Amazing Electronic Gifts

Cutting-Edge Technology for the Holidays!

It seems overly indulgent, but the gift-giving holidays are the ideal time for doing something generous and amazing both for yourself and for others.  There are few things as awesome as finding that ‘perfect gift’ for someone you love – and watching the joy on their face as they unwrap it!  I love giving, and in that spirit I have found you some amazing gifts that are really rare and unusual electronic toys.  I hope you enjoy this escapade as much as I enjoyed finding these curious offerings!

For the Nostalgic Techie in your life:

Remember back in the day the Polaroid shake?  Portable cameras with cartridges of film that carried their own developer fluid and could let you take almost instant pictures.  In that same spirit, Polaroid presents: The Polaroid Zink, a combination digital camera and printer that lets you take pictures, edit them instantly, and then print them in vibrant, smudge-proof pictures you can share with your loved ones!  What a great way to combine the digital era and our desire for tangible memories.

Price Point: A stiff $200 at SharperImage.com – especially painful, since Target sells the Polaroid 300 instant cameras (which are 3 steps up from the cameras of our childhood) for about $80.

For the Zany Techie in your life:

The MaKey MaKey set lets you make keys out of almost anything – the video for this is the craziest, coolest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.  They show drawing keys on notebook paper with lead graphite and then connecting the clips to the paper – making a working game controller!  I am absolutely stunned and mindblown.  Not to mention – with its simple functionality, bright colors, and creative aspects, this is a great gift for energetic and adventurous children, as well as the curious, the creative, and the unusual people in your life.

Price point: $50 at Uncommon Goods – affordable enough for every blooming engineer you know.  Since there’s nothing else like it out there, how can we compare?

For the Creative Techie in your life:

The 3D pen – questionably one of the coolest inventions I have yet to see!  It is a handheld 3d printer for creating items in 3 dimensions (that you can start on a pattern on paper – so simple!).  I wish I was creative enough to do something like this because I feel like there are few limits to what a persistently ‘outside the box’ kind of person could do with enough time and extruding material.  The original creators of the the 3Doodler are now working on their third generation of the pen, and a company named CreoPop is a cold-ink pen which can use, ‘elastic, magnetic, glow-in-the-dark, aromatic and body paint inks. We even have ink that changes color with temperature and ink that conducts electricity made for school science classes.’

Price Point: Starting packs on a 3Doodler are around $100, with a sampling of material to work with.  CreoPop, the ‘cold pen’ is currently on sale at BestBuy for $99, but the specially developed inks are slightly more expensive than traditional filament for hot pens.

For the Music & Anime fan in your life:

Cat. Ear. Headphones. Cat ear shaped LED-lighted headphones and light-up ears that are external, sharing speakers.  I need not say more.

Price Point: These are ridiculous at $159, with uncertain technology and a multitude of complaints about poor sound, failing lights, and mic issues.  (If your music fan is hard-core, get them some Beats instead).  But, these are unique, gorgeous, and one-of-a-kind – while they work.  Maybe they’re worth buying and then keeping in a box on the shelf forever?

For the Animal Lover in your life:

We all know that person (or couple) who has fur-babies – pets that are more child to them than most families’ children, or the ‘crazy cat lady’ who has more cats than the old lady who lives in the shoe had children.  If you are wondering what to get them that would make them AND their furry family feel included, consider one of these extra neat-o gifts for Fluffy or Fido.  Note – these aren’t very ‘electronic’, but they are still pretty cool!

Price point: These are all priced fairly for pets (and their guardians), ranging from $9 for the snack launcher to $40 for the cat scratcher laptop.

For the Conceptual Tech-head in your life:

The Electrolux zero-energy gel bio refrigerator – this is purely an exercise in long-term concepts, but the idea itself is definitely way ‘too cool’!  While you can’t get one for your house just yet, the idea that we are advancing slowly but surely towards these kind of developments is beyond exciting.  Saving energy, hygiene, food – all of these things will contribute to a better indoor quality of living for everyone.

Price point:  When it eventually is released, it will be too cool!  Until then, we can only dream.

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This is an original article written by Mai Bjorklund for Swartz Electric. This article may not be copied whole or in part without the express permission of Swartz Electric, LLC.

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