This year, we found enough interesting gadgets to stuff several stockings. For Part V of our 2015 Holiday Gift Guide, we’ve picked out the best stocking stuffers just for you:
Pocket Tools – Swiss+Tech Tools – Swiss+Tech makes a complete line of durable stainless steel pocket tools for all purposes and for a fraction of the price of some better known brands, without sacrificing quality. Here are five of their multi-tool sets:
T-Rex – The T-Rex Pocket Tool Kit is a handsome, study, palm-sized multi-tool that has 7 functions (pliers, a wire cutter, knives, and screwdrivers) built around a strong set of pliers. Price is $12.23 from Amazon.com.
Micro-Max 19-in-1 – The new Micro-Max is small enough to fit on their keychain, but has enough tools to do a whole host of jobs. Fit everything from wrenches to screwdrivers to rulers right on their key ring for quick fixes on the go. Available on Amazon.com for $8.50.
Micro-Tech Sport 9-in-1 – With 9 useful functions, this tool is a great addition to your key chain, tool box, or bug out bag. It includes pliers, a wire cutter, a wire stripper, screwdrivers, bottle opener, file, knife, and more. $8.50 on Amazon.com.
Mega-Max Folding Multi-Tool – A set of five wrenches, an LED flashlight, and a set of hex drivers make this tool a great 15-in-one package. Price is $12 on Amazon.com.
Micro-Max Extreme – This monster is the top-of-the-line pocket set with 22 tools good for most daily challenges. A great kit for their car, camping kit, or workbench. $19 at Amazon.com.
Bluetooth Tracker – Tile Tracker – There are lots of Bluetooth Trackers on the market. This one can help you find anything from your car to your car keys. We like Tile because it has a 100 foot radius and the company is working hard to build a worldwide network of users who can help you find your lost item anywhere. $70 for a 4-pack from Amazon.com.
Rugged Portable Battery Charger – myCharge All Terrain Portable Charger – This all-terrain portable charger is water-proof, temperature-proof, dirt-proof, and shock-proof. The military grade charger is designed to withstand the toughest job sites as well as the great outdoors and features a built-in USB port. With a 2.1A output, it’s the perfect portable charger for smartphones or other USB devices. Available from Amazon.com for $39.
Screen Protector – Zagg InvisibleShield Glass – Carrying around any device with a great screen and leaving it unprotected gives you worse odds than Russian roulette. A screen protector saves both the screen and potential resale value later on. We’ve always been impressed with Zagg, particularly the protectors made for many Apple and Samsung phones and tablets. Price varies depending on device (iPhone 6 glass is $17). Available at Amazon.com.
Car Chargers – Kensington PowerBolt – Kensington’s two new PowerBolt chargers make it easier than ever to keep your smartphone fully juiced. One version comes with a lighning connector to fit iPhones and iPads, and the other features Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 Technology. $19 from Amazon.com.
Global Travel Adapter – Ventev Global Charginghub – Perfect for the international traveler in the family, this USB hub is capable of charging devices across 150 countries. Two devices can be charged at the same time without losing the 3-prong outlet. Price is $29 on Amazon.com.
Streaming Media Device – Google Chromecast – Google has improved the original version, making it easier than ever to take videos from your tablet or smartphone and stream them to your big screen television, as long as it has an HDMI port. Available from Google Store for $35.
Electronic Measuring Tape – eTape16 Digital Tape Measure – This is a great gift for the do-it-yourself-er. It uses a traditional metal tape to take a measurement, then records it on an LED display so they’ll never have to rely on memory to record that measurement. It comes in two versions, with and without Bluetooth. The Bluetooth version sends the measurement to an app on your smartphone. The original version is available from Amazon.com for $28.00. The new Bluetooth version is available direct from eTape16 for $50.
Mobile Memory – Between cameras, smartphones, tablets, and more, they’re going to want to be able to store music, videos, and everything else, and move their media among devices. We have several solutions:
SanDisk Dual USB Drive 3.0 – This USB drive from SanDisk will let them quickly and easily transfer files between OTG-enabled Andriod smartphones and tablets and PCs. Free up space to add more photos, videos, songs, and more. The SanDisk Memory Zone app will help them manage their phone’s memory, making it easy to move, view, copy, or back up photos and videos to the drive on the go. Available from Amazon.com: $9 for 16GB, $13 for 32GB, and $21 for 64GB.
