Holiday Technology Gifts to Surprise and Delight

The holidays are upon us and in addition to planning posts, timing Twitter and strategizing SEO, we searched high and low for the best technology gifts to fill our stockings. We heard you loved last year’s social media gift guide, so we read, researched, checked in with the team and consulted some techy friends to compile the:

Roaring Pajamas’ Second Annual Holiday Gift Guide of
Technology and Social Media Gifts to Delight

This year’s gift guide unwittingly but appropriately emphasizes the dichotomy many of us in the digital world feel… the need to always be connected to work and friends contrasted with the need to disconnect and recharge. The standard objects of desire like the iWatch and the latest and greatest iEverything (or AndroidEverything for those staunch anti-Apple types we all know and love) are always on the list, but we looked outside that sleek, white box for this guide. Consider this list of goodies for your favorite digital dynamos.

Technology Gifts for Someone on the Go

The Gift of Wearable Technology
Look chic and never miss a tweet or other important update with wearable technology such as Ringly. Ringly is a fashionable ring that connects with a phone via Bluetooth, so even when one's phone is tucked discreetly in a pocket or bag, they aren’t disconnected from important happenings in the digital world. To use, select the most important notifications -- calls, messages, social media apps or people -- that need to come through to the ring and then indicate custom color and vibration patterns for those different notifications. Ringly works with both iOS and Android and comes in a variety of stone styles and colors to satisfy even the most style-conscious social media maven in your life.

The Gift of an Indestructible Phone Case
It is a rare and skilled person who hasn’t dropped his or her phone andcracked the screen or sent it swimming. A damaged or unusable phone feels like the end of the world for most people. For those who live and die by their phones, consider the gift of the Griffin Survivor Case. Rugged and durable phone cases, the Survivor line includes cases for Apple and Android devices in a variety of styles colors that survive drops of several feet, windblown rain, dust and sand. Some cases are even customizable so you can add some panache to this very practical and useful technology gift.

The Gift of Amazing Photos
Lugging around a large camera with all the lenses and gear is sometimes a logistical
challenge, but without it one can miss capturing great shots at any moment. For friends and family who are on the go but also want and need high-quality photos for work or play, consider the gift of an add-on lens for mobile phones. Available for iPhone and Android phones alike, add-on lenses come in a variety of flavors including wide angle, fisheye, super fisheye, telephoto and polarizing. InstaLens offers a complete five lens set at a reasonable price, or B&H has a wide variety of single lenses at various price points and quality from which to choose. With upgraded lenses, your favorite social media master can snap great photos or behind-the-scenes shots and videos to enhance their online presence.

High- and Low-Technology Gifts for Someone Who Needs to Get-Up-and-Go or Recharge

We all know the importance of stepping away from the screen or totally disconnecting from time to time. These next two gifts encourage just that.

The Gift of Movement
With growing research indicating that sitting still for long periods of time is dangerous to one’s health, an inactivity monitor is a fantastic way to help the screen-time techies in your life move and groove more. Unlike traditional pedometers that track activity, these new devices follow both activity and inactivity and gently remind the wearer when he or she stays sedentary for too long. Our favorite is the Garmin vivosmart, which vibrates after an hour of inactivity. Walking for a couple of minutes resets the inactivity timer, thus forcing the wearer to move a few minutes every hour.

The Gift of Coloring Zen
A decidedly low-tech gift with high-quality benefits, adult coloring books exploded in popularity this year. Coloring and coloring books transport people to the simpler, less stressful days of childhood. For those in your life who need to disconnect and recharge their social media batteries, our team’s favorite book is Coloring Flower Mandalas: 30 Hand-drawn Designs for Mindful Relaxation coupled with Prismacolor Verithin pencils. Given the craziness of the holidays, you may also need to grab one for yourself!

Hopefully, you were able to get some great technology gift ideas from our Holiday Gift Guide. Please tell us, what’s on your list?

Happy holidays from Roaring Pajamas!