Whenever Vergestaffers are asked to describe their favorite games, smart tech, desktop accessories, or whatever, they are free to talk about things they recently bought, things they picked up 10 years ago, or things theyve had sitting around their house for decades. Unsurprisingly, many of those items are on sale for Cyber Monday. Good news!RelatedDeep-sea strategy board gameJennifer Pattison Tuohy, reviewerEvolution: Oceans$36$5535% off$36$36$5535% offA strategy board game in which you enter the mysterious world of the Earths oceans.$36 at AmazonFinding a board game that will entertain a 13-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy, my partner, and me is a challenge. Weve cycled through all the classics as well as newer options Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, Catan, and more. While these are all great, inevitably one of the group develops a passionate dislike for a game (usually after a few too many losses) and it drops off our rotation. However, Evolution: Oceans has been a constant crowd-pleaser for over six months now, and we all love it.Part of the Evolution series fromNorthStar Game Studio, Oceans is a beautiful, complicated, compelling, and challenging strategy game. You create new species to fill your ocean and fight to develop them and keep them alive using adaptations and abilities such as schooling and speed, tentacles, and parasitic abilities.Cards give you your powers, and these are gorgeously illustrated, making this game a visual feast. It does have a fairly steep learning curve, but once you get going and the strategies unfold, the gameplay is smooth and relatively fast-paced. There is a fair amount of player-to-player interaction, so weve had a couple of temper tantrums, but nothing big enough to knock this one off our familys top spot at least not yet.Metering your moistureVictoria Song, senior reviewerGouevn soil moisture meter$7$1030% off$7$7$1030% offQuickly tests the soil moisture for indoor and outdoor plants.$7 at AmazonAt my last apartment, I kept all my plants in the windowsill, and whenever we opened the window for some fresh air, we got fungus gnats.Fungus gnats love overwatered soil, so once youve gotten rid of them, youve got to be careful and diligent about your watering schedule. For that, I got myself aGouevn soil moisture meterto teach myself how to properly water my plants. Ive properly vanquished my fungus gnat issue, but with these two tools, Im always prepared in case theres ever another infestation.A smarter garage door openerWes Davis, weekend editorMeross Smart Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener$35$5030% off$35$35$5030% offMeross makes a handy add-on that can transform a variety of garage door models into smart doors that you can open remotely. It works with Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings.$35 at Amazon (with on-page coupon)Most of the things I own are, frankly,justunreliable enough to be annoying. But I do love theMeross Smart Wi-Fi Garage Door Openerfor HomeKit. And my love for it isnt just about its rock-solid performance its because, as far as I can tell, its compatible with almost any garage door opener on the market and acrosstime itself. I dont think thats an exaggeration, either. The chunky mustard yellow all-metal box that cranks my garage door open the Model 455 by Automatic Doorman was made, by my loose estimation, sometime between the fall of Rome and 1975.But Meross adapter was $30 and to my amazement, after a very simple installation, it worked and continues to do so almost every time I need it to. Best of all, I dont have to carry the chunky remote with me on my bike when I leave because I can just talk into my Apple Watch when I return and coast right in.An all-time favorite electric screwdriverBrandon Widder, senior commerce editorHoto 3.6V Electric Screwdriver Kit$30$7057% off$30$30$7057% offHotos electric screwdriver is perfect for making small- to medium-sized repairs around the house. In addition to a USB-C port, the screwdriver comes with a magnetic case and 25 steel bits.I picked up Hotos electric screwdriver because my former boss at The Verge, Dan Seifert, would often pitch it around gift guide season. Im glad I did, though, because it now sits alongside a handful of tools I use on an almost weekly basis. I wouldnt suggest using it for real household projects that require some serious torque, but its incredibly handy for tightening the legs on my desk, assembling furniture, and making sure my bike seat isnt going to come off mid-ride. Its also equipped with a USB-C port for charging, a nifty LED light that lets you ditch the headlamp, and a case for housing the 25 steel bits. Oh, and it really does make for a great little gift. I guess Dan was right.Ray-Ban Meta Smart GlassesVictoria Song, senior reviewerRay-Ban Meta Smart Glasses$239$29920% off$239$239$29920% offDeveloped by both Ray-Ban and Meta, the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses can perform a range of tasks, including playing music and capturing photos and videos. Read our review.