This Week The Trend (Issue 59)
This week's picks include an electric toothbrush, portable gamepad, and a candle.
How I’d spend $500: Dyson CameraJet
The Dyson CameraJet is the company's new electric toothbrush. It's not just a toothbrush, though. It has a camera looking for gaps between your teeth to shoot mouthwash through them and floss while you brush.
There are at least 8 wild things about this product, including a live view in the app, and Dyson made its own non-foaming toothpaste for it. I've tried the product, and it seems to do exactly what it says. The CameraJet ships next week, but there's a chance it's already sold out everywhere.
Value Score: Poor
The value of this product is tricky. On one hand, a $500 toothbrush is not a good value. But if you're not flossing now and the CameraJet actually improves your oral health, then it really could save you money in the long run.
How I’d spend $150: Razer Prio
The dream is a comfortable, good-performing game controller for your phone that's also small and portable. I've tried a bunch of phone controllers, but the Razer Prio looks like the best one yet. It folds up to be palm-sized, uses USB-C to work with Android or iPhone, and has silent tactile buttons for gameplay.
Value Score: Fair
Spending $100 on a game controller is a bit steep, but in line with models from Backbone. This is for people who want to play games while traveling on a plane or train.
How I’d spend $50: Quince Noir Bibliothèque Candle
It may still be scorching hot outside in September, but that doesn't mean you can't pretend it's fall and autumn time. The right candle is one way to do that. Quince says the Noir Bibliothèque fragrance "evokes the quiet richness of a dimly lit library after dark." Sounds good to me.
The candle uses soy wax, a 100% cotton wick, and a recyclable glass vessel. It features notes of plum, peach, cinnamon, leather, violet, birch woods, patchouli, and vanilla.
Value Score: Fair
Candles as a category aren't expensive, but good ones are. So, $24 for this one is a very reasonable, fair price. I've been happy with the quality I've seen from Quince's candles.
The winning pick: Quince Noir Bibliothèque
Smell is a powerful sense, and a good candle goes a long way in making a room or situation more pleasant. Smell is also very personal, so if this fragrance doesn't seem like it's for you, then Quince has a ton of other options, including this new vanilla suede.
Are you looking for even more picks this week? Here are a few things worth considering.
An expensive pick: Sonos Beam Ultra
Sonos announced its new mid-sized soundbar, the Beam Ultra. At one point, the Beam line was more inferior to the larger soundbars because of its smaller size. But now, the Beam Ultra features a 7.1.2 array, including two upfiring drivers for more immersive Dolby Atmos surround sound. If you don't have space for a large soundbar, but still want all the audio oomph a movie has to offer, then this might do the trick.
Media pick: The Social Reckoning
The follow-up to The Social Network is The Social Reckoning. The first movie didn't idealize Facebook, but it also didn't get into its underlying harm. I think a lot of people might think differently about not just Facebook, but also Instagram and other social apps after seeing this new Aaron Sorkin film. In theaters October 9th.
This week's other interesting deals and product news
- JBL has new wireless home speakers that look very Sonos-y. They start at $299, but the most interesting is this portable one.
- Sonos also has new Ace Ultra headphones for $449.
- Best Buy is having a Labor Day sale on TVs, phones, and more.
- Waymo is coming to San Diego, Denver, and Tampa Bay.
- Dell has a new low-cost laptop to compete against the MacBook Neo.
- DJI Mic Mini is on sale for $45.
- Hamilton introduced a new blue dial for its Khaki Field Murph watch.
This week's published stories
- 2 things Apple still needs for its smart home [PCMag]
- 8 wild things about Dyson's new toothbrush [Yahoo]
- Apple TV is still a good deal [Yahoo]
- Ugreen 3-in-1 MagFlow Pro charger review [Yahoo]
- 5 non-boring wireless phone chargers [Yahoo]
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