://wanderinginn.com/ . I bought the ebooks but my eyes hurt reading on the laptop for a long time. Plus I want a break from the same area of the house I work at. The new KOBO cant load more than 10MB of pure text. But the old kindle can!
I cant imagine transferring it to usb c. GL if you do decide to do it! I personally would get a small microusb to usb adapter and call it a day.
I love my Kindle Oasis, because I enjoy having physical page turn buttons. I installed KOReader on it a while back, so it hasn’t received any of the (wildly unpopular) recent updates.
the wristband on my casio (mq24) is constantly breaking after about 2 years of use each; have you replaced the one on yours or is the stock one still good?
I do love my Casio F-91W. A true classic.
Framework laptop - they took the best parts of the MacBook, made it repairable and fully support Linux. Priced fairly, with the option to separately purchase RAM and SSD. And they've even provided free replacement parts years after the warranty expired!
I got a hacked SNES mini on eBay that was fully loaded with every ROM from Atari to the 32 bit systems.
I truly love my SNES mini. Mine is still going strong, but the NES mini is starting to have issues.
My 2012 MacBook Pro is still going strong, still my primary home computer, still does everything I need. Maxed out the memory and upgraded to a SSD hard drive years ago and it runs great.
Same! And it still has ports. The dvd drive on mine failed a while ago, but otherwise it’s also going strong.
I have a 2015 model. They had just released the new one with the shitty keyboard and no ports but I managed to get the previous model and went with 512GB SSD. I cost me an arm and leg but holy fuck has it been an excellent computer. I'm not even an Apple user besides that laptop but I gotta give it to them - the hardware and software work flawlessly together.
Portable battery powered bidet.
Gotta keep shit clean
Wait...
Does it have a water tank attached to it? I presume you fill it up at the sink before travelling down to brown town?
It does have a small water tank, but you hardly notice it. They're pretty discreet.
Mine does. It's a little cup that screws on. Some varieties allow you to screw on your average disposable plastic water bottle.
Do you carry around a separate water bottle for your taint cleaner, or do you just refill the one you have?
I have one at home. I couldn't imagine traveling with one. That's what wet/baby wipes are for.
I don't use the water bottle kind. I might switch to one because it's less unusual to be seen filling up a water bottle in public versus a tank or cup.
Mine is a cup that screws onto the device, and acts as a cover when not in use. It's relatively compact, about the size of a flashlight. I keep it in my backpack or purse.
As an avid Clone Hero player (Guitar Hero but for PC, essentially) this was such a huge upgrade to me from the Wii guitars I had been using for years.
Oooh nice!
Something I am very curious: how do the guitar controllers compare against each other? I'm saying this as someone who has been buying and reading up on quite a few rhythm game controllers (DDR/ITG, Taiko, more esoteric things) and knew of the whole slew of comparisons/tierlists between controllers... I knew close to nothing about Clone Hero controllers for high-level gameplay so
I’ve only ever used this one and the Wii guitars from World Tour. The CRKD is nicer because:
I play Clone Hero a lot but just casually, so I can’t really speak to anything about latency or stuff like that. I can at least say in all aspects it’s on-par or surpasses the Wii guitars.
AMD stock apparently 😂😂
This year/month/week/day/afternoon has been crazy!
I don't know what's happening. But, I'm not complaining 😊
The AI bubble blowers are running out of tech segments to inflate and have now set their sights on the CPU manufacturers. Intel has jumped like $80 a share in the last month or two
Huh. I bought a few shares a month or two ago after being annoyed at nVidia. Wasn’t expecting to look at it today and see this. Wonder what happened.
Wait wtf why did AMD rise 11,5% only today? I mean I'm not complaining but wtf
About a decade ago I bought my first mechanical keyboard -- tenkeyless with cherry mx red switches. The keys still feel like a dream to this day. I like 'em much better than rubber dome switches.
I don't get mechanical keyboards. Every time I have tried one I find them to have too much key travel and to be way too noisy. I've always considered Apple's keyboard the gold standard. I'm sure there is something to mechanical keyboards as they're clearly really popular but I guess I'm just ignorant about that.
They do make short travel ones, and there are many different types, even quiet ones with dampers.
If you’re happy with your keyboard then it’s the best keyboard.
It's true they are noisier. Even the quietest switches (reds) are noisier than rubber domes. That took me a bit to get used to.
As for key travel, 4mm is standard for most keys unless we're talking about laptop keyboards. The difference is the force required at each point of depression.
I don't like that big 'hump' membrane keys have to get started moving (lower left). My keyboard is linear (lower right) and it just makes more sense to my fingers. I also like that I can actuate keys halfway to bottoming out. Rubber domes usually bottom out right after actuation.
