Our Favorite Ad Blockers and Browser Extensions to Protect Privacy

Everything you do online—from browsing to shopping to using social networks—is tracked, typically as behavioral or advertising data. But browser extensions are simple, generally free add-ons that you can use to slow down or break this type of data collection, without completely ruining your experience of using the internet.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/our-favorite-ad-blockers-and-browser-extensions-to-protect-privacy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Projector Screen (for most people)

If you own (or plan to buy) a front projector to watch movies on a big screen, we recommend that you add a projector screen to get the best picture quality. You’ll have a tough time finding something better than the Silver Ticket. It’s easy to assemble and available in a variety of sizes, and it has a relatively neutral surface. Some screens are better or cheaper, but none match the Silver Ticket in achieving that perfect balance of better and cheaper.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-projector-screen/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The iPad Is the Best Tablet

The Apple iPad has long been better than any other tablet you can buy, and each new iPad is a little better than the last. The 9th-generation iPad is a rather boring update if you’ve purchased a new iPad at any time over the past five years or so, but it’s familiar and affordable, and it offers plenty of power for most people. It’s still great for tablet-y things like consuming content or playing games, and Apple has greatly improved the front-facing camera for video calls. This iPad should be the first one you consider before looking at an iPad Pro or iPad mini, and (for most people) it should be the one you end up with.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-ipad-is-the-best-tablet/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

How Mesh Wi-Fi Networks Can (and Can’t) Make a Better Smart Home

If you (like everyone else in the known universe) have a love-hate-fear-confused relationship with your home’s Wi-Fi, then you may have been advised to get a mesh network. That’s good! These systems spread the work of pumping out a wireless signal to two or more beacons or nodes placed around your home, instead of relying on a single base station (for a deeper dive, see the Best Wi-Fi Mesh-Networking Kits). Often, adopting mesh is sublime: Every nook and cranny of your home is bathed in high-speed internet.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-mesh-wi-fi-can-make-better-smart-home/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best 4K TV on a Budget

If you’re looking for a feature-packed 55-inch TV that performs well for around $550, we recommend the Vizio M-Series Quantum (model Q8). Although it doesn’t match the image contrast and brightness of the best LCD/LED TVs we’ve tested, it still has the advanced technologies necessary to deliver a great-looking 4K picture. Plus, it’s easy to use, it has a variety of streaming services built in, and it also comes in a 65-inch version.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-4k-tv/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best 32-Inch TV

The best small TV for most people is the latest version of a 32-inch TCL Roku. Since most 32-inch TVs are meant for a secondary room or to be very price conscious, this TCL set stands apart with its affordable price tag and integrated Roku functionality. As a result, it has the best smart features of any small TV and saves you the $50-plus that an external Roku box would cost. It even offers three HDMI ports, while most TVs in this size have two. The picture quality is good, and the value can’t be beat.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-small-tv/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Alexa-Compatible Smart-Home Devices for Amazon Echo

Imagine walking into your home at night, arms overflowing with groceries. Even if you’ve installed smart lights, you’d need to put the bags down, pull out your phone, unlock it, open the app, find the control for the lights you want, and then tap the icon—might as well just stick with a plain old wired switch. But with an Amazon Echo and Alexa, you simply say, “Alexa, turn on the kitchen lights.” And it’s not just lights; Alexa is capable of controlling everything from basic smart plugs to garage doors.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-alexa-compatible-smart-home-devices-for-amazon-echo/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

Our Favorite Bath Trays and Accessories

A sleek bath tray that sits across your tub can provide easy access to everything you may want for an evening soak. This sounds like the height of relaxation—until you start shopping for one. A quick internet search brings up hundreds of bath trays with a seemingly endless array of features, from special wine-glass holders to slots that hold your tablet. After researching dozens of trays and spending more than 10 hours taking baths with our seven finalists, we found three trays that should make your evening bubble bath feel like a day at the spa.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-bath-trays/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best GPS Dog Collars and Pet Trackers

Pet owners can’t always account for indoor cats skedaddling outdoors or dogs hightailing it away from the dog walker. A GPS tracker attached to your pet’s collar can reunite you if they do escape into the unknown. The Whistle Go Explore is the one GPS tracker we’d trust because it’s the most accurate pet tracker we tested, the app is easy to use, and the device is small enough to affix to any collar.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-gps-pet-trackers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best High-Performance Subwoofer

