18 Electronic Holiday Gifts for Tech-Lovers

From the latest tablets like the iPad Air to noise canceling earbuds, there is something here for everyone.

December 7, 2013 Chrissy Winske Leave a Comment

Google

$35

Chromecast allows you to play entertainment from your mobile device on your HDTV. You just plug Chromecast into your TV, connect to Wi-Fi and you’re ready to go. It’s compatible with Android devices, iPhones, iPads, Chrome for Windows and Chrome for Macs.

Elitebook 840 G1 Notebook PC

Starts at $799

Display: Available in: 14-inch diagonal LED-backlit HD8 anti-glare (1366 x 768), 14-inch diagonal LED-backlit FHD anti-glare slim (1920 x 1080) 14-inch diagonal LED-backlit HD8+ anti-glare (1600 x 900), 14-inch diagonal LED-backlit HD8+ anti-glare + touch (1600 x 900)

Processor: Intel Core i7 processor, Intel Core i5 processor, Intel Core i3 processor 14

Operating System: Windows 8 Pro 641, Windows 7 Professional 64 (available through downgrade rights from Windows 8 Pro 64)2 Windows 7 Professional 32 (available through downgrade rights from Windows 8 Pro 64)2, Windows 8 641, Windows 7 Professional 643, Windows 7 Professional 323, Windows 7 Home Premium 643, Windows 7 Home Premium 323, SUSE Linux , FreeDOS

Memory/Storage: DDR3L SDRAM, 1600 MHz, two slots supporting dual-channel memory, up to 16 GB total4, Internal: 320/500 GB /1 TB 5400 rpm HDD⁵ 320/500 GB 7200 rpm HDD⁵, 500 GB 7200 rpm SED ⁵ (Self Encrypting Drive); 500 GB 5400 rpm FIPS SED⁵, 128/180/240 GB SSD ⁵,256 GB SED SSD ⁵, HP 3D DriveGuard⁷, 120 GB M.2 (NGFF) SSD⁵(Planned to be available 4Q 2013.)

Graphics: Integrated: Intel HD ⁸ Graphics 4400 Discrete: AMD Radeon HD ⁸ 8750M with 1 GB dedicated GDDR5 video memory

Dimensions: 13.35 x 9.33 x 0.83 in / 33.89 x 23.7 x 2.10 cm (at front), 13.35 x 9.33 x 0.89 in / 33.89 x 23.7 x 2.25 cm (Touch Screen)

Connections: 3 USB 3.0, 1 USB 3.0 charging; 1 DisplayPort 1.2, 1 VGA, 1 Combo stereo headphone/mic jack, 1 AC power; 1 RJ-45, 1 side docking connector

Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition

Samsung

Starts at $550

Display: 10.1 inches

Operating System: Android4.3 Jelly Bean

Memory/Storage: 3GB RAM, 16/32/64GB, MicroSD up to 64GB

Camera: 8M w/ LED Flash + 2M Full HD

Dimensions: 243.1x171.4x7.9mm, 540g(WIFI)/ 547g(3G,LTE)

Connections: USB2.0, 3.5mm Ear jack

Audio: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-WB, AMR-NB, OGG, M4A, 3GA, WMA,FLAC, WAV, MIDI, SP-MIDI, i-Melody, XMF

Video: MPEG4, H.264, MP43, VC-1, WMV 7/8, Sorenson Spark, H.263, VP8 1080p Full HD video @ 60fps

iPad Air

Apple

Starts at $500

Display: 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology, 2048-by-1536 resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi), Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating

Processor: A7 chip with 64-bit architecture and M7 motion coprocessor

Operating System: iOS 7

Memory/Storage: 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 B

Camera: Facetime Camera: 1.2MP photos, 720p HD video, FaceTime video calling over Wi‑Fi or cellular5, Face detection, Backside illumination, Tap to control exposure for video or still images, Photo and video geotagging Video Recording: 1080p HD, Video stabilization, Face detection, Tap to focus while recording, Backside illumination, 3x video zoom, iSight Camera: 5MP photos, Autofocus, Face detection, Backside illumination, Five-element lens, Hybrid IR filter, ƒ/2.4 aperture Tap to focus video or still images, Tap to control exposure for video or still images, Photo and video geotagging, HDR photos

Battery: Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music

Dimensions: Height: 9.4 inches (240 mm), Width: 6.6 inches (169.5 mm), Depth: 0.29 inch (7.5 mm), Weight: 1 pound (469 g)

