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Make some noise for safety with our favorite alarms, from keychain sirens to wearable bracelets.
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Tag: buying guides
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5 Best Personal Safety Alarms (2024), Tested and Reviewed
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22 Best MagSafe Accessories (2024), Tested and Reviewed
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Natively, no. MagSafe won’t work with most Android phones. However, there are MagSafe cases for certain Android phones, like the Google Pixel series or Samsung Galaxy phones, and these cases have a similar (if not the same) magnetic ring inside, allowing you to use many of the same MagSafe power banks, wireless chargers, and other accessories, though your mileage may vary. Several accessory companies also include or sell the MagSafe magnetic component that you can stick to the back of your smartphone to enable compatibility, though I’ve never used one I really like.
The Qi2 wireless charging standard is poised to change all of this. The latest standard has yet to arrive in major Android phones, but you will likely start seeing it more prominently in 2025. (The first Android phone with Qi2 is the HMD Skyline.) Qi2 adds the Magnetic Power Profile, which is based on MagSafe. That means Qi2 phones will feature a similar magnetic attachment system, enabling MagSafe accessories to work with more devices, no case needed.
That’s why you may also start seeing “Qi2” MagSafe devices—the latest iPhones all support Qi2, and any device you buy with Qi2 will offer maximum compatibility.
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22 Best Gifts for Cat Lovers (2024)
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Want to surprise your feline friend or find the perfect gift for a cat lover? WIRED has you covered.
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8 Best MagSafe Wallets (2024), Tested and Reviewed
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MagSafe is Apple’s magnetic technology built into the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and iPhone 16 ranges. It’s comprised of a ring of magnets on the back of the phone, and it was developed to create a faster, more precise wireless charging system. However, magnets on the back also allow you to connect it to different kinds of accessories like external batteries, car mounts, and wallets.
If you use a case on your iPhone, you will need to make sure you have a MagSafe case (the case itself will have a ring of magnets inside it). This will ensure a proper connection with MagSafe accessories. If you use a non-MagSafe case, the connection will be very weak, and MagSafe products may just slide off your iPhone. We have lots of case recommendations in our guides:
When buying a wallet, make sure it supports MagSafe. It should indicate this prominently in the product description. MagSafe wallets come with the same ring of magnets that allow them to snap onto the back of the iPhone directly or onto a MagSafe case. This allows the wallet to maintain a strong and secure hold on your device. The wallets we’ve included in this guide all have the MagSafe seal of approval.
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19 Gifts for Travelers Who Are Always One Flight Ahead (2024)
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Shopping for the best gifts for travelers? Our guide features top picks that frequent fliers will truly appreciate.
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The Best VR Headsets (2024), Tested and Reviewed
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The Meta Quest 3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a massive upgrade over its predecessor in almost every category. It has improved specs across the board—slightly higher resolution, a faster processor, more RAM, and the option for up to 512 GB of internal storage—but the biggest change is the mixed-reality upgrade. The previous model, the Quest 2, had external-facing cameras for orienting itself in the world and a pass-through feature that let you see the room you’re in to avoid obstacles. The Quest 3 takes it several steps further, making immersive augmented reality core to the experience.
For starters, the pass-through cameras can now show you a color image instead of black and white. It’s also slightly higher resolution, so it’s easier to tell what you’re looking at. It still feels a bit like you’re looking at an early 2000s-era YouTube video of your living room, but it’s worlds better than not being able to see your surroundings at all. This tech enables some innovative new games and experiences. One of my favorites, PianoVision, is designed to help you learn the piano by overlaying helpful information and even piano rolls onto a video of your actual, physical keyboard. It turns practicing the instrument into a Guitar Hero–like experience, and it’s something that wouldn’t be possible with VR alone.
The downside? The Meta Quest 3 is more expensive than the Quest 2 ever was (even after its midlife price hike). Starting at $500, it’s on par with buying whole game consoles, so it’s not quite an impulse buy, but if you’re looking for the best stand-alone VR headset with the widest library of games and apps that support both VR and mixed reality, the Quest 3 is the headset to beat. It’s worth noting that the company behind it all is Meta (aka Facebook). You might not like that, given Meta’s less-than-stellar history of managing user data (not to mention how that data is used). At least you don’t need a Facebook account anymore to use a Meta headset.
