Discover the tech we actually loved testing this year! From the ultimate compact e-bike for city commuting to a pocket-sized camera that makes capturing high-quality content a breeze, to top-notch gear for elevating your streaming setup, these are the gadgets we think are truly worth your money. Whether you’re shopping for the perfect gift or upgrading your own setup, these are our favorite tech gadgets of 2024!
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00:00Looking for tech that's actually worth your money from the best compact e-bike for zipping
00:04through a city, a mini camera that makes capturing high-quality content a breeze, to the ultimate
00:09gear for leveling up your streaming setup.
00:11We're sharing our favorite gadgets that we tested this year that we highly recommend.
00:16Welcome to Ask TG, the show where I grab your comments and questions from our videos and
00:20articles and get you answers from our Tom's Guide tech experts.
00:24Use the hashtag Ask TG for your chance to get featured in our next episode and stay
00:28subscribed to see if you made the cut.
00:31So you've reviewed a lot of really cool products this year, but if you had to pick your favorite,
00:35what would you go with?
00:36Ooh, that is tough.
00:37Hold on.
00:38Oh, I saw that before.
00:39I'm not sure if you could see all of it, but this is the Jackrabbit OG2.
00:48It's what they call a micro bike.
00:50And when I talk about micro bike, it is a tiny.
00:52It's an e-bike.
00:53It has a range of 10 miles, goes up to 15 miles per hour.
00:57And the crazy part is it's 25 pounds.
01:01I'm not sure.
01:02You've used a lot of e-bikes, right?
01:04That's like the biggest downside to them.
01:05Yeah.
01:06So as a commuter, you know, I commute from Jersey to the office every day.
01:10And this gets me real quick from one spot to another very fast.
01:14It's like $1,200, though, which is a little bit more than the average.
01:18But again, the benefits is that it's more compact.
01:21It's a lot more travel friendly, like the pedals fold up, the handlebars go this way,
01:26and it just condenses down and just 25 pounds.
01:29Like I can't go back to anything less than this.
01:31Like just a few months ago, you were using your scooter a lot, right?
01:34So what was the deciding factor to make you switch over to e-bikes over scooters?
01:38Okay, so the biggest one here is the wheels.
01:40So you have a larger wheel.
01:42And when you're going over a tiny bump, you know, if you've ever had a small tiny wheel
01:47on a scooter, you'll feel it.
01:49You'll feel every single shade like that.
01:52But with this, not a problem.
01:54Pretty big, sizable wheels, a lot smoother.
01:57And also, even though there's no suspension in this, it just feels a lot more stable.
02:02So what's your second pick?
02:04Seastar S50.
02:05It's a smart telescope.
02:07You know, I've never had a telescope before.
02:09I never did astrophotography.
02:11But the cool thing about this is that you don't need to be a pro.
02:13You just need your phone connected to this.
02:16And it'll take some amazing photos of stars, galaxies, nebulas.
02:20And for me, it's almost like therapy too.
02:22And you know, not only is it a smart telescope, but it's also, you know, a long range camera.
02:27So if you do a lot of nature photography or videography, you could use this as well.
02:31But I love this product.
02:33Anyone could pick it up and you could start seeing great results.
02:36You just set it and forget about it.
02:37For those who don't know, what does a smart telescope unlock?
02:41The reason why you want to get a smart telescope is because not only can you see it exactly
02:45how it is with your own eyes, but you could see it for, you know, what's hidden, what
02:50I like to call like hidden in the shadows.
02:52This thing is tracking, you know, those stars, those galaxies in real time, very slowly.
02:57It's $500.
02:58I know it's kind of pricey, but when you think of a phone, you know, you're so limited by
03:03what a phone could do.
03:04And when you look at a standard telescope, like a really good one that could image, you
03:08know, a nebula, a galaxy, you're talking about thousands of dollars.
03:12I've had one that was like $4,000.
03:15So for a telescope that's compact, it's battery powered, you could bring with you anywhere,
03:19$500 is not a bad deal.
03:23Now, if you've seen any of my videos, my first picture come as no surprise.
03:27The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is my go-to for capturing high quality, stabilized footage in a package
03:33that's small enough to fit in your pocket.
03:35It's large twist display makes framing shots effortless, whether you're shooting horizontal
03:39or in vertical mode and has features like subject tracking and 4K, 120 FPS recording,
03:45which make it perfect for content creation or vlogging.
03:47Whether you're just starting out your video journey or you're looking to upgrade your
03:50travel camera, this little powerhouse is worth the investment, especially when you
03:54pair it with DJI's other accessories like the wireless mic 2 for pro level audio or
03:59the battery grip for extended recording sessions.
04:02Next up is the iPad Mini 6, my unexpected MVP for the year.
04:07I picked this up during Black Friday and found myself reaching for it more than any other
04:10device.
04:11With its compact 8.3 inch screen, it's perfect for everything from reading and drawing to
04:16watching videos on the go.
04:18As someone who's used larger iPad Pros for years, I'm amazed at how much I prefer this
04:23smaller size.
04:24It's portable without sacrificing much performance.
04:27And even with the newer Mini 7 now on the market, the Mini 6 feels, at least to me,
04:30just as fast and capable, making it an unbeatable choice for anyone wanting a versatile tablet
04:35that fits into their daily life really well.
04:38Rounding off my list is the Xbox Series X, a console that continues to impress me years
04:42after its release.
04:43Its power and value make it a top gaming pick, especially when it goes on sale.
04:48Right now, I'm hooked on Call of Duty Black Ops 6 and the Series X handles it like a champ.
04:52I recently even tested this with the Hisense C2 Ultra where I projected this to a 200 plus
04:57inch gaming experience.
05:00And let me tell you, at that size, it's unlike anything else.
05:02And even with competition from the newly released PS5 Pro, the Xbox Series X still feels like
05:07the sweet spot for performance, versatility, and fun.
05:13Before the year wraps up, I want to know what are your favorite two or three tech gadgets
05:17that you reviewed this year?
05:18Right here.
05:19This is the Logitech G915.
05:21I actually was looking for a new mechanical keyboard, but essentially I bought it because
05:25I like the clicks.
05:26I can hear that.
05:28It's kind of more silent.
05:29It's not super loud.
05:30I love it.
05:31I know people like smaller keyboards, but I like having the numpad and I need all the
05:35buttons, so.
05:36If you have the desk space for it, why not?
05:37It is available right now on sale for $149, but it's MSRP is $249.
05:42Do you want to like shout the Elgato stuff that you've been using for a while?
05:45The Steam Deck Plus.
05:46I can control the brightness on my lights here.
05:50With that, I can change my speakers to my headphones here.
05:56I can take a screenshot.
05:57Oh, cool.
05:58Over desktop.
05:59Here, I have links to things that I use.
06:01This is all my music playlists that I like.
06:04Oh, wow.
06:05I didn't even know you could do that.
06:06Yeah.
06:07Like a little folder.
06:08You know, I've got the OG Mini.
06:09Those are good ones for entry level.
06:11It's worth it, I think, especially if you're really going to get into it and like actually
06:15stream or make YouTube videos, whatever it be.
06:20That wraps it up for this week's episode.
06:22Which of these gadgets do you think are worth picking up?
06:24Let me know in the comments or use the hashtag AskTG to share your thoughts, questions, or
06:28suggestions for our next episode.
06:31You can find us everywhere at TomSka and you can follow me to see what other cool tech
06:34I'm reviewing.
06:35Thanks for watching and until the next one, I'll catch you later.