For this blog, we thought we would do a tech items list to get your holiday shopping started. We decided not to focus on the normal tech items like smart phones, tablets, and gaming consoles, but rather 10 items that are different, helpful, or even quirky. These are in no particular order and we have not given you a location to purchase from. Do your own research to find the best price and more information about the devices.
For more tips and trick for shopping online, check out our previous blog post, What Everyone Should Know About Online Shopping.
# 1: The Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug
This is the mug everyone is obsessed with this year! Keep your coffee (or tea or hot chocolate) nice and hot and at the temperature you want it to be. You can control it via the app right from your smartphone and never have to worry about lukewarm beverages again! Check out the quick video clip on how it all works (so cool!).
#2: The LARQ Self-Cleaning Water Bottle
The future of tech is here and it’s in the form of a self-cleaning water bottle! Using a special UV-C LED light the LARQ will clean the water inside your water bottle and the water bottle itself—amazing! Keep your cool—or keep things toasty. The double-wall vacuum insulated and stainless-steel bottle keeps your water cold for 24 hours and hot for 12. It comes in a bunch of cool color options too.
#3: The PlusUs Lifecard Phone Charger
This is a sleek portable phone charger! It’s small enough to fit in most wallets so you can bring it with you just about anywhere you go. Only 3 credit cards thick. It’s perfect for when your phone is about to die and it needs some emergency battery life!
#4: Moleskine’s Bluetooth Smart Pen & Notebook Set
The pen-on-paper aesthetic meets the digital universe with Moleskine’s smart pen. It’s a pen with ink and all that, but it simultaneously tracks what’s written and uploads it so that you can access all your brilliant thoughts on a computer or phone. The pen recognizes different pages, dates, and times as you write, so you get the handwritten satisfaction and analog organization of a regular paper notebook while having every page backed up digitally as it’s being written.
#5: AeroGarden Harvest 360 Indoor Garden
It’s nearly impossible to accidentally kill anything growing in this self-watering, self-lit planter. That means fresh herbs and vegetables for months to come! Up to 6 plants grow at a time, up to 12 inches tall with this indoor garden. Grows in water no soil, no mess, made simple. Control panel tells you when to add water, reminds you when to add plant food (included), and automatically turns lights on and off for your hydroponic growing system.
#6: The Whistle Health & Location Pet Tracker
Any dog or cat owner understands the panicked feeling that comes from not knowing where their pet has wandered off to this time. Whistle Go is a GPS tracker. If they leave their designated “safe zone” you’ll get an alert via text, email, or app to let you know exactly where they are (even if it’s 3,000 miles away!). You can also monitor and keep track of their health, activities, sleeping patterns and more. You can even chat with a vet since your Whistle subscription gives you access to on-demand veterinary help through chat, phone, or email—right from the Whistle app. It comes in a bunch of cool colors too.
#7: The Pix Digital Customizable Backpack
This is the coolest backpack and the smartest tech-friendly one we’ve ever seen! The LED screen allows you to create just about any colorful design you want. And, don’t worry—it’s totally waterproof. This one comes in three different color options, too, like black, grey, and a really cool yellow. Pix connects the portability of a laptop backpack with the creativity of a cool gadget. The Pix backpack allows you to customize its design while you’re on the go. By syncing it with your iOS/android phone you can fully control the appearance of your laptop backpack. It is a perfect backpack for men and women. The LED backpack for those who dare to be different.
#8: Simple Human Sensor Can with Voice and Motion Control
Trash cans get gunky, fast. But Simple Human made one that opens and closes with a voice or motion command. It’s a dream to use for anyone with a critical eye for mess and germs. Three microphones triangulate sound for voice recognition accuracy, even in loud, busy environments, so it won’t open until you say, “open can.” You can also say, “stay open,” and the lid won’t close until you say, “close can” (or it will close automatically after 10 minutes).
#9: The Lovebox Spinning Heart Messenger
A perfect way for them to know just how much you’re thinking about them. Basically, you can send messages via your phone or tablet to this messenger box and when the message goes through, the heart will spin alerting them that a message is waiting for them inside. They’ll pop open to the top and see just what you’ve sent.
#10: The Cell Phone Jail
Though this item is technically not a tech item it does deal with technology. The perfect gift for that phone addict in your life – Also can be used to keep other small things locked up. Use as a fun way of controlling your child’s access to their mobile phone—with room for up to 6 phones, the Jail Cell Lock Up can be used to limit access to your child’s phone. Want to lock up their phone until chores or homework are done? No problem! Great for family time like when you all sit down for dinner. Secure tamper proof design—specially designed to ensure that phones cannot be taken out while locked, and with a secure locking mechanism, no one will be getting into the Jail Cell Lock Up without you knowing. At 6 x 5 x 7.5 inches this is more than big enough for even large phones.
That’s it for our unique Ten Tech Gifts for this Holiday Season. Happy Holidays from the Tech Trainers and the HKIC staff!