$239 at Best Buy$263 at AmazonOn sunny walks and runs, Im not interested in getting flattened by wayward SUVs in my neighborhood I need that situational awareness. Many open-ear headphones wrap around the top of the ear, and since I often wear glasses, thats a lot to put on my poor ears. The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses kill two birds with one stone; theyre my go-to headphones these days. The audio quality is great, they protect my eyes from UV rays, and once in a while, I use them to snap a photo of a random bunny or stray cat. Theres a mic right by your nose bridge, so you sound pretty great on calls, too. Who doesnt love a multitasking gadget?A reliable smart plugSean Hollister, senior editorKasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim (EP25P4) $30$5040% off$30$30$5040% offKasas smart plugs let you add voice controls and scheduling to any outlet. They can also help you monitor your energy usage and work with Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant.$30 at Amazon (four-pack)$30 at TP-Link (four-pack)The single fastest and most reliable device in my entire smart home is whichever dumb-as-a-brick appliance I plug into this tiny box. Seriously, Im pretty sure theKasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Miniis the only smart home device thats never let me down. Whether its a string of Christmas lights, a garage freezer, a hot water recirculation pump, a humidifier, a bedside lamp, or a fan all genuine examples from my home I always know Alexa or Google or Siri or Home Assistant will flick that virtual switch in an instant and / or follow my programmed schedule.Plus, I get some energy savings, too! My Brother printer used to draw 4W all day every day; now, I only spend 0.50.8W for the Smart Plug Mini its plugged into. I just wish TP-Link stopped making so many new versions so I could tell you which one to buy. I do know Id have boughtthese energy-monitoring onesif Id had a little more foresight.Strings of twinkly lightsJess Weatherbed, news writerTwinkly Strings (multicolor and white edition) $94$13832% off$94$94$13832% offTwinkly has the best selection of holiday string lights in sizes ranging from 26 to 158 feet and with options that include just color, color and white, or just white. The lights are bright and colorful, and the effects you can find and create in the Twinkly app are very impressive.$94 at Amazon (65 feet)When the aesthetic hill youve chosen to die on is as gaudy as mine, the traditional red-and-green holiday string lights that get plonked on the tree each year are, frankly, not obnoxious enough. Ive been usingTwinkly Stringsinstead for the last few years, which are considerably more expensive butprovide a great deal more creative freedom. These smart LED lights are fully customizable, enabling you to pick which colors work best for your decorative needs, and are compatible with Alexa and Google smart home setups.In my flat, they stay out year-round. When not adorning a tree, I hook them to the ceiling of my office to use as ambient mood lighting, which Ive programmed to turn on automatically at sundown each day. You can control most features via voice commands with Alexa, including switching the lights on or off and adjusting what color the lights are set to. The Twinkly companion app provides more control over color combinations and lighting patterns, but gamers can also integrate them with Razer Synapse if they want to match them with the RGB accessories in their PC setup.A cost-effective doorbell camChristopher Grant, group publisher,The VergeandPolygonReolink Video Doorbell PoE camera $70$10030% off$70$70$10030% offEasily installed video doorbell with a 180-degree view.$70 at Amazon (with on-page coupon)I was already out of love with my 2018 Nest Doorbell when Google raised the price of the video cloud storage subscription. That subscription, which was already unpalatable at $50 a year it only captured events and not full 24/7 video, and even then only stored those events for 30 days was going to increase by a whopping 60 percent. Raising prices this high without anything to show for it except a clumsy explanation of inflation and tax increases, despite the well-understood maxim that storage costs go down over time, was just the push I needed, so after spending some time on the Home Assistant forums, I settled on theReolink Video Doorbell PoE camera.On sale for less than the cost of a single year of Googles new subscription, the Reolink impresses with much better video quality, PoE support, so no batteries or Wi-Fi issues to worry about (though a Wi-Fi version is available if that works better for you), and support for local storage via an SD card (imagine!) or network support via the ONVIF standard. It integrates directly into Home Assistant, no Reolink account necessary, and is generally just a much better product. I wish I made the switch years ago.Reminders and weather reportsBarbara Krasnoff, reviews editorAmazon Echo Show 8 (third-gen)$80$15047% off$80$80$15047% offAmazons Echo Show 8 features spatial audio and room adaptation software for improved audio quality. It also displays a different homescreen on its 8-inch display based on whether youre standing near it or farther away. Read our review.