Gifts we think seniors will love*
We recently took a trip to Best Buy to scout out some of this year’s best tech gifts (secretly we were also adding to our own wish lists). We were taken on a guided tour of the store and shown some really cool and useful items that we want – I mean, we want to tell you about. Many of the items we describe here work with your smartphone, tablet or computer. Some are enhancements to home and personal security, while others are just plain fun.
Cue the holiday music, here we go:
Twelve tiles beeping: tile is a nifty little device for helping you find your keys, wallet or anything else you have a tendency to lose. Use the app on your smartphone to set off a loud beep from the lost item so you can find it easily. tile starts at $25 and has a range of options and accessories.
Eleven doorbells ringing: The ring Video Doorbell allows you to see, hear and speak to anyone who comes to your door. You don’t even have to be home – your smartphone notifies you that someone is at or near your door. You can see and speak to the person and they can speak to you. If you have limited mobility you can let your visitor know you’re on your way to the door; if you see a delivery person you can ask them to leave the package around the side of the house rather than at the front door. ring has a range of home security options, but the basic video doorbell starts at about $179.
Ten thermostats learning: Even our thermostats have gotten “smart.” The nest Learning Thermostat can be controlled via an app on your smartphone even when you’re away from home. An Energy Star Certified device, it costs around $249.
Nine programmed lightbulbs: Like the nest thermostat, the Philips hue line of lighting products falls in the “smart home” category – everyday household devices that can be controlled wirelessly, away from the home, and in some cases just using voice commands. The hue starter kit which includes four light bulbs is around $99. Turn lights on and off while away from home to give the appearance of someone being home.
Eight DNA kits: 23andMe is a personalized genetic service that helps you understand what your DNA can tell you about you, your family, your ancestry, your traits and much more. After sending in a saliva sample you log on to the 23andMe website to read your results. Purchase the kit online or at the store for about $29 and then pay for either the Ancestry only analysis ($69), or the Health + Ancestry analysis ($169). Read more at 23andme.com.
Seven Fitbits tracking: Many seniors are already enjoying activity trackers. They can be a great motivational tool if you’re striving for a certain number of steps each day. We looked at the Fitbit and Garmin wrist monitors, two of the most popular brands. We saw at least one Fitbit model for $59.95. Activity trackers come in a wide range of prices depending on the number of “bells and whistles” you want.
Six bluetooth speakers: If you enjoy listening to music on your iPod or smartphone, a small bluetooth speaker can be nice to have around and especially nice in your car. Some models are no bigger than a bagel and can easily be carried around with you. Quality and price vary quite a bit, but the least expensive speakers we saw were around $10.
Five bluetooth headphones: Like wireless speakers, wireless headphones come in an array of styles, features and prices. What’s nice about bluetooth headphones is that one family member can listen to music or television through the headphones when other family members prefer quiet. You can even answer your smartphone with some models.
Four cool e-readers: We spotted the Amazon Kindle for $49, and the Kindle Paperwhite (anti-glare) model for $89. We recommend spending a little time at the store looking at e-readers before buying, to see which model(s) feel most comfortable for your eyes. Avoiding eye strain is critical to the enjoyment of e-readers.
Three photo frames: Around $40 and up, digital photo frames are not everyone’s cup of tea, but grandparents can really get hooked on watching revolving photos of the grandkids while sipping their morning coffee.
Two little flashlights: LED flashlights have extremely long battery lives, which make them great safety tools when the power goes out. The prices are pretty great too – the little flashlights that attach to your keychain are as low as $6. We recommend keeping several LED flashlights around the house.
And a personal assistant for you: Say what??? We saved this one for last! For the daring souls among us seniors, you can bring artificial intelligence right into your home with devices like Google Home and Amazon Echo. Like Siri and Bixby, the personal assistants who live in our smartphones, these personal assistant devices live in your home and can look up information, keep a shopping list, play music, manage your schedule and control other smart home devices. Google Home sells for $129 (the “mini” sells for $49) and Amazon Echo models include $99 and $49 models.
We’ve come a long way from a partridge in a pear tree, haven’t we? Happy Holidays everyone!
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Special thanks to Sean Ray, General Manager at the Best Buy store in Woodland, for his assistance with this month’s column.
* Prices listed here are the prices we saw at the time we visited Best Buy and may be different depending on sales, region and desired options and accessories.
