You may have found yourself in this situation before: you have a friend, relative, or colleague obsessed with getting the newest technology or gadget that is currently available out there. Their birthday or a big holiday is coming up, and you want to surprise them with the latest, coolest tech gift…but you have absolutely no idea where to start. After all, it seems every aspect of daily life is getting upgraded in some way or another. Moreover, if your friend is interested in a particular hobby or passion that you know nothing about, it can be even harder to know how to impress them with good tech gift ideas.
Yes, figuring out just what to opt for can be confusing or just downright frustrating. To take away the stress, we’ve compiled a list of the top gift ideas for that tech-obsessed person in your life who just can’t get enough of the latest and greatest. From car lovers to home improvers to Minecraft fans, there is something for everyone out there and in just about every budget too!
1) For the Home Improvement Guru: Garage Door Opener
For the friend that always seems to be off at the department store, a new garage door opener will act as a perfect gift. Why? Garage door openers are always in development and being upgraded with the latest and greatest in technology. Nowadays, you can have all sorts of cool features added to these gadgets, including Wi-Fi, LED lights, sounds…pretty much anything that can be associated with a Sci-Fi movie. Moreover, like other kinds of tech, garage door openers will need to be updated depending on different stages, such as moving to a new location or getting a new car. Even more importantly, the safety features of garage door openers are also always being improved, so if security is a big concern for your tech-obsessed friend, this will act as a particularly useful gift.
These great gadgets for garage doors can be found at various department stores or online on sites like Amazon, with prices ranging anywhere from $20 to $300. Note that these garage openers can also be upgraded by your loved one’s own hands, so they make great gifts for those that like to toy around with and upgrade new gadgets themselves.
2) For the Drinker: A Whiskey Making Kit
If that tech-obsessed person in your life is also a fan of all things alcohol, then a whiskey-making kit will be right up their alley. These kits come with all the necessities: a barrel, barrel stand, spigot, paper funnel, instructions, shot glass, and various essences, depending on your preference. Individuals who love learning about the technical process of drink-making will especially get a kick out of this present and can show off their new knowledge at the next get-together. Alternatively, if your friend enjoys a solo-drinking experience, this will make for a nice present to have set up at home. Lastly, these kits can be used over and over again, making them a useful gift for the long-term range.
Prices range from $25 to $100 for most whiskey-making kits which can be purchased at a local alcohol shop or online. As a bonus, you can often get the barrels engraved with a friend’s name or request a certain phrase, which can make for a fun little addition.
3) For the Business Owner: Printing Services
Business owners know that there are endless costs when it comes to operating a company, and they only seem to add up over time. One of those costs is printing services, needed whether a company needs to print cards, brochures, signs, or marketing materials like custom pens. To help take the stress off your business-owning relative or friend or even your own boss, consider getting one of the items they need to be printed for them. This is especially ideal if that loved one has a new business, and they are just getting it off the ground. On the other hand, getting new marketing items printed can give a business a boost if they need one or are hoping to do a certain type of marketing around the holidays. There’s no doubt they’ll appreciate you investing in their company as well!
Custom wholesale printing services can take place in individual shops or as part of larger office stores and prices vary depending on what you’d like printed. These days, many custom printing jobs can be found online rather than in-person, so that is probably the way to go.
4) For the Minecrafter: Minecraft Server Hosting
Got that friend that is always talking about Minecraft? Look no further than Minecraft server hosting. If you know nothing about Minecraft except its name, you’ll have to invest some time into reading guides on how to go about this process. However, know and love the program and feel good about your computer skills, this can actually be a super fun gift to spend some time investing in, especially if you are also tech-obsessed yourself! Some steps you’ll have to take include looking into domains and branding, downloading the right plug-ins, and hiring the right developers or builders if needed. There are countless amounts of guides on how to complete this process which you can find all online, such as on Reddit and YouTube.
This is definitely a tech-involved gift, so pricing and availability will largely depend on your experience. That being said, a Google search of Minecraft server hosting can give you a good idea of what you’d be looking at, time and price-wise.
