We’re back with the WiFi HiFi holiday gift guides! Each week, we’ll release a new themed gift guides, chocked-full of great tech gift ideas for different people on your list. This week, we’re looking at great gifts for business-minded individuals.
LG Gram Laptop
First seen at CES 2020, LG is bringing its Gram laptop to Canada, including 14″, 15.6″, and 17″ versions, each of which has an ultra-thin 0.7″ bezel and weighs under three pounds. They each come in a dark silver finish as well with an impressive 18.5 hours of battery life per charge, perfect for road warriors. Different configurations are available, offering full HD screens, up to i7 processors and 1TB hard drives, and Thunderbolt 3 Power Delivery (PD) for using an external display and/or peripherals without a power outlet. Constructed with a nano-carbon magnesium alloy frame, they pass seven MIL-STD-810G tests, which means they are resistant to shock, vibration, dust, and extreme temperatures. Pricing varies.
Apple iPad Air
It’s the perfect complement for business: the 10.9″ all-screen Liquid Retina iPad Air has an A14 Bionic chip, 12MP rear camera, and Touch ID sensor, and comes in five finish options silver, space grey, rose gold, green, and sky blue. Combine it with the Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio, and new Smart Folio covers along with a second-gen Apple Pencil and it becomes a laptop on the go. Use the 7MP front-facing FaceTime HD camera for Zoom video meetings and snap photos and u[ to 4K videos with the 12MP rear camera – the same used in the iPad Pro. Watch and listen to videos or virtual trade shows using the stereo speakers. The USB-C port provides up to 5Gbps data transfer, Wi-Fi 6, and 60% faster LTE connectivity. The tablet, of course, comes with the new iPadOS 14. It starts at $779 for the Wi-Fi-only model and $949 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular, and capacities range from 64GB up to 256GB.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano
This ultra-lightweight laptop weighs just under 2 lbs. and is the first ThinkPad to be based on the Intel Evo platform and powered by 11th Generation Intel Core processors. It is equipped with a 13″ 2K display, four speakers, and four 360-degree mics for enhanced audio and video.
It supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi 6 and optional 5G connectivity, and includes Thunderbold 4 for fast, single cable connection to power, monitors, storage and other external devices. It is also the first ThinkPad to feature an updated suite of AI and biometric ThinkShield security features, ranging from new voice recognition and human presence detection that enable zero touch login and device lock when the user walks away to the familiar Match on Chip Fingerprint Reader. Get the X1 Nano pre-loaded with Windows 10 Pro or Ubuntu Linux OS and you can opt for a touch display. It is expected to be available in Q4 2020, with pricing starting at around US$1,399.
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go
The Surface Laptop Go is a smaller and more affordable version of the Surface laptop, designed for students, remote workers, or others who need a compact device. Starting at $760, it is the lightest and most affordable Surface laptop to date boasting a 12.4″ PixelSense touchscreen display, large precision trackpad, and full-size keyboard with 1.3mm key travel. It can run for up to 13 hours per charge and includes Fast Charging. The sleek, streamlined design comes in three durable and lightweight metal finishes: Ice Blue, Sandstone and Platinum. Select models have a Fingerprint Power Button with One Touch sign-in through Windows Hello. One Touch sign-in also provides fast, secured access to OneDrive Personal Vault files and more. Surface Laptop Go has a built-in 720p HD camera and Studio Mics, Omnisonic speakers, and Dolby Audio. For connectivity, there are both USB A and USB C ports, an audio jack, and the Surface connector.
Microsoft Designer Compact Keyboard
Complementing the new Microsoft Surface Go laptop is this slim, narrow keyboard that is optimized for modern productivity with Bluetooth. With a three-year battery life and two colour options, it is priced at $90. It’s a great gift for someone who already owns a Surface Go laptop.
Plugable USB-C 7-in-1 Hub
Use this hub to power your laptop as well as up to seven other devices and peripherals to accommodate your work day, no matter if you’re working from home, the office, or on the go.
The hub works with MacBook Pro, HP Spectre x360, Dell XPS, Lenovo ThinkPad, and other laptops with compatible USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 ports. Cconnect an HDMI monitor, three USB devices to the USB 3.0 ports (5Gbps data transfer speeds), a microSD or full-sized SD card, and charge your laptop, all through one USB-C cable. With an HDMI- equipped monitor, television, or projector connected to a USB-C compatible laptop, you can enjoy resolutions of up to 4K 30Hz (3,840×2,160). The USB-C 7-in-1 Hub leverages USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode and USB Power Delivery technologies to support an external monitor and pass-through Power Delivery so you can easily switch between all offered ports while charging a laptop and ensuring power and work are never lost. US$29.95.
