August 2020
Better living through technology
Set up for
success Your remote learning checklist for back to school
HOW TO Limit kids’ screen time Get a no-contract cell phone plan PLUS: What to read, watch and download now
ON THE GO The best portable speakers
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August 2020
FROM THE EDITOR
Finding the good on the Internet
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uch of the Internet is a dark, depressing place. But fortunately there’s enough of it for everyone, even those of us who try to find the good every day. I came across some uplifting ways people are using the Internet during the COVID-19 pandemic, all from nextavenue. org, a nonprofit journalism website produced by Twin Cities PBS: • Mentors are finding ways to reach out virtually, whether through Big Brothers Big Sisters, CareerVillage.org, Grandpas United or Grandmas2Go. If you’re feeling isolated, chances are you aren’t the only one — and organizations like these can help you share your experience and your time with others in need. • Writer Michael Lubell reached out to some buddies from summer camp in the 1970s via Facebook, and eventually held a reunion with 17 of them on the Zoom video conferencing platform. Lubell wrote the guys had not been in touch since camp and the meetup turned into a fun night of reminiscing and admiring how everyone had changed (“Half of us in the reunion were retired or close to it and half were grandparents”) but stayed the same (“The people we remembered as quiet seemed to remain that way during the reunion and were more observers than participants. The popular and athletic ones generally were the most active and engrossed.”) • If singing is your jam, there is an outlet for you online. Karaoke apps like Smule, Yokee and StarMaker Karaoke let you sing by yourself and share recordings with other app users, but if you’re more interested in a group experience, a virtual choir might be for you. Rock Voices is one option, which uses Facebook Live, as is Choir! Choir! Choir!, based in Toronto. Churches and singing groups in your area may also be going virtual. Remember that for every viral “Karen” encounter or racist rant online, there are corners of the Internet dedicated to bringing people together, and making them smile. Best,
WHAT IS ION?
Lisa Glowinski Director, More Content Now Gannett (formerly GateHouse Media) ion@gatehousemedia.com
Technology is all around us. How can we use it to make life easier, not more complicated? ION’s mission is to help readers understand technology in order to use it to improve their lives. Find us on Facebook at /ionnewsmag and monthly in this newspaper.
STAFF Editor LISA GLOWINSKI Copy Editor MICHAEL TOESET Designer MICHELLE LAUZON Vice President, Content Innovation & Development STEVE DORSEY Vice President, Marketing LORI CATRON Ad Sales GERRY JOYCE Cover photo: Bigstock © GANNETT CO., INC. 2020 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior written permission of the Publisher. Permission is only deemed valid if approval is in writing. ION Magazine and Gannett Co. Inc. buy all rights to contributions, text and images, unless previously agreed to in writing. While every effort has been made to ensure that information is correct at the time of going to print, Gannett cannot be held responsible for the outcome of any action or decision based on the information contained in this publication. ION is a premium edition of Gannett. Due to the size and value of premium editions there will be up to a $9 surcharge on each date of publication. Rather than assess an extra charge for premium editions, we will adjust the length of your subscription, which accelerates its expiration when you receive these premium editions. There will be no more than two (2) premium editions published each month during the subscription term.
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IT’S GEEK TO ME Be aware of phone’s tracking systems
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ne thing everybody should be concerned about these days is privacy. I don’t mean that in the context of closing your drapes, or making sure people don’t overhear your conversations in public, but rather information protection. There are a whole host of organizations and business to whom your personal information is digital gold, and they go to great lengths to obtain it. Conventional wisdom says that they should obtain your permission first, but that’s not always the case. Take your cell phone for instance. If you’re like me, you’ve been caught off guard by your phone telling you stuff like “25 minutes to get to work. Traffic is light.” How does the phone even know I’m going to work? Well, all smartphones have the Global Positioning System built-in, though it’s usually called something a little more user-friendly, like Location Services. Your phone uses this feature to determine where it is. It also knows when it is taking these readings by using its built-in clock/calendar. By taking periodic readings over time, your phone actually watches where you go and when, and by extrapolating patterns, it can tell with surprising accuracy where you
August 2020
are going at any given time on any given day. Don’t believe me? For those of you who own an iPhone, do the following. Go to Settings, and select “Privacy” then “Location Services.” Scroll down to the bottom and open “System Services.” At the bottom of the first grouping you’ll find something called “Significant Locations,” which you will need a PIN, Touch ID or face scan to access. Once you’re in you will see a list of places you’ve visited over time. You can even click on them and see them marked on a map. Now, Apple claims that these data are “end-to-end encrypted and cannot be read by Apple.” Maybe so, but how many times have you seen a cell phone in the news because the FBI or some other law enforcement agency wants to get into it and see exactly what you’re looking at right now? Yes, it can be done, and it is done with increasing frequency. Of course, you probably aren’t trying to hide a nefarious criminal history, but I think it’s important that you be aware of the information your phone is collecting on you. And if this isn’t enough for you, back up to the first page of Settings and scroll all the way to the top, so the “Search” box is visible. In that box, enter “COVID.” and perform a search. Did you know the capability to track COVID-19 exposure had been added to your phone? Neither did I. To learn more about this feature, visit TinyURL. com/IGTM-0680a. Jeff Werner writes It’s Geek to Me for ION and other publications. To view additional content, comment on articles or submit a question of your own, go to ItsGeekToMe.co (not .com!)
AUGUST 2020
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In this issue
adaptation 34
Your remote learning checklist
40
The best standing desks of 2020
ON THE COVER Learning remotely is a great option, but it takes a lot of patience and can get expensive. The experts at Reviewed.com have some tips on the gear you’ll need for a smoother semester, including affordable tech and some non-tech stuff like wall calendars, desk chairs and spiral notebooks (handwriting notes still works!). 32
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GO GO GADGETS
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What to read, watch and download now
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The best portable Bluetooth speakers of 2020
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Host a virtual game night
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The best smart plugs of 2020
COLUMN
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Tracy Beckerman: International mom of mystery
instruction HOW DO I ... ?
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Clean a flat screen TV
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Limit kids’ screen time
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Get a phone plan without a contract ALL PHOTOS STOCK OR FROM MANUFACTURER UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
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RECOMMENDATIONS S U N D AY
What to watch, read and download this month
August 2020
Welcome to the dog days of summer. It’s hot. You’re bored. We get it. Fortunately streaming entertainment outlets offer some new shows, movies, video games and books this month. Here are a few we’re looking forward to:
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Two new thrillers are out today as hardcover and e-books: “The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne” by Elsa Hart, a whodunit set in 1703 London; and “The Eighth Detective” by Alex Pavesi, an inventive novel about a mystery writer and the editor who helps him prepare a reprint of his collection of seven perfect detective stories first published 30 years earlier. Publisher’s Weekly calls Pavesi a “writer to watch.”
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The documentary “Boys State” debuts on Apple TV+ today. A political coming-of-age story, it follows an annual rite of passage in which a thousand teenage boys from across Texas come together to build a representative government from the ground up.
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“Selling Sunset” comes back to Netflix for Season 3. The reality series follows real estate agents selling high-end residential properties in Los Angeles. Tired of your own house? Escape to these for a while.
“Star Trek: Lower Decks,” an animated series on CBS All Access, premieres today, and “The Rain” returns to Netflix for its third and final season.
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Video game “Rising Star 2” releases today, a sequel to the rock star simulator game “Shady O’Grady’s Rising Star.” The game follows you starting out in your garage and playing local gigs all the way to touring the country in a van and doing odd jobs for money, with the goal of becoming the next legend to hit the stage and take the world by storm. Download it at store.steampowered.com.
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Netflix debuts a new series, “The Great Heist,” as well as the film “Project Power,” a sci-fi thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jamie Foxx. On Apple TV+, comedy series “Ted Lasso” makes its debut, starring Jason Sudeikis as a small-time college football coach from Kansas hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer.
“Lucifer” returns to Netflix for the first part of Season 5 (eight episodes) today.
