Gift A Gadget
The festive season is upon us and so is the annual gift exchange ritual. Thankfully, the tech world is brimming with innovative gadgets that are sure to charm your loved ones - be it the adrenaline junkie friend, the 'forever resolving to be fit' parents or the selfie-loving sibling. Here are 15 of the coolest gadgets for budgets of all sizes. Get wrapping and get gifting!
Gadgets Priced Below Rs 4,999
Google Chromecast: A perfect gift for those who love to sit back and binge-watch their favourite shows with a tub of popcorn. Watching shows on Netflix and similar apps can get grander with this circular dongle, which can be plugged into a TV's HDMI port (and USB port for power) to stream ad free content seamlessly. Once paired, tapping the cast button throws content onto the bigger screen wirelessly. Google Chromecast's app ecosystem includes YouTube, Netflix, Voot, etc. Price: Rs 3,999
Nerf N-Strike Elite Stryfe: Aim, shoot and pull the trigger of fun. Nerf has a variety of toy guns in India; Nerf N-Strike Elite Stryfe, with a range of 50 feet, comes as a single-piece blaster with loaded ammo clip inserted. It works on flywheel-based motor, has a semi-automatic clip-fed blaster and is powered by four AA batteries. The best part...you don't need a licence for it. Price: Rs 2,483
Goqii 2.0: This wearable band goes beyond tracking footsteps. It has an advanced ecosystem with a focus on healthy living. There's an inbuilt coaching service that will motivate you to adopt healthy eating habits and indulge in regular exercise. The subscription also allows you to interact with a doctor over phone and gives access to a health vault (to safely store health reports at one place). The Goqii 2.0 lasts close to a week on a single charge. Unlike other bands, this one has a USB that can be plugged to a PC or an adaptor for charging. A gift of fitness goes a long way. Price: Rs 1,999 for a three-month subscription
Syska Smart Bulb: What better way to revel in the festivities than with lights! Instead of expensive lamps, you could gift smart LED bulbs that offer a choice of up to three million colours. Syska offers a 'mood lighting' range, letting you choose colours from a palette within the Syska Rainbow LED app. Colours can be picked from the images on one's phone's camera, and one can also adjust the brightness of the bulb. It can be synced with music, too. Made in India, a Syska smart bulb can be installed easily as it comes with a retro fit screw to plug in into any standard light socket. Price: Rs 1,999
Aquaguard on the Go: A must-have for trekkers and backpackers. Aquaguard On The Go is a bottle, made from non-toxic plastic, and equipped with a filter that makes tap water potable by removing microbiological impurities such as bacteria and virus, the company claims. The water goes through a 'gravity-based' purification system when passed through the filter. It claims to be able to purify river or stream water as well. There is a double cover that prevents dust from settling on the bottle's water dispenser. Price: Rs 595
Gadgets in the Rs 5,000-Rs 19,999 range
DJI Osmo Mobile: This is a much-treasured possession of photographers and selfie lovers for perfect captures. While smartphones are equipped with powerful cameras and enable 4k video capture, even with the optical image stabilisation feature, hands end up shaking. DJI's Osmo Mobile is a motorised gimbal that provides stabilisation and helps in capturing non-shaky images and videos. The DJI app also has a tracking feature that can follow the subject automatically. It is operated using the Osmo Go mobile app for Android and iPhone, and offers YouTube live streaming option, too. Price: Rs 19,999
Kindle Voyage: A book lover's delight, this Kindle ebook reader is the best from Amazon so far, both in terms of build quality and performance. Boasting a 300-ppi, 6-inch E Ink display, it has an adaptive front light that provides brightness during the day as well as night. Text appears sharper (like in print) and pages can be turned by pressing the thumb against PagePress, a custom-designed force sensor. The Voyage is lighter and easier to hold. It has a 4-GB internal storage, good enough to store a thousand books. Weighing 188 gm, its battery lasts close to a week. Price: Rs 16,499
Samsung Gear IconX: This stylish pair of wireless earbuds can do much more than Bluetooth headsets, which are used for answering calls and listening to music. IconX earbuds, called fitness earbuds, can monitor heart rate, track distances travelled and calories burnt, and store songs in its 4-GB internal space without the need to carry the smartphone. IconX has a touch-sensitive surface that can be tapped to carry out tasks. It connects to a smartphone over Bluetooth 4.1. The accompanying compact case used to store the ear buds bundles up as a charging dock that stores charge as well. Price: Rs 13,490
Xiaomi Mi Air Purifier 2: With the incessantly high level of pollution these days, the gift of pure air will be much appreciated. If you plan on buying one without burning a hole in your pocket, the Xiaomi Mi Air Purifier 2 is a great option. It is a good looking air purifier that doesn't consume much space. Equipped with a 360-degree cylindrical filter, it takes in air more efficiently from every direction and claims to remove PM2.5 particles, dust, indoor plant pollen, pet fur and more. With its 310m3/h CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate), Mi Air Purifier 2 takes just 10 minutes to circulate purified air in a 21 sq. metre room. Connected and controlled through a smartphone via an app, it also shows the air quality and the number of days required for the filter to be changed. Price: Rs 9,999.
