Hardware

Ten holiday stocking stuffers for the tech lovers in your life

By // December 14, 2016, 7:04 AM PST // bviglia

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  • ​Multi-port USB wall charger

    I travel with two or three devices whenever I leave home, making a multi-port USB wall charger an invaluable part of my packing list. How many times have you or someone you know ended up needing an extra power adapter to charge a device? Leave them all home and just take the cables and one of these indispensible units.

    Image: EasyAcc

  • ​Snap together USB cord keepers

    While we're on the topic of USB let's talk about another suitcase mess: Cables. USB cables, headphones, and other cords generally make a mess of any bag. Twist ties and rubber bands have the unfortunate side effect of breaking, being a pain to put on and take off, and being easily lost.

    These snap together leather cord keepers are the perfect thing to keep a suitcase, purse, or messenger bag organized. As an added bonus they come with a drawstring carrying bag, making them much harder to lose.

    Image: Hatton Henry

  • ​Mini cabledrops

    The smartphone has replaced a lot of household gadgets, including the alarm clock. Unfortunately, smartphones are unplugged every morning and all you can do is watch its cable disappear into the depths between the nightstand and the wall.

    There are plenty of ways to keep pesky device cables in check, but they aren't as simple or elegant as mini cabledrops. These sticky-backed plastic dots adhere to nightstands, desks, walls, and other furniture to keep charging cables right where you want them.

    Image: Blue Lounge

  • ​Clip on smartphone camera lenses

    The newest generation of smartphones sport impressive cameras, but there are some things they simply can't do. For those cases clip-on camera lenses can do the trick.

    This three-piece set from Camkix comes with a fisheye, macro, and wide angle lens that can be clipped onto a variety of smartphone models. Simple screw the lense onto the clip, place it on your phone, and take the pictures you've always dreamed of.

    image: Camkix

  • ​Bluetooth audio receiver

    I have a stereo in my house that is louder than any bluetooth speaker or computer, but there's one problem: It's old. This Bluetooth audio receiver from AmazonBasics could take care of that problem.

    This tiny little box receives Bluetooth signals from up to 30 feet away and comes with a 3.5mm audio-to-RCA cord that will allow it to plug right into your stereo's input. Now there's no reason to get rid of that old stereo for one that comes with Bluetooth built in!

    Image: Amazon

  • ​Low-profile flash drive

    I remember my first flash drive: I bought it in Korea in 2002 and was amazed that I could carry 32MB in something the size of my thumb. Nowadays every company at a job fair is giving out flash drives with gigs of storage for free--and they're smaller.

    They probably won't match the size of the SanDisk Cruzer Fit, though. It barely sticks out from the computer it's plugged into, yet it can hold up to 64GB of files. If you need to get a gift for someone who still likes to back up files outside of the cloud this is a great buy.

    Image: Sandisk

  • ​TrackR bravo

    Have a loved one who is constantly misplacing things like keys, purses, luggage, or wallets? They need the TrackR bravo. These quarter-size tags use Bluetooth to notify owners of their lost items' last locations, when they're close, or even if they go outside of a 100-foot radius.

    They also have built-in speakers that can be pinged from a smartphone app--perfect for when the dog is sitting on your keys.

    Image: TrackR

  • ​Echo Dot

    Amazon's Echo Dot is surprisingly cheap for what it can do: It packs all the features of the full-size Echo for just $39.99. Use it to get answers from Alexa, order pizza, play music, or anything else you need from a digital assistant.

    Just about the size of a hockey puck, the Echo Dot is a great entryway into the Internet of Things without a serious commitment. Plug it in, set it up, and start asking Alexa for answers to all your questions!

    Image: Amazon

  • ​Roku Streaming Stick

    The Roku Streaming Stick is perfect for the cinephile in your life. It plugs right into a TV with an HDMI port and can stream content from Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, VUDU, Google Play, and other online providers.

    At less than $50 the Roku Streaming Stick would be a great discovery in a stocking on Christmas morning.

    Image: Roku

  • ​Still stumped? Give a gift card

    Not everyone is easy to shop for--you might know exactly what they're interested in but still have no idea what they need! In that case you can't go wrong with a gift card... but where should you buy it from? Here's a quick rundown for the different kinds of tech lovers in your life:

    Gamers

    Computer builders

    Mobile aficionados

    Everyone else

    Image: iStock/Joingate

​Multi-port USB wall charger

I travel with two or three devices whenever I leave home, making a multi-port USB wall charger an invaluable part of my packing list. How many times have you or someone you know ended up needing an extra power adapter to charge a device? Leave them all home and just take the cables and one of these indispensible units.

Image: EasyAcc

Related Topics:

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By Brandon Vigliarolo

Brandon writes about apps and software for TechRepublic. He's an award-winning feature writer who previously worked as an IT professional and served as an MP in the US Army.