The Buying Game

The Buying Game (Issue 11)

This week's picks include a transparent devices, gadgets that glow, and more.

Tyler H

Tyler H

— 5 min read
Collage featuring a watch band and instant camera.
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The Buying Game consists of me selecting three products worth buying at different price points. Each product is given a Value Score—based on price and function—and then one is crowned the winner at the end. Affiliate links may be used.

How I’d spend $500: Polaroid Flip Instant Camera

Polaroid instant camera with picture coming out.

Instant cameras might be less compelling than they used to be, but they still have a place. The Polaroid Flip Instant Camera is a high(er) end option that has a few neat features to get the best pictures on the spot. This camera has a four-lens focal system, which should pair well with sonar autofocus for sharp images. The feature I think is the most beneficial is the viewfinder warning to alert you to over- or under-exposed scenes.

Price: $200 (link)
Value Score: Fair

Your main instant camera choices nowadays are between Polaroid and Fujifilm. The $200 price isn't outrageous here for the feature set either. Mostly, you'll have to decide which brand has the more accessible and cost-effective film.

How I’d spend $150: Nomad Sport Band Glow 2.0

Glowing in the dark watch band on a person's wrist.

The Nomad Sport Band Glow is back. This 2.0 version is supposedly three times brighter in the dark. The first one was a neat idea that, I thought, looked subtle in the daytime and cool in the dark. If this one is much brighter, then it makes it even better. The really fun part is forgetting your watch band glows until you're somewhere classy at night. This band should work with any Apple Watch 42mm or larger.

Price: $59 (link)
Value Score: Poor

Apple sells its rubber watch bands for $50. However, this Nomad one has benefits that Apple's bands don't, like glowing in the dark and likely being more durable.

How I’d spend $50: Sling Day Pass

Promotional image from Sling, with a calendar icon.

Every year during some sports' playoffs, there's a game I want to watch, but not enough to subscribe to another monthly service. Sling's new Day Pass is a breath of fresh air in this regard. You can sign up for 24 hours of streaming access to ESPN, TBS, TNT, NBC, and a bunch of other channels. The new plans include a Day Pass for $5, a three-day Weekend Pass for $10, and a seven-day Week Pass for $15.

Price: $5+ (link)
Value Score: Great

The solution to piracy is easy access to reasonably priced content. Companies just need to make it faster to pay for something than to go looking for it in other places. It's as simple as that.

The winning pick: Sling Day Pass

It's odd when a company does the thing it should do. In this case, the Sling Day Pass is good for consumers and, presumably, good for itself. For me, lately, it's been wanting to watch just one ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game a month. Now I can legitimately do it.

Are you looking for even more picks this week? Here are a few things worth considering.

An expensive pick: Sigma BF

The Sigma BF camera was announced earlier this year. Initially, I wrote it off as too expensive, without much attention. But lately, in the context of other cameras rising in price, the BF doesn't seem as crazy. The 35 mm full-frame camera is crafted from a single piece of aluminum without a storage card slot. Instead, there's a 230GB internal SSD for capturing photos and up to 6K video.

The $2,199 BF is out of stock at the moment, but comes in silver and black colors when it is available.

Don't buy this: IKEA NATTBAD

Pink speaker sitting on a shelf with kitchen gadgets around it.

The idea of a $50 Bluetooth speaker that blends plastic and fabric is fine. Unfortunately, the NATTBAD still isn't worth its cost. The driver is mediocre, and I ran into wireless interruptions. If you don't use Spotify as your music service, you also lose out on the Spotify Tap button on the speaker. (Full review below)

This week's other interesting deals and product news

Two robot vacuums with a transparent one on the left and white one on the right.
  • Apple is now selling (some of) its original movies on its digital store. Until now, these were only available for subscribers of TV+. Out of the limited choices available, I recommend The Banker.
  • DJI is making a transparent robot vacuum. Unfortunately, it's not available in the US.
  • Pebble's color e-paper smartwatch, Pebble Time 2, has a new design.
  • The blood oxygen feature on Apple Watches is back on the Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 as of yesterday via a software update.
  • Google launched Flight Deals, which is a natural-language way to find travel deals.
  • Check out the 14* new screensavers coming in macOS Tahoe, which should also appear on the Apple TV box.
  • You didn't miss the announcement, but Taylor Swift has a new album coming October 3.

This week's published articles

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