A home audio system without a good subwoofer is like a rock band without a bass player: It just never sounds right. When you’re ready to step up from a budget subwoofer, we recommend the Rogersound Labs Speedwoofer 10S. Even when we pitted it against much more expensive models, it emerged as the top pick in our listening tests, and its measured performance was excellent for a model at this price.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-subwoofer-for-home/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

How to Clean Your Shower Curtain

Few things can throw cold water on bathtime quite like life-forms on your shower curtain. Typically, these are gray flecks of mildew or colonies of pink mold (technically, a bacteria, Serratia marcescens). Microbes tend to appear gradually until they’re suddenly in full bloom.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/guides/how-to-clean-your-shower-curtain/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

How to Back Up Your Computer

When was the last time you backed up all your important documents and photos? Last month? Last year? Never? Setting up a good backup system can seem time-consuming and intimidating, but it’s neither. Anyone can do it, and everyone should. In less than 15 minutes you can have a system that backs up your files automatically—both to an external drive and to encrypted cloud storage—without any regular action from you.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/guides/how-to-back-up-your-computer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

Nintendo Switch vs. Switch Lite: Deciding Which to Buy

Sony and Microsoft have both released new consoles into the world, and one of those consoles is what you should buy if you’re looking to play games with unparalleled graphical fidelity on a huge 4K TV screen in the comfort of your own home. But if you’re looking for a game system with a big library of party games, indie titles, and outstanding exclusives that is also portable, you can’t beat the Nintendo Switch.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/nintendo-switch-vs-switch-lite/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Cheap Gaming Laptop

You don’t need to drop $2,000 for a laptop that can play most current games on high or ultra settings at 1080p—you can get those capabilities in a laptop that costs less than $1,200. But all cheap gaming laptops make some big trade-offs to pack that much power in at that price. After spending more than 30 hours researching and testing 14 budget gaming laptops, we found that the Asus TUF Gaming A15 (TUF506IU-ES74) is an excellent value if you’re willing to overlook some of its shortcomings.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-budget-gaming-laptop-so-far/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Office Chair

Many cheap office chairs make you feel like you’ve been crammed into a torturous economy seat on a cross-country flight, but quality office chairs upgrade you to first class—they’re designed to support your body comfortably for the long haul. We’ve researched dozens of office chairs, interviewed four ergonomics experts, and asked test panelists with a variety of body types to sit in deliberation for over 175 collective hours. And since 2015, we’ve found that the Steelcase Gesture is the best office chair for most people.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-office-chair/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Slippers for Women and Men

Having cold feet is pure misery. When the weather gets chilly, almost nothing feels as good as donning a pair of cozy slippers to warm your body from the ground up. After 120 hours of researching and wearing 39 different styles, we still love our six-time pick, L.L.Bean’s durable and warm Wicked Good Moccasins, in women’s and men’s sizes.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-slippers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Smart Thermostat

A smart thermostat does the thinking you don’t want to do. It can learn your schedule, turn itself down when nobody is home, and balance temperatures around your home to make you comfier while using less energy (talk about win-win). Our extensive testing shows that the Google Nest Learning Thermostat is the best smart thermostat because it manages your home with the least amount of input, it’s simple to use, and it has the best design of all the thermostats we’ve tested.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-thermostat/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Stuff From IKEA, According to Wirecutter’s Obsessive Staff

IKEA is the first stop for many people after they move into a new home or when they’re renovating an old one. Not everything at the big blue box is a winner—some stuff feels cheap and falls apart quickly. But there are seemingly endless options to fill up every room of your living space.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-stuff-from-ikea/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

7 Coffee Deals That Are Sure to Perk You Up

Warm. Rich. Ethical. Have you ever noticed how the perfect cup of coffee sounds an awful lot like the perfect partner? If you’re just as exacting about your brew as who you spend time with, welcome home—so are we. Your morning cup should be a ritual you look forward to, a moment of tranquility before you start the day. The right gear goes a long way in making that happen. Whether you’re looking to treat yourself or a friend, we’ve found seven deals on coffee picks that are sure to help perk you up.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/money/best-coffee-deals/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Things That Matter From Today’s Amazon Event

It’s early fall, which means it’s time for Amazon to drop a bunch of new smart-home gear into the world. The company didn’t launch any new Alexa speakers this year, and Alexa smart displays and Ring cameras are pretty standard fare for Amazon, but robots and smart thermostats are brand-new territory. Over the next weeks and months we’ll be trying out many of these devices to see if they’re worth your money. In the meantime, here’s a brief look at what’s coming.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/fall-2021-amazon-event/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Smart Display for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant

