COOLEST TECH TOYS OF 2016
Last-minute gifts they’re sure to love,
’Tis the season to pick up gifts for family, friends or colleagues, and the latest tech toys might be at the top of their list.
But if you’re reading this, maybe you’re not quite finished with your shopping — or perhaps you haven’t even started yet — because you’re unsure what to buy.
After all, with a seemingly endless number of gadgets and gear to choose from at the store and online, finding the right holiday gift can be an intimidating proposition.
And so the following are a few recommended picks — a purely subjective list of 2016 highlights from my vantage point as a tech reviewer — with prices ranging from $29 all the way up to $3,299. PLUG N’ PLAY In case you haven’t used one before, Roku turns your dumb TV into a smart TV. The family of five new products range from the Roku Express for $29.99 to the topof-the-line Roku Ultra for $129.99. While the premise behind these media players is the same — plug it into your television’s HDMI port, join your WiFi and then access more than 3,500 on-demand channels (including streaming video services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Video) — Roku Ultra supports 4K TVs (delivering four times the resolution of HD) and high dynamic range (for better brightness, contrast and more vibrant colors). It’s also the only Roku with voice search across channels, a headphone jack for private listening and a remote finder. YOU DRIVE G-Technology’s G-Drive slim external SSD (solid state drive) includes a USB Type-C connector, therefore this clever silver accessory works with the new MacBook Pro, HP Spectre and Acer Swift 7 — all of which don’t have a full-size USB port. Available in 500 gigabytes ($229.95) or 1 terabyte ($379.95) capacities, this compact and durable G-Drive offers fast transfer speeds — to access videos, photos, music and documents off the connected drive — and doesn’t require an AC outlet as it gets its power from the PC or Mac itself. Also included is a full-size USB connector cable for nonUSB Type-C laptops and desktops. TO SERVE AND PROTECT How’s this for irony: It’s our job as parents to protect our kids, yet they understand this new digital world better than we do. Sound familiar? Fortunately, there’s products like Circle with Disney ($99.99), a small white device that wirelessly communicates with your home’s Wi-Fi router and helps mom or dad set time limits on all connected devices, filter out inappropriate content and remain informed about what their kids are doing online (on smartphones, tablets, computers and gaming consoles). The simple-to-use Circle app gives parents the power to see usage per device, set a bedtime to turn off connected gadgets or temporarily pause the Internet on-demand. An optional Circle Go cloud- based service ($13.99/month) lets you manage devices outside of the home, too, and more. TOP ’BOT Kids and kids at heart will no doubt fall for Anki’s Cozmo ($179.99), a palm-sized robot that uses its cameras, sensors and smart artificial intelligence (A.I.) to interact with the family and pets. In fact, this curious little dude recognizes people, remembers your name, and scans and navigates its environment.
As a reflection of your actions, the “self-aware” Cozmo can reveal his mood with facial expressions, body language, voice and music. And of course there are many games he (and you) can play with his three glowing power cubes (included), plus there are many other interactive challenges via the iOS and Android app. Cozmo is made up of 300 or so parts. SOUNDING OFF Whether you’re looking to buy a gift for a frequent flier or music lover (or both), Sony’s MDR-1000X ($399.99) are soft, comfortable and exceptional-sounding over-ear wireless headphones (Bluetooth, NFC) with built-in noise-cancellation technology. Press a button for it to first “listen” to the environment you’re in, to best block out ambient noise based on where you are. With the Quick Attention feature, cup your hand over the right earphone if you want to temporarily stop the noise-cancellation to talk to someone. Available in black or gray beige, touch controls on the earcup let you start and pause music, skip between tracks and much more. Including a case and headphone cable (should you need it), the 1000X lasts up to 20 hours between charges. DO THE DOT One hundred dollars less than Amazon Echo, Echo Dot (on sale for $39.99) is also a personal digital assistant for your home. Simply plug this small disc into your home stereo speakers or connect wirelessly through Bluetooth, then say “Alexa” from across the room, followed by any number of questions or commands. Ask something like “What’s going on in the news” or “Play some good music for studying ” or ask to read recipes, pay your bills, give you sports scores, tune a guitar, remind you to do something and much more. Alexa’s voice is extremely clear, loud and lifelike. Its cloud-connected brain gets all updates on the backend and works with many dozens of smart home accessories, so you can use your voice to control lights, thermostats and much more. YOU SPIN ME ROUND Rethink how holiday moments are captured and shared with the Samsung Gear 360 ($349.99), a compact camera that can shoot 360-degree video (or photos), which can then be played back on virtual-reality headsets, or as an interactive 360-degree video on YouTube or Facebook.
It’s never been easier (or cheaper) to create content — perfect for family vacations, holiday get-togethers and other once-ina-lifetime events — you may want to relive time and again. Equipped with dual fisheye lenses, both with 15 megapixel image sensors, Samsung’s Gear 360 can also be synced with select Samsung smartphone for a real-time preview.