Accessories

12 travel gadgets for your next trip

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Traveling is cathartic. There is no other thing that will give you as much perspective as seeing the world.

People travel for different reasons. Whether it be for leisure or work (or you know, you’re just running away from something *ehem*heartbreak*ehem*), a good trip will always leave you refreshed and looking forward to the next grand adventure.

From mountains to foreign cities and new beaches, you must always make sure you travel prepared! Be it a short road trip or an intercontinental flight, make sure you have all bases covered with top tech we’ve picked out for you to travel with.

Snap Spectacles

These sunnies are not just great-looking, they have built in 180-degree cameras that automatically upload footage to the Snapchat app on your phone. Hands-free, fuss-free, and fashionable, these shades are perfect for every summer beach trip or city escapade you have planned. Now your ex will see every fun adventure you’re having without him or her.

Native Union Tag Cable

This stylish and unassuming bag tag is actually your Lightning cord. No need to worry about packing those long pesky cords and bothering to untangle them. This luxury leather accessory comes in black and tan.

Zhiyun Smooth 3

This smartphone stabilizer will ensure you have flawless and fluid smartphone footage. This useful tech has 14 hours of running time and real-time charging through the gimbal itself. You may not be emotionally stable yet but at least your videos will be!

Clip-on smartphone lenses

If you can’t be bothered to lug around a DSLR on your trip, consider buying these clip on lenses for your smartphone. These compact accessories allow you to take your travel photos from a different point of view. We all need a different perspective in life — and in love — every now and then.

Insta360 Camera

Capture the whole view and even stream it on Facebook Live! The nifty device clips on to your smartphone and allows you to preview photos and videos via the Insta360 app. This means your overanalyzing brain will get to see every detail.

RJ Electronics Armadillo Speakers

These portable speakers come in four different colors and are dust- and waterproof. Perfect for any adventure, these handy things are unbreakable, unlike you.

Nilkin Car Charger

For road trips of any length, it’s always good to have this wireless car charger. Never worry about driving without Waze again!

Romoss UPower Travel Mate

This powerbank has a built-in plug which means you don’t have to bring an additional cord to charge it during the trip. Less cords, less fuss — you don’t need to be attached at all.

Xiaomi Selfie Stick with Bluetooth Remote Shutter Tripod Holder

Sometimes you have to do things by yourself — including travel photos. Make sure you get the the best possible shots even when you have no one to take your photos for you. You are a strong, independent person and you won’t need anyone again!

Sony FDR-X3000

Make sure you have photos and videos of (quite literally) everything you do with this action cam. Bungee jumping? Click away! Snorkeling? Sure! Don’t let anything stop you from making memories. This camera makes sure you’re getting action. ?

ASUS ZenBook 3

For those who can’t travel without a computer, the ASUS ZenBook 3 is the perfect trip companion for you. It’s super light and thin which means it’s so much easier to bring.

Travel Home Wall Charger USB Plug

Let’s be honest: Hotel room plugs are never enough to charge all these devices! This multi-port USB wall plug solves that problem. Now you have choices, and I’m not just talking about this plug.

These are just a few of my top travel gadget picks. What technology do you swear by while on the road? Let us know in the comments section below!

SEE ALSO: 24 Hours in Barcelona with the Huawei P10

[irp posts=”3138″ name=”How the Agoda app makes traveling abroad easier”]

Accessories

OBSBOT Meet Flip Hands-on

It’s tinier and folds this time

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Phones flip and fold. Now webcams do too.

Foldable screens have found their way into phones, tablets, and laptops in recent years. Now, OBSBOT is taking that idea in a considerably smaller direction: the webcam.

OBSBOT Meet Flip

The OBSBOT Meet Flip is the company’s first foldable 4K webcam packing:

  • 1/2-inch stacked CMOS sensor
  • intelligent audio
  • a collection of AI-powered meeting tools

All of these inside a body weighing just 37.7 grams.

A fold that does something, not just a gimmick

The OBSBOT Meet Flip isn’t foldable just to make it easier to throw into a bag.

Closing the webcam physically blocks the lens and puts the device into sleep mode. Open it when you want to be seen, flip it shut when you don’t.

A physical privacy cover isn’t novel in itself. What’s clever here is how it’s part of the folding design.

As someone with a love-hate relationship with data privacy, I almost always keep some physical barrier over my laptop webcam. And if I can avoid having a webcam there entirely, even better.

Serious camera hardware in a pocket-sized webcam

Despite its size, OBSBOT hasn’t treated the Meet Flip like a basic laptop-camera replacement.

Inside is a 1/2-inch Exmor RS stacked CMOS sensor with Quad Bayer technology, capable of recording 4K UHD at 30 fps or 1080p at 60 fps. It also packs an f/1.8 aperture, HDR, PDAF autofocus, ISO 100–6400, and up to 4x digital zoom.

At its core is a 1/2-inch Exmor RS stacked CMOS sensor with Quad Bayer technology.

