The best Bluetooth speakers still have a place near and dear to our hearts, even as we’ve seen better (and more portable) smart speakers creeping into the universe.
It’s fun and easy to ask an Amazon Echo or Google Nest speaker to play your favorite track or tell you the weather, but smart speakers have a few crutches—first and foremost, stable Wi-Fi. By (mostly) forgoing voice assistants and Wi-Fi radios, Bluetooth speakers gain portability, with the ability to venture outside of your house and withstand rugged conditions like the sandy beach or the steamy Airbnb jacuzzi. They’ll also work with any smartphone, and they sound as good as their smart-speaker equivalents.
We’ve tested hundreds of models in the past few years, and we can happily say they are still some of the best small devices you can listen to. Here are our favorites right now.
Be sure to check out all our buying guides, including the Best Soundbars, Best Wirefree Earbuds, and Best Smart Speakers.
Updated February 2023: We’ve added the Shower Power Pro, Victrola Re-Spin, Vizio M Series 2.1, and Kef LSX II, and updated links and prices.
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Some things are hard to ship on your own. Flowers are near the top of that list. They’re pretty, but the industry has an ugly side. Between the amount of water flowers need to grow, the dangers of pesticides, the potential of unregulated and unfair working conditions, and the distance flowers travel, a lot can go wrong. Flowers are also an ornamental gift with an expiration date, which makes aiming for sustainability all the more important. If you’re shopping for flowers online, we’ve got some tips on how to keep things sustainable without emptying your wallet.
When possible, look for arrangements that are seasonal and sourced directly from farms, especially those that are certified through environmental organizations like the Rainforest Alliance. A florist should be able to tell you where their flowers are coming from—and the closer to home, the better. If you aren’t shopping through a local florist (either in your town or in your recipient’s), seek out a larger service that works with them. Minimal, recyclable, and compostable packaging can help give your delivery an eco-conscious boost.
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Two Great Flower Delivery Services
The Bouqs Co.
Photograph: Bouqs
The Bouqs Co.
I’ve personally used this service for years and have never had a bad experience. The quality and longevity of Bouqs’ deliveries is impressive, and the service offers tons of affordable bouquets that are more visually distinctive than those you’ll find elsewhere. Bouqs works with farms that are verified by third-party services, such as the Rainforest Alliance. Its packaging is minimal (while still protecting the contents) and recyclable. Prices start at $49 for nonsubscription orders.
Teleflora
Photograph: Teleflora
Teleflora
Teleflora works directly with local florists, which means floral arrangements are made by hand and delivered, rather than assembled elsewhere and shipped off. As a result, the flowers are always fresh as daisies. (Sorry.) Teleflora arrangements always include a vase, which is a nice touch, since those can get expensive when added on separately. Valentine’s Day arrangements start at $50.
Try Dried Flowers
Terrain
Photograph: Terrain
Terrain
Flowers are gorgeous, but unless they’re preserved, they will eventually wilt and wither. Terrain is one of the few online flower retailers that offers dried arrangements. The wreaths and bouquets are already perfectly preserved, and they’re priced comparably to fresh deliveries. This is a more sustainable option than repeated deliveries. Prices start at $28.
Bloom and Wild
Photograph: Bloom and Wild
Bloom and Wild (UK and Beyond)
This service prioritizes sustainability through compostable and recyclable packaging and emphasizes carbon-neutral delivery. Fresh flowers are available, as are a ton of dried flower arrangements. Bloom and Wild operate within and deliver to the UK, Germany, Ireland, and a few other countries, but not the US.
If You Can, Shop Local
The most sustainable flower deliveries are made with seasonal, local blooms and delivered over the shortest possible distance. That means a local florist is going to be your best bet. Oftentimes, national delivery services work directly with local florists anyway, so there’s a chance the fancy arrangements you eyed online will be available for the same price, if not cheaper. Delivery is often less expensive when working directly with a local florist as well.
DIY It
Outside of local florists, you may be able to visit a nursery and pick out flowers yourself. It’s pretty easy to make an eye-catching bouquet with supplies from a craft store (there are plenty of helpful how-tos on YouTube). A vase or basket, filler items like beads, and a pretty ribbon will get you far. Added bonus: Everyone loves a handmade gift!
