After months of daily use, the Nothing Ear (3a) left me wondering why most people need pricier wireless earbuds. Its punchy, balanced sound, impressive noise cancellation, adjustable EQ, and dependable battery life outweigh a slightly loose charging case, unremarkable Spatial Audio, and a maximum volume that could be louder.
Apple has given the iPad mini enough processing muscle to make its cheapest laptop nervous. The A20 Pro joins an OLED screen, upgraded audio, and water resistance in a thinner body. It’s a tempting little package, although those screen borders still look generous next to Huawei’s MatePad Mini.
A bouquet would have been easier, but LEGO went with a 30-meter wave of flowers across Shanghai’s West Bund. Built from over 380,000 pieces, the installation anchors an exhibition where adults can explore floral artworks and contribute their own creations. Keeping these flowers alive is the easy part.
Leaving a job usually involves handing things back. Dutch LEGO builder Nard Verbong made something to leave behind: a miniature Mercedes-Benz Sprinter inspired by his company’s transport vans. The build fits two minifigures, carries tiny cargo, and now has instructions for anyone who fancies assembling a working day’s ride.
Look closely at Mihail Rakovskiy’s compact LEGO cars before dismissing them as simple shelf models. His Mazda RX-8 has opening rear suicide doors and a miniature rotary engine that rotates. Detailed cabins and underbody components make these builds worth inspecting from every angle, including the one usually facing the shelf.
Redmagic has found another reason to put RGB lighting in a gaming phone: the circulating coolant. The Redmagic 12 Pro+ expands its pumped liquid cooling to cover both the battery area and the chip, then adds flowing light effects. There’s also a 185 Hz display competing for your attention.
An Android tablet running games, charging, and live-streaming simultaneously sounds like a good way to warm your hands. iQOO has other plans. Its first gaming tablet pairs an active cooling fan with dedicated gaming hardware and a 165 Hz OLED screen, taking aim at Redmagic’s compact gaming slates.
Taking weight off a road bike can become an expensive hobby within an already expensive hobby. Superteam’s new premium brand MATIC enters that conversation with the S68, a one-piece carbon wheelset weighing 1,348 grams per pair. Its deep rims and unusual construction give dedicated gram counters something new to investigate.
A National Geographic photograph could stop you mid-page and leave you wanting to know about a place you had never heard of. TASCHEN gathers 125 years of that curiosity into three volumes, taking readers from early black-and-white images to underwater encounters, wildlife, and human stories from across the globe.
George Lucas’ taste in visual storytelling stretches well beyond Star Wars. TASCHEN’s Lucas Museum of Narrative Art brings paintings, comics, photography, and cinematic creations together in an 832-page set. There’s room for Norman Rockwell, Frank Frazetta, and that galaxy far, far away. Your coffee table will have to accommodate the gathering.
Robot dogs aren’t the only four-legged recruits attracting defense investment. Warhound has launched with US$200 million to rebuild America’s supply of military working dogs through genetics, cloning, and cybernetic technology. Ben Lamm and Palmer Luckey conceived the venture, whose plans also cover the dogs’ health, training, equipment, and retirement.
Finland’s love of saunas has taken another trip onto the water. Cefmof’s experimental sauna boat uses hydrogen to cruise, heat the sauna, and fuel the onboard grill. You get changing scenery with your steam session, followed by something to eat. That sounds like an afternoon worth clearing the calendar for.