Gear Patrol to acquire DPReview
June 20, 2023 3:06 PM Subscribe
The unhappy news that Amazon would be shutting down the digital-photography website DPReview can be replaced with the happy news that Gear Patrol has acquired it. It looks like DPReview will continue intact.
YAY! 🎉
posted by umber vowel at 3:24 PM on June 20, 2023
posted by umber vowel at 3:24 PM on June 20, 2023
Fantastic news!
posted by past unusual at 4:06 PM on June 20, 2023
posted by past unusual at 4:06 PM on June 20, 2023
I initially read this as "Paw Patrol" and, since I live in a house with toddlers and my mind is a bit soft these days, I was like "huh, makes sense I guess, everyone's consolidating...wait".
Anyhow, that's great news, I love DPReview
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 4:23 PM on June 20, 2023 [9 favorites]
Anyhow, that's great news, I love DPReview
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 4:23 PM on June 20, 2023 [9 favorites]
That's awesome.
posted by doctor_negative at 5:01 PM on June 20, 2023
posted by doctor_negative at 5:01 PM on June 20, 2023
Well this is great. I loved the reviews but never realized they had forums. Maybe it'll be a good replacement in case I never want to go back to r/photography.
Going to research travel cameras now...
posted by hovey at 5:42 PM on June 20, 2023
Going to research travel cameras now...
posted by hovey at 5:42 PM on June 20, 2023
Gear Patrol
Gear Patrol
DP Review's in trouble
Gear Patrol
Gear Patrol
We'll acquire it on the double
posted by clawsoon at 7:15 PM on June 20, 2023 [5 favorites]
Gear Patrol
DP Review's in trouble
Gear Patrol
Gear Patrol
We'll acquire it on the double
posted by clawsoon at 7:15 PM on June 20, 2023 [5 favorites]
This is great news, DPReview has been such a good site and even the archives are valuable.
Does anybody know what Gear Patrol is like as a site in general? On a scale of say DPReview to Wirecutter to CNet to bestadjustablekettlebellsreviews2023.com?
posted by Superilla at 8:07 PM on June 20, 2023
Does anybody know what Gear Patrol is like as a site in general? On a scale of say DPReview to Wirecutter to CNet to bestadjustablekettlebellsreviews2023.com?
posted by Superilla at 8:07 PM on June 20, 2023
On a scale of say DPReview to Wirecutter to CNet to bestadjustablekettlebellsreviews2023.com?
I feel like I just learned something important about CNET that I did not previously know….
posted by anotherpanacea at 8:13 PM on June 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
I feel like I just learned something important about CNET that I did not previously know….
posted by anotherpanacea at 8:13 PM on June 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
> Does anybody know what Gear Patrol is like as a site in general?
I'd not heard of them before this acquisition, but their front page puts me in mind of an in-flight luxury goods magazine aimed at extremely white men with "executive" or "president" in their job title who kind of dig the military/tactical aesthetic but want it to be more expensive. Lot of reviews of expensive watches, whiskeys, tents, and bowie knives.
Apparently they also own PetaPixel, which seems to be doing OK, though. Be interesting to see what they do with both (seemingly competing) brands, though.
posted by parm at 3:45 AM on June 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'd not heard of them before this acquisition, but their front page puts me in mind of an in-flight luxury goods magazine aimed at extremely white men with "executive" or "president" in their job title who kind of dig the military/tactical aesthetic but want it to be more expensive. Lot of reviews of expensive watches, whiskeys, tents, and bowie knives.
