While gift-giving is generally expected for the winter holidays, and maybe even for birthdays, a spontaneous gift can be an even better way to show you care about a friend and are thinking about them. Of course, you want to make sure that you give thoughtful gifts that your friends can use or that fit their personalities. Most people have at least one techie in their family or circle of friends, and if you aren’t a tech enthusiast yourself, it may seem difficult to come up with an idea for a gift they can really use or something that they don’t already have.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be a tech expert to find a great gift. Technological advancements are happening all the time, and technology that used to only cater to the rich becomes more affordable all the time. Here are just a few great ideas for gifts to get your favorite tech guru.
Get them a smartwatch
If your friend really is a techie, then they’ve probably already obtained the best smartphone for their needs. What they may not have, however, is a smartwatch. While these can be paired with cell phones, there are models that work on their own, and there are many benefits of having a smartwatch that your friend may not have considered before.
Fitness apps are all the rage for smartwatches, and they can be the perfect companion for a techie friend who’s embarking on a new fitness adventure. With built-in step counters and heartbeat monitors, smartwatches are a good option to track how well you’re doing. Naturally, they’ve also as fashionable as a luxury watch, so they’re also great for showing off.
Let them have fun with a spy recorder.
What tech enthusiast didn’t dream of being a special agent as a kid? With a voice activated spy recorder, you can help your friend come closer to living that dream. The best-concealed voice recorders can be easily hidden inside rooms, vehicles, and even inside pens. These audio recorders are great for situations where you need to remain discrete.
A voice-activated recorder will automatically pick up any spoken words, and concealed recorders generally have an extremely long battery life, in case a bug needs to be placed for an extended period. They can also record sounds over long distances, in case you need to replace the recorder far away from your “target” (up to 50 feet).
Once the audio is recorded, you can simply retrieve the spy recorder, plug it into your computer, and listen to any audio that was picked up. Thanks to voice activation, you won’t have to worry about the microphone picking up a great deal of background noise, making your spy adventure even easier.
Help them bump their streaming up a notch
There’s a good chance that a techie friend is a gamer, and given the ever-growing popularity of esports, they may be a serious content creator as well. Many gamers make money off of YouTube channels, and if they’re good enough to reach the pro levels or have other marketable content, there’s a good chance that they’re a live streamer.
What does every streamer need? Easy. They need the best webcams for streaming. Built-in webcams will never suffice, since they tend to have poor exposure, can’t stream in high resolution, and may even stutter frequently. With the best webcam, your friend will be able to Twitch stream in 1080p, or even 4K. In addition to great image quality, they’ll also keep their frame rate high at 60FPS while live streaming. Having the best webcam also means that they’ll have a great built-in microphone, so your friend will be able to keep up with best practices for audio quality.
Of course, a top webcam isn’t just great for hours of recording video games and live streaming. It’s also an integral part of professional video conferences on Zoom or other services. Remote work has become much more common ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, and having the best webcam with a great field of view and picture quality will help them look their best on any video call. Even beginners can make great use of a good webcam, so your techie friend is sure to find a lot of creative ways to use it.
Enroll them in a cyber security course
Most tech enthusiasts have at least a passing interest in cybersecurity, and getting the right cyber security training can be an important first step of a promising IT career. Full-time and part-time training schedules are available, so your friend can work in their training at a pace that works for them.
Courses are available for introductions to networking up to advanced concepts like CompTIA Security+. Mentor-led programs with labs will make sure your friend gets the hands-on experience they’ll need as well.
From the practical to the fun, there are plenty of great tech gifts out there. Just try to pick one that matches your friend’s interests, and you’ll be all set.