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In this video, @paulantill shares the best tech he actually used throughout 2025. After a year of testing gadgets for work and for fun, these are the ones that stuck around, the ones that became part of his daily routine, and the gear that genuinely improved his workflow, home setup, and creative projects.
From smart glasses with a built-in teleprompter, the backyard griddle that made cooking fun again, to the lights that instantly transform any living room, this roundup covers the tech that made the biggest impact this year. If you’re curious about what’s worth buying, what held up over months of use, and what might fit into your own setup, check this out!
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All right, so I have tested a ton of gadgets this year, but these are the ones that stuck
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with me, the ones that I use the most, that make life a little bit easier, or just a little
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bit more fun. So let's get into it. So let me start things off with something that I use every day and looks completely
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normal at first glance. These are my glasses, the Even Realities G2
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I'm still getting used to it, but there is a lot of great tech built in. I get notifications, reminders, news, and navigation literally at a glance with a heads-up display from its built-in two LEDs
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The green retro text gives me major Fallout Pip-Boy vibes, and my favorite part is the built-in teleprompter, which I'm actually using right now for this entire video
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I can read my full scripts or refer to notes while talking naturally and looking around, and maintaining eye contact, which is something that's really hard to do with a fixed teleprompter
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and even lets me go off script like I'm doing right now
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It has voice recognition that keeps the script pacing and lets me improvise and picks up and I'm ready to resume
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I can do a bunch of other really cool things too, like navigation with turn-by-turn directions and translation
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but Conversate is another real big standout feature for me. It transcribes, summarizes, and can even fact-check my conversations in real time
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And it's like having subtitles and a secretary on screen all at the same time, which is pretty cool
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And in my experience so far, this is the only pair of smart glasses that I've tested that actually feel normal enough to replace my regular pair
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all while offering a bunch of other really cool features that I actually want to use
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And next up are my Govee smart lights. These are the easiest way to transform your living room and TV experience
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I began the kit with the TV backlight, which is powering everything right now
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keeping all the lights in sync with what's happening on screen. But if I'm being a little
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bit honest, I am addicted now. And most recently I have upgraded or expanded my kit to other lights
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including the up lighter floor lamp that you see over there. At first glance, it looks like a normal
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floor lamp, giving me this really nice, warm, calming downward lighting effect that allows me
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to keep these upward lights off because yuck ceiling lights But it also can give more of a wrap around effect especially with the up light the light that facing upwards giving us this northern lights effect here that I think is just so dang cool And it works really
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well whether I'm watching TV, movies, or playing games. And in my experience, they're a lot cheaper
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than the competition like Philips Hue. And now I am obsessed with these lights. And while we're by
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the TV, let me tell you about another way that I've recently elevated my home theater experience
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This is the Marshall Heston 60 soundbar, and it punches way above its weight class, delivering very clear cinematic audio
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And it has that same classic Marshall DNA with guitar amp-inspired styling with the woven texture over here and the gold trim and buttons that I really like
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In my experience, if you're looking for a good soundbar, they're usually either too big, too ugly, or too expensive
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but with the Heston 60, I think it strikes a really good balance without taking up too much space in my setup
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You have a 5.1 channel system that fits perfectly between the feet of my 65 inch Hisense TV
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something that I was really looking for. And when paired with the Heston sub
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I have more than enough volume and bass without taking over my entire living room
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And this has been a huge upgrade. And then turning around, I want to give a quick shout out to the Auk Mini Planter
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I do not have a green thumb, but this is a hands-off gardening solution at its finest
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I'm growing lettuce, parsley, and basil in it right now. And after adding the soil, seeds, and nutrients, and of course the water
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it's been pretty much hands-off and doing everything on its own. I can't believe just how fast everything has been growing
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And I just finished with my first harvest, adding basil and lettuce to my salad and pizza and it pairs really nicely with another gadget
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that I'm going to share in just a bit. But moving on to this side, this is a surprise pick for me
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This is the HP Sprocket Photo Booth and at first glance you're like, why do you have a photo booth
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in your house? But it's actually super cool because I am more likely to take photos throughout
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you know, just even mundane moments in my life, whether it's with my partner or cats
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and this has been a surprise hit, not just here at home, but also with friends because it's portable enough