There are actually extremely silent mechanical keyboards now, much quieter than reds/blacks/browns. The silenced Realforce Topre keyboards (if you consider Topre "mechanical") are much quieter than typical dome keyboards.
For me the best tech purchases aren't really the ones that bring me joy. They're the ones that become invisible because they take away points of friction.
So I would say my Brother printer is one. It's been incredibly reliable for more than a decade now.
Switching over to Ubiquiti Unifi access points for wifi has been worth it too. It's a pain to run wires for them, but having a solid signal everywhere in the house in all kinds of weather is just amazing. They've been running for a decade too, though I did just replace one so I can have a 6GHz connection in one room. Not really sure that particular upgrade was actually worth it, but the system as a whole has been so nice. There's just never anything to fix about the wifi anymore. (Well, okay, occasionally there's something to fix with the Internet, but it's usually just "Comcast is down," and we have to wait until they fix it, and sometimes also reboot the modem. The wifi itself is pretty bulletproof.)
So yeah. Tech that works reliably and invisibly for years on end is what I find really valuable. Gadgets can certainly be fun, but great tech is just there in the background making things easier.
My Nintendo 3DS. I don't use it often or regularly but when I do I'm glad I have it.
I love the 3ds. It had such fun & interesting features.
steamdeck and the skin and cover I bought. ironically the official dock is one of the worst.
Laying on my back on my sofa playing Clair Obscure at 720p, while my overpowered gaming pc with giant screens is just over there.
I don't even bother trying to stream games or use the dock on my TV, I just like holding a little rectangle in front of my face.
yeah I have not used a game system in awhile. I actually rationalized the purchase of the steamdeck as possibly a laptop replacement. What I found though is its just nice to decouple gaming and other laptop stuff. Not to mention two of my best times to use it is in transit or on the throne.
what's the skin and cover brand/model that I put bought?
playvital. my wife bought them so I had have her look it up. Im not ready to say they are like any better it just happened to work out and we have not used them for other skins or protective coatings.
The dock could be good if it was wider. I don't know anyone rawdogging they're deck. It's like assuming your average smart phone has no case
I had issues with both the power and hdmi but unfortunately it was so intermittent by the time I realized it, it was to late to return. When i looked it up many others seemed to have similar issues so you might have been lucky or maybe they fixed whatever it was at some point. Its kinda funny because its such a simple thing. If I had to do over I would have bought third party on the dock.
Not a purchase per-se, but Linux - investing time in learning it has paid for itself hundreds of times over. A MacBook Air with apple silicon - it hurts to use anything else. ESP8266s / ESP32s with ESPHome - being able to craft real world solutions with very limited electronics skills is amazing.
an ereader (a decent, 3rd party software compatible one, not amazons ewaste)
I recently went on a trip to Italy and my e-reader was the unexpected MVP of that trip. Any downtime at the hotel or on the plane instead of staring at a tiny screen I was reading books and felt refreshed instead of drained afterwards, and it took up less space than if I brought just a single book with me. I also didn't need to charge it once on the entire 10 day trip because eink is so freaking amazing
My over the ear earbuds, probably. I use them daily, they're good for normal music or videos and they dampen sound and don't fall off so I can drum with them in. It's been a lot of fun just jamming to tunes.
I like the ones made of soft rubber. You can wear those for hours without discomfort.
They go in the ear like normal earbuds but they hook around the back of the ear so they don't fall off when I'm drumming.
I see. I wouldn't call that "over the ear" but I guess I can't change the terminology of the headphone industry myself.
Appreciate the MD love. Super fun format and slick tech. It’s over 25 years old and still feels like the future.
I have heard of NAS to but What is a DAS?
Direct Attached Storage. It’s kinda like NAS but not in network. One could argue it’s just an external hard drive. If I remember correctly I went with one because it was more affordable. I was on a tight budget at the time.
I love my modular synthesizer, although the cost of it is not good value for money so probably can't count as my best tech purchase.
My sim racing rig has the same issue, it's bought me thousands of hours of joy but is prohibitively expensive.
My ergodox mechanical keyboard is a solid contender. The original model, Hand built, cherry MX clears. It's lasted easily 10 years and I hate typing on anything else.
But I think it's probably my headphones. Beyerdynamics DT770 pro's. They sound great, they're super comfy, and not terribly expensive. I've had them for probably 10 years and I see no reason I won't have them till the day I die
Nice, I also mentioned my DT770s. They're basically invincible.
Edit: I also had the original ergodox with mx clears, sadly I never could get used to the layout so I passed them on to a friend.
Either my Kobo or my 55" LG OLED.