$80 at Amazon$80 at Best BuyA couple of years ago, I realized that my mothers memory was starting to get a little wonky and that she would need reminding about appointments, medication, and other things. The answer turned out to beAmazons Echo Show 8. I bought her one for the living room, and not only did it remind her to take her pills but also she could listen to music, see photos, and maybe even do an occasional face-to-face call.However, I soon realized that wasnt enough. I needed to know that she could contact me in an emergency no matter where she was in her apartment, but she refused to wear one of those old-fashioned Ive fallen and I cant get up alert system gadgets. We went back and forth until finally, as luck would have it, her ancient clock radio (if you dont know what a clock radio is, look it up under old technology) finally gave up the ghost, and I was able to get her anAmazon Echo Dot with Clock (which is, unfortunately, being phased out). My mother loved it. She could not only see what time it was but also ask what the weather was or play a favorite song, right from her bedroom. And I was happy because, between the Dot and the Show, she could yell, Call Barbara anywhere in the apartment including the bathroom and it would hear her. It was a win-win.A snap-on phone stand / walletAllison Johnson, reviewerMoft Snap-on Stand & Wallet$24$3020% off$24$24$3020% offMofts phone stand and wallet sticks to the back of your phone, either by MagSafe or adhesive, and fits three of your most precious ID or payment cards.$24 at AmazonIm at the phone stand. Im at the wallet. Im at the combination phone stand and wallet.An accessory that does two jobs instead of one is the best kind of phone accessory in my book, like Mofts phone stand and wallet. It sticks to the back of your phone, either by MagSafe oradhesive, and fits three of your most precious ID or payment cards. Its pretty low-profile when its closed, but you unfold it origami-style when you need a card or want to use it as a stand. Magnets inside keep it open or closed, and its sturdy enough to prop your phone up either horizontally or vertically.You can also open it partway and put your hand through the loop to use it as a phone grip. Thats like, two and a half jobs out of one accessory, plus it looks nice. Not a bad deal.Instant PotChristopher Grant, group publisher, The VergeandPolygonAbout 90 percent of our quarantine meals were made in an Instant Pot. Theres just no time to do anything anymore, and we can make large amounts of healthy food, with little attention, and have leftovers. I liked it before, but now Im ready to build a shrine to it. Instant Pot Duo$70$10030% off$70$70$10030% offThe six-quart Instant Pot makes it quick and easy to prepare a variety of foods, ranging from rice and ribs to yogurt and assorted soups.$70 at AmazonRockin with garlicBarbara Krasnoff, reviews editorWe use a lot of garlic in my household, and traditional garlic presses never did it for us they usually produced a messy, slushy paste. A friend of ours introduced us to the garlic rocker, which is not only fun to play with but produces beautifully minced pieces of garlic, perfect for sauting and other uses. Joseph Joseph Garlic Rocker$10$2050% off$10$10$2050% offThe Joseph Joseph Garlic Rocker is just a simple curved piece of metal with holes in it, but its one of the easiest and most effective ways to mince / crush garlic.$10 at AmazonSilent mechanical keyboard switchesNathan Edwards, senior reviews editorKailh Deep-Sea Silent Pro Islet switches$48$6020% off$48$48$6020% offA fantastic silent linear mechanical switch for Cherry MX-compatible keyboards. Islets are smooth and quiet, with a long spring that gives them a top-heavy, almost tactile force curve. Theyre 3-pin switches, so they work with most hot-swappable mechanical keyboards that take 3- or 5-pin switches.$48 at Amazon (90-piece)These are my current favorite switches. The Kailh Deep-Sea Silent Pro Islets are nearly identical to the fantastic switches in the HHKB Studio, just much less expensive. The Islets are silent linear switches, with an extra-long spring, so the actuation force curve is strongest right at the beginning and then smooth the rest of the way, giving them an almost Topre-like tactile sensation. (Pitchforks down; I said almost.) Theyre an instant upgrade for any hot-swappable keyboard that takes Cherry MX-compatible switches, and Ive been using them as my daily drivers for a while.Theres also a tactile version, which I dont like as much. Sorry to the Kailh Whales. Unblurring video callsVictoria Song, senior reviewerInsta360 Link$179$30040% off$179$179$30040% offThe Link features a 0.5-inch Sony sensor mounted on a gimbal that can follow you around the room. It typically runs for $299.99, and it comes with numerous features that take advantage of the gimbals flexibility. Read our review.I got theInsta360 Linkwebcam because I was tired of looking like a blurry potato on calls. This one is neat because it tracks your position, though sometimes it doesnt always work the way its supposed to and my coworkers get to look at a close-up of my forehead.An old-fashioned watch standAntonio G. Di Benedetto, commerce writerElago W3 Stand$12$1414% off$12$12$1414% offElagos charming Apple Watch stands are made of silicone and styled after vintage tech. Mount your Apple Watch charger in it, and it will resemble an old Macintosh Plus computer while charging.