Greetings from Powered Labs this festive holiday season! In 2014, we saw lots of new developments in mobile technologies, wearables and gaming breakthroughs. For convenience’s sake, we came up with a list of categories to match every type of geek in your life. Our goal is to make everyone happy and make lives easier. So on that note, happy gifting to your loved ones!
Here’s a list of the hottest, geekiest items for the tech lovers in your life whom you love, and where to find them.
The Best Video Games of 2014: The Gamer
Budget: $20-$55
Because everyone has at least one gaming fanatic in their life, here are some of the top-selling and highly rated games of the year to add to their collection if they haven’t already.
Exclusive to Xbox, this new game designed by the folks of Call of Duty may have not only saved Microsoft but was a huge success for EA. Amazing graphics and the unique concept are sure to please the gamer in your life.
$25.99 //
Buy Here
This stunning war game converts even the queasiest of players to die hard Duty fans. Cinematic graphics, and an historical-esque storyline make this addictive as ever.
$16.99 //
Buy Here
Most gamers would agree that any year that there is a new Mario Kart out, is generally a very good year. You might think Mario Kart 8 would just be a slightly renewed version of its previous incarnations, but the anti-gravity racing features in this edition will change your mind about that very quickly.
$51.99 //
Buy Here
The Best Fitness Trackers of 2014: #eatclean #traindirty
We included a few other options in a previous post about fitness trackers, you can
check it here. For the Fitness aficionados.
The newest wearable by Jawbone is the self-proclaimed “First Truly Wearable Heart Rate Monitor.” True that. You can wear this to bed, in the shower and the battery life on it is great — lasting as long as a week between charges. Rather that using energy-hungry sensors to track your cardiac activity, this works by sending a little pulse into your body called bioimpedance, and measures its results, including your respiratory rate. Design notwithstanding, the UP3 is a very smart investment that could rekindle your lost love for long-distance running.
Think a weeklong charge is great? Well the UP Move’s battery boasts enough juice to last 6 months long, not to mention is dirt cheap. It can either be worn on the wrist, or can be clipped onto clothing, counting steps and measuring calories burned, and your sleep quality. This would be a great investment for someone who’s truly focused on their health, but doesn’t need all the bells and whistles of a full-blown smartwatch. Bonus is that it comes in multiple color options, too.
Samsung’s line of smartwatches have been getting accolades from tech experts since day 1. They set the tone for the wearables race from the beginning, and have continually stayed on top as one of the key players by pushing innovation and great design past Motorolla and other competitors like Pebble, which offer very different things with equally elegant design and functionality. The Gear Fit fitness tracker is no exception – it’s a beautiful, a reliable way to track your fitness goals and accomplishments, syncing seamlessly to your other Android devices. The battery lasts up to 5 days on a single charge, and this wrist candy is water and dust resistant. With this price point, we’d recommend it for someone who not only appreciates a good run with analytics to back up their fitness regime, but for the extra bit of geek who will appreciate all the tech that goes with it.
The Best Smartwatches of 2014: The super productive tech #geek
A smartwatch that’s also a smartphone, and as flawed as all smartwatches are, this is a beautiful one. Samsung is a pioneer in the smartwatch game, and will suit a geeky tech pioneer to unwrap one from under the tree.
Answer calls from your wrist, nonchalantly record video with its 1.9 megapixel camera, read messages and more with this wrist candy.
For a super productive geek who also has fine aesthetic taste (and wide wrists). This Android wear watch just got updated to the new Lollipop and its apps are getting better everyday.
The steel strap will cost extra, but the leather version feels like real quality. We love the analog interface option, and it’s great for glancing to see your e-mail notifications, Facebook messages, and more.
With up to 7 days battery life, this attractive and luxurious feeling smartwatch is a great gift for that special geek in your life. While it features a button instead of a touchscreen, the timepiece has received consistently strong reviews to back up its style with its intuitive interface.
Another great feature of the Pebble Steel is that unlike most other wearables, it’s compatible with both Android an iOS devices.
The Best Smartphones of 2014
Apple’s most anticipated product dropped a few months ago this year, and has been making record sales. With impressive specs, it will make a great gift to someone who’s been trying to ditch their embarrassingly outdated iPhone 3. Be nice, give a generous upgrade for those who have patiently waited.
Welcome to plablet land! At 5.7”, this smartphone is a beast, takes wicked photos with its 16 MP camera, and comes with a snazzy stylus that makes all iOS users instantly jealous.
Our Creative Director upgraded to this delight just a few weeks ago. Check out the satisfying unboxing video:
It’s been touted as one of the “prettiest smartphones in the land,” and for good reason.
With its beautiful 5.5” quad HD display…. Hold on. That’s right, a QUAD HD display. That makes this the perfect pocket brick for anyone who’s addicted to their phone and needs premium pixels like no other.
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or just have a giving spirit this season, we’re sure you’ll find the perfect tech gadget for the tech geek in your life. If you have any questions about any kind of tech whatsoever, contact us for a full geek review!
Happy Holidays from the crew at Powered Labs!
