Best Gifts in Tech: Holiday Gift Guide 2022
Technology is always evolving, so why not give your holiday gifts? When it comes to tech gifts this holiday season, Northeastern University faculty all agree that it comes down to the little things that make life easier or better on a daily basis.
Whether it’s a cutting-edge electronic notebook that makes studying and note-taking easier for a student in your life or a device that simplifies the two-factor authentication process we all use these days, these faculty-recommended pieces of technology will help make the holidays .
Next-level note taking
There was only one piece of technology that several Northeastern professors recommended: the Ratta Supernote.
An e-ink note on display, the Supernote is admittedly a bit pricey, but worth every penny, said John Basl, associate professor of philosophy, and Kristen Lee, senior faculty in behavioral science and leadership.
“Although it is expensive, it is worth the investment because of its tremendous versatility and impact on important areas of our lives,” says Lee. “The benefits of writing, reading and staying organized are all well documented, helping us maximize our understanding of ourselves and the world. Plus it helps with energy and time.”
The Supernote integrates Kindle, which allows you to read e-books as well as PDFs, and is sure to replace a standard notebook, reducing the amount of paper you or your student use each semester.
Bio-inspired robotics
Robots and drones are becoming more common, but these animal-inspired designs will help you stand out from the crowd, says Alireza Ramezani, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering.
For a gift that will get the whole house buzzing, recommend Ramezani Bionic Bird’s MetaFly or MetaBird. Controlled with a smartphone, these bug and bird-like designs have distinct advantages over typical quadcopters.
“These ornithopters … are easy to fly, robust and beautifully designed,” says Ramezani, who focuses on bio-inspired robotics. “Besides, they are different [from] conventional rotary-wing quadcopters that are noisy and intrusive.”
If you want something a little more earthy, suggest Ramezani Petoi’s robot doga smaller, cheaper robot that is “almost identical to Boston Dynamics’ spotmini” robothe says.
Useful shortcuts
When you lead a busy life, every second counts. This means even the smallest inconvenience can add up. Basl introduces two gadgets that can help streamline and simplify your life.
First, there is the Elgato current deck. Typically used by streamers and online content creators for video recording, Basl says it’s also useful for creating shortcuts for all kinds of tasks on a computer.
“I have shortcuts to mute/unmute my mic in meetings, shortcuts I use when I’m grading to paste frequent comments and shortcuts to open groups of apps I tend to use at the same time like my word processor and citation manager ,” says Basl.
Basl and Christo Wilson, director of Northeastern’s cybersecurity program, also recommend Yubico’s YubiKey, a two-factor authentication device. Instead of getting a push alert to your phone, you can tap this little USB drive that plugs into your computer.
Not only is it convenient, but it ups your cybersecurity game, says Wilson. After setting up an account and plugging in the YubiKey, Wilson says it “completely defeats phishing and password cracking attacks.”
Upgrading well-being
When it comes to tracking your health and wellness, Lee and Kathleen Mackenzie, a senior lecturer in behavioral science and applied nutrition at Northeastern, recommend Oura rings.
Although they look like an ordinary ring, Oura’s health monitoring devices are designed for more than just style. Oura’s ring and app work hand in hand to track your sleep pattern, heart rate and activity levels, all while giving you tailored advice on what your body needs. Oura also comes with over 50 guided audio meditation sessions to make sure your mind and body are taken care of.
“Achieving good sleep has become exponentially more difficult for a number of reasons,” says Mackenzie. “If you have sleep challenges, the Oura Ring is not only the best device for collecting and tracking sleep data, it also provides the user with tips and guidance on how to get quality sleep based on the data.”
Stay charged
With all this technology, it’s important to stay charged. There’s nothing worse than going to use a device and realizing you’re low on battery. Fortunately, Wilson has a solution for that.
It’s not an exciting gift, but he says Anker’s gallium nitride device chargers are life changers.
“They’re much smaller than the chargers that come with your phone or laptop, they charge your phone faster, and the high-wattages can charge multiple devices at once,” says Wilson.
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