20 Best Techie Valentine’s Gift Ideas
Valentine’s is a celebration of love, and it’s not just for romantic partners but for all those we love. In keeping with the tradition, it’s the best time of year to let them you know you care, with loving gestures as well as well-meaning gifts. Keep your connections alive with any of these practical and unique tech-based gift ideas:
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Feature-wise, the new Kindle comes with a waterproof design which earned it an IPX8 rating. It also comes with additional storage (8 GB or 32 GB) to store all of your favorite audiobooks and graphics novels. The WavePad looks like a smartphone, with its thin, rectangular form factor that makes it larger than most disc-shaped chargers in the market. A circular docking pad at the center marks the spot for charging, while a LED light at the front of the device warns you of any issues with charging. In addition, the charger also features anti-slip pads at the top and bottom to keep your phone and charger firmly in place. The PowerWave charger can perform well, but only when paired with the right charger. With the right charger, its maximum output is up to 7.5W on iPhones and up to 10W on support Android phones. The PowerWave charger retails for a price point between USD 20 to 30. The Echo Show 8 looks more like a padded tablet than a smart speaker, with its 8-inch, 1280p resolution screen and trapezoid-shaped body. The bezels of the screen conceal two microphones, whose job it is to listen in for your voice commands, as well as a camera. At the top-right section of the screen is a physical shutter for the camera, which should help ease privacy concerns. The great thing about having a smart display is that it combines the functionality of a voice-controlled smart speaker with a touchscreen. In other words, you can use the device to view photos, watch videos, and read articles on top of conversing with Alexa. The Echo Show 8 is one of the better mid-range displays on the market, with an original price point of USD 130. However, most stores offer the display for discounted prices within the USD 110 to 130 range. The wireless functionality of the device requires you to pair with a computer using a small USB receiver. It’s powered by two AAA batteries, which are available everywhere, with a LED indicator on the keypad letting you know come time to replace the batteries. For a keyboard less than USD 30, these features are already a great steal. The Watch SE falls in with Series 6 as the sixth-gen of Apple Watch. This version, in particular, has most of the same features as Series 6 but without the sensors for blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) and electrocardiogram (ECG). But compared to Series 3, it has a lot more security features, not to mention a faster processor. The Watch SE looks just like the Series 6 watch with the same distinctive rounded square case and touchscreen. Like other generations, the watch contains 100% recycled aluminum casing, available in gold, silver, or space gray. It also supports the same bands as other Apple watches, including the buckle-free solo loop. The Watch SE comes with the same set of useful apps found in other Apple watches, which includes text and call capabilities. It also features potentially life-saving features like fall detection, heart rate, and rhythm monitoring, Emergency SOS, and international emergency calling functions. There’s another layer of options for the Apple Watch SE (other than color). The GPS-only version costs between USD 250 to USD 300, while the GPs and cellular versions cost upwards of USD 300. The earbuds are lightweight and compact, with an oval-shaped base and transparent ear tips that you can replace. They have touch-sensitive controls that are easier to operate than the usual push or click buttons. Additionally, both the earbuds and the case are waterproof, with a rating of IPX8. The audio quality is also clear and crisp, with surprisingly powerful and deep bass for extra-punchy music. The earbuds connect to your audio source via Bluetooth 5.0, with solid and seamless connectivity for uninterrupted music streaming. Even the battery life is excellent, with a single charge racking up to 6 hours of playback, with 24 hours’ worth of playback in reserve with a fully charged case. The Tozo T6 wireless earbuds are an absolute steal, with a highly affordable price range between USD 30 and 40. The Joy-Con controllers are smaller than your average controller, with proportionately small buttons. If you have bigger hands, then you might have a hard time holding on to these controllers for long periods. The controller also has a flat back, which can be straining to your hands, especially in handheld mode. You can create different color combinations with the Joy-Cons, for as long as you have a left and right unit to form a pair. Additionally, you can optionally attach the Joy-Cons to a block-like accessory called the “Joy-Con Grip.” It attaches the two controllers in the middle for a gamepad-like form factor. From a design perspective, the Soundcore Flare Mini looks a little too serious for its good, with its black color and cloth grille. The one thing that makes it exciting, though, is the LED lights at the base, which glow with different colors, in tune with the speaker’s activity. More importantly, the speaker is waterproof, with an IPX7 rating. The Soundcore Flare may be small, but it produces a surprisingly clear and crisp sound, with good bass and clarity in the mids. It has contains two 5W neodymium drivers attached, which produces stunning and surround-sound quality music. The Anker SoundCore Flare is one of the more affordable speakers in the market, with a retail price between USD 40 and 50. The Razer Kishi looks just like a pair of Nintendo Joy-Cons