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Host a virtual game night with
Jackbox Games
By Tanner Saunders Reviewed.com
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f you’re like me, you’ve probably found yourself connecting with people you haven’t talked to in years over video calls and social media during this pandemic. Now it’s time to turn those calls into a virtual game night, and all you need to do it is turn your computer on and download a Jackbox Games Party Pack. Jackbox Games are made for one to eight players and allow people to play virtual trivia, murder mystery, drawing and other fun party games. The company has been around since 1995, when its most popular game was called “You Don’t Know Jack.” The way the games work is simple: A main screen (usually the TV) displays the game, while all the players open a login screen on their phones. Prompts from
the main screen are then answered by each player questions on their phones. Jackbox’s Party Packs — there are six — are available to download straight to your Mac or PC, so instead of using a TV as the main screen, you can use your computer. You can purchase the games directly from the Jackbox website or, if you have a Mac, you can download the Party Parks in the App Store. Once you’ve downloaded the games, all you have to do to play with your friends is start a video call on a conferencing site like Zoom or Google Hangouts and share your screen
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JACKBOX GAMES
with your pals. Then each player just needs to use their phone to join the virtual game, and voila — it’s party time in quarantine! Jackbox has created a handy guide to get you up and running: jackboxgames.com/how-to-play-jackboxgames-with-friends-and-family-remotely. You can also use the Steam app (store.steampowered.com/ remoteplay#anywhere) to share your games remotely, but in my experience a video call feels more social and suited to these specific games. The games themselves are inventive and fun to play. My favorite, Bracketeering, “is the game of strong opinions about stupid things.” Each player puts in an answer to a question on their phone to create a digital bracket. Then the answers go to head-to-head and each person votes on the best answer. During this virtual tournament you can finally figure out which is better: Oprah or string cheese, Komodo Dragons or Oprah’s best friend Gayle, or any other random thing you can think of. And that’s just one of five games in the Jackbox Party Pack 4, my favorite. In Survive the Internet, you “twist your friends’ ‘online’ comments in hilarious ways” to riff on social media culture. Monster Seeking Monster is a virtual dating game where you chat with friends on your phone to find the perfect match — but you’re all werewolves and zombies and witches. And in Fibbage, a ’70s-syyle game, you guess weird facts about your friends. Jackbox Party Parks start at $12.49 at shop.jackboxgames.com.
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GO GO GADGETS THE BEST
portable Bluetooth speakers O F 2 02 0
By Lee Neikirk | Reviewed.com
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f you’re still putting your phone in a cup to amplify it during parties and get-togethers, we’ve got some bad news: You’re behind the times. While soundbars are a great option for gatherings, they’re not very portable, meaning if you want to bring your party to the beach or the back yard, you need a portable Bluetooth speaker. If you want the best, check out the JBL Flip 5. However, if that one doesn’t quite suit you, we’ve got a whole list of great picks, each with its own specialty. These are the best Bluetooth speakers we tested, ranked in order:
1. JBL Flip 5 2. Anker Soundcore 2 3. JBL Boombox 2 4. Marshall Stockwell II 5. Bose SoundLink Revolve 6. JBL Flip 4 7. Bose SoundLink Micro 8. Anker SoundCore Flare+ 9. JBL Clip 3 10. UE Roll 2
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BEST OVERALL JBL FLIP 5 Per usual, JBL’s “Flip” line of Bluetooth speakers continues to be an awesome choice for most folks. The newest addition — the Flip 5 — brings all the same great features as its forebears: solid, room-filling sound; IPX7 water-resistance (meaning it should survive a quick dunk in the pool without incident); long battery life; and a massive range of color options, from “sand” to “squad.” One of the biggest upgrades for the Flip 5 includes the convenience of USB-C charging (the previous Flip 4 uses micro-USB), but it also adds a newer Bluetooth standard (4.2), improved battery (12 hours per charge) and bigger speaker drivers, and comes equipped with a sleep timer. The additions mean the Flip 5 is a bit larger and heavier than the Flip 4, but fear not: It’s still capped with reinforced rubber and wrapped in JBL’s handsome, rounded speaker grilles, meaning it’s fairly robust and it sounds better than ever. Just don’t drop it on your toes. The Flip 5 isn’t the biggest, loudest speaker on our list, nor is it the most affordable. It is, however, an A-plus all-rounder, checking off all the right boxes for a portable, all-terrain Bluetooth speaker.
BEST VALUE ANKER SOUNDCORE 2 The latest iteration in Anker’s SoundCore portable speaker line, the SoundCore 2 is basic, straightforward and useful. It features a sturdy rectangular design with big, easy-to-push buttons and a very tightly sealed set of inputs for USB charging and a 3.5 input. The first thing I noticed about the SoundCore 2 was its sound quality. For being small, portable and fairly lightweight, it has less tinniness in the treble than a lot of portable Bluetooth speakers and more bass presence, too. Between the low price point and the wide array of colors, it’s a very clear value pick as far as portable speakers go. It doesn’t get super loud, but it pumps out as much sound as most people need, and all without a touch of audible distortion. Last but definitely not least, the Anker SoundCore 2 is rated IPX7 water-resistant, meaning it’s been tested for 30 minutes in one meter of water. Like JBL’s Flip 5, it’s very splashproof and should also be good for a quick dunk without being rendered useless.
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OTHER PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS WE TESTED JBL BOOMBOX 2 If you want the biggest, loudest, most party-rocking Bluetooth speaker you can buy, JBL’s Boombox 2 wrote the book on “in your face.” In all seriousness, as with many JBL speakers the Boombox 2 is immaculately designed — rounded, robust and heavy — and it has the audio presence to match its hefty size. While most of the speakers on this list are around the size of a soda can, the JBL Boombox 2 is a dyed-in-the-wool, walk-down-the-street-with-it-on-yourshoulder boombox. This Bluetooth speaker is very, very loud — that said, it also sounds really good, featuring more than ample bass presence and good clarity across the frequency spectrum. It fills even the most cavernous rooms, easily heard over party conversation, surging ocean waves or the buzz of nearby power tools. As it serenaded us in our kitchen every day, I probably never set the volume to more than 50% of its maximum. It’s also rugged, waterproof and designed with covered ports, meaning you can tote it just about anywhere. And with JBL’s “PartyBoost” feature, you can even add in additional JBL speakers (though why you’d need to, I’m not sure).
So why isn’t this the No. 1 Bluetooth speaker? Simply put, it’s just too much for most people, even if it’s too much of a good thing. It’s (relatively) huge, heavy, expensive and will offer diminishing returns for casual, everyday situations. However, if you’ve got the funds and want a Bluetooth speaker that can be nuanced enough for a low-key night in and loud enough that they’ll hear it on Mars, this is the one to get.
MARSHALL STOCKWELL II It’d be almost tongue-in-cheek to say that famed guitar amp company Marshall “knows how to make a speaker,” but that’s also what it’s counting on with its lineup of portable Bluetooth speakers. The Marshall Stockwell II, which bears the classic “Marshall” logo on its front grille, is designed to look like a little amp. The three physical knobs on top for “volume,” “bass” and “treble” are heavily reminiscent of amplifier knobs (though, unfortunately, they don’t go to 11). The carrying strap leans into this bit of camp, too: It’s a short, faux-leather band that connects to either side of the amp — er, Bluetooth speaker — by way of classic guitar strap hooks, resplendent in gold finish. If all this musical paraphernalia is your bag, you’re going to love this thing. If not, you’ll still be glad to know that the amp-esque design details aren’t at all superficial. The Stockwell II is one of the sturdiest-feeling Bluetooth speakers I’ve ever handled: The front and back feature metal-lined speaker grilles, while the rounded, rectangular body is made of the same super-durable material you’ll find on many guitar amps. And while most people will probably just find an EQ/volume setting they like and never touch the knobs again, you’ll be glad to know they actually work, adding or removing bass/treble/volume to or from music splendidly. This is the first Bluetooth speaker I’ve seen with an effective on-board/ physical EQ. It’s an awesome addition, especially if you’re finicky about how your music sounds. These souped-up design details and hyper-durable build, plus that Marshall branding, mean the Stockwell II doesn’t come cheap. However, it’s an option that’s head-and-shoulders above much of the competition in terms of unique design and customization, and it sounds great, too.
