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Annual Holiday Gift Guide

Digital Family Advisor’s Web Partner www.tech50plus.com and DFA serve up its annual gift guide and here are highlights from it.

Courtesy of Gary Kaye,  Jason D’Aprile, with Ted Mayo, Marc Burstein, Arlene Rosenberg, Bob Plunkett and Richard M. Sherwin

It’s that wonderful time of the year – for the Tech50Plus Holiday Gift Guide 2018!

Asus Zen AiO 27 – Space Saving Power: All-in-ones don’t have to be a compromise between power and saving space. Asus’s top of the line Zen AiO 27 offers both. A gorgeous 4K UHD touchscreen display, high-end Intel i7 processor, plenty of space and memory, and even a decent video card. It’s an impressive package and a great choice when you need a PC that can work and play without slowing down. Specially created for designers and artists, the Zen AiO works well for when you just need a bigger & sharper screen. The Windows 10 machine also sports the option for Amazon’s Alexa built right in. Available for under $2000 direct from Asus.

Epson FastFoto Wireless Photo Scanner – The Ultimate Way to Save Your Precious Moments: In the age of digital-only photography, it’s easy to forget just how many of our memories are still only on film. Turning physical photographs into digital treasures has always been a slow, time-consuming, and problematic endeavor, which makes the Epson FastFoto a one-stop-shop dream for safeguarding all those pictures to the digital realm. Able to scan photos up to 8”x10” all the way down to wallet-sized, the FastFoto even scans both sides of the image in case there are notes on the back. The scanner also works with documents, but its focus on making photo scanning a simple and fast process (up to one photo a second!) makes it one of the best ways to save your memories. Available for under $500 on Amazon.

WORX SD SemiAutomatic Driver – The Quickdraw Champ of Electric Screwdrivers: Automatic screwdrivers are one of those things that should be in every tool drawer. Lightweight and handier than lugging a drill around, the WORX SD Driver is especially noteworthy thanks to its comfortable pistol-grip design and, more ingeniously, revolver-style bit cartridge. The WORX comes with two Rapid Reloadable cartridges, each preloaded with six different bits. Changing bits is easy thanks to the simple slide-action mechanism. WORX claims the SD will stay charged for 18 months as well, so it’ll be ready to work when you are. Currently under $25 direct from WORX.   (NOTE: It’s actually $10 more at Amazon)

GreatCall Jitterbug Smart2 – Easing Aching Eyes: A surprisingly inexpensive alternative to most smartphones, the Jitterbug Smart2 is directly geared to an older audience. The 5.5” screen and simplified easy-to-read menu put an emphasis on ease of use for the less tech-savvy person on your list. The Jitterbug includes a special 5-Star button on the screen for emergencies. Should the user need emergency assistance, they just tap the button and a 5-Star agent will connect with them, confirm their location, call emergency services, roadside assistance, or even designated family members. Available direct from GreatCall for under $75. You can also find it on Amazon.

Coros Smart Helmet

COROS™ LINX smart cycling helmet is high-tech sports gear designed to help riders get the most enjoyment, freedom, and awareness out of their ride while enhancing safety and performance.

COROS™ LINX – helmet, smart remote, and mobile app – delivers mobile lifestyle demands of smartphone connectivity, precision two-way audio, and instant accessibility, all packed into a performance helmet. It does this ears, hands, and eyes free, so you can maintain full awareness and keep focused on your ride and the road. Coros, also known for its lightweight and highly rated smartwatches, uses sound waves, converted into vibrations, that are delivered through your upper cheekbones. As a result, the Cochlea receives the vibrations bypassing the ear canal and eardrum.

For cyclists, this is crucial because it means that you can hear audio while being able to keep aware of all your surroundings as you ride. Want to ride even safer? In the event of a fall, the LINX will detect the impact and will automatically contact your list of emergency contact(s). Priced around $175 from Coros or Amazon.

Kelvin K2 Smart Wine Thermometer – Wine at the Perfect Temperature Everytime: If you have a true wine aficionado on your list who also loves tech, consider this a perfect marriage. The Kelvin Wine Thermometer will not just tell you the temperature of your chosen bottle of wine, but its expansive app will give you all the details on over 200 types of wine. Using Bluetooth, the K2 thermometer sends temperature data to the mobile app and alerts you when the wine has hit the designated perfect temperature needed to assure maximum flavor results. The app also includes tons of tips for wine enthusiasts to get the most from their favorite elixir. Available for $32.99 from Amazon.

