For anyone who’s thought of taking a try at running an Airbnb, smart devices are practically non-negotiable. With a modest investment in the right collection of gadgets, you can monitor your property in real time in a number of useful, potentially life-saving ways that otherwise would be impossible or too onerous to keep up with….
This is not a comprehensive list of all the lights and lanterns we’ve tested. We have removed any models that have been discontinued or no longer meet our requirements. Packable lights The BioLite AlpenGlow 500 is super-compact and portable. It has a weatherproof rating of IPX4, and its rechargeable battery has an impressive capacity rating…
Swanning around Baggu Made of machine-washable recycled ripstop nylon, this sturdy and sweet bag has a small interior pocket, a zippered top, and a swan beak on the padded strap. Your mom surely has a work-friendly tote or practical handbag already. The Baggu Swan Bag would make for a charmingly functional addition to any collection….
Avanchy Stainless Steel Suction Baby Bowl Michael Hession/NYT Wirecutter Top pick This stainless steel bowl has a removable suction-cup base and a lid for saving leftovers. When it comes to feeding kids, durable and easy-to-clean stainless steel accessories are hard to beat. My kids have been using the 10-ounce Avanchy Stainless Steel Suction Baby Bowl…
The gorgeous, aluminum LittleBig three-in-one model is a hybrid balance pedal bike like the Strider 14x Sport. It offers a step up in quality, weighs less (11.2 pounds without pedals, 14.5 pounds with), and has excellent front and rear handbrakes as well as an ingenious system that allows you to flip the midpoint of the…
Photo: Sarah Kobos Top pick The Set & Forget cooked foods low and slow to make the best pot roast in our tests, and it has a probe thermometer to cook foods to a set temperature. The Hamilton Beach Set & Forget 6 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker cooked the best meals in our tests. It…
Photo: Erin Lodi Top pick A great everyday lens for all sorts of situations, this “thrifty fifty” is amazing in low light and can create lovely blurred backgrounds. Your first new lens should be affordable, small, and capable of taking outstanding images in low light. You can’t go wrong with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8…
Michael Hession/NYT Wirecutter Although you can use any wired USB power bank to charge your iPhone, with MagSafe you don’t need a cable. Instead, you just slap a magnetic battery pack on the back of your phone and let it charge, albeit at a slower speed than with a wired connection. Top pick This model…
An iPhone SE with an iOttie Universal MagSafe Ring Adapter (right) and phone case. Sarah Witman/NYT Wirecutter The most widely available option is a magnetic ring adapter, which is exactly what it sounds like: a ring of magnets with adhesive backing that sticks to either the back of your phone or the outside of your…
Connie Park/NYT Wirecutter CosRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence (Two-Pack) — Staff PickAmazon deal price: $23; street price: $29 What we like: A clear snail mucin concentrate we like that smooths and soothes. Made of 96% snail-secretion filtrate. Thicker than a watery essence, more like a serum. Absorbs quickly. One or two pumps hydrates…