I've owned a bunch of TVs over the years, starting with a 12" Panasonic "portable" CRT that just about fit on a shelf in my bedroom. But none of them can hold a candle in just how impressive they look to that LG. Even my first LCD, a 32" Sony (which I still have) impressed me to begin with, but ultimately it just became a TV to look at. But I've had this LG for a year and it still blows me away when I watch something that's letterboxed and the black bars are so black that you can't tell where they end and the (extremely thin) bezel begins. And it only cost me £800.
The software updates piss me off though, so I've revoked its internet privileges.
But I don't think a bit of tech has brought me quite as much joy as my Kobo Clara HD still does, some six years after I bought it.
A had a Kindle for a year before, and while it was fine, it annoyed me how much I felt I owed to Amazon with it. Loading books from not-Amazon was a pain in the arse. Calibre could do it, but only certain formats were allowed to have cover art. Then it went tits up, so I replaced it with my Kobo and it was like breathing clean air for the first time in my life.
The Kobo couldn't give a shit where the books came from, it treats them all equally. The battery still lasts for weeks, even after six years, and just a couple of weeks ago I worked out how to sync it with Grimmory, running on my home server, so I don't even need to plug it in to copy books to it anymore. Just upload them to Grimmory, which automatically puts them onto the Kobo shelf, so when it syncs overnight it downloads them. And it has Instapaper built in now, so I can save articles to read on that nice, clear screen.
And all in something that cost me about £90.
Yeah, if you enjoy reading and are on the fence about an e-reader, get a Kobo. The old Clara HD is perfectly good, and probably quite cheap now.
Yup my kobo libra colour. It was pretty pricey but well worth it. Had a Kindle for about a decade or so before that so it was a big upgrade.
Love that it's easy to borrow from the local library on it (couldn't do that on Kindle where I'm from) or yeah, books from anywhere. I quite like the colour e-ink, I don't read much in it but the occasional illustrations in books is cool to be able to see in colour.
I do annotate a fair bit so the different coloured highlighters help there too.
And I love having the notebooks. I've been writing creatively so much more now that I have it. I missed handwriting but I have so many physical notebooks I would buy and then not use or use once or twice lol. Having the kobo with me all the time is great because I have all my notebooks on it for different things. It's helped my productivity a lot!
There's only one thing that I came across recently that I wish I could do and haven't found a way. I transferred some of my typed poetry to my kobo and I wish there was a way I could throw it in with my handwritten notebooks rather so I could keep editing there rather than having to switch to the pdf version in the other section. But that's really only a pretty minor thing in terms of e-readers!
Dreamcast and CRT PC monitor 🥲
It's thinking...
Noise-Cancelling Headphones...
not to mention any specific ones, just the general concept of it...
Everything sounds better, more immersive...
Also blocks out family arguments to varying degress of success depending on how much you spend on headphones...
Oh yea btw the first time I watched interstellar was on a cheap android phone with LCD 720p display using the phone speakers... 👀
On the other side of it, Bluetooth Speakers
Can sort of change the atmoshere of a room, feel slightly less "depressing"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQiQk8AJ0YI
Yea I know. I saw Project Hail Mary in an IMAX theater a month ago... so different...
So immersive...
Also so loud...
My favorite thing was that quiet sequence and the light flashing sequence
::: spoiler spoiler Where the astronaut guy (lol forgot the name already) was like about to die and Rocky went and saved him that sequence...
So epic :::
That was the first time I've been in a movie theater...
Also is this guy British? Lol, do British people talk like that. Its so funny to see them trying to be as insulting as possible while looking "professional" doing it. xD
Two right now. One is a Kobo e-reader. The other is a bone conduction headset. The latter allows me to ride my bike with my tunes but allows me to hear traffic and other environmental hazards. Very comfortable to wear too.
How's the sound quality?
Really depends on the fit. If the induction pads sit on your head properly the sound is honestly better than similarly priced earbuds, with the added bonus of no occlusion sounds, which I hate. I get the best results with mine when I wear them under over-ear nose protection earmuffs. Also they can be drowned out easily by regular sounds like traffic. I took them on a flight and couldn't hear a thing over the engine nose.
TLDR try before you buy
Thanks!
It's ok. A lot of people say there's no bass but I don't have high expectations for something like this. It's a tiny speaker after all.
But if you mean, can it actually even sound like anything if it's just vibrating your jaw bone, then hell yeah, it's like a miracle. Very clear.
Nice! Yes, I mostly mean sound clarity
I have a set of Logitech 2.1 thx computer speakers that are probably close to 20 years old. Never faltered, unbelievable sound quality and has survived 5 or so moves.
This led me to my other joy, a legit home theater setup. I spent too much but I do not regret it. I'm sad because my current space doesn't allow for the full size towers and massive sub, but hopefully I can get them out of storage early next year. I miss having the full blown atmos setup.
