Anker’s portable backup battery is an even better investment now it’s nearly half off
Winter storms across the country are bringing heavy snow, rain, and — in some cases, as this Californian who briefly lost power a few days ago can attest — outages. If you want to prepare, Anker’s 521 PowerHouse can help keep your essential devices running and it’s on sale for $129.99 ($120 off) at Amazon. That is about $2 shy of its all-time low price, and the best price we’ve seen since Black Friday.
What’s impressive about the 256Wh power station is the range of devices it can handle. You can charge smaller electronics like phones, tablets, cameras, and laptops multiple times using its two USB-A ports and single USB-C port, but it also features two AC outlets and a car socket. That means it can power low-wattage appliances such as a mini fridge, portable fan or heater (on low), electric blanket, and other gear that draws up to 300 watts. You don’t need to worry it’ll die, either — Anker says the battery is designed to last up to 10 years and offers a five-year warranty.
There are a few thoughtful extras, too. Small and weighing about eight pounds — roughly the same as a gallon of water — it’s relatively easy to carry thanks to its integrated handle. Anker also includes a built-in display for checking remaining battery life at a glance, along with a car charging cable. And if you’re outdoors or dealing with an extended outage, you can even recharge it using compatible solar panels — though you’ll need to buy those separately.
Three more deals worth a look
- Google’s TV Streamer (4K) is once again on sale for $74.99 ($25 off) at Amazon and Target, which matches its best price to date. The streaming device is Google’s best yet, allowing you to stream in 4K with support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Beyond streaming, it also doubles as a smart home hub, with built-in Matter support and a Thread radio that lets you control compatible smart home devices directly through the TV screen. Read our review.
- The PlayStation 5 version of Silent Hill 2 is down to a record low price of $27.39 ($23 off) at Amazon. You can also buy it on Xbox and PC for $34.99 instead of $69.99 from Konami and Steam. The remake of the 2001 survival horror classic features a new design, new puzzles, a reworked combat system, and a range of quality-of-life improvements, making the experience feel even scarier than before. It’s an especially fitting time to return to the foggy town with the film adaptation of Silent Hill 2 set to arrive this January.
- The portable Garmin inReach Messenger has dropped to a new low of $165.50 ($135 off) at Amazon. The water-resistant satellite messenger lets you stay connected when you’re off the grid, allowing you to send and receive messages, share your location, get weather reports, and trigger interactive SOS alerts even without cellular service — though a satellite subscription is required. It also supports reverse charging via USB-C, so while it’s not meant to be used as a power bank you can technically top off your phone in an emergency.
The FCC has probably killed a plan to improve smart home security
The US Cyber Trust Mark Program, an Energy Star-style certification for smart home security, could be winding down less than a year after it launched. Safety testing company UL Solutions has announced that it is stepping down as the program's lead administrator, just a few months after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began investigating it over ties to China.
The Cyber Trust Mark Program hasn't been officially shut down yet, but the loss of its lead administrator leaves it in limbo. It wouldn't be the first security program the FCC axed this year. In November, the FCC rolled back cybersecurity regulations for telecom companies …
This smart garden turned my black thumb green
I can't grow anything. Multiple attempts to create a cottage garden, first in Idaho and now in South Carolina, have brought disappointment. Both are challenging climates, but where others have succeeded, I've been left with little more than a pile of cherry tomatoes for my vast efforts (those things are bulletproof).
I'd all but given up on the idea of ever successfully growing my own food - I can't even keep those pots of herbs you buy at the grocery store alive for more than a week - until I met the Gardyn Studio 2.
A smart indoor garden, the Gardyn Studio 2 is an automated growing platform that deploys AI to do what I failed to do: w …
The Canon EOS R6 Mark III is great, but this lens is amazing
Canon's new EOS R6 Mark III is an excellent camera. It's not a groundbreaking upgrade to the 3-year-old R6 Mark II, but it takes the same body with great ergonomics and adds more resolution, video that now goes up to 7K with open-gate filming, and improved autofocus performance. If you're in need of an impeccably good all-around camera for anything from wildlife photography to weddings and videography, you can't go wrong. It's an easy recommendation, especially if you already shoot Canon and are due for an upgrade. (But a used R6 Mark II is also very appealing if the higher $2,799.99 price is too lofty.)
But the lens Canon launched alongsid …
Free speech’s great leap backwards
In early December, Joshua Aaron, the developer behind the ICEBlock app - designed to let people alert others about the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents - filed a federal lawsuit alleging his First Amendment rights were violated. The Department of Justice had urged Apple to remove Aaron's app from its App Store, which the suit called unconstitutional. And Apple had complied - in the process, setting its own precedent for suppressing anti-ICE speech.
