Reviews

Few vehicles are as over-specified for their typical habitat as the 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63 and the Mercedes-Benz G550. The automaker’s iconic “G Wagon” may be a legitimate off-roader, but its unmistakable design is more familiar from Malibu than out in the mud. With this latest generation, then, the question has to be whether Mercedes has diluted the G-Class for the inevitable on-road tastes, or if this rebooted beast is as flagrant as ever.

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We’re entering a period of change in the smartphone market. The boundaries between premium and midrange phones are blurring and features once reserved for more expensive products have become available even on cheaper ones. Previously “mid-range” phones are also getting more premium prices. No where is that delightful confusion more applicable than with the OPPO R17 Pro, the latest from the acclaimed Chinese smartphone maker. It definitely looks premium and sounds premium but is just a few steps shy of being the perfect smartphone you can get on a tight budget.

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I did not expect to be reviewing a vacuum this season. Not least of all because I've had the same pet-aimed vacuum cleaner for the past decade, and it's not as if there's a major calling out there for reviews of vacuum cleaners. But this device was strange - and intriguing enough that I had to give it a whirl. As it turned out, I didn't know what I'd been missing these past 10 years. Apparently vacuums have gotten a lot more awesome since I was last in the market for a tool such as this.

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The quest for “edge to edge” bezel-less screens have forced smartphone makers to search for solutions to a problem of their own making. Unless you completely ignore it the way Samsung does (at least for now), there is no escaping the notch, a.k.a. the cutout, in its various shapes and sizes. Some, like Vivo and OPPO, have briefly toyed with and quickly abandoned the idea motorized elevating front cameras. Others, like Meizu and ZTE’s nubia, ditched the front camera entirely but put a second screen on the back instead. Another path, which may still gain some traction, is the one taken by Honor in the Honor Magic 2. But no matter how the Huawei sub-brand spins the narrative towards AI and cameras, there will be little doubt in people’s minds: the slider takes center stage.

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If the Pixelbook demonstrated Google could make a compelling laptop, the Google Pixel Slate is its attempt to do the same for tablets. Like the latest iPad Pro, it's a confident claim that what was once considered a pared-back, mobile OS can now wear Big Boy Pants and be everything you need to do "real work" on the go. In the process, though, Google finds itself bumping up against some of the same challenges that Apple did with its tablet, and the Pixel Slate doesn't always have the best answers either.

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Lenovo is back with another X-series laptop, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme. This model joins the X1 Carbon and X1 Yoga, bringing the same general design aesthetic alongside the promise of handling demanding computing tasks "without a hitch." The Extreme model is designed for users with extreme needs -- both in terms of portability and performance. How well does it meet those needs?

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Optoma has launched a new pair of wireless earbuds, an inexpensive model featuring a premium design and the promise of high-quality audio. As with the company's previous BE2 earbuds, the new BE Live2 cost $49 USD, packing a more attractive design coupled with support for AAC audio, ultra-long battery life, and more.

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It’s been 22 years since the first-generation Toyota RAV4 arrived in US shores. Back then, compact-based crossovers or small SUVs were as ubiquitous as smartphones, emojis, and selfies - in short, it was a tiny market, compared to the behemoth it has become today. Who would have thought larger SUVs would take the place of family sedans or station wagons as the everyday driver?

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You end up thinking a lot about air quality when a thick pall of smoke has been hanging outside your windows for two weeks solid - enough to make you think that a high-tech air purifier is probably a very good addition to most homes. Coway's Airmega 400S is one such example, combining a voracious appetite for air impurities with a host of connected features that should make it a more welcome guest. Question is, at more than $600, is it worth it?

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2018 is perhaps one of Huawei's most exciting years yet. Almost like the script for a Hollywood blockbuster, the year began with a tragedy that seemed like a death sentence for the protagonist. It left its hero in a period of limbo, its future uncertain. But like the true star of its story, Huawei’s perseverance responded with vengeance, putting out smartphones that consumers will want to grab but, due to some circumstances beyond their control, cannot.

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The HTC VIVE Wireless Adapter is a bit of technology that changes the overall feeling of reality in a room-scale VR experience. This is an add-on to the original HTC VIVE and the HTC VIVE Pro. This adapter isn't required to enter virtual reality, but it'll make the process a lot less painful if you're not particularly sure-footed. Less painful, that is, if you didn't have a rough time setting up the VIVE in the first place.

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Today's age is a privacy nightmare made real. Never mind rampant spying and hacking of our digital lives, technology as also made it easier for others to spy on us in places where we should feel safe. All hope is not lost though. Because while technology enables such illicit not to mention illegal behavior, it also empowers regular people to take their privacy back into their own hands. One such product is SpyAssociates' new SpyFinder Pro hidden camera detector, which turns you into somewhat like a spy to fight other spies.

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