Do you still need to do your Christmas shopping? Run out of ideas? Need something for yourself or your tech happy friends and family? This post – which I crowdsourced on Twitter – should help get you sorted ASAP.
Bluetooth headphones $69–$600+
@amscraig bluetooth headphones for EVERYONE!
— Clint Evs (@codingpoet) December 11, 2013
Bluetooth headphones allow you to listen to your music wirelessly, giving you the ability to burst into impromptu dancing in the streets, or to save you from that moment when you accidently tug on your headphone cable and your phone flies across the concrete. I may be bitter about this because I have done it about five times. I have the scratches on my phone to prove it.
Photo: Flickr user: compudemano
If your mobile phone has the bluetooth feature, which most recent devices do, you will be able to connect your headphones to your mobile and play your tunes.
There is a huge range in price, but it really depends on what you want. The higher-priced headphones do have an amazing sound quality. Some will work through a cable if you forget to charge them. Some charge through a USB cable plugged into your computer; others charge only through a power wall charger; some models do both.
The best thing to do is to research. Look at tech reviews online about the models you’re looking at. The more research you do, the happier you’ll be, especially if you’re looking to spend in the higher end of the price bracket.
Wemo $79–$160
@amscraig a Wemo - turn stuff on and off via IFTTT
— Rob Holmes (@robholmesnz) December 11, 2013
Wemo is a range of home automation products. I totally love the idea as they seem so simple and easy to use. You use Wemo to control, schedule and add motion sensing to your electronic items in your house. I totally want one of these to turn my coffee machine on from bed.
You control the Wemo devices with your iPhone or Android application that is available in the application stores.