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High-Tech Gifts Are Sure to Make Everyone s List this Year

From smartwatches and e-readers to sleep-inducing earbuds and stay-warm mugs

GETTY IMAGES Every year we resolve to move more, read some beloved books, listen to some invigorating music or scintillating podcasts, and spend some time relaxing. But first come the holidays and the stress of finding exactly the right presents for family and friends. If they’re into technology — or should be — you can help them with their January , and you don’t have to be a “digital native” to pick some great gifts that they'll use over and over. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Yes, some of the most can be expensive. But at least one tech find below that can help on those long winter nights is 20 bucks. And another might cost you less than $30 if you move quickly. You often can find decent deals in the month before Thanksgiving and during Cyber Monday sales four days after Thanksgiving. Plus, devices that debuted last year can be a great way to introduce someone less comfortable with technology to something more affordable.

More smartwatch features promote fitness

A Samsung Galaxy Watch5, right, next to a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 mobile phone, can analyze sleep patterns and create a five-week program to help create better sleep habits. Adam Berry/Getty Images You may think a smartwatch is something no one really needs — until you try one. Then you might want to share the experience with others on your gift list. Not only do and motivate a wearer to get moving, but they also can analyze sleep, push notifications such as text messages to your wrist and often stream music to wireless earbuds when out for a walk. Bands, available from the manufacturer or other online retailers, are easy to swap out to match an ensemble or replace if one gets damaged. For Apple aficionados, the Apple Watch SE, the least expensive of Apple’s current crop of smartwatches, is both fashionable and functional. It has a huge collection of watch faces and band colors to match your ensemble. Apple Pay allows you to at the checkout counter to buy something, Apple Maps can help you , and Siri lets you use your voice to . New to this year’s model is crash detection, which can determine if you’ve been in a and your emergency contacts, and share your location info. Battery life: 14 to 18 hours Price: from $249 For Android phone owners, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 is also a water-resistant smartwatch that features , a sapphire crystal face for durability, and a Samsung body analyzer that can track body composition based on weight, body fat, (BMI) and skeletal muscle. Battery life: 24 to 50 hours Price: from $280 A less expensive alternative. Google’s Fitbit Luxe is a stylish, — not a smartwatch — that doubles as jewelry. It will show the time and can track your activity and health, including detecting an irregular heart rhythm, but won’t handle contactless Fitbit Pay transactions or making calls from your wrist. An Android or Apple smartphone can connect through the Fitbit mobile app for push notifications, but because of the Fitbit’s screen size, you’ll probably feel more comfortable reading the data that the fitness tracker collects from your smartphone app. Battery life: up to five days Price: from $130

Bookworms can build the library of their dreams

The brightness of the front light on Amazon's 2022 Kindle is adjustable in case you find yourself engrossed in a great read while your spouse is fast asleep. Amazon If curling up with a great book is a favorite pastime, a couple of new can supersize the experience. Budget buy. The 2022 Kindle, Amazon’s 11th generation of these e-readers, is the lightest and most compact so far. Its 6-inch display, measured on the diagonal, has a high-resolution 300 pixels per inch and is anti-glare for extra clarity. An adjustable front light lets you read when a room is too dark for a conventional book. Its 16 gigabytes (GB) of storage can hold thousands of books without anyone having to build more bookshelves. Technology & Wireless 20% off online printing services See more Technology & Wireless offers > Battery life: Rakuten says “weeks”; four tech website reviews got eight days to two weeks. Price: $130 Also consider two 10.3-inch e-readers that are not waterproof but have styluses for note-taking: Kobo Elipsa, $400; reMarkable 2, $299. For tablet lovers. If you have a healthier budget and want a device that can do much more than display e-books, . The new 10th generation Apple iPad features a bright and colorful 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, powerful A14 Bionic chip, and works with a Magic Keyboard Folio and Apple Pencil, both sold separately. Its lowest-price model has 64GB. Battery life: up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi, nine hours using cellular network Price: from $449, combination keyboard and case from $249 Also consider: the 10.5-inch Android Samsung Galaxy Tab A8, from $180; the 11-inch Windows HP Tablet 11, $600

Cut the cord on audio devices

A pair of Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, center, can block out noise around you while you're listening to music and stop the song when you start talking to someone else. Neil Godwin/Future Publishing via Getty Images Not only are a pair of wireless ideal for those who love music, but they can also be used to and , stream audio from a and take calls hands-free from a nearby smartphone. Over-ear headphones. One of the highest-rated headphones this year, the Sony WH-1000XM4 offers a comfortable fit, good sound quality and powerful (ANC) capabilities. As soon as you speak to someone, a handy “speak to chat” feature stops the music and lets in surrounding sound so you can conduct a conversation. A 10-minute quick charge yields five hours of music playback when the battery is low. Battery life: 16 to 30 hours Price: $350 Also consider: House of Marley’s Positive Vibration XL or JBL Live 460NC wireless headphones, both $100 Smaller, in-ear option. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II also feature active noise canceling for those who want some peace and quiet by blocking out the racket in a room, such as the constant hiss inside an airplane cabin, which is a lower-pitched version of white noise . Battery life: up to six hours AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. make it easy to bring to pool parties, on road trips and to a barbecue. Battery life: 24 hours Price: $51 Also consider: Anker Soundcore 2, $28; JBL Clip 3, $50; Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3, $100

Homebodies can snuggle up

in up to 4K resolution and with support for (HDR) for better contrast, brightness and richer color. Then have a “cuppa,” as they say , that will stay warm while you’re binge-watching. The Google option. If your smart TV doesn’t have all the apps that you want, Chromecast with Google TV plugs into your TV's HDMI port and includes a simple remote, plus you can use your voice by pressing the Google Assistant button to ask for something to watch. The home screen displays content from all your services, including live cable TV, all in one place, so no more switching among apps to decide what to watch. Price: from $20 without streaming service subscriptions The Amazon option. Similarly, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is Amazon’s most powerful streaming stick with faster app starts, smooth 4K streaming and fluid navigation, thanks, in part, to its . Price: $40; a “lite” version is $20, neither includes streaming service subscriptions The Ember Mug2 can keep your favorite beverage at your favorite temperature from 120 to 145 degrees, whether it's a cup of regular coffee or an apple crisp macchiato. Ember Precision warming for a beverage. The Ember Mug² lets you enjoy your favorite hot drink at your favorite temperature between 120 degrees to 145 degrees for up to 1½ hours — or all day when it sits on its charging coaster. A lid is also included to keep coffee warm during the morning commute without spilling it on the upholstery. Select your ideal temperature and receive notifications via the companion Ember app for both Android and Apple, and a small LED light on the dishwasher-safe mug confirms it has reached the desired heat. Battery life: 90 minutes, 10-ounce mug; 80 minutes, 14-ounce mug Price: $130, 10-ounce mug; $150, 14-ounce mug Also consider: OHOM Ui Plus self-heating mug; no app but the base keeps liquid at 130 degrees and doubles as a wireless charger for a smartphone or earbuds; from $88. Marc Saltzman is a contributing writer who covers personal technology. His work also appears in USA Today and other national publications. He hosts the podcast series and is the author of several books, including Apple Watch for Dummies. MORE FROM AARP AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Entertainment offers > See more Technology & Wireless offers > See more Technology & Wireless offers > See more Travel offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS