Cool Gadgets for Geeks and Travelers Part 3, Great Gifts This Christmas

I’ll start with a few very practical home gadgets, most of which easily turn our residences into smart homes.

This wake-up light alarm clock from Dekala wakes you up with light gradually becoming brighter from 10% to 100% as well as radio or one of 7 sounds (including nature sounds like birds singing and ocean waves rolling in, and piano music). Light also comes in seven different colors. It’s a wonderful product that would also make a great Christmas gift this holiday season. Now at $37.99, down from $45.99.

Moving on towards smart-home gadgets, here’s DuoTen's Waterproof Bluetooth Shower Speaker with FM Radio and Beat-Driven Light Show, a bargain at only $32.99. Its bluetooth range is 66 ft. It has a suction cap on the back which allows you to easily attach it to your bathroom wall, pool, etc.

Now that you have music in the shower, why not have more color too? Introducing Whitelotous Colorful LED Handheld Shower Head! A fun Amazon’s Choice^TM bargain at $11.99, this is a durable shower head which may be especially appealing to kids and geeky teenagers. It would make a nice, fun Christmas gift too!

Amazon’s fourth-generation smart speaker with Alexa, Echo Dot, sells now at $49.99. You can voice control your music, your radio, have Alexa answer questions (or tell jokes), call hands-free, connect to other speakers in your home over Bluetooth, call friends who also have Alexa, and connect to various other smart devices such as lights, locks, etc. It comes with various privacy control options, including a microphone off button.

The Extra Bright Sengled Smart Light Bulbs (100W Equivalent) work with Alexa and Google Asistant for voice commands to turn them off and on and adjust brightness. You can also set a schedule for them to brighten or dim slowly. They last 25,000 hours and come with a 3-year warranty. Quite a good deal at $24.99!

Note that you can get $100 off instantly if you apply and are approved for the Amazon Rewards Visa Card (no annual fee).

A really fun gadget is the Treat-Tossing Furbo Dog Camera, also compatible with Alexa. You can dispense treats to your dog via an app, and also talk to your talk via the same app if Furbo detects barking or the camera detects that your dog spends too much time mopping by. You also get alerts if the camera detects too much dog motion, and at the end of the day you get a 60-second diary of your dog’s activity. Selling now at $164.50.

Moving now to home security gadgets, here’s the August Smart Lock Pro + Connect, 3rd generation, compatible with Alexa, selling now at $162.68, down from $229.99. It’s a wonderful product for people who rent rooms or who need someone to walk their dog, etc. Now you can offer them keyless entry by unlocking and locking your door whenever you want from a distance, and you can check if the door is closed and locked with August’s DoorSense technology. You can easily install it yourself with a screwdriver in ten minutes. Works with Alexa, Siri, and Google Home.

Another home security gadget I’d like to showcase is eufy EverCam, a.k.a. eufyCam, from Anker, the most-funded smart home product in history on Kickstarter, with 8,803 pledges totalling $3,139,558. This camera offers full HD video, two-way talk, night vision, and live streaming, and is waterproof and weatherproof like its competitors, but unlike them it gives you bank-grade encryption, and comes with batteries that last a full year! The camera also rotates up to 100 degrees on a ball-shaped mount which and you can install with a single screw or attach magnetically to metal surfaces. It detects body heat and body shapes, and recognizes faces so you don’t have to waste time on false alerts. And you don’t need a cloud subscription, as it has an SD card that can store up to 60 days’ worth of footage. 

Amazon Fire TV 4-Series 4K UHD smart TV is here with a bang this Christmas season, at a budget price! The 50" one sells right now for $329.99, down from $469.99, which is quite a treat for the holidays! AND you can get $100 off if you apply and get approved for the Amazon Rewards Visa Cards (no annual fee). Works wonderfully with Alexa.

The twist memory foam pillow from Dot&Dot versatile travel pillow we can use not only for neck support on airplanes but also at work to support your back or when you sleep or read in bed and need a pillow to support not only your head, but your neck as well. You can then use it when you want to powernap in a car, with your head leaning on the window. All in all, one of the best gift products around this Christmas season, as well as a bargain at $24.99!

Note that you can get $100 off if you apply and get approved for the Amazon Rewards Visa Cards (no annual fee).

The Envelop Gel Insoles provide full-length cushioned support for your foot for best shock absorbtion, with a honeycomb insert in the heel and lightweight silicone gel for the forefoot. They come in two sizes, men’s 8-13 and women’s 10.5 and under. They can also be easily trimmed. They massage the feet, provide arch support, reduce plantar fasciitis pain, thus relieving stress and fatigue on the feet, legs, and back. Some customers complain that these insoles move around in their shoes, so make sure you get them to fit the entire insole of the shoe^.. Selling now at $9.99! Happy customers say they’re as good as Dr. Scholl’s insoles.

If you’d rather go with Dr. Scholl’s Comfort Fit Orthotic Inserts, here are some of the best below. Just like the Envelop gel insoles, they help with foot comfort if you have to stand for a long time or if you walk or hike long distances.

