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The Ultimate Holiday Tech Gift Guide for Parents 2022
14 tech gifts sure to please your own parents, or friends who have children and maybe need something special this year.
14 tech gifts sure to please your own parents, or friends who have children and maybe need something special this year.
Parents are typically the ones doing the gifting in their lives, making sure their children, and even friends, are getting that perfect present. Why not come up with some thing new this year to celebrate your parents during the holiday season and give them a unique tech gift. Yes, parents spend a majority of their time focused on creating a great home for everyone, but they still have their playful side too.
In our holiday tech gift guide for parents this year, we put together this list of gifts which are sure to please parents you know, whether they have a very young baby or teenagers at home, want to curl up with some Netflix in the evening, or are hoping to create a perfect cozy space for them and their family.
Sonos Ray Soundbar
Sonos Ray SoundbarAmazon
Sonos Ray is a new compact, easy-to-use soundbar by Sonos. Its got great sound and comes with Trueplay tuning technology to help the soundbar adapt to the sound in your home. If mom and dad need a new soundbar or you want to treat them to a easy-to-setup device that can enhance their TV or movie watching, Ray is a great solution. You will be able to user your existing smart TV’s remote for controlling the sound. If you want to play music when the TV is off, you can on Ray. It connects to your home Wi-Fi network, and you can easily the Sonos app or Apple AirPlay 2 to connect to your favorite music source.
Ray costs $279 and is available in either black or white. You can also buy Ray on the company site as well as Amazon and Best Buy.
Aura Digital Photo Frames
Mason Luxe by Aura photo frame
Aura Frames
Aura is a brand of digital frames that not only stores digital images you upload yourself, but allows others to send photographs to the device as well, from wherever they may be. And considering the social distancing almost everyone is facing today, we think digital frames make a wonderful addition to anyone's life — particularly parents.
However this year, besides images being beautifully lit, Aura photo frames will support video and sound. Their smart photo frame Mason Luxe comes with the company's highest resolution display. It supports video/sound, has a craftsman inspired frame design, and free unlimited storage for photos and videos making sharing memories effortless. Mason Luxe frames are priced at $249 but you can still get other Aura Frames, like Aura by Carver which are also clean and well-designed for a lot less (roughly $179). All Aura Frames are worth considering as a holiday gift if for no other reason than to help make people feel a little bit closer to each other today.
Walabot DIY 2
Walabot DIY 2 stud finder can also find pipes and wires behind your wall.
Vayyar Imaging
Every house should have a smart stud finder and the best one is made by Vayyar Imaging. It's the Walabot DIY 2 stud finder and it is a smart visual stud finder that can help either a DIY homeowner or contractor easily find out what is going on behind their drywalls. The Walabot is easy to use and works with both Android and iOS smartphones. If you either of your parents are handy and like to do things around the house, this is a great holiday gift.
The Walabot DIY 2 costs. $169.96 and you can get bundles (Walabot DIY 2 and case) for only $215.96. All are available. on the company website. You can also read our full review for more information.
Hubble Connected Nursery Pal Deluxe Smart Baby Monitor
Check out the deals for smart baby tech like Hubble Connected Nursery Pal camera for Amazon Prime Day
GearBrain
If you parents are about to become grandparents or you are looking for a gift for a new parent, you should consider getting a smart baby monitor. And one to consider is Hubble Connected Nursery Pal Deluxe is the perfect smart baby monitor. This smart baby monitoring system comes with an HD camera and separate 5-inch HD color touchscreen display. The display is perfect for your grandchildren to use when not sleeping too. It can function as an interactive viewer with educational games and videos for them to watch when awake. The Hubble Connected system costs only $199.99 and is available on the company website as well as Best Buy, Target, Lowe’s, Walmart and Amazon. They do offer HubbleClub monitoring service for $2.99 per month which provides several good features like smart scheduling, video storage and fixed baby zone for monitoring. But you can operate this system without the monthly service. (Read GearBrain’s full review here.)
