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Posted December 1, 2014 by Amy in Gift Guide
 
 

Tech Fiends: A Gift Guide For Techies

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The holiday shopping season is here, and you just can’t escape the sad facts – you, my friend, need to go shopping. No worries, though, because we’ve put together the ultimate tech gift guide to aid you in your quest. With prices ranging from “Meh, you’re a’ight” to “I want to have your baby”, we’ve got the perfect gifts for all the techies on your list.

Sound Streamers

Everybody loves music, and bluetooth speakers are the “it” gift for audiophiles this year. They are typically small and compact for easy sound streaming on the go, but hose tiny packages can pack an awful lot of sound. Whether you’re looking for something simple and portable, or one packed with loads of extra features, there are a lot of quality music streamers on the market. Here are a few we’ve got our eyes on this year.

PUNK from SOL REPUBLIC

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It’s small and compact, but it doesn’t sacrifice any sound with its tiny shape. PUNK  is a speaker that can truly go where you go – and it comes in a variety of stylish colors too. While there are certainly cheaper speakers on the market, it’s worth every bit of its sub-$70 price tag for its rich, full sound and pocket-sized portability. Check out our full review here.

KPw Speaker from Kicker

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Perfectly sized to fit in your cupholder or throw in your backpack, the Kicker KPw might just be your favorite piece of tech. It’s relatively small package packs a wallop, offering powerful tones and a whole lot of sound in one portable package. It’s really easy to use, even for non-techies, and can double as a speakerphone too. It’s the perfect two-in-one device for the audiophiles in your life. You can find a full review here.

Head Gear

Whether you need something for listening on the go, or you want a high quality headset for gaming and conference calls, there are tons of them on the market. Earbuds are great for portability and unobtrusiveness, but they don’t always offer a truly full sound. Headphones are great for noise canceling and high quality sound, but they take up a lot of space and are often kind of delicate. If you’re an avid gamer, podcaster, or Skyper, a headset with both sound and microphone capabilities is a must – but you’ll shell out for that privilege, and they’re typically kind of bulky as well. No matter what you’re headgear needs, we’ve got a product that will suit your needs (and hopefully your wallet as well).

Kraken 7.1 Chroma from Razer

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Razer has been the leading edge in the PC peripheral game for a while now, and they live up to their reputation in spades with the Kraken 7.1 Chroma. Built sturdy enough to stand up to the toughest gaming sessions, and comfortable enough to wear for hours, they’re a perfect gift for the hardcore gamer in your life. Check out our full review here.

Hyper X Cloud from Kingston

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If comfort is your thing, you’ll fall in love with the Hyper X Cloud from Kingston. With memory foam padding and changeable ear cups, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more comfortable headset. Virtually ever part of it is softly padded, and its aluminum pieces ensure its just as durable as it is comfy. Add to that the tons of included accessories and you might just have the perfect headset. Full review here.

Click Bait
The serious gamers in your life can always use a sweet gaming mouse. Whether it’s because they’ve worn their old one out, the want a more ergonomic design, or they just plain want more features, you can’t go wrong with our top mouse picks for the season.

R.A.T. TE from MadCatz

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For the average user, any old mouse will do. If all you’re doing is pointing and clicking, it’s simply not worth it to shell out a cool hundred or more for a fancy mouse. Competitive gamers, on the other hand, are an entirely different story. For those who are dead serious about their gaming, the right mouse can make all the difference. The R.A.T. TE is built with the tournament gamer in mind. Built with the feedback of real tournament gamers, it’s packed with the features you need to get your best game on – and none of the extras that might weigh it down. It makes for a featherlight mouse that’s heavy on utility. Check out the review here.

Drakonia Black from Sharkoon

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The Drakonia Black Laser Gaming Mouse from Sharkoon is really an impressive piece of hardware. With laser precision and near unparalleled comfort, combined with loads of opportunities to customize it to your likings, you’ll find a lot to like at a really reasonable price. It has a velvety soft finish that’s oh so soft on your hands, combined with tons of features to customize it to your gaming specifications. It has removable weights, as well as programmable buttons and LEDs, and making it your own is as simple as programming it to your liking. Full review here.

Novelty Tech

Let’s face it, sometimes you need a gift that’s…unique. Whether you’re searching for a gift for the guy who has everything, or just want to go for laughs (while still offering a gift that will get used), these products are both funny and fun – and they pack a lot of usefulness in their quirky packages.

Striimlight mini Color

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Your light bulb…has a remote. It’s worth it for that alone, isn’t it? But along with a cool remote that can turn your energy efficient LED bulb into nine different colors, a plain light, or a cycling disco type rainbow of colors, the Striimlight is actually a fully functional bluetooth speaker…in a light bulb. I’ll let you wrap your heads around that for a minute. It’s quirky, it’s funny, and it’s actually a really cool solution for people who don’t have a lot of space. Check out the full review here.

Flips Audio

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They’re headphones. No, they’re speakers. Wait…it’s both. Flips Audio headphones go from “solo 2 social” in an instant, and they’re a fun and efficient solution for kids (and adults) on the go. With the ear cups turned in, they are perfectly functional headphones, providing nice quality sound and a pretty comfortable fit. But if you run into friends and want to share your tunes, they switch to speakers with the simple act of turning the ear cups out. In headphone mode, they don’t need any juice, but the speakers are chargeable via usb. They even come with a handy carrying case for easy portability. You can find a full review here.


Amy

 
U.S. Senior Editor & Deputy EIC, @averyzoe on Twitter, mother of 5, gamer, reader, wife to @macanthony, and all-around bad-ass (no, not really)