Black Friday deals on some of The Verge’s favorite home gadgets

Whenever Verge staff is asked to describe their favorite games, smart tech, desktop accessories, or whatever, they are free to talk about things they recently bought, things they picked up 10 years ago, or things they’ve had sitting around their house for decades. Inevitably, though, some of the items have popped up in Black Friday sales. We thought we’d offer a curated list of a few of them.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, reviewer

Finding a board game that will entertain a 13-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy, my partner, and me is a challenge. We’ve cycled through all the classics as well as newer options — Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, Catan, and more. While these are all great, inevitably one of the group develops a passionate dislike for the game (usually after a few too many losses) and it drops off our rotation. However, Evolution: Oceans has been a constant crowd-pleaser for over six months now, and we all love it. 

Part of the Evolution series from NorthStar Game Studio, Oceans is a beautiful, complicated, compelling, and challenging strategy game. You create new species to fill your ocean and fight to develop them and keep them alive using adaptations and abilities such as schooling and speed, tentacles, and parasitic abilities. 

Cards give you your powers, and these are gorgeously illustrated, making this game a visual feast. It does have a fairly steep learning curve, but once you get going and the strategies unfold, the gameplay is smooth and relatively fast-paced. There is a fair amount of player-to-player interaction, so we’ve had a couple of temper tantrums, but nothing big enough to knock this one off our family’s top spot… at least not yet.

Victoria Song, senior reviewer

At my last apartment, I kept all my plants in the windowsill, and whenever we opened the window for some fresh air, we got fungus gnats. Fungus gnats love overwatered soil, so once you’ve gotten rid of them, you’ve got to be careful and diligent about your watering schedule. For that, I got myself a Gouevn soil moisture meter to teach myself how to properly water my plants. I’ve properly vanquished my fungus gnat issue, but with these two tools, I’m always prepared in case there’s ever another infestation.

Wes Davis, weekend editor

Most of the things I own are, frankly, just unreliable enough to be annoying. But I do love the Meross Smart Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener for HomeKit. And my love for it isn’t just about its rock-solid performance — it’s because, as far as I can tell, it’s compatible with almost any garage door opener on the market and across time itself. I don’t think that’s an exaggeration, either. The chunky mustard yellow all-metal box that cranks my garage door open — the Model 455 by Automatic Doorman — was made, by my loose estimation, sometime between the fall of Rome and 1975. 

But Meross’ adapter was $30 — and to my amazement, after a very simple installation, it worked and continues to do so almost every time I need it to. Best of all, I don’t have to carry the chunky remote with me on my bike when I leave because I can just talk into my Apple Watch when I return and coast right in. 

Sean Hollister, senior editor

The single fastest and most reliable device in my entire smart home… is whichever dumb-as-a-brick appliance I plug into this tiny box. Seriously, I’m pretty sure the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini is the only smart home device that’s never let me down. Whether it’s a string of Christmas lights, a garage freezer, a hot water recirculation pump, a humidifier, a bedside lamp, or a fan — all genuine examples from my home — I always know Alexa or Google or Siri or Home Assistant will flick that virtual switch in an instant and / or follow my programmed schedule.

Plus, I get some energy savings, too! My Brother printer used to draw 4W all day every day; now, I only spend 0.5–0.8W for the Smart Plug Mini it’s plugged into. I just wish TP-Link stopped making so many new versions so I could tell you which one to buy. I do know I’d have bought these energy-monitoring ones if I’d had a little more foresight. 

Jess Weatherbed, news writer

When the aesthetic hill you’ve chosen to die on is as gaudy as mine, the traditional red-and-green holiday string lights that get plonked on the tree each year are, frankly, not obnoxious enough. I’ve been using Twinkly Strings instead for the last few years, which are considerably more expensive but provide a great deal more creative freedom. These smart LED lights are fully customizable, enabling you to pick which colors work best for your decorative needs, and are compatible with Alexa and Google smart home setups.

In my flat, they stay out year-round. When not adorning a tree, I hook them to the ceiling of my office to use as ambient mood lighting, which I’ve programmed to turn on automatically at sundown each day. You can control most features via voice commands with Alexa, including switching the lights on or off and adjusting what color the lights are set to. The Twinkly companion app provides more control over color combinations and lighting patterns, but gamers can also integrate them with Razer Synapse if they want to match them with the RGB accessories in their PC setup.