Connections: 3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack, Built-in speakers, Dual microphones

iPhone 5s

Apple

Starts at $199

Capacity: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB

Dimensions: Height: 4.87 inches (123.8 mm), Width: 2.31 inches (58.6 mm), Depth: 0.30 inch (7.6 mm), Weight: 3.95 ounces (112 grams)

Operating System: iOS 7

Chips: A7 chip with 64-bit architecture, M7 motion coprocessor

Carriers: AT&T, Sprint, T Mobile, Verizon

Location: Assisted GPS and GLONASS, Digital compass, Wi-Fi, Cellular

Touch ID: Fingerprint identity sensor built into the Home button

Display: Retina display, 4-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display, 1136-by-640-pixel resolution at 326 ppi 800:1 contrast ratio (typical), 500 cd/m2 max brightness (typical), Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front, Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

iSight Camera: 8 megapixels with 1.5µ pixels, ƒ/2.2 aperture, Sapphire crystal lens cover, True Tone flash, Backside illumination sensor, Five-element lens, Hybrid IR filter, Autofocus, Tap to focus, Face detection, Panorama, Auto image stabilization, Burst mode, Photo geotagging

Video Recording: 1080p HD video recording, 30 fps, True Tone flash, Slo-mo video, Improved video stabilization, Take still photo while recording video, Face detection, 3x zoom, Video geotagging

FaceTime Camera: 1.2MP photos (1280 by 960), 720p HD video recording, Backside illumination sensor

Kindle Fire HDX

Amazon

$229

The Kindle Fire HDX is faster and has a longer battery life than its predecessor, the Kindle Fire. It’s a 7-inch Android tablet (also available in 8.9 inches) that has 11 hours of battery life and up to 17 if you’re just using the device to read. It’s powered by a 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor. The Kindle Fire HDX also comes with the new “Mayday” button feature, which allows you to connect with Amazon device support 24/7.

eap Motion Controller

LeapMotion

$80

The Leap Motion controller allows you to use gestures to interact with your computer.

Dimensions: Height: 0.5 inches, Width: 1.2 inches, Depth: 3 inches, weight: .1 lbs

Included Cables: 24-inch and 60-inch USB 2.0 (microUSB 3.0 connectors

Minimum System Requirements: Windows 7 0r 8 or Mac OSX 10.7 Lion, AMD Phenom II or Intel Core i3, i5, i7 processor, 2GB RAM, USB 2.0 port, Internet connection

Software: Leap Motion software and Airspace

Included in the Package: Leap Motion controller, 2 custom-length USB 2.0 cables, Welcome card, information guide

Warranty: One year limited

Latitude 13 3000 Series

Dell

Starts at $589

Display: 14.0-inch HD, (1366 X 768) 16:9, Anti-Glare, 14.0-inch HD+, (1600 X 900) 16:9. Anti-Glare, 14.0-inch HD, (1366 X 768) 16:9. Touchscreen with Truelife

Processor: Intel Core i3-4010U Processor (Dual Core, 1.70GHz, 3M cache, 15W), Intel Core i5-4200U Processor (Dual Core, 1.60GHz, 3M cache, 15W)

Operating System: Windows 7 Professional English 64-bit (Includes Windows 8 Pro license)

Memory/Storage: 2GB DDR3L 1 DIMM, 4GB DDR3L 1 DIMM, 6GB DDR3L 2 DIMMs, 8GB DDR3L 2 DIMMs

Multimedia: Integrated 720p HD video webcam and Dell Webcam Central software (Windows 7), Windows 8 provides native webcam software, High Quality Speakers Stereo headphone/microphone combo jack, Integrated microphone

Morphie Juice Pack Helium

Morphie

$79.95

The Morphie Helium is an ultra-thin 1500mAh battery case for the iPhone 5. You just flip on the standby switch and the case charges your phone wherever you are. The phone and the case can also be charged simultaneously with the micro-USB cable included with the Morphie juice pack. The case comes in a variety of colors including pink, blue, green, red, white and black.

