While for most people, sweaters and boxes of candy and bottles of wine are great gift ideas,… there are some of those individuals in our lives that love everything electronic. Here are a few things I found that might make the perfect gift for that special someone or simply spark some inspiration.
The Leap Motion Controller $79.99
This little device tracks your hands and fingers allowing you to control things on your computer screen. No, it’s not going to grant you Ender’s Game-like craziness but for $79.99, its a start 😉
August Smart Lock – $199
While this item is still not going to be available till next year, you can pre-order it. Its a neat little device that allows you to lock and unlock your house, regulate who can and cannot come in, tracks whether or not the door has been opened and how many times and etc… and will sense when you’re approaching via smartphone without you actually having to reach for your phone.
Belkin – The WeMo Lightswitch – $49.99
(I’m surprised my boyfriend doesn’t already have this installed) A neat little device that allows you to control the lighting anywhere in the house from your smartphone or tablet. It works with your wi-fi network or if you’re not home, it also works over 3G and 4G LTE. Now you don’t have to get up after having tucked yourself into a little comforter burrito in bed and then realizing you left the lights on in the living room. Or in my case, be able to turn the lights on once the sun starts to go down when I’m still at work and Presley is still home alone.
Brookstone – Portable Projector – $199
A tiny rechargable projector that fits in your purse or pocket that you can take anywhere! Simply plug in your phone or tablet (even plugs into computers, videoplayers, game consoles, digital cameras, all via HDMI) and watch images as large as 60″! It also comes with built in speakers. Create your own drive-in movie, take it on trips, or simply use it in your home if you’re without a tv or too lazy to walk to the living room 😉
Canary – $199
Part of me wants to sit here and just let you guess what this does. (This item is still only available for pre-order and has an estimated delivery of July 2014 but for some, it could be worth the wait) The Canary is a smart home security device. It has an HD video camera, saftey sensors that track motion, temperature, air quality, vibration, sound and activity at all times. This crazy irobot looking device is controlled through your smartphone and allows you to track what’s going on, notifies you of things and you can even see what’s going on in your house in real-time from anywhere in the world (provided you have service or a wifi connection) I’d love this to be able to see and know what Presley is up to during the day.
Sony – Smartwatch 2 – $199.99
Ok, I’m an iPhone user so this doesn’t really strike me as something I’d personally buy but for all you Android phone users, its kind of a neat little watch. It syncs to your phone via bluetooth and allows you to have access to basic things like calls, messages etc on your wrist. You can choose from a wide variety of apps and ooo, its water resistant too!
Ok so truthfully I don’t know when this will be released but you can reserve your very own now. Its like a digital picture frame but streams your instagram feed on it and even has a like button that you can push when you see photos that you well… like. Since instagramming has become such a huge thing since it’s release, I figured I should add this to the list.
Makerbot – Replicator 2 – $2199
Taking the top spot for the most expensive item on this list, the Makerbot Replicator 2 is actually pretty neat. Its a desktop 3D printer! With the Makerbot Makerwear software you can design and print 3-dimensional things at home (or wherever you decide to put this device).
Nest – Thermostat – $249
A neat little digital thermostat that you can control manually or through your smartphone/tablet via the nest app. It’s not just for turning the temperature up and down in your home, it also allows you to set schedules, lock, unlock, regulate temperature from elsewhere and it even learns your habits and schedule over-time. Brendan loves his Nest thermostat and I must admit, its a very cool looking device.
Mophie – Juice Pack Helium – $79.99
There’s nothing like the anxiety you begin to feel when you see your battery level on your phone hit the redzone… or worse… when your phone is completely drained. There are several battery packs sold that work with your smartphone at different price-points. I had a Mophie for my iphone 4 (I still haven’t gotten around to getting one for my 5s yet but will do soon). Charging via USB, the Mophie Juicepack doubles as an 80% battery backup as well as a case to protect your phone.
Firebox – Impossible Instant Lab – $393.39
Kind of a strange price, but that’s what it’s going for. The Impossible Instant lab looks pretty neat. Simply select a picture on your phone, place it on the Instant Lab then press the ‘eject’ button and it prints your photo out! No cables or extra buttons necessary!
Nest – Protect Smoke + CO Alarm – $129
Another Nest product to make the list, the Smoke + CO alarm is a smoke and carbon monoxide detector for your home. It comes in both white and black. I know what some of you are thinking,… “its a smoke detector”. Well yea, Its a smoke detector that you can connect to via your smartphone/tablet that will notify you if there is an emergency and where it is. For those times you burn something while you’re cooking and you set it off, no need to fan it with kitchen towels to get it to stop beeping, simply wave your hand in front of it and it will stop. Same goes with battery replacement, you’ll get a simple reminder on your phone when its time to change them rather than hearing that obnoxious chirping sound the OG smoke alarms make when they hit low battery.
Google – Chromecast HDMI Streaming Media Player – $35
A tiny device you can plug into your HDTV and stream “Netflix, YouTube, HBO GO, Hulu Plus, Pandora, and Google Play Movies and Music mobile apps as well as select content through Chrome browser” from your device. Kinda neat and the price doesn’t break the bank.
And that’s all for this list! I’ll be posting more gift ideas during the holidays 🙂
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