Christopher Grant, group publisher, The Verge and Polygon

I was already out of love with my 2018 Nest Doorbell when Google raised the price of the video cloud storage subscription. That subscription, which was already unpalatable at $50 a year — it only captured “events” and not full 24/7 video, and even then only stored those events for 30 days — was going to increase by a whopping 60 percent. Raising prices this high without anything to show for it except a clumsy explanation of “inflation and tax increases,” despite the well-understood maxim that storage costs go down over time, was just the push I needed, so after spending some time on the Home Assistant forums, I settled on the Reolink Video Doorbell PoE camera. 

On sale for less than the cost of a single year of Google’s new subscription, the Reolink impresses with much better video quality, PoE support, so no batteries or Wi-Fi issues to worry about (though a Wi-Fi version is available if that works better for you), and support for local storage via an SD card (imagine!) or network support via the ONVIF standard. It integrates directly into Home Assistant, no Reolink account necessary, and is generally just a much better product. I wish I made the switch years ago. 

Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor

A couple of years ago, I realized that my mother’s memory was starting to get a little wonky and that she would need reminding about appointments, medication, and other things. The answer turned out to be Amazon’s Echo Show 8. I bought her one for the living room, and not only did it remind her to take her pills but also she could listen to music, see photos, and maybe even do an occasional face-to-face call. 

However, I soon realized that wasn’t enough. I needed to know that she could contact me in an emergency no matter where she was in her apartment, but she refused to wear one of those old-fashioned “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” alert system gadgets. We went back and forth — until finally, as luck would have it, her ancient clock radio (if you don’t know what a clock radio is, look it up under “old technology”) finally gave up the ghost, and I was able to get her an Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (which is, unfortunately, being phased out). My mother loved it — she could not only see what time it was but also ask what the weather was or play a favorite song, right from her bedroom. And I was happy because, between the Dot and the Show, she could yell, “Call Barbara” anywhere in the apartment — including the bathroom — and it would hear her. It was a win-win.

Allison Johnson, reviewer

I’m at the phone stand. I’m at the wallet. I’m at the combination phone stand and wallet. 

An accessory that does two jobs instead of one is the best kind of phone accessory in my book, like Moft’s phone stand and wallet. It sticks to the back of your phone, either by MagSafe or adhesive, and fits three of your most precious ID or payment cards. It’s pretty low-profile when it’s closed, but you unfold it origami-style when you need a card or want to use it as a stand. Magnets inside keep it open or closed, and it’s sturdy enough to prop your phone up either horizontally or vertically. 

You can also open it partway and put your hand through the loop to use it as a phone grip. That’s like, two and a half jobs out of one accessory, plus it looks nice. Not a bad deal.

Christopher Grant, group publisher, Polygon and The Verge

About 90 percent of our quarantine meals were made in an Instant Pot. There’s just no time to do anything anymore, and we can make large amounts of healthy food, with little attention, and have leftovers. I liked it before, but now I’m ready to build a shrine to it.  

Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor

We use a lot of garlic in my household, and traditional garlic presses never did it for us — they usually produced a messy, slushy paste. A friend of ours introduced us to the garlic rocker, which is not only fun to play with but produces beautifully minced pieces of garlic, perfect for sautéing and other uses.

Nathan Edwards, senior reviews editor

These are my current favorite switches. The Kailh Deep-Sea Silent Pro Islets are nearly identical to the fantastic switches in the HHKB Studio, just much less expensive. The Islets are silent linear switches, with an extra-long spring, so the actuation force curve is strongest right at the beginning and then smooth the rest of the way, giving them an almost Topre-like tactile sensation. (Pitchforks down; I said almost.) They’re an instant upgrade for any hot-swap keyboard that takes Cherry MX-compatible switches, and I’ve been using them as my daily drivers for about a year. There’s also a tactile version, which I don’t like as much. Sorry to the Kailh Whales.

Victoria Song, senior reviewer

I got the Insta360 Link webcam because I was tired of looking like a blurry potato on calls. This one is neat because it tracks your position, though sometimes it doesn’t always work the way it’s supposed to and my coworkers get to look at a close-up of my forehead. 

