For Wet Hair, Weak Coffee and a Roaming Dog | Vol. 16

The Dyson Airstrait arrives for the person staring at damp hair, a straightening plan, and the usual countertop congregation of cords and tools. Its documented proposition is direct: a wet-to-dry hair straightener that is also listed as a dryer. No need to pretend this is a problem of national importance, but rushed mornings have made far sillier things feel urgent.

The more unusual detail is what it leaves out. The Airstrait is listed without hot plates, an intentional departure from the conventional straightener formula. That makes it a distinct choice rather than merely another shiny appliance hoping to become the most complicated object in a small bathroom.

Dyson also lists it for all hair types and includes “No Heat Damage” in its product wording. We would treat that last phrase as a manufacturer claim, not a permission slip to stop paying attention to heat styling altogether. Hair tools have enough mythology already; they do not need a tiny cult forming around them.

Our interest is in the unusually focused brief. The Airstrait is not trying to be every styling tool for every possible hair day. It is a specifically positioned straightener and dryer for buyers drawn to wet-to-dry styling and a plate-free design. That clarity earns it a prominent place in the grooming cupboard of clever, slightly excessive things.

Some headphones exist mainly to stop music leaking out of a phone while somebody makes a smoothie beside you. The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 has a broader brief: over-ear Bluetooth listening, hybrid noise cancellation, ambient pass-through, USB-C audio and charging, plus a case and cables for the moments wireless convenience meets a machine from 2009.

We think that combination earns attention because modern listening is annoyingly fragmented. One day it is a phone, then a laptop, then a travel screen with a 3.5 mm socket apparently preserved by archaeologists. The Px8 arrives with a 1.2 m USB-C-to-USB-C cable and a 1.2 m USB-C-to-3.5 mm stereo jack cable, which is refreshingly prepared for this nonsense.

There is a sensible caveat attached to the grown-up feature list: the headphones weigh 320 g without their carry case. That may be entirely acceptable for a buyer who wants a substantial over-ear set, but it is a number worth treating as a decision point rather than a footnote. The Px8 is compelling when flexibility matters; it is less persuasive when every gram of daily kit has already become a personal grievance.

Dogs are famously poor at understanding property lines. A gate left unlatched, a thunderclap, or the sudden appearance of a deeply suspicious recycling truck can turn a routine walk into an impromptu neighbourhood search party. The Tractive DOG 6 exists for people who would prefer the phone-based version of “where on earth did he go?”

This is a smart dog tracker for dogs over 4 kg, with live GPS location tracking, virtual fences, and escape alerts handled through the Tractive app. It works in Canada and more than 175 countries where compatible mobile coverage is available, so it has a wider brief than simply patrolling the backyard.

The more interesting wrinkle is that it also follows activity, sleep, resting heart rate, and resting respiratory rate. We like that this gives the tracker a useful second job between escapes: a record of ordinary routines and changes worth noticing. It does not, however, become a tiny veterinary clinic because it has a dashboard; Tractive explicitly says it is not a medical device and cannot diagnose conditions.

At 39 g and 71 × 29 × 17 mm, the DOG 6 is a small, IP68-rated waterproof unit designed for collar attachment. Battery life is up to six days without Power Saving Zones, or up to 14 days with them. Our verdict: this earns its place as the practical, slightly paranoid gadget for households where the dog has both legs and ambitions.

AeroPress Go exists for people who can cheerfully sleep in a tent, carry their socks in a sandwich bag, and still draw the line at grim coffee. We respect the boundary. A campsite may be rugged; the cup does not have to be a punishment administered by a sachet.

This is an extra-small, portable manual coffee maker kit aimed at travel, hiking, and camping. Its useful trick is breadth rather than gadgetry: the listing presents it as an all-in-one brewer for French press, pour-over, and espresso-style coffee. That makes it a tidy option when a full collection of coffee paraphernalia would be absurd, which is most trips involving a backpack.

Our AeroPress Go review lands on a straightforward conclusion: it is a compelling portable coffee maker for someone who wants choices without packing a tiny café counter. The stated two-minute brew time also suits mornings where the itinerary says “sunrise hike” but the actual mood says “locate coffee immediately.”

There is, naturally, no magic here. It is a manual brewer, so it asks for participation rather than delivering a button-led rescue. We think that is a fair bargain for the right traveller: less space devoted to coffee equipment, more control over the kind of coffee you make, and one fewer reason to pretend campground brew is part of the authentic experience.

Desks have become a peculiar negotiation between productivity and the urge to hide every useful object in a drawer. A normal lamp solves the lighting part, then sits there looking like it has been assigned by facilities management. The Gingko Smart Book Light takes a more entertaining route: it is a mini LED desk light presented as a book, because apparently even illumination now needs a plot twist.

We picked it as the playful curveball for people who enjoy a useful object with a little stage presence. The walnut variant and natural wood-effect finish give it a warmer visual direction than the usual anonymous gadget pile, while its rechargeable design keeps it from demanding a permanent procession of batteries.

There is, naturally, some modern faff. Charging is handled by Micro USB, a connector still lurking in cable drawers like an uninvited relative who knows where the tea is. The included charger helps, but anyone who has moved their life entirely to USB-C may find this tiny lamp oddly committed to the recent past.

The Gingko Smart Book Light makes sense as a compact desk companion rather than a grand declaration about how lighting should work. Its appeal is largely the object itself: a book-shaped light for a desk, bedside table, or shelf that could use a little less office equipment and a little more quiet nonsense.