From portable audio to home office accessories, these are the launches that stood out from hundreds of pitches.
Summer is just kicking off, which is especially welcome after a particularly chilly winter across the United States. Soccer is in the air thanks to the big tournament, which gives you an excuse to stay in an air-conditioned home or bar while supporting your favorite team. Speaking of cool, we’re breaking down the most exciting product launches that have launched recently; the stuff you’ll actually want to check out to improve your home office, enjoy music and books, or stay chilly.
We get pitched hundreds of times per month and want to highlight the products that really stand out and that we’re excited to test ourselves as soon as they become available. This is going to be a monthly or semi-monthly series, so stay tuned for even more of the best gear launches.
Marshall’s latest home audio drop is the Stockwell III, a portable Bluetooth speaker whose standout features are portability, audio fidelity, and longevity. Marshall says its new speaker can last over 40 hours per charge (twice as much as before), so you shouldn’t have to worry about topping it up before taking it to a party. Speaking of taking it places, the speaker has a built-in strap that makes it easier to grab on your way out the door. That design choice is necessary because the speaker is slightly larger than many portable Bluetooth models.
On the audio side, the speaker can play music in true stereo, a big improvement over mono speakers, since you’ll hear tunes the way they were mixed. Treble and bass knobs at the top of the speaker let you adjust its EQ without opening an app, and a new “M” button lets you access your presets immediately. Overall, the Stockwell III is a marked improvement over its predecessor and is competitive with portable Bluetooth speakers from other brands.
If you’re sick of constantly filling up ice trays, but don’t have a fridge with a built-in ice maker, GoveeLife’s Smart Countertop Ice Maker 2 Pro could be the solution to your problem. It can produce up to 47 pounds of ice per day, with the first bullet-shaped cubes forming in about 3 minutes. You can control it using its on-device touch panel, or hands-free through Google Home and Amazon Alexa. The Ice Maker 2 Pro has a display that’ll alert you when its ice bucket is full, and the water tank is empty. It can also show a progress bar and timer when its cleaning mode is activated, so you’ll know when it’s ready to work again.
The Ice Maker 2 Pro has a pair of water tanks (one inside, one outside) with a combined capacity of over 1.5 gallons. That means you shouldn’t have to constantly refill the tank unless you’re making a ton of ice. Similarly, its ice bucket holds three pounds of cubes, which is more than enough to chill dozens of drinks. Countertop space is precious kitchen real estate, but if you’re hosting parties this summer, or want to make a lot of ice quickly and keep it in the freezer, Smart Countertop Ice Maker 2 Pro will quickly earn its place there.
The Mobi Fold is one of the most innovative Bluetooth mice we’ve ever seen because it can literally fold in half, making it truly pocket-sized. When opened, the Mobi Fold has an arch-shape that’s more ergonomic and comfortable to use than a typical compact Bluetooth mouse. Logitech says its mouse was opened and closed 50,000 times during development, which translates to years of use, and it continued to hold up.
Logitech outfitted the Mobi Fold with four buttons: right and left clicks and a pair of programmable buttons built into its touch-sensitive scroll panel. It’s compatible with every major desktop and mobile operating system, and you can switch between Bluetooth devices by pushing a button on its underside. The Mobi Fold is also compatible with Logitech’s Logi Bolt USB adapter if you’d prefer not to use Bluetooth. In both cases, Logitech says its mouse lasts around 32 days per charge. Hybrid work has become increasingly popular, and Logitech’s Mobi Fold is one of the first mice that you can realistically take back and forth between home and the office without friction.
Boox has opened up preorders for its Go 6 (Gen II), its latest e-ink Android tablet. It carries over the best features of the previous generation Go 6, including a 6-inch, 300ppi monochrome screen, an eight-core processor, a 1,500mAh battery, and a microSD Card slot for expanded storage. The advantage Boox has over similar devices is that it’s a full-fledged tablet rather than just an e-reader. That allows you to download software (including multiple e-reader apps) instead of being limited to a single use. Its e-ink display will show far less glare than a typical tablet, though its monochrome display and slower refresh rate mean you likely won’t want to scroll through social media on it.
The second-generation Go 6 is an improvement over the original in two ways. It has an extra gigabyte of RAM (memory), so it should run more smoothly. More importantly, it now supports Boox’s InkSense Plus stylus, which means you can use it as a digital notepad. The tablet comes preloaded with a note-taking app, so it’s ready for you to start jotting down notes. The InkSense Plus is an optional accessory, and costs $51 at Amazon. If you like the features of your e-reader but wish it could do a little more (or wasn’t limited to a single digital bookstore), the Boox Go 6 (Gen II) should be on your radar.
Hobbyists know the struggles of using a large tool for fine-detail work. It’s tedious at best, and can be impossible depending on the job. Hozo’s Neosander is a handheld sander that comes with eight interchangeable heads and a pair of saw blades, which you can use to slice through or finish off wooden or 3D printed models. Each attachment was designed for a specific purpose; for example, Hozo says the pointed tip was designed to touch up prints with delicate grooves, while the flat head can smooth out surfaces with a medium thickness.
The Neosander operates at 13,000 SPM (Strokes Per Minute), and you can adjust its stroke distance between .6 and 1.8 millimeters. It’s a tool that will let you get jobs done that wouldn’t be possible with a larger sander, which would be too big to handle fine detailing. We also like that it has an IP54 rating, so you don’t have to worry about it getting damaged by dust (or wood shavings, resin, and other smaller particles), or splashes of water. It’s a niche tool, but it does solve a legitimate problem if you’re into making or printing models.
