The IT Nerd

Last week in part 1 of my holiday gift guide, I shared my thoughts in terms of gifts that caught my eye. Today, I’ll share some gift ideas based on products I’ve reviewed this past year.

• Smartphones will be a popular gift choice this year. If you have a persons who needs only an entry phone, I’d suggest the Motorola Moto G LTE as it is a great entry level phone. Power users who are also Android fans have a couple of choices. The LG G3 and the Samsung Galaxy G5 which are great flagship phones. If you have no particular allegiance towards an OS, seriously consider the BlackBerry Passport as that’s a really great phone once you get past the fact that it has an odd shape.
• If you know someone who needs a new router and they’re a power user, my suggestion would be Linksys WRT1900AC. If something a bit more budget friendly is more ideal, try the Linksys EA6900. Either way, they are easy to set up and they are great additions to any home network.
• Tablets are a good choice and Asus have a couple of choices for you. The VivoTab Note 8 Which runs Windows 8.1 and Memo Pad 8 which runs Android are great choices depending on your preference in OS. If that’s not enough, Alcatel OneTouch Pop 8 is another good choice as it has HSPA+ so that you can use it anywhere. If you have a person on your list who cannot decide between a tablet and an ultra portable notebook, Asus can give you both. They have the Asus Transformer Pad TF103C which runs Android and can be used as both a tablet and a notebook.
• If you’ve got a reader on your list, I’d suggest the Kobo Aura H20. It has a great screen, great battery life and is waterproof. Clearly it’s a device that can be used anywhere. Another choice is the Playaway Light All-In-One Audiobook which gives one an easy way to get access to audiobooks.
• Drones are the in thing at the moment and Parrot have a couple of choices in the form of the Rolling Spider Mini Drone & Jumping Sumo Mini Drone which work with your iOS or Android phone. They’re easy to use and fun too.
• If you’ve got an iPhone user on your list, accessories are a good and cheap choice. My suggestions would be the Nomad ChargeCard & ChargeKey which give you a easy to carry Lightning cable, the Skinit iPhone 5/5S Folio Case which is a great case for the iPhone 5/5s, or the InvisibleShield Glass For The Apple iPhone 5s to protect the screen.
• If you have an iPad user on your list, I’d suggest the Brydge+ With Speakers which is a great keyboard/speaker combo. Alternately, you can choose the Belkin FastFit Keyboard For iPad Mini which is another good choice for a keyboard.
• Printers are still great gift choices and Canon has a couple for you to choose from depending on your needs. The Canon Selphy CP910 Compact Photo Printer will allow you to make photo quality prints from your phone, tablet or digital cameras. Or if you need a all purpose printer/scanner/copier, take a look at the Canon PIXMA MG7120 All-In-One Printer as it’s very versatile and comes in some cool colors.
• For someone who wants to keep an eye on their home, check out the Belkin NETCAM HD which is easy to set up and they can not only see and hear what’s going on via their iOS and Android phone, but they can communicate into their home as well.
• If you know someone who wants to automate their home, my suggestion would be the WeMo Home Automation Family which is easy to set up and easy to use. All that’s needed is WiFi and a smartphone that runs iOS or Android.

Do you have any suggestions for additions to this list? If so, please post a comment and share your thoughts.

UPDATE: The ChargeKey is now called the NomadKey and the ChargeCard has been discontinued by Nomad Goods.