It’s that time of year again – time to start thinking about making hints to your loved ones about what you’d like to receive in your Christmas stocking this year.
We’ve done the thinking for you this time round, so if you’re a gadget geek (like us) then just send your boyfriend/wife/mother/cousin/brother this list and expect a lot of gadget greatness coming your way on the 25th.
1. A retro USB
Remember the day when we made friends mixtapes instead of sending them a playlist of songs over Dropbox? Milktape makes USBs in the form of retro cassette tapes (which look positively Jurassic in today’s iPod age) which you can write on, so you can make those playlists for that special someone.
$15 (they ship worldwide), www.milktape.com
2. Polaroid waterproof speaker
What Christmas gadget list would be complete without a waterproof speaker? Play music from your phone via Bluetooth on this waterproof speaker, which you can take with you to the pool or even use in the shower.
R239, www.kalahari.com
3. Google Chromecast
Google Chromecast is a USB dongle that you plug into the back of your TV so you can stream videos, movies and music from your smartphone, tablet and laptop onto your TV.
R539, www.takealot.co.za
4. Looftlighter
Never use matches or a lighter to get your braai going again once this Swedish gadget is in your hands. The Looftlighter uses super heated air to light up your braai or fire and it gets charcoal heated so quickly that you can start cooking in just a couple of minutes.
R599, www.thegadgetshop.co.za
5. Power Traveller PowerMonkey eXplorer
This is a great gadget if you travel a lot – it’s a portable solar charger that can power up smartphones, digital cameras, MP3 players, iPods and portable game consoles.
R900, www.takealot.com
6. Fitbit wristband
Start off 2015 on a healthy note with this healthtracking wristband, which tracks how many calories you burn each day, how well you sleep and how many steps you take. It syncs your data to your computer so you can see how you’re doing – you can also set goals for yourself (for example, taking a certain number of steps per day to increase your physical activity level).
R1 199, www.takealot.com
7. Kindle
Kindle is the kind of e-readers. If you’re thinking of making the move from paper to digital – Kindle’s the way to go. The Paperwhite is the most recent model, which sells for R2 600, but you can get an older model, which does the job just fine, for over R1000 cheaper.
R1 499, www.incredibleconnection.co.za
8. Handpresso
This one’s for the coffee-lover who can’t survive without their caffeine kick – a light and compact portable espresso maker – so you can make good coffee wherever you go.
R1 595, www.handpresso.com
9. Bose Quiet Comfort Headphones
Bose’s noise-cancelling headphones are ranked as one of the best on the market for their comfortable design and excellent sound. They’re pricey, but worth it if you listen to music a lot.
R4 900, www.dionwired.co.za
10. iPhone 6
The most coveted and hyped phone this year is our big-ticket gadget for Christmas 2014. To get your loved one to buy this for you, you might just have to make more than a few batches of mince pies.
Starts at R13 999, http://store.applenews.co.za/product/iphone-6
