Pop Culture

A Complete Guide to Fall's Best Gadgets

Upgrade your tech collection this fall with these digital essentials.

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Fall serves as a prelude to the holiday shopping season. All the major companies save their biggest announcements and product reveals for this time of year, feeding off the hype of the consumer market, while convincing hungry shoppers to spend top-dollar on its latest and greatest inventions. From portable essentials to home entertainment staples to outdoor necessities, the options always seem endless. So instead of scavenging the Net to discover the season’s hottest devices, let the experts narrow down the selection for you. Step up your tech game by referencing our Complete Guide to Fall’s Best Gadgets.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

Price: TBA

Surprising the Galaxy faithful, Samsung flexes its design pedigree by re-introducing its double-screen design with the Galaxy Note Edge. Highly similar to its flatter variant, the Galxy Note 4, this version sports a curved 5.6-inch YOUMOLED display that wraps around the device to allow for dual activity. While using the standard panel to engage with apps and messaging, the side screen lets you select from a series of app shortcuts, notifications, and its own relative controls. The QHD Super AMOLED Display promotes crisp imagery and coloring to make for a vibrant viewing experience. Samsung has also maintained its productivity tools like MultiWindow for multitasking on the go.

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Narrative Clip

Price: $230

The micro-portable camera eliminates the need for dipping into the pockets to pull out your mobile shooter by secretly snapping images every thirty seconds throughout the entire day. Yes, that’s close to 1,7000 images in a 24-hour time frame. It’s all accomplished through a 5MP BSI CMOS lens that captures 70-degree angles at fixed-focus ranges. So whether it’s spotting a celebrity in Soho or spying on a specific target, the Narrative Clip secretly records every moment.

Moto 360

Price: $250

The smartwatch that every tech purist has anticipated since its unveiling is now available. Round, shiny, and most importantly, functional, the gorgeously designed Moto 360 flaunts a sharp 1.56-display that is a window into the Android Wear OS—granting access to a series of mobile commands directly from the wrist. Google Voice dominates the experience by encouraging users to speak their commands, where as the software dishes out a variety of notifications across different programs (calendar, news, sports, social media, etc.). The accompanying wireless charging base adds to its swagger by transforming the device into an alarm clock.

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JBL Charge 2

Price: $150

As the weather gets chillier, it's time to bring the party inside. JBL’s portable compact stereo speaker packs enough sound to fill an entire room with audio, while doubling as a charger to juice up phones, tablets, or any other USB-enabled device. Dual drivers and twin passive bass radiators emit loud and effective noise that nearly rivals some of the more elite sound systems on the market. Though, it's in the new Social Mode where the excitement comes into play, placing control in the hands of up to three listeners who can stream their own playlists.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Price: $200 (16GB), $300 (64GB), $400 (128GB); $300 (16GB), $400 (64GB), and $500 (128GB)

We anticipated and speculated for months on end, and now, it has finally arrived. Bigger, dynamic, and more powerful—Apple is releasing the iPhone 6 in two different flavors, with the standard version featuring a 4.7-inch (1334 x 750) screen and the Plus boasting a 5.5-inch (1920 x 1080) screen. On top of launching with iOS 8, both models will carry enhanced internals such as the new A8 processor, which improves performance up to 20 percent and graphics by 50 percent. The upgraded design consists of anodized aluminum black and a stainless steel Apple in the rear to solidify its premium presence. Apple’s iSight camera has new sensors that promote “phase detection” autofocus to increase face detection, along with digital (iPhone 6) and optical (iPhone 6 Plus) image stabilization for sharper photos. Improved Wi-Fi and LTE, plus the latest Retina Display and NFC to support the new Apple Pay mobile payment system, round out the signature attributes.

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Sony PlayStation 4 Destiny Bundle

Price: $450

If there was ever a reason to pick up a PlayStation 4, here it is. Sony has put together this exclusive bundle, which includes a limited edition all-glacier PS4 console with 500GB and the biggest game of the year: Destiny. Owners gain access to a month of the PlayStation Plus service and receive the rare white DualShock 4 controller that’ll leave most PS fanboys in envy.

Philips Norelco Shaver 9700

Price: $345

Fall is 5 O’clock shadow season. Philips’ newest shaver helps maintain and shape-up your scruffage, as well as provide the closest shaves. The company’s patented SmartClean PRO technology cleans, dries, and lubricates the shaver to keep blades fresh for long-term use. An accompanying app is also set for release in the coming weeks, which will let users experiment with different beard types.

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Logitech Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard K480

Price: $50

Face facts: typing on smartphone or tablet sucks. Logitech’s three-in-one keyboard solution eases the suffering by connecting to all mobile devices for faster emailing and messaging. Dock your handset or slate onto the “trench” and get the keys crunching from there. The keyboard runs on 2 AAA batteries and supposedly offers battery life up to 2 years.

Sennheiser Urbanite

Price: $200

Bass purists seeking a more balanced sound stage should tune their ears to Sennheiser’s latest noise blasters. The Urbanite delivers crisper vocals and more open sound than the Beats Solo 2, doing so without compromising its deep resonance. Build quality is superb as well, with the headband featuring anodized-aluminum and waterproof textile wrapped around the headset. Availability comes in Black, Denim, Nation, Plum, and Sand.

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Zippo All-Terrain Grill

Price: $400

Now that the NFL openers are officially in the books, let the tailgating commence. Every parking lot party needs a steadfast barbecuer to feed the beer-chugging crowds. Zippo’s propane powered fryer serves up juicy charred burgers, chicken, and streaks with its dual-burner technology allowing for accurate cooking. Easily portable, the machine can be easily collapsed and be detached to accommodate tighter trunk space.

OnePlus One

Price: $300 (16GB) - $350 (64GB)

Meet the best-kept secret on the mobile scene. This Android-powered headset has taken a vast leap onto the market and continues to stir up buzz thanks to its affordable pricing and insanely powerful spec sheet. It's a 5.5-inch phablet that generates 440-pixels per inch and comes powered by a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, and 3,100 mAh—the internals alone are valued more than the actual cost of the phone. Budget-breakers rejoice!

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Apple Macbook Pro Retina (2014)

Price: $1,300 - $2,500

When it comes to laptops, you either go big at the moment or wait till next year’s model drops. The latest MacBook Pro is an investment worth making—bringing forth longer batter life, louder speakers, and free programs in the form of iLife and iWork. Upgrades in hardware bless the machine with superior performance, where as the latest Retina display produces entrancing visuals that put most HDTVs to shame.

Mophie Power Reserve

Price: $50

Even when sporting a backpack and sports jacket, it's a challenge carrying all these gadgets without compromising mobility. Mophie has a more portable solution for smartphone users who seek juice on the go. This 1,350mAh battery accommodates such needs by clipping onto key rings and delivering up to 50 percent more battery life. The built-in Lightening connector ensures iPhone vitality past 24 hours.

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Razer Kraken 7.1 Chroma Headset

Price: $100

Most of the major blockbuster games are set for release in the coming weeks. That means it’s time to upgrade your gaming headset. Razer equips its latest offering with 7.1-surround sound and signature Snyapse technology, which lets players personalize bass levels and balance incoming voice audio. The killer feature on the Chroma is its ability to produce a variety of different colorways on the headset, cycling through a spectrum of 16.8 million colors. It's compatible with the PS4, PC, Mac, and other gaming consoles.

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