8 Tech Turkeys To Avoid As Gifts
Is your holiday shopping list full of smartphones, robots, and drones? Here's our advice on what gadgets not to buy.
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It's that consumerist time of year again. Halloween was barely over before we started seeing TV commercials with Santa shilling everything from toys to luxury automobiles. As always, tech gear will be high on plenty of shopping lists this holiday season. But before you go online or head off to the mall or big-box store, pause to think about the message your gift will send.
Thinking about buying your loved one of these hot fitness wearables? What you're really saying is, "You've really let yourself go." The not-so-secret truth about these sensor-based devices is that users will soon sense boredom as they log largely the same data and behavior patterns, day after day and week after week. It may take a week or it may take a month, but sooner or later, that fob or wristband is going to end up in a drawer. Not to rain on the wearables parade, but anybody with a tad of self-awareness knows when they've been sitting on their butt too long and when they've been eating too much.
At the other extreme are those (mostly youthful) sports enthusiasts and adventurers. But if you really love them, don't give them one of those sports and action cameras. That's just an invitation to injury. Before you know it they'll take up rock climbing or try a skateboard trick that will send them straight to the hospital.
Wish lists seem to get longer each year, but don't try to save money by buying no-name-brand copies of Bluetooth speakers or low-cost versions of high-demand toys such as drones or robots. What you're really saying is, "I don't care about you enough to buy the best." Then there are the electronics that will end up on a shelf and, later, a table at the next garage sale. Digital picture frames and docking devices are high on this list, obviated by smartphones, tablets, Bluetooth connectivity, and always-changing device-connection and charger standards.
What do some of these gift choices say about you? It could be that you have a callous disregard for other people's feelings, that you're a penny pincher, or that you failed to learn that sometimes it's best to buy fewer-but-better presents. If the high-quality drone or Bluetooth speaker is just too expensive, just say no rather than buying a cheap knockoff that will only disappoint.
Our best advice is to shop local when you can, buy quality, and don't spend too much time online or in malls stockpiling presents. Make do with gadgets that are more than adequate, and donate some of the bucks you save to charity. When you do replace and retire old electronics, sell them online or recycle them if they're no longer worth anything.
Read on for our advice on what presents not to buy, and we'll save your reputation as a sensitive spouse, a wise parent, and a good buddy.
Have a happy Thanksgiving, and do yourself a favor: Spend more time with family and friends than shopping carts this season.
What gift says to recipient: Have you seen yourself in a mirror lately?
What gift says about you: You're an insensitive SOB who doesn't think twice about telling people they're "weight challenged" or lazy.
Comment: Humans are creatures of habit and wearables simply put numbers to that fact -- the same old numbers, day after day, week after week. Unless your recipient is a svelte athlete who's actually counting miles and crunches instead of trips to the refrigerator, save them the tedium of logging into websites, compiling uninspiring data, and entering less-than-complete details about their daily eating and drinking habits.
What gift says to recipient: You're not living up to my standards.
What gift says about you: You're too lazy to help with chores or too cheap to hire a maid.
Comment: Forget those manufacturer-planted, five-star reviews raving about vacuuming and mopping robots. The two- and three-star reports are the ones from real customers. Here's a sampling: "It has never made it through more than 10 minutes of cleaning without that glaring robot voice saying 'error.' " Or... "It got trapped under a chair for 45 minutes and couldn't find its way out."
If you're thinking about buying one of these robots, we're guessing you might also be the type who owns a fitness wearable. If so, strap it on, and spend 10 minutes with the good-old Hoover. You'll add 100 steps toward your daily goal of taking 10,000 steps without really exercising. What's more, the entire floor will be clean.
What gift says to recipient: Go break a leg.
What gift says about you: You have faith in your health insurance plan.
Comment: Nothing says, "Here, kid, go out and try to hurt yourself," like the gift of a sports and action camera. These used to be pricey items that only serious daredevils would buy, but now the Polaroid Cube, seen here, is just $99, so anyone can get in on the action. And when the camera is on, good sense goes out the window. No ski jump is too high and no four-way intersection too busy for skateboard and bike stunts. Might as well buy your son a Harley. You're going to spend as much on hospital bills.
What gift says to recipient: I'm checking off your wish list on the cheap.
What gift says about you: You still haven't learned that penny wise is pound foolish.
Comment: Kids are easily conned by slick videos that make cheap products look good. It's your job to know better. My son's experience with the Parrot Mini Drone, seen here, quickly went from elation to deflation. It was just what he wanted, but the controller app for the iPad was far from intuitive, the built-in camera didn't record video (as my son expected), and flying proved difficult. My son eventually learned how to fly in control and do tricks, but inevitable crashes took their toll. Within a few days, one of the four motors stopped working.
At $138, the Parrot Mini Drone appears to be a bargain among drones, but the higher-priced Parrot AR Drone is the one that's in touch with the realities of flying drones. Go online and you'll find replacement propellers, replacement motors, replacement batteries, and many other parts for the Parrot AR. It's not cheap at $418, so just say no if that's too expensive. You won't have a positive, long-lasting experience with cheaper models that don't have replaceable parts.
What gift says to recipient: I don't care enough to give the very best.
What gift says about you: You're a sucker for Ronco (Popeil) products.
Comment: Bose and Jawbone (Jambox) helped make Bluetooth speakers the it gift last year. Now you'll find a bunch of cheap knockoffs like this AmazonBasics Portable Bluetooth speaker and others from little-known brands such as Anker, Etekcity, Photive, Proscan, Roker, and TechMatte. Some of them look like the real thing, with colorful finishes and fancy grills, but you get what you pay for. Don't give somebody a wimpy speaker that couldn't cause a disturbance in your local library.
What gift says to recipient: I couldn't think of anything better.
What gift says about you: You're not up on tech trends.
Comment: Docking devices are so five years ago. The final nail in that coffin was Apple's switch to the Lightning connector with the iPhone 5 in September 2012. That should have taught you not to buy docks.
Bluetooth speakers are now the way to go. Docking just makes it hard to see what's playing and to control your music. Keep it in your pocket or on your belt so you can check the time. If you want a convenient way to charge, buy a stand-alone charging stand for less than $20, and you won't have to replace expensive audio gear the next time Apple changes connectors.
What gift says to recipient: You're a total technophobe.
What gift says about you: You get your tech advice from Al Gore.
Comment: Here's a product that originated in the Clinton administration and should have died along with references to "the information super highway." Just as cheap, point-and-shoot cameras have fallen to the smartphone, so too should digital picture frames. How cheap are phones with good-sized screens? You want bigger pictures? Try an iPad Mini Wifi ($220) or a Samsung Galaxy Tab ($163). You can send Grandpa email messages and video chat as well as send snaphots. You say he's a real technophobe? Try the $99 Amazon Fire HD tablet with that built-in Mayday button.
What gift says to recipient: The gift giver isn't very smart.
What gift says about you: You're not very smart.
Comment: This Amazon buying machine disguised as a smartphone has all the wrong bells and whistles, starting with 3D "Dynamic Perspective" viewing that has little practical value. The Firefly search feature uses the camera to recognize objects. It works well with bar codes (so you can buy things), but users say it's otherwise buggy and inconsistent.
The big deal breaker with this phone seems to be lousy battery life, with some reviewers saying they couldn't get through a single day without the phone dying. It's no wonder the average customer rating on Amazon is two-and-a-half stars. Skip the Fire Phone and you can spend less money and get a better phone.
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