Gear of the Year: All the Best Stuff from 2017

Every trip around the sun, we prod,poke, and test hundreds of products here at Wired. Most of them are just fine. Not boring—few things are truly boring these days—though also not really exciting. But every so often, we get a product in our hands that very clearly stands out, either by pushing its category forward with some new innovation,or perfecting an established and already noteworthy design. When we get to handle a product like this, it gives us a rush of excitement that makes us want to tell you about it, explain why we love it, argue about why it’s important.

The products below exhibit the new ideas that pushed consumer tech forward during 2017. The list spans the width of our purview, from mobile phones and televisions to transportation,parenting, and the smart home. This is the best gear of the year.

每年，我們《連線》雜志都會(huì)變著法兒測(cè)試數(shù)百件產(chǎn)品。大多數(shù)產(chǎn)品都還不錯(cuò)。不算乏味（現(xiàn)在真正乏味的產(chǎn)品已經(jīng)很少了），但也不能真正令人激動(dòng)。但是每隔一段時(shí)間，我們就能拿到一個(gè)明顯出類拔萃的產(chǎn)品，或是因創(chuàng)新技術(shù)推動(dòng)而向前發(fā)展，或是因進(jìn)一步完善了某種已經(jīng)相當(dāng)成熟且引人注目的設(shè)計(jì)。有機(jī)會(huì)操作這類產(chǎn)品時(shí)，我們會(huì)興奮不已，迫不及待地想介紹給您，解釋我們?yōu)槭裁聪矚g它，證明它為什么這么重要。

下面的產(chǎn)品展示了2017年期間推動(dòng)消費(fèi)品技術(shù)發(fā)展的新理念。這份列表拓寬了我們的視野，涵蓋了我們測(cè)試的所有產(chǎn)品，從手機(jī)、電視到交通、育兒和智能家居，都是一年中最棒的產(chǎn)品。

Best Mobile Device: iPhone X

It’s not that the iPhone X is the fastest phone (though it is) or the one with the niftiest features (also true). The thing that makes the iPhone X the best phone of 2017 is that it tried the hardest.While other companies kept integrating fingerprint readers, Apple threw that out and made facial recognition work.It also pushed augmented reality into unexplored places, and kept trying new camera tricks. All is not perfect in the world of iOS, and Apple has some work left to do on that whole “all-screen”thing, but the iPhone X still counts as the best phone anyone released this year. No other device or company is trying this hard to move the smartphone game forward.

Best Audio Device: UE Wonderboom

This is the third year in a row that a UE speaker has won an audio award,and we honestly could have given the award to the Boom 2 again, or the new UE Blast with Alexa just as easily.But the $80 Wonderboom is special. It doesn’t have a trendy voice assistant in it, but it’s sort of the perfect portable Bluetooth speaker in many ways. The 4-inch party ball of a speaker is completely waterproof (IP67). In fact, it floats, making it the ultimate pool toy. It even has a little loop on the top so you can hang it on a backpack or bike—and since it’s been drop-tested extensively,don’t worry about fumbling it. Did we mention it gets 10 hours of battery life and belts out pristine sound? Considering its size, bass notes come through with a wallop, and the rest of the audio frequencies are balanced and never tinny. This little ball has it all.

最佳智能設(shè)備：iPhone X

這么說并不是因?yàn)閕Phone X是最快的手機(jī)（雖然這是事實(shí)），或者是外觀最漂亮的手機(jī)（也是事實(shí)）。iPhone X成為2017年最佳智能手機(jī)的原因是，該手機(jī)嘗試了最難的技術(shù)。當(dāng)其他公司還在不斷整合指紋識(shí)別器的時(shí)候，蘋果公司已經(jīng)拋開了這個(gè)技術(shù)，將面部識(shí)別功能投入使用。該公司還將增強(qiáng)現(xiàn)實(shí)技術(shù)投入了未知領(lǐng)域，并且不斷嘗試新的攝像頭技術(shù)。iOS系統(tǒng)并非完美無缺，整個(gè)“全面屏”也還有些工作要做，但iPhone X仍然是2017年發(fā)布的手機(jī)里最棒的。沒有任何其他手機(jī)或公司像蘋果這樣致力于將智能手機(jī)技術(shù)推向前進(jìn)。

