I recently went through another batch of tech gear ahead of Amazon Prime Day and thought it would be worth sharing what I found, especially since there’s a bit of something for everyone in this haul. Everything I looked at is linked individually via the compensated affiliate links below, and none of this is sponsored or pre-approved—just me sharing what came in.
You can see all of the items on Amazon here and watch the video here!
The first item up was a wall plug security camera disguised as a USB charger. It’s a functional charger with an SD card slot that records video locally. It can run continuously or on motion detection.
The camera’s field of view is limited, especially given that outlets are usually low to the ground, so it mostly captures feet and torsos unless it’s installed higher up. There’s no night vision, and the included 32GB card only stores a few hours of footage, but it does work as described.
Next was a compact travel dock from Lenovo. It’s lightweight and sturdy with enough ports for most travel needs: 10Gbps USB-A and USB-C ports, HDMI out, full-size and microSD card readers. It can pass through up to 65 watts of power, which is fine for lighter laptops but might fall short on high-demand systems.
If you’re after something more robust, I looked at Anker’s Thunderbolt 5 dock. It’s compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C as well, though the extra bandwidth from Thunderbolt 5 is where it really shines. It offers a good mix of ports, can power a MacBook Pro with up to 140 watts, and includes 2.5 gigabit Ethernet. However, I found Ethernet speeds to be inconsistent, particularly on the downstream side. It might be a driver issue, but the upstream speeds were fine. It also includes a power button that controls both lighting and power, so quick taps are key if you don’t want to shut it off accidentally.
One item I had fun testing was a USB-C to serial adapter from Sabrent. It worked without issue across platforms and even let me connect my Apple IIe to a Linux terminal for a bit of retro-style browsing. If you’re into serial-based projects or older systems, this might be useful.
There was also a DVD drive from Suideck that offered a bit more than expected. Besides reading and writing DVDs, it had a hidden panel with USB 2.0 ports, SD and microSD card slots, a USB-C port (albeit also USB 2), and even a SATA adapter for 2.5″ drives. It’s slow by today’s standards, but functional for retrieving data from older media.
For the Switch 2, I checked out a multi-function protective set from AKNES. It includes a hard-shell carrying case, silicone grips, snap-on protective covers, analog stick caps, and two screen protectors. It’s a solid option for traveling or for kids who are a bit rougher on their devices.
Anker also sent over a couple of wireless earbuds: their AeroClips and their AeroFit 2. I preferred the Aero Clips over the Aerofit 2. The Clips have a unique ear-hugging design that worked better for me and provided decent sound—close to the AirPods I usually use. The Aerofit 2s didn’t fit as well and were harder to position. Sound quality probably would’ve improved with a better fit, but I couldn’t get there.
One item I picked up myself was the V-Rig MagSafe mount, which works with tripods and camera mounts. I use my iPhone for a lot of filming, so I was looking for a way to streamline my rig. This attaches securely to MagSafe-compatible devices, and there’s a magnetic ring included for non-MagSafe phones. I also used it to stick an SSD to the mount for a tidy setup while filming.
I also threw in a 5 gigabit USB-C Ethernet adapter from Wavlink that doesn’t cost much more than a 1 or 2.5 gig NIC. It worked out of the box on both Windows and Mac, no drivers needed, and hit the expected speeds. It’s small and compact—about the size of older 1 gig adapters.
Finally, I tried the “Every Day” keyboard case from Belkin for the iPad Air 10.9 and Pro 11. It’s a lower-cost option that uses Bluetooth instead of the smart connector, which means it needs to be charged separately. The keys are smaller than I’d like, but they are well spaced, and the trackpad supports all the standard iPad gestures. It adds some weight to the iPad but works fine for basic typing and navigation.
That’s everything in this round. I try to do at least one livestream around Prime Day and have more gear coming in that I’ll be demoing. You can catch those on Amazon or YouTube. Let me know what stood out to you and see more of videos like this on my Hauls Playlist!