Five Useful Gadgets Gift Ideas For Techies
Whether it is reducing the extra noise in your office space or creating ambient lighting for your work from home scenario, gadgets make life a lot easier. Devices can also be great gifts, especially if you purchase them for geeks who are crazy about everything tech. Here are five useful gadgets to buy as a surprise gift for your techie friend.
1. Noise-Canceling Headphones
Today’s world is unacceptably loud for an unassuming workaholic. Even though you have facilities for noise cancellation in some office spaces, working from home has become a curse for people living in noisy suburbs.
Noise-canceling headphones benefit both the caller and the receiver, as they can hear each other’s voice clearly, without any distraction. Technically, such a headphone employs two microphones (one close to your mouth and the other at a distant position) to pick up sound from separate directions. The headphone processes your voice and reduces the sounds from other sources, thereby making you more audible to the caller.
The benefits of noise-canceling headphones depend on the type of background noise and your voice quality to a large extent. You may not feel the difference between a cheap and an expensive noise-canceling headphone in a calmer office room. But in a domestic or on-field situation, consider one with larger cushions and active or hybrid noise-canceling feature.
2. Wireless Bluetooth Mouse
If your tech-savvy friend is a blogger, web designer, or gamer, he probably spends a lot of time using a computer. Smart computer accessories play a significant role in doing our everyday tasks faster and better. Every person working on a computer would agree that wires create inconvenience and excessive clutter on the desk.
Wireless mouse is one such smart PC component that eliminates the hassles of a conventional wired mouse. With you having only the mouse to handle, you can now save all that desk space for keeping other important stuff. But before you click the search button, be aware that there are two kinds of wireless mouse: a USB or regular wireless mouse and a Bluetooth mouse.
A USB mouse requires you to plug its receiver into a USB port. So although it is wireless, it still occupies one of your laptop’s USB ports. On the other hand, a Bluetooth Mouse utilizes your PC’s Bluetooth antenna for connecting the mouse. The latter is smarter and more useful, especially if you are running short of USB ports.
3. Portable Laptop Power Bank
Many of us have used mobile power banks to juice up our phones on the go. But for geeks who use their laptops every minute of the day, a portable power source becomes essential. A portable laptop power bank comes in handy when there is a power disruption, you are away from a power outlet, or are traveling. Aukey power banks also provide fast-charging up to 60W and help you safeguard your PC’s components (any PC user would know that sudden power outages can result in a system crash).
When looking for a portable power bank, choose one that is compact, lightweight, and has the required power outputs. It would be prudent to know about the PC your techie friend uses, as the choice for laptop power banks can vary according to ports, input voltage, battery capacity, and operating system.
4. Smart Watch
How about gifting your techie friend a gadget that also enhances their appearance? Besides looking cool on the wrist, a smartwatch has several smart features that can make our everyday tasks easier.
The most useful aspect of a smartwatch is its ability to pair with your smartphone and replicate several tasks that your phone would do. You can make calls, receive notifications, navigate maps, and listen to music with the help of a smartwatch. But what is special about a smartwatch is unique features like heart rate monitoring, step tracking, and sleep monitoring. Techies would like the endless customization options on these watches. You can easily change a smartwatch’s display according to your mood and surroundings. When purchasing a smartwatch, choose one with a touchscreen, a big battery, and GPS.
5. Pocket Photo Printer
Technology has grown leaps and bounds in the last decade. But whenever we think of printing photos, the idea of big printers and PCs come to our mind. How many times have you wished to click pictures with your loved ones and instantly get the photos printed on the spot?
A pocket photo printer is a cute little device that can print photos on the go for a busy geek without the need for computers or messy cables. These tiny printers are NFC and Bluetooth enabled, which means you can print the photos wirelessly from your android smartphone or iPhone. The pocket printers generally come with more than 800 mAh batteries, which are more than enough to run for a day. So the next time you are scrapbooking or making an album for a friend’s birthday on a trip, you don’t need to rush to the local print shops and waste your precious time.
The Bottom Line
Since a techie is always very enthusiastic about smart technology, a handy gadget would be the best gift. Remember that you do not need to buy the most expensive item to surprise your techie friend. Gift him something practical, and you can expect a “wow” coming out of his mouth.