Rocketbook Panda Planner
For A-types who like order and lists, this reusable digital daily planner is a great gift option. It features several templates broken down into monthly, weekly, and daily sections for organizing your life. Rocketbook’s patented reusable technology means you can use and re-use the book, again and again. The Planner’s synthetic paper allows you to write smoothly with a Pilot FriXion pen, marker or highlighter and then wipe the page clean with a damp cloth, enabling you to use the notebook again and again. In each of the monthly, weekly and daily sections, the Planner comes with pages designed for setting goals, making plans, end-of-day reviews, managing projects, and tracking habits. The Planner also provides space to write down what’s motivating you, as well as an area for meditation and affirmations. It connects a variety of cloud services including Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, Box, iCloud, Slack, e-mail, and more for easy organization, uploading, and sharing capabilities. Use the Rocketbook app to scan notes, transcribe handwriting, and send to your favorite service. Then, erase and use it again. Seven symbols at the bottom of each page act as the magic “buttons” behind Rocketbook’s quick and easy cloud organization. First, assign each icon to the cloud destination of your choice. Then, when you mark that icon on your page, the Rocketbook app automatically files your notes to the right place. The Rocketbook app also crops and enhances each page. It comes in a number of colour options for US$35 in executive size and US$37 in letter size. Notebooks also include one Pilot FriXion pen and microfiber cloth.
Samsung 870 QVO SSD
Get a whopping 8TB of storage space, along with fast speeds and reliability, with this solid state drive that can back-up entire businesses, along with personal files and photos. Sequential read and write speeds are up to 560 MB/s and 530 MB/s, respectively with the drive’s Intelligent TurboWrite technology allowing it to maintain peak performance levels using a large variable SLC buffer. It also delivers a 13% improvement in random read speed as compared to the Samsung 860 QVO, making it ideally suited for everyday computing needs such as multitasking, gaming and web browsing. The renewed Data Migration and Magician 6 software provides new features, enabling users to upgrade, manage, and optimize their SSDs with greater ease. With an endurance rating of up to 2,880 terabytes written (TBW), it comes with a three-year limited warranty. In addition to the 8TB model, the 870 QVO also comes in 1, 2, and 4TB versions. It starts at $180 for the 1TB version.
Dyson Lightcycle Morph
For those who work in offices or, more commonly this year, from home offices, not getting enough sun and natural light can be a problem. Dyson’s new Lightcycle Morph isn’t exactly cheap but it’s an enticing option as a gift for someone who deserves who would appreciate it and benefit from its features. It tracks the colour temperature and brightness of your local daylight and adapts. And with four formats – task light, indirect light, feature light, ambient light – you can light your space for any occasion. It comes in two versions but the desktop option, $850, is ideal for an office space.
BenQ InstaShow WDC20 Wireless Presentation System
Simplify presentations for new or existing clients, potential investors, or your internal team with this system that lets you simply push a button to share up to 4K content to up to 32 laptops and four split screens so everyone can follow along. This eliminates the need for attendees to download an app in order to share the screen. It wirelessly connects each computer to a central display or projector without driver installation or compatibility with any OS or hardware platform. Any participant can take control of the meeting and share content with the group. Set-up and connection are fast and simple: plug the button into the user’s HDMI or USB-C port and tap it. It is compatible with all mobile devices and operating systems and works with any display with an HDMI port.
Shure MV88+ Video Kit
For small business owners and sole proprietors looking to promote their businesses through videos, or create their own podcasts and/or vidcasts, this kit is a great way to help them get started. It includes a portable microphone and accessory kit for capturing high-quality audio for video recordings using mobile devices while on-the-go. As an expansion of Shure’s Motiv line-up, the MV88+ kit also includes a Manfrotto PIXI tripod, phone clamp, and mount, along with iOS and USB-C cables; and has a headphone jack. Built on the success and classic design of the MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone, it’s designed for podcasters, videographers, content creators, field recordists, and musicians looking to record immersive, high-quality audio. Use it for standalone audio capture, replacing the need to carry a portable audio recorder. MAP$329 Shure.com
SureCall Fusion2Go Max Multi-User Vehicle Booster
For the businessperson who’s often on the road, making important calls and connecting to their office from mobile devices, this booster can help make connectivity more reliable when passing through rural areas, common dead zones, or spots when coverage is spotty. It incorporates the company’s patented Extended Range Technology (ERT), which improves data speeds while boasting increased operational reach between vehicles and cellular towers. ERT taps into the signal closer to its source, which improves the signal quality and allows for faster downlink/download speeds. With double the uplink power over other models, you can travel farther away from cell towers without losing signal. Compatible with all devices and data carriers in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, it supports up to five devices on the same network, increasing speed and reliability for voice, text, and 4G LTE data. It is easy to install using a magnetic mount that eliminates the need for tools, software, or service fees. US$499 Surecall.com
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Smartphone
It’s a no-brainer to get an Apple fan the new Apple iPhone 12, which is an ideal business tool as much as it is a fun device for taking photos, watching videos, surfing social media, and playing games. This one has an edge-to-edge Super Retina XDR display, Ceramic Shield front cover, and the Apple A14 Bioninc chip. There are tons of photography-related improvements, including a LiDAR Scanner for immersive augmented reality (AR) experiences, and MagSafe for high-powered wireless charging and attaching new accessories to the device. It comes in stainless steel in graphite, silver, gold, or pacific blue finish with 5G connectivity. The Pro starts at $1,399 and has a 6.1″ OLED screen the 12 Pro Max, with a larger 6.7″ OLED, starts $1,549.
Didn’t find what you were looking for? Check back as this gift guide will be updated through to the end of 2020, and check out more gift suggestions in our other Holiday Gift Guides.