最佳音響設(shè)備：UE Wonderboom

這是UE音箱連續(xù)三年獲得音響大獎(jiǎng)。我們要是再次把獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)授予Boom 2，或者是內(nèi)置Alexa語(yǔ)音助手的新款UE Blast，也能同樣問心無愧。但是80美元的Wonderboom很特別，并沒有內(nèi)置流行的語(yǔ)音助手，不過從很多方面看都是無可挑剔的便攜式藍(lán)牙音箱。這個(gè)4英寸派對(duì)球造型的揚(yáng)聲器完全防水（IP67）。事實(shí)上，它還可以漂浮在水面上，使其可以作為最棒的泳池玩具。甚至它的頂部還有一個(gè)小環(huán)，所以您可以把它掛在背包或自行車上。并且，它經(jīng)歷過多次防摔測(cè)試，所以即使摔落也不用擔(dān)心。我們有沒有提到該音箱的電池續(xù)航時(shí)間長(zhǎng)達(dá)10個(gè)小時(shí)并且能播放無損音樂？由于大小限制，低音以沖擊波釋放，其余的音頻保持平衡，無刺耳聲音。這個(gè)小球集所有功能于一身。

Best Voice Assistant Product: Sonos One

Sonos’s newest speaker is nearly identical to the Play:1 from a couple years ago. But while this wireless speaker puts out excellent audio as part of a multi-room, app-controlled system just like any Sonos product, it also has Alexa inside. The Sonos One plunks Amazon’s voice assistant directly inside a box that sounds amazing (way better than any of the Echo devices) and adds voice control to your Sonos system to boot. If you don’t like Alexa, you can add Google Assistant when it shows up in the One during 2018. It’s when that upgrade happens that this speaker becomes the most powerful node in your smart home. For now, it’s still the best-sounding Alexa speaker, and that’s enough to land it on our list.

最佳語(yǔ)音助手產(chǎn)品：Sonos One

Sonos最新的揚(yáng)聲器與幾年前的Play: 1幾乎毫無二致。但是，這款無線音箱與其他Sonos產(chǎn)品一樣，利用多房間、app控制的系統(tǒng)輸出極佳音質(zhì)，除此之外，還內(nèi)置了Alexa語(yǔ)音助手。Sonos One將亞馬遜的這款語(yǔ)音助手直接內(nèi)置于一個(gè)盒子里（這個(gè)方法比任何Echo設(shè)備都要好得多），這令人十分驚奇，并且將語(yǔ)音控制添加到了您的Sonos系統(tǒng)中。如果您不喜歡Alexa，也可以添加2018年將在One中推出的Google智能助手。2018年正值系統(tǒng)升級(jí)，這個(gè)音箱會(huì)成為智能家居中最功能強(qiáng)大的節(jié)點(diǎn)。即使是現(xiàn)在，它仍然是最好的內(nèi)置Alexa助手的揚(yáng)聲器，就憑這一點(diǎn)，我們就應(yīng)該將其列入名單。

Best Home Entertainment Product:LG C7 OLED

When it comes to TVs, a lot of new words and hot acronyms have popped up in the last few years—terms like UHD, 4K, HDR. But the only acronym you need to know is OLED. Organic Light Emitting Diode screens outperform other TVs because every pixel on an OLED panel can be lit up individually, or turned completely off, at any time.This earns you incredibly bright and vivid colors that never appear washed out, as well as the deepest blacks your eyes have seen. LG is the only major company making TV screens based on this technology, though a few others,like Sony, are using its screens in their own TVs. Last year, we picked an LG OLED as our top TV. This year, the company’s C7 OLED is the best TV you can own, hands down. LG improved the brightness, made blacks even blacker,and continued to tweak its impressive WebOS interface, which might be the only TV interface worth keeping over a Roku. The 55-Inch C7 is currently$1,700 over the holidays, about a grand cheaper than last year, and worth every penny.

