Posted by: Contributing columnist, CLARION LEDGER FEATURE, BUSINESS, November 25, 2016: Now that the Christmas season is officially upon us, this is an exciting time to be looking at the amazing new technologies that have found their way into nearly every area of our lives. While gifts are intended to match what the receiver wants – not the giver – I think it’s also a great time to survey what is available and there is nothing wrong with picking out something for you as well. While many of my gift searches are related to my young family, I have to admit that I’ve discovered many things intended for children that are pretty awesome for adults, too, so hopefully everyone will find something of interest.
Nothing took up more real estate at the January 2016 Consumer Electronics show than drones, and their explosion in the marketplace has meant a lot of great choices for consumers for Christmas 2016. There are “pocket drones”, selfie-drones and drones that shoot 3D video and the prices have come down significantly. One really great evolution in the technology at an affordable consumer level is the use of virtual reality headsets that let you use your smartphone to see from the view of the drone’s camera. Drones with this capability are now available for less than $200. Considering that there is now a professional drone racing circuit, you can justify the purchase by hoping for a professional career if your child shows promise.
Virtual reality overall has improved tremendously and while there are truly amazing headsets including the groundbreaking Oculus Rift system if you are willing to pay for them, the most interesting developments have been with systems that simply insert your smartphone into a basic headset and allow you to see in virtual reality. The View Master™ toy that used to just let you click through pictures has been transformed into a 360 degree immersive experience and the proliferation of 360 degree video has really enhanced how powerful this technology can be. Even the Google Cardboard systems do a fine job of simulating virtual reality, but some of the headsets that include ear buds or headphones make for a truly immersive experience.
If you want to actually go places – or if your kids do – there are various new platforms of “hover-like” skates, skateboards, scooters, etc. that all function much like hoverboards. They have all taken balancing and gyroscope technologies to provide for a unique fully-powered riding experience. The big innovation this year isn’t just the cool designs, but the certifications from Underwriter Laboratories (UL) for many models. Considering the previous battery fire issues with cheap models, UL’s certification should be a starting point for any considered purchase.
I’m a big fan of play that is both fun and educational, and the development of robotics platforms that children can use to design different robots and scenarios has been a very active field. Although there are kits for pre-schoolers, like Kibo and to some extent Dash and Dot, most of them require a child to read. They almost all work with a tablet or smart phone. Some of the most popular include Lego’s WeDo & Mindstorm, and Littlebits, all of which are pretty powerful platforms.
Finally, for audio listeners – whether it’s music, podcasts, or audio books, the quality of Bluetooth headphones and ear bud systems have continued to improve and now offer good battery life and excellent quality. The most expensive name brand systems are still expensive, but many excellent systems are reasonably priced. For even less expensive gifts, simple items like multi-port wall chargers and tracking systems like “tile”, “TrackR” and others help avoid losing things both make great stocking stuffers.
Whether you are buying for yourself or others, there are new technology options this year across all aspects of life and nearly everything you’ll see will have been improved through technology. If you see something that I missed that needs to be on the list or if you have suggestions for the best technologies of 2016 or what we’ll see in 2017, I encourage you to email me. Those will both be topics of upcoming articles, so I welcome your input. Happy shopping!