attached to a Joy-Con Grip in the middle, with two individual units that you can pull apart. Except, in this case, the controllers are designed to attach to your phone instead of a gaming console. The accessory split apart in the middle, wraps around your phone, and connects directly to it via a USB-C port. Each controller has horizontal, rubberized pockets to keep your phone in place while gaming, in addition to having slits for your phone’s speakers as well as a charging port. The Razer Kishi is fully compatible with all three major game streaming services, including GeForce Now, Microsoft XCloud, and Google Stadia. The unit retails for USD 50 to 70 on average. Roku recently upgraded the streaming stick, software, and hardware alike. The new stick runs on Roku’s 10.5 software which offers faster boot-up speeds and navigation and seamless content streaming. Additionally, it features a new listening capability, allowing you to dictate your password as well as search commands for apps like Spotify. The Roku streaming app offers access to all of your favorite streaming services including Disney Plus, HBO Max, Netflix, Sling TV, Apple TV Plus, and more. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K can set you back anywhere between USD 30 and 40 on average. The MagSafe wireless charger is a simple and snappy way to charge an iPhone without relying on clunky and easy-to-lose charger cords. The compact and cylindrical charger has two sides, with the backside having a magnetic face that attaches to the back of our iPhone during charging. But the charger itself is not wireless since it still draws power from your mainline with a cord and adaptor. The unit charges iPhones with a maximum output of 15W, which takes about two full hours to charge an iPhone 12 fully. Granted, two hours is not impressive and is even slower than the 20W capacity of a USBC-C to Lightning setup. But at the same time, it is still faster than what your typical Qi charger can offer. The Apple MagSafe wireless charger is readily available in most tech stores and even supermarkets. It normally retails for a price below USD 40. Apple AirTags are compact, circular, waterproof devices that you can place inside or next to items you need to track, such as your purse, backpack, luggage, wallet, or keys. Simply hold up an AirTag next to your iPhone or iPad, and the FindMy app will start tracking it. Not only that, the app accepts as many tags as you care to use, meaning you can track the valuables of the whole family if you so wished. The average range for an AirTag is about thirty feet from your device. Beyond that, the AirTag will rely on Bluetooth connections with Apple phones in its vicinity to let you know its location. The connections are end-to-end encrypted, meaning only you will receive data about your tracker’s identification and location. The batteries on the tags are non-replaceable, but they last for about a year before dying out. Not to mention, they are also durable and waterproof, meaning they will withstand minor spills of water inside your bag or even the rain. A single Apple AirTag can cost anywhere between USD 25 and 30 dollars while a pair of four will set you back around USD 100. Suppose you want something to hold the tags with. In that case, there are plenty of third-party companies that offer perfectly-fitting AirTag holders. The Nintendo Switch Lite has a smaller LCD screen, measuring a mere 5.5 inches compared to the original’s 6.2 inches. But it has essentially the same resolution as the original (1280 x 720 pixels), with a slightly higher pixel rate of 267 pixels per inch (PPI) than the original’s 236 PPI. Its diminutive form factor makes it very comfortable to handle, and it quickly disappears into any container. There is essentially no difference between the original Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch Lite when it comes to the type of games you can play. Popular games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or Animal Crossing: New Horizons should be available to you. The Switch Lite is solely a handheld device and doesn’t have a docking mode for multiplayer gaming. But it does have everything else on the original: wireless connectivity, Bluetooth, and MicroSD card slots for additional storage. Meanwhile, the battery life on the device lasts for about seven hours, which is longer than the original Switch. The Nintendo Switch Lite is about USD 100 cheaper than the original Switch, the latter retailing for USD 300. Having said this, the Nintendo Switch Lite should cost anywhere between USD 200 to 210. Here’s a list of Nintendo-specific games to play on Switch Lite. The 6th Gen iPad Mini has a smaller and more lightweight form factor than its predecessor, the 5th Gen iPad Mini. It has flat sides and squared-off edges, with an 8.3-inch display with a 2,226-by-1,488-pixel resolution. The LCD screen is anti-reflective and laminated, making it easy to read even during the day. The iPad is enclosed in recycled aluminum, similar to the iPad Pro and iPad Air. The sixth-gen iPad mini uses the same chipset as the iPhone 13 Pro, namely, the Apple A15 Bionic chipset. This chipset comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which you can bump up to 256GB for an extra fee. These specs make the iPad Mini the next-most powerful iPad tablet next to the M1-powered iPad Pro models. The tablet also features second-generation Apple Pencil support and options for LTE and sub-6GHz 5G connectivity. The device also supports the latest protocols both for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5), both of which have backward compatibility. All of these upgrades are great, but they come at a price, setting the base price for the 6th Gen iPad Mini between USD 490 and 510, not including storage and connectivity upgrades. From a design