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12 Days of Dappered #8 – Six Inexpensive Tech Gifts

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Paul writes periodic travel and tech articles on Dappered.com. Follow his travel blog, drivinginertia.com, to read more about his other adventures.
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#1. Belkin Bluetooth Music Receiver – $19.99
Doubles as a hypnotism device.

Cord clutter can make even the coolest stereo setup look silly. Connect your phone or tablet to your stereo with this instead. Works from 33 feet away, so you phone or tablet effectively becomes your stereo remote. Works with Apples and Androids.

 

#2. Syma R/C Helicopter – $28.50
Your cat will love, and hate you.

This is one of the most fun gifts I’ve received recently. Buzz your office mates or attack your cat. Battle insects on their own terms. The controls take a little getting used to, but once you master them, it’s amazing.

 

#3. Logitech Harmony Remote Control – $33.49
No more slow programming.  Do it online.

Like the Belkin receiver, this gift is all about reducing clutter.  Less clutter = a better looking place.  Consider this guy for your remote consolidation needs. Instead of old-school universal remotes where you punch in codes and frustrations, you program this one online. The Harmony 300 controls 4 devices and is compatible with 225,000+ products. Also a good idea for parents suffering from controller confusion. Non-inexpensive models also available.

 

#4. Allen Edmonds Leather iPhone 5 Case – $36.00 ($45)
Want to convince somebody to ditch Android and go Apple? Try this case.
Want to convince somebody to ditch Android and go Apple? Try this case.

Allen Edmonds knocks it out of the park with this one. Made in America. Marketing copy written in China. “Fits the new versions 5 of iPhone.” Translation: Fits the new iPhone 5 only, which is technically the 6th version of the iPhone, Mr. Edmonds, but I’ll give you a pass because this thing is gorgeous.  Part of a 20% off select accessories sale.  (All brown too boring?  More color schemes like navy & red, tan & brown, or burgundy and navy can be found here.)

 

#5. BUILT Neoprene Laptop Sleeve – $33.84
Laptop protection

I use one of these whenever I travel. It adds a lot of protection without much bulk and makes any bag laptop-compatible (even vintage leather ones picked up at Goodwill). The Cargo model includes pockets for your peripherals.

 

#6. Wired Magazine Subscription – $4.99 $19.99 / year
The famous Pam cover.

You are never going to believe this. First, they cut down a bunch of trees in Canada and/or Washington. Then they pulverize the wood into a pulp. Next, they press if flat, dry it out, and cut it into rectangular sheets. Lastly, they print screenshots from the internet onto those sheets, bind a number of them together with glue, and mail the finished bundle to your house for your reading pleasure. Requires no batteries. Can be used during takeoff and landing or as kindling.  UPDATE:  Thanks for the style tips / comments about snagging Wired for  $4.99 per year over here.  

Have a good tech gift idea? Leave a comment.

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Comments

  1. I decided to start reading this post from the bottom up, but never really got past Pam.

  2. I just ordered the AE iPhone case, which looks fantastic, but a warning: its 4-6 weeks away.

  5. The Harmony line of Logitec’s remotes kick so much ass. If any of you own an AV receiver, buy one.

  11. I have been thinking about getting a mini Helo for awhile. I just don’t know if I would use it enough to justify the purchase. May have to hold off on it. Or hope someone reads my mind and gives it to me as a gift.

  12. The Belkin music receiver featured here is pretty horrid. I have/had 5 bluetooth receivers (Miccus, Griffin, Logitech, and 2 different Belkins) and this one is far worse than any other by a long shot. The sound feels like it’s on cathedral mode, zero bass, heavy echo-ing, and very bad range. For my home I’ve went with the logitech bluetooth receiver and it has been AMAZING. Also, if you want a receiver that’s portable and runs on it’s own battery (any stereo with an aux including your car),then the Miccus is your best bet. Currently for my car I went with Belkin’s car version of their bluetooth receiver and that one has been nothing but a joy.

  16. Hey, now, why you gotta pick on us Washingtonians? They might cut down the trees in Oregon, too!

  18. Yes, stay away from the Belkin unit. Bluetooth doens’t offer great sound quality in general, but this one sounds absolutely awful even with the low sound quality expectations PLUS it drops a bluetooth connection like Jermichael Finley drops passes. I went with the Harman Kardon unit. It costs about 3x as much but is worth it.

  19. Not sure if it’s been said anywhere below, and no-I have no stake in the co!, but some awesome small and ingenious gifts at Quirky.com

  20. Because phone accessory prices are so inflated to begin with. This snazzy leather case costs about the same as some sorry excuse of a case from the Apple store or the AT&T store. It’s a no-brainer. Nice find, Joe!

  22. Maybe this is just me, but I never give electronics as gifts. Unless you have a semi-stalkerish knowledge of the recipient’s electronics uses and needs, it just feels weirdly impersonal. But I’m also not much of a tech guy myself.

  23. If you are looking for unique, cool laptop, ipad, and iphone cases Etsy is definitely a great spot as well…

  26. lol, correct, disregard my previous post, i thought about it, and pulled the trigger. (for myself). everyone else gets socks.

  28. Many Allen Edmond stores don’t even carry these cases. The AE store near me JUST put in a shipment order for these iphone 5 cases. I think these are the first to go out. great find joe!

  29. Can I point out that you should NEVER, ever pay the full cover price for Wired?

    It goes on sale so often, through so many sites (DiscountMags, Tanga, etc) for $5/year that you should never have to buy it at the $20 sticker. My Wired sub is all set for four or five years now!

  31. See, I’d totally buy it if they made cases for the iPhone4(s).

    A lot of “techies” skipped the iPhone 5. It’s a bullshit generation that didn’t really add anything to the phone. Just typical Apple product churn.

    I’d love to find AE’s source on this and see if they still have any iPhone4 stuff knocking around…

  33. I didn’t have much success with the Harmony that I bought. It just sits in a drawer. The stupid thing does not work on RF so the signal cannot go through anything. If you want one to do that, you have to get the really expensive one when the Directv remote can do it and it is free. Just my experience.