‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE GEEKY

The year end is always a festive one and if you thought Christmas shopping is the only thing you have to worry about, you’d be wrong. As the world becomes a smaller place—mainly thanks to technology connecting us globally—we often find ourselves adopting other cultures and festivities, if only for the excuse to party and get in a good deal or two online. Take China’s recent Singles’ Day sales in November for example. In one day, online retailer Alibaba racked up over US$9 billion in sales.

And now, we’ve got Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas and Boxing Day to look forward to in December so there’s no shortage of sales throughout the month. There’s no better time to go full geek on the things that you’ve always wanted, and the best thing about online shopping. You don’t even need to leave your home.

So, as custom dictates, our December issue of HWM is dedicated to be the essential guide for your buying compulsions (or retail therapy if that’s what you like to call it). Regardless of whether you’re looking to pamper yourself or friends, we’ve curated all of the must-have gadgets in this month’s feature.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing else to explore in our December issue. We play devil’s advocate in Think with popular arguments such as smartphone vs. dedicated digital cameras. While there are always valid concerns on either side, sometimes we’re too blinded by our convictions. Tech is designed to enhance and simplify lives, and every product or technology has its place in the right situation. We hope that by giving voice to both sides, you can get a third-person perspective and make the decision that’s right for you.

We’ve also prepared a concise (well, as concise as we can manage anyway) summary of every major development in tech for 2014. So, if you haven’t been keeping tabs, this one issue will bring you up to speed.

See you in 2015!