These are the smart home gadgets that impressed me at CES 2026
These are the smart home gadgets that impressed me at CES 2026

I picked Aqara’s Smart Lock U400 and Roborock’s Saros Rover robot vacuum as the overall best smart home gadgets from CES 2026, but there were gazillions of other great gadgets on the show floor. It was a banner year for smart home products, and the big trends I saw weren’t about new product categories; they […]

Amazfit’s Active 2 tracker and Blu-rays are this week’s best deals
Amazfit’s Active 2 tracker and Blu-rays are this week’s best deals

The start of the year is typically a great time to snag deals on health and fitness gear, including trackers and wireless earbuds, and this week was no exception. We found plenty on sale and highlighted the best picks below. Not all of the deals are related to New Year’s resolutions, though; there are also […]

I’ve never used a trackball, but Keychron’s Nape Pro looks like the perfect one
I’ve never used a trackball, but Keychron’s Nape Pro looks like the perfect one

Keychron announced new mechanical keyboards with marathon battery life at CES, but this trackball stole the spotlight. The Nape Pro is Keychron’s first trackball, and its slender frame means it can work on your desk in multiple ways. You can keep it to the right or left of a keyboard like a traditional trackball, or […]

What’s on your desk, Stevie Bonifield?
What’s on your desk, Stevie Bonifield?

Stevie Bonifield is a news writer here at The Verge and, they say, “I cover a little bit of just about everything, from the FCC to AI shopping tools to Linux.” Before joining our news team, they wrote weekend news for PC Gamer and did reviews, news, features, and guides for Laptop Mag, along with […]

The CES 2026 stuff I might actually buy
The CES 2026 stuff I might actually buy

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 111, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about gerrymandering and watch conventions and John […]

AI is coming for collectibles next
AI is coming for collectibles next

AI toys, companions, and robots have been everywhere at CES this year, but among the horde of waddling plushies and light-up emoji eyes, two stood out to me. HeyMates and Buddyo are each betting that the collectible figurine boom is going to come back with an AI-powered vengeance, letting us chat to sports stars and […]

This semi-secret Lego Smart Brick feature gives it even more potential
This semi-secret Lego Smart Brick feature gives it even more potential

We just gave the Lego Smart Brick our Best In Show award at CES 2026, and I wanted to stop by The Lego Group’s suite to get a last glimpse before I left Las Vegas. To my surprise, the company showed off one more feature I didn’t see during my first demo, perhaps the most […]

I can’t find the Trump phone at America’s largest tech show
I can’t find the Trump phone at America’s largest tech show

Where’s the Trump phone? We’re going to keep talking about it every week. We’ve reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump phone’s whereabouts. As usual, we’re still waiting for a response. In the meantime, it’s nowhere to be found at CES 2026. CES isn’t a big smartphone show, but there have been more […]

I’ve tested the latest Switch 2 controllers, and this one is the best
I’ve tested the latest Switch 2 controllers, and this one is the best

If you choose to get an extra controller for your Nintendo Switch 2, you can spend a lot — and get a lot in return. Buying Nintendo’s own $89 Switch 2 Pro Controller, for instance, will net you the console’s only wireless controller with a 3.5mm headphone jack for private listening, not to mention great-feeling […]

The first sets with Lego’s new Smart Brick are now available for preorder
The first sets with Lego’s new Smart Brick are now available for preorder

It may have been one of the smallest devices announced at CES 2026, but Lego’s new Smart Brick was also one of the most talked about debuts of the show. We’ve recognized it as the “Best in show” in our CES 2026 awards, and following the Smart Play system’s launch earlier this week, the first […]