Some of the coolest stuff you own doesn't fit into a broad, big box category. Here are some odds and ends that we love.
Best Ice Cube Tray
No surprise here: OXO dominates kitchenware, and now it'll own your freezer. The
OXO Good Grips
tray doesn't have any fancy iron lever or pinch tabs—just an extremely sturdy plastic body and a cover that slides with ease. Really, do you want to have to think about the ice cube tray more than you think about the drink the ice is going into? OXO gets that, and our Bestmodo nod in turn.
More » (July 2012)
Best Bike Lock
Despite its fat locking mechanism, the OnGuard Pitbull STD
is a breeze to use. The lock clicks into a sturdy, secure mounting bracket that doesn't bounce around while you're riding. Hand tolls like hacksaws and bolt cutters won't do any damage to the lock, and even when we attacked it with an angle grinder it held up for a full two minutes.
More » (July 2012)
Best Solar Charger
Gizmodo Editor Emeritus Brian Lam said the
Joos Orange
is the "best solar charger [he'd] ever tested." It's rugged, works in weak light and can charge an iPhone four times with just one full charge. (Jul 12, 2010)
Best Bluetooth Headset
The
Jawbone Era
already has downloadable voices ("You have...two hours... of talk time remaining") and runs lightweight apps. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to envision future apps that utilize the motion sensitivity. (Jan 20, 2011)
Best Cloud Storage Service
It's SugarSync—with a few caveats. SugarSync was the best
confluence of price, ease of use, and features, but if you're looking for pure, sheer simplicity for sharing your sharables with the lovable luddites in your life, Dropbox might still be the better option. And if you're a total cheapass, maybe take a look at Google, or Microsoft's SkyDrive.
Best Mobile Internet
You already knew this, but here it is in writing: Verizon's LTE network
is the country's fastest 4G service. LTE is just better. AT&T's nascent LTE service is plenty fast, but Verizon's MiFis, dongles and hotspots will serve you very, very well.
The Best Wi-Fi Hotspot
Having fast internet almost anywhere is a wonderful thing. Because it's the best 4G/3G modem with Wi-Fi on the best network, we like the
Verizon Jetpack 4620L. It's the successor to last year's favorite, and it's fixed some quirks while keeping its $50 price.
Best Online Music Streaming Service
Spotify's
main draw over the competition—even more than the free access—is the ability to meld your local library with Spotify's streaming catalog. We'd note, though, that Rdio
still has the superior mobile app.
Best Urban Winter Jacket
Brent didn't think he was going to like a jacket called
the Mountain Hardware "Downtown Coat". It sounded pretentious and he didn't think it would hack it. Turned out to be love at first wearing. It's a thigh-length coat that provides ample booty-warmth. It has the Best. Pockets. Ever. Overall, this is definitely your winner. Grab-n'-go winter goodness.
Best Voice Command System
In terms of speed and accuracy,
Google Voice Actions
was ahead of Siri in almost all of our tests. Both have strengths and weaknesses, and both are handy convenience features. Siri has a little more colloquial chops and is more "fun," but Voice Search is ultimately a faster, more efficient tool.
Best Automatic Coffee Machine
The
Bodum Bistro
produced a slightly better cup of coffee than the competition every time and is by far the more personable machine. But it costs $250. Is the coffee $100 better than the Bonavita, when $150 is already a lot to ask people to pay for a coffee machine? Maybe, for something you'll use every day, if you're thinking about spending that much in the first place (like on a
Keurig machine).
Best Stroller
The
B.O.B. Ironman Jogging Stroller
rolls like Curtis Mayfield circa 1972. It flies. Its ultralight frame and spin-happy hubs make for a delightfully easy ride.
Best Bluetooth Keyboard
The Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000
hit the sweet spot. First off, it's compatible with everything you can throw at it: OSX, Windows, Android devices, iOS devices, they all pair easily and you're good to go. They keys have great click to them. They're slightly stiffer than the Logitechs', but they're not at all hard to press. There's a very slight curve to the keyboard, making it gently ergonomic without alienating people who are used to a straight tray. (December, 2011)
Best Wireless Mouse
The
Logitech Performance Mouse MX
takes everything that's great about the Marathon Mouse-the same wonderful scroll wheel, the same smooth glide, similar (but better) thumb-buttons-and improves upon it. The laser it uses to track its position will even work on clear glass, which is crazy. It's also rechargeable. (December, 2011)
The Best Minimal Running Shoe
If you want to try the minimalist running experience then you should buy the Merrell Barefoot Road Glove. They are absolutely the most comfortable minimalist shoes we've ever run in. At $110 bucks, they aren't the cheapest, but they are simply terrific shoes.
The Best BBQ Grill
You don't need an expensive, complex backyard grill to cook amazing food. You want a 22.5-inch Weber One-Touch Gold Charcoal Grill. It costs around $150 and will serve you well for years.
The Best Room Fan
If I wanted a fan to help keep my office or any other full-sized room cool this summer,we'd grab the $90 Vornado 660
. As opposed to other dedicated floor fans, which come in either skinny tower form factors or ultra-wide industrial ones, the Vornado 660 has both a design and footprint that makes it suitable for use on a floor or a desk. More importantly, though, this fan moves some serious air.
The Best iPad Keyboard
If you have your heart set on buying a keyboard/case hybrid for your iPad, then we suggest buying the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover. It's the best of all the lousy keyboard cases out there. And it's inarguably better than trying to type with Apple's crappy on-screen keyboard.
