[Gadgets] New Gadgets To Keep on Your Radar

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With CES officially in the rearview, tech news continued to flood the zone this week. Microsoft officially stopped making its Xbox One consoles (and shifted all its energy to hard-to-find Series S and Series X consoles). The Uber app is no longer available on the Apple Watch (like so many other apps). And Spotify's lossless streaming service, Spotify HiFi, that was supposed to launch before the end of 2021 has been "delayed indefinitely." On the plus, side, a bunch of new tech products that were announced this week, including upgraded Sonos speakers, fresh MagSafe accessories and a new wireless from Logitech.

Shure has announced second-generation models of two of its wired over-ear closed-back headphones that are designed for audio professionals. Both the company's SRH840A and SRH440A have been given revamped designs (new earcups, headband and cable) to which are meant to look and feel great, as well as upgraded drivers and internals for improved sound. And both are priced affordably. The SRH840A are the slightly higher-end of the two, aimed for more audio enthusiasts, while the SRH440A are a little more affordable and more targeted for people working from home.
Announced last week at CES, the Presidio Pro Folio is a foldable charging stand that works with Apple's MagSafe charger. The neat thing is that it has an integrated cable management feature so that you can easily wrap up excess cord when charging your iPhone, but it doubles as a travel case for your MagSafe charger.

Ikea and Sonos quietly rolled out the second-generation of their Symfonisk bookshelf speaker. The design is almost exactly same as its predecessor, which is unique because you can stand it upright or mount horizontally (the latter of which gives it the functionality of a floating shelf that can support the weight of several actual books. The only design differences are that it comes with a longer power cable and the volume buttons on the front panel are more visible. Internally, the new speaker has been given a new processor and more memory. Like before, at just $99, it's the cheapest Sonos speaker you can buy.

 

Last week at CES 2022, Samsung announced the Galaxy S21 FE ("Fan Edition"), which is a more affordable version of its flagship Galaxy S21 smartphone — and become officially available this week. It packs many of the same flagship features, including the same processor and fast-charging ability, as well as a similar display. The big tradeoff is that it has a matte finish instead of shiny, and its rear camera system isn't quite as great; the most notable difference is that the S21 FE's telephoto lens has a 8MP sensor instead of the 64MP sensor on the S21. On the plus side, the S21 FE actually has a bigger battery.

Logitech announced a new wireless mouse that's affordable and designed for anybody. The Signature M650 costs just $40, has an ergonomic design and works with any computer (Mac, Windows or Chromebook) — just plug in its USB-A wireless receiver or connect via Bluetooth. The Signature M650 comes in righty or lefty models and is available right now in three different colors: white, black or rose (pink).