Another non-electronic gizmo I recommend for travelers is the Ambiance Dry Shampoo. It works to both absorb oil and cover roots, which is helpful if you’re traveling somewhere where you can’t easily wash or touch up your hair. The versions below are for brunette and blonde hair types.

Since we took a detour to cosmetic products, let me just include a cleanser stick as well, since besides being nifty and geeky it actually helps lots of people whose sensitive skin tends to break out with soap or shower gel. It’s the Yes To Coconut Ultra Hydrating Energizing Coffee 2 in 1 Scrub & Cleanse Stick. It creates a lather when massaged on wet skin; needs you to rinse it with water. Selling now at $9.99.

Still on traveling gizmos, here is a bargain portable shower from Advanced Elements. It heats the water with small, efficient solar panels and holds 5 gallons. It has a side pocket for soap and shampoo and a water temperature gage, and it’s a steal at $34.99. It takes up no more than the space of a book when packing. It’s also quite sturdy. And you’re all set to take a shower on a campsite, at the beach (to wash off sand before getting in your car), or at your home, if you wish to save energy.

Also, when is the last time you picked up a good travel-size vacuum cleaner? Enter Hotor Vacuum Cleaner, with 106W power and LED lighting, and a stainless steel, washable Hepa filter, for which you will get free replacements. It has no power supply but it easily plugs into the car’s cigarette lighter socket and works like a charm in seconds. It comes with 3 nozzles and a complimentary carry bag. Selling now for $29.99, down from $33.99.

Moving on with electronic gadgets, here’s the PhoneSoap version 3 UV-C Light Sanitizer and dual universal cell phone charger. It’s created to sanitize phones (in six minutes) but you can also use it with other items: keys, pacifiers, small travel toothbrushes, smart watches, headphones, etc. You can also use PhoneSoap to charge your phone if you leave it overnight in the sanitizer compartment, and use the extra 2 USB ports to charge other devices at the same time. If you think you can clean your phone with wipes or alcohol, think again. You can’t reach all the little indented spaces with your wipe, and this sanitizer is proven to kill 99,99% of the germs. Now $79.95.

Update November 22, 2021: This product is currently not available on Amazon.

Another very useful UV sanitizing device is the Comyan Shoes UV and Ozone Sterilizer. You put the lamp inside your shoes, sneaker, cleats, etc., and it removes 99,99% of bacteria (and fungus, and stink) in 15 minutes. Very helpful for those prone to athlete’s foot and it’s also really effective at removing offensive smells. According to one Amazon customer, shoes do, indeed, give off an ozone-like smell after using it. An Amazon’s Choice^TM at $46.99.

Update October 18, 2020: This product is currently not available on Amazon.

The GravityLight lamp uses gravity to power to LED lamps of up to 15 lumens. You hang the lamp and fill a provided bag with up to 26 pounds of weight; then you pull a cord and as the bag descends you have 20 minutes of light. The project, from Deciwatt, was funded with Indiegogo. It’s meant to help off-grid, non-electrified homes which otherwise resort to kerosene lamps (which give off harmful fumes and are also prone to explosions), and also help in emergencies or whenever we want a little bit more clean energy. Every purchase of a GravityLight lamp funds The GravityLight Foundation, whose mission is to "eradicate kerosene lighting in the developing world." An Amazon’s Choice^TM at $59.89.

This is a solar-charged collapsible lantern, perfect for use on the beach or while camping. It's about half an inch when you "crush" it, making it an easy item to carry along, especially if you're backpacking. While one of its selling points is its built-in solar panel, it can also be charged via USB. It's also a fun product, with six light color choices. Runs up to 35 hours on low. Goal Zero's tagline is "Power. Anything. Anywhere."

Update October 18, 2020: This product is currently not available on Amazon.

Since I mentioned emergencies and lack of electricity, here’s another useful device, the Esky Emergency Radio, Flashlight, and Solar Power Bank, which can use electricity via USB ports or with 3 AAA batteries, but, failing that, can also be charged using solar energy (has a solar panel on one side) or by hand cranking. As a result, it’s not only a radio and a flashlight, but also a power bank for other electronic devices, like smartphones, in an emergency. It also sends out loud emergency signals. The battery of this model is upgraded at 2000 mAh, and one charge gives 10 hours of light or 8 hours of radio time.

If you’d rather print from your smartphone, you can try the popular KODAK Step Wireless Mobile Photo Mini Printer. You can edit your photos in the free Kodak App and then send them to this printer for smudge-proof, tear-resistant, and water-resistant 2”x3” zink (zero-ink) prints. It’s ultra portable and it connects to your smartphone or other mobile devices via Bluetooth or NFC. The app offers filters, borders, stickers, and other fun options. Now $69.99 -- another great Christmas gift and Instagram-friendly gizmo!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this selection and found a few items that you like. If you think these products could interest other people as well, please consider sharing this page through social media. It would be much appreciated, as I put a lot of work into culling through products and making this page.

All prices current as of the last update of this page.