JumpSmart – Power When You Need It: Impressive power in a thermos-sized package, JumpSmart is an all-purpose charging wonder. Capable of jumpstarting most consumer vehicle batteries – from cars, trucks, and SUVs to boats, lawn mowers, and motorcycles – it’s a terrific emergency device. The JumpSmart also doubles as an 1100-Lumen flashlight with different brightness modes and sports a USB jack for charging nearly any mobile device around. The JumpSmart is also packed with safety features and step-by-step instructions to get you going safely and quickly. $120 from Amazon.

Oomo 3D Immersive Earphones – Personal Theater Sound at Home or On the Go: For times when traditional over-the-ear headphones are simply not an option, try the Oomo 3D Immersive Earphones. Inexpensive, but offering big sound, these wired earbuds are perfect for when you want to be active and still listen or even those times when you want to just sit and watch a movie or listen to music. Thanks to its virtual 5.1 surround sound, these buds are great for watching shows or movies at home at your preferred volume level without disturbing anyone else, especially when watching on a tablet or other mobile device. For under $65 on Amazon, the price is right too.

Google Pixel 3 XL – The Premier Phone for Android Purists: Go straight to the source for that hard-to-please techie on your list who leans toward Android but hates the sheer amount of bloatware on every other brand of Android-based phones. The Google Pixel 3 XL isn’t just the best phone Google has ever made, it’s easily one of the best phones on the market, period. With its superb 6.3” display and storage options between 64 GB and 128 GB, the hardware is topnotch. But the real reasons to catch this year’s Pixel over the competition are the fantastic camera enhanced with the most impressive night mode available and the joy of the pure, unadulterated Android OS. Since it’s from Google, the Pixel will always sport the latest version of Android first and it makes a huge difference. Clean, powerful, and intuitive, the Pixel 3 is just a great piece of equipment. From $799 at Google and Amazon.

Johnson Controls GLAS – The Premier Smart Thermostat: Smart thermostats are easily the one smart home device above all we recommend for every home. While there are plenty of choices, the Johnson Controls GLAS is our favorite. This is the top of the line in HVAC home controls, thanks to its gorgeous minimalist design that features a beautiful 5” OLED touchscreen, intuitive interface, and built-in voice assistance thanks to Microsoft’s Cortana (it runs using a special mobile version of Windows 10). It easily links to other virtual assistants like Google Home and Amazon Alexa, monitors and reports on the air quality both indoors and out, and lets you either set your own schedule manually or intuitively create one based on your activities. Under $300 at Amazon.

Douchebags Big Bastard – Horrible Name, Great Bag: Ignoring the incredibly questionable company and product names, the Douchebags Big Bastard is the bag you need when you want to carry a lot in as little space as possible. Capable of holding 90 liters of stuff and weighing 10 pounds, the cavernous main compartment provides maximum capacity in a surprisingly easy to maneuver package. The rib-cage design protects your gear without the need for bulky padding and it opens in just a single motion like a cargo truck, revealing mesh pockets. There’s also a top pocket on the outside for easy access to smaller important things. The Big Bastard even comes in a wide variety of colors. Order it direct for $125.  (Note: it is listed on Amazon but at a far higher price.)

Caavo Control Center – A Universal Solution for Controlling Your TV Devices:  Essentially an intelligent four-port HDMI that lets you control everything connected to it with one remote, the Caavo Control Center is a universal remote that aims to make using multiple devices easy for everyone. The Caavo knows what you’ve plugged into it and offers voice searching that looks for multiple devices and services to find options. This search function alone makes it a uniquely powerful and convenient tool for viewing enjoyment. It does require a cheap ($20 a year) subscription to cover the upkeep of tracking all that content and lets users connect to its mobile app to do a host of cool things like create viewing lists and browse your available content. The Caavo is $100 on their site or Amazon.

Ring Video Doorbell 2 – Know Who’s Ringing From Wherever You Are: There are several smart connected doorbell options and we like most of them, but the Ring Video Doorbell 2 has a few bells and whistles that made it stand out. It uses a rechargeable, removable battery pack. The 1080p video camera gives you a clear picture of who’s at the door and the night vision works great. You can integrate the Ring with Amazon’s Echo devices to alert you to visitors and even let you hear and talk to them. Alternatively, you can just use the app to get a live feed on your phone of the Ring’s eye and communicate with anyone standing on the doorstep. Although you probably wouldn’t know it just looking at the website, the Ring does require a subscription plan to really work properly ($3/month or $30/year). This lets you automatically record 60 days’ worth of doorbell action, which you can review, share, and save anytime via the app. Available on Amazon for $140.

