Save your boxes of film negatives from near-certain destruction! The finest earbuds of the year! High-quality air filters at fire-sale prices! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Kodak Slide N Scan Digital Film Scanner

Scan your precious negatives and transparencies before it’s too late

This time of year—when it’s cold outside, and the Western world is mostly taking a break—is a natural one for a bit of quiet digital housekeeping.

Your columnist is probably not alone in having a huge number of pre-digital photographs moldering away in crates. There’s about 70 years’ worth of this stuff—from my parents’ 35-mm. Kodachrome transparencies from the early 1950s to my own monochrome and color negatives spanning from the mid-60s until digital photography took over.

There is a huge stash READ ON

Software that can synthesize your voice in the event that you lose it! A water fountain for your feline friends! The sleekest space heater around! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

Apple Personal Voice

If you ever lose your voice—God forbid—Apple has your back

When, as a technology writer, you are pitched some 50 products a day, you perform a necessary triage to select those worth writing about.

There are the new or improved things that you judge people will love integrating into their lives; there are the rather tedious solutions-in-search-of-a-problem that can be discarded unless they are amusingly silly; and then there are those rare and genius new products that will be of little use to most people but can be absolutely life-changing for some.

This software innovation from Apple falls into the third category—though most people reading this won’t have an immediate use for the technology, they’ll be delighted it exists if they ever need it. READ ON

The fridge that lets you see your food before opening the door! Sleep headphones that won’t weigh you down! A Leica you can actually afford! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The LG InstaView Refrigerator

A fridge that proves the kitchen is a place for magic, not mystery

The blank expanse of the refrigerator door has long been a piece of real estate that gadgeteers—especially in South Korea—have wanted to colonize.

Twenty years ago, your columnist was in Seoul being shown Korea-only prototypes of LG fridges with Web-connected screens in the door. The purpose of getting Internet on your refrigerator door was mostly to see online recipes without needing either a book or a computer in the kitchen. But before long, smartphones and iPads had become a practical way of following recipes while cooking. READ ON

An Apple Watch for the books (and manuals)! The simplest way to keep tabs on your canine and feline friends! A barometer from a simpler time! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Apple Watch Series 9

A timepiece that helps you stay organized—and centered

We were pretty impressed that the tech journalists’ guide for the new iPhone 15, as reviewed in the most recent Landing Gear, ran to 26 pages.

Imagine your columnist’s awe, then, to see that Apple’s official user guide for the new Apple Watch Series 9 is 398 pages long.

This might suggest chronic over-complication, yet the extraordinary range of things the watch can do is no reason to be intimidated. Like nearly all Apple products, the Series 9 watch works fantastically well straight out of the box READ ON

Diagnose your car troubles without a mechanic! The best iPhone yet? A printer that won’t have you running to buy replacement ink cartridges! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

THE CARLY AUTOMOTIVE SCANNER

Worried about a mechanic taking you for all you’re worth? Plug your car in before going to the garage

Modern cars rarely break down, but the richness and variety of seemingly symptomless warning lights and system alerts are deeply unsettling and can bring about full-on automotive hypochondria: How long has that light been on? What does that inscrutable icon mean?

For those wanting to treat their automotive anxiety, we bring you a German gadget, Carly, which was created after a tech-savvy inventor took his BMW 7 Series to the dealership and was told it needed a new, $8,000 gearbox—only to discover after a little research that all the car actually required was one $80 part. READ ON

Earbuds that sound money! Send the Canada geese back to Green Acres! The strongest screen protector around! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Status Audio Between 3ANC Earbuds

Earphones that put three speakers in each ear, at a fraction of the cost

You know how it is when you love a dish that is comfort food rather than haute cuisine, so much so that you would choose it for your last meal, Michelin Guide be damned?