5) For the New Homeowner: A Video Surveillance System
If your loved one has recently become a new homeowner, they may be spending a lot of time doing all sorts of home installations. A common step to take is to spend time doing a video surveillance system installation which can certainly eat up a lot of time. To save them that precious time (and money), consider purchasing a video surveillance system for them. The technology on these systems is often astounding, with all sorts of camera functions that bring home security seemingly beyond the 21st century. Many also come with features such as lighting, motion sensing, and timestamps in case an incident is caught on camera that needs to be reported. This acts as another great gift for safety-minded individuals. At the same time, many hunters love these systems, as they can spot animals that wander around their homes, letting them know what kind of wildlife is around.
This gift will be a little more costly than other items on this list, with many video surveillance systems averaging between $200 and $300. Luckily, there are a lot of different places to buy them for a cheaper price, such as Wal-Mart or Target. You can also find some deals online, especially around the holidays.
6) For the Outdoors-y One: Tree Trimmers
We all know someone who loves to be outdoors and taking care of business. To keep them busy, consider buying them a tree trimmer — a tech gadget that provides an incredibly useful service. There is a large variety of tree trimmers available, from big to small with varying amounts of electronic power built-in. Buying a tree trimmer for that active friend can also save costs on a tree trimming service, which can quickly add up. Even better, there are tree trimmers available for those with different levels of tree trimming ability, so this gift can also act as a motivator for a friend who wants to take care of outside business but isn’t sure where to start. This also acts as another terrific home improvement gift to keep a new home looking as fresh as ever.
Since there are so many types of tree trimmers available, prices are hard to pinpoint. Many opt for Amazon to buy their tree trimmers, with most coming in at less than $100.
7) For the Car Lover: A Dash Cam
A new gadget for cars seems to come out every two minutes. While this means there are many options for presents for that techy person, it also means that choosing just one can be quite overwhelming. For a car gift that never fails, consider purchasing the newest dash cam available for their car. Dash cams are a good idea to have for many reasons, perhaps the most important one being they can act as evidence in case of a car accident or other incident. There will be no more ‘he-said, she-said’ situations in the case that an incident does occur. Dash cams these days are wide-ranging, and you don’t need to go to your local automotive motorsports shop to grab one. You can find some of the best quality ones online with a sharp camera, loop recording, motion sensors, and time stamps. On a more positive note, dash cams can also act as a fun little tool to have during a road trip to look back at the travels you take with your loved one! You can look back at your driving adventures…or have proof if you need to prove to your friend that they are not the best driver!
Don’t worry about having to shell out a lot of cash — you can find dash cams for as little as $20 online. Your local motorsports store may even have them for cheaper if you’d like to save as much as possible.
8) For the Energy-Efficient Friend: Solar Heating Services
These days, solar heating services are a popular option for homes as they reduce air pollution and the emission of greenhouse gases….not to mention they can significantly reduce winter fuel bills. Since solar energy is a relatively new discovery in the history of the world, you know that a lot of tech focus goes into them. To impress your energy-conscious friend or relative, look into paying for solar heating installation services for their home. For this, you’ll have to reach out to local companies around you that offer these services, so it may take a little more effort, but the long-term benefits will make it all worth it.
This particular gift idea is definitely on the pricer side, with many installations costing a couple of thousand dollars. If your tech-loving individual was already considering investing in installation, you can alternatively offer to help pay for the cost of installation.
9) For… Anyone: Custom T-shirt
Lastly, for the ultimate wide-ranging gift, consider ordering a custom t-shirt. With custom shirts, you can get just about anything ordered, whether it’s an inside joke between you and your loved one or their favorite phrase printed. Even better, custom t-shirt printing is not too expensive and can be done straight from your own home without having to go out and shop for it. If you really want to go all out, you can look into adding on other custom fashion, like custom-printed sweaters, hats, pants, socks…just about anything. Even a simple ‘Happy Birthday’ t-shirt can be a perfect gift to have for a friend’s birthday party.
The price for getting a custom t-shirt printed can start as low as a few bucks. Of course, the quality will vary depending on which service you opt for, so you may want to invest a little more for a higher-quality printing service. A little research will need to be done to find the best price overall.
The options for presents for that tech-lover in your life are pretty much endless. As the world becomes more digital and tech-loving, there will be upgrades available for any kind of hobby, interest, or passion. The above-listed items are some great ideas to get you going and come in a variety of prices for all budgets out there. Impress your friend, relative, or colleague with the ultimate tech gift this year.
