More from Today I’m toying with

Remember when I upgraded a laptop’s entire GPU in just three minutes and filmed it for you? It wasn’t the only first I filmed that day! Here’s my Today I’m Toying With video hands-on with Framework’s industry-first standards-based 240W USB-C PD charging system. Look ma: no barrel jacks!

This is the Framework Laptop 16, and the company tells me I’m the first journalist to do this thing: show proof that upgrading a laptop’s GPU can be as easy as upgrading a desktop one. Alienware whiffed on this idea, but Framework is delivering. More on this right here.

I said the Sharge Retractable 3-in-1 “might be the coolest looking pocket charger I’ve ever seen” and promised to find out. But while it’s definitely cool, I’m not so sure about the “pocket” part! For $45, do you gravitate towards Sharge’s unique design, or the slimmer Anker one?

There’s lots we don’t know about Antigravity, the first drone from Insta360. But after my first flights, I think it could change what we expect out of drones. Want a look at some (prototype! compressed!) 360-degree footage on YouTube? I uploaded this interactive sample! Set resolution to 4K first.

I adore Mechanism’s mounting solutions, but always felt its $15 kickstand was a skip; I bought this amazing $25 mount instead. But the brand-new Kickstand 2 is better! Slimmer, stronger, anti-skid, no more detach when you lean back. Still can pop off when pulling forward at some angles, though! Tradeoffs.

Bambu now sells electronics to drop into your creations — remember my floating light bulb and TARDIS? This time, I’m using the $135 “Motion-Activated Sound and Light Props Kit” with Joel He’s double-bladed saber files, but you can design anything you like. Should I try a Zelda Master Sword next?

From the makers of TinyTV: the $50 Thumby Color and $30 Thumby. Raspberry Pi Pico chips run at just in the low hundred MHz, displays are 0.85 or 0.4 inches respectively! But that’s enough for MicroPython games you can code in a web browser, or even real Doom on the OG Thumby (find installers here). More in my full story.

Oh, I had such high hopes for the Piaggio G1T4-M1N1 (“Gita Mini”). An officially licensed Star Wars bot that follows you around, dodging pedestrians while carrying 20 pounds of cargo and playing The Imperial March on its party speaker? Heck yes. But a single walk to the park showed me that this $2,875 bot doesn’t have enough smarts. (I couldn’t fit all its fails into one video!)

Remember when I told you about the Android handheld that’s kinda like a Nintendo Switch that transforms into a Nintendo DS? I got an exclusive early look at a Sugar 1 prototype, running some of my own dual-screen and single-screen Nintendo games on it!

When I went hunting for working third-party Nintendo Switch 2 docks, I didn’t expect to find a gadget like this!

Not saying I’d buy, as my fav feature went MIA, but I’d love it as a gift! The $129 Genki Moonbase has three mesmerizing AC outlets (US, EU, UK or AU) and four USB-C charge ports. Those top out at 140W, 100W, 30W and 30W, but you don’t lose too many watts with four gadgets plugged. My only disappointment is the light-up Moonlink cables no longer help you find ports in the dark. Genki says it removed that promise early on.

I backed the TinyTV 2 on Kickstarter back in 2022, and it’s a delight! When you change the “channel” with its tiny remote or working dials, it’ll realistically flick to the middle of your next video just as if you were watching it live. (It syncs timestamps!) Yeah, it’s $60... but a gift or treat, perhaps? They also sell the transparent one.

I didn’t even know USB-C endoscopes were a thing, but now I’ve got one plugged into my Nintendo Switch 2 and phone! And yes, it also works as a GameChat webcam when you’re not inspecting pipes and walls. Unfortunately, my $10 model is out of stock. Maybe you’ll find a less flimsy one?

Nintendo made the original Switch’s game cards taste terrible, coating them in a bitter chemical called denatonium benzoate. So we had to know... do Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges taste better? Time for a taste test! And while we’re at it, why not add a button battery coated in the same stuff, a Nintendo DS cartridge, and a 3DS cartridge too? Don’t try this at home, kids.

The SF Bay Area used to have lots of PC stores. Most got wiped out! But Micro Center has returned to Santa Clara, CA, and it’s a joy to browse. (Yes, the store reportedly sold dozens of GPUs that turned out to be backpacks; the company hasn’t yet answered my questions.)

I tried the Bambu Lab $63 kit that lets you 3D print your own magnetic levitating toys complete with wireless power for their lights! It’s part of its Maker’s Supply initiative where it stocks electronic and mechanical components to design around.

The other day, I told you about the ESR MagMouse with its built-in magnets and charge cable, but my video wasn’t ready yet. Now it is! And because people have asked: this wallet-sized viewing card is what I’m using to see the magnetic fields. (Note: If you buy via that link, we might get affiliate revenue.) Should I do a video about it, too?

I wrote about this idea in 2022, it actually exists, and it’s super cool! Your credit card doesn’t need a battery for tap-to-pay, your ID badge doesn’t need a battery when you tap the door reader, and the same goes for these NFC locks — they all collect tiny amounts of wireless power.

Literally! Some have magnetic sleeves, some have power meters up the sleeves, and some have excellent charging and data speeds. But five different cables... can someone please make the one to rule them all?

I bought my wife the $110 Anker A1695 “InstaCord” and experienced instant jealousy; and not just because of its retractable cord. It’s the second cable that blew my mind, hidden inside its strong carry handle, plus the fact both are bidirectional. Either can charge the battery, either can charge my laptop; I get passthrough power if I use both! My colleague Richard wasn’t as lucky, saying his battery seems to throttle prematurely, but my wife’s stays cool so far.

The $70 Anbernic RG 34XX is my favorite new way to play Game Boy — but the new RixelHK app lets people use the handheld’s built-in Wi-Fi to browse a huge catalog of games for free. It encourages you to download Nintendo, Sony, and Sega titles, and they appear to be the real deal but unauthorized.