Yale Real Living Touchscreen Lever Lock – A Connected Door Lock: Yale has a long history of making ways to open doors, but the Yale Real Living Touchscreen Lever Lock is certainly in a class by itself. Aside from the convenience of using four to eight digit passcodes instead of a key to unlock a door, the Lever Lock can connect to your smart home hub and be used with voice assistants like Alexa. So, instead of worrying about whether you locked the door before you went out or to sleep, you can just tell Alexa to lock the door. The Lever can hold a couple hundred different codes as well, so everyone can have their own. $260 on Amazon.

Asus ZenFone 5Z – AI-powered Cameras, Lower Price: Taking their cue from last year’s iPhone X (much like Google did with the Pixel 3), the Asus Zenfone 5Z sports a notch to glean out every bit of screen space it can. The result is an impressive phone with a 6.2” display, solidly high-end specs, and an emphasis on AI-assisted camera magic that works to give you the best possible shots in a wide range of conditions. The ZenFone is also equipped with both fingerprint and facial recognition for extra security and ease of unlocking and can support expanded memory through SD cards up to 2TB. Catch the ZenFone for $450 at Amazon.

Gourmia GAF575 Digital Air Fryer – Fried Food Without The Actual Frying: If you’re curious about this new trend of air frying, the Gourmia Digital Air Fryer is the perfect starting point. This 5-quart countertop cooker lets you roast, grill, broil, and even “fry” without using any oil. Using convection heat to make sure everything cooks evenly and rapidly, the Air Fryer makes it easy with eight pre-set cooking modes and easy cleanup. Available from Costco for $60.

Epson Expression Photo HD XP-1500 – Vivid Memories Deserve Vivid Printing: After you’ve captured all those photo memories to digital, you’ll want to be able to print them out in the highest quality possible. Enter the Epson Expression Photo HD, a photo printer with a focus on vivid colors that can quickly churn out brilliant copies of your pics. Supporting borderless prints up to 13”x19” and using special 6-color ink cartridges, the Epson offers fast quality prints in color and black and white. The printer also supports automatic two-sided printing, a smaller footprint than previous models, and lets you print straight from your mobile devices. Under $280 from Amazon.

ASUS VivoBook Pro 15 Laptop N580GD-DB74 – Big Power in a Small Footprint: If that special someone needs both power and portability in their next PC, ASUS has the solution with their VivoBook Pro 15. With its smooth and sleek aluminum exterior, the VivoBook is less than an inch thick and weighs only 4.4 pounds. Those diminutive dimensions hide impressive hardware—an Intel i7 CPU, 16GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics power, and 15.6” 4K UHD screen. This is a workhorse laptop that won’t kill your back carrying it around. Under $1000 at Amazon.

Vanatoo Transparent Zero Speakers – Small Package, Big Sound: If you want a pair of higher-end desktop or portable stereo speakers, Vanatoo’s Transparent Zero Speakers should definitely be on your watch list. At less than 8” tall, these speakers offer impressively full-range sound and 48 watts per channel. Analog and digital inputs, along with built-in Bluetooth ensure you can connect nearly any source to them, and the speakers even come with a remote. A pair is currently $260 from Amazon.

The holidays are coming – so here’s part one of our 2018 holiday gift guide for those 50 plus – although many would be are just as welcome for younger gift-getters.

Posture Stand – Helping You Straighten Up All Over the House: Good posture is important at any age but becomes vital as we get older and back pain turns into a daily reality. For anyone who remembers foldable TV dinner stands, think of the Posture Stand from back pain help. as the high tech equivalent. While it’s not a small folding table exactly, the foldable platform is perfect for making nearly any flat surface more comfortable thanks to its ability to raise up to 22”, 360 rotating legs, and sized to hold up to a 17” laptop. The Posture Stand can carry up to an impressive 110 pounds. Whether you need a book, breakfast, or laptop surface, it fits the roles and works perfectly on beds, countertops, desks, the sofa, and beyond. Under $75 at Amazon

Outrek II Heated Insoles – To Keep Your Tootsies Toasty: Winter is coming, but you don’t have to suffer through with cold feet. The Outrek II heated insoles are something of a modern miracle. Made to fit most shoes and boots, these are foot warmers worthy of the next generation. Rechargeable slim batteries provide four to six hours of soothing warmth for the coldest treks. The micro-USB charger, thinner and more efficient design, and simple to use wireless remote make the Outrek IIs easy to use and versatile. Under $120 at Amazon.