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BOSE SOUNDLINK REVOLVE This handsome portable speaker from Bose delivers an altogether different shape, experience and general level of quality than a lot of the Bluetooth speakers on our list. Because of its tall, conical shape and heftier size, the Revolve is able to disperse a lot of sound throughout the room but has enough weight to deliver robust sound (including great bass/midrange sound) without introducing distortion or impeding its portability. It’s obviously not nearly as loud as a standard bookshelf speaker, but for what it is, the Revolve produces very crisp, pleasing audio. It’s also got a microphone for voice prompts, which is admittedly a very niche feature, but certainly a welcome one. The Revolve is expensive, but it’s priced fairly for what you get. You’re paying a little more for the vaunted Bose label, but getting a portable Bluetooth speaker that sounds this good is definitely worth the price for the audiophile crowd.
BOSE SOUNDLINK MICRO If you’re looking to secure a fancier-than-average portable Bluetooth speaker, the Bose SoundLink Micro delivers, but you’re going to pay for it. My first thought when I encountered this popular little portable speaker was, “Why is it so expensive? Is it worth it, or is it just because it’s Bose?” Well, yes and no. The SoundLink Micro checks off a lot of the right boxes: It’s made of durable but touchable materials and features notably elegant design details. In fact, while most portable Bluetooth speakers of this size are made of cheap, hard plastic, the SoundLink Micro feels nicer in my hands than, frankly, most things I’ve ever held. It’s surprisingly soft. Granted, the silicone finish is what helps the Micro to be waterproof, but it certainly doubles as a silky smooth exterior. Of course, its svelte design isn’t the only reason to pay more for the Micro. In classic Bose fashion, the sound is more or less impeccable. However, it’s worth noting that the Micro also costs twice as much as something like the Anker Soundcore 2, while delivering a similar aural presence. It’s a little nicer, and it definitely sounds better, but we’re not convinced that in this particular product category, most folks are going to want to pay twice as much for such a subtle improvement in overall quality. If money is no object, though, this is one of the nicest portable Bluetooth speakers around.
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JBL FLIP 4 The predecessor to our current Best Overall, the JBL Flip 4 is still available, and it still sounds awesome, is waterproof (IPX7) and boasts beefier battery life than a lot of smaller options. Basically, it’s still a great choice if you wanna save a little money versus buying the Flip 5. From the knock-resistant, hard-plastic chassis to the cleanly spaced volume, play and Bluetooth buttons, the Flip 4 stands out from the collective a bit in terms of pure polish and quality. It’s not the loudest speaker on the list but it provides a good balance of bass, midrange and treble frequencies. It’s lighter than smaller speakers, which definitely adds to its overall portability, and is available in a wide range of colors. If you need waterproofing, outdoorsy sturdiness, good volume and the ability to connect more than one Bluetooth source at a time, the Flip 4 is one of the best around. It also delivers more impressive, rumbling bass than the majority of speakers on this list, which is one of the hardest attributes to find in the category. No matter how you plan to use it — indoor, outdoor, dry, wet, stationary or in motion — the Flip 4 delivers the goods.
ANKER SOUNDCORE FLARE+ The Flare+ lives up to its namesake. This tall, conical speaker is one of the only ones I’ve seen to feature flashing, music-synced LED lights. It’s one of the larger speakers that I tested and features a handsome, deep gray coloration and speaker grille, intuitive controls and some neat features. First off, the Flare+ sounds really good. It’s one of the bigger speakers we tested, and its 360-degree speaker design and sheer height/ size give it a leg up over the smaller, more compact speakers I tested. It’s easy to control, and if you don’t like the light show you can shut it off. During use, I found the light synced up kind of weirdly to the music I was playing and didn’t have the satisfying, full glow of the LEDs as they appear on the box. Maybe the best thing about the Flare+ is that, like many of our favorites on this list, it’s IPX7 water-resistant. Overall, it’s a most robust choice, with plenty of flair to to go along with it.
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JBL CLIP 3 JBL’s “Clip” line of portable Bluetooth speakers have been kicking around for years, and while they definitely break the mold where most Bluetooth speakers are concerned, they’ve got staying power for a reason. The tiny Clip 3 is so-named because it features a small partial carabiner clip for it to hang on various things — belt loops, bike handles, shower rods, and so on. Other key features include 10 hours of battery life per charge and IPX7 water resistance. For being a tiny speaker, the Clip 3 has pretty big sound. Even without clipping it on anything, it fills space and plays back cleanly without distortion. That said, the maximum volume isn’t much. For the price, however, the Clip 3 is great. At max volume, I even heard a few vocal lines I hadn’t heard in one of my favorite songs before. If you need a handy little speaker for the shower that actually sounds decent, the Clip 3 is the way to go.
UE ROLL 2 The UE Roll 2 is an ultra-portable, water-resistant speaker with, you guessed it, an IPX7 rating for shortlived dunkability. This makes it a great choice if you want to blast some tunes at the pool or on the beach without worrying about water damage. We nabbed the “volcano” version, but it’s available in a wide range of colors. After a bit of fidgeting, getting Spotify playing on the UE Roll 2 was easy. There’s a power button on the back of the device that puts it into Bluetooth mode as soon as it’s on. The cross pattern on the front of the speaker has two pressable areas that make volume adjustment simple and accessible. The device also announces its “on” and “paired” status with audio feedback tones, which is nice. Where sound quality is concerned, the Roll rocks pretty solidly. I noticed decent bass presence but a little excess treble, where things like snare hits were notably higher in the mix than they were on my headphones. There’s some risk of losing out on mid-range audibility here, but overall the audio quality is decent for the price. The reason the Roll 2 ranks lower than others on the list is the fact that it’s a bit pricey for the sound you get and, frankly, the vast majority of speakers we test these days boast similar water resistance. That said, it’s still a solid choice, and it’s as easy to take along as it is to use.
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WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS Technically, a portable Bluetooth speaker is any speaker that you can connect to wirelessly over Bluetooth, has a battery for powering on away from outlets, and is small/ light enough to be carried with you or stowed in a bag. While this can include a wide range of speaker types and price points, generally portable Bluetooth speakers fall between $30 and $200 and include a suite of key features like volume adjustment, 3.5mm aux input and micro USB charging. Features like splash resistance or waterproofing, a rugged exterior, LED indicators and bass boosting vary depending on the model — those kinds of things are usually what you’re paying more for. But you can always safely assume any portable Bluetooth speaker you buy will be wireless and work with whatever type of phone you have.
HOW LOUD ARE BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS? Another key thing to understand about portable Bluetooth speakers is that they’re more of a replacement for your smartphone than for traditional home theater speakers or even soundbars. Although you can get really big, boombox-style portable speakers that might be able to blow the roof off a house party, most of the speakers we tested aren’t amazingly loud. They’re loud enough to provide music for a small gathering or a modest backyard get-together, but if you’re in the raucous throes of a party, most of these will be drowned out. Where this starts to matter more is when you’re using one of these speakers in an on-the-go situation. Because of the relatively low power of most of the speakers here, using them on a windy beach or hanging from your handlebars as you pedal through the woods may not always yield crystal clear audio. But you’ll know music is playing, and that’s probably as good as you’re going to get without using headphones. One reason these speakers don’t get megaloud is that, if they did, it would introduce distortion. Instead, engineers have capped the relative output to maintain clarity, which is a smart move both for your listening enjoyment and for the life of the soldered wires inside.
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GO GO GADGETS
THE BEST
smart plugs
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By Ben Keough, Monica Beyer and Rachel Murphy Reviewed.com
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mart home tech is constantly changing the way we live and function. Our A/ Cs are controlled by smart thermostats and our light fixtures are stocked with smart bulbs. While many new appliances are smart by default, older devices in your home probably can’t be controlled with your phone or voice commands. That’s where smart plugs (or smart outlets) come in. With the right smart plug or smart power strip, you can turn a standard floor lamp into a smart light with very little effort. These compact devices plug into traditional wall sockets, upgrading them to smart home devices with remote control, scheduling and power usage monitoring via smartphone apps. And if you’re already on the smart home bandwagon, you can even integrate them into your Apple HomeKit-, Google Assistant-, Amazon Alexa- or Nest–driven ecosystem.
