• The Best Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker: Ultimate Ears UE Boom 2
• The Best Bluetooth Speaker for Sound Quality: FUGOO
• The Best Indoor Bluetooth Speaker: Bose SoundLink Color

The Details

The Best Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker: Ultimate Ears UE Boom 2

Pros: Waterproof, rugged, great battery life, impressive sound, lightweight

Cons: playback controls occasionally unresponsive

A favorite pick of top tech magazines, the UE Boom 2 is a remake of the popular, original UE Boom.  Although just over 1 lb., the compact, cylindrical speaker projects a loud, clear sound with deep bass in all directions.  Unlike many delicate tech gadgets, these speakers were meant to be taken outside – the outer shell is resilient, rugged and made to withstand dings and dents.  It’s not just water-resistant – it’s waterproof – and can be submerged in over three feet of water for up to 30 minutes.  The rechargeable battery lasts an impressive 15 hours, perfect for a weekend camping trip with a group of friends.  The UE Boom 2 also offers a variety of other features, including the ability to sync with a second UE speaker for even more sound, intuitive app features, and a variety of color options to suit any style.

The UE Boom 2 is available at Amazon for around $200.

The Best Bluetooth Speaker for Sound Quality: FUGOO

Pros: Powerful sound, excellent battery life, durable design, customizable “jackets”

Cons:  Does not give visual cues on volume or battery life, changing jackets requires some dis-assembly

According to TechRadar, the FUGOO Bluetooth speaker is one of the industry’s best-kept secrets.  Although some high-end Bluetooth speakers from well-known brands, such as Bowers & Wilkins, Bang & Olufsen, Sony, Marshall Kilburn, and Bose, may boast of higher quality sound, many of these are not realistically portable, or likely to be used as portable speakers, due to their size, weight, and price tag.  However, the FUGOO is a true portable speaker at a little under 1.5 pounds, and includes a durable core and different exterior “jackets” depending on the purpose and environment.  Specifically, the core is itself a rugged machine capable of handling dings, dents, and spills.  The “style” jacket offers additional protection and a streamlined silhouette.  The “sport” and “tough” jackets offer additional protection.  The speaker sound is exceptional; music lovers will be astounded by the depth and clarity of the sound produced via its six drivers, including two tweeters, two mid/sub drivers, and two passive radiators.  The FUGOO also offers an unbelievable 40 hours of continuous battery life.

The FUGOO does have some small drawbacks.  Its streamlined, minimal visual design only indicates whether the machine is turned on or off.  All other cues are voice-activated, which means a simple glance to check the volume level or battery life is not possible.  Additionally, the jackets are not easily interchangeable.  Although the “style” jacket slides and locks in, the other jackets require a little more assembly; many reviews noted changing jackets was frustrating and somewhat confusing.

The FUGOO Bluetooth speaker is available on Amazon for $178 to $230, depending on jacket type.

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The Details

Date night for two at the movies can easily run over $60 dollars in an urban area once you factor in exorbitant ticket prices, concessions, and parking. All that and you risk sticky seats, texting teenagers, and chatty couples. Making your own home theater is becoming an increasingly affordable alternative to pricey and unreliable nights out at the movies, with quality projector prices falling and pixel counts increasing.

Once upon a time you needed a spacious, cave-like room to make owning a home projector a feasible entertainment option. But the proliferation of short-throw projectors and steadily rising lumen counts mean that projectors are no longer exclusive to suburban basements. Even apartment living rooms can benefit from the immersive experience of an HD projector. You just need to make sure to buy the right projector for you.

There are a couple factors to keep in mind when picking a projector. First, determine the brightness of your room and how large your screen will be. If you do have a windowless room without any source of natural light, you don’t need a high lumen (measure of brightness) count. Likewise, if your projector screen is less than 100 inches, there is no need to pay up for a 4k resolution projector.

Since your projector will likely stay put in your house, things like portability and built-in audio playback aren’t a concern. Instead, consider whether the projector has low lag time, if it has 3D capability, whether it supports media streaming services, what its casting distance is, and image quality.

I’ve identified a few of the best projectors for different consumers below:

The Best 3D Projector

If you are still deciding between an LCD TV and projector for your home theater, a few minutes with a high quality 3D projector will put an end to your waffling once and for all. The latest 3D projectors give a true approximation of the cinema multi-plex experience. Their grand size and gorgeous colors convey the 3D experience in a way that an LCD TV just can’t. Immerse yourself in three dimensions with crosstalk,” the blurry illusion created by two different transmission channels.  Like all 3D technology on the market, there is some loss in brightness when viewing in 3D.

