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Flipping through The Manual: Mondo hammocks, grill accessories, negronis done right

Burned out on apps, keys and screens? Improve your analog life this weekend! Digital Trends’ brother site The Manual exists to give men straight-up advice, from unspoken suit rules you need to know, to the latest in fashion, food, drink, travel, grooming and culture. Here are a few of our favorite stories to appear on The Manual lately.

Trekking: Hang ’em high with the Trillium Hammock

Trekking: Hang 'em high with the Trillium Hammock
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Nothing says “breathtaking” quite like waking up to a 360-degree view of the surrounding woods. Tentsile’s durable Trillium Hammock offers that, along with room for three of your closest buds and their accompanying gear.

Read the full story on The Manual

Essential guide to grilling accessories

Essential guide to grilling accessories
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The right grilling accessories can help to take any guy’s summer to the next level. Here are a handful that you simply can’t afford to live without.

Read the full story on The Manual

The best beard tips for the beach

The best beard tips for the beach
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The beach can be a precarious place for a beard with all of that sand and sea. We spoke to Beardbrand’s Eric Bandholz to learn more about how to keep your beard looking fresh on the beach and after.

Read the full story on The Manual

Negroni Week is coming

Negroni Week is coming
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June 1-June 7 marks Negroni Week 2015. The Manual hits you with some specialty recipes (and some history) to help you navigate your Negroni Week.

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The Manual Wind: The GrillTimer barbecue watch by Little Griddle

The Manual Wind: The GrillTimer barbecue watch by Little Griddle
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Watches plus grilling equals Fathers Day with The GrillTimer watch by Little Griddles. Check out this simply yet genius watch for every grill master.

Read the full story on The Manual

American Grilling 101: How to grill the ultimate burger

American Grilling 101: How to grill the ultimate burger
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Think you know how to grill a burger? OK. But do you know how to grill the ultimate burger? Chef Kevin Schantz of RingSide Grill has a few tasty suggestions.

Read the full story on The Manual

Digital Trends Staff
Digital Trends has a simple mission: to help readers easily understand how tech affects the way they live. We are your…
The 4 best smart thermostats in 2024
A person operating the Google Nest thermostat.

A lot of folks may feel that a smart thermostat device is just a gimmick for the lazy that lets you control it remotely, but there are actually quite a lot of good things when it comes to smart thermostats. Depending on which model you buy and how much money you spend, there can be some significant savings, especially if you spring for the kind that learns your patterns and adjusts the temperature to eat up less electricity. Some thermostats even know what time of day electricity is expensive and adjust to use less of it to help bring your costs down.

As such, if you rely heavily on your HVAC, then having a smart thermostat can save you money and add a ton of convenience, even if you don't go for one of the smarter ones. Just knowing your energy usage over time can help you adjust and spend less money while also being a bit more eco-friendly. While there are a ton of options, we've collected four of our favorites below across various budgets and features, so be sure to check things out thoroughly and be sure a smart thermostat supports your HVAC system before taking the plunge.
The Best Smart Thermostats in 2024

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The best open-world games
The Witcher 3-Wild Hunt

Just like you probably enjoy getting to choose your own path in real life, you want to have the same freedom in your favorite video game. Open-world games like The Division 2 have only continued to grow in popularity since their release. 

While this genre of gaming can be a little intimidating for anyone without tons of experience in gaming, there are plenty of great open-world games to chose from. Ranging from first-person shooter games to RPGs and action-adventure titles, our list will have something for everyone.

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What is HDR TV? High dynamic range and why you need it
A Sony Bravia A80K 4K TV sits on a table in front of a large window.

HDR, or High Dynamic Range, is a TV spec you've undoubtedly seen in your TV's settings or while shopping for a new TV, and we're willing to bet that if you're here, you're wondering what the heck HDR is. HDR can be found in pretty much all of today's best TVs, from 8K to 4K to HDTVs, and in TVs across a wide range of price points -- HDR has become standard in most new mid-range and high-end televisions.

But what is it? When viewing TV, movies, video games, sports, or other content displayed in HDR, an HDR-capable TV will deliver extra-brilliant brightness levels, ultra-rich colors, an expanded color palette, and higher contrast.

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