7 serious gifts for serious techies

Alex Dela Cruz

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7 serious gifts for serious techies
For the techie who has everything (yourself included), these might be the gizmos you want

Getting the right gift for all the special ones in your life can be a chore, because you’ll have to consider what they like, what they already have, and what new thing they might be interested in at any given moment. To help you get through the holiday rush, we’ve compiled a list of great gifts for that friend or relative or yourself (yes, most likely that last one) that can’t get enough of everything tech. 

1) Promate Mighty Outdoor Power Station (around P20,000)  We can’t live without our powerbanks these days, but this power station from China’s Promate Technologies takes the concept of portable power to a level that most of us aren’t used to. 

First of all, it has 60,000 mAh in its reserves, a whole lot more than traditional powerbanks ranging from 5,000 mAh to 20,000 mAh. But more important than the battery capacity is its ability to power not just your usual gadgets via USB, it can also power AC appliances through its universal AC socket. It’s practically a generator that can give your laptop, phone, an electric fan and probably a small TV the juice they need in certain situations. 

At its price, it’s a premium accessory but one that could also be extremely useful in many situations such as blackouts, outdoor trips or working at a coffee shop with no available sockets. 

2) DJI Spark (around P29,000)

Take your selfies to a whole new level with this mini drone from DJI. Aerial photography isn’t just for moviemaking anymore; now you can use the DJI Spark to record moments you couldn’t capture otherwise. It’s the perfect companion for when a selfie stick just won’t cut it. Ultraportable due to its diminutive size, the Spark packs a punch, featuring a camera that takes full HD videos (1080p) and 12MP photos. It’s also easily controlled via a smartphone; all you have to do is download the app and you’re good to go.

3) Amazon Echo (around P21,000)

 For those looking to automate their homes, or at least most of their day to day tasks, the Amazon Echo is an ideal gift. Imagine turning off the lights and turning on some mood music with your voice; this is now possible with this hands-free speaker that connects to the Alexa Voice Service. with it you can also make calls, send and receive messages, and get the latest news and information—instantly.

Featuring seven microphones and beam forming technology, the aptly named Echo can hear you from across the room, bringing you one step closer to your dream of a smart home. What’s more, you can use more than one Echo at the same time and the nearest one will respond instantly to your voice commands using cutting-edge Echo Spatial Perception (ESP). 

One big caveat: Alexa isn’t officially available in the Philippines either on iOS or Android. You’ll have to fiddle around and do workarounds that will allow you to install these geo-restricted apps, for which there are available guides online. 

4) Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (around P10,000)

With the release of the Kindle Paperwhite, Amazon raised the bar for ebook readers to the delight of modern bookworms the world over. Featuring a 6-inch screen, the Paperwhite boasts a high resolution of 300 ppi—that’s twice as many pixels as its predecessor for clearer text.

The type of screen used on the e-reader is also a non-glare type, so you can read even when you’re out in the sun, like at the beach or park. Battery life is solid, too, with a single charge lasting weeks. It’s a great travel companion, with Amazon’s massive selection of books and text all at your fingertips.

If you’re a Prime member, you read free and have access to over a thousand titles. The crowning glory of the Paperwhite, however, is the built-in adjustable light that mimics the “whiteness” of real paper, something not seen before on an e-reader.

5) Sphero R2-D2 (around P9,000)

For the geeks at heart, this robotic piece of Star Wars goodness is hard not to love. It may have taken decades, but it’s better late than never – especially for something as awesome as this. The Sphero R2-D2 remote-controlled robot takes the best of the Star Wars character and puts it in an exact replica that you can control via your smartphone.

This app-enabled droid features authentic R2-D2 movement, such as bipod and tripod stances and emotive waddles. For authenticity, it even comes with fully functional signature front and rear lights and the unmistakable sounds R2-D2 makes. It may take some practice to steer this droid around, but once you get used to it, it’s a great companion for Star Wars fans and techies in general.

6) WD My Passport 4TB USB 3.0 External HDD (around P9,000)

The (slowly) rising internet speeds in the country has sparked a streaming and downloading craze that has many techies searching for more and more space in their hard drives.

The WD My Passport 4TB external HDD features more than enough space for your movies, music, and photos. It’s also a great backup drive for professionals who work with larger files, like video editors and photographers. It also comes with USB 3.0 connectivity so file transfers are generally faster, provided that you have a USB 3.0 port on your computer. It’s one of the “safest” gifts on this list because, honestly, who wouldn’t want more HDD space, right?

7) iRobot Roomba 980 (around P66,000)

Cleanup time might be the last thing on a techie’s mind; what with all the latest gadgets and trends he or she has to keep up with. With the iRobot Roomba 980, they needn’t worry anymore. Able to clean just about any floor type, this automatic vacuum cleaner uses sensor technology to “sense” its way around your space. It automatically adjusts its height so it’s able to scrub both hard floors and thick carpets. No need to reach under your bed and couch, too, as the Roomba 980 can work its way under and around raised furniture pieces. 

It runs for 120 minutes on a single charge so all you have to do is wait until it’s done. When its power runs low, it automatically goes back to its wall station to recharge itself before going back to work. How’s that for convenience? – Rappler.com

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