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Christmas is just around the corner (yes, one month is just around the corner!) and it is never too early to start shopping for Christmas gifts. It is always a challenge to come up with new gifts every year, but if you happen to have friends who are into smart living or keep tabs on technology, how about some new gadgets to commemorate the end of 2019? Here is a list of gadgets that are the perfect Christmas gifts for all your tech-minded friends, as well as loved ones who have yet to discover the bountiful world of tech!
With its classic angular shape and commanding lenses, Bose’s Frames Alto ($1,699) remixes the most iconic sunglasses silhouette in history with superior Bose sound for an immersive audio experience unlike any other. The built-in speakers on the sides of the frames will play music for your ears only, with no pressure of headphones or earphones or any kind. Perfect for the techie who wants to pare down on accessories!
For the tech-loving friend whose head is always in the clouds—and who subsequently always loses their phone, keys, or wallet (we know we do)—then Tile Mate’s Bluetooth Tracker ($199) is the perfect gift for them. Put the Tile tag on your easy-to-lose item and you can use the accompanying app to immediately ‘ring’ where your lost stuff is, track it on the map, and more. This upgraded version now covers 200 feet and has twice the original volume. The stylish design hides the fact that the person using it may be quite careless since it doubles as a rather fetching fashion accessory!
Tech is not limited to home security and sound systems—smart kitchen and smart cooking are on the rise as well. The Digital Smart Food Scale ($393) by Greater Goods will not only weigh out and measure your food accurately, but it’ll also display the nutritional information for up to 2,000 different food options. This has to be kitchen tech at its finest!
Well, has anyone seen a better-looking wireless Bluetooth speaker? Divoom Tivoo takes style and design to the next level with their Retro TV Bluetooth Speaker ($339). Not only does this petite gadget boast high-quality sound, but it also offers a full colour LED display. Even better, it pulls triple duty as an alarm clock and weather reporter. For the additional smart home touch, you can pair it with Alexa or Siri, and you can even design your own pixel art display via their app to match your surroundings!
Charging pads may not be as new of a tech item as the rest of this list, but a dash of colour transform them a perfect gift for anyone, anytime. The Wireless Charging Pad ($500) by Native Union comes in multiple colours with a sleek and sophisticated design, so you can show it off anywhere (but especially in your office to the marvel of your coworkers). Compatible with selected iPhones and Samsung Galaxys, this one also happens to be one of the best-selling tech gifts for women this year but, of course, it’s really for anyone on your Christmas list.
Tech and fashion go hand in hand with the new Smart Animative Backpack ($2,388) by PIX. A cheap gadget this most certainly is not, but it does come with an incredibly gimmicky feature: a built-in screen fuelled by a power bank that can display pixel art, which you can either create yourself using PIX’s custom app or choose from their pre-made templates. The backpack is designed to be water- and shock-proof, with ample storage space for your laptop, daily essentials, and more! With a customisable backpack like this, at least you’ll never confuse them with anyone else’s.
Brighten up your friend’s drab flat with a bit of festive fun and Christmas cheer with the Canvas Lights Panels ($1,480) by Nanoleaf. These colourful tiles are great for anyone looking to add a touch of brilliance to their homes and can be configured in any way you like, with 16.4 million colours to choose from—that’s an unimaginable amount of design possibilities. Using Nanoleaf’s custom app, you can turn the lights on and off, change the panel colours, play touch games, and display an alarm clock on the walls! Great for that one friend who’s always late, or maybe you, if you’re that friend.
A great gift for kids and adults alike, the TECBOSS 3D Pen ($430) lets you unleash your creative potential, taking your humdrum two-dimensional drawings and sketches from paper to sculpture! The pen has eight levels of speed control and adjustable temperature design, making it a breeze to control how you print your drawings as the pen melts the filaments (that’s what the coloured material you’re printing with is called). It also comes with finger protectors, as the tip of the pen could become very hot while in use. Make sure to keep an eye on your kids if they’re the ones playing with it!
Here’s a post-Halloween horror story: did you know your phone is eighteen times dirtier than a toilet? A toilet! We shall have none of that, thank you very much. Phonesoap has a Smartphone Sanitiser (US$79.95) that does away with all of this grime, using a safe UV light to kill 99.99 percent of all bacteria and germs on your phone. It can clean phones of just about any size, and you can even clean other things—like your keys, credit cards, and more—as long as it fits inside the case. In addition, the unit offers one USB port and one USB-C port for charging. We are so ordering one for the office!
Who’s that friend of yours who is permanently hunched over their tiny laptop, so much so that they have become the poster child for how not to sit and work? Come on, we all have one. Give Gollum a hand this Christmas with Upright Go’s Smart Posture Corrector ($790)—it’s the simplest, fastest, and most natural way to improve your posture in just two weeks. It goes without saying that healthy posture strengthens back and core muscles, stimulates better blood flow, and promotes overall well-being, so there’s no reason not to try this. Just stick the device on your back and their app will alert you whenever your slouch. You can also adjust the sensitivity and vibration of the device to remind you to straighten up!
These sleek-looking Pixel Buds ($799) from Google use Bluetooth technology to do a lot more than just stream music and audio—you can take calls, dictate text messages, and use voice commands. But the absolute best thing about these is its real-time language translation function, so long as you have a smartphone equipped with the Google Translate app. No more struggling while you’re travelling—we predict these headphones will become the best-selling travel gadget of the year!
Having lived in Hong Kong, Beijing, and London sure is a fun fact whenever people try to guess Ching’s accent. She loves switching between all these language channels and her “mother tongue” is just determined by how many drinks she’s had for the night! She loves movies, travelling, and exploring cities, from hidden alleys to gourmet dining, so feel free to hit her up if you need any suggestions for dinner!
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