14 tech gift ideas for Christmas

Seeking the latest gadgets for everyone on your Christmas gift list? Check out these tech ideas from Carmi Levy, an independent technology writer and analyst based in London, Ont.

Levy will be on CBC Manitoba's Information Radio just after the 7:30 a.m. newscast today (Thursday, Dec. 18) to chat with host Marcy Markusa about great geeky gift ideas.

Tablets

Virtually every best-tech-gift list has tablets firmly at the top, and for good reason: They can do pretty much anything you want (i.e. a game device for one person, a reader for another, and a small-ish replacement for a laptop for another) and, while still relatively expensive to give as a gift, can still be found reasonably cheaply if you shop carefully.

Apple’s iPad Air 2 remains the Pied Piper of tablets, but a host of Android-powered devices, including Google’s Nexus 9 and ever-less-expensive tablets from Samsung, Asus and a host of others, makes it easy to find a unit that fits any giftee’s needs — and gift-buyer’s budget.

E-readers

Amazon’s Kindle and the Canadian-darling Kobo line of electronic book readers may not be as hot as tablets this year, but they’re still getting lots of attention because their e-ink-based screens are perfect for avid readers, they’re a lot less expensive than full-on tablets, and their batteries can last for an age before needing a recharge.

If all your giftee is planning on doing is lounging on a beach — or couch — with a good (electronic) book, an e-reader makes a lot more sense than a tablet.

Fitness trackers

Fitbit, Jawbone, and Garmin lead the charge with fashionable bracelets that are stuffed with sensors to measure how far you’ve walked, how much you’ve climbed, how many calories you’ve burned, and how well you sleep.

These devices sync your fitness data to the web, which also allows you to share your achievements with others — and challenge them — via social media. If you’re wondering where all the "I just ran 10km in under 50:32" messages on Facebook are coming from, now you know.

Smartwatches

They’ve been getting tons of talk this year as companies like Motorola, Samsung, LG and Pebble have thrown dozens of new designs into the growing fray.

Problem is, they’re still mostly pretty expensive — around $200 to $350 — and they don’t do a whole lot that your smartphone doesn’t already do. Besides, making calls from your wrist à la Dick Tracy sounds a lot better than it actually is. In reality, you just look silly.

Weak battery life — some watches barely make it to dinnertime — and limited app availability make smartwatches even tougher to justify.

The Apple Watch bows early next year, and observers say its arrival could legitimize the market. We’ll see. Until then, I’m not sure this is a gift your giftee might still be wearing by springtime.

Action cams

First popularized by the GoPro, these tiny, go-anywhere cameras shoot mind-boggling videos and stills that are all the rage on YouTube. GoPro is now joined by Garmin, Sony, Drift, Toshiba and even Polaroid (!) in a market that continues to grow. I have my own and it’s a fixture on my bike, car dashboard and even the dog.

While a basic GoPro can easily top $400, less expensive options that crack the $100 barrier are a growing alternative for gift givers looking to earn eternal happiness.

Drones

These remote-control quadcopters and octocopters can do all sorts of insane tricks, including serving as flying platforms for an action cam. Talk about the ultimate selfie.

Be careful who you buy it for, however, because they’re definitely not for kids given their potential to injure others if not flown carefully. Some municipalities have also banned them in advance of expected new regulations from Transport Canada.

Bluetooth speakers and headphones

This is getting into the commodity side of the market, as store shelves are flooded with countless examples from super-cheap and tacky to uber high-end.

At its cheapest, a Bluetooth-capable speaker can unleash the sound from a paired smartphone or tablet, allowing giftees to have their own party, anywhere.

At its most mind-blowingly capable, you can easily spend three and four figures on something that would make an audiophile cry.

If your giftee is into tunes, you can’t go wrong here.

Smart thermostats

The Nest learning thermostat was the first of a new breed of home heating/cooling controlling devices that replaced the clunky old — and hugely inefficient — dial-based units with sleek electronic, smartphone-app-controlled displays that made it easy, and cool, to be green at home.

Nest was so successful that Google bought the company, and now Honeywell, Ecobee and a growing list of others are horning in on their territory.

Not for the faint of heart, as not all devices work with all HVAC systems, and they’ll need to be installed. They can be installed by mere mortals, but you’ll still want to make sure you take this into account when choosing one for your giftee.

TV dongles

These tiny, cheap devices attach to your TV and allow you to wirelessly share your content from your computer on your big screen.

Google’s Chromecast is $39 and it plugs into your TV’s HDMI port, then uses your home’s wireless network to watch all sorts of online content on your TV. The Apple TV device and the Roku Stick do pretty much the same thing.

Worried about choosing the right one? Buy two, as they’re cheap enough as it is. Either way, it’s an easy way to introduce giftees to an even better online, big-screen experience.

Smartphone cases

Everyone’s got a smartphone, but not everyone does enough to protect it. And they should, because one drop could easily turn into a very expensive lesson.

Armoured cases from Otterbox and LifeProof keep your phone humming even after major falls onto concrete. Battery-based cases (Mophie is the 800-pound gorilla of this market) keep phones working long after the main battery has given up for the day.

Make sure you know your giftee’s exact device before buying, though: fit is crucial.

External batteries

This is an easy one for any giftee, as everyone needs an on-the-go battery boost every once in a while. These devices, which often look like a thick smartphone, are little more than big batteries with cables — including microUSB, Apple 30-pin and Apple Lightning — that allow connections to a wide range of devices.

Look for the milliamp-hour (mAh) rating. An 8,000 mAh device can recharge an iPhone 5S (1,800 mAh battery) over four times.

If your giftee travels a lot or is otherwise away from wall outlets for long periods of time, this could be an inexpensive lifesaver.

Wireless key finders

Tile is getting a lot of attention for its $25 set of little white tiles that can attach to your keys or virtually any other small, easily-lost item. Then, when the item is lost — as it inevitably will be when it’s in my care — simply look it up on the app on your iPhone and it’ll tell you exactly where it is. It’s a cheap, eye-opening gift for just about anyone.

Smartphone-friendly gloves

Many stores now sell these gloves, like the Timberland Fleece Commuter, that have special conductive fabric in the fingertips that ensures touches, taps, squeezes and pinches are registered on a touchscreen.

The good: They’re generally under $20, barely more than a decent pair of non-conductive, non-smartphone-friendly gloves.

The not-so-good: They encourage you to use your smartphone while on the go. Which, in concert with your fabric-covered fingers, could mean more opportunities to drop the thing (yes, smartphones are dropped more often in winter than summer.)

Optical lenses for smartphones

Tiny lenses like the Olloclip or iPro Lens System allow smartphone users to take pictures that rival those on any conventional point-and-shoot camera.

While smartphone cameras have become every bit as sophisticated as dedicated point-and-shoot cameras in recent years, they’re still stuck with fixed-focal-length lenses that can’t zoom. Sure, you can pinch the screen to zoom, but all you’re really doing is cropping the picture into a low-resolution digital mess.

Clip-on lenses fit over your smartphone’s camera and let you zoom in without losing picture quality in the process. They’re small, easy-to-carry and install, and generally worth the $100 or $200 average price.