The passing of the Black Friday ads on Thanksgiving is almost as sacred as pumpkin pie in my family. It is a time-honored tradition in our home.
My sister Alyssa and I scheme on which stores are the most important to go to first. Plans are made, assignments are handed out to family members. It is not always executed as smoothly as it was planned. The prize? Technology. Black Friday is notoriously the best time to get the most current technology for the year for the best price.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I’m here to help you ahead of time — to give you a sneak peek at the most interesting technology that is available this holiday season.
James Bond had one, why not you? The Martian G2G Smartwatch can connect to your phone via Bluetooth, where you can answer your calls with a tap of a button on your watch or read texts just by looking at your watch. It’s like something out of “Star Trek.” Check it out at Martianwatches.com.
The one thing I’m fairly certain every parent wishes their technology was is waterproof. For the parents who have little ones constantly excited to try to flush things down the toilet, Braven introduces the BRV-1, the lightweight and wireless 5-inch speaker that is shock-absorbing and water-resistant.
Fitbit Zip is not your ordinary pedometer. It syncs stats to your smartphone or computer wirelessly. Keeping track of your steps as well as calories burned makes this tiny pedometer a big motivator.
Like being trapped in a desert with no water, we all panic when we see that last sliver of life on the screen of our smartphones, hoping we can make it to the charger in time. Backup batteries can restore life to our batteries. The Mipow Power Tube 2600 is a compact backup battery that comes in various colors and can restore your smartphone or any gadget to a full charge.
When it comes to tech and people ask why, I ask, “Why not?” No, I don’t absolutely need a Bluetooth virtual keyboard that is projected onto any flat surface, but why not have one anyway? This keyboard is projected onto a surface via lasers and is compatible with almost any Bluetooth device. That’s right, you can utilize this very epic keyboard with your smartphone or tablet. That’s not all: It also doubles as a virtual multi-touch mouse. Thinkgeek.com, just take my money like you always do.
Not all the tech this year is completely new. Apple reintroduces its iPod Nano. The iPod Nano is barely thicker than a credit card and has a built-in pedometer so you can track your workouts while listening to your tunes. The rebooted iPod Nano also has (Bluetooth) wireless headphone capability.
Amazon, a couple of months ago, introduced their Kindle Paperwhite. This will be on a lot of students’ must-have lists for the season. The Paperwhite holds over 1,000 e-books, and has a nighttime reading light for those of us who try to cram 200 pages of history reading in one sitting. The Paperwhite also measures reading speed and can predict how long it will take you to finish a chapter, which can be motivating or disheartening, depending on the subject of textbook.
iPico has made a handheld projector for your iPod or iPhone device that allows you to project movies, photos and webpages more than 50 inches wide on any flat surface. Lying in bed in your dorm room, pop your favorite flick on your device and project it onto your ceiling for the ultimate big-screen television. iPico’s handheld projector is compatible with the iPhone 3GS and 4/4S, as well as the third- and fourth-generation iPods.
With each new year, our technology progresses, allowing us to experience gadgets that are closer and closer to the ones I saw on “Star Trek” growing up. So keep informed, and keep an eye on the science and tech section of The Signpost for up-and-coming tech toys for kids later on this month.