Nexus 7

Google

Starts at $229

Display: 7.02 inches 1920x1200 HD display

Processor: CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro, 1.5GHz, GPU: Adreno 320, 400MHz

Operating System: Android

Memory/Storage: 16GB or 32GB internal storage

Camera: 1.2MP front facing, fixed focus, 5MP rear facing, auto focus

Battery: Up to 9 hours active use

Dimensions: 114 x 200 x 8.65 mm

Connections: microUSB, SlimPort enabled, 3.5mm audio, Microphone, Power and Volume buttons

Nokia Lumina 1020

Nokia

$150 with two-year contract or $200

Display: Display size: 4.5 inches, Display technology: ClearBlack, AMOLED Touch screen technology: Super sensitive touch

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 , Dual-core 1.5 GHz

Operating System: Windows 8

Memory/Storage: User data storage: In device, SkyDrive cloud storage, RAM: 2 GB, Mass memory: 32 GB , Free cloud storage: 7 GB

Camera: Main camera: Main camera sensor: 41 MP, PureView, Auto focus, ZEISS optics, Sensor size: 1/1.5 inch, Camera focal length: 26 mm, Camera minimum focus range: 15 cm, Camera image formats: JPEG, Flash type: Xenon flash, Flash operating range: 4.0 m, Flash modes: Off, Automatic, On, Secondary camera: Secondary camera resolution: 1280 x 960 pixels, Secondary camera f-number/aperture: f/2.4, Secondary camera - other features: HD 1.2 MP wide angle, Video recording, Still image capture, Video call

Video: Main video camera: Camera video resolution: 1080p (Full HD, 1920 x 1080), Camera video frame rate: 30 fps, Camera video zoom: 6 x, Video playback frame rate: 30 fps, Video playback codecs: VC-1, Windows video, H.264/AVC, H.263, MPEG-4, Video playback file formats: MP4, WMV, AVI, 3GP, 3G2, M4V, MOV, Video recording formats: MP4/H.264, Video white balance modes: Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Automatic, Daylight, Secondary video camera: 720p (HD, 1280 x 720), Secondary camera video recording format: MP4/H.264

Dimensions: Height: 130.4 mm, Width: 71.4 mm, Thickness2: 10.4 mm, Weight: 158 g, Volume: 96.9 cm³

Connections: SIM card type: Micro SIM, Charging connectors: Charging Pads, Micro-USB, AV connectors: 3.5 mm audio connector, System connectors: Micro-USB-B, USB: USB 2.0

QuietComfort 20i Noise Canceling Headphones

Bose

$299.95

These QuiteComfort headphones are great for travelers. They operate in two modes. One where you can block out noise and another, “Aware,” mode where you can allow ambient noise as you listen to your music. This model is designed for use with iOS devices including iPads, iPhones and iPods (the QuiteComfort 20 is made for Android, BlackBerry and Windows phones). A sliding switch on the control module allows you to toggle noise cancellation on/off. A four button button remote (2 on the QuiteComfort 20) provides for volume control, music control and voice commands. The battery located in the control module takes about two hours to charge and delivers up to 16 hours of playing time.

SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive

SanDisk

$59.99

The SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive allows you to share movies, photos, documents and music via Wi-Fi.

Store, share, and stream files across multiple mobile devices

8 simultaneous device connections, 3 media streams

Works with iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Kindle Fire and Android devices<.li>

No cables, router, or Internet connection needed

Provides up to 4 hours of wireless streaming per charge

Wi-Fi Password Protection (WPA2)

Download the SanDisk Wireless Flash Drive app for easy access (available for download in the Apple Store, Google Play and Amazon)

Surface Pro 2

Microsoft

Starts at $899

Display: Screen: 10.6 inches, ClearType Full HD Display, Resolution: 1920 x 1080, Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (widescreen), Touch: 10-point multi-touch, Durable display

Processor: 4th generation Intel Core i5 Processor

Operating System: Windows 8.1 Pro

Memory/Storage: 64/128GB, 256/512GB, 4GB RAM, 8GB RAM

Camera: Two 720p HD cameras, front and rear-facing

Battery: 7-15 days idle life, Charges in 2-4 hours with included power supply

Dimensions: Dimensions: 10.81 x 6.81 x 0.53 in

Connections: Full-size USB 3.0, microSDXC card reader, Headset jack, Mini DisplayPort, Cover port

Slingbox 350

Slingbox

$180

The Slingbox 350 allows you to stream HD video from your TV to your mobile device or laptop. It also provides remote access to content stored on your DVR.