$12 at AmazonThis adorableElago W3 Standfor my Apple Watch looks like an original Macintosh.Working with wireless headphonesAdi Robertson, senior reporterSony WH-1000XM4$198$35043% off$198$198$35043% offSonys WH-1000XM4 noise-canceling headphones still offer plenty of bang for your buck with excellent ANC, lively sound, and lengthy battery life. Theyre not the companys latest, but they remain an excellent buy. Read our review.$198 at Amazon$200 at Best BuyI spend the workday at my Vox laptop, a MacBook Pro, with a few accessories, including a pair of SonyWH-1000XM4 wireless headphonesthat mycolleague Chris Welch reviewed.Handy cat scratcherHelen Havlak, publisherAmznova Durable Flat Cardboard Cat Scratcher $6$1765% off$6$6$1765% offCorrugated cardboard cat scratcher.$6 at AmazonIf you love your cat but also love your furniture, do yourself a favor and buy a fewcardboard cat scratchers. My cat Olivia loves them way more than any fancy cat tree and has pretty much entirely stopped scratching our couch. We get several months use out of each one, especially as they are reversible. For extra cuteness, you can even splurge on one shapedlike a skateboard.Universal travel adapterVictoria Song, senior reviewerEpicka universal travel adapter $20$2520% off$20$20$2520% offEpickas universal travel adapter is an all-in-one adapter that includes four different plugs that cover over 150 countries.$20 at AmazonIn my youth, I forgot to pack plug adapters for international trips one too many times. Buying them once youve landed in another country isnt always easy, either. And if youre like me, your relatives in rural Korea dont always have more than one plug for your American devices in which case, youll have to share with your six other cousins. Nope. Absolutely not. Which is why I never leave this country without a universal travel adapter.Basically, its six plug adapters in one. Depending on which one you get, it might come with USB ports so you can charge multiple devices in one outlet. Granted, its bulkier than buying one or two specialized adapter plugs, but if youve got a multi-continent itinerary, its a game-changer. What I like aboutthis one from Epickais that it comes with a spare fuse in case things go sideways with voltage.The only caveat is that, although it says universal, its technically only the four most common types of plugs. Thatll get you by inmostcountries, but its not a guarantee in places like Brazil, South Africa, or India. Even so, Ill take this over price gouging at airport electronics shops or having to take time out of my schedule to visit a local hardware store.An extension cord for awkward situationsSarah Jeong, deputy features editorAnker 321 Power Strip$14$2646% off$14$14$2646% offThis all-in-one 20W power cube boasts three AC outlets, two USB-A ports, and one USB-C port.$14 at AmazonNobody wants to carry a power strip or an extension cord with them on their vacation. Its probably unnecessary if youre staying in relatively modern buildings and definitely unnecessary if youre camping. But sometimes you want to stay in a charming historical hotel or a lovely cabin in the woods, and its only when you go to charge your devices at night that you realize that the only electrical socket in the bedroom is in the corner farthest away from the bed and there are already two lamps plugged into it.Older buildings especially suffer from what I can only describe as loose socket syndrome, where those very convenient modern boxy socket extenders with five different USB and USB-C charging ports simply cannot stay in place and fall right out of the wall because theyre too heavy. After one (totally pleasant) vacation where I had to charge my phone, watch, AirPods, and laptop in a weird corner of my room with the plug-in charging hub propped up on a strategically balanced mountain of books and sham pillows, I bought thisAnker combination extension cord / power strip. Its not a full power strip just a cube with a few sockets along with USB and USB-C charging ports at the end of a five-foot cable. Ive brought it on a few trips since then. It takes up extra space in my suitcase but each time has left me feeling vindicated about the purchase.The three prongs at the end of the cable are static, rather than folding flat for easy packing. This is key because the loose sockets of older buildings reject the beautiful convenience of folding prongs. There are more than enough sockets for one person, and with some finagling (and maybe an extra charging brick), it can accommodate two peoples devices.If youre traveling overseas, dont forget to purchase a different plug type for the region youre going to or pack an adapter.A bag for the cycling setAndrew J. Hawkins, transportation editorAlpha Pannier Backpack$139$19930% off$139$139$19930% offThis backpack works just as well as a pannier for your bike and holds 25 liters of whatever stuff you need to carry.