This Month's Must-Have Gear, From Phones to Turntables
April is one of the shorter months, but it was long on hot products.
Featured in this article
Samsung Galaxy S8
The S8 offers a lot to talk about: There's Bixby, Samsung’s attempt to hang with Alexa and Siri and Google Assistant as the software platform you thread through your entire life. There's iris scanning and face recognition, so you can unlock your phone like an MI6 agent. There's a big battery everyone hopes won’t explode, an improved camera, and new chips. But the real seller here is that screen---5.8 inches of bright, crisp, super-saturated colors, with curved edges and barely-there bezels. That screen is what will grab you from across the Verizon store, and make people stop you to ask which phone you’re using. [Read our first look here](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/samsung-galaxy-s8-hands-on/).
Amazon Echo Look
Amazon just introduced the Echo Look, a $199 Alexa-enabled camera that does everything Amazon’s original voice assistant can do, plus judge your outfits. Think of it as Amazon’s version of Cher’s computerized closet in *Clueless*. It can catalogue your clothes, suggests outfits, and help you choose between two looks with its “Style Check” feature. Amazon says it's the latest and greatest use of artificial intelligence. Which, maybe it is. But it also sounds a lot like those mean girls from your high school. [Read the full story](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/oh-great-now-alexa-will-judge-outfits/).
Sony Alpha 9
The Alpha a9, Sony’s latest entry into its mirrorless lineup, is even more beastly than its siblings. The flagship feature is its 24.2-megapixel, 35-millimeter full-frame CMOS sensor. It’s also insanely fast: It can calculate autofocus and autoexposure 60 times per second and capture 20 frames per second in continuous shooting mode. This camera also boasts an ISO sensitivity up to 204,800, which is way more than the average person needs for vacation shots, but a huge perk for filmmakers working in low light. [Read the full story](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/sony-alpha-a9/).
House of Marley Stir It Up Turntable
It's easy to get cynical about marketing something by slapping a dead rock star's name on it, but this House of Marley turntable is actually pretty nice. The plinth, which makes up the base of the turntable, is a hunk of sustainably harvested (and pretty) bamboo wrapped in fabric made from hemp and recycled plastic bottles. The vibration-dampening feet and the neat, sparkly slipmat are made from recycled silicone. A built-in preamp lets you plug it into any speaker, a USB-out makes it easy to digitize your vinyl, and a headphone jack lets you listen without waking the whole yard. [Read the full story](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/house-of-marley-stir-it-up-turntable/).
Maria Lokke/WIREDSamsung Galaxy S8
The S8 offers a lot to talk about: There's Bixby, Samsung’s attempt to hang with Alexa and Siri and Google Assistant as the software platform you thread through your entire life. There's iris scanning and face recognition, so you can unlock your phone like an MI6 agent. There's a big battery everyone hopes won’t explode, an improved camera, and new chips. But the real seller here is that screen---5.8 inches of bright, crisp, super-saturated colors, with curved edges and barely-there bezels. That screen is what will grab you from across the Verizon store, and make people stop you to ask which phone you’re using. [Read our first look here](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/samsung-galaxy-s8-hands-on/).
AmazonAmazon Echo Look
Amazon just introduced the Echo Look, a $199 Alexa-enabled camera that does everything Amazon’s original voice assistant can do, plus judge your outfits. Think of it as Amazon’s version of Cher’s computerized closet in *Clueless*. It can catalogue your clothes, suggests outfits, and help you choose between two looks with its “Style Check” feature. Amazon says it's the latest and greatest use of artificial intelligence. Which, maybe it is. But it also sounds a lot like those mean girls from your high school. [Read the full story](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/oh-great-now-alexa-will-judge-outfits/).
SonySony Alpha 9
The Alpha a9, Sony’s latest entry into its mirrorless lineup, is even more beastly than its siblings. The flagship feature is its 24.2-megapixel, 35-millimeter full-frame CMOS sensor. It’s also insanely fast: It can calculate autofocus and autoexposure 60 times per second and capture 20 frames per second in continuous shooting mode. This camera also boasts an ISO sensitivity up to 204,800, which is way more than the average person needs for vacation shots, but a huge perk for filmmakers working in low light. [Read the full story](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/sony-alpha-a9/).
House of MarleyHouse of Marley Stir It Up Turntable
It's easy to get cynical about marketing something by slapping a dead rock star's name on it, but this House of Marley turntable is actually pretty nice. The plinth, which makes up the base of the turntable, is a hunk of sustainably harvested (and pretty) bamboo wrapped in fabric made from hemp and recycled plastic bottles. The vibration-dampening feet and the neat, sparkly slipmat are made from recycled silicone. A built-in preamp lets you plug it into any speaker, a USB-out makes it easy to digitize your vinyl, and a headphone jack lets you listen without waking the whole yard. [Read the full story](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/house-of-marley-stir-it-up-turntable/).