perspective, the Fitbit Versa looks like any other Fitbit, with its square-shaped 336-by-336-pixel AMOLED display nestled on top of silicone bands. The display and strap are water-resistant, meaning they can withstand rain, water splashes, and accidental drops into the water. The device tracks your activity, including your steps, distance, floors climbed, active minutes, calories burned, oxygen levels during sleep, to name a few. It also keeps track of your sleeping patterns by default, and optionally with your daily food and water intake as well as other fitness indicators. The Fitbit Versa 3 is one of the more affordable fitness watches in the market, with a retail price that falls between USD 180 and 200 on average. The Anker Mini portable charger is the smallest and most portable of the Anker charger lineup, and also probably of the entire market for portable chargers. The device has a cylindrical form factor that measures a little under an inch across and is a mere 3.75 inches long. Additionally, it looks and feels durable with its aluminum base wrapped in matte-black rubber material. The Anker Mini has a 3200mAh battery that can fully charge any smartphone with a USB-C type connection. It only sports a single USB- charger, which means sit can only charge one device at a time. It’s completely understandable, especially given its size. It also sports a LED indicator to let you know how much juice is left in the tank. An individual Anker PowerCore Mini portable charger costs between USD 20 and 40 on average. The device comes with a black mesh bag with a drawstring and a 24-inch USB to micro-USB cable. From a design perspective, the Elo Air aims to be more utilitarian and practical, with its dark black plastic cups and rotating forks, and leatherette-covered memory foams. But the Elo Air is not completely without style; it has RGB-enabled logos that light up with colors that you can customize. Battery-wise, the headset can last for up to a whole day on a full charge. Performance-wise, the Elo Air delivers clear and crisp sounds without being too heavy on the bass, as most headsets are wont to do. The headset is accompanied by special software called Swarm configuration, which you can use to customize volume, presets, EQ levels, and more. The software also offers special features, including virtual 7.1 surround sound, giving sounds directional and live quality. Another feature called “Superhuman Hearing” allows gameplay-related sounds like footsteps and whispers to stand out. The Roccat Elo Air gaming headset offers most of the features you would expect from a premium headset for a lower price range between USD 90 and 110. Check out other great-sounding gaming headsets for PC and console users. The fourth-gen Echo represents a significant improvement over its third-gen sibling when it comes to sound quality. Its internal hardware emphasizes bass and low-range mids for stronger and richer vocals and bass instruments. In addition, the Echo has an adaptive sound that allows it to automatically adjust sound settings based on the room’s acoustics. Moreover, you can also turn a pair of Echoes into your stereo system. The Polaroid Go is a highly portable analog camera that can print your images right after taking them. The palm-sized Go is the smallest of Polaroid’s analog cameras, measuring 2.623 x 2.122 inches. The images it produces are equally small and pocket-sized, with an image area measuring 1.851 x 1.811 inches. Aside from the standard point and shoot, the camera offers special modes like double exposure, selfie, and timer. Switching between modes is made easy with a shutter button and a flash control button at the front. Additionally, the viewfinder alternates as a mirror at the front, allowing you to take selfies on top of standard photos. The Polaroid Go retails for a price of USD 100 to 130. You would have to purchase the film packets separately, and a double packet will set you back around USD 20. The Ring Video Doorbell Pro looks like a standard doorbell, with a rectangular plastic case, a doorbell button with a ring light, and a small camera hiding underneath a faceplate. While other Ring doorbells are battery-operated, the Doorbell Pro taps into your home’s mainline, thus making it able to monitor your home 24/7 without the need for a battery replacement. The doorbell works with a smartphone app that notifies you whenever the doorbell is pressed. The app allows you to communicate with people at your door through audio and video, even when you’re not home. Its integration with Alexa means that you can command Alexa to pull up live footage or even have her speak to the people at your door. The device also has motion detection capabilities that will send you alerts whenever someone lurks in your front yard. A new feature called Motion Zones allows you to set specific zones for motion detection to prevent false alarms. Ring has recently dropped the price of the Doorbell Pro from USD 250 on average to around USD 170. Ring also offers to store your camera’s footage in a secure cloud, but this will cost you USD 3 for a single device and USD 10 for multiple devices. If you want a more comprehensive solution, check out this list of the best home security systems for home security. When giving tokes of love, you have to look past the superficial and give your loved ones something more practical, like tech gifts. Because, unlike chocolates and flowers that disappear within a day, tech items have practical value and are useful in day-to-day life. In addition, there is an ocean of tech for you to choose from, which should allow you to find gifts tailored to your recipients’ personalities and interests. By choosing to go with the tech world with your gift-giving, you are not only giving them a tech upgrade but also an enduring reminder of your love.
