5 best gadgets I've purchased recently

The Echo is the most used gadget in my home, and Amazon regularly updates it with useful features. I ask “Alexa” to do things or for information I need without thinking about it. It’s accurate, does what I ask, and stays out of the way until I ask for something.

See my review of the Amazon Echo on ZDNet.

The iPad can be used as a productive work system with the right keyboard. After using dozens of keyboards with one iPad or another, it’s clear that the Typo Keyboard is the best of them all. The integrated case is well designed and can be used either attached to the nice keyboard as a laptop, or detached for using the iPad Air 2 as a tablet.

See my review of the Type Keyboard.

The current small iPad is the perfect size for activities common for a tablet. It is my favorite way to read ebooks and surf the web. I bought the iPad mini 3 with LTE and it has become the hotspot for my other gadgets. The battery life is quite good and it can serve as a hotspot for a full day if needed. That has happened a couple of times when my home office ISP went down.

Chromebooks are very functional for the low price, and the Acer Chromebook 13 is no exception. The 13-inch high-resolution display makes this a decent laptop to use in the home office. The Tegra processor runs the Acer faster than any Chromebook I’ve used except the expensive Chromebook Pixel.

See my review of the Acer Chromebook 13 on ZDNet.