2015’s Hottest Tech Gifts for Everyone on Your List

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have both come and gone, and now it’s time to start stuffing those stockings. Techie “toys” are on almost everyone’s list, so we’ve put together a list of the hottest and most sought after — electronic gifts for nearly everyone in your life, from your budding video game designer to your romantic interest. Read on to find out.

And, remember, if you need help getting those gadgets up and running, give Online Owls a call; we’ll be there in a flash to help you with all your holiday technology needs.

The hottest techie gifts for 2015 are (drumroll, please….)

For your couch date (AKA partner, wife, husband, BFF or…pet?), Google Chromecast 2 — Take your Netflix date to the next level. The first generation of the streaming tool, introduced in 2013, impressed consumers with its ability to take all of your favorite TV shows and movies from some of the best entertainment subscription services and broadcast them onto your television screen. All you needed was the small HDMI stick plugged into the back of your TV, and…ta da! No more neck pain from staring at a small screen (or watching your hair turn gray waiting for a disc to arrive in the mail).

The new 2015 Chromecast comes with upgraded features such as a sleek disc-like look in different colors, a new antenna that supports the latest Wi-Fi standards and support for “thousands of apps” (according to Google). Also, a cool “Fast Play” feature that does some techie magic in the background to retrieve and pre-download your video to eliminate streaming and buffering issues.

The price hovers around $35 on most web sites. If you’re in the mood for maximizing your holiday dollar, think about signing up for a cash back site such as Splender, which is offering double the cash back on all of its more than 800 partner retail sites through December 31, 2015. Or, buy one to give and one to keep with a two for $55 deal on Chromecast and its accessories direct from Google.

For your gamers and future video game makers – Mario and Luigi are back again! The game you loved as a kid has been reinvented with Super Mario Maker ($59 at Amazon), so pass on the love to the next generation. However, it’s only available for Wii U and not supported for the classic Wii. So, if you love Bowser, Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi, you may need to invest in the latest and greatest Nintendo gaming system (don’t worry, Online Owls can help you set it up!). Added bonus, this game helps players create and design their own levels, so your player can test their video game programming skills.

For your Steven Spielberg who loves texting, LG V10 — This smartphone is not your everyman’s texting and camera phone. It has incredible movie-making features, such as the ability to combine multiple video clips into one, steady your video, enhance audio and quickly edit. This device puts filming in the palm of your hand and takes it to the next level. With over 4K resolution (that means ULTRA HD), top-of-the-line audio and the ability to share over multiple social platforms, as well as peer-to-peer, this gift is sure to be a hit.

LG is so fired up about the video capabilities that it teamed up with actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and his production company to create a series of videos filmed solely on the LG V10. Make your loved ones happy this holiday season – the LG V10 is available now through Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.

For your glamorous grandma (or as she likes to be called, “Glam-ma”), Swarovski Misfit Shine Collection — Style and sass never age. Swarovski has glammed up its Misfit watch and activity tracker for about $68 dollars. The Misfit watch is known for its premium fitness and sleep-tracking technology. These watches seamlessly fit into your daily lifestyle by monitoring your sleep patterns for a better night’s sleep and fitness goals linked to walking, running or swimming.

While this technology will help you feel better inside, the stylish new watch face and band can make your special recipients look even better on the outside (is that possible?). Adorned with the signature Swarovski crystals, it also features the Swarovski shine activity tracking crystal, which helps measure daily activity and syncs wirelessly with a smartphone.

For your four-legged furry friend, Whistle — Your pets are part of the family, and it’s important to keep Fido happy and healthy for a very long time. Whistle is a wireless activity monitor for dogs that helps track the activity of your pooch 24/7, for about $80 dollars. Ever wonder what your dog was doing while you were at work or on vacation? Whistle’s lightweight device attaches to your dog’s collar, and it collects data that it communicates back to an app you download on your phone. Through the app, you can see when your dog is at rest, when they eat and when they’re playing.

You can customize daily goals for your dog, when medication needs to be dispensed and even compare your dog’s behavior against its breed’s normal activity levels. You may find that Fido needs to be walked (or snuggled) more often. Also, Whistle has a dog-lover community and integrates with multiple social platforms to make sharing your furry friends easy.

The best part of the holiday season is watching your family open these gifts. And, for some, the worst is when you realize you have no idea how to set them up or have to stay up until 4am on Christmas morning to figure it out! Don’t worry, Online Owls has you covered! With our on-demand tech support, we’re just a call away to help with all of your tech set-up needs. It’s easy! Our on-demand, certified and pre-screened technicians are just one call away. Plus, we’re instantly available to come out within two hours or on your schedule!

Are you in the DC metro area?  Then give us a call or submit a request for one of our techs to come to your home in a flash!