Tech gift ideas for the last-minute holiday shopper
It's a scene familiar to many this time of year: the tree is trimmed, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, but no gifts are to be seen anywhere. For the last-minute shopper, CNET Senior Editor Dan Ackerman has some great tech gift ideas.
From the BB-8 "Star Wars" robot to small stocking stuffers, Ackerman shared these highlights with CBS News.
Gift cards
They're not the most personal of holiday gifts, but gift cards are a good bet for anyone on your list and are certainly easy on the last-minute shopper.
"Companies like Amazon will email a gift card code, rather than a physical card," Ackerman said.
Beyond Amazon, gift cards from the likes of Visa and American Express provide options that are "nearly as good as cash," he said, but do come with a small fee.
Subscriptions
A great option might be buying a monthly subscription for popular services like Netflix. For the binge-watcher looking forward to the next season of "House of Cards," a streaming service subscription might prove a much-appreciated gift.
Stocking stuffers
Small stocking-friendly items Ackerman recommended include the Bluetooth-connected Logitech x100 portable speaker, which runs about $40 and lets the user play their favorite music anywhere.
"I found it super useful whenever I wanted to get my phone to broadcast louder," he added.
For kids looking for Santa to bring them new toys, Ackerman said another stocking stuffer trend this year is Blind Box toys. Selling for about $5, the boxes contain mystery collectible figurines. You never know exactly what you'll find.
Of course, the popular action figures this year would be anything "Star Wars." Ackerman said that adults and kids alike have been trying to snatch up the latest pint-sized Jedis.
Robots
Not necessarily able to seamlessly fit in a stocking, the BB-8 "Star Wars" robot is such a top-selling item that it's very hard to find.
"You have to learn how to pilot it (the robot) with your phone. It's a little tough, it's almost a little like flying a drone or a remote-controlled car," Ackerman said.
Another smart device is the Amazon Echo, which recognizes the user's voice to become something of the ultimate personal home assistant.
"I was super skeptical at first," Ackerman said of the device. But then, "I played around with one and said, 'Now I have to get one of these.' "
