December 2017 Hi-Tech Gift Guide

Phil Horney and Dave Hatter

(A reminder, do your own research before making any purchase.)

Cool stuff
Nanoleaf Aura Smart Light Panels Connect these triangular, flat light panels together in
any pattern you can dream up.by Let your creativity run wild, then mount them to your wall,
ceiling, wherever! The multi-colored LEDs let you change the color of each panel
independently using your iOS device or Google Home and Alexa. The Rhythm Edition changes
the colors to music. $230 for the starter kit, 3-panel expansion kits $60. each.

LG Signature OLED TV Its flat, and thin. Really thin. Like, as thin as your smartphone. All
of the electronics are housed in the base which mounts on the wall and acts as a sound-bar as
well. If youre looking for something that has amazing picture quality, is esthetically pleasing
like a piece of art, and cost isnt a concern, pick up one of these beauties. Starting at $8000.

Meural Digital Art Frame: You can curate an entire gallery of art within one Meural digital art
frame. Either upload personal masterpieces or subscribe to Meural's library and then control
what you see with an app or just by gesturing near the frame. $495.

Plume: The Plume is a router replacement that promises to boost Internet access throughout
your home and look good while doing it. One Plume puck goes into a modem and the rest plug
into outlets, distributing Wi-Fi. The hexagonal discs are attractive and come in champagne,
silver, and onyx. $329.

ISELECTOR Wi-Fi smart socket: Control it from an app. It works with Android and iOS
devices. $16.99.

Fitness
MOTIV Activity Tracking Ring tracks fitness, heart rate and sleep in a tiny ring you wear
like any other ring. Syncs to your phone via Bluetooth and the battery typically lasts 3 days.
Currently only for iOS but Android in in the works. $199.

Fitbit Ionic smart watch All of the great fitness tracking you love, now with smartwatch
functionality. Connects to your iOS and Android phone for alerts, etc. $300.

Younger kids
Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit All the parts you need to build your own mini R2-D2 complete
with sounds. Get the free app for iOS and Android to bring it to life with challenges, special
missions. Ages 8+. $100

Merge Cube What could be cooler than an augmented/mixed reality handheld holographic
object? Use your smartphone along with the cube to see amazing objects projected into the
cube. Project planets, things, games, all sorts of stuff. Ages 10+. $15.

Lego Boost: Lego's more accessible coding kit and playset includes hundreds of bricks and
instructions to make multiple robots and toys out of the box: a rolling robot, a cat, an electric
guitar, and even a mini-factory. $160.
Teens
Nintendo 2DS XL with an expansive library of games this is a great little hand-held unit and
since it doesnt have 3D the price is just right. $149.

Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC Wireless Headphones these wireless headphones have

decent noise cancelling and are reasonably priced at $199.

Nintendo Switch Play all your favorite Nintendo titles on the small portable screen or cast it
to your TV. The controllers are removable and can be used independently for two-player
games. $299.

Raspberry Pi 3: The Raspberry Pi is a series of small single-board computers developed in

the United Kingdom by the Raspberry Pi Foundation to promote the teaching of basic
computer science in schools and in developing countries. $34.

Moderately computer-adept adults

Trackr Bravo find and track anything on your smartphone with this small coin-sized beacon.
$30 each, buy 3 get 2 free.

Sonos One voice controlled speaker with Amazon Alexa built in looking for a small
speaker to which you can stream music and use Alexa? This is it! Fantastic sound quality
(especially when compared to other similar products.) $199.

Google Chromecast Audio Stuff this in the stocking if your favorite music lover! It can
stream via Wi-Fi from your phone or Chrome web browser or Bluetooth and it connects to
pretty much any stereo system. $35.

The Logitech Bluetooth Audio Adapter: Add wireless audio from phones, tablets or
computers to any device with an auxiliary input. $20.

Nerdy adults
Google Wi-Fi With all those IoT devices in your home these days you need to make sure
your Wi-Fi signal reaches the furthest corners of your domicile. The Google Wi-Fi mesh routers
allow you to extend your signal using multiple units placed anywhere in your home that needs
Wi-Fi. $118. each.

Ecobee Smart Thermostat With Amazon Alexa voice control built in, the Ecobee thermostat
beats out the Nest. It has an included remote sensor and works with every major smart home
platform. $220.

Samsung CHG90 Series curved 49-inch Gaming Monitor (because nerdy kids cant afford
this beast) with an insane 32:9 aspect ratio and curve-around QLED screen this is what
every serious gamer wants. $1500.