$139 at Amazon$199 at Two Wheel GearIf youre like me and you like to bike most places, youll need a bag thats both versatile and stylish. I recently came into possession of a bag that meets both these qualifications: theAlpha Pannier Backpack by Two Wheel Gear. Its a backpack! Its a pannier! Its a laptop bag with a padded pocket for an external battery! This bag really checks a lot of boxes, and its easy on the eyes as well. The ability to convert to a pannier is really the clincher for me: unclip the backpack straps and tuck them away inside an interior flap. The top latch fits most rear bike racks. The ability to show up at your destination without the dreaded back sweat is really priceless. And if youre diehard about biking in all weather conditions, the Alpha Pannier Backpacks waterproof material will certainly impress. You can even attach your bike helmet using the various straps.Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 ProEmma Roth, news writerSamsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro $130$23043% off$130$130$23043% offThese buds have excellent sound quality and good noise cancellation but work best when youre part of the Samsung ecosystem.$130 at SamsungI love my Galaxy Buds 2 Pro; theyre the first wireless earbuds Ive ever used, and they made the most sense for me, as Im knee-deep in Samsungs ecosystem. They fit comfortably inside my ears and their active noise cancellation works well almost too well at the gym or on an airplane.Shure MV7 USB microphoneAndrew Marino, senior audio producerShure MV7 Plus$249$27911% off$249$249$27911% offAn update to the well-regarded Shure MV7 with customizable color and improved performance.$249 at Amazon$249 at ShureThe Shure MV7 USBhas been our go-to microphone to send to remote guests forVergepodcasts. Its a very flexible dynamic microphone for podcast interviews because of its sonic similarity to typical radio mics like Shures SM7b and has both a USB and XLR output for virtually any recording setup.Pink flamingosBarbara Krasnoff, reviews editorPink flamingo yard decorations $14$1822% off$14$14$1822% offTwo medium-sized happy plastic pink flamingos on metal legs that also work as stakes.$14 at AmazonSome years ago, my partner and I went to a tech trade show that was Florida-themed, so the large room was decorated with fake palm trees, hanging fish mobiles, and pink plastic flamingos those straight-from-the-50s ones. When the show was over and we were leaving, we found a bunch of the birds piled near the exit. One of the staffers who was cleaning up begged us to take as many as we wanted. Theyd bought them for the show and had no idea what to do with them now.We took home two of the pink flamingos and set them up in our tiny garden. They were meant to be a temporary joke, but those flamingos have been standing guard in front of our home ever since. It turned out that they are actually incredibly useful for guiding guests and delivery people to our house all we have to do is tell them to look for the pink flamingos.An organizer for everythingBrandon Widder, senior commerce editorYamazaki Desk Organizer$31$3614% off$31$31$3614% offA simple yet elegant desk organizer that is just right for propping up your phone or stashing your Apple Watch.$31 at Amazon$31 at YamazakiYamazakis desk organizer isnt a smartphone accessory, per se, but Ive found it to be a more stylish resting spot for my phone than your run-of-the-mill Qi charging stand. The handy steel and wood desk organizer is great for stashing a pair of wireless earbuds and some stationery, and its outfitted with an arm thats perfectly suited for holding a watch or two. The best part, however, is that the upper platform is situated farther back than the bottom tray, which means you can rest a small notebook or your phone upright, thus making it easy to glance at texts, calendar reminders, and other incoming notifications.Ive always been a fan of Yamazakis understated wares, which honestly, often look a little more expensive than they are. The Japanese company, which started out making ironing boards more than 100 years ago, has steadily built an impressive collection of minimalist goods spanning everything from shelves to bread baskets, much of which is available in either black or white. Sure, the subdued color palette might be a little too Ikea for some people, but theres something to be said aboutkeeping things simple.Update, December 2nd: Updated pricing and availability.