Looking for that perfect tech gift? There are plenty of holiday gift guides out there, but this one surely has a few gems that are essential this holiday season. Some of these are available only online and others from stores near you. Good luck, you only have a few days left.
This is Part II of a two part series, view Part I here.
Braven makes some of the best rugged portable wireless speakers on the market. I have been impressed them for years. The BRV-Pro comes with a modular port system on top to connect a light or solar panel for charging. Pump up the volume on your next trip to the beach or mountains and everywhere in between. Visit the Braven website.
Rowkin has engineered a nice solution for the Bluetooth headset dilemma. The Mini Plus+ is a singular rechargable wireless headset for your smartphone, tablet or computer. It works for about three hours of talk time and about two hours while listening to music. I like using it to listen to shows and movies. It fit well and felt comfortable in my year after several hours. Its portable charger does a nice job or keeping it secure with a strong magnet. Visit the Rowkin website for more information.
Mesh networking is the newest trend for home WiFi gear. I like the solution by AmpLiFi that comes with multiple units in the box. The main unit comes with a screen and Ethernet ports to connect your DSL or Cable modem and other networking devices. This system also comes with two large super mesh points that plug directly into a power plug on your wall. Set it all up with their handy smartphone app. For more information, visit the AmpLiFi website.
BloomSky is for people who are into watching the weather at home. The SKY2 kit comes with a weather camera station, solar panel, ground stake and mount. Check in with how the weather is doing via its real-time transmission system and it has the ability to join a national weather map community. BloomSky updates its iOS app frequently which adds new features. For more information, visit the BloomSky website.
Transcend JetDrive Go 500 64GB $52.99
Transcend’s JetDrive Go 500 with 64GB of storage is ready for your iPhone or iPad. Plug it in and their free app will launch. Backup your photo and video library or record video and shoot photos with it plugged into your device. Its USB 3.1 port on the other side transfers files up to 4x faster than with USB 2.0. The compact design is made of metallic zinc and works with some iPhone cases. For more information, visit the Transcend website.
Get professional footage and photos with your iPhone or Samsung Galaxy via Feiyu Tech’s G4 Plus active gimbal. It worked great when I covered events or while doing unboxing videos. The included rechargeable batteries last for hours. For more information, visit the Feiyu website.
Traveling outside of your home country can present some challenges with charging your tech gear. The SKROSS World Adapter comes with two USB ports and up to 2.4A of power on top and a full sized standard power plug. It can be used in over 220 countries. It has worked well on my travels to Dubai, China, Hong Kong, Tokyo, London and Singapore. For more information, visit the SKROSS website.
The QODE Ultimate Keyboard Pro for the iPad Air 2 from Belkin gives you multiple ways to go pro. Use it with the keyboard or without, the case stays on the iPad Air 2. An improved keyboard layout and three levels of backlighting brings you even closer to those from laptops. It can pair with multiple devices at once. Get a text message on your iPhone, switch to it, type the message and then easily switch back to the iPad Air 2. For more information, visit the Belkin website.
Charging more than two devices at the end of the day can get weird with multiple adapters and cables snaking all over a desk or a counter in the kitchen. TYLT simplifies everything with their ENERGI Desktop Charging Station and five USB ports. One of the ports doubles as a removable 3,200 mAh backup battery that has 1A of output power. For more information, visit the TYLT website.
SCOTTeVEST is synonymous with convenient pockets in jackets. Their Enforcer jacket gives the wearer the ability to carry a gun and a full sized MacBook. It comes with 30 pockets and is very comfortable to wear, even for those that need a larger size. I have enjoyed using mine from trips to the Grand Canyon to Tokyo and many international destinations in between. For more information, visit the SCOTTeVEST website.
Looking good while traveling abroad or in the board room is easy with the Staad Attache from WaterField Designs, full review on MacTrast. It fits up to a 15″ laptop and a tablet along with charging cords. Get the one that meets your needs and fits your style. They offer several colors, fabrics and sizes. For more information, visit the Staad website.
Go global with 4G LTE via Goodspeed’s newest hotspot. I reviewed their 3.5G hotspot and have found even greater speed with the new model. It comes with 10 SIM card slots and the service allows you to use one or several of your own. It worked well in Japan and Dubai on my latest trip. Plans vary based on your needs. For more information, visit the Goodspeed website.
Yi Technology hits a home run with their 4K action camera. It matches feature for feature and in many cases exceeds them from the most popular action cameras on the market. Its iPhone app allows you to livestream video via Facebook Live. Attach a selfie stick and take amazing photos and video while on trips. I used mine to take a timed delay video of the sunset from my hotel room in Shanghai. Transferring video is easy and so is upgrading the camera’s firmware. For more information, visit the Yi Technology website.
This is Part II of a two part series, view Part I here.
Disclosure: I received many of these products at no cost for review. I have not been compensated for my gift guide. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I am a NETGEAR Ambassador.