How to Save Money on Flower Delivery
Flower arrangement prices don’t reflect the cost of add-ons, like vases. You can ship a bouquet without a vase or choose a smaller one to save some cash. Most flower delivery services offer a slight discount in exchange for signing up for their emails. Don’t be afraid to shop the sale section, either—any reputable floral delivery service will ensure that each delivery is as beautiful as the last, regardless of size or price.
There are four tiers: 4 GB for $25, 10 GB for $35, 15 GB for $45, or Unlimited for $40. The prices are the lowest if you pay for a year at a time. Mint has an offer that lowers the prices to $15, $20, $25, and $30 per month, respective to the aforementioned plans, for the first three months. These prices will revert to the actual rates if you choose to pay every three months, but if you commit to a year you can keep the discounted rate. There’s also a smaller discount if you commit to six months at a time. Mint does not include wireless taxes and fees in its prices.
Mint offers a free one-week trial of its service. Download the Mint Mobile app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store and try out a limited version of the Mint plan for free, either by having a SIM card mailed to you or by using an eSIM, if your phone supports it.
We suggest going with the plan that’s$15 per month for 4 GBif you tend not to use much data. Go for the one that’s$30 per month for unlimited dataif you’re on your phone a lot away from Wi-Fi. Just remember the prices increase after your first three months.
Phone compatibility: This network runs on T-Mobile, so any T-Mobile or AT&T phone should work, along with many newer high-end phones that come universally unlocked, like iPhones, Samsung phones, and Google Pixels.Check here for compatibility.
Best for Rural Areas
Courtesy of Visible
Visible was our favorite until Mint released its Unlimited plan, but it’s still a great deal if you prefer Verizon’s cellular coverage, which is better in remote or rural areas. Visible claims 99 percent of the population is covered in the US. It’s owned by Verizon and uses that network exclusively (which means it’s not technically an MVNO).
Visible’s base plan costs $30 per month for one line, including taxes and fees. It comes with 5G and 4G LTE coverage, as well as unlimited talk, text, and data. There’s also a higher-tier plan: Visible+. For $45 a month for one line, it adds 5G Ultra Wideband—a faster band of 5G service—unlimited talk, text, and data roaming in Canada and Mexico (for US customers), and international calling and texting from the US to “30+ and 200+ countries,” respectively.
Your 5G data speed is capped at 200 Mbps, which is speedy enough for most tasks. In times of heavy network traffic, Visible will deprioritize its customers sharing the Verizon cellular infrastructure. For the Visible+ plan, this kicks in only after 50 GB of data use. Visible will give you a gift card of up to $200 if you bring your own device, depending on the device, which is $100 lower than the maximum amount offered late last year. You’ll need to pay for the first three months of service and transfer your old number first.
Humans haven’t been kind to the planet. Climate change is out of control, and microplastics are poisoning our oceans. But even when we try to reduce our footprint, we still need to wear shoes and clothes and occasionally drive vehicles. So it’s important that we all make eco-friendly choices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the spread of plastic waste. Luckily, some companies have figured out how to use that waste to make new products.
Here, we’ve highlighted some of our favorite companies and products that are making these decisions a little easier. You can buy these items—from portable chargers to yoga mats—knowing that you’re doing your part. We also have guides on the Best Recycled Bags and Best Recycled Clothing, too.
Update January 2023: We’ve added the Qalo compostable ring. We’ve also created a new guide for recycled clothing and removed those picks here.
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Saving up for a new screen? To help you navigate the dozens of seemingly identical TV models from Samsung, LG, Vizio, TCL, Sony, and other manufacturers, we’ve watched hundreds of hours of content on them and picked a few of our favorites. We’ve listed everything from the very best TV to the best budget set you can buy—and a few excellent choices in between.
All of these models have a 4K Ultra HD pixel resolution (and some have 8K), because there aren’t a lot of good reasons to buy a standard HDTV anymore. TVs now come with wonderful displays, but they’re terrible at audio and can have lackluster interfaces, so you should also invest in a good soundbar and a TV streaming stick if you can’t find the app you want. If you’re unfamiliar with much of the lingo TV manufacturers use, our How to Buy a TV guide can help.
Updated January 2023: We’ve removed older models and updated this guide with our latest favorites from Samsung, LG, Vizio, Sony, Hisense, and TCL.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get a1-year subscription toWIREDfor $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you’d like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
