GE SOL C LAMP $89
This new light also includes Alexa
Amazon's Alexa started out inside the original Echo, but it was always assumed she would turn up in other products. The C by GE Sol, an LED table lamp, is one of the more interesting Alexa-enabled products.
Sol is a thin ring of LED lights about the circumference of a basketball. It looks a lot like a Dyson fan.
There are actually two rings of lights. The outer ring is white and the inner ring is multicolored. The LEDs are behind a thin plastic diffuser.
The outer ring is the LED light. With its bold design, it would be useful in a home office, bedroom or dorm room. But it's only good as an accent light. Sol doesn't have the adjustability to work as a desk lamp or as a reading light.
The inner ring of LEDs is multicolored and is used for notifications. When you call to invoke Alexa, the entire inner ring glows blue to indicate that she is listening.
The inner ring can also act as a clock, with red and blue lights moving around the inner circle as hour and minute hands. The clock is kind of gimmicky. You can't adjust the brightness, so if the Sol is in a bedroom, you will want to turn it off.
To configure Sol you will need to download the C by GE app for your smartphone. The microphones do a good job of picking up voice commands, and Alexa works as you would expect, with a few exceptions.
You can use any of the Alexa skills to do things like call Uber, order a pizza or play music. But, like other third-party Alexa integrations, you can't use Sol to make or take calls to other Echo devices.
You also can't make Sol part of a multiroom music group. Sol's speaker is better than an Echo Dot but not by much, and you can't connect it to an external speaker for even better sound.
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MICROSOFT ERGONOMIC SCULPT MOUSE $35
For price, this device is the best on the market
Computer mice are becoming more ergonomic and more sophisticated in accuracy. An optical mouse is the way to go. This group of mice uses optical sensors on the bottom of the mouse to move the cursor on the monitor. The Microsoft Ergonomic Sculpt mouse tracks precisely with movements. It is wireless, and its two AA batteries last for months. For the money, it is the best mouse on the market.
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