Acer Swift 3 Laptop – Fast And Affordable Windows: If you’re looking for a reasonably-priced, lightweight Windows machine, Acer’s Swift 3 offers a wide variety of options based on price and power. All of them weigh under four pounds, sport sharp HD 14” screens, and around ten hours of battery life. These Windows 10 machines can also come equipped with both Wi-Fi and 4G LTE cellular service, making them fully functional at home and away. The smooth and sleek aluminum body looks great too and comes in a variety of colors. $500 t0 $1000 at Amazon.

Google Pixelbook – The Gold Standard Of Chromebooks: For people who don’t want to deal with Windows, Chromebooks have steadily been improving to the point where they are a completely viable choice for most users. Chrome is essentially a browser-based operating system (using Google’s Chrome browser), but thanks to some major enhancements can do almost anything a standard Windows machine can (and probably faster). Since Google opened up the Android Play Store to the OS, Chrome has access to thousands of applications. While Samsung and several other companies offer exceptionally good, touchscreen-endowed Chromebooks, if you want the absolute best, Google’s own Pixelbook is the only choice. Absurdly thin, with a fantastic 12.3” super sharp screen, built in Google Assistant, up to 10 hours of battery life, and overall intuitive interface, this might become your new all-purpose machine. The screen can flip completely over to make it a tablet as well and the Pixelbook weighs just shy of two and a half pounds. Under $1000 at Amazon.

Ryobi Garage Door Opener – A Lot More Than Just Open Doors: The Ryobi Garage Door Opener isn’t just one product, so much as a whole system of innovative and convenient devices to spruce up your garage and make things more convenient with tech. The base garage door opening unit is the start of a customizable and expandable series of upgrades for the garage, whether you use yours just for parking the car or as a workshop. The garage door opener is a hub with ports that let you attach an array of Ryobi custom gear. From extendable extension cords and a Bluetooth speaker for easy listenin, to a laser-guided parking assist and safety sensors, this is a great way to get the coolest high tech garage on the block. Under $250 at Amazon.

Apple Watch 4 – Telling Time In Apple Style: Got an Apple lover on your list who hasn’t yet taken the leap to their surprisingly useful watch? This year saw some serious price drops on the premiere smartwatch and these are especially useful – possibly even vital – for older users. Thanks to the watch’s incredibly smart sensors and fitness and health-minded applications, the new Apple Watch can help keep you healthy and even safe should you need emergency care. The Watch monitors your heart rate, tracks your physical activity, and can be used to call for help if something happens like a bad fall. And that’s not even getting into the myriad of other cool functionality it provides like convenient messaging and alerts for texts, calls, emails, and much more. $279 and up from Amazon.

Como Musica Music System – For The Music Purist: Como Audio’s Musica is the perfect choice for the audiophile in your life who wants classic styling with top-notch sound quality and modern technology. Available in a lovely wood grain, the Musica sports a CD player, LCD screen, Wi-Fi (and an Ethernet port), and a host of other connections (from USB to optical in), the Musica is as versatile as it is great sounding. As any modern sound system should, the Musica allows you to connect to most streaming services (Spotify Connect, Amazon Prime Music, Tidal, Deezer, and Napster) and tune in to thousands of Internet radio stations. It even has an FM radio and supports Google’s Chromecast, making it one of the most well-rounded high fidelity music systems we’ve tested. Under $600 at Amazon.

Nuheara IQ Buds Boost – Skirting The Line Between Hi-Fi Earbuds & Hearing Aids: Wireless earbuds are all the rage now and the sound quality for such devices is far better than it used to be, but none of them are quite like Nuheara’s IQ Buds Boost. Skirting the line between high-quality earbuds with excellent sound quality and a hearing aid, the Boost, connected to its mobile phone app, actually tests your hearing much as an audiologist would, and adjusts to your specific hearing needs. This allows it to compensate for low-level hearing loss and provide exceptional active noise canceling at the same time. While it won’t help those with severe hearing issues, this is a more versatile and far cheaper solution for those who want a great music listening experience and some extra help hearing the world around you. Under $500 at Amazon.

Orbi Voice Wi-Fi Mesh System – A Mesh System That Really Sings: Mesh Wi-Fi systems are gaining popularity for plenty of great reasons. They’re easy to set up, seamless to use and provide incredibly fast and comprehensive coverage across most homes. While we highly recommend several different brands of mesh routers (Eero and Google both offer excellent solutions), the latest from Netgear, the Orbi Voice Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System adds a little something extra that makes it noteworthy. The Orbi Voice turns its Wif-Fi broadcasters into Harmon Kardon, Amazon Alexa-powered speakers as well. It’s the surest way to get your tunes all over the house without worrying about Wi-Fi issues. Under $430 at Amazon.

