This Week The Trend (Issue 42)
This week's picks include smart speakers, a smart fan, and E Ink Polaroid.
How I’d spend $500: Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker
The Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is the latest smart Wi-Fi speaker. Besides having Wi-Fi for streaming songs over AirPlay or Spotify Connect, you can stream music to it with Bluetooth or connect a 3.5mm cable. If you pair these with Bose's new Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, they can work as wireless rear speakers for a home theater setup.
Price: $300 (link)
Value Score: Fair
The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker starts at $299, which is about $80 more than the Sonos Era 100. One interesting aspect, however, is that the Ultra Speaker has an upfiring driver, so it should sound fuller and more immersive. It's available for pre-order now and will be out on May 15th.
How I’d spend $150: SwitchBot Smart Pedestal Fan
I didn't realize how handy a smart pedestal fan would be until I tried this one from SwitchBot. I like being able to adjust its motion, timers, and settings in its app. Despite having a built-in battery for up to 28 hours of portable use, the fan remains small. The adjustable stand heights also mean it can be used on a table top or the floor. Although it's not exactly loud while moving a good amount of air on its highest setting, it is nearly silent on its lower settings. So much so that I've accidentally left it on overnight before.
Price: $100 [with Amazon coupon] (link)
Value Score: Good
The SwitchBot Smart Pedestal Fan retails for $130, but as part of its launch promotion, it's down to $100. I have a feeling I'm going to get more than a $100 worth of use from this fan this summer, moving it to bedrooms or putting it in front of our dog's bed.
How I’d spend $50: Vidabay Snap
At its heart, the Vidabay Snap is a small E Ink photo display. It has a magnet on the back so it can stick to a fridge. But it's much cooler than it seems at first. Despite being a digital frame, there's no battery. It gets enough wireless power when it transfers a photo via NFC, and then that photo remains static until you tap it to your iPhone again.
Price: $30 (link)
Value Score: Fair
The idea here is to create a Polaroid-like photo experience. The image quality won't be great, but it will be fun. Using the Vidabay app, you can crop photos and apply filters. $30 seems reasonable for a fun memory gadget.
The winning pick: SwitchBot Smart Pedestal Fan
The SwitchBot Smart Pedestal Fan is a good combination of features and price, making it a solid value. The fan only comes in white, and the height adjustment requires unscrewing each of the poles, but other than that, there's just not much to complain about. At its $99 launch price, it's a worthy purchase.
Are you looking for even more picks this week? Here are a few things worth considering.
An expensive pick: Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar
The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker isn't the only new Bose product this week. The company also debuted a new high-end home theater soundbar. I've heard the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, and it does provide a big, immersive sound thanks to its CleanBass and PhaseGuide technology. My favorite aspect of my initial time with the Soundbar is its SpeechClarity, which uses AI tech to raise dialogue volume, without making other parts of the movie sound bad. This is available for pre-order now and will be out on May 15th.
Price: $1,099 (link)
Media pick: The Odyssey
There's not much to say about The Odyssey, an age-old story. Of course, adding Christopher Nolan to the mix instantly makes this epic even more interesting. Not to mention the loaded cast that seems to pop up another major star in every scene of this trailer. The movie drops in theaters July 17, this summer.
This week's other interesting deals and product news
- Samsung has its 65-inch The Frame TV on sale for $1,000, which is $800 off.
- Peak Design is having a birthday sale with backpacks, slings, and other bags up to 50% off.
- Nordstrom has Nike's Vomero Plus running shoes on sale for $108, down from $180—Volt color.
- Google is releasing a $99 screen-free activity tracker called the Fitbit Air. It's available for pre-order now.
This week's published stories
- Roborock Saros 20 review [Business Insider]
- First look at the Bose Lifestyle Collection [Yahoo]
- Kuxiu S4 25W power bank review [Yahoo]
- SwitchBot Smart Pedestal Fan review [Yahoo]
You can follow This Week The Trend directly on Yahoo by clicking the "follow" button on that landing page. You can also follow videos on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.