Chanukah has crept up on us this year (yes, it starts the evening of December 6th) so we’ve quickly put together our list of top 10 tech gifts for 2015.
And be sure to check out two sites with other great gift ideas:
The Wirecutter Holiday Guides
They have guides to the best gifts for home chefs, outdoor adventurers, neat freaks, photographers, audiophiles, and other categories. Lots of good ideas.
Shapeways gift guide
Custom 3-D printed items, ranging from jewelry to gadgets to art. Materials include silver, brass, plastics, and ceramic. These will certainly be the most unusual gifts you’ll find. Each item is custom-printed when ordered, so it won’t arrive for at least a week or two.
Our top 10 tech gift list:
1. Brainwavz Delta IEM Earphones, $23
Inexpensive yet really good-sounding in-ear headphones. Have a microphone so they can be used for phone calls. Comes in 3 colors.
2. Jot Script 2, $75
This touchscreen pen is a great gift for someone who likes note-taking on the iPad — and it works with all iPads (unlike the Apple Pencil). Has palm rejection and works especially well with apps like Penultimate, GoodNotes, and PDFPen.
3. Anker Astro 6700mAH Portable Charger, $20
USB battery pack for charging up your phone while you are out and about — pocket-sized.
4. Anker PowerPort Solar Lite, $50
Use the sun to charge your iPhone (or your tablet). Great for campers and hikers, or for your friend who fears another Hurricane Sandy.
5. Kanex foldable stand for mobile devices, 2 for $13
Folds flat, works with any phone or tablet, and the price can’t be beat.
6. JustMobile TimeStand for the Apple Watch, $40
Elegant, made of solid metal, yet not as expensive as some of the crazier stands out there. Comes in silver and black. And has a very tiny footprint, so there’s space for it on any nightstand.
7. Heated Travel Mug, $13
Plug it into the USB port on your computer to keep your coffee hot — or plug it into your cigarette lighter in the car.
8. Roku Streaming Stuck ($39) or Apple TV ($149)
Both plug into your TV so you can watch lots of shows. Apple TV is better if you want to watch stuff you buy from iTunes or you want to display video from your devices on the TV; Roku is better if you want to watch Amazon video (some of which is free for Amazon Prime members). Plus this Roku model is much cheaper.
9. Iris lens for mobile phone, $69 each
This brand-new item from Photojojo fits any mobile phone. Your choice of wide angle, fisheye, or macro. Doesn’t ship until mid-December.
10. Raspberry Pi Zero, $5
Yes this is a computer that costs $5 and is tinier than an Altoids tin. Perfect for that junior-high kid who loves geeking out; definitely not for the amateur computer user. Currently sold out but check back…
(December 2015)