A few alignment options give some flexibility in set up. Lens shifting allows for the projector to be slightly off center from the screen, though you will have to manually do any lens shifting.

The 1700 lumen lamp will last 5000 hours in eco or 2000 at the highest setting. In low and medium ambient lighting, this projector gives bright and crisp colors and HD black. The lumen count is a bit low for bright rooms, so this is best in dens and media rooms.

The HW40ES is sold as a “gaming projector,” and users have the option to use it in a gaming mode that is said to reduce lag. Reviewers have empirically proven that lag time is reduced to 24 milliseconds, which is one of the absolute best for gaming.

It does not come with 3D glasses, so you will need to invest in a pair that is compatible with Sony projectors.

The Best 4k Projector

For those that want only the best image quality, sharpest contrast, and latest tech, a 4k projector is the way to go. 4k is the new gold standard for video resolution. The new video technology refers to the 4,000 thousand pixels found alongside the horizontal line display. Right now, Sony enjoys a total monopoly of the 4k home projector market. Of the 4k projectors Sony offers, the VPLVW350ES SXRD is the best value for an unbeatable image.

This behemoth of a projector weighs close to 40 pounds and is a commanding 25.1 x 22.9 x 12.6 inches. Inside comes Sony’s SXRD 4k movie theater technology and anamophic 3D capability. This top of the line tech enables you to cast onto a larger screen than some 1080p projectors. Sony says that full brightness (1500 lumens) and resolution are achieved on a 150 inch screen.

Since 4k is relatively new, not a whole lot of media is specifically made for 4k resolution. This is definitely changing, but 1080p HD is still the standard as of now. Sony equipped with the 350ES with Super Resolution upscaling so you can enjoy your content in 4k in the meantime. It uses a ‘Mastered in 4k’ algorithm to upscale HD movies and shows into 4k content. Sometimes this results in a noticeable difference, other times its hard to make a meaningful distinction.

The VPLVW350ES SXRD comes with a 3 year warranty.

The Best Projector for Football Fans

Plan to marathon NFL games all Sunday? You will need an extra bright projector if you are going to set up your home theater in a room with any natural light sources to get the most our of your daytime viewing. The brightest home theater projector is the Epson Home Cinema 1440, which has a staggering 4400 lumens.

This model uses 3LCD projectors for Full HD 1080p images that are rated three times brighter than other projectors in its class. This means you get stunning HD imagery in well-lit rooms, even with all the blinds up.

Easy slide horizontal keystone correction and automatic vertical keystone correction make alignment relatively easy. However, a lack of lens shift means you have to mount the projector dead center from where the image will be projected. This model is also lightweight and compact for a home theater projector, weighing just 13 pounds.

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Here are some reliable speaker dock that still allow you to dock your iPad and immediately play your music:

Sony RDPXF300IPN Lightning iPad Dock

The Sony RDPXF300IPN Lightning iPad Dock is the best sounding speaker dock I’ve tested. The two speakers output 20 watts each, and have a rich and bright sound. In fact, this dock sounds better than the Bose SoundDock Series III (which also lacks bluetooth connectivity and a remote control).

This dock has an internal lithium-ion battery so it can be used as a portable player, it also features a radio and a remote control.

The Sony RDPXF300IPN Lightning iPad Dock is available from Amazon for about $300.

iHome iDL48BC Dual Charging Portable Rechargeable Speaker

The iHome iDL48BC speaker dock is a good budget choice for a speaker dock. It delivers resasonably good sound, but it lacks some of the clarity and bass of the Sony RDPXF300IPN.

The iHome iDL48BC is available from Amazon for about $80.

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A soundbar is a thin bar with multiple drivers. They point the speakers directly at your couch, with different tweeters and woofers replicating highs and lows. Newer soundbars include wireless connectivity options, making them hassle free compared to a full surround sound system. No soundbar will ever compete with the fidelity of traditional speakers, the drivers are just not large enough, but they can fill a small room with lush noise. These are the best soundbars available right now.

Best Overall Soundbar of 2016: Samsung HW-K950

The Samsung HW-K950 is the biggest leap forward in soundbar technology of the year. Released in summer 2016, the soundbar boasts Dolby Atmos, 4k/HDR, and 5.1.4 channel surround sound. One big drawback: it does not offer DTS-HD. So if you want the best possible sound quality out of a soundbar and don’t plan on playing Blu-rays on an older player, this is the soundbar for you.

