Wearable Tech
They will appreciate any wearable technology, but here’s a few that will especially bring a smile to their face this Valentine’s Day.
Apple Watch
If your special someone is a die-hard Apple user, the Apple watch will tie into their lifestyle seamlessly.
The Apple Watch can be used to make payments easily with Apple Pay, it runs several apps available for iPhone, it can use Siri and it has a built-in fitness tracker.
In addition, it can be used as a shutter button for your iPhone, it displays photos and has even reportedly saved lives with its heart rate sensor.
At an incredibly thin 10.55mm, the Apple Watch Series 1 packs the hear rate sensor, an activity tracker and a haptic engine.
The Apple Watch Series 3 is 11.4mm thick and includes an internal GPS. Along with, there are two varieties, with or without cellular capabilities.
Keep in mind, the Apple Watch comes in two different sizes, 42mm and 38mm. However, the 42mm will give you more bang for your buck as it’s only ~$20 more.
On the other hand, if your special someone has a smaller wrist, the 38mm option may be a better fit.
Here’s a review on the Apple Watch.
Buy the Apple Watch Series 3 (42mm) GPS only on Amazon
Buy the Apple Watch Series 1 (42mm) on Amazon
Buy the Apple Watch Series 1 (38mm) at Amazon
Android Wear Watches
Unlike the Apple Watch, Android has a multitude of different watch brands to choose from.
Much like the Apple Watch’s Siri personal assistant, these Android watches all feature Google’s own “OK Google” personal assistant.
Here are the most popular Android watches.
LG Watch Style
The LG Watch Style is thin – 10.79mm thin to be exact, with a 1.2in screen size.
Use the rotatable crown to quickly navigate the interface and change the watch settings.
Buy the LG Watch Style on Amazon
LG Watch Sport
In comparison to the LG Watch Style, the LG Watch Sport features a thicker appearance (roughly 3mm thicker at 14.2mm.)
In addition, it features a slighter larger 1.38in screen size.
This watch is geared more for active people, or those into fitness. Featuring a built-in GPS, SIM card slot and heart rate sensor.
Buy the LG Watch Sport on Amazon
Asus ZenWatch 3
Asus went with the traditional luxury watch approach, featuring an Italian stitched leather strap, stainless steel colors and diamond cut bezel.
This watch fits much like a traditional watch at only 9.95mm thin.
Along with its luxury style, the Asus ZenWatch 3 allows for customized watch faces and smart features such as an activity tracker, calendar and message display.
Buy the ASUS ZenWatch 3 on Amazon
Bluetooth Speakers
Bluetooth speakers or headphones are a must have for any web designer.
Playing Chillstep or Lo-Fi Hiphop music in the background helps with creativity.
There’s even a study proving this – listening to “happy music” contributes to higher creativity.
Let’s take a look at the most popular bluetooth speakers.
Amazon Echo
For web developers and techies in general, the smarter the device the better.
Check out Amazon Echo’s most popular features:
- Handsfree calling and texting
- Spotify streaming
- TuneIn radio and iHeartRadio and Pandora streaming
- Plays audiobooks from Audible
- Can be used as an alarm clock to wakeup to music
- Can speak news and traffic updates
- Weather forecasting
- Sports updates
- Amazon order tracking and placement
- Read out recipes
Look:
Here’s a video demonstrating the Amazon Echo’s basic features.
Google Home
As for most smart bluetooth speakers, the features here are much the same as that of Amazon Echo’s.
Check out some of the basic features of Google Home.
The Cheaper Alternative
If you’re looking for the cheap option of the Amazon Echo or Google Home, you’re in luck.
They both have cheaper options with much of the same features.
Watch this great video comparison of the Amazon Echo Dot and Google Home Mini.
Buy the Amazon Echo Dot on Amazon
Graphic Tablet
When sketching out concept designs, website mockups, drawing and even signing contracts… Graphic tablets come in handy.
Here are the most popular drawing tablets I found for you.
The Huion H420
Huion’s H420 is a 10×7.5in drawing tablet that exceeds expectation for a cheaper graphic tablet.
With 600 reviews and an average 4 star rating on Amazon, this is a good cheaper $30 alternative to the bigger brand Wacom.
This tablet includes a cleaning kit, 10in wool liner bag, replaceable pen tips, usb cable and anti-fouling glove.
It’s main specs:
- 10×7.5in
- 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity
- 4000 LPI resolution
Here’s a video review of the Huion H420 drawing tablet.
Wacom Intuos Draw CTL490DW
In comparison to the Huion H420, here’s the cheapest Wacom tablet – the CTL490DW for $79.
Though, it is a more well-known brand – at only 6×3.7in it is much smaller in comparison.
and its specs:
- 6×3.7in
- 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity
- 2540 LPI resolution
Check out this video review of the Wacom Intuos Draw CTL490.
Huion KAMVAS GT-191
In case your special someone is also into art, graphic design or serious doodling… The Huion KAMVAS GT-191 may be better suited for them.
Here’s a list of specs:
- 19.5” screen
- 1920×1080 screen resolution
- 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity
- 5081 LPI resolution
Concluding
In this article, I went over some of the more utility gift items you could get a web designer or developer for Valentine’s Day.
As a designer, you just never have enough tools to work more efficiently. These gifts are sure to bring a smile to their face this Valentine’s Day.
Leave a comment of your greatest gift idea and share this post with friends.