THESE ARE THE BEST SMART PLUGS WE TESTED, RANKED IN ORDER: 1. Currant Smart Plug 2. Eufy Smart Plug 3. Wyze Smart Plug 4. Samsung SmartThings WiFi Smart Plug 5. Geeni Spot Glo Smart WiFi Plug With Night Light 6. Merkury Innovations Smart Plug 7. Teckin Mini Smart Socket 8. Gosund Mini Smart Plug 9. Kasa Smart WiFi Plug Mini by TP-Link 10. Meross WiFi Smart Plug Mini 11. Philips Hue Smart Plug 12. Amazon Smart Plug 13. Etekcity WiFi Smart Plug Mini 14. Sengled Smart Plug 15. Elgato Eve Energy
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BEST OVERALL CURRANT WI-FI SMART OUTLET The Currant Smart Outlet checks a lot of boxes on our wish list, and it’s hands-down the best smart plug for Amazon Echo and Google Assistant. It has helpful features, including two side-facing outlets that can be independently operated. It’s attractive, and has a really nifty orientation feature that lets you switch the plate on the back so it can be plugged into your wall facing either right or left. For all of these reasons, the Currant Smart Outlet is the best smart plug you can buy. Also, if plugged into the bottom outlet on your wall, it doesn’t cover the top socket. Each outlet has an indicator light, which only fires up if that particular one is on. When not in use, it does not emit light. The app easily recognized the plug upon installation, and with a few taps, it was connected. A few more taps and it joined both Google Assistant and Echo. There were no quirks to be found in its connectivity, as it responded just as effortlessly to the app as it did to the voice assistants. The Currant outlet includes energy monitoring in its app, which is nice if you’re keeping track of energy costs of connected devices and looking to see where you can cut down on usage in your home.
BEST VALUE EUFY SMART PLUG MINI You might not be familiar with Eufy, but don’t let that scare you off. The up-and-coming home automation company is actually a sub-brand of electronics maker Anker. Eufy’s Smart Plug Mini is an extremely affordable, pint-sized device that easily interfaces with Alexa and Google Assistant. It’s quick and reliable, and its Wi-Fi connection showed great range. When we disconnected and moved it across the house, it reconnected quickly. Its looks aren’t anything special — it’s a white bar with gently rounded corners and a tiny blue status LED — but we liked how compact it is. No matter where you place it, it won’t block an adjacent socket. The plug tracks energy usage and will even help estimate how much the device you’ve got plugged in will add to your electricity bill, but it doesn’t provide real-time monitoring, like some of the fancier models we tested. But as it’s one of the most affordable plugs we tested, there’s no denying that this plug is a phenomenal value.
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OTHER SMART PLUGS WE TESTED
WYZE SMART PLUG • Pros: Works with Alexa and Google Assistant, shows total runtime for devices, simple app • Con: No energy monitoring
GEENI SPOT GLO SMART WI-FI ROUND PLUG • Pros: Built-in light, affordable, works with Alexa and Google Assistant • Con: No energy monitoring
SAMSUNG SMARTTHINGS WI-FI SMART PLUG • Pros: No hub required, energy monitoring, responsive • Cons: Nothing we could find
MERKURY INNOVATIONS INDOOR WI-FI PLUG • Pros: Easy to set up, works with Alexa and Google Assistant • Con: Smart plug and app don’t provide energy monitoring
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MEROSS WI-FI SMART PLUG MINI • Pros: Affordable, reliable, simple to use • Cons: Nothing we could find
TECKIN SP20 SMART PLUG • Pros: Easy to set up, small power indicator light, works Google Assistant and Alexa • Con: Sticks out far from the wall, making it ill-suited to place behind furniture
GOSUND MINI SMART WI-FI PLUG • Pros: Sleek design, works with Alexa and Google Assistant • Con: Long reconnection times
TP-LINK SMART WI-FI PLUG MINI • Pros: Only takes up one outlet, works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, easy setup for iOS and Android • Con: No energy monitoring
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PHILIPS HUE SMART PLUG • Pros: Works with Apple HomeKit, Alexa and Google Assistant; reliable connection • Cons: Requires hub, no energy monitoring
ETEKCITY VOLTSON MINI SMART WI-FI PLUG • Pros: Real-time energy monitoring, strong and reliable connection • Cons: Blocks second wall outlet, idle mode uses more power than expected
SENGLED SMART PLUG
AMAZON SMART PLUG
• Pros: Easy-to-see status light, works with Alexa and Google Assistant
• Pro: Works flawlessly once connected
• Cons: Bulky design, requires hub
• Cons: Doesn’t work with Google Assistant, challenging setup
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ELGATO EVE ENERGY • Pros: Comprehensive energy tracking, app is user-friendly • Cons: Blocks second wall outlet; iOS-exclusive, no Android; more expensive than similar products
MORE SMART PLUG OPTIONS • If you’re looking for more Apple HomeKit-compatible options, we’ve previously tested the iHome Control iSP8. It includes real-time energy monitoring and a slimline remote control. This plug is responsive, reliable and has good ergonomics, but the price is high and the iHome Control app can be tricky to use. • The iHome Control iSP6 has all the same pros and cons as the iSP8, but it doesn’t provide energy usage tracking and lacks a remote control. • The Geeni Switch + Charge is a sibling of the Geeni Spot Glo, which ranked well in our tests. The Geeni Switch is no different in that it’s simple to set up, extremely responsive to commands from the Geeni app on iOS and Android, and has great Wi-Fi range. It also comes with two standard USB ports, so you can easily charge your mobile devices. However, there’s no energy monitoring with this plug. • The Geeni Spot is like the Switch + Charge but circular and without the USB ports. It’s a little cheaper, same performance, more compact design, still no energy monitoring. • On paper, the Belkin Wemo Insight ought to be a strong contender for the best smart plug on the market. It offers power monitoring and a huge array of smart home integrations. Unfortunately, setup was a notable pain point on Android, and the Wemo app was a chore to use. Functionality was just fine in general, and we couldn’t fault the plug’s reliability, but the Wemo app needs work. • The Belkin WeMo Mini is a smaller version of the Insight, without its power monitoring functionality. On the plus side, it’s a well-made device, and it’s very skinny so you shouldn’t have any issues with it blocking a second plug. • Leviton has its own app, but when we downloaded it and tried to set this plug up, it was far more difficult than we expected. The initial setup didn’t work at all, so we had to factory reset the device. Once we got it going, the problems didn’t end there. One issue was that our test lamp’s plug didn’t slide into the outlet easily, so we felt like we had to force it a bit.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT SMART PLUGS • Compatibility: Whether you use Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri, it’s important to make sure the smart plug you choose works with your preferred smart assistant. It may seem obvious, but not all smart plugs play nice with certain voice assistants. Compatibility information can be found on the product’s webpage or on the exterior of the product’s packaging. • Energy monitoring: Smart plugs can monitor how much energy your connected devices are using. These details can be found in the smart plug’s companion app and will tell you how many kilowatts the plug is using each hour, day, month or year. While this isn’t a make-or-break feature and it won’t impact your ability to use a smart plug, it can help you identify areas to reduce your energy consumption, which, in turn, may save you money on your monthly electric bill. • Design: Smart plugs come in all shapes and sizes. Before you buy one, consider where you want to put it. A smaller plug, like the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini by TP-Link, won’t block the second outlet on a wall panel, no matter where you plug it in. The slender, rectangular plug is a great option to place behind furniture or use in tight spaces like a lamp plugged in behind a couch.
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HOW DO I ... ?
Clean a flat screen TV By Michael Desjardin | Reviewed.com
Let’s be real: Your TV screen is dirty. Fortunately, cleaning it is a pretty easy task.
WHAT YOU NEED: • A soft, microfiber cloth • A small amount of warm water • Optional: alcohol- and ammonia-free screen cleaning solution
IS IT SAFE TO USE WINDEX TO CLEAN A TV? Repeat after me: I will never use Windex — or any type of window cleaner — to clean my TV. Window cleaners contain harsh chemicals (like alcohol, ammonia and lauramine oxide) that can damage LCD panels. One reason people assume that surface cleaners are still copacetic for TVs is because old-school CRT TVs could stand up against Windex, thanks in part to their glass screens. These days? The less liquid you use, the better.
