Monday, December 02, 2013

Holiday 2013 electronic gift ideas


Looking for some technology gifts for your family and friends this season? Here are some great ideas ranging from stocking stuffers to a couple hundred dollars. I've used and recommend them all.

Every smartphone user wants to keep their gadgets juiced up, and not all chargers are created equal. These first two chargers (under $15) provide plenty of juice to recharge and tablet and phone at the same time.




24W USB Car Charger - The World's Most Powerful Dual-Port Charger for iPhone, iPads, Androids. ($12)





And for the home:
PowerGen Dual USB 3.1A 15w Travel Wall Charger ($15)




Need loads of power for a long plane or road trip? Here's one of the best power bricks that will keep you going for hours and recharge your smartphone up to 5 times before needing to be recharged.
Anker Astro3 12000mAh Portable Charger Backup External Battery ($50)



Need a small portable charger that will juice up your phone and still fit in your pocket or purse?  Mini 3000mAh Portable Lipstick-Sized External Battery Backup Charger ($20)





Google's Chromecast gives an easy way to 'cast' your browser, youtube, netflix, and others right to your tv. Plus it's a steal at $35. Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Media Player

The Roku 3 is one of the best internet streaming boxes you can hook up to your big (or small) tv.
Roku 3 Streaming Media Player ($100)



Reading on a Kindle is much better on your eyes than using a tablet or phone. This model gets great reviews. Kindle Paperwhite ($119)


Solid State Hard Drives (SSD) are one of the best upgrades you can make to a laptop or desktop computer. The Samsung 840 EVO is one of the best available.

Don't know what size to get? 250 gig will be a great drive for the operating system and many files.
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD Drive ($150)


Like the idea of controlling your thermostat from your smartphone from anywhere? Me too. I've installed a few of these and they work fantastic. It saves money by automatically going into away mode when you leave the house and auto programs by learning what temperature you like the house. Plus it looks super cool.
Nest Learning Thermostat ($250, currently with free $40 amazon gift card offer)


Time for a new router to pump out more wifi around the house or office? Here are a couple of the best. Either should give full coverage to your house and give great speeds to the newest devices.
ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router ($125) or the bigger brother,
ASUS RT-AC66U Dual-Band Wireless-AC1750 Gigabit Router ($179)

The 7 inch tablet market is on fire. My two top choices are the iPad mini and the Google Nexus 7 (2013 version). Both provide a great experience.
Google Nexus 7 Tablet ($199)
Apple iPad Mini ($324)



Need one non-electronic idea? This game has brought more laughs to adults in the last year than anything I can think of. Warning...it's not for kids or people easily offended.
Cards Against Humanity ($25)
Consider the "expansion pack" Cards Against Humanity: First Expansion ($10)

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