We independently source all of the awesome products and experiences that we feature on Thrillist. If you buy or book from the links on our site, we may receive an affiliate commission — which in turn supports our work.
We live in a world that is constantly in flux—evolving, adjusting, devolving, readingjusting. So it only makes sense that in this modern world, you’d naturally need camping gadgets in order to disconnect from your day-to-day fill with, well, gadgets. We love to go camping to get away from the rigamarole of our daily lives, to connect with nature and crack hard seltzers at 11am. Some of us like to turn off our phones and yearn to discover our more primal selves. And that’s wonderful… for some. But if your version of inner peace isn’t achieved by leaving your phone behind, then you should naturally bring something that can charge your phone in the woods—and any other tech that makes sense for you.
We think the best way to camp is the way that makes you feel the most happy and at peace. Modern camping gear has made leaps and bounds when it comes to the devices we can employ to make us feel more comfortable, safe, and relaxed in the wilderness. And even those who aren’t looking to charge their phones could benefit from a high-tech camp stove or a cleverly designed headlamp. To wit, we found eight amazing tech products for camping that will only enhance your experience off the grid, so you can spend more time telling stories with friends around the fire and less time looking for new batteries for that burnt out headlamp.
Do you constantly juggle work and other tasks on the go? Lighten the load—literally—with these mini tech gadgets. Discover them in the blog.
Maybe you’re a busy student running between classes. Or perhaps you work remotely and frequently set up shop anywhere. If you spend ample time out and about each day, then this roundup is for you. We’re highlighting our favorite mini tech gadgets that make life on the go easier.
Related: Problem-solving gadgets and accessories you need in your life
If you need more than just a tablet to get tasks done when away from your typical workspace, consider the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2. It’s travel-friendly at just 2.48 pounds, but it offers a high-speed processor and Windows 11.
Then, the Garmin Venu 2 Plus keeps your command center on your wrist, letting you take calls, respond to text messages, view alerts, monitor your health, and more without opening your phone.
Stay organized, efficient, and comfortable on the go with these cool mini tech gadgets.
1. The ZMI PowerPack 10K charges iPhones, Fitbits, Bluetooth headphones, iPads, and more when you’re far from an electrical outlet.
ZMI PowerPack 10K in use in an office
Never run out of batteries while working from a coffee shop when you have the ZMI PowerPack 10K. It boasts a massive 10,000 mAh battery and works with many devices.
Get it for $19.99 on Amazon.
2. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 makes work on the go easier with its 12.4″ touchscreen and fast 11th-Gen Intel Core processor.
A person gaming on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Travel light and still get serious work done with the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2. It weighs just 2.48 pounds and has the smallest touchscreen of all the Surface laptops. Plus, Windows 11, Microsoft 365, and the 11th Gen Intel Processor keep you efficient and collaborative.
Get it for $599.99 on the official website.
3. The AOHI Magcube 120W desktop charger fits in your palm, charges 2 laptops at the same time, and offers up to 100-Watt PD fast-charging.
The AOHI Magcube 120W charging devices
The best portable chargers these days rely on GaN technology, just like the AOHI Magcube 120W desktop charger. This handy little gadget packs a punch: it can fast-charge a MacBook Pro 16″ from 0% to 45% in just half an hour, making it one of our favorite mini tech gadgets.
Get it for $89.99 on the official website.
4. The Tribit StormBox Micro 2 portable speaker is pocket size and charges your devices while playing music when you’re out.
Tribit StormBox Micro 2 portable speaker in use
Keep a speaker and a charger in your back pocket: the Tribit StormBox Micro 2 portable speaker. It offers a built-in USB-C charging port and plays music with a range of up to 120 feet.
Get it for $59.99 on the official website.
5. The nuka eternal stationery includes an app-powered rewritable notebook and metal pencil. It keeps your handwritten digital
NEW YORK/LONDON, July 26 (Reuters) – Some global consumers are showing signs of cracking, as shoppers stressed by record inflation stick to buying basics like food, bleach and cheap burgers, while those with bigger bank accounts are snapping up $3,000 Louis Vuitton handbags.
Investors are closely watching second quarter corporate results for signs economies are headed toward a recession. But so far consumers are sending mixed signals. There is weakness seen in those that have been hit hardest by record fuel and food prices. Meanwhile, credit card and other data shows some are still spending on travel and other high-end pursuits. read more
Walmart (WMT.N) sounded a warning shot on Monday, issuing a rare profit warning. Its US customers, who tend to come from lower-income households, are buying food and other essentials while skipping aisles filled with clothes and sporting goods. read more
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
Register
“The results overnight indicate that the US consumer is now much more focused on the staples element of shopping where we’ve got double-digit food inflation coming through in some of these retailers,” said Nicola Morgan-Brownsell, fund manager at Legal & General Investment Management.
US consumer confidence fell for a third straight month in July amid persistent worries about higher inflation and rising interest rates. read more
Sales at luxury group LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (LVMH.PA) climbed 19% in the second quarter, slightly lower than earlier this year. Handbag and high-end liquor sales in Europe and the United States helped offset slowdowns stemming from COVID-19 lockdowns in China. read more
And payment processor Visa (VN) said cross-border volume jumped 40% reflecting a summer travel boom and some consumer resilience. read more
But softer consumer demand hits video gaming revenue at Xbox maker Microsoft (MSFT.O), which posted a 7% drop in Xbox-related revenue and expects a further contraction this quarter. Microchip maker Texas Instruments (TXN.O) saw weaker demand from consumers for personal electronics.
