In the coming days, many of us will be flying to visit our loved ones for the holidays. Flying can be stressful at times, but once you settle into your seat, you have no choice but to take a nap or keep yourself occupied. An in-flight entertainment system is one way to do this, but hanging an earphone cord in your food isn’t ideal. That’s why Twelve South’s Airfly SE Bluetooth dongle can come in handy. It’s on sale for $30, which is $5 off and a record low.
It’s a small Bluetooth transmitter that you can plug into the in-flight entertainment system’s 3.5mm audio jack. This way, you can watch movies using your wireless earphones or headphones.
The SE model allows you to connect a pair of headphones and it will definitely work for long-haul flights. It promises a battery life of over 20 hours (you can also use it while charging via USB-C). It’s not just for flights, though, as it will work with any device with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The Pro model is also on sale. Its price is down by $11 to $44. You can connect two earphones simultaneously to this dongle, which is handy if you want to watch shows on a tablet with the person sitting next to you. Twelve South claims battery life of over 25 hours.
Most importantly, the AirFly Pro can also receive audio wirelessly. So you can transmit Bluetooth audio from your phone, laptop, or handheld gaming system to a car without modern infotainment systems, wired speakers, and so on. Meanwhile, both models have aptX low latency technology to reduce audio lag.
Chromebooks, on the other hand, are more affordable and are great for users who mostly work online. Whether you need a powerhouse for creative work, a compact system for note taking or a laptop that can handle movie night with the family, today’s laptop market has something for everyone.
The latest MacBook Air ticks a lot of boxes: not only is it our top pick for the best laptop available now, but we also consider it the best laptop for college students and the best MacBook for most people. Apple hasn’t changed much with the latest iteration, but that’s to be expected since the previous entry was the most significant redesign in nearly a decade.
The new 13-inch MacBook Air has a faster M3 chip, as well as the ability to drive dual external monitors (but only when the lid is closed) and support for Wi-Fi 6E. There’s even a fingerprint free finish for the black “Midnight” model that actually works!
It’s hard to improve on a laptop we previously considered nearly perfect, but a new chip certainly helps. The M3 processor is about 20 percent faster than the M2 for both single-core and multi-core tasks, and it offers a significant GPU bump, along with support for real-time ray tracing. Battery life remains best in class, with enough juice to last you several work days without a charger.
It also has one of the best keyboards we’ve ever seen in a laptop — it’s surprisingly tactile and responsive — and the trackpad is huge and comfortable to the touch.
Even the speakers are far better than what you’ll find on other systems. The only major drawback against the MacBook Air is that it only has a MagSafe charging port and two USB-C connectors on its left side. Charging becomes a little more difficult if your plug only reaches the right side of the machine. But hey, at least there’s still a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is becoming increasingly difficult to find in ultra-thin notebooks these days.