accessories | here's the thing

Give your aching wrist a break with this $9 cushioned mouse pad

ben patterson — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 15:28:12 +0000

Is your mouse hand throbbing after clicking all day? Maybe it’s because your wrist is resting on your desk in a bent position, leaving you prone to wrist and tendon pain. One option is to switch mouse hands every once in awhile, but here’s a better one: snag a mouse pad with a wrist cushion, like this one.

On sale for $9 (40% off), this VicTsing mouse pad boasts a gel-filled cushion that helps keep your wrist straight while you’re pointing and clicking, taking the pressure off your wrist while easing strain on the tendons in your hand. The Lycra-covered mouse pad comes with a non-stick bottom, while its arc-shaped design means you’re less likely to run out of mousing room.

Check out the VicTsing Mouse Pad with Gel Wrist Rest on Amazon!

If you buy something through our Deals posts, we may earn some money. Thanks for the support! Also, keep in mind that the best deals sell out quickly, discount codes eventually expire, and sale prices may change without notice.

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MacBook too hot for your lap? This $20 lapdesk will keep your legs cool

ben patterson — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 14:26:06 +0000

Ouch! That’s what my legs are saying after 20 minutes or so with my MacBook Air in my lap. Luckily, you can give your burning lap a break with a lapdesk, and this one’s even got a built-in trackpad.

On sale for just shy of $20 (that’s 72% off), the Logitech Touch Lapdesk N600 holds Mac and Windows laptops with screens up to 16 inches, and it boasts a no-slip design and multiple heat-shielding layers to keep your tops of your legs from burning up.

Even better, the N600 has a five-inch retractable touchpad, perfect for tapping, scrolling and swiping. Just plug the tiny (and yes, included) wireless receiver into your laptop’s USB port and swipe away, no cords needed.

Check out the Logitech Touch Lapdesk N600 on Amazon!

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Need another Lightning cable for your iPhone? Get 3 for $20

ben patterson — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 14:38:09 +0000

Yes, Apple’s three-foot Lightning charging cables for iPhone and iPad are ridiculously overpriced at $20 each. That said, opting for a dirt-cheap but cheaply-made alternative isn’t much of a bargain, either.

The good news is that The Wirecutter’s top pick for a replacement Lightning cable—the “fast” and “sturdy” Anker PowerLine—is currently on sale. For now, you can snap up a three-pack of Anker’s three-foot PowerLine Lightning cables for $20, which is half-off the regular price and a whole lot cheaper than a single Apple cable for $20.

Check out the Anker PowerLine Lightning cable 3-pack at Amazon!

More: The Wirecutter review

If you buy something through our Deals posts, we may earn some money. Thanks for the support!

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Add a pair of USB charging ports to your car for $9

ben patterson — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 17:37:28 +0000

Tired of having to share your car’s USB charger—assuming you have one at all, that is? There’s an easy way to add a couple of USB charging ports to your car, for cheap.

On sale for $9 (down from its $30 list price), the Anker PowerDrive 2 plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter, and it packs in dual USB ports that are powerful enough to charge a pair of iPhones—or even a pair of power-hungry iPads—at the same time, and at full speed to boot. The PowerDrive 2 also happens to be Wirecutter’s favorite USB car charger, which is always a plus.

Check out the Anker PowerDrive 2 on Amazon!

A sweet-sounding portable Bluetooth speaker for less

ben patterson — Sun, 18 Dec 2016 19:11:26 +0000

Nope, you don’t have to spend $100 for a decent portable Bluetooth speaker. Then again, you don’t want to waste money on a cheap piece of Bluetooth junk, either. Here’s an on-the-go wireless speaker that hits the sweet spot, particularly now that it’s on sale.

On sale for $28 (a whopping 72 percent off its standard $99 price tag), the Cambridge SoundWorks Oontz Angle 3 Next Generation Ultra Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker (yes, it’s a mouthful) will wirelessly connect to your iPhone, iPad or Android device, and it boasts seven hours of battery life, a water-resistant design (meaning you can splash it, but don’t dunk it), stereo sound, and excellent customer reviews. Small enough to fit in a knapsack, the Oontz Angle 3 weighs in at just under 10 ounces, and it even doubles as a speakerphone thanks to its built-in mic.

Check out the Cambridge SoundWorks Oontz Angle 3 Next Generation Ultra Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker on Amazon!

If you buy something through our Deals posts, we may earn some money. Thank you for your support!

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HandStand case adds rotating hand strap to the iPad

ben patterson — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:45:01 +0000

Can’t get a good grip on your slick but slippery iPad? Check out the HandStand ($50, available in black, pink, or white), a snap-on iPad case fitted with an elastic strap in the back attached to a swiveling, palm-friendly “handpad,” good for rotating the iPad’s screen a full 360 degrees.

iLounge took the “sturdy and structurally solid” HandStand for iPad 2 for a whirl (a version for the original iPad came out last year) and praised its “smooth” rotating and “secure, but not uncomfortable” hand strap. That said, the reviewers complained about the “somewhat difficult” process of snapping the iPad into the HandStand’s shell. Another problem: the case’s lip, which blocks the iPad 2’s built-in microphone.

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Try this: An old-school telephone handset for your new-school smartphone

ben patterson — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:00:43 +0000

I caught one look at the retro “Pop Phone” handset over the weekend (my hairdresser had one sitting on her counter, attached to her new Android phone) and instantly fell in love.

Yes, it looks almost exactly like the old-style telephone handsets that those of a certain age will remember—big, friendly, easy to cradle, and it works with your iPhone, BlackBerry, Android phone, or any mobile device with a standard 3.5mm headset jack. Just click the button sitting on the inside curve of the handset ($29, available in six colors) to answer a call or hang up.

Quite clever—and it also makes for a stylish accessory for those paranoid about cell phone radiation.

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