Maria Lokke/WIREDFitbit Alta HR
Fitbit’s seventh activity tracker is the smallest yet, in keeping with the company’s push to make its products feel less like computers and more like jewelry. It's not exactly fashionable, but the sleek design all but disappears on your wrist. It automatically logs activity when you're walking, running, or biking, and pairs with an app for manually tracking water consumption, diet, and more. The sleep data and silent alarm leave room for improvement, but still, you could do a lot worse for $150. [Read the full review](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/review-fitbit-alta-hr/).
SonosSonos Playbase
With floor-shaking bass, crisp mids, and a surprisingly wide soundstage, the Playbase is almost like having a surround-sound setup with a single speaker. It's designed to sit between your flatscreen and your TV stand, but it works great even when your TV is off, since it’s still part of the Sonos system. If you plan on dropping $700 on new speakers, don't test these out, because once you know how good movies and music can sound it's really hard to go back. [Read the full review](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/sonos-playbase-review/).
iWalkiWalk 2.0 Hands-Free Crutch
Forget crutches. The iWalk 2.0 is the modern solution to hands-free mobility on a broken foot. The single "leg crutch" straps to your leg and provides a built-in shelf upon which you rest your injured foot. It promises a way to walk around normally, arms completely unencumbered, like a regular biped. Basically, a high-tech pegleg. [Read the full review](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/review-iwalk2-0/).
Maria Lokke/WIREDGiroptic iO 360 Camera
Want to take 360 selfies? We got you. The Giroptic iO doesn’t shoot in 4K, but it captures video in a 1920 x 960 resolution at 30 frames per second and snaps pictures with an impressive, light-slurping f/1.9 aperture. It produces crisp spherical images, with no apparent stitch line other than where your hand holds the camera. The low-resolution preview you see while recording is deceiving—when you save your clip, you’ll get phone-produced 360-degree footage as sharp as any out there. They run $249, unless you were one of the lucky few to cop one for free at this year's [F8 conference](https://www.wired.com/tag/f8). [Read the full story](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/giroptic-io-360-camera-review/).
BioLiteBioLite Baselantern XL
Light up your night in the woods with this $130 camping lantern. The BaseLantern XL is a 1.4-pound brick that can project 500 lumens of light. The 12,000 mAh li-ion battery provides 78 hours of dim light or seven and a half hours of very bright light. Stainless steel legs fold into a variety of positions. Of course, it’s more than just a lantern---it’s also a battery pack. On the sides of the BaseLantern XL are two USB ports for charging your devices, and two additional ports for powering two sets of external lights you can hang up around your campsite.[Read the full review](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/review-biolite-baselantern-xl/).
SlickwrapsSlickwraps Retro
Bring your iPhone back to the '80s with this retro skin, which pays homage to the original 1984 Macintosh: that beige case, the rainbow Apple logo, the fan-cutout markings. The skin can fit every iPhone since the 5S, and at 0.212 millimeters thick, it won't bulk up your phone. Slip it on and it really does feel like the phone Steve Jobs might have designed back in the earliest days of Apple. You know, assuming the processors and camera tech had advanced this far but nobody’s design sense changed a bit. [Read the full review](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/super-retro-case-makes-iphone-look-like-vintage-mac/).
RXBARRxbar
The minimalist ingredient list and protein-forward composition make Rxbars a favorite among workaholics and workout-types. The bars, which come in eight flavors, are each made from a combination of egg whites, nuts or peanuts, and dates---and that's pretty much it. No added sugar. No dairy. No soy. No gluten. No GMOs. No preservatives. They aren’t organic, but they are Kosher, Paleo, and Whole30-compliant. And at just over two bucks a pop, they offer outstanding value. [Read the full review](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/review-rxbar/).
MeFOTOMeFoto Backpacker Air
Tripods are boring, right? Wrong. The $125 Backpacker Air comes in seven glorious colors, each with a glossy shine that makes the pigments pop. Pretty as they are, these tripods offer more than just looks. The Backpacker Air has all the stabilizing features of larger tripods, but it shrinks to a flashlight-sized 10.4 inches when folded up. It also weighs just two pounds, making it light enough to toss in your backpack and tote around all day. [Read the full story](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/beautiful-tripod-doubles-selfie-stick-2017/).
DellAlienware 13
Alienware’s new 13.3-incher is the first gaming rig on the market with an OLED display. It’s not only one of the brightest displays we've ever seen in a laptop, it’s also one of the darkest, with ultra-high-contrast blacks that would be black enough for *Spinal Tap*. The rest of the computer, though? Hideous. But of course, looks aren't everything. There's a rock solid keyboard and trackpad, both backlit; easy upgradable RAM and SSD via underside access panels; and close to six hours of battery life. [Read the full review](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/review-alienware-13-gaming-laptop/).
GobySmart Toothbrushes
You don't *need* a fancy electric toothbrush to practice good dental hygiene. But if you're going the high-tech route, look no further than these Bluetooth-connected brushes. One of our favorites, the Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Connected HX9120, contains sensors in the brush handle to guide you through each zone of your mouth and show which teeth have been sufficiently polished. The brush also pairs with an app on your smartphone and offers three brushing modes with three intensity levels. [Read about other high-tech toothbrushes here](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/hack-pearly-whites-high-tech-toothbrushes/).
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