The most recent, best tech purchase was the Nintendo Switch 2, and not for the reasons you think.
So, this is Denmark. A Switch 2 with Mario Kart World goes for 4000 DKK (€535, $630). With my budget there isn't a chance in hell I could afford that. Even if I could, the Switch 2 simply isn't worth it, especially considering I have a Steam Deck.
So what's the story?
Well, last year a telecommunications company rebranded themselves into "Norlys" ("Northern Lights") and started making some deals to attract costumers. One such deal was a 20% discount on a Switch 2 with Mario Kart World bundled, if you subscribed to their most expensive service. Yeah whatever, that's still 3200 DKK (€428, $504) and then you're stuck paying 300 DKK (€40, $47) every month for six months.
But...
I have a friend who works for Telenor, and he has a friend who works for Norlys, and my friend of a friend called my friend with a real hot insider tip; someone royaly fucked up somewhere, and anyone buying the Switch 2 and the six month subscription lock-in will get it for 99 DKK (€13, $16) and no subscription lock-in!
So yeah, me and my friends all got a Switch 2 and a game for a tiny fraction of the cost.
Nice
Always feels like you won this life
Formerly steam deck, now unseated by my AYN Thor. It can play 70-80% of the games the deck can in a package that fits in your pocket.
My breville coffee maker and bratza burr grinder. It makes the best coffee and doesn’t complain.
Also, my dolphin pool cleaning robot. Vacuuming a pool manually is such a hassle. Outsourcing that to a bot is truly amazing.
Anything that buys me back my time.
I recently got an AYN thor. What sort of things have you been playing on it? I've not ventured too far into a gaming library yet and was wondering how others are using it.
Installed my huge emulator library, but GameNative is where I spend the vast majority of my time. It runs PC games from basically any online market (Steam, Epic, Amazon, etc).
Plays 2d perfectly and most of my games are indie titles.
Great “pick up and play” format.
Macbook Air probably (Apple silicon)
Apart from the repairability it’s just THE perfect laptop
My favorite tech buy is a good 3D printer.
The ability to imagine something, model it in 3D, and then send it to a box and have it “magically” become real via 3D printing will never not amaze me or stop being cool.
Plenty of other useful tech toys like a jellyfin PC or a 3D scanner, but the printer is the thing I enjoy the most.
Which printer did you buy?
X1C. The new version looks even better. Pretty happy with the XIC’s performance, though. Way better than my old Lulzbot.
Number 2 is an electric vehicle.
Number 1 is a non-smart TV
Honorable mention; The Apple Watch SE 2 I bought for my wife so she stops thinking she's going tachy or having a heart attack 9 times a year. Considering the cost of an average ER trip, and the hit to my sanity when these things only happen at like 3 AM, I'll gladly upgrade her to the pro version or whatever when the SE kicks the bucket.
I'm in the market for a new TV, what would you recommend for a dumb screen?
I got an Insignia from BestBuy a few years ago. There was a smart version that was 2 inches bigger for 25 dollars less, and I opted out of that. To say the salesman was floored by this decision would be accurate.
The tv's with really nice screen tech that is dumb usually costs more I find. Every time I go tv shopping I just end up getting angry about it and talk myself out of it again. I like some of the Hisense stuff but Samsung panels are really the best and the price reflects that.
Yamaha Reface CS. A remake of 70s analog synthesizer. Even if I don't make music professionaly, I enjoy playing melodies I've learned, fooling around with sound, and every time I catch a sight of it, it sparks joy in me. I own it for more than 2 years.
Also it's fairly cheap for synthesizer, 370 euro, but definitely it's not a toy, but rather a full blown instrument.
my lg g2, best phone i had. still using it as a daily driver after more than a decade
recently a used panasonic cf-rz6, extremely lightweight/tiny machine and runs linux perfectly
Had the Nexus 5 version and loved it.
I loved my lg g2, but a tiny scratch ruined the touchscreen sensor after a couple of years. My literal "perfect phone" would be the lg g2 form factor with a newer SoC and GrapheneOS on it.
yeah, sadly the issue is coming to mine as well since about 2022. right now the dead zone is in the upper area above the keyboard and below status bar, so it remains usable.. but if it kills the keyboard, i'll have to switch :(
g2 with modern specs would be wonderful
Mine killed the bottom 40% of the screen, so it was very quickly unusable.
A few years ago, I used my meager seniority award at work ($100 for ten years! Yay...?) to get a Monoprice Select Mini 3D printer. That set off a journey that has been a lot of fun. I'm using a Sovol SV08 now, but the Mini was a great gateway printer at that time.
my 10 year bonus was 2 extra weeks of PTO. Maybe move to a different company that rewards your loyalty?