If your phone lives on your kitchen counter and tends to get splattered with sauce, or you just want an easier way to view photos or control smart devices, try a smart display—a mashup of a smart speaker and a tablet. A smart display is great for streaming music and video or answering questions about the weather. And it’s equally great for calling up recipes that you can follow hands-free. We like the Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) and the Google Nest Hub Max. Choose either model, based on your needs or your preference for Alexa or Google Assistant.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-smart-display-for-amazon-alexa-and-google-assistant/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

How to Prevent Your Mediocre Toaster From Breaking

Most modern slot toasters have a surprisingly short lifespan. Unlike their vintage counterparts—many of which still work after nearly a century—the toasters of today will likely last only about five to 10 years, and that’s if you treat them right. If you mishandle your toaster, you could find yourself shopping for a new one much sooner. And though you might think an expensive model will last longer than its cheaper counterpart, toasters in all price ranges are vulnerable to early failure. Here’s what you can do to make the most of your toaster’s relatively short life.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-to-prevent-your-toaster-from-breaking/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Bluetooth and Wireless Keyboards

A great wireless keyboard can reduce clutter on your desk and help you type faster and more comfortably—not only on your computer but also on your tablet, your phone, or even your TV. After testing more than 50 wireless and Bluetooth keyboards over the years, we’ve found that the Logitech K380 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard and K380 for Mac are the best wireless keyboards for most people’s needs because they’re enjoyable to type on, versatile, and inexpensive.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-bluetooth-keyboard/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Smart Doorbell Camera

A smart doorbell camera allows you to see who’s on the other side of your door, even when you aren’t home, so you can weed out guests who don’t come bearing Girl Scout cookies. We recommend the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wired because it delivers fewer false alerts than any video doorbell we tested and offers a subscription plan that allows it to distinguish among people, animals, cars, and packages. If you don’t have existing doorbell wiring, the Eufy Security Video Doorbell 2K (Battery-Powered) is an easy-to-use option with a great image and a battery that can deliver about four months of service on a full charge.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-smart-doorbell-camera/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Home Security System

Achieving peace of mind for your home doesn’t have to be pricey or difficult. Traditional home security systems often require long contracts and expensive pro installation, but with most smart versions you can install them yourself and pay for a monitoring plan only when you want it. SimpliSafe is the most reliable, comprehensive, and easy-to-use DIY home security system we’ve tested, and includes the option to use professional monitoring without locking you into a contract.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-home-security-system/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Water Flossers

Water flossers, also known as oral irrigators, cost a lot more up-front than string floss. And they can still be pretty uncomfortable to use—get ready to drool. Also, there’s no clear evidence that they’re superior to traditional floss. Yet some people really like the way the water jets feel between their teeth, and some find it’s easier to work with a wand than a piece of string. Of the 12 models we’ve tested, we recommend the Waterpik Ion, a compact traditional water flosser with a cordless charging base. It cleaned our mouths thoroughly and takes up less counter space than most of its competitors.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-water-flossers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Android Phones

Android phones can vary widely in both price and experience, from just a couple hundred dollars to well over a thousand—and from unbelievably frustrating to unbelievably impressive. We spend hundreds of hours each year testing the latest Android smartphones, and we think the Google Pixel 5a 5G is the best one for most people. It offers outstanding software and camera performance, and it costs much less than high-end models. It will also receive guaranteed software updates for a longer period than most Android phones.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-android-phone/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Coffee Subscriptions, According to Wirecutter’s Obsessive Staff

My ideal workday morning: I sidle up to “my” table at the local artisan roastery, toss a nod to my pals behind the counter, sit back, check Slack, and wait for my perfectly made pour-over to arrive. But that’s not my everyday reality, and it’s probably not anything like yours, either. If you want exceptional coffee but can’t get it—or if you simply hate shopping IRL—online coffee subscriptions can scratch that particular itch. You can find a huge variety out there, with some subscriptions offering beans from a specific roaster, others culling them from an array of nationwide micro-roasters, and still others focusing on specific regions or coffee styles. Lots of us at Wirecutter use them, and here are a few of our favorite services.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/online-coffee-subscriptions-we-love/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed

The Best Smartphones

There’s no one smartphone that is best for everyone, but we’ve spent hundreds of hours testing scores of phones so that you can find the best one for you. The phone you buy will depend on your budget, your wireless carrier, and which of the major smartphone platforms—Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android—you’re already invested in. But whether you want a top-of-the-line phone or something more affordable, we have recommendations for iPhone and Android, and all of our picks are available for all the major US carriers.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-smartphones/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed