Just 3 months ago Hurricane Maria swept through Puerto Rico and even now there are still millions living without power or any light source after dark. Volunteers have been raising funds to send these new SolarPuff lights to those who need them the most in that area. Now you can send lights as well from its campaign site on Indiegogo. 

Amongst all of the smart home success we’ve seen throughout the year, Blink was front and center. And following last week’s announcement of a new video doorbell, the home security company has unveiled it will be acquired by Amazon.

Drones have really taken off this past year, with the entry-level Spark really stealing the show. And while DJI brought drone photography to the masses through 2017, Fat Shark is looking to replicate some of that success on a different front with its new first-person racing kit. As a way to make drone racing more accessible, the Fat Shark 101 includes everything you’ll need to get started.

Power banks are great for those times we need to stay juiced up when we’re out and about. But what about remembering to charge them prior to having to use them? Most power banks out there require a few hours at least to get a significant percentage of battery recharged. What if I told you there’s a power bank coming out soon that only takes 20 minutes to charge? It’s called Apollo and it’s currently being funded on Kickstarter.

It’s no secret that our tablets and smartphones have better visual interfaces than most in-dash car stereo options out there. So why not just use our own devices as the stereo interface? The Vehroot Shelf lets you do just that. With it, you’ll be able to use your smartphone or tablet as part of  your car stereo and connect your vehicle with the latest technologies. Currently being funded on Kickstarter it has less than a month to go to before becoming a reality.

Home automation and the IoT have had a huge year in 2017, and Wink is no exception. Today the smart home platform has announced that it will finally be adding support for one of the hottest products this holiday season, Sonos Speakers. This comes after Sonos opened up its ecosystem a couple of months ago and is sure to be a big hit with smart home owners.

If you’re a Nintendo fan like me, you’ve likely been waiting for one game to launch: Super Smash Bros. This game has been on every major Nintendo console for basically the last 20 years, dating all the way back to the amazing (and still my personal favorite) Nintendo 64. Anyway, back to the task at hand: Super Smash Bros. on Switch. We don’t have it yet, we don’t have a launch date yet, we have no information yet from Nintendo, and it’s saddening.

Getting in shape or pursuing a healthier life can be difficult when just about all the feedback you’re getting is in the form of numbers. Not only can raw data be overwhelming and confusing, but also be intimidating and a hinderance to progress for many. But Shapa, a new smart scale, is one of the first designed to specifically combat this by emphasizing your overall health and providing personalized feedback. 

Wearables come in all shapes and sizes, from wrist-mounted fitness trackers, sleep-tracking smart rings, and more. But the folks over at LifeBeam have a different idea of what form-factor a smartphone-connected device should take. With its Vi Personal Trainer Headphones, the company is betting that earbuds are the optimal way to bring AI-based advice, heart rate tracking, and more to your workouts. 

Leica has long been a brand recognized for high-end cameras. The camera company is nearly 170 years old, and they’re still putting out fantastic quality cameras today. A Leica isn’t something you buy a starter photographer, however. With most of the company’s cameras in the few thousand dollar range, you should know what you’re doing before picking one up. A few years ago, Leica announced a more affordable M line of cameras, and today they’re expanding that.

At this point, even if you live in Florida, it’s too cold to ride your bike. That doesn’t stop most people who want to “go green” and help the environment, though. IZIP is a big name when it comes to ebikes, and they’ve just released the 2018 lineup of battery-powered bicycles for customers to purchase. With prices ranging from $1,839 all the way up to $4,599, there should be a bike to fit just about anyone for the upcoming cycling season.

Back in the 1980’s one of the most advanced pieces of smart home tech was the Clapper. And while the iconic sound-activated device pales in comparison to the internet-connected outlets of today, it was a sign of what was to come from home automation. Now, fast forward to 2017 and the folks at Astrohaus have launched Clapboss, which was designed to rejuvenate the 30-year-old device with internet connection and more.

Disney has been moving more Star Wars merchandise than I’ve ever seen from any previous movie franchise. There’s always a huge movie out, at one point it was Spider-Man, then Transformers, Avengers, and more. But Disney seems to have a thing with Star Wars branded stuff, and this time has partnered with NVIDIA on some custom graphics cards.

As the year comes to a close, it’s safe to say that smart home tech was one of the more emphasized new product categories of 2017. But with all the recently unveiled gadgets, wanting the latest and greatest for your smart home may mean keeping track of more internet-connected gear than you’d like. That’s where Zōn comes in, streamlining voice assistant speakers and smart plugs for new and old smart home owners alike. 

eInk is a wonderful thing. I love reading on my Kindle as it feels like I’m reading actual paper. Long has the technology been around, but for as long as we’ve had it, it’s been mostly confined to eReaders. ONYX has made a few of those eReaders in the past, generally in much larger sizes, up to 13.3-inches. By baking in previous versions of Android, ONYX has made quite unique eReaders too, but their latest has another trick up its sleeve. By adding an HDMI input to the latest ONYX BOOX Max2 eInk display you gain a myriad of awesome abilities.