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Sometimes you just need to disconnect — without fully disconnecting. With no social media or e-mail, the Light Phone II is no-frills by design. It only handles calls, texts and other basics, so you’ll spend less time looking at the screen.
Pre-order, $350. Purchase here→
It’s simply the best e-reader on the market, with ample storage for books and podcasts, a sleek design and a screen that’s easy on the eyes even in bright sunlight. Plus it’s waterproof for beach or poolside reading.
$249. Purchase here→
For years, athletes have been using gadgets to measure and track their fitness — but what about their recovery? The Whoop is a strap that monitors sleep and measures recovery, potentially opening the door to smarter training and that one thing all athletes want: Better performance.
$180 strap and six months of data analysis. Purchase here→
You no longer need to trawl garage sales or download an emulator to play one of gaming’s great consoles. Nintendo’s re-release of its SNES offers promises plenty of nostalgia with 20 classic titles including “Super Mario Kart,†“Street Fighter II Turbo†and “Donkey Kong Country.â€
$79.99. Purchase here→
True audiophiles will prefer other styles, but bone-conduction headphones — like the Aftershokz Air — make a lot of sense for the rest of us. They transit sound through the cheekbones, leaving your ears open should you need to hear what’s going on around you.
$119. Purchase here→
Yes, it’s a novelty. And yes, it’s insanely expensive. But by selling a smartphone with screen that folds in half, Samsung has brought real change to a product where innovation had otherwise grown incremental.
$1,979.99. Purchase here→
Tech has been toying with mobility for ages, but we’re finally at the point where some of the industry’s vehicular offerings actually look cool (sorry, Segway). The Cake Kalk is a lightweight electric motorbike that’s something of a hybrid between a motocross bike, a downhill mountain bike and an e-bike. Get rad off-road or commute in style on the street legal version.
$13,000 and up. Purchase here→
Any birder, or simply anyone who likes to spend time in nature, will find joy in iBird Pro. It’s loaded with all the information you’ll need to identify the birds you see, including range maps and 940 playable calls.
$19.99. Purchase here→
A dead battery doesn’t need to send you in search of an outlet. Whether camping, at the beach or sitting outside at a café, you can charge your device using the sun with the lightweight solar charging set-up of the Renogy E. Flex10 solar charger.
$21. Purchase here→
You need to have a smoke and carbon monoxide detector to keep your house safe. But you shouldn’t have to climb up a ladder and prod some hard-to-find button whenever there’s a mishap in the kitchen. The Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector is a smart gadget that monitors the air and lets you deactivate the alarm via your smartphone.
$119. Purchase here→
Blue light glasses supposedly shield eyes from the dangers of digital screens, and many swear by them. There’s plenty of debate about whether they’ll keep you safe or reduce fatigue, but there’s little downside to these MVMT Everscroll blue light glasses if you like the look.
$65 and up. Purchase here→
Podcasts are a highly personalized form of media, with tastes differing wildly. But so many subscribers still consume them through their phone’s default player. Overcast is a highly customizable player, with features that skip past pauses and silences and amplify voices when it’s noisy, say, on the 110. The premium version cuts out Overcast ads.
$9.99 annually. Purchase here→
Sign up for The Wild
We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.