Hey, hey! We’re back with our annual Christmas gift guide, the tech edition. You know the drill – year after year, we give you the best gift ideas for friends and family. But this time, we are shaking things up. You are probably expecting the usual suspects–smartphones, tablets, laptops. Well, not this time.
Kindle Oasis international version
For those who love to read. While nothing beats the physical books – the weight in your hands and the smell of those pages. Sometimes it’s just practical to have a Kindle for the sake of saving space and accessing more books with ease. The Oasis was Kindle’s “premium” option. And Amazon has recently introduced the Kindle Colorsoft, a Kindle product with a colored e-ink display. If they’re big fantasy readers, you might as well download a copy of “Wind and Truth,” the fifth book of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive, which is out on Dec. 6 in the US and Dec. 7.
Anker MagGo Powerbank
There was a time when people were pushing back against powerbanks, demanding that phone makers improve battery life. Some phone makers have been trying to do just that, but as phones get more powerful each year, so does power consumption. Yes, things are better now than before. It used to be common for a phone to run out of juice by lunchtime and that was only from texting. Long story short, powerbanks never went away, and became an essential item for everyone.
Anker Soundcore earbuds
Anker has expanded beyond cables and powerbanks, venturing into audio with the Soundcore series. These budget-friendly earbuds pack a lot of heat. One of the top recommended Soundcore products is the Space A40. It’s pricier compared to the rest of Soundcore’s lineup but costs a little less than the competition while still offering excellent quality.
A video game
This is for the person in your list who plays a lot of games. Some really good games have been released recently and they have great stories. They’re like well-written books that people can just play. Some things that come to mind are Metaphor: ReFantazio and Dragon Age: The Veilguard. If they want good classic fun, there’s Mario & Luigi: Brothership. And if shooting is their thing, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is out. However, in my opinion, the shiniest gems are the indies, such as Blasphemous 2 and Sea of Stars. On top of fun gameplay, these games have excellent stories.
UGREEN UNO 65W
Nothing too extravagant here. Just a charger capable of fast-charging your phones and tablets. However, what makes this little thing gift-worthy is how cute it is. It’s designed to look like a little robot and it’s got a little digital face. It’s simple but a memorable little thing.
A security program
Cyberattacks happen all the time. No device and user is safe. Everyone is a target. The best way to upgrade your security is awareness. Use passwords with more complex combinations of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Use multi-factor authentication. If your app supports Mobile Keys, use mobile keys. Might as well toss in an authenticator as well. But beyond all these, something can slip through. That’s why you can always give someone a subscription to a security software to keep their devices safe from viruses, malware, and protect them from unintentionally going to sites that will infect devices. There’s a lot to choose from, but the top ones are often Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and Norton. Malwarebytes, McAfee, and Avast are also excellent options.
Smart switches
Smart switches like Zigbee are cost-effective devices for building a smart home. You can replace your light switches with Zigbee products to control your lights from anywhere. Leaving home for a vacation but worried that people will notice the lack of activity in the house? With a Zigbee setup, you can control the lights remotely, turning them on every night even if you’re halfway around the world. Lights aren’t the only thing - Zigbee also offers products like motion sensors. You can set up a system where lights automatically turn on and off when someone walks inside the room or hallway.
Tapo cameras
This is a practical gift - one that may keep you safe or even allow you to keep watch over aging relatives. Tapo has made a big name of itself with affordable surveillance cameras. They are easy to install and set up. Most of their cameras offer high resolution, night vision, and weather protection. Other features include speakers and microphone. So, if you catch someone snooping around where they’re not supposed to, you can use the Tapo’s speakers to shout and call their attention.
JBL speakers
If you want to keep things simple, grab a JBL Pulse 4 or the pricier Pulse 5. It’s a speaker that looks like a lava lamp. Its lights sync with the sound, creating a vibrant mood. You can change the light and color pattern to match whatever you’re feeling. But, if you think this isn’t enough and really want to party, then go for the JBL PartyBox. Itsʼ small but it packs a lot of punch. It also comes with a pair of JBL microphones, so they can karaoke away this Christmas!
A MAX subscription
MAX, in case you aren’t familiar with it, is a streaming service from HBO. This is different from HBO Go, which is an older service. MAX has exclusive content and includes all of HBO’s premium content, like House of the Dragon, True Detective, the good seasons of Game of Thrones, The Penguin, and the newest hit, Dune: Prophecy. For mobile, MAX costs ₱1,040 for one person per year. For the standard plan, which includes full HD and up to two devices, it’s ₱1,890 per year. The Ultimate tier, which includes 4K streaming, Dolby Atmos, and up to four devices is set at ₱2,790.
Well, there you have it! These are the top 10 items recommended for this holiday season. Some special mentions for smartphones and tablets, if you really want to. An iPad Air (or Pro) with an Apple Pencil or a Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 and its very own S Pen, may be the big life changing moment for budding artists. One more special mention, a coffee machine, like Breville. They’re pricey. But they can be the greatest investment you‛ll ever make.