December 21, 2009
12 Last-Minute Gifts for Tech Addicts
Its crunch time, friends. Christmas Day is Friday and you’ve been putting off your holiday shopping for the tech addict in your life for weeks. Fear not, this is a blame free zone. We know how hard (and annoying) it is to shop for techy people, the ones who live their lives all glowy and snide about their gadgets. Plus, the thought of heading to a mall right now makes everyone break out into a sweat of excuses.
But it’s Christmas! Here’s a list of 12 last minute gifts that the tech addict in your life is sure to love, plus some you may want to avoid. Thank us after you’ve finished your shopping.
What NOT to get…
There’s a fine line in tech that separates the “omg cool!” from the “what the heck do I do with this?”. In case you weren’t sure, the two items below fall on that other side of the line. Here’s what not to get even though you kind of want to:
Speaker Cellphone Charms: Yeah. These actually aren’t cute OR funny. Besides just being odd, why would anyone pay $55 for a tiny cube speaker to play their ringtone or MP3s on? They’re called earbuds, people. Plug them into your phone and stop making us judge you for your lame toys. Cause we are.
Digital Photo Frames: I know the commercials of grandma looking misty-eyed at her 4 blonde grandchildren bring a tear to everyone’s eye… but it’s only like that in the commercials. In real life, you have to move your memory card from the camera in order to view the pictures. And then keep it there. Forever. What if you want to actually use your camera? Well, then you need to spend $40 on additional memory cards or stop displaying the photo you cherish so much. So people say “worth it”, we just say “hassle”.
Now that you know what to avoid, what actually does qualify as a cool and interesting gadget for the mobile and tech junkie in your household? Here’s our gift to you: The Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide. You’re sure to find something for all the tech and mobile junkies on your list.
1. Palm Pre (Sprint): $79-$149
In a world of epic battles between the iPhone and RIM Blackberry comes the Palm Pre from Sprint to rival both phones. They had to make it extra special to stand out from those über-popular, trendy brands so you know it’s good. The Palm Pre is less expensive than a lot of other smartphones (starting at $79 if you go to Wal-Mart), has multitasking capabilities (something the iPhone seems to lack), a quality 3-megapixel camera, and a bunch of other cool features to boot. The phone comes with an 8.0GB memory to make it convenient for those using it to store files and is also Wi-Fi capable for smooth surfing. It’s everything you could ever want in a smartphone, in a somewhat less pretentious exterior. [Yeah. We said it, iPhone users.]
2. Ultimate Programmable Buzz Lightyear: $199.95
Yes, thank you, I do realize I am an adult looking at Buzz Lightyear toys. But come ON, who doesn’t want a programmable robot that will respond to your every command, give you high-fives and say more than 100 phrases all record in Tim Allen’s voice? A crazy person, that’s who! It’s a bit pricey at just under $200, but we think it’s totally worth it. And since you’re such a bad procrastinator, you may be able to find a retailer offering a special promotion. It’s just a few days before Christmas, after all.
3. Aiptek PocketCinema Portable Projector: $249.99
Well, this may be just the coolest thing to hit our list yet. At the size of a cell phone, this digital projector stores hours of footage or data that you can instantly project onto a wall or screen in 42″ of greatness. You can use it for movies, TV shows, home videos, business documents, PowerPoints…you name it and the portable projector will display it. Fun!
4. Scratch-N-Scroll: $14.99
If our last two suggestions were worrying your wallet, this brings it down a notch. Originally written off as a useless tech gift, once we started playing with this bad boy we were totally hooked. We think the gadget lover in your life will be too.
Here’s how it works: Use your fingers to doodle on the mouse pad while you’re talking on the phone, putting off work, ignoring your significant other, and then, when you’re done, just pick it up and shake it to make the design go away. It’s a slightly more socially acceptable Etch-a-Sketch for adults! And at only $14.99, it’s perfectly affordable for everyone on your list.
5. Pink BlackBerry 8330 Curve (Verizon): $99.99
Do we really need to say anything else for this one? In a world of black and gray BlackBerry devices, there stands one, lone pink defender of color. You don’t need to buy a bulky silicone phone case in order to spice up this smartphone. And, from what I’ve heard from regular consumers (as opposed to ads or formal device reviews), the Curve is one of the most reliable phones out there right now so it’s only natural it would want to stand out.
6. Ultimate Ears 700 Earphones: $199.95
Did you know that if you’re rocking out to your tunes on inexpensive headphones you’re actually doing an injustice to both your ears and the artist? I didn’t. This noise-canceling set is supposedly one of the best out there right now. It’s also endorsed and sold by Geek.com, which means you’ll automatically be earning yourself some major street cred with your tech nerd. Plus, they help you to boost your mobile and music experience. A win all around.
7. Darth Vader Toaster: $54.99
We’re perhaps stretching the “tech gift” label a bit here, but this Darth Vader toaster is extremely cool and fun. I mean, who wouldn’t love a toaster that imprints an image of Darth Vader onto your bread? It’s awesome! It’s a bit pricey for a toaster, but it comes packed with a whole bunch of delicious attitude.
8. BluAnt Bluetooth Speakerphone: $63.71
For those of us who don’t have a fancy new car with a built-in Bluetooth system, nor the desire to keep an earbud in our ear like a robot (sorry), there is BluAnt’s Bluetooth Speakerphone. This bad boy comes with a “voice answer” feature that makes it a truly hands-free system. You can voice-dial, have automatic connection/disconnection, stream music, and pair up to 8 devices. All for a very reasonable price. It’s quite a good deal.
9. WildCharge for iPhone and BlackBerry: $79.99
This is just sexy. If you’re not familiar with this one yet, the WildCharger pad is a wire-free platform on which you set your mobile device and it will simply charge. No wires. No plugging and unplugging. No adapters. Nothing. You just set your device down on the pad and pick it up later fully charged. If only the rest of your life was that simple.
10. Jabra Stone Bluetooth Headset: $99.99-$139.95
I know I said earlier that I was against Bluetooth headsets, but this one is pretty cool. The shape of it looks kind of like a comma or an apostrophe or something, which, frankly is fun. It also makes you look less like a robot when you use it. The Bluetooth device automatically pairs to your phone and cancels out all other noises when in your ear to ensure optimal clarity during your call. It’s like a big mute button the rest of the world. Also, the little charging dock rocks.
11. Star Wars USB Drives: $24.95-$49.95
These are adorable. The little flash drives range from 2GB to 8GB (which are both great) and offer a fun twist to what should be mundane tech tools (similar to the pink Blackberry above). The little figures of Star Wars characters disguise the USB drives into action figurines that are simple and clever and may inspire you to play with them a little too much making shooting noises. Personally, I like the Han Solo one. I can’t resist a side-smile, even on a little cartoon Flash drive.
12. TomTom XL 340 Navigator: $119.99
GPS Navigators are all the rage right now. But, if you’re like me, you don’t have a whole system built right into your car. So, what’s the next best thing? A portable one, of course! And what better (and more popular) brand than TomTom? They are safe and reliable, and you’ll never be lost again. Plus, the 4.3 inch screen is a good size so that you don’t have to squint while looking at a map or reading directions. No sense knowing where you’re going if where you’re going is right off the road. It will even talk to you and give you 3D graphics in order to guide you through your journey.
So that’s our list of the best mobile and tech gifts for 2009 for your whole family. The big day hits on Friday so get out there and go battle the crowds. Otherwise you’re going to be standing in line for a whole lot of gift cards.
Happy shopping from SendMe Mobile!
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Posted by Shaane at 8:24 am
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