Spoiler alert: With less than two weeks left before Christmas, your holiday shopping window is closing fast! Whether you’re a professional procrastinator, extremely busy or at a loss for what to buy the ‘person who has it all,’ it’s time to get serious. In an effort to calm your nerves and transform you into everyone’s favorite gift-giver, we’ve compiled a smart gadget gift guide your friends and family will love.
SnapChat Spectacles, $130 – $330
If you have a connected teen, college student or general social butterfly to buy for, Snapchat Spectacles may be the gift they’re pining after. These swanky sunglasses offer two petite cameras that accomplish one thing, taking 115-degree snaps. Snapchat videos taken with Spectacles mimic the view seen from the human eye, making every clip feel more personal than ever before.
These glasses can be picked up at Snapchat vending machines (which are few and far between) for $129.99, but eBay may be your best bet with prices ranging from $180 to $300.
Ringly Smart Jewelry, $195 – $245
Ringly may be a little-known company, but we have high hopes for this budding business!
The ladies in your life may be a bit hesitant to slap a futuristic wearable on their person, but Ringly’s accessories look about as high-tech as a potato. An extraordinarily fashionable, gem-adorned potato, but you get the point. These accessories connect to mobile devices via Bluetooth and allow users to receive customized mobile notifications through vibration a subtle, color-coded light. They track steps, calories burned, distance traveled and send notifications of phone calls, events and texts. They’re even compatible with apps such as Google Hangouts, Instagram, LinkedIn, Lyft and more.
Rings cost $195 and bracelets start at $245.
Bose Wireless Headphones, $349
Forgive us for the obviousness of this suggestion, but most people can benefit from a brilliant set of headphones. There are plenty of Bluetooth headphones to choose from, with a wide range of prices, but you can’t go wrong with Bose. Their noise-canceling Quiet Comfort 35 headphones are a powerful, high-end option available for $349.95.
Amazon Echo Dot, $39.99
Alexa and the original Echo made their debut in 2014, costing well over $100. This year, you can score an Amazon Echo Dot for less than half that price. In case you’re not familiar with what the Dot can do, it’s a voice-controlled device that plays music, controls home automation devices, sets alarms and reads the day’s news, among other things. Having a ‘virtual assistant’ lingering around your kitchen may seem odd, but for the price, it’s definitely worth a try.
Xiaomi Mi Band 2, $44.59
If you’re trying to introduce your friends and family to the wearable-world without breaking the bank, or just need a fun stocking stuffer, the Xiaomi devices are an excellent option starting as low as $15. The latest generation Mi Band 2 tracks users’ steps, heart rate, sleep cycles, calories burned and has an OLED screen for only $44.59.
If you’d rather buy reasonably priced wearables from a well-known company, opt for the Misfit line of activity trackers.
Michael Kors Watches and Wearables, $95 – $250
Michael Kors new line of wearable devices are perfect for fashion conscious men and women. Their activity trackers start at $95, and watches begin at $250. The higher-end smartwatches offer text and email alerts, app notifications, smart help from google and on-screen weather updates.
WeMo Smart Plug, $29.99
The WeMo smart plug makes home automation painfully easy! Simply plug the device into your outlet, then plug your lights or small appliances into the device. The smart plug(s) can be controlled by an app on your phone or voice controlled with Amazon’s Alexa. This clever, little plug allows you to set on and off times, sync lights to sunrise, sunset and other external events, create schedules on your phone or turn items on and off with a swipe of the app.
WeMo also offers more advanced light switches, energy-monitoring plugs and product bundles.
ILIFE V5s Robot Vacuum Cleaner with Mopping, $179.99
You’ve heard of Roomba vacuums, but ILIFE provides the same wireless, hands-free vacuuming for a much lower price. The V5s model even comes equipped with a water tank and mopping capability for hardwoods, tile, marble and laminate flooring, as well as ‘pet hair technology’ to lift fur, dust and debris. After up to 110 minutes of cleaning, the ILIFE vacuum docks itself, so no one has to worry about recharging it. It can even be programmed to clean routinely. This is home automation at its finest!
XYZ Printing Da Vinci miniMaker 3D Printer, $214.50
If those building blocks aren’t quite cutting it for your little Einstein, this kid-friendly 3D printer will. It features a free, easy-to-use modeling software and printing curriculum, automatic calibration and non-toxic PLA filament. The filament refills cost around $25 each, but if your child can make his/her own toys, you could save hundreds of dollars on trips down the toy aisle.
These are just some of the digital gifts we’ll be picking up for our loved ones this year… and maybe ourselves. We hope our guide to smart-er gifts has inspired you this season. From all of us at 7T, happy shopping!
