Hiya as soon as once more, and welcome again to Quick Firm’s Plugged In.
I didn’t purchase a brand new cellphone this 12 months. Or a brand new laptop computer, pill, or smartwatch. That hasn’t been a hardship. I’ve simply been completely content material with the gear I already personal—each a satisfying feeling and a boon to my pocketbook.
As a substitute of being splashy funds busters, the brand new merchandise that made me happiest in 2025 have been comparatively cheap gadgets that deliver intelligent twists to seemingly mundane classes. This week, I’m going to inform you about three I’ve discovered particularly rewarding. (I’m citing their listing costs, however—this being Black Friday week—all are extensively accessible at steep reductions as I write this.)
The mom of all energy banks. Many of the innumerable exterior batteries I’ve owned have been totally unmemorable. Not Anker’s $119 Laptop computer Energy Financial institution, a current present from my spouse, who purchased it off TikTok.
As its identify signifies, the Laptop computer Energy Financial institution’s huge 25,000mAh capability is sufficient to cost a pc. It might probably additionally deal with a pill, reminiscent of my iPad Professional. Or a smartphone. Or different devices reminiscent of a digital digicam. Or how about all of them on the identical time?
Even if you happen to do cost 4 gadgets directly, you gained’t must lug 4 USB cables. Together with two ports—one USB-C, one full-size USB-A—the Anker has a built-in cable that retracts into its case, and one other that doubles as a wrist strap. Most energy banks use LEDs to present you, at greatest, a imprecise sense of how a lot juice is left; this one has a elaborate colour show with a gauge that signifies exactly how a lot energy stays, a battery well being indicator, and different helpful stats.
Now the Laptop computer Energy Financial institution is decidedly chonky—extra of a briefcase or backpack accent than one thing you’d slip in a pocket. If all you’re trying to do is often prime off your cellphone, it’s far more battery than you want. However by offering sufficient energy to final by the busiest of workdays, it’s liberated me from attempting to find wall retailers at conferences and working my fingers alongside the undersides of airplane seats in hopes of discovering an influence jack there. I get just a little thrill each time I exploit it.
The most effective smartphone pockets I’ve owned. I used to hold a pockets so hopelessly overstuffed that George Costanza himself may need pointed and laughed. That was till I managed to downsize to a type of magnetic wallets that persist with the again of a cellphone. I carry my driver’s license, one bank card, an ATM card, the badge that will get me into my workplace constructing, and possibly a $20 invoice or two, and that’s about it. It’s the one place in my life the place I really feel like a preternaturally organized particular person.
However I haven’t been wild about many of the cellphone wallets I’ve used. Some have been too tight: Solely two to a few playing cards slot in, and so they have been virtually unimaginable to extract. Others have been too free, so playing cards went flying every time I dropped my cellphone. And so they have been all product of leather-based that tended to finish up wanting battered and disreputable.
Peak Design’s $50 Cellular Pockets is in contrast to another cellphone pockets I’ve tried—and far, significantly better. Made from sturdy material, it handles as many playing cards as I ever carry, and protects them from unintended exits with a magnetic flap. Most ingeniously, tugging on the flap causes the playing cards to journey barely out of the pockets, the place it’s straightforward to pluck the one I need. It’s like having it delivered by a butler.
The Cellular Pockets pairs with Peak’s On a regular basis Case, which additionally sells for about $50 and is equally price it. Wrapped in an analogous fabric-y materials, it’s straightforward to get on and off my iPhone and stays in mint situation after months of use. The case options Peak’s SlimLink, a mounting expertise that secures the case to a wide range of equipment—together with a mount I put in on my e-bike to let my iPhone double as a GoPro-style motion digicam.
A e book mild I really use. Early this 12 months, I pledged to learn extra dead-tree books—particularly those piled in a Jenga-like stack on my nightstand. I’m nonetheless behind, partially as a result of I prefer to learn in mattress after my spouse has dozed off. Ink and paper don’t combine effectively with utter darkness.
This drawback was theoretically solved a long time in the past by tiny clip-on e book lights. However they’ve at all times struck me as plasticky, fragile, and inelegant. The truth that they use AAA batteries doesn’t make them any extra interesting.
Not way back, nonetheless, a brand new technology of snakelike, USB-C-rechargable e book lights got here to my consideration. As a substitute of clipping one onto a tome, you drape it round your neck, then bend it to direct beams of sunshine from each ends on the pages you’re studying. The one I purchased, Kikkerland’s Fingers-Free E-book Mild, lists for $35. Different choices exist, together with ones from an organization referred to as Glocusent.
If there’s a draw back to sporting a e book mild twisted round your neck, it’s that it appears to be like fairly goofy, as my spouse has helpfully identified a number of instances. However she’s the one one that’s seen me utilizing mine. Did I point out that she’s often asleep when I’ve it on?
You’ve been studying Plugged In, Quick Firm’s weekly tech publication from me, international expertise editor Harry McCracken. If a pal or colleague forwarded this version to you—or if you happen to’re studying it on fastcompany.com—you may take a look at earlier points and signal as much as get it your self each Friday morning. I really like listening to from you: Ping me at hmccracken@fastcompany.com along with your suggestions and concepts for future newsletters. I’m additionally on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads, and you’ll comply with Plugged In on Flipboard.
[A note on last week’s newsletter, which discussed my experiences with Google’s Gemini 3 Pro LLM: A couple of the issues I cited involved the earlier Gemini 2.5 Flash model, which still powers the Gemini chatbot’s Fast mode. I’ve updated the version of the newsletter on FastCompany.com to clarify this.]
Extra prime tech tales from Quick Firm
Contained in the Trump administration’s dicey play to dam states from regulating AI
The controversial state-level preemption may very well be Trump’s cost to the tech business for serving to deliver him again to energy in 2024. Learn Extra →
It’s not your job. Your social media feed is ruining your workday
New analysis suggests your feed could also be shaping your temper, productiveness, and interactions at work excess of you understand. Learn Extra →
Jeffrey Epstein’s emails, now in a searchable, Gmail-style interface
‘You might be logged in as Jeffrey Epstein, jeevacation@gmail.com.’ Learn Extra →
This mission is utilizing AI and satellite tv for pc knowledge to create the primary definitive map of the complete continent of Africa
Most African nations lack correct native base maps, stalling all kinds of presidency and enterprise selections. A brand new mission goals to create this important useful resource. Learn Extra →
With new Opus 4.5 mannequin, Anthropic’s Claude may stay the very best AI coding instrument
Claude Code is already extensively utilized by builders—and with a brand new mind, it might fend off Google’s new Antigravity instrument. Learn Extra →
How you can introduce AI to a skeptical office
For AI to offer the advantages that it will probably deliver, you want your entire crew’s buy-in. Learn Extra →
