Here are a few Verge favorites that are on sale for Amazon Prime Day

Image: Ember

The staff members of The Verge are not afraid to speak their mind. Every few weeks we run an article listing some of our favorite gear in a series called Favorites. They can be things we use to cook, relax, and make our animals happy.

We decided to take a look and see if any of our favorite gadgets are on sale for Prime members, just in case.

Favorite pet gear

Whistle Go Explore dog location tracker

When I was a puppy, my wirehaired pointing griffon was the ultimate escape artist. If a dog, squirrel, or leaf caught his eye, he would leap our five-foot high fence. The Whistle Go Explore saved his butt a few times, first alerting us to his escapade and then helping us track him down with its gps location tool.

It has been used to make sure he is getting enough exercise as he has gotten older and lazier. The Whistle Go is a device that tells us how many steps he takes and how many calories he burns. It has a health feature that can keep track of how much drinking, licking, scratching, and sleeping he does. This information helped us understand that the poor boy has terrible seasonal allergies and that he is now on a daily regimen of Zyrtec.

Petkit Pura X Self-Cleaning Cat Litter Box

Pouncey and Oscar share a litter box. Oscar is a mess because he jumped out of the box with reckless abandon and spread litter all over. We initially had a covered box, but last year we decided to use a self-cleaning one. It was on sale for less than $400 at the time. It is good in some ways and not so good in others.

If we ever go on a trip, we don't have to ask friends or family to handle poop duties because I don't scoop litter anymore. If I don't empty out the waste bin on time, it will pile up too high. Have you ever tried to open a drawer with a ladle in it? The drawer gets stuck when it hits the top of the frame, and that's when you feel frustrated. The clumped-up cat pee is spread across the underside as you remove it. It's not an ideal situation. It keeps me on schedule if I end up in the other doodies.

There is an automatic cat litter box that keeps things neat and odor free.

ChomChom pet hair remover

The Chom Chom pet hair removal device consists of plastic, fabric, and rubber. It's better to get cat hair off my couch, cat tree, and other upholstery than it is to get it off myself. I think the ChomChom can be explained with this Gif.

GIF by Mitchell Clark / The Verge

My jaw dropped when I saw someone use the Chom Chom, so I had to share it. It changed my life and I hope it can do the same thing for you. The limited-edition cat that I paid extra for is just as functional as the regular one. It was worth it.

Cats and dogs have hair.

WOPET automatic feeder

Our vet told us that our cat Aslan needed to have some surgery. We had been letting him eat whenever he wanted, but he clearly didn't have enough self-control for that, and I didn't have the will to give him a small amount of food. The WOPET made sure I knew how much he was eating without having to wake up to give him a snack. When we go on vacation, it's even better.

It doesn't have an app or wi-fi or anything that will become "unsupported" in the future. There are buttons on the top that I can use to set the amount of food my cat gets and how often. I can't speak to the quality of those features, but if you want your pet feeders to connect to the internet, WOPET makes a version with an app and a camera.

Cat and dog feeders.

Favorite kitchen gear

Mueller Austria Ultra-Stick

I use this tool in the kitchen a lot. It can be used to make soups, smoothie, and more. It can be used to smooth out the sauce in Indian cooking. I have a lot of fun using it. We don't own an actual blender so this has come in handy to make smoothie and shakes.

Nicole Wetsman was a reporter when she was in college and she said that she drove through a Maine snowstorm to buy a soup maker.

A nine-speed smoothie maker.

Joseph Joseph garlic rocker

Traditional garlic presses don't work for us because they produce a messy paste. A friend of ours introduced us to the garlic rocker, which is fun to play with and can be used for a variety of purposes.

Ember Mug 2

As a number of my colleagues remember, some time ago in our team Slack channel, I vociferously criticized buying a $100-plus coffee mug that didn't do anything other than keep your coffee at the exact temperature you set it at. Maybe it was a case of a schoolyard bully trying to get the kid they have a crush on to lie about it.

Best Buy's exclusive blue color of the Ember Mug 2 is on sale for Black Friday. This mug is great. It keeps my coffee hot no matter what time of day I drink it. I can change its settings based on what I drink out of it. A few years ago updating the firmware on my coffee mug wouldn't have made sense to anyone.

This is not a product that anyone would need. It makes a mildly annoying thing a bit less annoying and its drawbacks are probably not worth the benefits for most people. It is a perfect guilty pleasure because I am embarrassed how much I enjoy it. I enjoy it, I feel a little awkward about it, and I don't want to talk about it again.

The Ember Mug 2 is a smart mug that keeps beverages hot for up to 80 minutes when sitting on a plug-in coaster. You can dial in a specific temperature with the accompanying app on your phone.

Favorite personal tech

Kindle Paperwhite (2021)

It is possible to read books outside without having to worry about things like lugging around a thousand-page tome or dealing with the potential for wet pages, thanks to Amazon. Unlike most phone screens, the Paperwhite's E Ink screen is very visible outside. The Paperwhite is waterproof and should be able to handle a splash in the pool. Jay Peters is a news writer.

There is a 6.8-inch E Ink display with a temperature that can be adjusted for nighttime reading. It has a faster processor, additional battery life, IPX8 waterproof, and ausb-c port, among other things.

• $95 at Amazon (with ads)
• $110 at Amazon (ad-free)

iOttie wireless car charger

Maybe someday Apple will realize that it wasn't the best idea to limit the reach of its MagSafe charging system, and you'll be able to put your phone on a disc that charges it at high speeds. The iOttie Easy One Touch Qi is about as good as you can get and it has the satisfying snap of springs. When you push your phone into its waiting jaws, it depresses a button that causes the jaws to open on either side of the device. To remove it, you have to use a pair of levers with your fingers and thumb. It is wide enough to fit almost any item on the market. Sean Hollister is the senior reports editor.

The foot adjusts to fit large and extra-large phones up to 3.8 inches.

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