5 New Gadgets to Have on Your Radar This Week

Now that Daylight Saving Time has passed, it finally feels like mid-November. And yes, you should probably start thinking about Christmas shopping because many Black Friday deals are already live and, due to product shortages and manufacturing delays thanks to COVID-19, it’s going to take longer for your online orders to arrive at your doorstep.

But enough of that rant! It was once again a big week in the tech and gadget world. Amazon announced that it will accept Venmo payments next year. Fitbit rolled out a new feature to its fitness trackers that will tell you when not to workout. And Apple even published its own holiday gift guide to, well, get you to buy more iPhones, Apple Watches and all of its other gadgets.

Additionally, a bunch of new products were announced this week. Here’s what you need to know.

Audio-Technica AT-BHA100 and AT-DAC100

Audio-Technica

Audio-Technica announced a pair of high-end audio components — a headphone amplifier and digital-to-analog convertor (DAC), the AT-BHA100 ($999) and the AT-DAC100 ($699), respectively — that are designed to take your hi-fi system or desktop audio setup to your next level. The AT-BHA100 (pictured) is pretty neat because it actually has two 1/4-inch headphone jacks and allows you to use two headphones at the same time (each with its own volume control), and it has a line-through output to connect to your computer or a pair of powered speakers. The AT-DAC100, which can be stacked on top of the AT-BHA100, is a high-end DAC that has its own power supply and supports most high-res digital files.

Both audio components are available now.

Price: $699 — $999

Satechi Pro Hub Mini

Satechi

The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros answered a lot fo peoples’ prayers by bringing back a wide variety of ports (something that had been missing for years). And yet, for some people the new port selection might still not be enough. Enter Satechi’s newest adapter. It connects to the MacBook Pro’s USB-C port and adds even more ports, including an Ethernet and USB-A (2x) ports that are still not on the new Pros, while not blocking off the new MagSafe charger.

FYI. If you preorder now and use the code “PROHUB” at checkout, you can save $17.

Price: $70

Wyze Cam Floodlight

Wyze

Wyze announced its first outdoor floodlight security camera, the aptly named Wyze Cam Floodlight, and as you’d expect it is way more affordable than more other floodlight security cameras (made by the likes of Ring or Arlo). It has most of the same features as its rivals — including 24/7 live feed, two-way talk, built-in siren, motion detection and 1080p recording — but it’s unique because it allows you to connect a separate camera (the Wyze Cam V3, to be specific) via its USB port, so you can get an even wider field of view. Like the company’s other smart home cameras, it will record 12-second clips and store them for 14 days for free, but you’ll have to have a Wyze subscription or use a micro-SD card to store clips for longer.

Price: $85 (+$15 shipping)

Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor

Amazon

If you’ve built your smart home around an Alexa and wanted a quick way to quickly find out your home’s air quality, Amazon just announced a smart air quality monitor. Once set up, you can ask Alexa — via your other Echo devices or Alexa-voice devices, as the

Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor doesn’t have a built-in mic or speaker — about your air quality and it will tell and show you (via a smartphone notification or on an Echo Show’s display). It’s capable of detecting carbon monoxide, dust, humidity, temperature and a number of other harmful organic compounds.

The Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor is available for preorder now and is expected to ship this December.

Price: $69

Roland JX-08 and JD-08 Sound Modules

Roland

Roland announced two new sound modules that look like its classic vintage synthesizer from the mid ’80s and early ’90s and can also digitally reproduce those sounds. The new JD-08 ($400) is meant to look and sound like the JD-800 digital synth, while the new JX-08 ($400) is meant to look and sound like the old JX-8P analog synth. And Roland has given these sound modules new sounds and effects, too, as well as modern features like USB-C ports for charging and connecting to audio sources.

Both the JX-08 and JD-08 sound modules will be available in January.

Price: $400

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