2017 Holiday Gift Guide: My Favorite Tech Gifts Of The Year

Every year I test a lot of gadgets. There are usually a few that stand out as my favorites. This is the list of my favorite tech gifts of the year.

 

Favorite Tech Gifts

These six gifts are perfect for the tech lover who has everything. Every year I’m amazed at all the awesome new products that are released. Just when I think that I do not need another device, something new comes out that I need.

Disclosure: Some items I received to test and some I paid for (noted on each item). There are affiliate links within the post. 

myCharge AdventureUltra Portable Charge

Disclosure: I received this item to test. 

The myCharge AdventureUltra is the BEST portable charger I have ever had (and I have tried a lot of them). I love it because it has a regular AC plug in, two USB-A and one USB-C ports. The AC plug in is the same plug you use when you plug your laptop into the wall. So you don’t need some fancy schmancy cord to connect your laptop to your portable charger. I have a charger where I need to carry a whole set up different cords JUST to use it with my devices.

A few weeks ago, I was in the ER (I’m ok) and my 21-year-old son took me. He had a project he needed to work on for school. Of course none of the plugs in the room were working and he was almost at 0 for power on his laptop. I happened to have my AdventureUltra in my purse. He used that and was able to keep working until we left.

The fact that he didn’t need a different cord is what saved the day for him.

Perfect for travelers, college students and anyone else who need to stay charged on the go.

 

UE BOOM 2 from Logitech

Disclosure: I received this item to test. 

The UE BOOM 2 is one of my favorite Bluetooth speakers. Not only do they sound awesome, but they look awesome too. Both of my girls are dancers and they both have one of these speakers. It easily fills a room with music and everyone who is dancing can hear the music. But the speaker is small enough and light enough that they can throw it in their dance bag. They always have it with them.

The UE BOOM 2 comes in so many different colors, you’ll have a hard time choosing.

It also has a 15-hour battery life, so you don’t have to worry about the battery dying during a rehearsal. If you have several UE BOOM speakers, you can connect them using the smartphone app and PartyUp.

Siri and Google Now voice integration is now included in the UE BOOM 2.

Perfect for teens, college students, dancers.

 

Activ5 Strength Training Device

Disclosure: I received this item to test. 

I’m sure you are looking at that small device and wondering how it can be a strength training device. I wondered the same thing about the Activ5 at first. It’s very small and doesn’t weigh very much. But the power comes in when you connect it to the Activ5 Companion App on your smartphone.

Follow the directions on the screen and you get a hard workout that you can complete anywhere. You do not need any other equipment other than the Activ5 and your smartphone.

Perfect for those who travel, new moms and anyone else who wants to start strength training, but doesn’t want to invest in a gym.

 

Monster Firecracker Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

Disclosure: I received this item to test. 

The Monster Firecracker Bluetooth speaker is one of those devices that at first, you wonder about the combination, but then you try it out and WOAH! it’s so cool. This Bluetooth speaker is a speaker (obviously) with a built in 7 hour flashlight.

The flashlight is a high-intensity daylight light. That will help you take photos with your smartphone in low light. How cool is that?

You will get 25+ hours of continuous play on one charge.

Perfect for college students, campers and teens.

 

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2018

Disclosure: I received this item to test (and I also paid to upgrade mine because I have so many computers in the house).

Photoshop Elements 2018 is the newest version which was just released. Anyone who takes photos needs to have Photoshop Elements. If you are scared of Photoshop, then Photoshop Elements is perfect for you. It is very simple to use and will walk you through editing your photos. If you are more advanced and don’t want step by step instructions, PSE 2018 will do that for you too.

My favorite feature is  Auto-Curate. The Elements Organizer will go through your photos and automatically curate them based on faces, subjects, etc. That can save you a LOT of time.

Perfect for parents, scrapbookers, hobby photographers.

Alexa Show

I purchased this item myself.

My husband bought me the Alexa Show for Mother’s Day this year. I love it. I have one in my office and one in the kitchen. You can use it for video conferencing with others who have the Alexa Show or the Alexa app on their smartphone.

The one in my kitchen is perfect for watching cooking videos. Because there is a small screen on the Show, you can view videos. I can ask Alexa to watch a TV show or movie that is on Amazon Prime and watch it while I’m cooking.

It works exactly like the other Alexa products when asking Alexa for help. It just adds a screen. I added my calendar and the screen always shows my next appointment.

Perfect for college students, cooking enthusiasts, grandparents.

 

Buy Now at Amazon (affiliate links)

[amazon_link asins=’B075MRZBTW,B01J24C0TI,B010CEHQTG,B01NH0C88F,B06XSW69SG,B014M8ZTJC,B014M8ZNZM,B0752XSBH1′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’scofmygeli-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e2279758-ce15-11e7-b5cc-095498cea369′]

Disclosure: Some items I received to test and some I paid for (noted on each item). There are affiliate links within the post.