WHAT TO USE INSTEAD A soft, microfiber cloth is typically all you need to clean an LCD TV screen (but small amounts of water are fine, too). Believe it or not, even the densest of fingerprints can be wiped away without the use of any moisture. It is important, however, to use the right type of cloth or towel when cleaning, otherwise you run the risk of scratching the panel. Always use a microfiber cloth or towel — like the ones that come with a new pair of glasses. Go to work on the problem areas with gentle, circular motions. Avoid applying too much pressure to the panel. If you’re dealing with some stubborn, oily stains that just won’t cooperate, resist the urge to exert more force. Instead, try moisturizing the cloth with a small amount of warm water. Generally speaking, dedicated screen-cleaning solutions are OK for your LCD TV, but if you decide to use screen cleaner, make sure the formula does not include alcohol or ammonia. If you decide to use water or some sort of cleaner, do not spray the screen directly. Instead, lightly moisten your microfiber cloth before wiping the your TV screen.
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HOW DO I ... ?
Limit kids’ W screen time
By Janelle Randazza | Reviewed.com
hen all of this social distancing started, many of us let kids’ excessive screen time slide. But now many parents feel like they need to make clear boundaries. Here are some expert tips to help you find a balance, manage screen time, and set up a clear plan for building healthy relationships with technology.
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FIGURE OUT YOUR LIMITS Not all screen time is created equal. The first step of creating a healthy media diet isn’t necessary to eliminate recreational technology altogether, but to figure out your family’s needs and how technology does — or doesn’t — fit into that, says Ian O’Byrne, professor and researcher at the College of Charleston in South Carolina and host of the Technopanic podcast. “There is this assumption that everyone has the means to not need to have this stuff in their home,” says O’Byrne. “The first step I would recommend is getting rid of the moral panic and really figure out what your goals are.” O’Byrne says the first step is to recognize that you aren’t a bad parent just because your child watches TV or plays video games.
The next step is figuring out why you want to minimize your child’s screen use and be clear to yourself and your child about those “whys.” Do you want to see your child interact with family more? Do you want more outside time? Are you looking for them to put down devices at mealtimes? Do you want them to be more focused on chores? Do you want them reading more? Come up with what your expectations are and work forward from there. “There is a moral shaming of parents who either want their children to have devices or absolutely need their children to have them. Get rid of that moral shame first and approach your goals with your family’s individual needs and expectations in mind,” says O’Byrne.
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START WITH A CONVERSATION
BREAK THINGS UP
Talk with your kids about your expectations. After you figure out your goals and limits, come up with a clear daily schedule that your family can adhere to, including an outline of the day and how screen time will factor into it, recommends Sarah E. Domoff, director of the Family Health Lab at Central Michigan University and a clinical psychologist who studies the impact of technology on youth and families. “Device management always starts with a good conversation and clear labeling for children of what their day will look like in terms of structure,” says Domoff. “Figure out how much time they should commit to reading, camp, chores, exercise and outside activities. Then figure out how digital use will factor into that — but only after they’ve completed what they need to, to earn that free screen time.” The American Academy of Pediatrics has an excellent, visual Family Media Plan generator and calculator that can help your family determine how to allocate time for your child’s need-to activities, as well as their screen time usage. It can be hard to manage limits when parents are juggling so much, but if you all sit down together and come up with a clear schedule for kids to see, and a contract or schedule that you stick to, it can help manage a child’s expectations and overall usage.
Managing excessive device usage is really about teaching time management skills and engaging kids in the concept of work and reward. A good way to help kids differentiate necessary screen from recreational screen time is by breaking up their online life with segments of their offline world. Come up with an estimated time expected for a child to complete an assignment from school, a tutor or camp, and check in when that allotted time is up. That way you can determine if your kids actually need extra time to complete those assignments, or if they aren’t finishing their work because they are drifting off into a rabbit hole of online distractions. Once that required screen time is up, don’t allow them to go right to playing “Fortnite.” Instead, have them take a media break to do chores and tasks that are naturally done offline, like walking the dog, doing the dishes, writing a letter to a grandparent or eating lunch with the family. If you break up screen time so it’s not a constant, sustained, hours-long activity, it’ll help kids hit their internal reset button and train their brains to be more cognizant of when their bodies and minds are asking for a break.
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DEVELOP INCENTIVES If you try to get your child off a video game to clean their rooms, or to fold laundry, you’re going to be walking into a battle zone. Domoff recommends making children do the less-preferred activities of the day first and let them earn their screen time later. Next time the timer goes off on their screen time of the day, try enticing your kids with a run through the sprinkler, an ice cream sundae with you on your patio, or a few minutes of a puzzle instead. “Kids do want connection. They may not act like it when they are looking at their screens, but they do,” says Domoff. If you give them an hour of screens before dinner, try doing something fun for 15 minutes after they log off, but before you eat, to establish that connection with your child. If your days are too packed to fit in that 15 minutes, let little kids draw with you at the table as you eat, engage in a joke of the day for older kids, or come up with fun word games to play. Get them giggling as you engage, so that there is incentive for being away from their online world.
BE A ROLE MODEL If every time you need a break you plop on the couch and pick up your phone, you are essentially training your child to do the same. Kids won’t learn to have healthy tech habits if parents don’t model them. If you’re working from home, it’s likely that your kids are seeing you on your screens more than ever before. Try to set up a consistent work area so that it’s clear you are doing work when you are on your screen. Or if you’re going on social media to check in about an important event or see pictures of a new baby, include your child in that experience and then shut the computer when you are finished instead of losing yourself in your own online rabbit hole. “Let them see that there is a beginning, middle and end to your screen usage, not that it’s on a constant loop,” says O’Byrne. “If you’re someone who zombie-scrolls as a break in your day, your kid is going to learn that from you.”
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EDUCATE YOURSELF
“The goal isn’t for us to view
Today’s kids are tech-savvy. They can internet-search their way past almost any firewall you set up. And once you’ve figured out the rules you want to set on a video game or social media platform, they’ve moved on to a new one. It’s essential that parents stay up-to-date on games, apps and social media crazes. Domoff points out that when the real world is scary or anxiety-inducing, kids can also look to reinvent themselves online. “Really learn about the mechanisms within the game and the additional incentives that your kids may be drawn to,” says Domoff. She advises parents to research the incentives that game makers add in to get players coming back for more. “It’s so important for you to gain fluency in the games that your child might be attracted to,” says Domoff. She advises that you use websites like CommonSenseMedia.org to learn more deeply what it is you are helping your child to navigate. “Find out what the ‘in-game currency’ is. It can be overwhelming for parents, but once you figure out what makes the game appealing to your child, you can help them figure out strategies to help them regulate themselves,” says Domoff. She also recommends a lot of co-viewing. “The goal isn’t for us to view technology as evil. Sit with your kid. Have them teach you what they are playing. Get to know why they like to play these games. Ask them what happened on ‘Minecraft’ today. Give them a forum to talk about their relationship with media instead of making it a separate part of their lives.”
technology as evil. Sit with your kid.
REDUCE THE POTENTIAL FOR DISTRACTION Many games and apps that may be on your child’s device give notifications if a friend is online or if they haven’t been played in a while. Turn off all app notifications, alerts and pop-ups and move any tempting apps and games on your child’s device into a single folder that is off-limits. “Hide that folder as best as you can. You want to make it so that they aren’t constantly seeing alerts for those games or scrolling past them to get to something else they might need access to,” says Domoff.
Have them teach you what they are playing. Get to know why they like to play these games. Ask them what happened on ‘Minecraft’ today. Give them a forum to talk about their relationship with media instead of making it a separate part of their lives.” SARAH E. DOMOFF, director of the Family — Health Lab at Central Michigan University
KEEP DEVICES OUT OF THE BEDROOM If there is one rule experts go back to time and time again, it’s that screens should stay out of the bedroom. At the end of the day they phones and devices should be charged up in a common area. “Let your kids see you plug your phones, laptops and tablets in and have them do the same. Again, it’s about clear boundary and modeling,” says O’Byrne.
