Who doesn't love getting a new gadget? Even if you can't afford to give the latest smartphone or HDTV as a gift, you can probably give some gadget-y accessories to go with them. Here are some of our favorites.
A Good Pair of Headphones
Do you know someone still rocking crappy earbuds they bought at the drugstore ( or worse: overpriced Beats)? It may be time to introduce them to the world of quality audio. There's a lot of great stuff out there depending on the type of headphone you want, but our list of the five most popular is a good place to start (try the Grado SR80e, which come highly recommended by our readers). High-end headphones are absolutely worth the money, but if you don't have hundreds of dollars to spend, you can still find some awesome picks in the $20 range, too-like the beloved Koss Porta Pros or Monoprice's DJ headphones.
Fitbit
There are a lot of fitness tracking devices out there, but the Fitbit is our favorite. Fitbits come in a few varieties and they range from a simple clip-on tracker to a more advanced wristband. Here are the three worth your money right now:
: Clip-on style that tracks steps, distance, calories burned, and stairs climbed. Also monitors your sleep and wakes you with a silent alarm. You can grab it for $94 on Amazon. Fitbit Flex: Wristband that tracks steps, distance, calories burned, and active minutes with LED lights that show you how close you are to your day's goal. Also monitors your sleep and wakes you with a silent alarm. You can grab it for $95 on Amazon . Fitbit Charge: Wristband that provides more comprehensive stats for more active individuals. Tracks all-day stats like steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, stairs climbed, and active minutes. Also provides the time with a digital watch face and gives you call notifications. You can grab it for $130 on Amazon.
Fitness trackers like Fitbit can help you stay on target with your fitness goals as long as you make the most of them. They make a great gift for anyone looking to amp up their fitness tracking. You can even get one for yourself and compete with your friends and family.
Chromecast
There are a lot of different options when it comes to streaming devices for your TV, but we think that the Chromecast is one of the best options-and at this price, it's a great stocking stuffer for just about anyone. It's about the size of your thumb and you can use any Android, iOS device, or laptop to cast anything to your TV. It supports a ton of apps, from the regular Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, and HBO Go, down to a whole bunch of other cool things. You can find one for $35 at most, but you can often catch deals on Amazon for a few bucks off.
Mohu Leaf
A device like the Chromecast can take you a long way to cutting cable, but for all your live and local programming, you'll need an antenna. Which one you choose depends a lot on where you live-you'll need to do a little research to find out what's best-but our favorite is the Mohu Leaf for its sleek design and solid range. If you're a bit farther away from the local stations, you'll want something more powerful, like the ClearStream 2. For some other good options, check out our list of the best five.
An External Battery Pack
We could all use a bit of extra juice on-the-go. Especially when you're traveling far, an extra battery pack can be a godsend. There are a ton of great contenders in this area, though we have a few favorites: The Anker Astro line is great for portability, plus it's cheap-but if you want something powerful and reliable, we love the Limefuel line-especially the waterproof Limefuel rugged, if you need your battery pack to take a beating. Check out our list of the best five for more.
Karma or FreedomPop Hotspot
There are a lot of good hotspots out there, but not everyone needs instant access all the time. Most of us just need it when our internet goes out, or when we're traveling. Enter the FreedomPop and Karma. FreedomPop gives you a limited amount of access every month for free, while the Karma is a true pay-as-you go service-you only pay for the data you use, with no contract or monthly fee. Either would make the perfect gift for an on-the-go (but not always on-the-go) person.
A Good Bluetooth Speaker
If you know someone who's looking to cut the cords for their music-or thinking of doing so yourself-bluetooth speakers are where it's at. There are plenty of great bluetooth speakers out there , but if you want something lightweight, portable, the for around $60. Check out Koss BTS1 is a fantastic option. This guy can fill an entire room with loud, clean sound, and you it can fit right in your pocket. It's battery can last several hours streaming music non-stop- our tests put it at around three hours straight-and it has an auxiliary input and output if you need it. You can grab the Koss BTS1 bluetooth speaker on Amazonour list of the best five for more options.
A Multi-Port USB Hub
When you've got a bunch of sweet accessories, you need to be able to plug them all in. The Anker USB 3.0 9-Port Hub is a great way to easily add nine additional USB 3.0 ports-with transfer rates up to 5Gbps-and one 2.1A charging port. The charging port gives you enough juice to charge up your smartphone or tablet quickly, and the hub's sleek design means it won't be an eyesore on your desk. You can grab one for $60 at Amazon.
Belkin WeMo
We love anything that can make tedious, day-to-day tasks easier here at Lifehacker. Belkin's WeMo Home Automation Switch lets you control your electronics and appliances right from your Android or iOS phone or tablet. You just plug it into any electrical outlet, connect it to your home's Wi-Fi network, and plug whatever you like into the WeMo. It's perfect for turning a heater or light on remotely, or even scheduling a non-programmable coffee maker to turn on at a certain time in the morning. You can control it via your data connection too, so you can turn off something from anywhere if you forgot. At around $40 a pop on Amazon, they're not cheap, but you only need a few to automate your home.
Rocketfish Lighted Charge Cable
Regular ol' charging cables are fine, but Rocketfish's lighted charge cables (formerly by Dexim) are not only cool, they're practical. Plug your device in, and the lights start flashing: they move quickly when the battery's under 60%, slowly when the battery is above 60%, and they turn off when the device is fully charged. That way, you can see from across the room how much battery you have. They come in a few different colors, so check out the full line before you buy.
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