Welcome to the Strategist, a site for helping you shop the internet. It is written by journalists (not robots) and is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Our goal first and foremost is to help you find the best version of whatever it is you are looking to buy, while introducing you to the stuff (a Japanese nail clipper that cuts with the precision of a Santoku knife, for instance) that you didn’t know you needed. We’ll test things ourselves; we’ll call up 40 interior designers to find the best-looking, most comfortable couch under $2,000; we’ll investigate how a certain coat from a certain retailer became a nationwide phenomenon; we’ll write odes to products that we’d happily do an infomercial for; and we’ll ask Anwar Hadid about his favorite hand soap. To give you a taste of what we do, here are some tech gadgets and electronics we’ve written about.
The Homely But Effective Machine That Puts Me to Sleep Every Night
Eight years and three apartments later, editor Alexis Swerdloff no longer needs this so-ugly-it’s-cute white-noise machine she bought to drown out the sounds of neighbors heard through thin walls, but she still uses it religiously because she’s “addicted to the lull.” Read more here.
This Cube-Shaped Timer Is the Only Thing That Helps Me Avoid Twitter
When managing editor Maxine Builder fell down a productivity wormhole of self-help books and internet-blocking extensions, nothing helped her regain focus and fight burnout like this plastic gadget. Read more here.
I Tried These Surprisingly Nice-Looking Audio Sunglasses
After testing these Bose sunglasses-slash-headphones, writer Karen Iorio Adelson determined they’d be perfect for both a harried New Yorker and someone on a beach vacation. Read more here.
Nobody — Nobody — Fails to React When Seeing This Light-up Charger for the First Time
Tech writer David Pogue knows a thing or two about impressive electronic gadgets, and he writes that no one fails to react to the “silent, slinky, sexy light show” that goes on in this animated USB charging cable. Read more here.
The Little Printer That Turns My Phone Photos Into Borderless Stickers
Senior writer Karen Iorio Adelson uses her HP Sprocket portable printer to print pictures of “my cat snoozing on the sofa, a homemade bowl of pasta, and nail art from my most recent manicure.” Read more here.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
