Thanksgiving is not quite here, but in some places, the Black Friday deals have already begun – the ‘holiday shopping season’ seems to start earlier and earlier every year. I’ve started seeing all kinds of articles and posts about holiday gifts, so I thought I’d pull some together for you.
From BlogHer’s Holiday Gift Guide for Entrepreneurs, I especially like the idea of cable management tools, (maybe because I was just having this conversation the other day at home about how much space is wasted on the desk in our kitchen as a result of all of the electronics and cords plugged in there)…it may not be the most glamorous gift ever, but it is definitely practical.
Also from the BlogHer list:
Instead of asking a stranger to take a photo of you and your family, or having pictures with one person (the photographer) missing, the QuikPod attaches to your camera (or iPhone) so you can take the photo yourself.
Another great idea for someone you want to splurge on who does a lot of presentations for groups or clients but doesn't want to lug around a ton of havey equipment is a pocket projector.
Techlicious.com‘s list of holiday gifts includes the Cambridge Soundworks Oontz, a portable, affordable ($70) Bluetooth speaker that actually produces good sound. and the Moshi iGlaze+ Versacover, a ‘smart’ iPad cover that folds in several different directions and includes a magnet on the back as well as the front so the cover stays put when it’s open (which seems like it would be particularly helpful if you’re going to try to take photos with your iPad).
Jim Calloway and Sharon Nelson have done their annual list of holiday tech toys on their Digital Edge Podcast (you can see the list in their show notes on this page too). Their list includes the iPhone mini-dock which allows you to dock your iPhone right to the charger, freeing up counter and table space (and eliminating yet another cord) while it’ charging, and a desktop robo-vacuum, as well as the Samsung Galaxy SIII and the VuPoint Solutions Magic Wand Portable Scanner, among others.
Reid Trautz’s holiday gift guide includes books from the ABA Law Practice Management Section’s “In One Hour” series of books (including LinkedIn in One Hour for Lawyers and Facebook in One Hour for Lawyers, which of course, I recommend), as well as the Leap motion sensor (who wouldn’t love to ditch their keyboard AND their mouse, while still keeping their computer screen fingerprint-free?) and novelty items including customized socks and bacon candy…an eclectic list, to be sure.
Since I do a lot of traveling, I’m into travel gifts. A couple of practical travel ideas I like came from the Daily Grommet, including a collapsible water bottle and the Zen Class Nirvana travel organizer, a seat-back organizer for all of your travel essentials and a carry-on all in one.
I love to travel with packing cubes (like these from e-bags) - you can buy a whole set or just one. They make packing and unpacking easy (I like to unzip them and place them as-is into hotel room drawers so my clothing is always contained), and at the end of your trip, it's easy to separate clean clothes from dirty ones. It's also great if TSA goes through your bags, because everything stays nice and neat.
If you’d like to give the gift that keeps on giving, check out this list of gift of the month clubs, and if you’re looking for unique holiday gifts but don’t want to break the bank, you might try one of these sites:
And don’t forget about Small Business Saturday this Saturday – instead of going to the same old retailers, malls and big box stores (and standing on crazy lines), think about heading out to some local small businesses. Here on Long Island, in the wake of “Super Storm” Sandy, I know our locals could use any help they can get.
Happy Thanksgiving, and happy shopping!
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