The Best Gadgets of 2013

THE COUNTDOWN STARTs

10

Cambridge Audio Minx 200

Rarely do you come across a wireless speaker capable of handling both Airplay and Bluetooth, along with booming bass extension and stellar mid-range. Cambridge Audio’s sound blaster accomplishes it all and packs everything into a clean-designed enclosure that speaks to luxury home audio enthusiasts. The Minx Air 200 flaunts dual 2.25-inch BMR (Balanced Mode Radiator) drivers and a 6.5-inch sub, both mated with a class-D amp that cranks 200W of noise. Bump it at max volume and see if the cops don't come knockin' at the crib.

9

Trakdot Luggage Tracker

 Ever had your bags sent to the other side of the world or incompetently misplaced by an airline? Frequent flyers can breathe easy as the Trakdot serves as a LoJack for luggage—monitoring baggage through the use of cellular technology instead of GPS. The palm-sized tracker slips into any back pack or large suitcase and sends alerts via accompanying app, email, SMS, or company website. It even shoots notifications for when your bag hits the claim carousel. Insecure types might want to secretly hide these in the back of their chicks whips. Just sayin’.

8

 VIZIO M-Series 80-Inch Razor LED Smart TV

A visually stunning 80-inch HDTV priced lower than five grand seems inconceivable these days. Vizio chose to go against the grain, equipping its new M-Series Smart TV with premium features, 3D capability, and enhanced LED edge lighting all for $1,000 less. The set expands on Vizio’s Smart TV ecosystem by providing improvements such as prompt set-up and a full collection of popular multimedia apps: including Amazon Instant Video, Facebook, HuluPlus, Netfix, 3DGO!, and many more. Throw in its ultramodern design with sleek bezel frame, you're lookin at the best $5,000 a sports junkie could invest in at the moment.

7

Mophie iPhone 5 Juice Pack Plus

The reigning king of smartphone charging cases takes battery performance on the iPhone 5 to another level with the Juice Pack Plus. Supporting a 2100 mAh cell efficient enough to produce 120% extra vitality, Mophie’s new charger can generate up to 10 hours of LTE usage and nearly 50 hours of audio playback, securing Apple’s next-gen mobile in a stylishly durable jacket.

6

Microsoft Surface Pro

With desktops slowly dying out, the PC convertible market continues to grow vastly and Microsoft’s tablet/laptop hybrid is leading the brigade. The Surface Pro expands on the patented elements that made the R/T version a success, while integrating stronger specs and improved multi-touch technology into the mix. An Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge CPU with HD Graphics 4000 and 128GB SSD make room for ultrabook-like performance, plus the Pro’s innovative Touch Cover promotes accurate touch feedback that you won’t find on most competitors.

5

Apple iPod with Retina Display

Despite the lack of rear camera and memory capacity, Apple’s managed to improve its portable media player for the better by squeezing in a faster processor, enhanced FaceTime camera, and gorgeous 4-inch Retina Display into a lighter package. Apple also includes a pair of its signature EarPods headphones for good measure.

4

Samsung S9 Ultra HD 85-Inch TV

Sammy unveiled its 85-inch beast at CES 2013 and left the audience awestruck over its industrial design, phenomenal ultra hi-def picture quality, and yes, astronomical MSRP. The ginormous panel exhibits 4K technology, a new format billed to make your current HD TV look like grandpa’s hand me down, displaying 4,000 pixels wide across the entire screen to deliver the most refined viewing experience. It also boasts three-way 2.2 channels of 120-watt sound, quad-core processing, and gesture/voice control. Hope you saved that income tax towards a layaway.

3

Bowers and Wilkins Z2

B&W made a name for itself when introducing the world to its ultra-modern Zepplin Air sound dock. Now the luxury audio brand’s made the decision to go with a more compact form factor for its latest Airplay speaker, one bearing a seamlessly unobtrusive mold that sits beautifully in any private home setting and outputs implausibly rich sound. The sexy Z2 accomplishes both feats and more. One can only expect clear wireless audio and resonant bass levels to blast through the 20 watt-per-channel stereo amp and 3.5-inch full range drivers. This little beauty knows how to bring the noise in elegant fashion.

2

Samsung Galaxy S4

The most powerful phone ever built. The most feature-filled mobile of all time. Sammy’s next-gen Galaxy can lay claim to both titles. Powered by Qualcomm’s dominating 1.9GHz Snapdragon quad-core, the Galaxy S4 breezes through multimedia and multitasking duties with the device generating champion benchmarks that no Apple, HTC, or LG phone has yet to achieve thus far. You don’t have to revisit the commercials to know the GS4’s biggest selling point is its touch-free features like the Air Gesture and View options, though you’d be foolish to ignore some of the other notable specs like its vibrant 5-inch FHD Super Model display and Dual Camera mode. And with Jay-Z’s new Magna Carta Holy Grail album exclusively available for download to the first 1 million Galaxy users via app, all the more reason to use up that upgrade before the fourth of July.

1

Google Glass

Momentarily limited to the developer crowd, Google’s computing eyewear is slowly progressing into the game-changer we all imagined it would become upon launch. The Android-based smart glasses known as Google Glass pushes the boundaries of wearable technology by allowing owners to perform actions such as answer emails, take pictures, and translate text hands-free—all viewable on a micro-display. The steep price hasn’t stopped many from garnering interest in the hi-tech specs. Plus Google’s commitment to enhancing its mobile OS platform only shows Google Glass’ true potential as we head into the future.