Christmas is around the corner and judging by the crowd in Mid Valley, I think it’s safe to say that many are already out and about shopping for their loved ones. Previously, we gave you some Xmas gift guide ideas for photographers and gamers, and today, here are some gift ideas you might want to consider to purchase for mothers. It can be your mother, a good friend who is expecting, or even your wife who’s taking care of your children, but I’m sure we can agree they all deserve a great holiday and some great gifts too.
Hit the break to check them out.
Smartphone casing (Otterbox Armour for iPhone 5, also available for other smartphones and tablets)
Ah, what can I say about this one except for I wish that someone has bought me a tough smartphone casing earlier. My iPhone has been dropped countless times and finally the display inside decided to shatter a few weeks back, leaving me with a half-broken phone that cannot be replaced via Apple Care and is too expensive to fix.
Let’s face it, our phones plays an important role in our lives and it’s impossible to live without one, especially when you’re a mum and juggling between taking care of your kids, the house, the groceries and more. A phone helps us stay connected to the outside world, take pictures and so much more; it definitely deserves some protection. The Otterbox Armour may sound a little extreme, but hey, since you’re getting a smartphone casing, you might as well get one that is “child-proof” – not only protecting your precious electronic device from scratches and bumps, but also being thrown around and drooled all over.
If the Otterbox Armour series is too big, bulky and expensive for your liking, check out some of the other Otterbox casings at their website. Otterbox also has a collection of other smartphone and even tablet casings for many other devices in the market. The one we have for review are the Otterbox Armour and Defender for the iPhone 5 priced at RM339 and RM189 respectively. They can be bought online at www.otterbox.asia.
Warning: Your slim and sexy smartphone will turn into a big and bulky brick-like phone.
Need I say more? The name of the product itself describes why it’s one of the best Christmas gift for a mother. It’s packed with kids-friendly apps that helps them learn and create, and when the kids are not playing with it, parents can easily exit the kids mode and use the tablet as a typical Android tablet (or, you know, try out the kids apps themselves). Moreover, 7” is the perfect tablet size, I reckon – it can be held in one hand and has a screen big enough for reading, watching video and playing games on.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 is now available in Malaysia for a retail price of RM799. Our very own Storekini.com is offering it for RM779.
Warning: Not for those who are strictly against gadgets for young children. If you’ve already bought it, just remove the casing and treat it as a “Limited Edition” yellow Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.
Camera – Sony QX100 Lens Style Camera
I strongly believe that tomorrow will not be the same as today and every day we live is a gift, and this means that taking pictures to celebrate each day is essential for me. I am running out of storage space simply because of all the images I have of my son but sadly, most of them are taken with a smartphone and worse, are all rather mediocre. I have a mirrorless camera, but it’s still too big and bulky and frankly speaking, I hate charging batteries.
The Sony QX 100 is the best gift you can give a young tech-savvy mother like myself: it’s much more portable than a camera of its class( the sensor is exactly the same as found on the Sony RX100 M2), can easily be charged up using a micro USB port and works with any Android or iOS smartphone. As I mentioned in my review before, it takes great pictures and while it still has its flaws, I can forgive them simply because the pros definitively outweigh the cons. If you do not have the budget, the QX10 is actually a pretty great choice too.
The QX10 and QX100 are both available in Sony stores for RM699 and RM1,499 respectively. If you’re lazy to get out, Sony is offering the QX10 in its very own online store.
Warning: not for the non-tech savvy. Teaching someone to use it isn’t simple.
Powerbanks – Silvertec Sanyo 4,700mAh Powerbank
Who can say “no” to more battery? With kids getting more tech savvy and with literally everything stored in your mobile phone, the battery in a typical mobile device just isn’t enough…especially if you’re stuck with an iPhone. My iPhone 5 barely lasts for 4 hours before running out of juice completely. It’s the holiday season now and with Chinese New Year is coming up, a lot of people will be going back to their hometowns and will be out visiting relatives the entire day, so what better gift to give a new mum than a power bank to help juice up her (and no doubt her children’s) gadgets?
I’ve been using the Silvertec Sanyo powerbank I got from Storekini and I’m happy with it so far, it’s not too big (it’s less than double the thicknes of a smartphone and about as wide as an iPhone 4/4s) and it has enough power to juice up my iPhone 5 and large Samsung Galaxy Note 3. The Silvertec Sanyo 4,700mAh power bank is now being sold at RM79 on Storekini for a limited time (original price is RM114).
Warning: Get original power banks from a reputable company. Getting conned with sandbags inside a plastic casing isn’t the worst as it gets; as cheap batteries that might explode isn’t what you’d consider a great gift, now isn’t it?
Ideas for the Husband
Image credit: Laniwai, a Disney Spa
And last but not least, for all you husbands out there who wish to get your wife something that she would really appreciate, I personally suggest that you offer to babysit the kids for a day or two, and give her a stack of fully paid spa and massage coupons, and maybe some shopping vouchers too or just give her that supplementary credit card of yours.
Merry Christmas to all and we at Lowyat.NET wish all you readers a wonderful end to 2013 and a better 2014 ahead, now get off your lazy bum and start your Christmas shopping if you haven’t already done so. Remember, do check out our Xmas gift guide for photographers and gamers too.
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