Ecovacs Deebot X1 Plus Vacuum and Mopping Cleaner
Ecovacs Deebot X1 Plus Robot Vacuum and Mopping Cleaner Reviewwww.gearbrain.com
How about getting your parents a good reliable and effective robot vacuum for the holidays? if so, check out Ecovacs Deebot X1 Plus robot vacuum. This vacuum is the entry level robot vacuum for Ecovacs Omni Series, their premium robot vacuum line. This robot vacuum can mop, vacuum, self-empty, monitor your floors, act as an air freshener and comes with its own voice assistant. it's got powerful succion power and excellent mapping technology. It also has a built-in security camera which you can use to help keep an eye on your home or your pet when you are away. Reach our full review to learn more about the ton of features this robot vacuum has to offer your parents.
The list price for Deebot X1 Plus Robot Vacuum and Mopping Cleaner is $1,149.00 but currently on sale for only $899 on the Ecovacs site. You can also buy a Deebot X1 Plus on The Home Depot and Best Buy.
Furrion Outdoor Smart TVs for Full Sun, Partical Sun or Full Shade
Furrion New4K Outdoor Smart TVs
Furrion
For the parents who like outdoor living, you need to get them a good reliable outdoor smart TV which is weatherproof and works in full sunlight. One such TV which GearBrain has tested and would recommend is Furrion’s Aurora Smart LED Outdoor TV. This premium outdoor television line comes with WebOS smart platform, RangeXtend external antennas for strong Wi-Fi signal and XtremeShield IK08=rated tempered glass screen for protection against impacts and scratches. They offer full sun, partial sun and full shade 4K smart outdoor TVs in sizes 43”, 55” and 65”.
Furrion’s outdoor smart TVs also have built-in speakers, HDR10 for vivid colors and deep rich contrast. GearBrain has been testing their new Full Sun outdoor TV and really like the video resolution, especially when watching TV during the day in full sunlight.
Furrion’s Aurora line starts around $1,399.99 for full shade 43” outdoor smart television and can go as high as $3,699.99 for a 65” full sun outdoor TV. And they are for sale on Amazon and other consumer electronics stores. So, be ready to get the rest of the family to chip in if needed to help your parents enjoy the perfect all-in-one outdoor entertainment experience.
Oura Ring
Data will be collected from Oura Ring wearers for three months
Oura
How about getting Mom or Day a sophisticated health, sleep and fitness tracker this holiday season? One device we would recommend is Oura Ring. This smart health device comes with a body temperature sensor to track your body's health, sleep habits, respiratory rate, and heart rate. All of these are helpful in detection early warning signs of infection.
Oura Ring starts at $349, available on the company website and comes in various sizes, styles and finishes. You also get one month of membership included when you purchase an Oura Ring after November 1st.
Use Yale Smart Keypad to provide delivery people and friends to\u00a0access\u00a0your delivery box.
GearBrain
For the parents who get a lot of home deliveries, we have the perfect holiday gift. It's the Yale Smart Delivery Box, a locked cabinet your deliveries can be placed in and locked while you are away from your home. This smart connected delivery box comes with a Yale lock, Yale Smart Keypad and Yale Connect Wi-Fi Bridge which you use with the Yale Access App (iOS and Android) for remote access. It's easy to assemble and can be stored on your porch or wherever your home deliveries are made. The Yale Smart Delivery Box is available in Manor Gray or Carbon Brown and costs $229.99 ($279.99 with Wi-Fi and Smart Keypad). (See our full review here.)
MamaRoo4 Infant Seat
mamaRoo4 Infant Seatwww.gearbrain.com
For those expecting parents, a great gift idea is a smart infant seat which can keep an infant occupied while Mom and Dad get a little quality time for themselves. A good smart infant seat we would recommend is MamaRoo4 Infant Seat, a Bluetooth-connected infant seat which rotates to replicate the motions of a parent's arms. It has built-in sounds and a MP3 plug-in you can play soothing sounds — or your favorite song — to calm your newborn. The seat is adjustable and can fully recline. What makes this infant seat unique is its seat rotation. MamaRoo4’s rotation is designed to simulate a parent rocking their baby, but you can adjust the speed of the rotation through an app or controls on the base.