最佳家庭娛樂產(chǎn)品：LG C7 OLED電視機(jī)

說到電視機(jī)，過去幾年涌現(xiàn)出許多新詞和熱門縮寫詞，例如UHD（超高清）、4K（超高清）、HDR（高動(dòng)態(tài)范圍圖像）。但是您唯一真正需要了解的縮寫是OLED。有機(jī)發(fā)光二極管屏幕（OLED）優(yōu)于其他電視機(jī)，因?yàn)镺LED面板上的每個(gè)像素可以隨時(shí)單獨(dú)點(diǎn)亮或完全關(guān)閉。這樣您就可以獲取極其艷麗的色彩，看上去永不褪色，還有您曾見過的最暗的黑色。LG是唯一以這種技術(shù)為基礎(chǔ)制造電視屏幕的大公司，不過包括索尼在內(nèi)的其他幾家公司也正在把這種屏幕用在自己生產(chǎn)的電視機(jī)中。去年我們選擇了一款LG公司的 OLED作為最佳電視機(jī)。2017年，該公司的C7 OLED無疑是您可以擁有的最好的電視機(jī)。LG提升了屏幕的亮度，使黑色更黑，并繼續(xù)改進(jìn)其令人耳目一新的WebOS接口。該接口可能是唯一值得保留在Roku上的電視接口。55英寸的C7目前的節(jié)日特價(jià)是1700美元，比2016年便宜差不多一千美元，物有所值。

Best Laptop: iPad Pro

OK, so it’s not a pure laptop. But 2-in-1 PC design is here to stay and the iPad Pro was the best of these hybrid machines we tried this year. The new 10.5-inch size splits the difference between media consumption wants and productivity needs, and improvements to iOS 11 and the app ecosystem make this year’s iPad a huge step up from previous Pro Apple tablets. From its gorgeous screen to its blazing-fast A10X Fusion chip and Apple Pencil support, the iPad Pro is a device that rivals Apple’s own notebooks. All you need to add to the base configuration is a good keyboard.

Best in Transportation: Dockless Bike Sharing

Bike sharing burst upon the US scene in 2008, when Washington, DC launched a 10-station, 120-bike pilot program. But it took until 2017 multimodal concept to go full-techie—and to start attracting venture capital dollars like nuts and bolts to a magnet.This is the year bike share programs freed themselves from the dock, and(hopefully) the year cycling began rolling toward the American mainstream.Dockless bike sharerslocate their steeds with specialized apps, unlock them with their smartphones, and park them where they want. (OK, not in a tree, please.)For everyday commuters and errandrunners, dockless cycles mean cheaper rides and more flexibility; for cities,they mean fewer capital construction costs up front. This year, Chinese companies Mobike and Ofo (both valued at $3 billion) launched in Washington,DC, and Seattle, respectively. American-born Limebike boasted 1 million rides in the country in 2017, with a 60 percent retention rate and a $225 million valuation to boot. If cities can keep building bike lanes, the American revolution is well on its way.

最佳筆記本電腦：iPad Pro

好吧，也不純粹是筆記本電腦，但它保留了二合一的電腦設(shè)計(jì)，也是我們2017年嘗試的混合機(jī)中最好的。這款新的10.5英寸電腦彌合了媒體消費(fèi)需求和生產(chǎn)需求，iOS 11和應(yīng)用程序生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的改進(jìn)使2017年的iPad比之前的Pro Apple平板電腦進(jìn)步了許多。由于有了絢麗的顯示屏、速度極快的A10X Fusion芯片以及Apple Pencil手寫筆，iPad Pro足以與蘋果自己的筆記本相媲美。在基礎(chǔ)配置之外，您只需配上一個(gè)好鍵盤即可。

最佳交通工具：無樁共享單車

共享單車于2008年在美國(guó)街頭橫空出世，當(dāng)時(shí)華盛頓特區(qū)推出了一個(gè)10個(gè)站點(diǎn)、120輛自行車的試點(diǎn)項(xiàng)目。但直到2017年，這個(gè)多模態(tài)概念才開始得到全面技術(shù)支持，才如磁鐵吸引螺栓和螺母一樣開始吸引風(fēng)險(xiǎn)投資。這一年，共享單車項(xiàng)目擺脫了停車樁的限制，騎車（有希望）開始成為美國(guó)的主流。無樁共享單車的使用者用專門的應(yīng)用程序定位自己的坐騎，用智能手機(jī)解鎖，可以停在任何他們想要停放的地方。（好吧，不要放到樹上。）對(duì)于上班族和跑腿的人來說，無樁自行車意味著更便宜、更靈活的騎行方式。對(duì)城市來說，這意味著更少的前期基建成本。2017年，中國(guó)的摩拜和Ofo公司(都價(jià)值30億美元)分別進(jìn)入了華盛頓特區(qū)和西雅圖。美國(guó)本土的Limebike公司宣稱有100萬(wàn)人次使用其單車，顧客留存率達(dá)60%，而且估值2.25億美元。如果城市可以繼續(xù)修建自行車道，美國(guó)革命蓄勢(shì)待發(fā)。

