It is the end of the year, and the holiday season is upon us. Exchanging gifts is usually the practice around this time of the year, so here are some ideas that you may want to check out:
Hardware-based Authentication Device
In today's online landscape, securing your account is of prime importance. Using multi-factor authentication is one of the ways to protect your accounts. There are numerous ways to do this, such as SMS-based One-Time-Pin (OTP), application-based time-one-time-pin (TOTP), or hardware-based authentication devices. First, it is highly recommended that you ditch SMS-based OTPs as these are prone to SIMjacking. That being said, it is best to use a hardware-based solution, like Passkey or Yubikeys, as this provides you with the best anti-phishing protection to date.
I use a combination of Passkeys and Yubikeys. Whilst passkeys are akin to software or application-based authenticator but requires your biometric (hardware fingerprint or face identification system) to verify your identity - something that is quite difficult to relay either on the phone or to copy-and-paste to a messaging service or email. Yubikeys are USB-based devices (with some having Near-Field-Communication, and NFC support), which are impossible to share without physically sending them. These protect you from phishers who often ask for details via messaging systems, email and/or phone calls.
Grab a pair of Yubikeys, which go from USD25 to USD90, depending on the specific needs of whoever you intend to gift it to.
Trackers
Different trackers are available in the market today - offered by Tile, Samsung, Chipolo and Apple. I am partial to Apple's AirTags, which has already proven its purpose, with numerous news stories of stolen items being located using it. Unfortunately, airTags, costing around USD25, is limited to the Apple ecosystem - which means that you need to know if the receiver is an iPhone user. Otherwise, it will be an automatic re-gift!
USB-C Hub
USB-C is the most popular device interface to date. Even the latest iPhone 15 supports it now (thanks to the EU). Anyway, connecting multiple devices to a single USB-C port requires a hub, and I found this Belkin USB-C Hub <"https://www.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0BY27XSJ3%3Fpsc%3D1%26amp%3Bref%3Dppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details%26_encoding%3DUTF8%26tag%3Drom04a-20%26linkCode%3Dur2%26linkId%3D2e7831abcf44f3f007eba01509b535c4%26camp%3D1789%26creative%3D9325"> (around USD44 and ships to the Philippines for free, too) that allows me to charge the device and connect three other USB-C accessories. In my case, I connect it to my iPhone 15 Pro, a battery pack to change the iPhone, and an external USB-C portable drive so I can record videos directly to the external storage, with two more USB-C ports for other peripherals like microphones or earphones.
So this is the perfect gift for iPhone 15 model owners, Mac and iPad owners, and even Chromebooks, PCs and Android owners.
USB-C External Storage
Speaking of USB-C external storage, you can't have enough storage to begin with anyway. So, gifting a USB-C external storage is always welcome, as long as the size is significant (well, for the stickler in me, this means 256GB minimum, haha).
This 256GB Samsung USB-C thumb drive (USD20) <"https://www.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB09WB2NL8W%3Fie%3DUTF8%26amp%3Bpsc%3D1%26_encoding%3DUTF8%26tag%3Drom04a-20%26linkCode%3Dur2%26linkId%3Dc4e91153e7e80531afbb0187cc7fc62c%26camp%3D1789%26creative%3D9325"> is a great stocking stuffer. It supports the fast USB 3.2 Gen 1 speed, which works perfectly well with the iPhone 15 Pro's ProRes 4K video resolution recording. Whilst the 256GB storage might be small for video, it is sufficient for up to 45 minutes of ProRes 4K video recording - not bad for a tiny drive, huh?
If you want a bigger storage capacity (well, I did), consider getting the fast portable SSD drives. The choices are plenty, but be sure to stay away from some SanDisk models (as they have some serious issues; a quick DuckDuckGo search will tell you). Personally, I got the Crucial X9 Pro 2TB model as well as the Crucial X8 1TB model, as both support USB 3.2 speeds and work well with the iPhone 15 Pro ProRes 4K video recording. Nice, eh?
As I have said, you cannot have enough storage, and whoever you think of gifting this to will welcome it, too.
Video Rig
First, I am not a vlogger. I just want to shoot random videos with the new iPhone 15 Pro. :) A small, entry-level video rig helps me improve the stability of my videos (of course, the built-in stabilization of the device helps, too). The SmallRig portable smartphone video rig (USD30) is perfect for my use, which is too basic: a mount for the external storage and another mount for either an external light source or a battery pack.
So for the vlogger or videographer in your life, this portable video rig might be a welcome addition to their arsenal.
Portable Battery Pack
Like storage, one cannot have enough backup power sources, especially for those who are always on the go. There is the usual trade-off of capacity and weight, but IMHO, the sweet spot is having a 10,000mAh capacity, which is more than enough for modern smartphones and sufficient for at least a 30-minute extension for tablets and laptops.
There are multiple options available, but I settled for the Anker MagGo 633 Powerbank because it has 10,000mAh, USB-A and USB-C ports and can connect to the iPhone via MagSafe. However, I rarely use wireless charging since it warms both the battery pack and iPhone quicker than using wired charging. Having it magnetically connected to the iPhone makes it easier to carry, and turning off wireless charging is a big plus too, not to forget that built-in kick-stand.