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to take to events too. Now I never really been much of a cook but the Traeger Flat Rock 2 Zone makes cooking hibachi smash burgers fajitas all super easy and fun And cleanup is
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also super simple. You've got this bucket at the bottom here. You see that? And
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because of that I'm more likely to fire this thing up more than a grill and even
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use it to cook smaller meals since it's just so low effort. And there have been
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times that I still wish that I had a grill especially for that more charred
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taste, but this has definitely earned a permanent spot in my backyard and made cooking just so much
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more enjoyable. And then back inside the Echo Show 20 is large and great for staying in charge
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of life. It's quickly become my favorite smart home assistant and I basically use this as a
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giant whiteboard for keeping track of everything that's important to me. Recurring chores
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reminders, meetings, shopping lists, and all my other to-dos. I'm doing it all through Alexa now
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and the 20-inch display is perfect for wall mounting and being able to see everything that
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I need at a quick glance. I first tested this out with its new Alexa Plus update a few months ago
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and interactions now feel a lot more natural, which is another really big reason that I use it
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to keep my personal and my work life all organized. This is a reminder. Edit the social for the Sony
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A7B. And while I know a lot of people also are primarily getting this as a small fire TV
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I think this is also, and if you haven't seen the video already, one of the best digital photo frames that you can get right now. Now, if you've been watching my videos here on
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the channel for a while, you know that I review a ton of projectors, but the one that stuck around
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in my setup most is the MoGo 4 Pro by XKIMI. It's bright, has a great 360 degree sound, and
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some really cool lighting effects. But most importantly, this thing is super portable
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Every now and again, I will bring this over to my friend's backyard for a movie night. And one of
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the first times that we watched Superman on a massive 200-inch screen against his wall
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everyone was blown away. And when combined with this optional power bank, this thing lasts more
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than a full movie. In fact, it can last about two, even at max brightness. And even at home
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this has been a lot more versatile than a TV ever could. The really cool thing is that I can just
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easily resize and reposition the screen wherever I need and I use this all the
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time to get a screen right in front of me as I play drums and it great for following along with tutorials learning new techniques but speaking of drums check this out I been playing electronic drums for the past few years but I recently upgraded to the new Roland TD and it has been a big step up It has bigger more accurate
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sounding pads that feel like their acoustic counterparts, all without taking up that much
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space, which is especially important when you're an NYC apartment like I am. But despite it being
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bigger than my last kit, it's still relatively easy to fold up and move around when I need to
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The TV313 is still an investment, but Roland's quality and performance here make it worth it to
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me. And one of my favorite features as a self-taught drummer is the drum module, which has
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built-in training. And in just a few weeks, it has helped me already improve my speed
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my accuracy, and importantly, my technique. The exercises are easy to follow along with
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and I feel like I'm actually getting better each time I sit down and practice. So if you're also ready to upgrade your electronic kit, I definitely recommend checking this one out
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Last but not least, I am going to go completely off script and tell you why I love the DJI Mic 3 so much
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These are the best wireless mics that I've used in a long time
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I've actually been recording the entire video here. It's concealed under my shirt, and that's one of the big reasons I like them so much
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Check this out. This is the Mic 2, the Mic 3. It's basically half the size and half the weight
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You also have more built-in storage, a longer battery life. Just like the Wireless Mic 2s, these still pair instantly with the DJI Osmo Pocket 3
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Another feature I really love is the fact that everything now fits in this case really well
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including the 3.5mm cable. You can also store your windmuffs and all the additional accessories that I would normally
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forget with the DJI Wireless Mic 2. with all the other features and upgrades that it offers
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this is the best wireless mic system for content creators right now. So those are the gadgets that stood out to me this year
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that I use pretty much daily and that make life, if I'm being honest, a little bit more fun or easier
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or just start playing cool. I mean, I'm gonna be heading to CES in just a few weeks
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so I'm sure there'll be other eye-catching things that I'll find over there that may make their way into a future video
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but stay tuned for that. You can find us everywhere at Tom's Guide. You can follow me to see what other cool tech I'm reviewing
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and until the next one, I'll catch you later
#Computers & Electronics
#Consumer Electronics
#Home Improvement