Category: Uncategorized

What Would I Buy For the Holidays? My Top 15 Picks!

by Mario Armstrong

While we have tons of holiday tech gift ideas this holiday season (for all of our guides visit www.marioarmstrong.com/holiday-2012), but what would I spend my OWN money on? Here’s my list of the top 15 gifts I would buy for others this holiday season!

SOL REPUBLIC Headphones

These sound awesome, are durable as heck & start at only $99! And they are totally fashionable. You can swapout the headbands, the speakers, the cable to mix and match colors for your own style.

iPhone 5

What else is there to say about this phone? Nothing! Unless you are talking to Siri :-)

Sony Tap 20

This multitouch Windows 8 device is HUGELY AWESOME. It’s a real All-in-One computer that is the 1st I now of that can also run on battery and be carried around the house and be used as a HUGE tablet – where multiple people can touch at the same time. My holiday DIY project is to turn this into a killer coffee table (and I’m dead serious)

HMDX Jam Bluetooth speakers

1st the packaging is just brilliant! These things come in an actual JAM jar! 2nd they are durable, I take it to the beach and everywhere else I travel. The HMDX Jam brings awesome sound to your phone or tablets puny speakers. And for under $40 I thought they would sound crappy BUT these things sound AMAZING. Did I tell you I’m a DJ so I have a good ear for sound?

Lifeproof Cases

For you crazy outdoor enthusiasts, or just clumsy folks who shouldnt be carrying tech without protection :-) They arent cheap BUT neither was that iPhone or iPad so protect that investment. This is the last case you’ll ever need. Drop it in water up to 6.6 feet take it to the slopes, these cases can take it.

SkinitCases.com

If you aren’t a total klutz then personalization is what you want. I love this site to create personalized covers for phones, tablets, laptops, even gaming systems! You upload your own image and apply it to the case you want and BAM—someone will think you really care about them because it’s custom!

Canvas Prints at Staples

These blew me away. I never knew a photo shot from my smartphone could look so awesome as a canvas print and be done for $29.00. Staples really nailed this one.

Memories are more important to me than things, so when I saw this I went a little nuts and bought like 5 canvas prints for family members :)

Kindle Fire HD & Nook HD

This holiday season, there are so many tablets to choose from! The reason these two tablets is on my list is because I want to share a tablet with my son and I dont want to worry about him running into inappropriate content. I really like how with both of these devices you can have different profiles for each user and solid parental controls. If you share a tablet with other family members in your house and can’t afford to spend over $199 these are the tablets for you.

Pac-Man Fleece Blanket from ThinkGeek

This wonka-wonka blanket is all fleece and it keeps the old school gaming memories alive! ThinkGeek.com is one of my favorite sites. I really dont want to tell you about it because everytime I get something from here people always ask me about it. From cool t-shirts to techie cuff links to fun office gifts I love this site. Ohhh and it ONLY costs $24.99. Even Blinky is like damn thats cheap!

Powerbag

The bottom line is that I carry at least 4 devices almost everywhere I go. So needless to say, I’m always in need of power outlets! Not anymore, because this must-have bag has a built in charger and I can power up up to 4 devices at once! The only thing I can’t charge in it is a laptop but phones, tablets, ereaders, bluetooth speakers etc… EVERYTHING can all be charged while nestled safely inside the bag. Plus, they come in colors and different styles too.

Elgato EyeTV Mobile

Why? Just because! I mean I like my Slingbox (actually I really need to upgrade that, I’m like on the original version haha) but this is cool too if you dont have a Slingbox or want to get one. This is one of those gifts you’ll either know right away if you want or not.

AppleTV

Many people ask me if its a whole television? The answer no! Its a set-top box, a very small device that connects to your homes internet and connects to your tv. It costs $99 bucks and there are no other fees with the device. It gives you access to TONS, literally thousands of shows, movies, podcasts, news info and more. If you own an iPad, iPhone or Mac computer this is to me a must-have in the home because you can play content from these devices on your tv, you can even mirror exactly whats on your iPad on your tv. So your home and you want to show the latest home movie that you recorded or photos youve taken or show everyone a new app you love, with AppleTV you can hold your iPad in hand and without wires show what’s on your iPad on your TV screen.

Holiday Gift Idea: Give a Unique Case from Society6! (VIDEO)

by Mario Armstrong

In this video, Shy and I take a look at the website Society6 where tons of artists sell their art. The best part? Almost everything on the site is available as an iPhone case or a skin for your iPod touch! There are tons of cool cases to choose from, so it’s definitely worth checking out!

Liked this video? We have tons more holiday gift ideas. If you want the latest, you should follow me on twitter here

Give the Gift of Sound (Speakers for every Budget)

by Mario Armstrong

In this video, Shy and I take a look at three great speaker systems:

– Phorus PS1 Speaker ($199) and PR1 ($149) Receiver (for Android phones or tablets ONLY) – http://www.phorus.com/
– HMDX Jam: Bluetooth speaker with 12 hours of battery life – $31+ online from Amazon and other retailers
– iFrogz Boost: Near Field Portable Speaker – $32+ online from Amazon and other retailers