BE A TEAM
HAVE A SCREEN-FREE DAY
Nobody wants to be the first to leave a playground or a party, and no one wants to be the first to log off. If your child is playing games or getting on social media to connect with friends, it’s time to talk to the parenting village and work together to help kids create healthy habits. Domoff recommends banding together with other parents to determine a game time and to decide a time for all families to log off together: “Get the other parents on your team. Try to come up with a plan about how long everyone is comfortable with having their kids be online and agree to a cap on that. If all their friends are getting offline at the same time, there is less incentive for your kid to want to hang out there alone.”
O’Byrne recommends parents model a balanced diet of screen time. His family engages in “Screen-Free Saturdays” — a day with no Waze, no Google Maps and no cell phones for photo-taking. That regular break from technology allows for reconnection and give kids a regular reminder that there is a whole world to enjoy outside of their online devices. O’Byrne says the goal is to not only to reduce dependency on our devices but also to model for kids that when you are on them they aren’t an appendage of you, but they are being used in a thoughtful and intentional way. “Taking that break as a whole family lets you reflect on how we use our devices and what our children see when we use them.”
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HOW DO I ... ?
Get a phone plan without a contract By TJ Donegan | Reviewed.com
A
smartphone isn’t much use without some kind of data plan, but not everyone needs a traditional plan from one of the big carriers. And while most plans from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint/T-Mobile don’t come with a formal contract anymore, they still have arrangements that lock you into a specific plan, at a specific price, for a specific amount of time. They’re also “post-paid” plans, in that you agree to be held to specific terms and then pay your bill at the end of the month. Smaller carriers, Mobile Virtual Network Operators and other companies offer similar plans — on the same networks — but without the strings attached. That means you can more easily jump from one carrier to another if your situation changes or you need to move to a different plan as your needs develop. Though it’s impossible for us to test every carrier in every location, these are the best no-contract and prepaid plans on the highest-quality networks that we could find. They won’t be perfect for everyone, but we think these are the best no-contract phone plans available.
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VISIBLE • Cost per month: $40 for one line, $100 for four lines • Data per month: Unlimited • Restrictions: Video limited to 480p, traffic can be de-prioritized if network is congested • Best for: Unlimited data, families and friends Most of the pre-paid carriers here are actually owned by one of the big three network operators. Visible is owned by Verizon, so you’re getting unlimited access to the network that has consistently ranked as having the best 4G coverage for years. Visible sets itself apart from the competition here in a few key ways. The biggest benefit in our book is that it’s among the cheapest unlimited data plans you can get right now at just $40 per month for a single line. The per line cost drops to $25 per month if you combine four lines, which can be done among your family or friend group. You can even set it up so you pay all your bills separately with separate accounts, so you get the discount without having to hassle people for money each month. There are a couple of restrictions to be aware of, but they’re the standard stuff: Your traffic can be de-prioritized if the network is congested. Also, video streaming on your plan is restricted to 480p (DVD quality), though even the big carriers do this and it’s not that noticeable on a small phone screen.
You can use your Visible data to act as a hotspot for another device, though speeds are limited to 5Mbps and you can only tether one device at a time. Otherwise, for both single lines and groups of four, this is the best prepaid phone plan right now.
GOOGLE FI • Cost per month: $70 for one line, $180 for four lines (plus fees) • Data per month: Unlimited • Restrictions: Video limited to 480p • Best for: International travel, heavy hotspot users Google Fi bills itself as “a different kind of phone plan” — though in truth it’s more of a pre-paid phone plan that comes with a few extra perks. The most notable ones: unlimited full-speed hotspot usage and unlimited international texts and data. Those aren’t all that common on postpaid phone plans, so getting it with no contract is a nice deal. The only hitch? Fi is more expensive than competing plans. A single unlimited line costs $70, though that drops to $45/line (plus fees) if you have four people. You can opt for a flexible version, though that costs $20/month (again, plus fees) for one person and $10 for every GB of data you use. Google Fi’s coverage is very good, as your data can ride on the T-Mobile/Sprint network — including 5G if your phone supports T-Mobile’s 5G bands. It’s a nice plan, but the monthly price really only pays off if you are going to take advantage of the international and hotspot perks.
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TELLO • Cost per month: $10/line for 1GB of data, $39/line for unlimited data • Data per month: $14 for 2GB, $19 for 4GB, $39 for unlimited • Restrictions: Speed is throttled after hitting data limit • Best for: People who want the cheapest service possible There are a ton of cheap prepaid phone plans, but Tello offers a lot for a minimal monthly cost. You can build your own plan, starting with 500 minutes of calls, unlimited texts and 1GB of data per month for just $10. That’s not likely to be enough for most people, but it’s a great low-cost option if you only rarely use a phone. You can upgrade to a more manageable 2GB of data and unlimited calls and texts for just $14/mo, or 4GB of data for $19/mo. Your data moves through the Sprint network (it’s unclear if that will include T-Mobile now that they are merged into one company), which offers good speed but occasionally spotty coverage. You can even opt for “Unlimited” data, though that’s just 25GB before it dips to 2G speeds. The one hangup with this is you’ll need a phone that supports Sprint’s
CDMA network. Tello will sell you plenty of them, though we think an unlocked Sprint-compatible phone like the iPhone SE or Google Pixel 3a offers the best value. It’ll cost more upfront, but you’ll be free to switch to another provider if Tello doesn’t suit your fancy.
METRO BY T-MOBILE • Cost per month: $50 for one line, $120 for four lines (limited time) • Data per month: Unlimited • Restrictions: Video limited to 480p • Best for: People who want the cheapest service possible
BOOST MOBILE • Cost per month: $50 for one line, $120 for four lines (limited time) • Data per month: Unlimited, depending on plan • Restrictions: Video limited to 480p • Best for: Groups looking for a discount Boost (at least in the U.S.) is another T-Mobile-owned carrier. It isn’t the best in any one area, but it offers an attractive mix that will appeal to anyone who wants unlimited data, an affordable price and a ton of hotspot data. Boost starts at $50/mo for a single line of unlimited talk/text/data, which is a bit more expensive than Visible but cheaper than Google Fi. It also has excellent group discounts right now, including four unlimited data lines for $120, and three lines for $100/mo. If for some reason you prefer the T-Mobile network to Verizon, this isn’t a bad backup plan.
Formerly MetroPCS, this is now the in-house prepaid brand of T-Mobile. The plans are pretty similar to the main T-Mobile plans, using the same network and offering a mix of unlimited data, hotspot features and significant discounts if you sign up with multiple lines. A single line of unlimited talk/text/data will run you $50/mo and includes 5GB of hotspot usage. But Metro really begins to pay dividends if you look to the higher-end plans, especially if you’re switching over multiple lines. Metro offers a wide range of promotions, phone discounts and other perks (like included Amazon Prime membership on some plans) to sweeten the pot. If you find the right mix, you can get a lot for your money. For example, four lines of the top-tier plan gets you unlimited everything, Amazon Prime and 15GB of hotspot usage for just $120/mo. There are even phone discounts for switching, which can knock something like the new iPhone SE to just $99 — after a bunch of confusing discounts and caveats (it’s still a phone plan).
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COVER STORY
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STAY SANE
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t’s likely that learning this year will be online again, so it’s time to take stock of what worked for you in the spring semester and what didn’t. Did Wi-Fi slow to a crawl when everyone in the house was online for work and school? Were there workspaces for everyone? Did you find yourself short on wall outlets? Learning remotely is a great option, but it takes a lot of patience and can get expensive. The experts at Reviewed.com have some tips on the gear you’ll need for a smoother semester, including affordable tech and some non-tech stuff like wall calendars, desk chairs and spiral notebooks (handwriting notes still works!).
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16 products you’ll be glad to have for back to school
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Worried about too much sitting in front of screens? Consider a standing desk or desktop converter
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WHAT IS REVIEWED? Reviewed — part of the USA TODAY Network — is a team of product experts (geeks, in truth) that put in the hard work of testing products so you don’t have to. We built an entire test lab in the heart of Cambridge, Massachusetts, just to make sure that when we say something is worth your money, we can back it up with good old-fashioned science. Our mission is to help you buy the best stuff and love what you’ve already got. That means we’ll have solid recommendations for you — no matter your budget — and we’ll teach you how to unlock the secret benefits of the things you already own.