Most soundbars simply can’t replicate the immersive multi-directional sound of a proper home theater system. Samsung shortens the gap with one of two soundbars released this year that features Dolby Atmos (the other is the Yamaha YSP-5600, which has DTS:X support but suffers from poor design). For those who don’t know, Dolby Atmos is an audio format designed to deliver three-dimensional sound. It’s what makes makes you think a helicopter is actually whirling overhead, or what clues you in to the sound of footsteps approaching from a distance.

The HW-K950 delivers Atmos sound from 15 built-in speakers. Most of those drivers come from the main soundbar itself, a minimalist 47 inch unit with metal grills and brushed metal dim plates. It has 3 forward firing channels, with twin mid-range drivers and a wide-range tweeter engineered just for the soundbar. Atop the wide bar are two upward firing full-range drivers that provide front overhead effects.  The rest of the sound comes from two wireless rear speakers with front and upward firing speakers and a wireless 160W sub-woofer. All drivers come with their own amplifier.

The sound is extremely crisp and expansive on Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital 5.1 compatible files. It is extremely clean and captures everything from dialogue to bass-heavy music in a way you thought a soundbar could not. The set up is easy and, unlike many previous-generation high end soundbars, it comes with 2 HDMI plugs. So unlike the popular SONOS soundbar, your audio isn’t rerouted through a optical port.

There are two big drawbacks to this soundbar. The first is the price. It’s an expensive package, but it includes the sub-woofer and rear speakers. You can definitely find better quality used home theater equipment for the same price range, but you lose all the convenience and connectivity the soundbar offers. So it depends on your needs. If you’re building a home theater, look elsewhere. If you want three-dimensional Dolby Atmos sound in your apartment without a receiver and a bunch of speakers, this wireless setup can’t be beat.

The main drawback, and this is a huge one, is that it does not support DTS-HD Master Audio, the most common format for many Blu-Ray movies. Newer Blu-Ray players do support Atmos, so you will have to check your player.

Best Value Soundbar: Vizio SB3851-C0

If you don’t want to spend a grand on a soundbar but still want a powerful upgrade from your TV speakers, check out Vizio’s SB3851-C0. For less than $300 you get 5.1 sound with a wireless sub-woofer and 2 rear satellite speakers.

This model captures engrossing Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, faithfully replicating highs and lows. The 6″ driver on the sub delivers a serviceable bass, definitely the best you will experience at this price range. It has an impress 100dB sound with less than 1% total harmonic distortion. Connect music directly with a Bluetooth. The setup is easy, and the 38 inch aluminum accented soundbar looks nice in the living room.

Unfortunately the unit lacks an HDMI connection. It also lacks EQ options to satisfy an audiophile.

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HooToo updated its popular line of iPhone flash drives earlier this summer to incorporate the speed of USB 3.0 and improve design. The HT-IM003 model is housed in a durable aluminum alloy case and wins out in terms of functionality and design.

It’s slim, sleek, and sturdy. It weighs just a quarter of an ounce and is about 2″ long. On one end sits the standard USB 3.0 drive, with the lightning end on the other. This time around the lightning connected is protected by a cap that is attached by a key-ring. The connector is extended by 4mm which is just enough to work around thick protective cases. That’s a pretty important function, as it’s a pain in the ass to take off a phone case every time you want to use your device.

USB drives are not known for their fast speeds. But USB 3.0 technology gives the HooToo a significant boost over previous models. The drive hits 80 MB/s read and 30 MB/s write speeds on USB 3.0, with some user benchmarks surpassing advertised speeds. That’s good enough to transfer a full HD movie in less than a minute. Unfortunately, lightning port speeds are still stuck in the dark ages, with top read speeds of 30 MB/s and write speeds of 10 MB/s. That means moving large amounts of data from your Apple device to the drive will take a while, but still much faster than uploading to the cloud or sending via email.

HooToo uses a free app called iPlugmate to work on your device. The app has a simple interface that automatically segregates your files based into pics, music, videos, etc. It supports most common file types, including wav, mp3, avi, mkv, doc, pdf, and ppt. You can stream your files directly from iPlugmate while it is attached, which frees up valuable storage on your device. The app lacks any security features, which is disappointing.

Best 2-in-1 iPhone USB Drive: RAVPower Charging Cable

HooToo just released the RAVPower Charging Cable, a 64GB external storage device that doubles as a charging device. It’s the perfect 2-in-1 plug-in for viewing high-usage content like HD videos and picture slideshows.

