Here Are the Hottest Tech Gifts for the Holidays
You are already running out of time for getting the hottest tech gifts of this holiday season. One of the reasons the Christmas season starts so early is that the most sought after gifts are already hard to find by the time Black Friday comes around. For some gifts, it is not a matter of finding them on sale. You will be lucky to find them at all for twice the regular price.
It doesn’t happen every year. But more often than not, some item of interest rises to rekindle that Cabbage Patch moment we had all those years ago. It is the thing that everyone went crazy over. There is a mass frenzy in the attempt to acquire this most coveted of dolls. We don’t really have one of those this year. But there are still some hard to find gifts that should probably be on your list. Here are a few of the ones worth a little extra effort:
Drones
This has been the year of the drone. There is always a run on remote controlled cars. Those are great last-minute gifts that are a lot of fun for a week. Drones raise the bar and allow our fancies to take flight. Thanks to drones we literally gain a new dimension of fun and challenge.
You already know about camera drones. But don’t forget to check out the Protocol New York stunt drones the next time you are browsing for something a little different. The most popular stunt drones are going to be difficult to find this year at the big retail outlets.
One of the ways to beat the crunch is to order online for guaranteed pricing and delivery. If you choose the retail rout, don’t hesitate. Drones are flying off the shelves. Don’t miss your flight in the year of the drone.
Apps and Games
Just in time for the Holidays, Microsoft has enabled game gifting for all Xbox One users. And you are going to be hard pressed to find one such user who does not want the new Call of Duty WWII game that broke all kinds of sales records over the first weekend of availability.
Beyond the console, people are spending more time playing games on smartphones than any other platform. Smartphones are also good for a lot more than passing the time. There are many apps that have become an integral part of how people work and live. There is no way to keep up with them all.
You can still gift those apps and games via iTunes gift cards. If you are going to go that rout, never pay full price. Always get your iTunes gift cards at a discount. Just be sure that the recipient uses an iPhone iPad, or iPod Touch. You will have to find platform specific gift cards for the Android users in your life.
Vaporizers
One of the hottest new types of gadgets are vaporizers, which are essentially an electronic cigarettes. Vapes use small batteries to heat up coils that are inside their heating chambers, which in turn heats up the liquid or wax that is inside the vaporizer. But the benefit of a vaporizer is that they create vapor, not actual smoke. Because they do not reach the point of combustion vaporizers produce fewer toxins and carcinogens than cigarettes do, so they offer a healthier alternative to smoking. Many people use cannabis vapes in legal states as well, as they offer the same benefits. But because vaporizers do have batteries and are considered an electronic device be sure you purchase one from a trusted smoke shop or vape store.
Fidget Spinners
For the perfect tech gift, you are going to have to think outside the box. The sleeper tech gift of the year is not a tech item strictly speaking. But every techie in your life has one. In fact, they probably have six. I am referring to the fidget spinner.
Don’t let the fact that the recipient already has one deter you from giving her another one as a gift. At some point, they become collectables. Fidget spinners are not just fidget toys for the Ritalin dependent. They are also works of art and challenges of engineering. Fidget spinner connoisseurs really appreciate the detail and craftsmanship. Pricing is as low as $5, and can soar into the hundreds.
As an honorable mention, you may consider one of the talking speakers from Amazon or Google. But this market is still in its infancy. There are still a lot of questions about platform lock-in, security, and utility that remain open. iOS and Mac users should wait for Apple’s unit to come out at the end of 2017. Microsoft devotees have a new option on offer. And Android users have a glut of options, but all somewhat questionable.
Next year will be the year of the assistant in a speaker. This is the year of the drone. Every year is good for games and apps. And for the tech person who has everything, there are always new and interesting fidget spinners.
