Top Products I’d Buy from CES 2026
▼ Summary
– This newsletter edition highlights interesting and practical products from CES 2024 that are likely to ship and be worth purchasing.
– The newsletter is now published simultaneously on The Verge’s website and via email for subscribers every Saturday.
– A featured section details transportation editor Andy Hawkins’s phone homescreen setup and his current interests, including biking and pre-code films.
– The article shares recommendations from its community, covering apps, gadgets, books, and media like the “Durrr ChatGPT” video.
– The author’s personal resolution is to replace phone scrolling with gaming, specifically praising Apple Arcade for its ad-free, purchase-free games.
The annual Consumer Electronics Show always reveals a wave of innovative gadgets, but finding the products that are both genuinely promising and worth your hard-earned cash is the real challenge. This year’s standout items are those with a clear path to market and a compelling value proposition, moving beyond mere concepts to tangible tools and entertainment. From personal transportation to home tech, these selections represent the practical future emerging from the show floor.
A significant portion of my future budget is now earmarked for an electric cargo bike, a decision heavily influenced by our transportation editor, Andy Hawkins. He’s a passionate advocate for ditching cars in favor of pedal-powered logistics. While he skipped Vegas this year, presumably because it’s a long bike ride, he shared his digital world with us.
Andy’s current iPhone setup features a mix of essential utilities and curated distractions. His homescreen is strategically organized: the top half holds folders for music, news, and navigation, while the bottom half is reserved for daily essentials like Instagram, Spotify, and Google Maps. He keeps his dock strictly for non-negotiable communication tools: Gmail, Messages, Telegram, and Chrome. This structured approach contrasts sharply with his wife’s philosophy of app chaos across multiple screens.
Beyond the apps, Andy shared his current favorites. He’s diving into Letterboxd for film reviews and pre-code Hollywood classics, appreciating the escape from typical online noise. Musically, Geese’s album “Getting Killed” is on heavy rotation. Most importantly, he emphasizes the simple joy of riding bikes with his kids, calling their weekly bike bus a definitive mood lifter in a complicated world.
Our community also shared their latest discoveries. Recommendations range from Claire North’s novel “Slow Gods” and nostalgic Retronauts podcasts to practical gear like the affordable and effective Pixel Buds 2a. Other highlights include a fascinating, if frustrating, deep dive into the ATSC 3.0 TV rollout, the Espro portable coffee maker for travelers, and a TikTok account called Old Music Friday that celebrates classic soul with infectious enthusiasm. One member even described using AI tools like ChatGPT and ElevenLabs to enhance solo role-playing games, crafting narrated stories from simple plot points.
Personally, my goal this year is to consciously shift my screen time from passive scrolling to active play. This means strict limits on social media and generous allowances for puzzle games and immersive titles. This experiment has led to a renewed appreciation for Apple Arcade. The subscription service removes the constant pressure of ads and microtransactions, allowing me to enjoy games like Asphalt 8 purely for fun again. It’s a small change that makes my leisure time feel substantially more rewarding.
(Source: The Verge)
