He’s always asking you to find cool stuff for him on the Internet. She lovingly calls you geeky, in a cute way. They always think you know everything about technology because they know nothing. Like, literally nothing. To them, a Galaxy S III is a Droid. Or, even worse, they think it’s a Samsung iPhone. These people need saving. Your saving. And you’ll give it to them with gifts.
Got a better idea? Share it with us. We truly want to make sure these guides help people buy epic holiday gifts, and many minds are better than a few.
Nike Fuelband
Everybody, even non-geeks, are obsessed with statistics about themselves. Imagine how fascinating the world would be if you knew how much you slept, how active you’ve been and how many breaths/blinks/barfs/boobs/etc you’ve taken in your life. And though the Nike Fuelband can’t help you with the last one, it does a pretty good job in tracking your activity throughout your daily life. It made wearable technology cool and accessible for non-geeks. Which means it’s a perfect gift for your non-geek friend.
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10 Foot USB Cable
Gifting a USB cable to a friend sounds like the start of a sappy movie about deteriorating relationships. On paper, it might be the worst “technology” gift you can give. But trust. It’s actually the most life-changing item you can ever buy for somebody for the least amount of money. For less than 5 bucks you can extend your short and skimpy smartphone charging cable by 10 feet. TEN FEET. I swear to you, your non-geek friend will appreciate this gift more than any other because they’ll use it EVERY SINGLE DAY. Every time they plug in, they’ll think of you.
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Roomba
I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say the Roomba is perhaps the greatest invention in technology gadget wizardry ever. That is until we get laser fingernail clippers or something. But the Roomba makes any non-geeks life easier because it solves a real life problem (as opposed to solving problems we didn’t even knew existed, like a smartphone or tablet or whatever). They’ll never have to clean up after themselves after again! A freaking robot does it for them!
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GoPro Hero3
Non-geeks live active lifestyles. Or at least that’s what we geeks imagine them to do. Bro this, bro that. Let’s surf that killer wave! Let’s scale that killer mountain! Let’s shotgun Red Bulls! Extreme! Anyway. If your non-geek really does live one of those 100,000+ views on Vimeo lifestyle (as opposed to geeky YouTubers who stare at their laptop camera professing their love for Justin Bieber), get them the camera that they’ve had many a happy dreams about: the GoPro.
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Sennheiser PMX 685i Running Headphones
Our favorite running headphones, the Sennheiser PMX 685i, are perfect for all non-geek athletic types. Not only do they always stay put while you run, they sound amazing. The highs and mids have cleaned up and the bass kicks enough to get your butt moving. You can pick up phone calls and easily access playback controls too. Save your friend from running with crappy iPod headphones.
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Incase Leather Snap Case
You’ll never convince non-geeks to go naked with an iPhone. They love their cases. Spending $200 on a phone is a lot of money! Even some chintzy plastic that makes their iPhone unusable helps them sleep at night. But get them an iPhone case that’s worthwhile, like made of wood or leather like this Leather Snap Case from Incase.
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Jambox
Life is better with a soundtrack. It’s also better with people. So instead of gifting headphones, give a Jambox so they can share their tunes. The bluetooth connected speaker box is high on the list for non-geeks because they can take it anywhere. The beach, the cabin, the mountains, the park, the backyard, the barbecue, the wherever. You get the point. Wireless music!
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Woodsnap Wood Pictures
You know what people don’t get enough of these days? Real pictures. Most of the pictures we see now are on our phones or computers or tablets, Facebooked and Instagram filtered to an unrecognisable oblivion. And though real photographs from film would work great as gifts, take another step by buying photos printed on wood. Yes, real wood photographs.
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