So, we know how to avoid spending vast swathes of cash on a new phone, so how about some Christmas gadget gift ideas that won’t break the bank, specially designed for the geek in your life – or even yourself, I won’t judge.
You know when you say to someone “I’ll call you” and make a pretend telephone with your thumb and pinky to illustrate the point? Well, now there’s a pair of gloves that’ll not only keep your hands warm but also provide a built-in phone via Bluetooth that is probably the answer to the question “what do you buy the person who has everything?” The pinky-phone is real and can be yours for the stocking-filler price of around €25 from a certain web store named after a river. The quality is apparently OK and at worst, you’ll have a warm pair of gloves. However, you may look even more stupid than those Bluetooth earpiece wearers shouting at themselves in the street.
Another idea for a small gift – if you’ve been corralled into doing the office Secret Santa, for example – is something you probably didn’t know existed, or even that you wanted. How many times have you seen something you wanted to take a picture of on your phone, only to realize that you don’t have a fisheye or macro zoom lens? I know, right? Well, perhaps never but there’s something for everyone and the small kits you can get from Chinese company AMIR are getting some pretty good reviews online of late. The premise is very simple: you clip these lenses over your camera’s lens and shoot. There’s no messing about with cables or screw threads, just clip on and go. No, you’re definitely not going to be getting studio quality lenses but at around €25 for a set of 3 lenses, they’re a fun gift for the budding photographer.
“But” I hear you cry “I have way too much money and I’ve already got a Galaxy Note 8. How else can I rid myself of the burden of so much disposable income?” Don’t worry, Together has you covered. How about an internet-connected kettle? The third-generation iKettle (around €115) has everything you could need from a kettle, in so far as it boils water. Not only does it boil water but it will boil it to a range of temperatures from 20° to 100°. It will boil the kettle on your command from anywhere in the world via your smartphone. What if the kettle is low on water or empty? No matter € you can check the contents of the iKettle by glancing at the app on your phone. Add to this long list of water-heating marvels the Amazon Alexa integration and now you can just command your kettle to boil, like some kind of god. What a time to be alive.
Have a good Christmas and don’t resolve to do anything weird.
