GADGET GRABBERS The high-tech crowd can hear it, see it, map it, drink it and (whee!) take it for a ride
Custom wine subscription
After a quick quiz on your taste profile, this Playa Vista startup serves up a mix of wines from around the world (with a focus on California) algorithmically adjusted to your preferences. Pick four bottles from their affordable range ($13-$46, with more options on the lower end) of distributed and in-house vintages, which skew unique and low-intervention, and they’ll show up on your doorstep within days. winc.com
Get charged
Never get stuck paying for an unwanted Starbucks doughnut just to charge your phone again — the Jackery Bolt 6000 lightweight charger bar has enough juice to charge a large smartphone twice and has built-in Micro-USB and Lightning cables so you can leave your charging cable at home. (If you need to charge a whole laptop on the go, you can upgrade to the Jackery PowerBar, $129). $29.99. jackery.com
Tiny, but powerful
The tiny Anker Nebula Capsule portable projector is just the size of a soda can, but with its wi-fi connectivity, four-hour charge and surprisingly solid speaker, it can provide a full home theater experience in an entirely empty room. The projector itself can run Android apps like Netflix or Hulu, so you don’t need to plug anything in to get movie night started. Its small size means that it packs only 100 lumens, but that’s plenty for nighttime viewing. $349. amazon.com
Utility player
The new generation of affordable laptops that use Google’s Chrome web browser as an operating system have put powerful portable computing within reach of buyers with tighter budgets — and this ASUS Chromebook Flip C302CA is the cream of the crop, with 4 GB of RAM, a 64-GB solid-state drive, and a 12.5-inch touch screen that can swivel around for use as a tablet. $475. amazon.com
Bluetooth adapter for your car
Spruce up your commute without messing around with wires with this reliable Bluetooth adapter from iClever — just plug it into your car’s aux-in jack, and your phone can automatically pair with the receiver to stream your favorite playlists. It also has a built-in microphone, so you can take calls hands-free while you’re on the road. And if your car doesn’t have an aux port, try the GoGroove FlexSmart X2, which connects your phone via FM radio. $29.99. amazon.com
Wireless headphones
Packed with four microphones, snug earbuds, and a five-hour battery life, the Jabra Elite 65t wireless earbuds offer high sound quality and a comfortable fit without any wires to complicate your experience. And if you want to let a bit of the outside world in, just double tap for transparency mode and the headphones will pipe in audio from your surroundings. $170. amazon.com