VANCOUVER -- With many people still out of work and some working reduced hours, it’s not a bad year to try to save some money during the holidays. But that doesn’t mean your gift-giving has to suffer. There are some great tech options that won’t break the bank.
For $70, the Amazon Fire 7 tablet is a good buy, according to Consumer Reports’ Mary Beth Quirk.
“This is a great low-cost tech idea for kids,” she says. “It lets you create profiles so everyone has their own home screen and the apps that they want.”
And although the display quality and processing power aren’t equal to those of an iPad, the Fire tablet does offer expandable storage with its built-in micro SD card reader.
Next, there’s the brand new 4th generation Amazon Echo Dot, which also costs $70.
“The newly redesigned Dot is in the shape of a sphere,” Quirk says. “And our testers found that this version sounds a bit better than its predecessor.”
If you’re shopping for someone who loves photography, there’s Kodak’s Printomatic instant camera at the same price.
“It’s the fastest instant camera of the ones we reviews, delivering photos in just 38 seconds,” Quirk says.
The Printomatic also stores your photos on an SD card, so you can print them out again, wherever and whenever you want.
If there’s someone on your shopping list who could use a little peace and quiet, wireless noise-cancelling headphones from Monoprice might be the perfect gift, Quirk says.
“Our tests found these headphones have excellent active noise reduction and very good sound quality.”
The noise-cancelling feature can even be used without having to listen to music or videos – ensuring your loved one will have a very silent night. The headphones cost $70.
With files from Consumer Reports