Quell 2.0 Pain Relief System – Technology-based Relief: Home medical technology has come a long way over the last few decades. The latest version of Quell’s rather unique pain management system, for instance, uses an array of tech to help manage chronic pain in the digital era. The Quell 2.0 Wearable Pain Relief Technology is smaller and more efficient than the original model, but works largely the same. You strap the device around your calf, calibrate it through the mobile app, and it stimulates the sensory nerves in your leg, which sends signals to your brain to trigger your body’s innate ability to block pain. Best of all, if you’re skeptical of Quell’s claims, they have a free 60-Day money back guarantee trial period. Under $300 at Amazon.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A – Top Of The Tablet Heap: When it comes to topnotch tablets, Apple is far from the only game in town. Samsung has been releasing exceptional alternatives for the last several years. This year’s iteration, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A, is no exception. With a gorgeous 10.5” screen, surprisingly powerful sound, and ample horsepower for any tablet tasks–all a reasonable price point–the Tab A is a great choice for those of us who need that bigger screen real estate to read and browse in comfort. Under $330 at Amazon.

Ryobi ONE+ Brushless Lithium-Ion Drill/Driver & Impact Driver Kit: Ryobi’s ONE+ line of 18-Volt rechargeable tools have more than proved their mettle in our household, but their new brushless drill/driver and impact driver combo kit does impressive double duty for the kind of hard work that used to squarely be in the corded realm. With the ability to support both ½” and ¼” bits, along with the 24-position clutch, two-speed gearbox, and impressive power that delivers up to 2000 inch-pounds of torque, this is the perfect gift for hardworking handymen everywhere. The kit even comes with two lithium-ion batteries and a charger to keep you going. Under $150 at Amazon.

Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 520 – A Desktop with Nearly Portable Sensibilities: If you prefer the durability of a desktop, but hate the bulky boxes of a standard PC, Lenovo’s IdeaCentre All-in-One line offers a wide array of options and price ranges to make sure you get the computing gear you need. Since the hardware is all safely hidden in the monitor, all you’ll have on the desk is a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. With screen-size options ranging from 21.5” all the way up to 27” for their top tier model, these space-saving rigs are ready to handle most any task you throw at them. The IdeaCentre even has a pop-up webcam that hides away when you don’t want it. Starting at about $500 on Amazon.

Eargo Hearing Aids – Setting A New Standard: Tiny, comfortable, and rechargeable, Eargo takes hearing aids into the modern age. The unique design makes these hearing aids far more comfortable and discreet than other costlier models. Suspended in your ear canal, the Eargo lets natural bass pass through, while amplifying mid- and high-range frequencies. Since they go in the ear canal, as opposed to behind the ear, the Eargo intelligently amplifies sound in front of you instead of from behind. The unique design also ensures a breathable fit and you can adjust them on the fly by tapping your ear to switch between four different hearing profiles. See our full review. $1950 to $2450 – direct.

Alignmed Posture 2 Shirt – Pain Relieving Shirts: Back braces are so last century, especially in the face of Alignmed’s Posture line of rehabilitation and pain managing shirts (and also bras and insoles). The tension panel technology works by activating and stimulating specific muscles in your back, shoulders, and other trouble spots, increasing recovery time, lowering pain, and helping muscle growth. Posture shirts are especially helpful for aiding rehabilitation after back injuries and, as the name implies, helps with posture too. Some models can even be covered by insurance. Starting at $95 on Amazon.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 – The King Of Android: In the world of Android phones, there are two contenders that always manage to rise to the top of the crowded competitive heap. Google’s superb Pixel (now on revision 3) and Samsung’s Galaxy Note. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is this year’s version and doesn’t disappoint. The Notes have always been special phones, with their large bright vibrant screens and unique S-Pen that lets you jot notes, draw, and a variety of other things. This new model isn’t a huge sea change from the Note 8 but features more power, an enhanced camera that’s easily among the best available on a phone, an all-day battery life, and tons of space with the option for 128 GB or 512 GB of space. Plus, unlike either the Pixel or any iPhone, the Note 9 still has an SD Card slot.

Gourmia GPC1000 Smart Pot Electric Digital Multipurpose Pressure Cooker – Can Really Handle The Pressure: This pressure cooker is about as versatile appliance as you’d like.  It features:

• 13 included cooking modes: meat, poultry, soup, steam, sauté, slow cook, dessert, beans, porridge, rice, timer, a preset time, warm
• Cooks up to 70% faster while retaining more flavor and nutrients in meals.
• Automatic pressure control and locking for swift, completely safe cooking.
• Inner removable non-stick liner and stainless-steel exterior clean quickly.
• 24-hour delay timer, and auto resume after power loss.

MSRP: 279.99