This weekend is packed with several uncommon and good tech deals, particularly for Apple users. If you’re in the market for a smart speaker or Thunderbolt dock, you will want to check these out.
The HomePod Mini is on sale for $79, a price we almost never see. Apple’s diminutive smart speaker doesn’t get the attention of the similar devices from Google or Amazon, but is a privacy first entry for the smart home that stands up well to its competitors.
For being tiny, it has a surprisingly good room filling sound with plenty of bass — comparing well to the second generation Amazon Echo I’ve tested it next to.
HomePods integrate deeply with Apple’s ecosystem. Sound can be transferred from a Mac, iPhone or Apple device to the Mini with a single tap, which is convenient. Once playing audio, other Apple devices — even the Apple Watch — automatically pick up controls for it.
Like other smart speakers, it can control smart devices like Hue lightbulbs. If you have non-Matter devices that don’t support Apple’s home standard, HomeKit, you can use the open source Homebridge to make almost anything connect. If you are building out a Matter or Apple HomeKit smart home, it can be the bridge that connects those devices to your phone when you’re outside the home as well.
OWC has long been a contender in the Thunderbolt accessory market. We’ve tested several recent Thunderbolt docks at OFB Labs, albeit not yet OWC’s. Nonetheless, a comparable dock from a reputable brand is hard to pass up for the unusually low price of $99 I’d jump on it if I were in the market. (Update: the price appears to be gradually rising during their sale and is now $149, which is still a notable deal.)
While Thunderbolt started out using the same port as DisplayPort Mini, recent iterations adopt the reversible USB-C connector that is gradually appearing everywhere. A dock like OWC’s adds all the common ports you might need on a laptop (or small desktop) using a single cable and even can charge a laptop at the same time.
Not all Thunderbolt 3 or 4 docks can step down to slower standards, but this one can. It can use pure USB-C with tablets, phones and PCs without Thunderbolt; it can also be adapted to Thunderbolt 1 or 2 for older Mac laptops.
Timothy R. Butler is Editor-in-Chief of Open for Business. He also serves as a pastor at Little Hills Church and FaithTree Christian Fellowship.
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