This Week The Trend (Issue 37)
This week's picks include a talking flower, steam toaster, and tiny e-reader.
How I’d spend $500: Balmuda Toaster Pro
For things like toasting bread and reheating pizza, there's nothing better than the Balmuda steam toaster. Add just a touch of water to get a better cooking result. The new Toaster Pro does all the same things, but adds an extra bread mode and has a broiler setting for more cooking versatility and better browning.
Price: $379 (link)
Value Score: Fair
The $379 retail price is a premium for a toaster, but there just aren't too many steam toasters out there to choose from. I used the original Balmuda Toaster for over a year, and it was excellent. I suspect the new Toaster Pro will be even better.
How I’d spend $150: Xteink X3 e-reader
The Xteink X3 is a tiny e-reader with a 3.7-inch screen. The reason you might want a reader that size is so that you can slip it in your pocket and take it anywhere. Even better, the X3 has a magnet on the back so it can stick to the back of your iPhone with MagSafe.
Price: $79 (link)
Value Score: Fair
The X3 is a neat gadget, but designed for a specific need. This is really for people who want to take a book anywhere they go. You can get a Kindle for pretty cheap if you just want to read books, but it's not going to fit in your jeans pocket.
How I’d spend $50: Nintendo Talking Flower
You should be able to appreciate the Talking Flower from Super Mario Bros Wonder whether or not you're familiar with its presence in the video game. Just like the game, the flower will chatter away, making random comments about the time and weather, as well as playing background music. It's a desk toy that should keep things interesting.
Price: $35 (link)
Value Score: Fair
Since the Talking Flower's release, it's been sporadically on back order. If you can't find the product on Amazon, then you should be able to get it directly from Nintendo.
The winning pick: Xteink X3
Fun gadgets don't come around every day. Xteink's first X4 e-reader piqued people's interest in tiny e-readers. Now, the X3 goes even further and shrinks it so it fits on the back of nearly every iPhone, not just the Max models.
Are you looking for even more picks this week? Here are a few things worth considering.
An expensive pick: DJI Power 2000 Portable Power Station
An ideal power solution for RV travelers or emergency weather conditions, the DJI Power 2000 power station is 38% off right now, down to $799. This 45-pound battery can offer 3,000 watts of continuous power and has 15 ports—including eight USB ports. DJI advertises a 10+ year battery integrity and the ability to link multiple batteries together if you want even more power.
Price: $799 (link)
Media pick: Widow's Bay
Apple TV has been quite vague and mysterious about its new show, Widow's Bay. With a brand new trailer, it's shedding a bit more light on what's going on with this island town. Apple calls the show a horror comedy, which, even just from the short teaser, is evident. It should make you chuckle when the hairs on your neck aren't standing tall. Widow's Bay starts streaming on April 29.
This week's other interesting deals and product news
- The complete Lost series is available for $49 digital at Apple—matching its all-time low.
- The 2026 MacBook Air M5 is on sale for the first time, $66 off.
- United Airlines added TSA wait times for its hubs in the US.
- Apple AirPods Max 2 are now available to buy. Certain colors are already on sale, $20 off.
- You can now change your Gmail email address if you still want one that's available.
- The new Nuki Keypad 2 supports NFC unlocking.
- Surf.social is a new site that will let you collect feeds from YouTube, social feeds, and websites all into one place.
This week's published stories
- Eufy Omni C28 review [How-To Geek]
- MLB games on Apple Vision Pro are wild now [Yahoo]
- 5 things to know about the big Denon Home 600 Dolby Atmos speaker [Yahoo]
- Tested: The best Qi2 25W travel chargers [Yahoo]
- There's one sports app all iPhone users need [Yahoo]
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