Not every awesome tech product gets as much attention as the latest iPhone or video game console. That means there are some really cool, under-the-radar tech products you should keep in mind for your holiday gift-giving. Here are 10 that we really love.
Wyze Smart Plug
As we take more control over our homes, this smart plug will blow you away with the ways you can use it and integrate it into your smart home system. At its heart, this smart plug lets you control whether the power is on or off to the plug with your voice (via Alexa and Google Assistant) or through an app on your phone. But, where it gets crazy is when you integrate into other smart home devices.
Want a light to go on inside your house when your video doorbell detects motion? Easy. Want to control lighting by time of day or while you’re on vacation. It’s as simple as updating the app. These are some of the coolest and yet inexpensive smart home devices you can get. Pick up a pair on Amazon for $20 and start experimenting.
Philips Hue Bluetooth Gradient Ambiance Smart Lightstrip
Smart lighting is all the rage, as you can see with all the options coming out from various manufacturers. The Philips Hue lineup is one of the leaders in this evolving technology. This smart light strip is one of the latest in their product line and it offers some exciting and creative lighting options for any room in your home. Install these light strips under bars, bed frames, cabinets, or other under or overmount options where they can be largely invisible, but deliver amazing ambient light when powered up.
They can be easily trimmed to exactly the right size for whatever space you are working with. Then, fire them up via the Hue app and let your imagination run wild with 16 million colors to choose from. Transform any room into an immersive entertainment experience. You can pick up a base kit on Amazon for $180.
Moleskin Ellipse Smart Writing Kit
As amazing as digital apps are for writing and content creation, there is still no substitute for simply writing on a piece of paper. Whether you’re jotting a note or brainstorming, that feel of pen on paper can be both convenient and comfortable for a lot of us. But, then you sometimes need to take that handwriting and rewrite it in a digital format, which just feels like an unnecessary extra step.
Well, this Smart Writing Kit takes care of that for you. The Pen+ digital smart pen and Paper Tablet with ncoded paper work together allowing every pen stroke to be captured digitally. The companion app seamlessly integrates to transfer what you write on the notebook page to your digital device. It is both Apple and Android compatible and you can pick one up at Amazon for $250.
Nanoleaf Canvas Starter Kit
This 9-piece starter kit provides an amazing amount of options for creating original and eye-catching lighting displays for your home. You can add both color and generally ambient light to any room while making it come from a cube-style art design. Let your imagination and creativity run wild with this starter kit to get you rolling. They aren’t cheap, but Amazon has this starter kit for about $200.
Tile Mate Essentials (4-Pack)
Apple isn’t the only company making little trackable attachments for commonly lost items. Enter the Tile Mate Essentials (2022) Model. These trackers can work on things nearby, by having the Tile play an alarm through its built-in ringer. Then, for those items that might be out of Bluetooth range, you can find their most recent location on a map. This also comes in packs of 4 different sizes to suit different product tracking needs. You can snag a 4-pack on Amazon for about $80.
PlayStation Classic
Yeah, we know… everyone is focused on the PlayStation 5, and with good reason. It’s an amazing new gaming console. But, there’s a lot to be said for the classics, especially when you can get them at a bargain price. How about picking up a PlayStation Classic for a mere $70? It also comes with 20 pre-loaded games, like Final Fantasy VII, Jumping Flash, Ridge Rader Type 4, Tekken 3, and Wild Arms. Grab this bargain on Amazon while it lasts.
BALMUDA The Toaster
OK, how is a Toaster making a list of awesome tech gadgets? I mean, toasters are about as low-tech as it comes right? Not so fast. The BALMUDA used steam technology, heat control, and multiple heating modes to bring out the absolute best in any bread you put into this amazing gadget.
Tired of toast that’s burnt on the edges or just generally not evenly cooked? This is your answer. Whether it’s artisanal bread, pizza, croissants, bagels, or whatever bread you want, you will love the results. Take your toast to an entirely new level by picking this up on Amazon. However, be prepared for a bit of sticker shock as the BALMUDA runs around $300.
Meural Canvas II
For most of us, the days of taking photos with film cameras are long gone. Sometimes when we take a particularly amazing photo, we might get it printed and framed, connecting us back to those real-world photo days. But, even better is a digital photo frame that can give you the best of both worlds. However, most of those frames deliver pretty poor picture quality, meaning there is a real tradeoff.
The Meural Canvas II overcomes those issues, delivering stunning image quality in a variety of frame sizes. It also looks like a real high-quality picture frame and matte. Whether you showcase your own photos or tap into an available library of world museum masterpieces (for an extra annual subscription fee of $69.99) you will love how these frames display on your walls. Sizes range from 16” x 24” up to 19” x 29” in various frame colors. You can find these on Amazon starting at $350.
Anker 2 Port Charger
These days we all have lots of digital devices and each with its own charging cable and plug-in. This can get a bit cumbersome at home, but we tend to manage. But, when we travel it adds a big headache. Making sure you have all the right chargers and cables is a regular part of packing for any trip.
But, this little multi-port charger can make your life just a bit easier, and that’s always welcome. Use this charger from Anker to easily charge a variety of your devices across the Apple or Android spectrum. It’s also priced affordably at $27 on Amazon.
Solight Outdoor Solar-Powered Light
This is just super cool. Whether you’re camping and want a nice lantern for the evening or having a pool party and want some great color-changing lighting to set the mood, these Solight LED lights are what you’re looking for. They are fully chargeable with solar power, so no batteries or external power sources are required. They also collapse down to a flat package as thin as an iPhone.
But, when you’re ready to shine some light on the subject, they can light an area up to 100 square feet. They also switch between White, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, and Purple lights at the flip of a switch. They are also affordable at just $40 a piece on Amazon.