BUYING, BUT FOR HOW LONG?
Consumer giants Coca Cola Co (KO.N), McDonald’s Corp (MCD.N) and Unilever Plc (ULVR.L) all said on Tuesday that their products are still selling, even at higher prices.
Unilever, which has 400 brands including Hellmann’s mayonnaise, Knorr stock cubes and Domestos bleach, raised its full-year sales guidance after beating first-half underlying sales forecasts as it hiked prices. read more
So far consumers are buying, but there is a question around how long that can last.
“We see price increases when we go out to do a weekly shop. The question is: how much more accepting can the consumer be on those price increases?” said Ashish Sinha, portfolio manager at Unilever and Reckitt (RKT.L) shareholder Gabelli.
McDonald’s which operates nearly 40,000 restaurants, said its global same-store sales jumped almost 10%, much better than the expectation for an increase of 6.5%. read more
Even so, the Chicago-based company said it is considering whether to add more discounted menu options because soaring inflation, particularly in Europe, is leading some lower-income consumers to “trade-down” to
The first musical gadget Richard Upchurch made was a gift for his four-year-old nephew — it was a simple wooden box with a button to record a sound, a button to play it back and a knob to speed up or slow down the audio .
“I call it anti-technology technology,” said Upchurch, who toured for years as a guitarist.
The “Loopy Lou” voice recorder created by Upchurch is BrandNewNoise’s best selling device.(Richard Upchurch)
His nephew showed it to his teachers, who wanted to buy one, so Upchurch made five more. Over a decade later, Upchurch now makes the contracts full-time for his Dallas-based company, BrandNewNoise.
What started with an “old-school tape recorder concept in this playful box,” he said, now includes a range of handmade “experimental instruments,” including miniaturized pianos, harmonicas and xylophones, all of which have recording capabilities. The bestseller, Loopy Lou, runs $72.25, and resembles the toy he made his nephew those many years ago.
“People are like, ‘Who’s it for?’ And I was like, ‘Well, it’s for 4-year-olds and rock stars,’” says Upchurch, who opened a workshop for BrandNewNoise in Old East Dallas in 2017. “They’re kind of the same person. They’re curious, free minds.”
The list of rockstar clientele, indeed, is long. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac and country star Brad Paisley all count themselves among Upchurch’s patrons. But why, when these A-list musicians have access to cutting-edge, industry-grade audio equipment?
“There’s a freedom and charm to the simplicity,” said Upchurch. “Yes, you can probably do this on your iPhone. But there’s something about the fact that what I make is singular in its use, and it sounds unique, and it’s tactile, and it’s immediate.”
China has a huge consumer electronics market. /CFP
China has a huge consumer electronics market. /CFP
Smartphones and other gadgets – or consumer electronics as some call them – have witnessed a decline in sales in the first half of 2022 in China. The reason behind that is not only related to COVID-19 control measures, as some may think. And the future seems to be getting better but is still not clear.
A 10-week decline in smartphone sales took place in China from late January to April, according to data from market researcher Counterpoint.
Many media outlets said this signified that the once rapture market has finally calmed down after years of tumbling. But the latest data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), a government research institute, showed that shipments bounced back by one-third in June compared to that in May. The June data also beat last year’s numbers by 9.2 percent.
It seems like the decline in the smartphone market is coming to a stop. But the sales data during the “618” shopping season told us another story.
Source: Counterpoint Weekly Tracking Service
Source: Counterpoint Weekly Tracking Service
During the season, the only major brand that saw year-on-year growth was Honor, which separated from Huawei in 2020 to become a standalone. Other brands, including Apple, performed strongly in China with the iPhone 13 series, all saw a sizable decline in sales.
Many Chinese smartphone reviewers expressed their complaints about the heating problems in Qualcomm’s recent Snapdragon chips, which power many flagship smartphones in China. Like many of Apple’s A-series products, the chips get too hot under heavy use that they have to “throttle” – run slower – to prevent breaking.
“It seems that the chip’s design is great, but it was ruined by Samsung’s problematic manufacturing tech,” one reviewer concluded after testing dozens of recent Snapdragon-powered phones. “Newer chips may be built by TSMC so expect them to be a bit better.”
The Snapdragon 888 and 8 Gen 1 chips are not so welcomed like many of their previous products in China. /CFP
The Snapdragon 888 and 8 Gen 1 chips are not so welcomed like many of their previous products in China. /CFP
People’s will to upgrade their smartphones also seems to be fading, as the recent devices have become so powerful that many light users no longer need to get a new one – they just replace the aged batteries instead, as the hardware is still fast enough to keep WeChat running.
A similar thing is happening to TVs as well. One of the most important upgrades in recent years – HDR – is not even understood by a lot of Chinese buyers. Most people just go for larger sizes without looking at other features. After all, most Chinese people can only watch less than a handful of 4K channels and a few dozens of 1080i ones, and the mainstream streaming services only provide content at a pathetically low bitrate with which many
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/5LT7XVWYEJF75CUQWH2M4DYLIQ.jpg)
