Did you forget to buy a gift for a woman this holiday season? Here are some suggestions that will help get you off the hook for being tardy. Though there are plenty of cool gender-neutral gadgets out there that men and women alike can appreciate, this list focuses on stylish gizmos aimed at capturing a lady’s heart.
Intel’s Mica
In the world of smartwatches, Intel’s Mica arm bracelet is the Midge to Apple’s Barbie. Developed in collaboration with Open Ceremony, the demure gold-framed, snakeskin-bound bracelet hides its curved sapphire glass display on the underside. It’s no cheap thrill either: This high-end wearable costs $495.
Functionally speaking, Mica focuses on making appointments and helping you keep them, messaging, and call notifications. The device integrates with Yelp to help your lady figure out where to schedule lunch meetings, and TomTom’s embedded GPS technology will tell her how long it takes to get to her next rendezvous.
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Be warned: Mica is not trying to go to the gym. The device does not track fitness or have any of that fancy pulse-taking technology that the Apple Watch or Basis do. Mica may not help your lady lead a healthier life, but at least she’ll look good doing it.
Mica does not sync with your phone. AT&T has an exclusivity deal on this device and payment plans cost $15 a month for 250MB of data.
Intel’s smart bracelet is only available for preorder — so at least your lateness is excused. The product will begin shipping in mid-January, though, so your lady won’t have to wait forever.
Fitbit Charge
In October, Fitbit unveiled three new versions of its health tracker, all of which seem more like smartwatches than the health tracker of the past. In addition to tracking steps taken, distance traveled, stairs climbed, calories burned, activity tracking and sleep monitoring, the Charge will also display text messages and incoming calls. The base model Fitbit Charge costs $130, but another $20 you can get the Fitbit Charge HR, which has a heart-monitoring sensor (the HR stands for “heart rate”). The third device, Surge, is the Charge on steroids. The device packs a 3-axis accelerometer, a gyroscope, a compass, an ambient light sensor, a heart rate sensor, elevation detection, GPS, and it can control the music in your mobile phone.
Like Mica, you can’t get any of these devices until 2015. Just make sure to send a card with a note that says you preordered the tracker, because you care about her health.
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Alternatively, if you must have something in time for the holidays, pick up the Fitbit Flex, which can be paired with this subtly attractive Tory Burch pendant/health tracker.
Parrot Zik 2.0 wireless noise canceling headphones
The Parrot Zik headphones are attractive but not overwrought, design-wise, and the sound quality garners solid reviews on Amazon, Cnet, and Forbes. Plus, its noise-canceling ability is said to approach that of the Bose Quiet Comfort 25, according to a Forbes review. What’s especially satisfying about these Bluetooth-enabled leather headphones is that they’re touch-sensitive, so you can adjust volume, switch tracks, and pause with just with a few taps.
Be warned these headphone require a mobile app to turn the noise canceling component on and off. They’ll also run you a whopping $400.
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Polaroid Socialmatic camera
Polaroid is betting that Instagram is the new Polaroid, and that’s just fine. A throwback to the Polaroid’s original instant print camera, the Socialmatic is designed in the image of Instagram’s logo. The square camera is Wi-Fi-enabled and both prints pics on demand and uploads them to your Instagram account. Nostalgically speaking, it doesn’t quite measure up to the Polaroid prints of my youth, but it is sleek. The camera prints pictures on 2-inch by 3-inch pieces of photo paper. The device is available for preorder for $299 and will start shipping on January 1, 2015.
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