FIND US AT: • Reviewed.com • facebook.com/reviewed • twitter.com/reviewed • youtube.com/c/Reviewedcom • instagram.com/reviewed • pinterest.com/revieweddotcom
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Your remote learning checklist By Amanda Tarlton Reviewed.com
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If you’re getting ready for another semester of remote learning, be sure you have the right gear. Here are some experts’ recommendations:
1. THE BEST LAPTOP FOR STUDENTS First things first: You need a good laptop. Of all the ones we’ve tested, we chose the Asus Chromebook Flip as the best laptop for students. Why? Not only does it have a great battery life, it also has a beautiful design and vibrant display — all at a surprisingly affordable price (around $500). Its performance is equally impressive, so you can browse the internet, check your emails, take notes and stream your live classes all at once.
2. OUR FAVORITE NOISECANCELING HEADPHONES Trying to focus on studying is hard. Trying to focus on studying when your little brother is throwing a tantrum in the other room is even harder. Enter these top-rated Sony WH1000XM3 Noise-Canceling Headphones. Our experts found them to be even better than Bose (yes, really) thanks to their active noise-cancellation technology, which can drown out sounds of any volume. You can even customize the amount of noise cancellation, so you can control how much of the outside world you do — or don’t — hear.
3. THE COMFIEST DESK CHAIR Having to attend school from home isn’t all bad. After all, it means you can finally swap those horribly hard classroom chairs for something a little more comfortable. We recommend the ErgoChair 2 from Autonomous. We like that the thickly cushioned seat and the mesh back provide excellent support for your entire body, and that the chair is incredibly customizable — you can adjust everything from the angle to the lumbar support.
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4. A TOP-RATED WIRELESS MOUSE If you’ve ever had to use your laptop trackpad for eight straight hours, you know the pain that is muscle cramps and stiff fingers. Prevent all of that with a wireless mouse, like the Logitech MX Anywhere 2S. It’s our favorite wireless mouse because it can be used on any surface (including glass) and has a rechargeable battery that can last for up to 70 days. And if you’re looking for a more budget-friendly pick? We recommend the HP Wireless Mouse, which costs less than $25 and works well with various hand sizes.
BUDGET FRIENDLY!
5. A GOOD KEYBOARD CLEANER One of our editors loves the gooey ColorCoral Universal Cleaning Gel, which you simply press onto your keyboard and it lifts away any dust and debris. But it doesn’t disinfect your keyboard, so you might want to add Care Touch Cleaning Wipes, which have nearly 6,000 reviews on Amazon. Reviewers like that these wipes disinfect without leaving any residue.
6. THIS POWERFUL ROUTER FOR FASTER WI-FI You can have the best laptop, the best mouse, the best everything ... but if you don’t have a strong Wi-Fi connection, remote learning is going to be nearly impossible. We’ve tested more than our fair share of wireless routers and found the D-Link DIR-878 Wi-Fi Smart Router to be the best overall. It had the best performance at the longest range and is incredibly affordable compared to other routers — about $125. Plus, it’s super simple to set up so you can get online ASAP.
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7. THIS EXPERT-APPROVED LAPTOP STAND You’re likely going to be spending hours in front of your laptop, so you might as well make yourself as comfortable as possible. A laptop stand — which lifts and tilts your computer — can help with that. We like the Rain Design mStand the best because it holds your laptop securely in place at eye-level height (no neck straining) and an ergonomic angle (no wrist pain).
8. THIS ERASABLE CALENDAR TO STAY ORGANIZED
9. THESE BEST-SELLING NOTEBOOKS Studies have shown that handwriting your notes helps you retain the information better. So you’ll need a bunch of notebooks on hand for all those online lectures. Mead Spiral Notebooks are some of the most popular on Amazon with over 1,000 reviews. The college-ruled books come in a variety of colors so you can use one color per subject, and users like how durable and sturdy they are.
It can be hard to keep track of all of your assignments, classes and the like since you no longer have someone else making sure you show up. A calendar — like the Mommy Marvel Dry Erase Monthly Calendar Set — can help you manage your schedule. It comes in both monthly and weekly formats and has over 3,000 rave reviews because it’s easy to wipe off and has plenty of space for writing out all of your daily tasks.
10. THESE COLORFUL PENS You’ll need pens, too. I’m obsessed with Paper Mate InkJoy Gel Pens, as are over 1,000 Amazon shoppers. Available in a bevy of bright colors, they write smoother than any other pen I’ve ever used and don’t dry out quickly.
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11. THE TOP TABLET Even if you have a laptop, a tablet is a great secondary device to have, especially if you want to multi-task (i.e. log into class on your laptop while taking notes on your tablet). And the best tablet, in our opinion, is the Apple iPad 2019. It has a long battery life, gorgeous high-resolution display and access to the largest library of apps, media and more. Plus, it still has a headphone jack, which will come in handy if you don’t have wireless earbuds or your earbuds die and you have to resort to wired ones.
12. THIS PRINTER THAT CAN DO PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING All those worksheets and exams that your teacher usually hands out in person will now be delivered via the internet. So a printer is a must. We recommend a multi-function printer because they combine all the features you might want — regular printing, photo printing, scanning, etc. — into one compact device. Our top pick is the Epson WorkForce Pro WF4740 because it produces great quality prints, has an easy-to-navigate menu and was the least problem-causing (read: jams and smears) of all the printers we tried.
13. THIS MUST-HAVE FOR PLUGGING IN MULTIPLE DEVICES AT ONCE Why settle for one USB port when you could have four? That’s what you’ll get with the tiny but powerful Sabrent 4-Port USB Hub, which has over 28,000 glowing reviews on Amazon. People like that it’s super speedy and compact and that each port has its own power switch ,so you can turn them on and off individually. Now you’ll never have to choose between charging your phone or plugging in your flash drive.
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14. THIS DESK WITH THOUSANDS OF REVIEWS ON AMAZON If you don’t yet have a desk (or if you want to upgrade your current one), you might like the Amazon best-selling Coavas Simple Study Desk. With over 4,300 reviews, it’s praised for its sleek and simplistic design and its spacious desktop. Even better is the fact that the desk — which reviewers say is very sturdy — can be folded up when it’s not in use.
15. THIS GENIUS ACCESSORY TO KEEP YOUR DESK CLEAN To prevent ruining your desk, over 1,000 Amazon shoppers swear by the pretty Knodel Desk Pad, which acts as a protective cover. They rave that not only is it non-slip, waterproof and heat-resistant, but it’s easy to clean with just a swipe of a disinfectant wipe.
16. THIS BEST-SELLING SURGE PROTECTOR Printer, laptop, lamp, router ... the list of things you need to plug in to create your at-home “classroom” is incredibly long. You’ll want to use a surge protector like the AmazonBasics 6-Outlet strip to conserve energy and protect your electronics. Over 10,500 reviewers like that this AmazonBasics strip has a long power cord (so you can move it around) and that its six outlets hold plugs securely. People also say the surge protector lasts for a long time and is great quality, especially for its low price (about $13).
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THE BEST
standing desks OF 2020 By Courtney Campbell | Reviewed.com
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itting for at least eight hours a day can be really uncomfortable. But adding a standing desk to your workspace allows for more control and movement throughout the day. With claims of better focus and cardiovascular health, it’s no wonder more offices and homes are adding adjustable standing desks to their work area. We spent over a month sitting and standing to work on the best standing desks and converters available today. We found that the iMovR Lander Desk (available at iMovr for $1,274) aced our tests thanks to its easy build, intuitive design, weight capacity and bonus app. The base price is more expensive than other standing desks, so if that doesn’t suit your budget, there are plenty of other desks and converters we also liked.