The year 2025 has marked perhaps the biggest leap back for American free speech in generations. The Trump administration's war on immigrants and civil liberties has le …
LG is announcing its own Frame-style TV at CES
In just the past couple years, the art TV category that's been dominated by Samsung's The Frame has seen growth, with additions from both TCL and Hisense. Now LG has announced its own entry, the LG Gallery TV. The TV will leverage the Gallery+ service that LG released earlier this year, which includes thousands of display visuals ranging from pieces of art to cinematic images to gaming scenes. Much like Samsung's Art Store, Gallery+ has a limited free option, but its full capability requires a subscription.
The new Gallery TV shouldn't be confused with the G Series OLED TVs, like the LG G5, even though the G Series used to be called the Gal …
GOG’s Steam-alternative PC game store is leaving CD Projekt, staying DRM-free
GOG is splitting from CD Projekt, the game company that launched the preservation-focused PC gaming marketplace in 2008. In an update on Monday, GOG announced that its cofounder, Michał Kiciński, has acquired the digital storefront and its online gaming platform GOG Galaxy from CD Projekt - which he also cofounded - for $25.2 million.
The acquisition isn't changing anything about GOG's mission to keep games DRM-free, according to the announcement that says it's "more central to GOG than ever:"
GOG has always been built on strong values and clear principles. When Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński first came up with the idea for GOG in 200 …
Turn your PC into a Super Nintendo with Epilogue’s new USB dock
After announcing and teasing its design well over a year ago, Epilogue's new SN Operator will finally be available for preorder starting tomorrow. Like the company's GB Operator that debuted in early 2021, the SN Operator is a standalone USB cartridge slot that lets you play and archive old Nintendo console games on PCs, Macs, or handhelds like the Steam Deck using their original carts. But where the GB Operator was built for Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and GBA games, the SN Operator instead supports any Super Nintendo and Super Famicom game.
Preorders for the SN Operator will open at 12PM ET on December 30th for $59.99. That's $10 more expen …
How to tweak your online platform algorithms
Love them or hate them, more than half of the world's population interacts with algorithmic recommendations in some way every day. Algorithmic recommendations play an integral role in how users discover new content across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. It can be nice to be fed a stream of fresh posts, pictures, and videos that are already tailored to our interests instead of manually hunting for content to engage with, but algorithms don't always show you what you actually want to see.
Many online platforms provide features that aim to help you fix this. The algorithms they deploy are, after all, designed to make y …
Beats’ new Powerbeats Fit earbuds are down to $180
It’s almost the new year and time to treat yourself to a new pair of earbuds — especially if one of your resolutions for 2026 is to work out more. If you find yourself reading this and nodding, take a look at the Beats Powerbeats Fit, a recent upgrade of Beats’ Fit Pro earbuds that feature a redesigned wing tip. They are now on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H for about $179.99, which is $20 off their usual $199.99 price and the lowest they’ve gone so far.
According to the company, the new tips have more flexibility in order to improve comfort while keeping the earbuds more securely anchored in your ears. While these mid-level earbuds still use the H1 chips (the Powerbeats Pro 2 and the AirPods Pro 3 are equipped with Apple’s newer H2 wireless chip), they have most of the features you’d look for, whether you’re using them with an iPhone (hands-free Siri access, Find My tracking, and syncing across Apple devices through iCloud) or an Android phone (one-touch pairing and location tracking through the Beats mobile app, along with customizable controls).
Beats Powerbeats Fit
A new version of the Fit Pro wireless earbuds, which are upgraded with a redesigned wing tip that Beats says is 20 percent more flexible, a smaller case, and other advantages.
Where to Buy:
In addition, they offer active noise cancellation, an IPX4 rating, and seven hours of playback (six hours with ANC turned on). Read our coverage.
Other great deals
- Our reviewer, Victoria Song, named the Pixel Watch 4 the Android watch to beat, and the 41mm model is currently discounted from $349.99 to $299.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and the Google Store, the lowest it’s been. The watch is definitely something to think about if you’re an Android user: it features stylish hardware and software designs, a bright display, and battery life that can go for at least a day and a half. And if you need to, you can replace the battery or screen yourself, which is something to consider if you like to keep your devices as long as possible. Read our review.
- On the other hand, if you’re in the Apple camp — and especially if you got a new iPad for the holidays — you can get yourself an Apple Pencil Pro for $94.97, down from $129.99, at Amazon. This is an improvement on the Pencil that comes with the iPad and offers pressure sensitivity, double-tap tool switching, gyroscope features, and a squeeze gesture for switching between software functions, just the thing for more sophisticated iPad use. Read our coverage.
- If you’re looking for a low-cost charger that will get your devices going again quickly, Woot is selling a value pack of the Otterbox 30W Premium Pro Fast Charge at $11.99 for two — a single one of these chargers has a suggested retail price of $34.95. Might as well get four, or even six — an extra charger is always useful.