The MamaRoo4 Infant Seat costs $239.99 but this Holiday season, it will be 30% off starting on November 24 – 29th. It’s the biggest discount they have ever offered and will be only available on 4moms.com website. You will need to use BFCM21 at checkout to save.
Amazon Echo (4th Gen)
Amazon Echo (4th Gen) has an entirely new look
Amazon
Amazon updated their Alexa-enabled Echo smart speaker this year with a cool new design, plus an added bonus: a Zigbee hub inside. For any parents on your list who are busy building a smart home, this extra perk is a great one, opening up the number of smart products they can add into their living space. Of course, the new Echo is also an exciting update with a great look, solid sound, and all the regular features you can expect including the ability mute the microphone when you just want some privacy.
Echo (4th Gen) | With premium sound, smart home hub, and Alexa | Charcoal
The Snoo Sleeper Bassinet rocks a baby to sleep, responding to its criesGearBrain
Snoo Smart Sleeper Bassinet is exactly as it sounds — a responsive connected baby bassinet that helps your baby sleep. It gently rocks as white noise plays to soothe a baby who is swaddled in a sleeper attached to the bassinet. Created by Dr. Harvey Karp, the $1295 Snoo was designed to recreate the calming sensations a baby experiences while in their mother's womb. The primary feature, however, is its ability to sooth an upset baby without waking parents. The sleeper does this by responding gradually to a baby's cry with increasingly more motion and sound from inside the bassinet. For brand new parents, or those about to become parents, this may be one of the most indulgent gifts you can imagine giving them this year.
The Apple HomePod Mini is the first upgrade of Apple's smart speaker in years
Apple
The new HomePod mini speaker is two years in the making, and the radical updated design belies that effort. A speaker with sound on its mind, the new HomePod Mini has a full range dynamic driver, a pair of passive radiators for optimum bass, and an acoustic wave guide for 360-degree sound experience. There's also a three-microphone array inside, plus a fourth that faces inward to help it better detect speakers talking to Siri even while music is playing.
There's also a new Apple S5 chip inside which allows the device to tap into something that the company calls computational audio — this allows the HomePod Mini to analyze audio and then tune the drivers and radiators in real time. The speaker comes in space gray and white, just as the original HomePod, and will be priced competitively at $99 — placing it right up against the Nest Audio and the Amazon Echo (4th Gen), both priced at $99 each.
The Philips Hue Sync Box can automate lights to change depending on what's playing on the TVSignify
The $230 Philips Hue Sync Box can treat parents to a fun and impressive addition to their home by syncing the lights around this device to whatever is playing on their TV. You can adjust the brightness, pick from three modes (video, music and game), and select one of four intensity levels ranging from subtle to extreme.
Plus, for smart home families, the device can be controlled by speaking to Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant, and works with anything plugged into a TV using an HDMI cable. That means video game consoles, streaming sticks, satellite boxes, Blu-ray players, and anything else where someone consumers media. And yes, it's great for gamers too.
Nest Hub (2nd Gen)
The new Nest Hub includes sleep-tracking technology
Google
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Afloia Smart Air Purifier
Afloia Smart Air Purifier
GearBrain
All parents should have a smart air purifier, especially for the family room. A good smart air purifier to consider is Afloia Smart Air Purifier. We recently tested this smart air purifier and really liked how it kept our large family’s air clean. It comes with a H13 True HEPA filter and can easily keep the air clean in rooms up to 1,500 square feet. It has a 4-stage purification system which filters out 99.9% of particles as small as 0.3 microns in the air.
The Afloia smart air purifier works with Amazon Alexa enabled devices and has a UV lamp. It costs $219.99 and is available on Amazon.
Read our full review of Afoia Smart Air Purifier here.
Check out The GearBrain, our smart home compatibility find engine to see the other compatible products that work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa enabled devices.
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