Antonio Di Benedetto, commerce writer

This adorable Elago W3 stand for my Apple Watch looks like an original Macintosh.

Adi Robertson, senior reporter

I spend the workday at my Vox laptop, a MacBook Pro, with a few accessories, including a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones that my colleague Chris Welch reviewed.

If you love your cat but also love your furniture, do yourself a favor and buy a few cardboard cat scratchers. My cat Olivia loves them way more than any fancy cat tree and has pretty much entirely stopped scratching our couch. We get several months’ use out of each one, especially as they are reversible. For extra cuteness, you can even splurge on one shaped like a skateboard.

Victoria Song, senior reviewer

In my youth, I forgot to pack plug adaptors for international trips one too many times. Buying them once you’ve landed in another country isn’t always easy, either. And if you’re like me, your relatives in rural Korea don’t always have more than one plug for your American devices — in which case, you’ll have to share with your six other cousins. Nope. Absolutely not. Which is why I never leave this country without a universal travel adaptor.

Basically, it’s six plug adaptors in one. Depending on which one you get, it might come with USB ports so you can charge multiple devices in one outlet. Granted, it’s bulkier than buying one or two specialized adaptor plugs, but if you’ve got a multi-continent itinerary, it’s a game changer. What I like about this one from Epicka is that it comes with a spare fuse in case things go sideways with voltage.

The only caveat is that, although it says “universal,” it’s technically only the four most common types of plugs. That’ll get you by in most countries, but it’s not a guarantee in places like Brazil, South Africa, or India. Even so, I’ll take this over price gouging at airport electronics shops or having to take time out of my schedule to visit a local hardware store.

Sarah Jeong, deputy features editor

Nobody wants to carry a power strip or an extension cord with them on their vacation. It’s probably unnecessary if you’re staying in relatively modern buildings and definitely unnecessary if you’re camping. But sometimes you want to stay in a charming historical hotel or a lovely cabin in the woods, and it’s only when you go to charge your devices at night that you realize that the only electrical socket in the bedroom is in the corner farthest away from the bed and there’s already two lamps plugged into it. 

Older buildings especially suffer from what I can only describe as loose socket syndrome, where those very convenient modern boxy socket extenders with five different USB and USB-C charging ports simply cannot stay in place and fall right out of the wall because they’re too heavy. After one (totally pleasant) vacation where I had to charge my phone, watch, AirPods, and laptop in a weird corner of my room with the plug-in charging hub propped up on a strategically balanced mountain of books and sham pillows, I bought this Anker combination extension cord / power strip. It’s not a full power strip — just a cube with a few sockets along with USB and USB-C charging ports at the end of a five-foot cable. I’ve brought it on a few trips since then. It takes up extra space in my suitcase but each time has left me feeling vindicated about the purchase. 

The three prongs at the end of the cable are static, rather than folding flat for easy packing. This is key because the loose sockets of older buildings reject the beautiful convenience of folding prongs. There are more than enough sockets for one person, and with some finagling (and maybe an extra charging brick), it can accommodate two people’s devices.

If you’re traveling overseas, don’t forget to purchase a different plug type for the region you’re going to or pack an adapter. 

Andrew J. Hawkins, transportation editor

If you’re like me and you like to bike most places, you’ll need a bag that’s both versatile and stylish. I recently came into possession of a bag that meets both these qualifications: the Alpha Pannier Backpack by Two Wheel Gear. It’s a backpack! It’s a pannier! It’s a laptop bag with a padded pocket for an external battery! This bag really checks a lot of boxes, and it’s easy on the eyes as well. The ability to convert to a pannier is really the clincher for me: unclip the backpack straps and tuck them away inside an interior flap. The top latch fits most rear bike racks. The ability to show up at your destination without the dreaded back sweat is really priceless. And if you’re diehard about biking in all weather conditions, the Alpha Pannier Backpack’s waterproof material will certainly impress. You can even attach your bike helmet using the various straps.