Apparently they also own PetaPixel, which seems to be doing OK, though. Be interesting to see what they do with both (seemingly competing) brands, though.
posted by parm at 3:45 AM on June 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
"I feel like I just learned something important about CNET that I did not previously know…."
yeah i'm not sure if cnet is better or worse than PCMag or whatever else shows up on the first page of google, but i've started avoiding it about 7-9 years ago when I noticed their top five VPNs or Password Apps or what have you, always seemed to be roughly in same order as the companies' market share and didn't really include information beyond what was available in the marketing copy for the respective products.
posted by midmarch snowman at 8:09 AM on June 21, 2023
yeah i'm not sure if cnet is better or worse than PCMag or whatever else shows up on the first page of google, but i've started avoiding it about 7-9 years ago when I noticed their top five VPNs or Password Apps or what have you, always seemed to be roughly in same order as the companies' market share and didn't really include information beyond what was available in the marketing copy for the respective products.
posted by midmarch snowman at 8:09 AM on June 21, 2023
> always seemed to be roughly in same order as the companies' market share
I always assumed they were ordered by largest affiliate marketing purchase share value, but perhaps there's a correlation there.
posted by parm at 8:15 AM on June 21, 2023 [3 favorites]
I always assumed they were ordered by largest affiliate marketing purchase share value, but perhaps there's a correlation there.
posted by parm at 8:15 AM on June 21, 2023 [3 favorites]
I like the way Boing Boing puts it: " Gear Patrol is one of few independents from the "Gizmodo vs. Engadget" era of gadget blogging to make it in whatever form to the third decade of the century. "
In other words, truly independent, not part of some cyber-kairetsu run by faceless AIs from orbit.
posted by bonehead at 8:45 AM on June 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
In other words, truly independent, not part of some cyber-kairetsu run by faceless AIs from orbit.
posted by bonehead at 8:45 AM on June 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
Does anybody know what Gear Patrol is like as a site in general?
They're an affilate link content farm that focuses on higher end luxury goods. I hope they don't meddle too much to push people to more expensive products to pump the affiliate revenue but that conflict of interest is always there with affiliate link sites.
posted by srboisvert at 8:46 AM on June 21, 2023
They're an affilate link content farm that focuses on higher end luxury goods. I hope they don't meddle too much to push people to more expensive products to pump the affiliate revenue but that conflict of interest is always there with affiliate link sites.
posted by srboisvert at 8:46 AM on June 21, 2023
> Does anybody know what Gear Patrol is like as a site in general?
Their comparisons with a particular product sector are usually fair to good (though always universally positive, like 'here's the product for most people' and 'here's the money's-no-object product' and 'here's the one for iOS users,' but never 'here's the one that's junk.')
They're fairly up front about the sponsored content, which in the year 2023 is worthy of praise.
Less so about the rewritten press releases, or how their lists of sales and deals always come from the same range of sites.
They typically use several layers of redirecting links, which is not my favorite, although I suppose it's one of the main ways they make money.
On a scale of DPReview to Outdoor Gear Lab to Wirecutter to CNET to Uncrate, I'd say they're somewhere between Wirecutter and CNET.
posted by box at 10:32 AM on June 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
Their comparisons with a particular product sector are usually fair to good (though always universally positive, like 'here's the product for most people' and 'here's the money's-no-object product' and 'here's the one for iOS users,' but never 'here's the one that's junk.')
They're fairly up front about the sponsored content, which in the year 2023 is worthy of praise.
Less so about the rewritten press releases, or how their lists of sales and deals always come from the same range of sites.
They typically use several layers of redirecting links, which is not my favorite, although I suppose it's one of the main ways they make money.
On a scale of DPReview to Outdoor Gear Lab to Wirecutter to CNET to Uncrate, I'd say they're somewhere between Wirecutter and CNET.
posted by box at 10:32 AM on June 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
Apparently they also own PetaPixel...
Which, oddly enough, is where the DPR review team decamped to pending the cratering of DPR.
I see a lot of discomfort around the water cooler.
posted by Chitownfats at 1:06 AM on June 22, 2023
Which, oddly enough, is where the DPR review team decamped to pending the cratering of DPR.
I see a lot of discomfort around the water cooler.
posted by Chitownfats at 1:06 AM on June 22, 2023
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