The older people in your life might love tech just as much as the next, so what can you get for them?
Technology isn’t just for young people, because gadgets can be used by anyone. But if you’re struggling to work out what to get older generations and want something with a little more thought, these tech savvy ideas could work for relatives.
Apple AirTag 4-pack
Price: $149
If your grandparents are no stranger to losing things, you might want to consider a four-pack of Apple’s AirTags, especially if they happen to have an iPhone.
AirTags are a utilitarian gift, providing a way to keep tabs on things, ranging from a set of keys and even finding a car in the car park.
It’s one of those random gifts that could just help them out, sending the message you’re looking out for their needs.
Google Nest Hub 2nd-gen with Google Photos family album
Price: $149
A smart display with a way to monitor and track sleeping, Google’s Nest Hub 2nd-gen is this year’s logical choice for a smart display in Australia, and one you can set up with a family photo library you can update remotely.
It’s something Amazon smart displays aren’t equipped to handle in Australia thanks to there being no Amazon Family Photo Vault in Australia, but Google not quite placing the same restriction locally. Basically, you could grab any Google smart display, create a local Google Photos library, and share it with your grandparents, making for an automatically updated photo frame of sorts.
This year’s automatically updated Google Nest Hub photo frame just so happens to track your sleep, and look good doing so, we might add.
Kindle or Kobo with all-you-can-read book service
Price: from $100 to $399 for an eReader, $15 per month for the service
If you know a relative that loves to read, but doesn’t seem keen on going to the bookstore, you may want to consider a present that deals with both of those.
An eBook reader gets around that, and both major eReader platforms support all-you-can-read book services, which are basically like Netflix but for reading.
Whether you opt for something like an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite or a Kobo Libra 2 (or anything else for that matter), you may want to check whether the book reading service can be purchased as a gift. Previously, that’s not been the case, and so you’d have to buy the subscription for them, so make sure to set up the eReader for them after they open the present.
Facebook RayBan Stories
Price: $449
A curious take on the smart glasses, RayBan’s collaboration with Facebook makes for an interesting addition for the grands, with a speaker system for their phone they can wear without sharing music with others, as well as a camera so they can capture short snippets of life.
We’ve previously suggested the Bose Frames during our grandparent gift guides, and this is kind of like that; the Bose Frames are another good option, especially given the lenses can now be replaced with prescription lenses.
However, RayBan’s Stories sunglasses bundles in the ability to capture pictures and video throughout, making for a great way for the grands to have fun and capture moments for memories later on.
Withings BPM Core and/or ScanWatch
Price: $449 for the BPM Core, $479/499 for the ScanWatch (38mm/42mm)
A pair of health gadgets for the modern grand, the BPM Core and ScanWatch provide a way to track your health using tech.
In the BPM Core, it’s a blood pressure monitor (hence the name) with an ECG built directly in, while the ScanWatch provides a health tracker made into a smartwatch that not only has a large battery life, but manages to be readable by anyone.
Unlike other smartwatches, Withings’ approach to the ScanWatch is to make it an analogue wearable with a small screen for the smart stuff, so that anyone can tell the time, but still use the health features if they need to.