The RAVPower cable delivers transfers files at a similar clip to the External Storage stick. That means the USB 3.0 port gets 80 MB/s 30MB/s, while the lightning port chugs along at 30 MB/s read and 10 MB/s write. It also operates on the iPlugmate app, which lets you stream most common file types directly from the drive.

The design differs in a couple ways. First, the metal USB 3.0 and lightning ports are connected by a soft rubber cord. This 5 inch long device is flexible, with no unwieldy clip. While the design is convenient, both ports are uncapped. This opens the possibility of them snapping in a purse or briefcase, which is a disadvantage compared to the standard drive. But its functionality as a charger offsets this restriction.

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• The Fastest External Hard Drive: Samsung T3
• The Fastest Mechanical External Hard Drive: Seagate Backup Plus Fast

In our mobile world it is more important than ever to be able to move large amounts of data at quick speeds. Right now there are three popular methods of moving and storing files: flash drives, cloud storage, and external hard drives. Of these options, external hard drives are your best bet.

While affordable, USB Flashdrives are just way too slow for all but the simplest of file transfers. And while cloud storage is an increasingly viable option, it does require an internet connection and opens you up to security threats. The Dropbox hack proves that sensitive data should be stored on physical hard drives. Finally, it takes a long time to transfer data over the cloud. External hard drives have the advantage of both speed and security. I looked at the recent generation to determine the fastest external hard drive.

The Fastest External Hard Drive: Samsung T3

The Samsung T3 combines solid state drive technology with a USB-C connection to provide the fastest read-write speeds of any external storage unit. It achieves 450MBs read/write speeds, which puts it on par with many internal SSDs. But it really shines when compared to even the fastest mechanical external hard drives, which sustain speeds around 230MBs. The T3 isn’t just the fastest external hard drive, it delivers the best overall experience, albeit at a very high price tag.

So why is this drive so fast? First, it benefits from Samsung’s experience as the industry leader in the internal SSD market. Samsung’s 850 PRO and EVO SSDs use V-NAND flash memory to store data, 32 vertical NAND cell layers that have a higher density and better efficiency than regular flash memory. The T3 uses this technology as well, allowing for a capacity of up 2TB in a small case.

It also incorporates a USB-C connector that supports USB 3.1 gen 1, which offers a transfer rate of 5GBps. USB 3.1 gen 2 reaches 10GBps, but is not yet supported by any external SSDs. The T3 also supports UASP, a USB protocol that speeds up data transfer. Reviewer benchmarks found that the T3 excelled at transferring incompressible data such as HD video files.

In addition to speed, the T3 outperforms external HDDs in both portability and durability. The palm-sized device is truly portable, letting you carry 2 TBs in your pocket without a second thought. It’s a lightweight 1.8 ounces, and has a dimension of 2.9 x 2.3 x 0.4 inches, making other SSDs seem bulky. And unlike a mechanical hard drive, a SSD has no moving parts. That makes it shock resistant and protects your data against accidental drops or magnetic fields. The T3 has rugged aluminum casing and an internal frame that is shock resistant up to 1500G force. You can accidentally knock it off your desk without having a heart attack.

In addition to safeguarding against clumsiness, the T3 protects your files against digital threats. It includes AES 256-bit encryption algorithm. It is compatible with Windows, Mac & Android OS.

The downside is that you need to pay for speed. The T3 costs about $0.4 per gigabyte, which is 10x more expensive than the fastest HDDs.

The Fastest Mechanical External Hard Drive: Seagate Backup Plus Fast

The major advantage mechanical hard drives hold over SSDs remains their price. The truth is that they deliver way more storage for a fraction of an SSD’s cost. So if you want both value and speed, go with the 4TB Seagate Backup Plus Fast. It is the fastest external HDD on the market and costs the same as a 500GB T3.

The Backup Plus Fast delivers transfer speeds that top off at 230MBs. That’s about half the peak performance of the T3, but 2x faster than most external HDDs. Inside the black plastic casing you’ll find two hard drives stacked on top of each other. This design accounts for the fast speed and immense memory, but makes the drive very bulky. In fact, it weighs nearly a pound and is almost an inch thick. You definitely won’t be carrying it around in your pocket.

It hooks up to your Mac or PC via a USB 3.0 cable and comes with backup software. Unfortunately, you might need that backup software because the drive is susceptible to RAID0, a type of data loss that occurs if one of the two drives should fail.  The Backup Plus Fast comes with a 3-year warranty, but its best to use the drive as a backup for important files.