These two devices will let them take advantage of the higher transfer speeds allowed by USB 3.0 to quickly move files from place to place:
SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick – The second iteration of this product makes it easy to store files and then move them around to other wireless devices without having to worry about whether they have a USB slot. They can wirelessly store their media and even stream HD videos and music. Available from Amazon.com: $30 for 32GB, $50 for 64GB, $100 for 128GB.
SanDisk Ultra Micro SDHC UHS-1 Card – Despite its diminutive size, this SanDisk Ultra is one big and fast micro-SD card that’s ideal for storing 4K video from action cameras and other devices at speeds of up to 90MG per second. Take our word for it – that’s fast. And with 200 GB of storage, that’s the most you can get on a single micro-SD card. Available on Amazon.com for $100.
Lexar Professional 633X 512GB – If their camera or video camera can make use of a full sized SD card, this version from Lexar packs in half a terabyte of memory on a single card. For most folks, that means you can store all the pictures and videos from an entire vacation on a single card. Available from Amazon.com for about $275.
Lexar JumpDrive M20i USB 3.0 – If they want to move videos, music, or photos from your computer or other non-iOS device to you iPhone or iPad, this Lexar JumpDrive is a great solution. It has lots of memory and makes it a snap to significantly expand the memory in a lightning-equipped iOS device. Available on Amazon.com: $35 for 16GB, $45 for 32GB, $80 for 64GB.
Smart Smoke Alarm Battery – Roost 9V Smart Battery – Here’s a clever idea that turns any smoke detector into a connected device that notifies their smartphone if the alarm goes off, no matter where you are. It will also send a notification when the battery starts running out of juice, so they don’t have to worry about it starting to chirp in the middle of the night. Price is $35 on Amazon.com.
Smart Padlock – Master Lock Bluetooth Padlock – This is a modern revisit of the classic padlock with Bluetooth technology. The lock is operated from a smartphone, so they won’t have to worry about losing a key or forgetting a combination. Available direct from Master Lock in two versions, an indoor version for $50 and an outdoor version for $60.
Message Notifier – Ditto – This is a simple Bluetooth-enabled device that can be worn just about anywhere and will let you know when you have a phone call or a message, without having to pick up your phone. Available from Amazon.com for $40.
Automobile Emergency Tools – Swiss+Tech BodyGuard Series – Here are three handy tools to keep in their automobile’s center console or glove compartment that are designed to help out in an emergency:
Swiss+Tech BodyGuard PTX 3-in-1 – This little tool could literally be a life saver. It has a glass-breaker, seat belt cutter, and LED flashlight with a quick-release pullaway that is ready for action instantly. $7 on Amazon.com.
Swiss+Tech BodyGuard ESC 5-in-1 – With this handy tool it’s easy to break out side window glass in an instant, slash through inoperable seat belts without fear of getting cut, flash an emergency signal for help, set off a piercing audio alarm, then light the way with a bright white LED flashlight. Price is $10 on Amazon.com.
Swiss+Tech BodyGuard XL7 – The XL7 features everything in the PTX, plus a tire pressure gauge and tire tread indicator. Available for $22 at Amazon.com.
Bluetooth Earbuds – Kicker EB 300 Bluetooth Earbuds – This is the first set of Bluetooth earbuds from Kicker, better known for their speakers and more recently their Bluetooth speakers. These are water resistant and will play for up to eight hours on a single charge. They will also let you control tracks, volume, and answer phone calls. Price is $100.
Earbud Storage Device – The LOOP – If, like many of us, they’re constantly getting the cords for their earbuds tangled up, this is a clever and inexpensive problem solver. LOOPs come in a variety of colors and packages. Available for $17 for a 3-pack in a variety of colors on Amazon.com.
Wrist Speaker – WRiSTBOOM Speaker – This unique watch/speaker system combo will let them hear what they want, when they want. WRiSTBOOM connects to smartphones, tablets, and computers via Bluetooth, without the constraints of wires. Rich, high quality sound in a very small speaker that comes in a variety of colors and will be fun for them to wear. Price is $40 from The Wearables Store.
That’s a wrap on our 2015 Holiday Gift Guide. Happy Holidays from Tech50+!
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