My 10 year bonus was a framed certificate congratulating me on lasting 10 years...which they gave me 16 months late. 😂
Theres a somewhat famous artist that is in my local area. He did a talk about paper (like papyras and all other kinds). It was fascinating! Over 40 people showed up to his talk.
Papers in all its forms is fascinating (and amazing) :)
Even more so when one start realizing how many forms it can take and has taken (animal skin 'paper', anyone?). Happy to know people showed up to listen to the talk!
A portable power supply.
Enjoy the looks of envy when the people fighting over an outlet notice you're plugged into your tiny, little power supply.
How big of a power supply are we talking?
I'm having a hard time defining "best", so I'll put out a few categories:
My Moza direct drive wheel, pedals, shifter, handbrake and multi-function stalk. They have transformed my sim driving experience. And hate Meta all you like, but my Quest2 has likewise made sim driving all the more awesome. I'm looking forward to the Steam Frame, though, so I can ditch Meta altogether.
Also adding a vote for the Steam Deck. Outside of sim driving, it's been my primary gaming device since I got it.
Hi simracing pal! You have pretty much the same setup as myself. I also have the very reasonably priced cog shh motion rig (about 3k euro), and a Pico 4 vr headset. My rig keeps getting better and better... Next purchase may be a better graphics card, when prices go back to normal in a few months or years.
Cool. I don't really have the space for a motion rig, but I have been to this place. Very fun.
I've also been looking at the Pimax Crystal Light for a VR headset. I'm waiting to see how the Steam Frame compares to it price-wise. How's the Pico 4? That's more comparable to the Quest isn't it?
Strix Halo laptop.
After a little over a year with a Framework 16, which I had multiple problems with (garbage build quality and tolerances, multiple USB A and C expansion modules all utterly unreliable in any slot), I sold it and instead got an HP ZBook Ultra G1A. Really feeling vindicated getting a laptop with 64gb of 8000mt/s RAM last year given the RAMpocalypse.
Still wasn't cheap but the thing is insanely powerful for its size, especially the GPU which is crazy good for "integrated"
I can think of a few that I can't decide between:
My IBM Model M that came with my childhood PC was my primary keyboard into my 30s until a coworker sabotaged it (it was a bit loud I suppose). Not technically my purchase, but damn was it solid.
I bought a used 21" Sony Trinitron CRT monitor crazy cheap back in the mid 90s when typical monitors were 14". I felt like a king, that thing never stopped working, but I was pressured to part ways with it two decades later by my wife.
Edit: I'll add on my Beyerdynamic DT 770 headphones. My current pair are 20 years old and I have just replaced the pads a few times as well as some cheap support part (was less than $3 from the manufacturer). These things are basically invincible and they are still my travel headphones as they can take a beating on the road.
They would have been buying me a new one. NEW. Not used. Yes, I know that's next to impossible.
And I would tell everyone in the office about it until it happened.
I had no direct proof and there is no way he'd admit it to anyone with authority.
I'd say purely based on usage time, my Bose Quiet Comfort headphones. I've had them since 2013 and have gone through a few pairs. My first set got chewed up by my then young now late guide dog. I was unaware you could replace the ear pads, so I bought a whole second pair. My bad. This second pair has lasted until today, though I upgraded to the QC ultra for the built-in bluetooth and use the old wired pair in my ham shack.
I bought them originally for work. I worked in a call center. The crappy plantronics headset they gave me wasn't going to cut it for 8 hours a day, so I looked for something better. Ended up buying the QC's plus an adaptor for a standard Cisco VOIP phone to TRS connectors. Used the QC's plus a cheap lapel mic.
I'd say the name "quiet comfort" says it all. I didn't care about how they sound since they handily beat the cheap earbuds that came with phones at the time as well as that plantronics nightmare from work. What they are is quiet and comfortable. They served me for 8 hours a day over four years.
My ebook reader. In the German speaking area, there are even some DRM free ebooks available that I can buy.
Libraries also lend e-books. Having fun isn't hard when you got a library card 🐜 🐻 🎶
Roland AE-30 (wind synth). It's great to get back to playing "saxophone," as well as use it in my MIDI setup to control other synths. Added bonus: it's small enough to pack just about anywhere, and I can practice anywhere, anytime with headphones. Even just running scales is chill, meditative time, especially during stressful workdays.
Dyson V8 vacuum cleaner
Garmin Instinct 2X watch
JBL flip 5 bt speakers These are just all round great products
Tesla model 3 is the one that has brought me most joy. It has taken me all over the nordics for the last four years without any trouble.
JBL Charge 2 and 2015 13" MacBook Pro.