So it is with the new Between 3ANC earbuds from Status Audio, a small headphone maker in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. To the extent that audiophiles—who are typically prissy older men in sandals and neat gray beards—know of Status Audio’s existence, they do not much approve of this start-up, founded by READ ON

Get a full medical workup through the soles of your feet! The stereo receiver that will take you back to the 70s! The lightest carry-on luggage you can buy! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Withings Body Scan Scale

A scale that will tell you much more than your weight, and perhaps more than you want to know

There’s a joke about an elderly lady who gets a phone call one evening. She answers it with “Hello.” A creepy man’s voice says, “I think you’re naked right now, and you want me to come over and do all the things you like to do in bed. We’re going to … ”

“Wait,” the woman interrupts. “All this you know from ‘Hello’?”

It may be a first for a review of a tech product to READ ON

The videoconferencing booth that will transport you to another dimension! An app to help you remain calm! Bring movie night on vacation! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Framery Contact VideoConferencing Booth

Neutralize background noise and distracting visuals on your Zoom calls

A new product from the Finnish maker of soundproof office pods, Framery, strikes your columnist as unlike anything seen before, and well worthy of being described as “paradigmatic”—perhaps the most overused term in technology reporting. Their Framery Contact video-call booth is mind-blowing. Almost disturbing.

We first reported on Framery at the end of last year, when they launched their soundproof, transparent, one-person work pod—then priced at $12,000—for those who wanted a quiet place to work within a noisy office or home.

Framery Contact is a closed-in cubicle for one person to hold a video meeting READ ON

The trick to brushing your teeth in 20 seconds flat! A pair of earbuds for the pen-and-paper set! The smartphone you can fix yourself! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Y-Brush NylonStart Sonic Electric Toothbrush

A whole-mouth toothbrush for those tired of doing it the old-fashioned way

It pays to be slightly skeptical of public-health advice. Sometimes, it’s merely a political expedient. British people, for example, were advised that eating extra carrots during World War II could improve their eyesight at night. It emerged later that this was part of a ruse to explain to the Nazis why Royal Air Force pilots had seemingly superhuman nighttime vision. What was actually helping Spitfire aces “see” was radar.

Other health advice has often been mistaken, oversimplified, or made up for commercial READ ON

At long last, a worthy iPhone alternative! A suitcase to tranquilize tykes in flight! A steamer-cum-iron that won’t do you dirty! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Nothing Phone (2)

If the iPhone is too common and the Galaxy is downright unconscionable, this wireless is for you.

Driving through what was then West Germany on family vacations in the 1960s, your columnist—funny kid—got into the habit of counting the number of Volkswagen (VW) Beetles on the autobahn. This was in the days when Mercedes and BMWs were still rare luxury vehicles, and Audis were chugging crates favored by pipe-smoking farmers who drove 20 m.p.h. in the middle of winding rural roads.

There’s no record of these car counts—I wasn’t that strange—but on a typical stretch of READ ON

A telescope that will cut through light pollution! A TikTok-approved neck fan! A mobile hot-spot router to keep your Wi-Fi connection humming! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Unistellar eVscope 2 Telescope

A telescope that will leave even city slickers with stars in their eyes

In the last Landing Gear column, we featured the Weber Lumin, an outdoor electric grill for urbanites to barbecue the evening away on an apartment balcony without smoking out the neighbors.

Continuing the summer-nights-in-the-city theme, this week we bring you an excellent digital telescope from a niche maker in Marseilles, France, called Unistellar. All their telescopes come with a new software package, Deep Dark Technology, that reduces light pollution, but we think Unistellar’s star attraction is their top model, the eVscope 2, with the optional Nikon eyepiece. READ ON

A barbecue grill for city folk! A pen that will have you feeling like a secret agent! The microphone to make your voice heard! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Weber Lumin Electric Grill

Living for the city shouldn’t mean living without a summer staple

Lighting a charcoal or propane grill on an apartment balcony is generally recognized as a safe and socially responsible activity by everyone apart from neighbors, fire departments, property managers, landlords, and co-op boards. The list will probably be missing a few potential objectors—such as the people you live with—when the burned fat, smoke, and carbon monoxide–laden fumes from the barbecue blow back into your apartment.