Supports room-scale VR, pass-through mixed reality, can operate with or without a PC, and comes with two controllers.
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32 Delightful Gift Ideas for Music Lovers and Audiophiles
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Whether you’re trying to find a turntable so Mom and Dad can bust out their vintage vinyl collection or you want to give the gift of great sound to a young music lover or a middle-aged audiophile, it can be tough to find great-sounding gear that doesn’t cost a lot. That’s where we come in. Each year, we spend hundreds of hours listening to the latest gear, looking for the elusive products that bring the best possible sound for the money.
These are our favorite gifts for music lovers, from affordable accessories to insane hi-fi wonders. Looking for other cool audio gear or gift ideas? Be sure to check out our other buying guides, including the Best Cheap Headphones and Best Bookshelf Speakers.
Updated November 2024: We’ve overhauled this guide with new picks from many of our favorite brands, including Ultimate Ears, Sony, Vizio, and others.
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The Best Cookbooks of 2024 (So Far): Big Dip Energy, Koreaworld, and More
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This year’s best cookbooks provide inventive, well-tested instructions for dips, barbecue, and pasta. There’s even a book that tells you what the heck to do with celery root.
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11 Best MIDI Controllers for Synths and More (2024)
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Whether you’re a modular synth nerd or the bassist of a troglodyte doom metal band, the chances that you’ve encountered a device that utilizes MIDI are nearly 100 percent at this point. The communication protocol is more than 40 years old, yet it’s hardly changed since head honchos from Roland, Oberheim, and Sequential Circuits collaborated on a universal language that musical instruments can use to talk to one another. Its low-tech nature is its greatest strength, making it a quick and reliable way to control a synth or a rack of guitar pedals with hardly any digital bandwidth at all. MIDI is great because it’s barely evolved at all.
What has evolved is the cottage industry of musical accessories that utilize MIDI to do wild and wonderful things beyond just being interchangeable digital keyboards. Are you keen on adjusting filters and delay times with the swipe of your hand like a deranged conductor? There’s a MIDI gadget for that. Do you idolize U2’s The Edge and his ability to change his guitar tone drastically with just one foot press? There’s a MIDI pedal for that. Would you rather not schlep around a fortress of synths like Keith Emerson just so you can access an organ and an electric keyboard for that wedding gig on the horizon? There’s a MIDI controller for that.
MIDI devices come in all shapes and sizes, and I’ve tested dozens in my decade-long pursuit for a setup that’s intuitive, robust, and easy on my aching back. I dabble in both guitar effects and amateur synth shenanigans, so a heavy preference is given to items that can double-dip in both worlds for a spartan setup. Some are inspiring and bizarre, while others are unsexy and utilitarian, yet wholly essential for ever-growing rigs with complicated routings and connections. My outlook for this entire setup may require reappraisal once the upcoming MIDI 2.0 protocol gets off the ground, but until then here’s a list of my most beloved MIDI gear that I work with on a daily basis.
Into making and listening to audio? Be sure to check out our lists of the Best DAWs, Best USB Microphones, Best Headphones, and Best Bookshelf Speakers.
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11 Best Gifts for Men, Manly Men, and Menly Man Men (2024)
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Some companies try to be subtle when marketing products aimed at grooming your junk, with euphemisms like “Look your best, all over.” Others will be cheeky, like the aforementioned Crop Soother. Then there’s BALLS. Cofounded by Matt Edge and Tyler Ball (what are the odds?), this company makes electric razors like the Archibald trimmer specifically aimed at trimming hair in hard-to-trim places.
What makes this different from a typical razor? It’s completely waterproof, so you can even use it in the shower. It also has a small LED under the razor, so you can better see what you’re doing down where the sun doesn’t shine. Beyond that, the razor performs pretty well in terms of shaving without nicking sensitive skin, which would be enough to recommend it without all the bells and whistles.
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