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The Details

3D printing has been around since the 1980’s, but the prohibitive price and size of most units kept them out of consumer hands. Over the past decade, 3D printer manufacturers have made a concentrated push to get the devices into consumer hands. Predictably, a flood of cheaply produced models that deliver low quality prints hit the market. These lower-end models aren’t capable of much more than churning out the odd novelty. Luckily, a few professional grade desktop 3D printers are now available at a fraction of the cost of larger industrial units. I’ve detailed the two best to come out in 2016.

Best Overall Desktop 3D Printer: Formlabs Form 2

Formlabs got its start at MIT back in 2011. Since then they’ve graduated to become one of the most innovative companies in the 3D industry. In 2014 they released the Form 1+ SLA Printer. It delivered professional-level printing at a price that small businesses and private consumers could actually afford. This year Formlabs improved on the success of their first effort with the release of the Form 2 3D Stereo Lithography printer.

Stereo lithography differs from most desktop 3D printers, which use ABS or PLA thermoplastics fed from a spool into a heated nozzle then set to cool. Stereo lithography employs a laser to harden resin distributed from a vat. It builds up one layer at a time and solidifies the resin on contact with the laser. 

The process is much slower than using the filament spools. It takes the Form 2 12 seconds per layer, which means you might have to wait 20 hours for your product to finish. But the longer time is well worth the wait, especially if you are producing detailed medical equipment. Once your project is done, it needs to be finished in alcohol. Formlabs included an isopropyl alcohol finishing kit with the printer, but be warned that the finishing process should take place in a well ventilated area.

Let’s get into the details. The Form 2 can print 5.7 x 5.7 x 6.9 inches. That’s larger than most desktop printers, but still smaller than industrial competitors. But the real draw is the 25 micron layer thickness, 4x more fine than the latest Makerbot replica. The detail is precise and stunning.

This time around the resin and print area are removable. Each resin tank goes through about 2L of printing before they have to be replaced. The process is simple, and you can switch between types of resin with ease. Each cartridge is quite pricey compared to ABS and PLA- between $150 and $300.

Another big upgrade is a level sensor that guarantees you are printing on a level surface. To level the printer, you have to manually adjust four leveling legs underneath. It also comes with a leveling tool to help in this process. The Form 2 has a touchscreen, and supports Wi-Fi and USB, setting it apart from most desktop 3D printers. Formlabs continues to release firmware and software upgrades to improve the process.

So is the extra money worth the price? Depends on your needs. Professional artists, architects, and doctors benefit the most from the added precision. If you are a hobbyist or new to 3D printing, you can probably stick to ABS for now.

Best Filament Printer: Lulzbot TAZ 6

Colorado-based AlephObjects delivers quality 3D printing with an opensource ethos in the TAZ 6, the latest gen model of  its flagship printer line. The TAZ 6 is a rugged fused filament fabrication 3D printer that looks and operates like something you’d see in an engineer’s warehouse. It doesn’t have the futuristic aesthetic of other consumer-oriented 3D printers. This is a printer that is built with quality parts and the clear intention to last. And it’s all the better for it.

The TAZ 6 printer focuses on reliability and quality over speed. This is a large unit with a 12 inch bed that prints objects up to 250 mm tall. The frame is a combination of aluminum with metal brackets and plastic parts parts printed at AlephObject’s massive print farm. The Z-axis is a giant spindle, while the X and Y axis use 2mm pitch belts. The TAZ 6 uses 3mm filament which comes out of hexagonal hot end on a 0.5mm nozzle. It has an LCD screen and SD card reader hooked up to the company’s RAMBo motherboard. The power supply and computer are cooled off by fans, and every wire is crimped and grounded. These extra touches show that AlephObjects care about the electronic components on this unit and have put in the effort to make them

One of the best features is that the TAZ 6 comes nearly ready to use right out of the box. Just fasten the extruder on with a single screw and then attach the surface and you are up and running within 15 minutes. Another plus is the auto-leveling feature which uses the washers at the four corners of the to establish a level surface before each and every print. It also has a reliable auto-cleaning feature that cleans the print head after every use.

The weakest part of the TAZ 6 is the glass bed, which has heated silicone underneath. The heat tends to dissipate away from the center, making it harder to pry the finished product off if its near the edges and achieve a smooth bottom. Other than that the prints are very high quality for a FFF 3D printer, and you can decide between “fast” “strong” and “high detail” profiles.

Finally, AlephObjects prides itself on its opensource policy. The company uses freely licensed designs, specifications, and documentation to make sure your software is never obsolete and you have access to free designs.

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