So, all in all, it’s fair to say that grills are typically for rural dwellers and suburbanites. But it READ ON

The finest point-and-shoot Leica available gets an upgrade! A Bang & Olufsen speaker that will move you to your core! See through the earbud marketing gimmicks—grab yourself a transparent pair! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Leica Q3

As if the Q2 weren’t good enough, Leica has released an even better model

As comfortable as we are round here with so-called brand-extension products, we can’t help but feel that, in recent years, the beyond-prestigious Leica camera company has taken them into the foothills of brand dilution.

While its $199-and-up Leica headphones and $11,000-plus watches are lovely, some of the lower-priced tchotchkes they offer, from $40 Leica key chains to $25 shopping bags, are less than great.

The thing is, Leica cameras, especially the top-of-the-range German-made models, are so peerless, such a sensuous delight to READ ON

A tennis ball that doubles as a speaker! One device to rule the whole family! The best way to keep your cool! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Hearth Display Family Management System

Say what you want about moms, but they keep the trains running on time

We all know generalization is the fast food of considered thought. But just as fast food can be rather satisfying—and nourishing enough— generalizations are often largely accurate.

So here goes: When it comes to technology and how it works in traditionally structured families, women’s priorities are different from men’s. That is, they are a lot more practical. For instance, after 30-plus years in technology, your columnist—while acknowledging he may have led a sheltered life—has yet to meet a single, straight READ ON

A humanitarian insect repellent! Our favorite earbuds yet! The fountain of youth turns out to be a very expensive laser! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Belfans Fly Repellent Fan

Say good-bye to that basket full of bug spray and citronella

The idea that if you flick a hand or something whippy in the general direction of a fly or wasp, it will think better of trying to land on you or your food is not the most complicated proposition. Yet the history of the flyswatter is richer than some might think.

Wikipedia tells us—pause to imagine who actually posts these entries—that a flyswatter “is frequently seen as an attribute of Hindu, Jain, Daoist and Buddhist deities,” while in eastern parts of the Indian subcontinent, READ ON

Tuck into ChatGPT! Listen up for the sweet sounds of Japan! Can you say domo arigato, Mr. Roboto? And more

By Jonathan Margolis

THE FINAL ZE8000 HEADPHONES

A set of Japanese cans that will take you back to the future

There’s a line in the first Back to the Future when Dr. Emmett Brown, from 1955, says to Marty McFly, from 1985, “No wonder this circuit failed. It says, ‘Made in Japan.’” Marty responds, “What do you mean, Doc? All the best stuff is made in Japan.”

And, surely, McFly is right. If you want something exceptional, from kitchen knives and cars to hi-fi, a Japanese manufacturer—and often a niche Japanese manufacturer—is likely to be your best choice.

Ten years ago, your columnist READ ON

One vinyl record to rule them all! A home generator to keep you juiced up! Headphones you can take on your next scuba expedition! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

MoFi Ultradisc One-Step Vinyl Records

The closest you can come to listening to a master recording

Under somewhat dubious circumstances, this writer recently bought what appeared to be an Emporio Armani suede-leather jacket. Unsurprisingly, given its cut-rate price, it turned out to be a knockoff.

Discovering it to be fake was a less than triumphant moment, but the jacket has been an unlikely success. Not only is it unusually warm and comfortable, but a succession of people, including a receptionist and a waitress at Soho House, have, unprompted, admired it.

When revealed to be a rip-off and not made of real leather, it was received with even more enthusiasm. “Vegan leather is so cool,” said your columnist’s 21-year-old stepdaughter. READ ON

The Leica of leaf removal! An operating-system update that will help you save face! A dongle that will up your headphone game! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

THE STIHL SHA56 SHREDDER VAC/BLOWER

Suck it up, then shred it, with this three-in-one tool

Fall may be a ways off (for readers in the northern hemisphere, at least), but this superb, cordless garden gadget is so worth having that you may want to buy it early.

Made by Stihl, a Leica-quality family firm in Germany, it’s a leaf blower that converts into a garden vacuum that will suck up your displaced leaves and assorted botanical crud, shred it, and then compress it all down to around one-tenth of its original volume.