Best Gaming Device: Nintendo Switch

After a few years in the wilderness,Nintendo returned with a bang in 2017.Bolstering its lackluster console track record with mobile DNA, the hybrid handheld Switch was an instant hit for good reason. What the Switch lacks in pure graphical power, it makes up for in versatility—dock it to a TV for couch co-op, or play single-player games in your window seat as you cross the country at 35,000 feet. Nintendo has successfully brought its signature characters and games into the modern mobile age with this unique device, and it’s done so without sacrificing an iota of its trademark quirkiness.

最佳游戲設(shè)備：任天堂Switch

沉寂了幾年后，2017年任天堂強(qiáng)勢(shì)回歸。用移動(dòng)DNA支撐其平淡無奇的控制臺(tái)路徑記錄的這款混合手持式Switch有充足的理由瞬間爆紅。Switch缺少純粹的圖形功能，但在通用性方面得到了彌補(bǔ)，可以接到電視上，玩沙發(fā)合作游戲，也可以在您身處35000英尺的高空中橫穿這個(gè)國(guó)家時(shí)，在窗口座位上玩單人游戲。任天堂已經(jīng)成功地用這種獨(dú)特的設(shè)備，將其標(biāo)志性的角色和游戲帶入了現(xiàn)代移動(dòng)時(shí)代，并且是在毫不犧牲其一貫的奇特風(fēng)格前提下完成的。

Best Parenting Product: Veer Cruiser

Given how common it is to have two small kids of different ages, it’s surprisingly hard to find an easy-to-use vehicle for toting them around. The Veer Cruiseris an endlessly adaptable strollerwagon hybrid that easily accommodates multiple infants, toddlers and all their gear. It has a telescoping, locking handle for pushing or pulling the load. It’s rugged too, with a sleek, matte black,aluminum chassis on large, airless,knobby tires made for tackling tougher terrain like trails and grassy hills. This go anywhere, do anything human-carrier is our favorite parenting product of the year. If you take the kids out in one,just make sure you remember to pack the snacks.

Best Smart-Home Device: Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat

Even regular thermostats have trouble regulating the temperature in different parts of your house. But the latest unit from Ecobee keeps everything cool(or warm) via wireless remote sensors that monitor rooms individually. Sensors! How obvious and necessary an innovation is that? The Ecobee4 comes with built-in Amazon Alexa Voice service and is compatible with Google Home, Apple HomeKit, and Samsung SmartThings. It’s like installing a virtual home assistant that also automatically monitors your energy usage, tracks local weather via Wi-Fi, can be controlled remotely with an app, and offers access to certified professionals to help with installation. Whew. Sorry, Nest. You’ve got a beautiful dial and all, but the Ecobee4 is the year’s smartest thermostat.

最佳育兒產(chǎn)品: Veer Cruiser

有兩個(gè)不同年齡小孩的情況十分普遍，考慮到這一點(diǎn)，我們卻驚奇地發(fā)現(xiàn)很難找到一個(gè)好用的車子來推著他們到處跑。Veer Cruiser是一款可無限調(diào)節(jié)的四輪推車，可以輕松地容納多個(gè)嬰兒、學(xué)步兒童和他們所有的裝備。這款推車有一個(gè)可伸縮的鎖定把手用來推或拉。推車也很皮實(shí)，在真空大粗胎上裝一個(gè)磨砂黑色流線型鋁質(zhì)底盤，用來應(yīng)對(duì)更復(fù)雜的地面，如小路和長(zhǎng)滿草的山丘。這個(gè)可以去任何地方、做任何事情的載人車具是我們2017年最喜歡的育兒產(chǎn)品。如果您打算用這款車帶孩子們出去，一定記住帶上零食。

