c/gadget-reviews

My smart scale just congratulated me on hitting 100,000 steps in a month for the first time.

I was just trying to weigh my cat, who stepped on it for a second before running off. The app's little celebration graphic popped up, and my partner asked if I'd joined a secret marathon. Has anyone else's fitness gadget given them credit for something they clearly didn't do?

Hot take: I thought those magnetic phone mounts were a total gimmick.

Bought a cheap one for my car in Denver last month and it actually holds my phone rock solid on bumpy roads. Has anyone else had a gadget surprise them like that?

Can we talk about using a cheap USB microscope for checking solder joints?

I was fixing my old Game Boy last week and my eyes were killing me trying to see the tiny points, so I grabbed a $30 microscope from Amazon. It connected right to my laptop and showed every little detail, making the reflow so much easier. Does anyone else use one of these for small electronics repair, or have a better tool for the job?

Bought a $20 phone lens kit on a whim and it's actually not terrible

Saw one of those clip-on macro and wide angle lens sets at a gas station in Flagstaff. Figured for twenty bucks, it was worth a laugh. Tried the macro lens on my phone to look at a circuit board, and the detail was shockingly clear. I still wouldn't use it for serious photos, but for quick, close-up looks at small parts, it's weirdly handy. Anyone else have a cheap gadget that surprised them?

I finally dug out my old digital camera from 2008 to show my nephew.

He couldn't believe how long it took to turn on and how tiny the screen was compared to his phone. Has anyone else tried showing a kid a gadget from that era and gotten a funny reaction?

I used to take all my product photos with my phone until last month

Honestly, my old phone camera was fine for basic stuff, but the pictures always looked flat and grainy under my kitchen lights. I finally bought a cheap ring light for $25 and a small tripod after seeing a review on YouTube. The difference is crazy, my photos look way more professional now and you can actually see the details. Anyone else have a simple gadget that totally changed how you do reviews?

Update: My ancient tablet finally gave up the ghost after 3 years of daily abuse.

I was convinced it was a goner when it wouldn't charge last week, but a new battery from a shop in Portland and a weird trick with a hair dryer on the port got it running again, for now.

I finally gave in and bought one of those weird phone camera lens kits

I mean, I saw the ads for months and thought it was a total scam, like those clip-on things that never work. The reviews were mixed, but I got one for about $25 on a whim because my phone pictures of my dog were just okay. The kit came with a little macro lens and a wide angle, both in a plastic case. I clipped the macro on and pointed it at a flower in my yard, and idk, I was shocked. You could see every tiny hair on the stamen, stuff my normal camera just blurred. It convinced me because the detail was real, not just a filter. The wide angle is kinda fishy though, makes everything at the edges bend. Has anyone else had a good run with one specific lens from a set like this, or did you get a dud?

Just read a review that said a popular smartwatch battery lasts way less than advertised

It was for the latest model of a big brand, and the reviewer got only about 14 hours with the always-on display active, not the 18 hours they claim. Found it on a tech blog I check sometimes. Has anyone else tested this and gotten similar results?

My old tablet's battery life went from 8 hours to 2 in under a year

I bought a Galaxy Tab S9 last spring and it was great, lasting a full workday on a charge. After about 10 months of daily use, it now dies before lunch unless I keep it plugged in. Is this normal degradation or did I get a bad unit?

Bought a $30 smart plug to turn my coffee maker on from bed. It worked so well I forgot how to use the actual button.

Pro tip: skip the cheap fitness tracker and get the real watch

I bought a $40 fitness band from a random brand online last year, thinking it would do the job. It tracked my steps okay, but the heart rate was all over the place, and the app felt like it was made in 2010. The battery died after about 8 months, and the screen just went black one morning. So I finally got a proper smartwatch, a Garmin, and the difference is night and day. The GPS locks on in seconds, the sleep tracking actually makes sense, and the thing just feels solid. It's been six months and it still works like day one. Why do we even bother with those cheap knockoffs when they fall apart so fast?

Just saw a stat that my phone's screen is on for like 4 hours a day

My digital wellbeing tracker showed it, and I was shocked because I barely feel like I use it that much. Anyone else check theirs and get a rude awakening?

My old digital camera bricked itself last weekend

It was a Canon PowerShot from 2012. Just wouldn't turn on, even with fresh batteries. Kinda wild how a device you rely on for years just quits. Anyone have a good compact camera rec under $300?

Checked out the new tech kiosk at the Westgate Mall and their 'review' tablets are just looping ads

I thought those $15 phone camera lenses from Amazon were total junk until my friend's concert video looked pro

Realized I've been reviewing gadgets wrong for years after my friend asked 'why do you always test them in your living room?'

I just read a review that said a popular fitness tracker only gets 3 days of battery

I was looking at a new fitness tracker online yesterday, and a detailed review on a tech blog caught my eye. The reviewer said the model I was interested in only lasts about 3 days on a single charge, even though the company's website says 'up to 7 days'. That's a huge difference, and it made me rethink the whole purchase. I guess I should always check independent reviews for real-world battery life. Has anyone else bought a gadget where the advertised battery life was way off from what you actually got?

I called a tech support line and the guy told me to just unplug my router for 60 seconds

My new mesh wifi system kept dropping one node, and I was ready to box it up and send it back. After 20 minutes on hold, the support agent didn't have me reset anything in the app. He just said to pull the power from the main unit for a full minute, then plug it back in before the others. It actually worked and the connection has been solid for a week now. Why don't the setup guides just lead with that simple step?

Thought those screen cleaning wipes were a total scam

Saw a pack of 50 for $8 at the store. Figured it was just water in a fancy packet. My laptop screen was a mess of fingerprints though. Tried one. Actually lifted off old smudges my microfiber cloth wouldn't touch. The screen looked brand new. Anyone know a cheaper brand that works just as well?

My old phone's battery life went from 4 hours to 2 days after a factory reset

I was about to buy a new phone because my Pixel 6a would die by lunchtime. On a whim, I backed everything up and did a full factory reset last Tuesday. I didn't reinstall half the apps I used to have, just the essentials. Now, after a full 16 hour day of normal use, I'm still at 40% battery. It turns out a bunch of background apps and old cached data were killing it. Has anyone else gotten years more out of a gadget just by cleaning it out properly?

Pro tip: a viewer called my camera reviews 'sterile' and it finally clicked

They said my footage looked like a store display, so I started filming every gadget in my actual kitchen in Portland with real morning light, and now my videos feel lived-in, so what's one small change that made YOUR reviews better?

A reader called my tech reviews 'spec sheet reading' and it stung

Someone left a comment on my blog last week saying my reviews just listed features without showing how they worked in real life. They said, 'Tell me if the battery actually lasts a full day, not just that it's 5000mAh.' I changed my next review for a new smartwatch. Instead of just the specs, I wore it for 72 hours and wrote down when I had to charge it during my normal routine. It died after about 28 hours, not the 36 the company said. Has anyone else gotten feedback that made you test gadgets differently?

I thought the new $80 smart plug was a waste until my power went out in Kansas City last week

My phone's battery was draining crazy fast after the last update

I was losing like 40% charge before lunch, which never happened before. I went into the battery settings and saw 'Google Play Services' was using a huge chunk of power. On a whim, I cleared its cache and data, then restarted. The drain stopped almost completely the next day. Has anyone else fixed a weird battery hog this way?