Our favorite 2025 streaming and smart home gadgets
Our favorite 2025 streaming and smart home gadgets
We played with a lot of stuff this year — these are the products that won us over!
I’m a nerd and a gadget lover, there’s no doubt about it. I’ve been into tech and general geekiness for as long as I can remember, and that means I’m always on the lookout for new gadgets and toys to play with. This year, I came across a variety of different products that I fell in love with — some more than others — and in turn, I’m sharing my joy so others can potentially geek out as much as I do and hopefully save a few bucks in the process.
From robot lawnmowers and lighting accessories to power stations and smart shades, there’s plenty of cool stuff that I fell in love with this year. Here’s a look at all of the products I think are definitely worth checking out this holiday season.
Check out our favorite gadgets
ANTHBOT Genie 3000
It’s no secret that the ANTHBOT Genie 3000 was my favorite thing this year. While it has nothing to do with streaming, it has everything to do with saving you time (and lots of it). Essentially a “yard Roomba”, a robot lawnmower takes care of mowing so you don’t have to, and it does it amazingly well. If you’ve been on the fence about picking one up, now’s your chance.
SmartWings Smart Roller Shades
A very close second to my Genie 3000 are the smart roller shades from SmartWings. These shades are true gamechangers for anyone with a smart home. Not only are they amazing shades on their own — offering a huge variety of styles, fabrics, and blackout options — but they are also automated and integrate with nearly any smart home protocol. You can easily install them in your media room and have them automatically go down when it’s time for movie night. I absolutely love these shades and will undoubtedly look to add more to other rooms down the road.
GreenPan Frost Ice Cream Maker
Growing up, we had one of those old-school ice cream makers that needed lots of ice and salt and was insanely loud for hours, churning out sub-par ice cream. For 2025, the GreenPan Frost Ice Cream Maker steps in and changes everything. While it’s a bit large and might not have a permanent place in my kitchen, it’s an amazing product that has truly amped up our movie nights. From ice cream to milkshakes and slushies, to margaritas, this machine has solidified its place among my favorite things this year.
Venustas Heated Jacket
It’s already plenty cold here in the Northeast, and that means the winter wear has come out, and I try not to go outside if I don’t have to. When I do, this year I turn to my heated jacket from Venustas to keep me nice and toasty. The jacket itself is super warm, but add in the fact that it is heated, and it’s a true game-changer. I actually haven’t had to turn it on much yet (but I’m sure I will soon,) but having the extra warmth a button push away will be very reassuring when I’m out and about this winter.
Roku Streaming Stick
I’m a Roku guy through and through, and while all of my current hardware is still trucking along, I was stoked to pick up the Roku Streaming Stick earlier this year. After testing it out, it found a permanent place in my travel bag as it’s great to have on hand in hotels, rentals, or anywhere else I want to stream without fuss. The best part is that it’s insanely small, and I can even leave the remote behind and just use the Roku app to control it, meaning one less thing to worry about when on the road.
Bluetti Apex 300 & B300K
I’ve been toying around with various portable power stations for years, keeping them on hand for any power outages or other emergencies. It wasn’t until this year that I went all-in and had an interlock and generator connection installed to my home panel so that I can keep my house juiced should the need arise. To power it, I have the Bluetti Apex 300 and a few B300K expandable batteries to accompany it. While it won’t keep me going forever, it does give me peace of mind that I can get by in an emergency. Pricey? Yes. But it’s one of those things I’ll definitely be happy to have when I need it. Shoutout to the Anker SOLIX FS3800 Plus, too.
Anker portable chargers
Streaming on the go takes a lot of juice and can often leave your phone or tablet dead in the water. Thankfully, Anker has a long line of portable chargers that are easy to pop in a bag or pocket and can keep you charged up no matter where you are. The Nano line offers some great options, like the 10,000mAh charger with a retractable cable or the Magsafe-ready, ultra-slim 5,000mAh charger.
Anker SOLIX Everfrost 2
A cooler that’s essentially a refrigerator on wheels? Sign me up. The Anker Everfrost 2 is a powerhouse of a cooler, featuring multiple internal batteries and capable of keeping your items cold or even frozen for days at a time. It’s totally integrated with the Anker app, so you can control it remotely, and it works way better than I had ever anticipated. I took this on a road trip this summer, and it was terrific just to leave everything in the car and never have to worry about getting more ice. You can easily recharge the removable battery or just keep it juiced with your car’s 12V port. If you take a lot of road trips or head off the grid often, this might be the best thing you’ll buy all year.
EcoFlow
Are your needs a bit more power hungry? If you frequently head off the grid or want to spice up your outdoor movie nights somewhere away from a power source, EcoFlow has some amazing portable power stations that can keep you going strong. With a huge range from pocket-sized portable chargers to full-fledged off-grid powerhouses, there’s not much you won’t find from EcoFlow. Whether you just want some extra power on hand for emergencies or you want to power your home away from home, EcoFlow has you covered.
Bring on the deals!
While these are all of my favorite things this year, there are certainly plenty more Black Friday deals on amazing products that you may soon love as well. Be sure to check out on ongoing Black Friday deals coverage and our Black Friday deals roundup for more.