Welcome to the latest installment of Staff Picks. Every other week, we’ll tell you about the tech we’re currently testing — everything from cameras to hi-fi headphones, extremely large desktop monitors to smart home appliances — as well as the grail items we wish we could buy. To see what we’ve previously been testing, click here.
Nyrius Aries Pro
Congratulations, you just wall-mounted your 60-inch 4K TV! Unfortunately, your unsightly cable box will be ruining this experience in minimalistic decor. With the Nyrius Aries Pro, however, you can now wirelessly stream any HDMI content to your TV; so put the cable box on a bookshelf across the room and none are the wiser. But even cooler than that is the ability to stream from a drone or camera to a display or tv, mirror your computer or play PC games on whatever screen you have at home. I was impressed by how small it is and how many uses it has. Sure an Apple TV can solve some of those issues but if you haven’t cut the cable yet, you can at least cut the cords. — Bradley Hasemeyer, Contributor
Erato Verse Truly Wireless Earbuds
Truly wireless earbuds are becoming more and more ubiquitous — well, at least AirPods are — and Erato’s Verse are the latest model to enter the fray. They boast graphene drivers that, from what I can tell, produce clear sound with decent bass and minimal distortion. The earbuds are small and lightweight, unlike wireless earbuds by Bose or Jabra, and the case is among the smallest I’ve seen. They’re earbuds that need to fit snug in your ear canals, unlike AirPods that rest on the outside of the ear canals. The touch controls on the earbuds was a little finicky, admittedly, but other than that they were just very good headphones. I still prefer AirPods because they fit in my ears the best, plus I have an iPhone, these are a good alternative if you’re willing to drop $186. — Tucker Bowe, Staff Writer