It can record:

  • 4K UHD at 30fps
  • 1080p at 60fps

You also get:

  • f/1.8 aperture
  • HDR
  • PDAF autofocus
  • ISO 100–6400
  • up to 4x digital zoom

On paper, that gives the Meet Flip a better shot at handling the situations built-in laptop webcams often struggle with: dim rooms, harsh backlighting, changing lighting conditions, or simply moving around in front of the camera.

HDR helps keep faces visible against bright backgrounds, while PDAF autofocus continuously adjusts focus as you move closer to or farther from the lens.

The wider f/1.8 aperture should also help in less-than-ideal lighting.

The point is that once the Meet Flip is set up, you shouldn’t have to spend much time thinking about the camera itself.

It listens differently depending on the room setup

The Meet Flip also uses an intelligent dual-microphone system combining omnidirectional and directional microphones.

Instead of relying on one pickup pattern for every situation, it offers four audio modes for different setups:

Directional Mode focuses on sound coming from the front, making it the obvious choice for solo calls.

Dual-Directional Mode listens to both the front and rear of the webcam, which could be useful for interviews or conversations between two people sitting across from each other.

Conference Meeting

Smart Omni Mode is designed for group meetings, picking up voices from around the room.

And Pure Audio Mode provides unprocessed left and right stereo channels for users who would rather handle the audio themselves in post-production.

Auto Gain and AI Noise Reduction also work across the first three modes, helping clean up audio without requiring much manual adjustment.

It gives the Meet Flip more flexibility than a typical webcam microphone, especially if you regularly switch between solo calls, interviews, and group meetings.

AI that doesn’t intrude

AI has become an almost obligatory addition to new hardware in 2026, but several of the Meet Flip’s features put it to work on real-world meeting annoyances.

AI Auto Framing keeps you in frame, with options for:

  • Group
  • Single Close-up
  • Upper Body
  • Full Body

Gesture controls can also toggle Auto Framing or adjust the zoom without reaching for a keyboard or mouse.

OBSBOT Meet Flip

More interesting is AI Magic Notes.

Through OBSBOT Center, it provides real-time transcription and can automatically generate meeting summaries with key points, decisions, and action items. It works across Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.

Although AI Magic Notes is offered as a subscription service, every Meet Flip includes 120 complimentary minutes to get started.

MORE with OBSBOT Center & OBSBOT Live

There are plenty of other software features as well. OBSBOT Center includes:

  • Background Blur and Background Replacement
  • Real-Time Beauty Mode
  • Picture-in-Picture overlays
  • Smart Eye Tracking
  • Teleprompter support
  • Detailed image adjustments

The Meet Flip isn’t limited to laptops or desktops either. Through OBSBOT Live, it can connect directly to smartphones and tablets over USB-C for mobile streaming and content creation.

Flip it open. Fold it away.

None of those features reinvent the webcam on their own.

Taken together, though, they make the Meet Flip a more thoughtful take on a piece of hardware whose basic design and features have barely changed.

The flip may grab your attention first, but it’s how OBSBOT uses that design alongside its camera, audio, and software features that makes the Meet Flip interesting.

The OBSBOT Meet Flip is now available at US$ 119 and is currently available through OBSBOT’s official store, Amazon US, and select retailers.

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Accessories

England, Wales start banning Meta Glasses

The smart glasses are now banned in courtrooms.

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Earlier this year, New York became the first state to issue a blanket ban against smart glasses in courtrooms. The new regulation marks one of the first public spaces to prevent the contentious devices. Now, England and Wales are following suit in their courtrooms by banning Meta glasses inside.

As reported by The Guardian, courtrooms in both countries will confiscate Meta Glasses from those taking them into the building. Owners can retrieve them again upon exit.

Like the decision in New York, the English and Welsh bans are simple enough to follow. As it is everywhere, it’s forbidden to record video inside courtrooms in England and Wales. Because Meta Glasses have cameras (and are primarily used for their video capturing capabilities), they fall under prohibited items.

Notably, smartphones are not included on this list, despite having sizable cameras themselves. Although, to be fair, it’s much more difficult to discreetly record video using a smartphone. Smart glasses pride themselves with the ability to take videos seamlessly.

Meta Glasses are having such a moment today. Though some users, especially creators, are excited for them, a significant chunk of the population is concerned over their ability to take videos without subjects knowing they’re being recorded. Some users have even found ways to disable the built-in LED indicators which should, in theory, warn the public that the glasses are recording. It’s since turned into a privacy nightmare.

SEE ALSO: New York becomes first state to ban smart glasses

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Accessories

Spotlight: MemoMind One

How “smart” are AI glasses without cameras in it?

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What if smart glasses could make you more present instead of recording everything around you? Check out MemoMind or back it up on Kickstarter.

After spending time with the MemoMind One around New York City, THE Michael Josh wanted to answer one question: Do smart glasses actually become more useful when they stop trying to be a camera?

In this video, we take a look at the MemoMind One — a new pair of AI-powered smart glasses that take a very different approach.

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