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Manila Bulletin devider devider 2021 Holiday Gift Guide

2021 Holiday Gift Guide

Published Nov 19, 2021 09:32 am

This is our second Christmas whilst still in this pandemic (though things have improved, thanks to vaccination), it still isn’t back to pre-pandemic normal. Here are some of the recommended holiday gifts for this year.

Smartphone

Smartphones are always on the gift list — for study, work, entertainment, and of course, communication use. You can choose from a wide variety of smartphones, but for privacy and security reasons, the only recommended ones are the iPhone (any model will do, but if you can spring for the iPhone 13 models, the better), Google Pixel models (only if you are comfortable replacing the OS with GrapheneOS) and any of the models supported by LineageOS — all others have privacy issues. Take note, however, that no matter how privacy-oriented and secure your smartphone is, if the apps you install are notorious for invading your privacy (looking at you, Facebook, Google and TikTok, among others), then what is the point, right? It is like getting a vault and giving the keys to different third parties.

Tablet

Short of having a laptop or desktop computers, tablets are the next best thing you can use for work, school and play. The only tablet worth gifting is the iPad, not only for security and privacy reasons, but also for application quality issues (applications are designed for the iPad, can’t say the same for other platforms). Throw in an Apple Pencil and it’d be a perfect gift.

Earbuds/EarPhone/HeadPhone

Wearing an earphone or headphone whilst on an online meeting or online class helps isolate one from the background noise and provides better mic pick-up. If you can, find out if your recipient prefers earphones or over-ear headphones. Personally, I prefer the AirPods (I use the Pro). Heard great reviews for the Anker Soundcore models and Beats Studio buds, too.

Portable Mobile WiFi

The reliability of ISPs in the country is low. Outages are frequent, and more often than not, it happens when you have an important meeting, class, exam or webinar, or when you have a deadline to submit a requirement. A back-up internet connection is recommended, and a portable mobile WiFi is the best solution (you can use your smartphone to tether, of course, but that’s not ideal for the device’s battery). Try to find for a model that supports 5G (I use the Smart 5G MiFi). There are plenty of devices that are marketed as 5G — make sure that you double, triple check. They advertise these as 5G to mean 5GHz WiFi and not 5G mobile technology.

Hardware Authenticator

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a must-have. Steer your family and friends away from SMS-based second-factor authentication as it is not secure and highly NOT recommended. A software-based authenticator, such as the ones built-in password managers, or if you are on macOS Monterey, the built-in password app, is the minimum recommendation. However, a hardware-based authenticator is better, and I highly recommend getting a pair (one serves as a backup) of YubiKeys.

CO2 Sensor

If you are giving a gift to someone who needs to physically reports to work, a portable CO2 sensor is a great gift. Measuring how much CO2 is in the air is indicative of how much COVID-19 particulates may be present. Whilst there are cheap ones on Lazada and Shopee, make sure that they’re using NDIR sensors. Personally, I’d recommend the SAF Aranet4 Home — not only does it accurately measure CO2, it also has iOS and Android applications to access the last 7-day readings. Highly recommended for those who are using public transportation, specially ride-sharing and taxis (roll down the window to improve CO2 numbers in cars).

Subscriptions

We are still in the pandemic, so it is not advisable to have face-to-face parties, unless you have a large outdoor garden that can accommodate large groups of people. Sending gift cards is an alternative (instead of giving straight cash via GCash, PayMaya or direct bank transfer). Here are some of the recommended ones to protect your online accounts: subscription to password managers (1Password or Bitwarden), e-mail alias service (SimpleLogin), DNS service (NextDNS or ControlD), and VPN service (Windscribe).

So there you go — this year’s holiday gift guide. If you have suggestions, please let me know by sending me email at [email protected].

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