Let’s face it – unless you’re the Luddite who carries a brick phone and espouses digital detox diets to anyone who’ll listen, technology is a part-and-parcel of all our lives.
You don’t really have to be a technophile to appreciate tech that works well. No matter your inclination, there are gadgets and gizmos that will appeal to you or those special someones in your lives. There is something on this page for everyone, so loosen those purse strings, will you?
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For the Fitness Obsessed
You know the type – never misses a day at the gym, even while travelling. They have their workouts regimen down pat, but what about keeping an eye on activity levels outside the gym? You could pick up the latest do-everything watches from Apple and Samsung, both named the Watch Ultra, but there’s a new category that’s gotten a shot in the arm with Samsung’s entry this year – smart rings.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring (₹38,999) and the Oura Ring 4 ($349 plus annual sub) cover a lot of bases – heart rate monitoring, activity and sleep tracking – while staying subtle and less ‘gadgety’ than smartwatches. Equally subtle, and quite the celebrity favourite is the screen-free Whoop 4.0 band (₹26,990) that delivers all your key metrics, including heart rate, skin temperature, blood oxygen levels, not to mention excellent sleep and stress insights, all without the distraction of your phone notifications buzzing on your wrist.
For the Book Lover
Sometimes the best gift for the bibliophile in your life is the time and space for them to get through their pile of unread books, but you can help upgrade their reading sessions with some tech. Speaking of, it’s happy days for book lovers who are considering the move to an e-reader – not only can you pick up the Kindle Paperwhite 12th Gen or the Kobo Clara, both solid alternatives, but e-readers with colour e-ink screens are finally here. Consider the Kindle Colorsoft ($279) or the Kobo Libra Colour (₹19,999), the latter additionally including stylus support for highlighting/marking up pages and taking notes. Pair these with a good pair of noise cancellation headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM5 (₹34,990) and you’ll be enveloped in an idyllic bubble of silence.
If you’re more the note-taker and to-do-list-er, consider the reMarkable Paper Pro ($579), the ultimate distraction-free writing slate, now with a colour e-ink display that lends itself perfectly to full-colour drawings and complex annotation capabilities, whether in class or at the workplace. And finally, if you’re the sort who prefers the dead tree version, you’ll want the Glocusent Bookmark Style Book Light (₹1,700) – not only does it twist and adjust to cover a full page, but you can also change brightness and color temperature. Plus it folds flat to fit into a pocket.
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For the Avid Gamer
Gamers are a notorious bunch to shop for, particularly if you’re not a gamer yourself – you have to consider the platform of choice (PC, PlayStation or Xbox) plus the genre they prefer. Accessories are a safe bet, such as the Insta360 Link 2 (₹24,990) or the Logitech StreamCam ($140) for streaming high-quality visuals to their followers on Twitch, or the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless (₹55,500), the big daddy of gaming headsets. And even if you’ve picked up a game console recently, you could always do with a fast solid-state drive, like the Samsung T9 external 1TB SSD (₹13,999), to extend your console’s storage and store infrequently played games or storing saved games. Fancy something to carry around when you’re out and about? The Asus ROG Ally X (₹89,990) runs Windows 11, which means access to Xbox Game Pass along with Steam, Epic and Blizzard game libraries without having to carry around a chunky gaming laptop.
Or how about a gaming upgrade for your smartphone – consider the Backbone One (₹12,499) game controller that wraps around your iPhone – there’s a version for Android phones as well - transforming it into a portable gaming console that’s just as comfy to hold as any console controller. Personally, if you ask me, I have my sights set on the Steam Deck OLED ($549) and the Meta Quest 3S ($300), and I’m manifesting a dear one will read this list in time for the new year!
For the Frequent Traveller
If you know someone who uses the phrase wanderlust in more ways than you knew possible, you should pick tech that simplifies their journeys, reduces their carry-on, or both! Get them a Stuffcool ChargeCube Mini power strip (₹1,999) – not only does it offer three universal AC sockets and 30W output from a Type-C port to fast charge your phones and tablets, but it does also so in a 10cmx11cm compact form factor that you throw into the smallest of carry-on luggage. Pair this with the Sharge 100W Pro GaN charger (₹3,999) with three USB-C ports and one older Type-A port to charge four devices at once, should you need to (did I mention the charger bundles a bunch of snap-on adapters for US, UK and Australia so you don’t have to carry an additional converter when you travel). Pick up a pair of AirTags or Tile trackers while you’re at it – you cannot fully realize the peace of mind they give you when your luggage is taking that extra bit long on the conveyor belt!
But what is travel if you don’t post about it on Insta, and for all those vacation videos, I highly recommend the Insta360 X4 (₹54,990). It’s not only the best 360-degree camera, allowing you to “shoot first, frame later”, but it’s also plenty action camera for most everyone’s needs. On a more serious note, a productivity-meets-travel tech tip I cannot recommend enough: if you’re the sort who misses the dual screen setup at work when you travel – for comparing excel sheets, opening several browser windows or just streaming your favourite Netflix show while working – pick up from one of many portable 15-to-16-inch monitors from Asus or ViewSonic, all of which fold flat into a large iPad-esque form factor but can be propped up on a kickstand whenever the need arises.
For Parents and Teens!
Ready to splurge? You can certainly spend more on OLED TVs, but the Samsung Frame Smart TV (43-inch/₹64990 onwards) is our pick for someone who hates that regular TVs are large, black slabs when they’re switched off. The Frame TV doesn’t just come with customizable bezels to suit your décor, but the matte display on these TVs also shows off your favorite artwork when the TV is not in use. A piece of art when it's off, and a TV when you need it to be. For the more outdoorsy type, our pick is the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses ($299 onwards). They’re regular RayBans, in classic WayFarer, Skyler and Headliner styles, but the built-in camera and the embedded speakers on the temples let you take photos and videos, hands-free and even stream your view to all of Meta’s popular social media services – Instagram or Facebook Live – and even on WhatsApp video calls. While the holy grail of looking at objects and having Meta AI describe it to you is still limited for use in the US, you can use the voice assistant to ask questions about the weather, start your Spotify/Apple Music playlists, take a photo/video, make phone calls and the like. And when you’re back home and need some well-deserved R&R, the Theragun Mini massage gun ($149) or the Hypervolt Go 2 (₹11,999) are just what your tired muscles deserve.
And finally, the toughest category to crack – the teenager in your home. They’ll often tell you the tech they want, but these nifty doodads might work in a pinch too. A good pair of truly wireless earbuds are a safe pick, and we recommend the Nothing Ear (a) (₹7,999) in their canary yellow avatar – excellent noise cancellation and customizable sound without breaking the bank. Fujifilm’s Instax Mini Link 3 smartphone printer (₹10,999) takes the memories on the smartphone and prints them out on small polaroids, perfect little gifts for when friendships are starting to mean the world to the little adults.