10 Top Tech Gifts for 2015
Sure, it carries a hefty price tag and doesn't really do much, but this BB-8 droid — based on the character from the upcoming "Star Wars" movie — is so darn cute it's hard to resist. It carries an onboard camera and can be controlled via an app with a bluetooth connection. $150 at Best Buy.
Sphero
Based on a Raspberry Pi, this kit allows kids aged 6 to 14 to build their own computer and then guides them through a series of games and tasks that teach the basics of coding. $100 at Kano.me.
Wikimedia Commons
Basically Siri for the home, Amazon's Echo is one of those things that becomes almost too habitual to use. It can control lights and switches, plays you music and reads the news, all with voice control. It's being consistently maintained and upgraded by Amazon, too, with 95 features added since it launched. $180 from Amazon.com.
Amazon
A quality 3D printer that won't break the bank, the Micro3D bills itself as "the first consumer 3D printer," having being funded by tens of thousands of Kickstarter donations. $350 at Micro3D.
M3D
Sure, it may have a shortish (7 hour) battery life and weaker processing power than its pricier foes, but this 7-inch Amazon tablet lets you read comics and books, browse the web and play the occasional game - all for the price of a few paperbacks. $50 at Amazon.com.
Amazon
Car chargers are always a handy thing to have around, but the Nomad includes a 3,000mAH battery pack, so it'll keep on charging your phone even when the car is off. $40 from HelloNomad.
Nomad
Nest, the learning thermostat that integrates your home's heating and air conditioning systems with an easy-to-use app, has been popular for a while now. The third iteration of the thermostat, released in September, introduces a host of new features. $250 from Nest.
Nest
Unleash your creativity and build your own electronics! A fun kit that can be used and enjoyed by anyone over the age of eight, LittleBits allows you to build hundreds of projects, the instructions to which are all avaliable online. $200 at LittleBits.
Littlebits
Who says you need to lay down the big bucks for that drone-flying experience? Boasting an inexpensive pricetag and the title of "world's smallest quadcopter," The Wallet Drone fits inside its pocket-sized controller, which also acts as its charger. $45 at Axis Drones.
Sure, the kids might be having fun with their Apple Watches and their Fitbits, but this, the e-ink grandaddy of the smartwatch revolution is still the classiest of the bunch. The elite Steel series, which comes with brushed steel fittings, is austere enough to fit in with a business suit. $150-$180 at Pebble.
Pebble