Gadgets priced upwards of Rs 20,000
Microsoft Surface Pro 4: With a 12.3-inch full HD display, the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is a great hybrid. It can be used as a stand-alone tablet and a laptop when the keyboard is plugged in. It runs on the Windows 10 operating system, has an 8-MP rear camera and a 5-MP front camera, and comes with Personal Assistant Cortana on board as well as a stylus Pen. This top-of-the-line machine is powered by Intel Core i7 processor paired with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB hard drive. Price: Rs 1, 44,990
DJI Phantom 4: DJI is a big name in the drone space.Drone flying is banned by the DGCA and permission has to be sought to fly them in the Indian civil air space. This hi-tech toy is a perfect gift for the thrill-seeker. The Phantom 4 has features such as Vision Positioning System to help keep the drone stable when flying outdoors; obstacle avoidance to detect and manoeuvre around obstacles in its path; TapFly mode using which you can simply tap on the live view to tell the drone where to go; and ActiveTrack that locks onto the subject you select and keeps it in the centre of the frame. Price: Rs 1,21,000 + taxes
LG 43UF690T: This Gold Ultra HD Smart LED TV from LG has an IPS 4k panel with 8.3 million pixels for flawless pictures, offering vivid details and impeccable colour accuracy with wide viewing angles. It runs on LG's smart TV operating system webOS 2.0, and comes with a magic remote with features such as Universal Control, Pointing, Wheel, and Voice. The highlight of this 4k TV is its premium champagne gold metallic finish on the panel that makes it classy. Price: Rs 79,990
Apple iPhone 7 Plus: It is not only the best iPhone, but also the best smartphone in the market today in terms of looks, features and power. It is water and dust resistant, and its display is 25 per cent brighter than its predecessor. The highlight of the phone is its dual camera system comprising a 12-MP wide angle lens combined with 12-MP telephoto lens with four-tone LED flash with cool and warm tones. It packs in an A10 chip, which makes it faster, and offers improved graphics and longer battery life. Price: Rs 72,000 onwards
Apple Watch Series 2: The upgraded smartwatch from Apple is faster, brighter, and comes with the Watch OS 3. Apple Watch Series 2 is water resistant and also swim resistant. It comes with built-in GPS tracker for outdoor workouts (so you can leave the phone behind). The sporty watch is an ideal gift for the fitness conscious iPhone aficionado. Price: Rs 32,990 onwards
Bose QC35: A perfect companion for music lovers. This wireless noise cancellation headphone offers a comfortable fit. Its foldable design makes it easy to carry around. Bose QC35 connects over the Bose Connect app on an Apple iPhone as well as any Android device. A single charge can last up to 18 hours in wireless mode. There is also a 3.5-mm jack that can turn it into a wired headphone, minus noise cancellation. Price: Rs 29,363
