Last Minute Holiday Gift Picks

Looking for a last minute Christmas or Hannukah gift? Here are a number of tech gifts that you can have delivered on time – or at least allow you to notify them that the gift is on its way.

Tech Stocking Stuffers from the iTunes Store

These gifts may be low-cost, but they show others that you “get” who they are. They can even be deployed in an emergency from your phone on the spot.

We’ll bet you know about buying iTunes gift cards or sending iTunes gifts by email. Both can be designated by a dollar amount to let the recipient get what they want. But did you know you can gift any specific item in the iTunes store?

Apple writes:
Send your nephew the latest combat adventure game. Or your best friend that album you have on repeat. Just find the music, movies, TV shows, apps, or games you want to give on the iTunes Store or App Store. From your computer, click the arrow next to the price and choose “Gift this.” Or from your iOS device, tap the share button at the top of the screen.2 We’ll send an email letting your recipient know about it. With one click, your gift will start downloading to their device.

iWaterMark+
$3.99 (or the equivalent in your country’s currency) iTunes App Store

For the artist or photographer in your life, this app allows them to both brand as well as protect images they create and post online from getting lost on the internet. Everyone should give attribution when they post images on social media – unfortunately, many people are not aware of this. Make it easy for them to do the right thing by including a tasteful, legible watermark on your work.

Here is my tutorial on how use iWatermark+ for Instagram and other social sites.

Here is what a sample text iWatermark looks like.

Here I explain at length about why you should watermark and how to give photo attribution.

A Tech Gift For Those Who Love to Read

Next Issue

Ray Gordon provides an in-depth explanation of why Next Issue provides a great product for iPad and other tablet owners. This is a subscription based product that costs $15/month but it is well worth it. You could buy this product for yourself and add a family member as one of the five devices on which you are allowed to view Next Issue. They will see the “favorites” you have selected, but that shouldn’t be a problem – you can always add titles for them. Use our Boomer Tech Talk link and get a 60 day free trial (for USA customers only). In the ideal scenario, you will have physical access to their phone so you can download the free Next Issue app and then sign in with your account email and password.

If you prefer, you can give them a subscription of between 1 to 12 months by going to the gift page of the Next Issue site.

Support a Senior in Your Family with a Smart Phone Emergency Call App

Star5 GreatCall Emergency app
$15/month. Tip: get the account in your name and pay directly, since it’s best if you are an authorized user.

GreatCall also has the options of getting a low function flip phone called the Jitterbug, or a dedicated Korean smart phone (Samsung) for their app. My personal preference is the iPhone app for the seniors in my family, simply because the iPhone itself has decent future resale value and there is so much more I can share with them. Also, I can add them to my ATT Family Plan to cover their data, whereas the dedicated GreatCall phone options have to use their rather pricey data plan.

In the ideal scenario you can purchase an iPhone for them, or they can purchase the phone themselves. The smallest memory model should be sufficient for most seniors. You should set it up for them, including the Star5, deliver it, and teach them how to use the phone. When they have questions they can FaceTime video with you. I chose the iPhone 6 because – in my opinion – it is simply a killer phone. Here is why the Wall Street Journal recommends it over all other smart phones.

Apple Store with Free Next-Day Shipping

Choose an item they have in stock and get free next day shipping. To be in time for Christmas the order deadline is Tuesday, December 23rd at 10am PST. Update: You can still get Free 2-day shipping, or order on-line and pick up at the store in an hour.

Amazon One-Hour Shipping in NYC and Same-Day Delivery in 12 Major Cities

This is not available on Christmas Day itself but it is on the days leading up to Christmas. Order by noon in most of the six cities and get delivery by 9pm. Only $5.99 for Prime subscribers and $8.99 for non-Prime users. One hour shipping called Prime Now story from Wired.

This means you can still order the following items we like. If you miss the cut-off, just send a screen shot of the item with a nice email about how they’ll receive the order soon.

SmartPhone Headphones With Good Sound That Don’t Tangle from Audio Technica

$49.95 on Audio Technica.

Linda has been very happy with these headphones. We see on their website that they have more premium versions in the same line for $79.95 and $99.95. One of the things she likes best about it is that it never tangles.

We have not tested these against other headphones for music. This recommendation is for a reliable headphone you can use for phone calls so that you can be heard and others can hear you clearly. Based on feedback from people Linda talks to on her iPhone, the Audio Technica headphone mic is an improvement over the standard-issue Apple iPhone headphone mic.

Lifeproof Waterproof Cases

$79 on Amazon for the Lifeproof iPhone 6 case.
As yet, no Nuud model for the iPhone 6, but Lifeproof cases are still the darlings of the on-the-water crowd. Paddlers, surfers, and boaters are sure to appreciate these cases. Our detailed Lifeproof review before the release of the iPhone 6. Currently everything on the Lifeproof site is 20% off and free shipping through December 31st.

Waterproof Bluetooth Boom Swimmer Speaker

Great price performance for $60 – $65 on Amazon.
Our detailed Boom Swimmer review.

Buy Them a Meal at a Good Restaurant and Get Extra Miles for Yourself

You can put 5 credit cards on this program. Use it silently. We’ve discovered lots of great restaurants using this. Just search the zipcode of your recipient for something they’ll like. I always double check the ratings in Yelp. Request a gift card to be mailed directly to your recipient. You can let them know by email that is coming. OR if you live in the same area, send them an invitation to dine together on your dime. This program is available for both American Airlines and United.