System Recommendations: Windows or Mac: Intel Core 2 Duo or better, DirectX 9 Class video card with more than 256 MB of dedicated memory for Windows PC, Operating Systems: OS X 10.7.x or later, Windows 7 or later (Windows 8 in desktop mode only) Browsers: Latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari (OS X only)

Supported Audio and Video Storage Sources: Connect to any of the following high-definition video sources in up to 1080p: Digital cable set-top box, Satellite receiver, Digital video recorder (DVR), DVD or Blu-ray Disc player/recorder Video security cameras

Minimum Network Bandwidth: HD Viewing: 2 Mbps, SD Viewing: 600 Kbps, Mobile Viewing: 250 Kbps

Box Includes: 1 Slingbox 350, 1 Quick Start Guide, 1 Composite Video Cable, 1 Component Video Cable, 1 Stereo Audio Cable, 1 Ethernet Cable, 1 AC Adapter, 1 IR Emitter Cable

Viera 60-inch Class ST60 Series Full HD Plasma TV

Panasonic

Starts at $1,409.94

Screen Size (Diagonal): 60.1 inches

Display Resolution: 1,920 (W) x 1,080 (H)

Dimensions: Without stand: 55.0” x 32.4” x 2.0” (General depth: 2.0”), With stand: 55.0” x 34.6” x 13.2”

Weight: 94.8 lbs

Average Power Consumption: 169 W

Operation: Voice guidance, Optional electronic touch pen, ehelp, Product support center

Networking: Viera Connect, Web browser, Skype, Media player: DLNA, Vier Link, Wireless LAN

ECO: Eco navigation, C.A.TS.

Design: Narrow bezel

Connections: RCA phono type x 1 (lower), USB2.0 (2), SD Card, Digital Audio Output (1 side)

Features: White glove delivery & setup, 1080p full HD resolution, Full HD 3D, 2 pairs of active 3D glasses included, My home screen, Swipe & Share 2.0, Infinite Black Pro, 2,500 focused field drive

Xperia Tablet Z

Sony

Starts at $379

Display: 10.1 inches TFT

Processor: 1.5 GHz Qualcomm APQ8064+MDM9215M Quad Core Adreno 320

Operating System: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

Memory/Storage: RAM: 2GB, Flash memory: Up to 16 GB, Expansion slot: microSD card, up to 64 GB

Camera: 8.1-megapixel camera, Front-facing camera for video calls, 16x digital zoom

Dimensions: 6.8 x 10.47 x 0.24 inches

Durability: IPX5/7 (Water-resistant) & IP5X (Dust-proof

Connections: HDMI via MHL support, USB High speed 2.0 and Micro USB support, 3.5 mm audio jack (CTIA, USB charging)

Yoga 2 Pro

Lenovo

Starts at $929

Display: 13.3-inch high-resolution QHD+ (3200 x 1800), IPS wide-view display with 10-point multitouch technology

Processor: 4th Gen Intel Core i7-4500U (1.80GHz 1600MHz 4MB), 4th Gen Intel Core i5-4200U (1.60GHz 1600MHz 3MB), 4th Gen Intel Core i3-4010U (1.70GHz 1600MHz 3MB)

Graphics: Integrated Intel HD graphics 4400

Operating System: Windows 8.1 Pro 64, Windows 8.1 64

Memory/Storage: Up to 8GB DDR3L 1600 MHz, on-board two-channel (4GB/8GB), 128GB / 256GB / 512GB SSD

Camera: 720p HD webcam

Battery: Up to 9 hrs Windows 8 Idle @ 150 nits, Up to 6 hrs FHD playback @ 150 nits

Connections: 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, Audio Combo Jack (headphone and microphone), micro HDMI-out, (headphone and microphone), micro HDMI-out

Electronics are always a hot item for holiday gift purchases.

Early 2013 online shopping numbers are already in: According to comScore, “U.S. desktop retail e-commerce spending for the first 29 days of the November–December 2013 holiday season. For the holiday season-to-date, $20.6 billion has been spent online, marking a 3-percent increase versus the corresponding days last year.”

While Black Friday usually means brick-and-mortar sales, the first official holiday kick-off sales day of 2013 saw $1.198 billion in desktop online sales, making it the season’s first billion dollar day and heaviest online spending day to date, while representing a 15-percent increase versus Black Friday 2012.

So then how did Cyber Monday do? According to comScore, “Cyber Monday reached $1.735 billion in desktop online spending, up 18 percent versus a year ago, representing the heaviest online spending day in history and the second day this season (in addition to Black Friday’s $1.198 billion) to surpass $1 billion in sales.”

There was a buzz about a number of new product launches ahead of the holiday season like the new iPad Air or the Yoga Pad 2.

No matter the device you’re looking to buy, there is something out there for everyone and for every budget. We’ve rounded up some of the best tech gifts available this holiday season. Our list includes items like the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition for Android fans and the iPhone 5s for Apple devotees. We’ve also included products like Chromecast or Slingbox 350 for the person who loves movies, music and digital entertainment.

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