Victoria Song, senior reviewer

On sunny walks and runs, I’m not interested in getting flattened by wayward SUVs in my neighborhood — I need that situational awareness. Many open-ear headphones wrap around the top of the ear, and since I often wear glasses, that’s a lot to put on my poor ears. The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses kill two birds with one stone; they’re my go-to headphones these days. The audio quality is great, they protect my eyes from UV rays, and once in a while, I use them to snap a photo of a random bunny or stray cat. There’s a mic right by your nose bridge, so you sound pretty great on calls, too. Who doesn’t love a multitasking gadget? 

I love my Galaxy Buds 2 Pro; they’re the first wireless earbuds I’ve ever used, and they made the most sense for me, as I’m knee-deep in Samsung’s ecosystem. They fit comfortably inside my ears and their active noise cancellation works well — almost too well — at the gym or on an airplane.

Andrew Marino, senior audio producer 

The Shure MV7 USB has been our go-to microphone to send to remote guests for Verge podcasts. It’s a very flexible dynamic microphone for podcast interviews because of its sonic similarity to typical radio mics like Shure’s SM7b and has both a USB and XLR output for virtually any recording setup. 

Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor

Some years ago, my partner and I went to a tech trade show that was Florida-themed, so the large room was decorated with fake palm trees, hanging fish mobiles, and pink plastic flamingos — those straight-from-the-’50s ones. When the show was over and we were leaving, we found a bunch of the birds piled near the exit. One of the staffers who was cleaning up begged us to take as many as we wanted. They’d bought them for the show and had no idea what to do with them now.

We took home two of the pink flamingos and set them up in our tiny garden. They were meant to be a temporary joke, but those flamingos have been standing guard in front of our home ever since. It turned out that they are actually incredibly useful for guiding guests and delivery people to our house — all we have to do is tell them to “look for the pink flamingos.”

Nathan Edwards, senior reviews editor

My favorite iPhone case. It looks good for how durable it is, and the magnets that help it connect to Peak Design’s SlimLink accessories also make it MagSafe (and Qi2) compatible. That’s great for iPhones, but Peak Design also makes cases for Pixels and Samsung Galaxy phones, so you can use those 10W “MagSafe-compatible” Qi chargers and get most of the thrill of MagSafe / Qi2 without waiting for Qi2 phones to ship.

Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor

I have to admit that, for years, I’ve been protecting my phones with cheap, vaguely transparent soft plastic cases — the kind that turn yellow after a couple of years. I always found them pretty satisfactory, and the only time a dropped phone actually broke was when it landed display down on a gravel path. (No saving it at that point.)

So I smiled politely when a friend gave me a Dbrand case — with a special skin created in partnership with The Verge — as a gift for my Pixel 6. I thanked them and put it on my phone, sure that after a day or two I would simply replace it with its former case. Well, I was wrong. Having a sturdier case not only keeps the phone safer but also makes it better to use on a day-to-day basis. The textured sides make my phone a lot easier to grip and avoid even the possibility of drops, and the covers on the side buttons make them easier to find without looking. The patterned skin that came with the case was also great — especially considering the Pixel 6’s rather pale colors. 

I do have to admit that the pseudo-postapocalyptic naming conventions for Dbrand’s skins — Warzone, Acid, Abusement Park — strike me as a little, well, off-putting. But hey, to each their own. The cases are still great.

Disclosure: As mentioned above, The Verge recently collaborated with Dbrand on a series of skins and cases.

Brandon Widder, senior commerce editor

Yamazaki’s desk organizer isn’t a smartphone accessory, per se, but I’ve found it to be a more stylish resting spot for my phone than your run-of-the-mill Qi charging stand. The handy steel and wood desk organizer is great for stashing a pair of wireless earbuds and some stationery, and it’s outfitted with an arm that’s perfectly suited for holding a watch or two. The best part, however, is that the upper platform is situated farther back than the bottom tray, which means you can rest a small notebook or your phone upright, thus making it easy to glance at texts, calendar reminders, and other incoming notifications.

I’ve always been a fan of Yamazaki’s understated wares, which honestly, often look a little more expensive than they are. The Japanese company, which started out making ironing boards more than 100 years ago, has steadily built an impressive collection of minimalist goods spanning everything from shelves to bread baskets, much of which is available in either black or white. Sure, the subdued color palette might be a little too Ikea for some people, but there’s something to be said about keeping things simple.

Update, November 29th: Updated pricing/availability and added several new deals, including those for the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and Anker’s 321 Power Strip.