最佳智能家居設(shè)備: Ecobee4 智能恒溫器

即使是常規(guī)的恒溫器也難以調(diào)節(jié)房子不同部位的溫度。但是，Ecobee最新的裝置可以通過無線遙控傳感器來分別監(jiān)控各個(gè)房間，使其保持涼爽(或溫暖)。傳感器！這是多么明顯和必要的創(chuàng)新呀！Ecobee4內(nèi)置亞馬遜Alexa語(yǔ)音服務(wù)，也兼容谷歌Home、蘋果HomeKit和 三 星 SmartThings。就像安裝一個(gè)虛擬的家庭助手，可以自動(dòng)監(jiān)控你的能源使用情況，通過Wi-Fi追蹤當(dāng)?shù)靥鞖猓梢酝ㄟ^應(yīng)用程序遠(yuǎn)程控制，并提供獲得認(rèn)證的專業(yè)人員幫助您安裝。哎呀，對(duì)不起，Nest。雖說貴公司的恒溫器有一個(gè)漂亮的表盤，但是Ecobee4才是2017年最智能的恒溫器。

Best Cord-Cutting Device: Roku Streaming Stick+

Roku’s latest streaming stick gives any modern television an instant upgrade. A $50 bill gets you the best and most comprehensive smart TV platform out there, with almost every streaming service presented in a clean, voicecontrolled menu. You plug this little stick directly into a TV’s HDMI port. It can handle 4K content, and the antenna has been beefed up this year to offer better throughput over Wi-fiand fewer stutters. Sure, there are a dozen ways to get the internet on your TV, but none of them are as pleasant to use—or offer as wide a range of streaming options—as Roku’s stick.

Best Toy: LittleBits Droid Inventor Kit

Finding the perfect gateway to get kiddos into STEM education is tough.But the Droid Inventor Kit gives younglings a path through the wide cultural portal that is Star Wars. Curious kids get a chance to be a part of the Star Wars universe while dipping their toes in the world of programming. This kit has kids assemble their own R2D2 droid, which they can program to do tricks like send secret voice messages, doodle across a surface, or whiz through an obstacle course. We picked this toy as the year’s best simply because it brings together different elements core to the Wired world: hacking, a DIY ethos, and yes,Star Wars.

最佳掐線設(shè)備： Roku電視棒+

Roku最新的電視棒可以讓任何現(xiàn)代電視瞬間升級(jí)。只要花50美元，您就能擁有最好最全的智能電視平臺(tái)，幾乎所有的流媒體服務(wù)都是在一個(gè)語(yǔ)音控制的清晰的菜單上呈現(xiàn)出來的。把這個(gè)小棒直接插進(jìn)電視機(jī)的HDMI端口就行了。該棒可以處理4K內(nèi)容，天線功能今年也增強(qiáng)了，可以通過Wi-Fi提供更強(qiáng)的輸出功率，而且更流暢。當(dāng)然，有十幾種方法可以讓你的電視連上網(wǎng)絡(luò)，但沒有一種能像Roku的電視棒一樣使用起來令人愉快，也沒有一種能像Roku電視棒這樣提供如此多的流媒體服務(wù)選擇。

最佳玩具: LittleBits機(jī)器人發(fā)明家套件

要想找到一個(gè)讓孩子們接受科學(xué)技術(shù)教育的完美途徑是很困難的。但是機(jī)器人發(fā)明家套件給年輕人指了一條路，讓他們可以走進(jìn)星球大戰(zhàn)這個(gè)廣袤的文化之門。好奇的孩子們可以在編程的世界里小試身手，從而有機(jī)會(huì)成為星球大戰(zhàn)世界的一部分。這個(gè)工具包可以讓孩子們組裝自己的R2D2機(jī)器人。他們可以編程讓這個(gè)機(jī)器人玩一些小把戲，比如發(fā)送秘密語(yǔ)音信息、在界面上涂鴉或者通過有障礙的路段。我們將其選為年度最佳玩具，只是因?yàn)檫@個(gè)玩具把《連線》最看重的不同元素匯集到了一起：黑客攻擊、DIY精神，當(dāng)然還有星球大戰(zhàn)。 □