Every year, TIME’s editors and correspondents work together to compile a collection of the most interesting and groundbreaking new products and innovations for the Best Inventions list. As holiday season approaches, the TIME team has pulled out a selection of the 10 best household items from the list that would make a perfect gift for those looking to add more practical pizzazz to their space.
Dreame MF10 Bladeless Fan
A futuristic smart fan
Earlier this year, Yu Hao, the founder and CEO of leading robot-vacuum-maker Dreame, made headlines and stirred controversy with his goal of building it into the world’s first $100 trillion company. The first step is rapidly expanding into various sectors, including phones, wearables, and air care. Dreame’s newest smart fan, the futuristic MF10, provides wide-ranging airflow via two bladeless, independently oscillating wings. (Each wing rotates up to 180 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically for 270-degree circulation.) The MF10’s TempSync system senses air temperature and automatically adjusts fan speed to optimize comfort and energy use. —Derek Rose
Buy Now: Dreame MF10 Bladeless Fan on Amazon
Vestaboard Note
Retro message board
Vestaboard’s split-flap messaging displays evoke the sight and sound of a mid-century train station, but founder and CEO Dorrian Porter says it’s more than a nod to the past—it’s a respite from glowing screens. “The whole internet collapsed into our phones,” Porter says. “There’s an opportunity to put that information into our lives in simpler, more peaceful ways.” The Note—a compact version of the company’s much larger flagship product—launched in February, and can display personal messages, weather, stock prices, Spotify songs, and hundreds of other options via 2,880 mesmerizing flaps controlled via an app. —Derek Rose
Buy Now: Vestaboard Note on Vestaboard
Aura Ink
A cordless, wall-mounted digital frame
Digital photo frames have been around for decades, but you couldn’t easily wall-mount them without cord clutter until Aura Ink, a wireless, 13.3-in. display that can hold a charge for up to three months. Unlike traditional LCD frames that can make your living room feel like Times Square, Aura Ink uses a color e-paper technology that gives photos a vintage-print quality. Designing it meant “reinventing the whole product,” Aura co-founder and CTO Eric Jensen says. For instance, because e-paper reflects ambient light (unlike a back-lit LCD), the Ink has a built-in front light that automatically adjusts to the room’s brightness. —Jessica Sager
Buy Now: Aura Ink on Aura Frames
Syncere Lume
A lamp that does chores
Like Lumiere the candlestick before it, the Lume both sheds light and completes tasks for its owner with nary a complaint. To create an AI-powered butler, AI startup Syncere reimagined the bedside lamp as a robotic arm that, when prompted via an app, makes the bed or sorts through a heap of clean laundry and folds it into neat piles. The current iteration can be wheeled around the house, and works best when purchased in a pair to fold clothes, make the bed, or pick up clutter. The company says it will learn more tasks with time. —Emma Barker Bonomo
Buy Now: Lume on Syncere
Signify Philips Skylight
Engineering natural light
The lighting pros at Philips have tackled the final frontier: replicating natural sunlight. The Philips Skylight provides a ceiling-mounted frame, which comes in two sizes, filled with a light panel that mimics the soft, fluctuating daylight of a skylight for those who rent or live on lower floors. The biggest challenges, its designers say, were mimicking the fade from crisp morning rays to bright noon light to a soft evening glow, and creating a sense of depth to conjure the distant sky. The VitaUp version even uses safe UV-B lights to stimulate vitamin D production. —Emma Barker Bonomo
Buy Now: Signify Philips Skylight on Amazon
Flipper Devices Busy Bar
A timer that limits distractions
Busy Bar started with a cardboard box with an LED strip as a stoplight to let coworkers know you’re occupied. Now the glowing gadget, which resembles a retro alarm clock, can share a personalized message, set a Pomodoro timer, lock down distracting apps, silence notifications, and connect to smart home systems to dim lights and change the music—all at the touch of a physical button. And that’s just the beginning. The product is open source, which gives you plenty of opportunity for customization. Place the bar on your desk, attach it to your monitor, or hang it on the wall and find your focus. —Nina Elder
Buy Now: Flipper Devices Busy Bar on Amazon
Marshall Stockwell III
Classic portable speaker, better battery life
Many portable Bluetooth speakers still prioritize function over form. Marshall’s revamped Stockwell III marries the two ideas, fitting a ton of features into a sleek package that looks like a mini version of the brand’s iconic amps. The battery lasts for an industry-best 40 hours and is replaceable (essentially unheard of in consumer electronics). Audio is better than ever too: Marshall’s signature True Stereophonic 360° audio ensures music sounds amazing from all angles, while the Dynamic Loudness feature automatically adjusts balance across volumes. —Eliza Thompson
Buy Now: Marshall Stockwell III on Amazon
Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni
Cordless robot window washer
Cleaning floor-to-ceiling windows can feel like an Olympic sport. Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni lets you sit this one out. Simply press the small robot against a pane of glass and watch its TruEdge scrubber get within 1.1 mm of edges and corners. Unlike its predecessor, the W3 Omni is paired with a portable station whose built-in battery powers 130 minutes of continuous cleaning—no nearby outlet or extension cord necessary. That same dock features Vortex Wash, which automatically cleans the robot’s dirty wiping pads in about a minute. Your ladder and microfiber cloth could never. —Matthew Huff
Buy Now: Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni on Amazon
Nuwave Smart Mug
A cup that does the brewing
Plenty of mugs claim to keep beverages hot, and a few will even reheat a drink if it gets cold, but the 14-oz. Nuwave Smart Mug goes a step further by brewing tea and coffee on the spot. Add coffee grounds or loose tea leaves to its stainless-steel brewing filter, then tap a preset button for coffee, green tea, or black tea, or choose a temperature of your liking anywhere from 70°F to 205°F. Then discard the grounds or leaves and enjoy at your leisure: the dishwasher-safe cup maintains the just-so temp for more than five hours, and automatically shuts off once you’ve taken your last sip. —Matthew Huff
Buy Now: Nuwave Smart Mug on Amazon
Ninja Slushi Twist
Life of the party
The original Ninja Slushi sold out 15 times after it debuted in July 2024. Now SharkNinja has doubled down on that success, literally, with the Slushi Twist. The double-barreled frozen-drink maker can churn out two icy drinks at once, even when their ingredients—and therefore their freezing points—are markedly different. The machine’s Dual SlushAssist technology uses sensors to analyze each mixture and determine how cold it needs to get, and its refrigeration system controls the chambers independently, so a margarita and a milkshake can reach peak consistency at the same time. Two spouts let you pour each flavor separately or in a swirl. —Matthew Huff
Buy Now: Ninja Slushi Twist on Amazon
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