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Holiday tech gifts that don't break the bank: 2014

1 of 16 NEXT PREV
  • Metal art mech warrior phone stand

    Metal art mech warrior phone stand

    Combining art with just a touch of geekery, the metal art mech warrior phone stand is the perfect place to stash your smartphone on a desk or the coffee table. Nuts, bolts and chains sourced from junk yards and fused together form the figure. However, due to the nature of the stand, only certain smartphones that are a maximum of 7.4cm in width and 1.3cm in depth -- such as the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S4 -- are compatible.

    Price:£49.95 ($78)

    Purchase: Red5

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • Ringly

    Ringly

    For something a little different but still smart, Ringly offers a variety of rings that connect to smartphones via Bluetooth in order to notify you of calls, texts, emails and notifications -- without the wearer needing to check their phone.

    Price: $195 - $260

    Purchase: Ringly

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • Shroom LED lamp, MP3 player

    Shroom LED lamp, MP3 player

    Cute and functional, this Mushroom LED lamp not only works as a standard light source, but also connects via Bluetooth to mobile devices or PCs so you can use the lamp's speakers to listen to music.

    Price: $42.88

    Purchase: HTTBuy

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • Water Dancing Speakers

    Water Dancing Speakers

    These flashy speakers won't break the bank, but can certainly make an impression in a lounge or bedroom. The water dancing droplet speakers have been put together with colored water jets and LED lighting. Ramp up the music, and the water will "dance" in time with the beat.

    Price: £24.95 ($39)

    Purchase: Red5

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • Fitbit charge

    Fitbit charge

    The Fitbit charge is one of the newest products developed with the wearable technology trend in mind. The band, an upgrade on the original Fitbit, tracks steps, distance, calories burned and active minutes, and can sync to your smartphone to display calls, notifications, and create statistics related to fitness goals.

    Price: £99.99 ($129.95)

    Purchase: Fitbit

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • Beats by Dr. Dre headphones

    Beats by Dr. Dre headphones

    Recently acquired by Apple, the Dr. Dre Beats headphones range is not the cheapest of the bunch, but is reasonably priced for the high sound quality.

    Price: $249.95 - $399.95

    Purchase: Apple

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • Turtle Beach Xbox One gaming headset

    Turtle Beach Xbox One gaming headset

    For gaming headphones with a punch but ones that will not burn a deep hole in your wallet, Turtle Beach's range, including the Xbox One gaming headset, won't set you back too much this Christmas. The headset's sound quality is high -- levels can be mixed to your liking -- and the device is also connectable to Xbox Live and Skype.

    Price: £89.99 ($140)

    Purchase: Turtle Beach

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • Touchies

    Touchies

    Cheap and cheerful but very useful, touchscreen gloves can take the chill out of your fingers when using a smartphone out in the elements.

    Price: £5.95 ($9)

    Purchase: Genie Gadgets

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • Misfit Shine

    Misfit Shine

    The Misfit Shine is another popular fitness tracker that can make a great gift. Available in multiple colors, the tiny device is stylish and looks more like jewelry than a wearable device. The Shine works with iOS to track your activity, and an accompanying app can be downloaded to check your stats.

    Price: $79.99 - $99.99

    Purchase: Misfit

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • Converge Charging Station

    Converge Charging Station

    The Converge charging station is an attractive and inexpensive system for charging multiple devices at the same time. You can stuff your cables away out of sight, park your devices on the charging station and use any of four USB ports to keep smartphones, tablets and cameras juiced up.

    Price: £29.95 ($46)

    Purchase: Gizoo

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • Dr Who Tardis Projection Alarm Clock

    Dr Who Tardis Projection Alarm Clock

    The Dr Who Tardis Projection alarm clock is a must-have for Dr. Who fans, and can make an inexpensive but memorable gift this Christmas.

    Price: £24.95 ($39)

    Purchase: Prezzybox

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • Kindle Paperwhite

    Kindle Paperwhite

    While not the most expensive or powerful Kindle reader online retailer Amazon offers, the Kindle Paperwhite is an excellent e-book reader with anti-glare technology and decent battery life far beyond that of the original Kindle.

    Price: $139

    Purchase: Amazon

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • USB clock fan

    USB clock fan

    A fun stocking filler, this USB-charged clock fan can be plugged in and set up not only to keep you cool, but display the time through LED lighting.

    Price: £10.95 ($17)

    Purchase: Genie Gadgets

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • Parrot AR.Drone

    Parrot AR.Drone

    More expensive than other gifts listed, but especially for drone enthusiasts, the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 can make an excellent gift. Controlled via Wi-Fi and a smartphone or tablet, the quadricopter packs in a high-definition camera, data-sharing, pressure sensors and flexible flight movements.

    Price: $various

    Purchase: Parrot

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • DIY Gamer Kit

    DIY Gamer Kit

    Looking for a project? The DIY gamer kit by Maplin can keep anyone with a programming bent quiet for a time. This do-it-yourself component kit allows the user to create their own handheld gaming console and then program their own games using Arduino.

    Price: £34.99 ($55)

    Purchase: Maplin

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

  • Roku streaming stick

    Roku streaming stick

    Roku, a media streaming dongle controllable by smartphone, works with HDTVs to access over 500 channels in up to 1080p HD. Supporting both iOS and Android operating systems, the streaming stick can tap into channels including Netflix, BBC iPlayer and subscription-based NowTV. It is more expensive than Google's Chromecast, but does have a wider variety of content.

    Price: $39.99 - $49.99

    Purchase: Roku

    Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

    Caption by: Charlie Osborne

1 of 16 NEXT PREV
Charlie Osborne

By Charlie Osborne for iGeneration | December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

  • Metal art mech warrior phone stand
  • Ringly
  • Shroom LED lamp, MP3 player
  • Water Dancing Speakers
  • Fitbit charge
  • Beats by Dr. Dre headphones
  • Turtle Beach Xbox One gaming headset
  • Touchies
  • Misfit Shine
  • Converge Charging Station
  • Dr Who Tardis Projection Alarm Clock
  • Kindle Paperwhite
  • USB clock fan
  • Parrot AR.Drone
  • DIY Gamer Kit
  • Roku streaming stick

If you're willing to look, there are some excellent tech gadgets and gifts out there that don't require a second mortgage.

Read More Read Less

Metal art mech warrior phone stand

Combining art with just a touch of geekery, the metal art mech warrior phone stand is the perfect place to stash your smartphone on a desk or the coffee table. Nuts, bolts and chains sourced from junk yards and fused together form the figure. However, due to the nature of the stand, only certain smartphones that are a maximum of 7.4cm in width and 1.3cm in depth -- such as the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S4 -- are compatible.

Price:£49.95 ($78)

Purchase: Red5

Published: December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

Caption by: Charlie Osborne

1 of 16 NEXT PREV

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Charlie Osborne

By Charlie Osborne for iGeneration | December 3, 2014 -- 09:00 GMT (01:00 PST)

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