Billy's Gadget Guide 2024

The 16th Edition of the Xmas Gadget guide is here!

The 16th edition of Billy’s gadget guide is here. This year has seen the continued rise of AI blowing our minds with its capabilities. A crypto-friendly Whitehouse that could change the face of Web3 as we know it. Also, we can spend our money on several new gadgets ahead of the tariff hikes. As always, please enjoy and forward to others deserving of some Xmas gadget cheer.

(Note: the post is too long for email, so click on the link below to go to the blog)

LG Signature transparent OLED TV

My TV has a wall behind it, so I'm not sure this will be much use, but what a gadget, eh? I can see this makes a lot of sense for hotel lobbies, airports, and venues. Or if you have a villa in Bali, buy this and invite me, please (link)

Samsung Music Frame ($250)

A wireless speaker disguised as a picture frame blends art and audio seamlessly because having hidden speakers is the height of cool. (link)

Xreal Air 2 Ultra ($300)

Advanced AR glasses provide a wearable personal cinema screen experience with spatial tracking and hand-tracking capabilities. They may not be as cool as a Vision Pro, but these are far more socially acceptable on a plane or in the bedroom. (link)

FORM Smart Swim 2 - Goggles ($200)

If you are swimming this much that you need a HUD to see how fast you are swimming, you probably don’t need Ozempic, which was going to be on my list. (link)

Sonos Arc Ultra ($1900)

If you are rich enough to have bought into the one-way street that is the Sonos world, their new soundbar just got a huge upgrade. The results are pretty mind-blowing. Dialogue is crisp and accurate, and if you pair it with the back satellites, it's about as strong of a set-up as you are going to get at the premium but user-friendly price point.

Meater 2 Pro ($130)

If you know anyone who likes to grill or cook meat in the oven, this is a MUST-have. The original was the best gadget I owned in the kitchen, and the new version is more powerful and accurate. Charge the stick, put it into the meat, set your desired cook via the and forget about it. Such a great product to use (link)

Meta Quest 3 ($570)

The best gaming experience out there still, the VR user base is growing slowly and these headsets will continue to get better and feel more comfortable for longer uses. But still enjoyable (link)

ReMarkable Paper Pro ($640)

I have a love-hate relationship with the original version of this. The issue is still that in a one-on-one meeting, taking your laptop is not conducive to a good meeting and is socially frowned upon. So you need to take handwritten notes, and if you have to do that, then tada….this is the best thing on the market. Except for the price (ouch) and the fact that my notes still stay on the device and aren’t synced to my CRM or meeting notes….its’s just not a great software experience. But as I said, no choice. Now this one is in colour (so good for reading), and the design has improved greatly. (link)

Govee Floor lamp ($99)

Smart Lamp, with lots of colors. If your room needs accents, whatever that is, then get this! Super great value for the impact (link)

Rapsodo Mobile Launch Monitor + Golf Simulator ($700)

If a loved one likes Golf, that normally means that they love buying useless bits of kit that make them a better golfer but don’t. At least this one has a chance of improving their score. Can record your swing and tell you why it’s so terrible, as well as simulate 30k courses (link)

Logitech wireless charging system ($85)

Its mouse mat has a wireless charger built-in, so your mouse never dies (link)

Amazon Echo Show ($265)

Video calls, smart home controller and picture frame all in one (link)

Eight Sleep Pod 4 ($2500)

The winner of last year’s gadget of the year is back with an upgraded (and colder) version of their excellent product. I look forward to going to bed each night because of how icy cold my bed will be, and given the dual zone, my wife doesn’t have to nag at me that she is cold. Yes, it's not cheap, but amortize it over the hours you sleep, and it costs nothing. Use my referral code for a discount.

Travel Router ($112)

Don’t get to the hotel, and then spend the first hour of your holiday connecting all your gadgets to the hotel's Wi-Fi. Use this travel router to connect once to the hotel, and then every other gadget auto-connects to this. Zero hassle. You can also run a VPN for a more secure connection and tunnel into your home network in case you need to watch sports or TV that requires you to be in your home (link)

Garmin Dash Cam 3 ($150)

If you have a car, it should be obvious why you need this. Given its Garmin, the build quality is great, it’s small, and the app is slick. It's a no-brainer for the price point. (link)

Dash Ice Cream Maker Mug ($46)

I have always wanted one of those huge ice cream makers, but I live in Asia. Who has the space for that? But what if you can make ice cream in a mug? Well, now you can! Dash’s ice cream mug is the answer to all your prayers. At $46 it’s a total bargain as well (link)

Manscaped Beard Trimmer ($95)

The ceramic blade here makes it far safer than my previous trimmer and you can options to change the guard by 0.5mm just by twisting the dial. Powered by USB-C, which is perfect, no more hunting for batteries or a special charging stand. Such a great product (link). Combine with the beard apron for mess-free shaving.