Kind of my desktop PC as well but it's almost 20 years old already and the case is the only original component on it so I'm not sure if it counts as the same PC anymore.
Those little JBLs have some of the best cost to sound quality ratio.
Yeah, I remember when I first discovered it I had to look under the display cabinet to see if they had a subwoofer there or if that depth was really coming from that little thing. I'm sure it's way outdated now but it still works so I'll keep using it. That thing has paid itself back many times over already.
Probably either my steam deck or hearing aids.
Like I could go on a rant about how much better hearing aids are these days than when I started wearing them 20 years or so ago. They were annoying pains in the ass back then and now they work better, sound better, and are significantly less inconvenient. And i don't have to ask my wife to speak up as often.
So far, my phone, a Google Pixel 6a bought and promptly Graphenified 4.5 years ago that is still going strong. Not perfect but it does it job
Steam Deck is a close second, it has rotated between being my primary/secondary gaming device and even my primary desktop for varying amounts of time, and it served every single role well. All while being dirt-cheap for the specs it have
I bought a Lily58 DIY kit a couple years ago. I don't think I could ever go back to using a full keyboard. It's just so comfortable. My shoulders aren't tense anymore. My hands aren't bent out anymore. I'm not scrunched up like a ball when I type. Then switching layouts to Colemak-DH was another plus. The two things combined really helped my body relax in front of a PC.
• car
• desktop pc
• drawing tablet for said pc (bought in 2010 and still going strong)
• automatic pencil sharpener
Bought a refurbished Thinkpad T480s a year ago. It got me back into Linux on the desktop which brought a lot of joy into my computing life.
Might get cooked here because it’s an apple product but I bought AirPod max 2’s and I initially hated them for the first day or so. I recently flew over 8 hours with them and god damn are the incredible. The noise cancellation is top notch, I couldn’t hear anything on the plane or in the airport. I wear them for hours at home in transparency mode and I really enjoy listening to music with them. I also use a MacBook for work and iPhone for personal use so the ability to switch devices so easily is a nice touch as well.
Kinesis Advantage360 Pro
Why? Because it saves my wrists but the real reason is because it makes me feel smarter. The same way using neovim makes me feel smarter. I use vim btw.
Sorry I know I’m not special for using neovim on a Advatage360, but also you gotta try it. Guaranteed to make you feel smarter
Work Focused Answer (no joy, just relief)
I think that, for the majority of my IT career of ~30 years, it has got to be Thinkpads. First IBM and then Lenovo. If you pick the correct model, you get a solid workhorse with a fantastic warranty/service plan and amazing Linux support if you need it.
More recently, it has to be the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7x Gen 1 (not the Gen 2). In my firm we spend ungodly amount of hours on calls and the Nova 7x is extremely comfortable, it has superb built in background noise suppression, a fully retractable mic, a mechanical mute button and, most importantly, the Gen 1 supports three separate modes of connectivity (four if you count the dongle.toggle switch). The Gen 1's three connection modes are Bluetooth, 3.5mm wired, and 2.4 ghz wireless (via usb-c dongle). The 2.4ghz dongle can switch between PC and Xbox. Linux users who have trouble with the input/output mix while on wireless can use a standard 4 pole 3.5mm cord to connect the headset without issue. I have mine connected via wire to my linux main, 2.4ghz to my client compatibility Windows system, and Bluetooth to my phone.
NOTE: The Razer Barracuda X is also triple input, but the mic does not retract and I have not tested to see if it has built in background noise suppression/voice isolation like the SteelSeries do.
EDIT: With the Nova 7 Gen 2, SteelSeries removed the 3.5mm port.
Switching to macOS as my daily driver years ago. Seeing the enshittification of Windows in the last ten years has been pretty breathtaking.
Side note, switching to Linux (hell yeah CachyOS!) for gaming has been a pretty rewarding endeavor. It has plenty of pitfalls, but I work in tech, and that's half the fun. The other half was that I re-imaged my Windows 10 gaming PC to be a CachyOS gaming PC, for free, and CachyOS wasn't all like "your hardware is too old, create e-waste and buy a new one with a Copilot button on it".
Give it time, Apple will decide your Mac is not ”powerful” enough for their feature updates, that device will get left behind as well.
At least there is some hope of installing Linux on it but the driver support will likely be horrendous.
Yeah, I have seen the service life be in the 5-0 yer range. I see that as acceptable for a daily driver computer.
Samsung QD-OLED
Playstation 5
intel iMac
Garmin 955 Forerunner
Asioma Mx-2 power meter pedals
This year I'm going to get an Acura Integra A-Spec Tech, reviews on it are stellar. Replacing a 12 year old Civic .
I am on the fence about getting a Switch 2. Never got a Switch because it wasn't 4K and the games seemed meh.
A Logitech speakers system. Got it about 20y ago when the brand was still awesome (and actually called Logitech). 100% analog and it works to this day. I dread the day it dies.
i bought a new 2.1 system for my pc a few years ago and there isnt much that changed compared to the old ones. so you don't have to fear as much enshittification as in other Logitech branches
Good to hear. A friend had one with a digital control terminal that failed twice in two years or something. That was almost 15y ago.
Garmin running watch. Never liked running but am a list checker and analyst; seeing my inactivity or progress drive me to be more consistent and active. I'm massively healthier and happier as a result. Also first one lasted 10 years, 1-week battery life. Just bought a replacement last year(face was scuffed up after 10 years but was still running like a champ). No idea why other watches have such crap battery life without offering more features than Garmin but it's brought me joy, mental and physical health.
nice. Ive thought about getting a smart watch but specifically for blood pressure. But ive seen a lot of reviews saying its not accredited. Which kinda sucks.
Withings is the only one that both has BP monitoring AND a long battery life without sacrificing app security.
I just hate the look of the Withings watches.
Like OP, I love my Garmin. I have one that lasts 30+ days each charge; tracks my sleep, heart rate, steps, and calories; and gives me minimal notification and music control.
If it could reliably monitor BP and last at least 30 days between charges, I might consider an upgrade. Until then, I will wear this thing until it dies.
Gadgetbridge works pretty well with them too if you want to avoid giving Garmin your data.
Is gadget bridge OS? I'm not familiar with what it does/offers, etc.
Data privacy was somewhere Garmin was better than other providers when I looked at it, though that's relative and also with how fast companies are coming out fascist maybe I've missed them losing any privacy advantage?
Its a FOSS android app for pulling data off of your watch and visualizing it similar to the Garmin app.
I think they're probably the same level as Apple or maybe slightly worse when it comes to data and privacy, so not terrible but also not great.
A Tribit Bluetooth speaker. It's waterproof, loud enough and lasts for many hours. I use it in the shower mostly, but it's been a car speaker, landed in mud and been washed in the sink. Is good
My first iPhone, the 6s. I'm sure if I still had it, it would still be kicking ass. After that I got the SE 2, the 13 Pro, and now the 16 Pro Max. I do like having USB-C, but the SE 2 and 13 Pro were unnecessary.
So, an iPhone — but you really have to be careful. Some of them are bested by the next one. A few of them are good to run for a decade or so.
Not dumping on Android. I went through a few of them before I switched, and I liked the Galaxy S3. The others were all trash. I have a Galaxy S10 and I love it. I think these days it really doesn't matter what you have as long as it has USB-C (for universal charging) and it's decent or recent. The S10 will run for ten years. A lower-end Galaxy from a few years more recent would probably be fine, too. And that's the thing with iPhone — none of them are bad, per se, they're all flagship quality, they just have different compromises. Some Android phones are straight up duds. If you're fairly tech savvy, this isn't an issue. So, if you don't like Apple, get a Galaxy S26, it should last you a long time. If you do, the iPhone 17 is the best deal in tech. It should last you at least a decade if you don't suffer from FOMO.
MacBook Air. I've gone through a few Wintel laptops. None of them are good. No laptops are great for gaming, so you might as well get the MacBook. For a desktop, it's a harder decision because no Macs are reallly good for gaming; even if you spend a few grand on a Studio, it's only gonna be mediocre for gaming and you have fewer choices. Spend less on a decent gaming PC and have a better time. If you don't care about gaming, it's an easier decision.
My Framework 13.
I really like my unihertz Atom phone. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's small and damn near indestructible. Thinking of trying to install linux on it.
128GB RAM, and a 2TB SSD, mid 2025.
I upgraded 2 computers with 32GB DDR5 kits and 2 TB SSDs around September of 2025 and started seeing memes about ram prices just a couple of weeks later later and was royally confused
Xreal One Pro head-mounted display glasses. They've really changed how I watch TV shows and movies.
I've been curious about them in the past, what's the quality of the picture on the?
Picture quality on the One Pro is amazing. Crisp and clear. Sound is really good. Image is stable, but reacts weird in moving vehicles when using the body anchor mode since it can't know about the motion of the vehicle. I wish the fov was a little wider, but it's one of the best in the industry, so I'm nitpicking. My biggest complaint is that it gets a little warm, and has to rest on your forehead for the best view. But it's effectively replaced my TV in most cases.
I also have a Viture One. Image quality on it kinda bad - it's lower resolution and the chromatic aberration is pretty severe at the edges. Also, the way the screen prisms are set up also gets you a reflection of your shirt. But it feels sturdier and the proprietary cable is easier to attach in the dark so it's nicer for travel.