Eve V 2-in-1 Tablet Laptop Like the Microsoft Surface the Eve V is a 2-in-1 Tablet/Laptop
with more power, more battery life more everything! The crowdsourced features include 48-
hour battery, SSD hard-drive, heat-pipe cooling (no fans), long-range Wi-Fi antenna, and
detachable keyboard included. Oh, and the delete key has been replaced with the Oops! key.
Starts at $799.
 Roku Express: Dirt-cheap, fast enough and crammed with every streaming video app you'll
care to name, the Express is the perfect stocking stuffer for Netflix, YouTube and Hulu fans.
$30.

Hallmark Keepsake Star Wars Death Star Tree Topper Ornament: the iconic Imperial battle
station as a tree topper. With the included remote you can have the Death Star itself light up
blue or red with a green laser dish. Spice up your traditional holiday classic carols with the
Imperial March or the classic Star Wars theme. $80.

Drones
Meh.

Older, non-tech savvy folks

Garmin Speak Basically its an Amazon Alexa for your car (notice a trend here?) from which
you can stream music, use skills, control smart devices in your home (like your smart
connected garage door opener from last years list) and, of course, give you driving directions.
It connects to your smartphone for its data and has a bright, easy-to-read display. $149.

Amazon Fire HD 8: A simple and inexpensive tablet thats event better with Amazon Prime.
$50.

Home-control or monitoring stuff

Nest Secure An alarm system for the most paranoid of suburbanites, or anyone really. Has
lots of options, is completely wireless and is easy to install. Turning the system on/off requires
a tag that you simply swipe over the top of the base station to enable/disable. You can also
get outdoor cameras, additional door/window detectors, and tags. It even has a per-door on/off
feature for when you have let your pet out in the middle of the night. Starter pack, $499.

Amazon Key Smart door lock exclusively for Prime members. Allow people into your home,
such as delivery drivers, neighbors, friends, etc. Starter kit with one lock and one camera,
$249.

For the privacy minded:

Bitdefender Box Smart Security Hub So youve got all these IoT devices like your phones,
TVs, refrigerators, garage door openers and Alexas but what you really need is an additional
layer of security. The Bitdefender Box pugs into your existing router and protects an unlimited
number of devices both Wi-Fi and wired. It also includes Bitdefender Total Security Unlimited
antivirus and malware protection for all of your other devices like PCs and Macs. At $129. its a
bargain!

Bitdefender Box V2 Same features as the original Box but with the addition of enhanced
assessment tools that scan for weak passwords, abnormal network traffic patterns, monitoring
of sites where you enter personal information and blocking fraudulent pages, all running on
improved hardware. $250.

Nord VPN: Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are one of the only surefire ways to keep your
internet traffic anonymous and secure in 2017. NordVPN is a robust VPN service with an
 excellent collection of features and a worldwide selection of ultra-fast servers, all wrapped in a
slick Windows client that can easily secure your online activities. It's a PC Magazine Editors'
Choice winner that also has dedicated plans for small businesses and enterprises. $3.29 per
month.

Silent Pocket Faraday Phone Sleeve: block all signals to and from your phone. $70.

Norton Core Nortons entry into the Smart Security Hub category, the Core is a smart home
Internet router what provides complete home network protection with its built-in firewall,
parental controls, IoT device protection and an unlimited number of connected devices like
PCs, tablets, etc. $280.

WORST TECH GIFT IDEAS

1. Amazon Key, because really?
2. Drones While they were a hot ticket item last year, this year those people that got one seem
to be annoying the rest of us with them.
3. Virtual Reality Headsets Another hot-ticket item from last year, I think the (virtual) reality is
that they just arent that great. There are still issues with nausea, theyre still expensive, and
now Augmented Reality is on the way. AR (like the Microsoft Hololens) just seems more
appealing and useful to me.
4. Stuff from a Kickstarter or other crowdfunded campaign Will you get it by Christmas?
Doubtful. What kind of quality will it be? Dubious. Is it even legit? Who knows, so why risk it?
5. Old tech like anything that is 4-5 years old. If it was great then, its undoubtedly been
superseded by something else now.
6. Unnecessary IoT devices (thermostats, cameras, etc.) and smart appliances (washers,
refrigerators, etc.)
7. Anything that listens all the time like Alexa or Google Home