2016 Holiday Gift Recommendations

Happy Thanksgiving fellow nerds! If you’re looking for a geek-related gift for yourself or others, I’ve got a few recommendations. Most of these were covered in this week’s Mac Power Users episode but not everyone listens to the podcast so here you go …

Bose QuietComfort 35s

Everyone keeps telling me how putting on Bose noise-canceling headphones on an airplane is like putting a pillow over the face of everyone on the plane. With these headphones, that is delightfully true. I bought a pair of these while traveling and can’t believe I waited so long. The 35s are the new Bluetooth version and they work better than expected.

eero Home WiFi

I bought a set of eeros earlier this year and then they sent me a few more when they sponsored the podcast. Sprinkle a few EERO devices around your house and it’s like wrapping up in a warm blanket of WiFi. I used to have dead space problems in my house, particularly near my teenage daughters’ rooms. They’d not notice (or not care) and end up on LTE, burning through our wireless allowance. With eero, no more.

Waterfield Bags

I bought a few more products from Waterfield this year. Whether you’ve got the smallest iPad or rocking the latest MacBook Pro, Waterfield has a bag/case/sleeve/backpack that will look great and last a long time.

Sonos

I’m officially a Sonos weirdo now with them sprinkled all over my house. That means that when I want music, I get it … everywhere. And loud. This year they added Apple Music integration which makes it even more awesome for Apple device owners. Start with just one piece and grow it slowly.

Anker Batteries

Anker expanded its line of external batteries this year so they have something at every size and price point. I’ve bought several of these over the last few years. I keep them in my bag and love knowing I’ve got a little extra juice … justin case.

Apple Air Pods

I like Apple’s new Air Pods. They were supposed to be out by the end of October but got delayed. Some rumors say we’ll have them available before Christmas. Hope springs eternal.