Leaf blowers may well be the sound of READ ON

Whether you’re an e-bike believer or prefer to pedal it out the old-fashioned way, three start-ups are breathing new life into the Victorian-era invention

By Jonathan Margolis

Imagine you are an elite-level cyclist in a tight pack of competitors, seconds from the finish line. You feel you have the strength in your legs for one last push to win, but you need to shift up a gear to squeeze the last drop of power from your bicycle.

Slipping the bike’s complex mechanical gearing into a higher ratio, however, requires you to slow up for a fraction of a second and lose ground. Not only that, but the riders around you will hear the shift and may change gears themselves. Advantage lost.

But what if you were READ ON

A hard-hitting fitness tracker! A clock for book-lovers! The best tool for cleaning your shoes! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

THE CORNER BOXING-PERFORMANCE TRACKER

An at-home boxing trainer that takes intimidation out of the equation

The idea of boxing on your own is not one that might readily occur to the more restrained among us. There’s no obvious fitness benefit to hitting yourself repeatedly in the face, and a punching bag seems to be an ostentatiously macho, as well as bulky, piece of gym equipment, even when hidden away in a den.

But boxing solo, far from being a statement of violent intent, is widely regarded as a terrific exercise for heart health, weight loss, body strength, agility, stress reduction, and helping correct one of the least expected side effects of ill health and age: deteriorating balance. READ ON

A sundial for the stars! The bike light that’s visible from a mile away! Headphones that even the hard of hearing can appreciate! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

DAVID HARBER SUNDIALS

These stunning—but pricey—sundials prove that time is money

“I make sculptures which happen to tell the time,” says David Harber, a teddy bear–like former TV cameraman who found himself down on his luck a while ago, but has now lucked out making sundials for the rich and famous.

Hollywood stars and Silicon Valley titans are among those clamoring to own Harber’s re-creations of one of the oldest of technologies. They are hand-built and personalized in an ever expanding workshop in the English countryside near Oxford, where those amused by the weather might think making rain dials would be a more likely local industry. READ ON

A TV that people will want to steal! A vacuum cleaner that bites the dust (in a good way)! A V.R. experience to humble Meta! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Samsung Serif Television

Like the typeface it takes its name from, this TV is designed to be easy on the eyes

The physical form of the television has been problematic since the “fat to flat” evolution, as television-hardware geeks refer to the thinning of TVs over time.

Around the early 2010s, production of the last few CRT (cathode-ray tube) and rear-projection TVs ceased, and we had no idea where to put the large black rectangles that replaced them. To start, flat-screen TVs were a then miraculous three or so inches thick; now they are down to as little as 0.15 inches. READ ON

An impenetrable hard drive worthy of Bond! A speaker to ring in the Lunar New Year! The formula for a good night’s sleep! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Kingston IronKey Vault Privacy 80 Memory Drive

A self-respecting hard drive that will self-destruct in the wrong hands

The story behind Kingston Technology, the Fountain Valley, California–based maker of solid-state storage—the flash memory found in everything from computers to USB sticks to cameras—is wonderful and not widely known.

The company was started in 1987 by two Chinese immigrants to the U.S., one a former chef, the other an electronics engineer. Working from a garage, they had built and sold a modest I.T. company over five years and planned to go into real estate.

However, they lost almost all their READ ON

Work in private, in public! The most efficient turntable setup around! Cross your palm with silver! And more …

By Jonathan Margolis

The Framery One Office Pod

A veritable human fishbowl so peaceful you’ll want to sleep in it

About 25 years ago, when technology made working an office job from home just about possible, your columnist went to see a London financial trader who set up a home office in a barn next to his home in England’s West Country.

The tech was rudimentary but adequate, yet the trader soon realized he couldn’t be serious about work unless he dressed the part—and went through a ritual form of commuting. So at 6:00 every weekday morning, he would put on his suit, coat, and scarf and walk across a muddy yard to the office. READ ON