The Dirtywave M8 handheld music tracker. It’s a studio in your pocket. It looks like a goth Game Boy, using only 8 keys to create entire songs. It has multiple synth engines, a sampler, built in limiter, compressor, and effects, an amazing sequencer, and it just sounds awesome. It can be an audio interface, it can control other hardware synths, and you can use it anywhere.
Once you learn the basic controls and navigation, the user interface is easy and consistent. I suck at making music, but I can do it so fast on the M8 because it’s always with me and I can grab random chunks of downtime to work on songs instead of wasting time doomscrolling on Lemmy.
….wait
Recently, I'd say it's the new¹ desktop/monitor I got. Needed a monitor upgraded and new HDMI ti make it all work. I was a little bummed about the monitor upgrade since the old TV I was using works perfectly fine, but the new monitor at least takes up less bulk and weighs less, so I'm not as worried about a collapsing desk.
Definitely an upgrade from the ~$400USD budget computer I got around 2021. Don't remember what graphics card, but as a software guy and not a hardware guy, I see 2021 release year and the ability to run Yooka-Laylee without lag and I am happy.
Don't have access to it right now, so I cannot say anything more specs wise. Either way, I like it well enough.
¹ new as in from a pawn shop. Got lucky.
A robot vacuum still brings me joy every day
And my shockz bone conducting headset is great
And replacing windows with cachyos
PRK eye surgery. Does this count!
mine wore off after about ten years, now I'm back to glasses. Contacts are a no go because of the reshaped cornea.
Comma 3x it’s a module that adds sensors and compute to turn your car into a level 2 self driving vehicle.
Glinet travel router. I always have both wifi and hardline with me wherever I go, whether or not I have either.
Sabrent thunderbolt dock. It has NVME drives inside of it so I can have my laptop be mobile then come home and have all my games ready to go.
Dockcase dongle. Most dongles suck, this does 100 watt pass through charging, gigabit, 4k 120hz and 20gb transfers on the ports.
A PCPanel Mini.
It was one of those things that went from no idea anything like it existed to solving a problem I'd been dealing with since I got a computer.
I believe they're out of stock forever now and the company had some issues with support and refunds, but I got mine, it works, it's great, and I'll use it for as long as I can!
Are you talking about one of these things?
https://www.getpcpanel.com/product-page/pcpanel-mini
Yep
Crazy, never heard of such a thing either but I can see how it would be useful.
I love how the website product description is "(In stock) pcmini panel", promptly followed by the status "out of stock". 🤣
Lately, it’s been the MCON. It’s a little slide-out phone controller that mounts to my phone even when the case is on. So now while I’m on the road to my next photography thing, I’m not just limited to touchscreen games anymore. Working through Control lately!
my desktop pc built last year on am4 platform and ddr4 RAM, even though it's old since ddr5 had already been out for a year at that point for the gpu, I bought the amd 6800xt , and that had been out for 4 years already
It was great that I didn't feel ripped off, and it doesn't feel outdated yet.
Works great, and does everything I need it to do. Can play all the games I want to play.
I got the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. Great camera. I used it to make this video:
https://youtu.be/cQFJYUuw_jo
I also got a Bambu Lab P1S combo. It’s really great. I used it to make frames for all of my wife and my wedding photos. I printed 28 frames and hung them all on the wall.
Late to the party, but my Sonos home theater system has been an absolute joy.
My Hansker Performance mouse. No wrist pain anymore and I can switch it between desktop and my laptop using the switch on the bottom
Shinobi Tex mechanical keyboard - full size, trackpoint, feels amazing
Soundpeats Wireless Airbuds. They are just really good wireless headphones for the price point. Pre tariffs I got them for like $40. I like that I don't have to stress about losing them.
Bought one of the cheap fitness trackers (Xiaomi Band 8) out of curiosity for the step counting.
Has become one of my most used tech items ever.
Incredibly useful, not just the fitness tracking (that too, though - probably also actually improved my health).
Checking messages without taking out the phone, setting timers for all kinds of stuff, an alarm clock that alarms not my wife but just me, remote controlling audio and video playback, and - last but not least - after 20 watch-less years finally being able to tell the time just by looking at the arm again :-)
Garmin Instinct 2 Watch. I like the look of it.
Innioasis Y1 Digital Audio Player. I love it. Looks like the classic iPod.
Denon DJ SC LIVE 4.
I originally wanted an Pioneer/AlphaTheta turntable system since I started on Rekordbox, but after some research I found out that the SC LIVE 4 has what a (nearly) equivalent $3000 Pioneer model has at a more reasonable $1300.
I got myself Maytak Audio custom IEMs for Christmas. Absolutely fantastic. They replaced all my other headphones and earbuds.