Hey,
It’s Pete Matheson with a new issue of Experiments in Progress.
Gift-giving tech is a trap.
You either spend way too much on something that ends up in a drawer, or you spend nothing and hand over a gift card that says "I ran out of time."
The stuff I actually give people sits under $100.
The Gadgets I'd Gift Without Thinking
So here's my honest list.
🌬️ The Electric Air Duster: the gift nobody asks for and everybody uses
Nobody has ever put an air duster on a wishlist. And yet every single person I've given one to has messaged me about it afterwards.
If they own a keyboard, a PC, a camera, or a car… they need one. They just don't know it yet.
Here's the honest breakdown:
~$35–45 — for a decent brushless model with 100,000+ RPM
Pays for itself in about 4 cans — canned air is $8–12 a pop and lasts you a weekend
USB-C rechargeable — no more emergency Amazon orders mid-clean
Comes with nozzles and brushes you'll use more than you'd expect
The thing is, this is a product people won't buy for themselves. It always feels like a "next month" purchase. Which is exactly what makes it a good gift.
Source: YouTube
🔋 The Anker Nano Power Bank: the safe pick
The Anker Nano 10,000mAh with the built-in retractable USB-C cable is the one I'd go for.
~$30–46 depending on the model and whether it's on offer
Built-in cable
10,000mAh — roughly 1.5–2 full phone charges
Smart display — tells you the actual percentage instead of four little dots
Source: CNET
🔌 The Anker Wall Charger
Pair it with the power bank or gift it on its own.
Most people are still charging a $1,000 phone with the sad little brick that came with a phone they owned in 2019.
A 30W Anker Nano is about $20 and instantly fixes that. Small, foldable, doesn't hog the socket next to it.
🚗 The ESR Qi2 Car Charger: the one that gets used every single day
The ESR HaloLock Qi2 car charger magnetically snaps the phone to a vent or the dash, and charges it at 15W while it's there.
$22–36 depending on retailer and whether the coupon's live
Qi2 15W — works with iPhone 12 or later and Galaxy S23 or later
Vent, dash or suction mount
Works through a proper MagSafe case
Source: Android Guys
🖥️ The ESR Qi2 Desk Charger
A magnetic Qi2 pad or stand for the desk means the phone has one place it lives, and that place charges it.
ESR's Qi2 15W pads and stands run $16–30
The mini pad sticks to the back of the phone with a 5ft cable, so they can still use it while it charges
StandBy mode works properly on the stand versions
If you want to go bigger, ESR's 3-in-1 charges phone.
Source: 9to5Mac
☕ Neutonic
Neutonic is a nootropic drink: zero sugar, 120mg natural caffeine, plus the focus blend.
Zero sugar — the whole pitch is energy without the 3pm crash
Also does capsules and creatine sticks if the drink isn't their thing
For anyone who's already got smart lights and is quietly furious at them, this is the fix.
It's mmWave radar, not PIR. It doesn't detect motion — it detects that you're there. Which means the lights stop turning off while you're sitting perfectly still on the sofa.
Up to 30 zones in a 40m² room — sofa, bed, desk, each triggering different automations
Detects up to 5 people at once
No camera — radar only, so privacy stays intact
Works with HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home and Home Assistant
It's wired. It needs constant power. If that's a dealbreaker, don't buy it.
Source: AppleInsider
Google's screenless tracker, out since May.
$99.99 one-time and crucially, no mandatory subscription
7 days of battery
50m water resistance
AFib detection — at this price, that's a first
No built-in GPS — you'll need your phone for tracked runs
Ships with a 3-month Google Health Premium trial
💸 The Homey Pro mini
The mini is half the price of the full Pro and keeps the bit that matters: Homey OS running local-first. No cloud dependency, no subscription, no service getting discontinued in two years.
Matter, Zigbee, Thread and Ethernet built in
No Z-Wave, infrared or 433MHz — that's what you give up vs the full Pro
Pair it with a Homey Bridge if you need those back
🎁 Who gets what
If you're buying for… | Get this |
|---|---|
Literally anyone with a keyboard | Electric air duster |
The one always at 4% battery | Anker Nano power bank |
The one still using a 2019 charger | Anker Nano wall charger |
Someone who drives a lot | ESR Qi2 car charger |
Someone with a chaotic desk | ESR Qi2 desk charger |
The four-coffees-a-day friend | Neutonic |
The one whose lights keep turning off on them | Aqara FP2 |
The one who hates subscriptions | Google Fitbit Air |
The smart home obsessive | Homey Pro mini |
Best value on this whole list | The air duster |
📱 Enjoying this newsletter? Share it with a friend who’s as obsessed with tech as you are:
Google's just dropped a $99 screenless tracker straight into WHOOP's lap and WHOOP wants $199 a year before you've even started.
So I wore both. This is what actually separates them.
Whether a one-time $99 purchase really beats a $199/year subscription
How the heart rate accuracy actually compares under load
What Google's AI Coach gets right
Why step counting is a bigger differentiator than you'd think
Sleep tracking: whose numbers do I trust?
Bands, accessories and the ecosystem you're locking into
The Google Health app vs WHOOP's advanced health features
Charging and battery life across a full week
and more…
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this newsletter are affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services I believe will add value to you.