The picks
Products
European-made products worth owning, tested and explained: design, quality and origin, without the noise of algorithm-driven shopping lists.
-
Software: LibreOffice 🇩🇪
LibreOffice, from a non-profit foundation in Berlin, is a free office suite with no subscription, no generative AI and no ads.
-
Phone: Volla 🇩🇪
Most phones want your data before you finish setting them up. Volla, a small German phone maker, starts from the opposite idea: a phone…
-
Music Streaming: Qobuz 🇫🇷
A French streaming service focused on sound quality and fairer pay for artists.
-
Outdoor gear: Salewa 🇮🇹
A South Tyrol brand sourcing wool from native sheep bred a few kilometres from its offices.
-
Outdoor gear: Mammut 🇨🇭
Among the oldest technical mountain equipment companies still operating, founded in 1862.
-
Phone: Mudita 🇵🇱
A calm-tech phone with an E Ink display, designed for essential use rather than endless scrolling.
-
Headphones: Focal 🇫🇷
One of the rare audio companies that designs and manufactures its own drivers as well as the headphones themselves.
The Saturday newsletter
Like what you see?
Get the five picks of the week in your inbox every Saturday morning. Free, always.