BEST OVERALL IMOVR LANDER DESK (30” BY 59” WITH SOLID COLOR TOP) The best part about the iMovR Lander Desk is how easy it is to assemble. The guide is incredibly simple to follow, and no screws are required to build the actual desk — only clams and locks that snugly fit the legs into the base of the desk. It takes all of five minutes (with some help to flip the desk onto its legs) to set up, and the time it saves is worth it. The construction of the high-quality desk feels sturdy enough to last for years to come. It comes with a SteadyType keyboard tray, where you can adjust the angle of your keyboard and mouse. I find the slight tilt downward to be more comfortable, especially when combined with a monitor arm. The lift controller is the most intuitive work surface of all the standing desks because you can easily pull it up and down to change the height and lifting capacity. You can set preferred heights with the press of a button, and the desk will stop at those pre-programmed heights as you raise and lower it. However, I wish it’d go to your preset heights with a push of a button rather than lifting the control yourself. The Lander desk is also the only desk that allows you to set reminders to sit or stand. Plus, you can change the height and get more information on proper ergonomics from the app. The specific model we tested came with a monitor arm, a grommet with a plug and two USB ports. These features cost extra, but we think they make the experience better and more ergonomic. The grommet is convenient for plugging in devices when in the standing position and the monitor arm makes it easier to work at eye level without craning your neck to stare at a monitor or laptop screen. Accessories aside, the Lander is still our top choice for its easy assembly and intuitiveness.
THESE ARE THE BEST STANDING DESKS WE TESTED RANKED, IN ORDER: 1. iMovR Lander Desk 2. Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk 3. Uplift Bamboo Stand Up Desk 4. VariDesk Pro Plus Standing Desk 5. ApexDesk Elite Series Standing Desk 6. FlexiSpot M2B Standing Desk 7. Ready Desk 8. Stand Steady Standing Desk 9. Vivo Height Adjustable Standing Desk
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BEST CONVERTER, BEST VALUE VARIDESK PROPLUS 36 As a standing desk converter, the VariDesk Pro Plus is the best of the bunch. It comes out of the box completely set up, which means there are no additional pieces to screw in — unlike some of the other converters we tested. It has a high height range and a smooth transition between heights, so you won’t need to take everything off the desk to adjust it. My main gripe is that the higher the desk goes, the further the keyboard stand comes out. So if you’re taller, you need to make sure you have enough space behind you. Additionally, the way the VariDesk is set up requires you to use a keyboard along with a laptop or monitor — but this feels more comfortable anyway. It’s not perfect by any means, but at its lower price point (around $400), this is a good budget option for anyone who wants to try a standing workspace.
OTHER STANDING DESKS AND CONVERTERS WE TESTED FULLY JARVIS BAMBOO STANDING DESK • Pros: Quiet, sturdy construction, appealing design • Con: Fewer accessories available
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FLEXISPOT CLASSICRISER STANDING DESK CONVERTER M2B • Pros: Easy to adjust, quick-release keyboard tray, accommodates a variety of heights • Cons: Keyboard tray doesn’t come installed, difficult to move
UPLIFT V2 STANDING DESK (BAMBOO CURVED) APEXDESK ELITE SERIES 60” ELECTRIC HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE STANDING DESK • Pros: Spacious design, includes LED programmable controller • Cons: Hard to assemble, unattractive design, confusing instructions
• Pros: Smooth height transitions, beautiful wood finish, tons of accessories • Con: Difficult to assemble
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VIVO DESK-V000B 36” BLACK STANDING DESK RISER • Pros: None that we could find • Cons: Limited height range, low lifting capacity, difficult to assemble
READYDESK 2 STANDING DESK CONVERTER • Pros: Easy to assemble, attractive design, spacious • Cons: Flimsy construction, difficult to adjust
STAND STEADY X-ELITE PRO STANDING DESK CONVERTER • Pros: Comes assembled, affordable • Cons: Missing a keyboard tray, shaky when adjusting the height
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WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STANDING DESK AND A CONVERTER? With a full-sized standing desk, you’re able to raise and lower the entire desk to a sitting or standing position with electric legs and a lever. Converters, on the other hand, sit on top of a desk, converting it to standing desk. They’re cheaper than full-sized counterparts, but take up a bit of space on top of the desk and require more space behind the desk as they come forward when they rise. Converters also won’t completely flatten onto the desk, so you’ll have to adjust your space when in the sitting position.
WHAT IS THE BEST HEIGHT FOR A STANDING DESK? According to Jack Dennerlein, a professor who studies ergonomics at Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, there’s no proper posture, but rather what is comfortable for you. He recommends starting with the desk at elbow height and working from there to find what’s most comfortable. “That’s why I like standing desks, because they give people so much adjustability,” he said. PHOTOS JACKSON RUCKAR / REVIEWED
STANDING DURATION Standing desks do offer more control and variability, but Dennerlein doesn’t recommend standing all day. “I have a phrase: ‘If sitting is the new smoking, then we have to remember that standing is the old smoking,’” he said. “Professions where you stand all day have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than people who have a job where you sit.” Instead, he recommends switching from standing to sitting as often as is comfortable — the amount of time doesn’t matter as long as you’re moving throughout the day.
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COLUMN
International T R ACY B EC K E R M AN Tracy Beckerman has written her humor column, “Lost in Suburbia,” for GateHouse Media and Gannett since 2008. Her monthly column for ION is “Lost in Technology.” Follow her on Twitter @ TracyBeckerman
mom of mystery ‘H ow come I can’t see you?” asked my mom when she FaceTimed me. “There’s something wrong with my FaceTime video,” I said. “You can hear me, though, right?” “Yes, but I want to see you.” “We can Zoom,” I said. “Or Skype. Or do a Google Meet-up.” “I have no idea how to do any of that,” she said. I nodded to myself. It had taken us nearly a month to get my parents to FaceTime properly and even now, the results could be a little sketchy. More often than not, my folks would hold the camera up to the ceiling and talk AT the phone, so all I saw was the ceiling fan and sometimes, the inside of my dad’s nose. Other times, they would cover the camera with a finger so all I could see was a tiny corner of my mother’s face under a big, pink blob. If I was lucky enough to actually see them on video, they would somehow accidentally mute their phone so I couldn’t hear them. Then there would be times they had the phone connected to the car, and were not in the car, so they couldn’t hear me, but their steering wheel could.
Next we tried to set them up on Zoom so we could do family calls with my brothers. But somehow they couldn’t figure out the whole Zoom password thing and ended up in another Zoom meeting for people who love dachshunds. We tried Skype and we could see and hear them … but they were always upside down. At this point, I was ready to give up, but they wanted to at least FaceTime so they could point the phone at the TV when the remote wasn’t working and ask my husband, the family go-totech-guy, if he could look at it and fix it from 1,200 miles away. This time however, the issue was not my parents but me. I had done something with my settings so I couldn’t get my video to work and I couldn’t figure out how to fix it. Even my husband couldn’t figure it out, so I was left as a faceless, disembodied voice, which is kind of like talking on the actual phone. “Are you hiding something from me?” asked my mom. “Is there something you don’t want me to see? Did you dye your hair orange again?” “OK, first of all, I’m not hiding anything from you,” I said. “Also, I did not dye my hair orange. I was trying to dye it medium brown and it came out orange.”
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“Do you have poison ivy on your face and you don’t want us to see?” she asked. “I live in the city. How am I going to get poison ivy?” I said. Admittedly, she posed a valid question considering that when we lived in the suburbs, I would, somehow, get poison ivy nearly every summer, and it would, somehow, get on my face, and I would look like I was battling teenage acne at age 50. But I did not have poison ivy and I was not trying to hide anything from my mother. “Harvey,” my mother turned her head and yelled. “Tracy has poison ivy again.” “I do not have poison ivy. There is nothing wrong. My video isn’t working, that’s all.” “Hey Tray,” my dad’s face appeared on the screen next to my mother’s. “Did you get poison ivy again?” “NO! I do not have poison ivy,” I replied.
I saw my dad turn to my mother. “How come I can’t see her?” “She said her camera is broken.” “Why doesn’t she get Joel to fix it?” “I have no idea,” she replied. “HELLO!! I’M STILL HERE!” I yelled. “I can hear you. You can hear me. You just can’t see me!” “Is that because you don’t want us to see you got poison ivy again?” said my dad. I sighed. “Listen. There is nothing wrong with my face. My video isn’t working, that’s all. Tell you what, I’m going to take a selfie and email it to you so you can see that I don’t have poison ivy and I’m not hiding anything from you, OK?” “Don’t bother,” said my mother. “Why?” I asked. She shrugged. “My email isn’t working.”
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