What should you get for mom this year? It’s tough to choose the perfect gift that says, “I love you” while also saying, “I really thought hard about what to get and didn’t buy something last minute, I swear.” That means no flowers, chocolates, foot massagers, or gift cards. Instead, get her a high-tech gift she’ll be able to (and will) use all year ‘round.
Urbanista Phoenix True Wireless Earbuds
What mom will especially love about these earbuds are that they are virtually weightless so she will easily forget they are even there, despite her favourite playlist, podcast, or phone call coming clearly through to her ears. The charging case uses Powerfoyle solar cell material so it continuously charges as long as it’s exposed to light. With the battery reserve, she’ll get up to 32 hours of playtime, even when in low light conditions for an extended period of time. She’ll enjoy touch controls, access to digital assistants, and multipoint connectivity to easily switch from laptop to phone and back as needed. With hybrid ANC, she can enjoy her commute to the office or on a business trip with minimal distractions. They aren’t yet available but should be out before the holidays.
JBL Live 460NC Wireless Headphones
If mom prefers over-ear headphones, or likes having both pairs for different situations, consider these, which offer up to 50 hours of battery life (with ANC off) or 40 hours with it on. Running late and they’re almost dead? Charge ‘em for just 10 minutes for an extra four hours of listening time. With VoiceAware, she can control how much sound is let in while mic technology makes them perfect for phone calls. Multi-point connection, the comfort-fit fabric headband with soft ear cushions, auto play and pause, Google Fast Pair, and customized sound via the My JBL Headphones app and these will quickly become her favourite pair of ‘phones for travel. $170
Marshall Emberton Portable Speaker
If mom has a taste for classic, retro design with clean lines, she’ll fall in love with this portable speaker. Sporting the distinct Marshall signature on the front, it’s louder than it looks like it might be. Using True Stereophonic, a unique multi-directional sound from Marshall, she’ll hear the music no matter where she is in the room. Likely running around doing chores. With 20 hours of playtime, she won’t have to keep charging it so often either. She’ll enjoy the rich, beautiful sound whether she’s listening to tunes in the background or relaxing with her favourite playlist or podcast. $240.
Kindle Scribe eReader
The Kindle Scribe isn’t your typical eReader: it allows for both reading and writing experiences with a feel like real paper. It comes with a 10.2-inch 300ppi display, adjustable front light, and the ability to add handwritten sticky notes to pages, perfect for mom to jot down her thoughts for the next book club meeting or on the report she’s reading for work. It comes in Tungsten and 16, 32, or 64GB capacities, and with a battery-free Basic Pen. If you think they’ll be jotting down a ton of notes, upgrade them to the Premium Pen that includes an eraser and customizable shortcut buttons, which is sold separately. Pricing starts at $429.
Amazon Kindle
For a more traditional eReader experience, the new Amazon Kindle is light and compact with a glare-free 6-inch 300ppi high-res display, up to six weeks of battery life per charge, USB-C charging, adjustable front light, dark mode, and 16GB storage. She’ll love the sharp images, ability to read in direct sunlight or at night, and the X-Ray feature for looking up information. From the Kindle store, she’ll be able to download books, get recommendations from the Amazon Book Review, and even read from self-published authors. If she’s a Prime member, she can read from a rotating selection of thousands of books and more at no additional cost. It comes in black or denim while the new fabric covers come in black, rose, denim, and dark emerald.
Fitbit Inspire 3 Fitness Tracker
Every mom of a school-aged child either wears a fitness tracker or wants one. For mom who is still sporting the same one she bought on a deal five years ago, it’s time for an upgrade. She might not need a fancy smartwatch, but an entry-level tracker like the Fitbit Inspire 3 will provide tons of premium features that she won’t find in her ancient (in tech years) one. Among this is 24/7 heart rate tracking, detailed sleep and stress monitoring, skin temperature, oxygen saturation, a colour touchscreen, impressive 10-day battery life, Active Zone Minutes, and more. She’ll get a six-month trial to Fitbit Premium, so by the time Mother’s Day rolls around, if she likes it, you can keep it going as her gift. It’s perfect if she likes to do at-home workouts, mindfulness sessions, or wants motivations programs to follow while she walks or runs every morning. Another good follow-up gift: a nicer band she can swap to when she wants something more formal. At $130, it’s a steal.
Google Pixel Buds Pro True Wireless Earbuds
I reviewed these true wireless earbuds earlier this year and was thoroughly impressed. While the Google Pixel Buds Pro are best paired with an Android phone versus an iPhone, particularly a Google Pixel smartphone, the sound quality, ease of use, secure and comfortable fit, and customizable app make them hard to resist. The Silent Seal is said to monitor pressure in the ear canal to make them comfortable to wear for long periods. Pairing is super simple, ANC and wind reduction effective, and sound quality stunning. I love the fit test in the app that ensures not only that you get the best sound but that you are wearing the right size eartip for your ears, and the useful and logical on-bud touch controls. $259
Blendjet 2 Portable Wireless Blender
I reviewed the Blendjet 2 earlier this year and it’s a wonderful option for busy moms who need grab-and-go breakfast, a healthy late-night snack, or mid-day fuel while at the office. Instead of grabbing for a sugary granola bar or expensive latte, they can bring this portable, battery-operated blender in their bag. Mix up virtually any ingredients with a liquid, like water, milk or milk alternative, or juice, and blend for mere seconds to have an on-the-go, delicious meal replacement you can drink right out of the machine. You get up to 15 blends per charge and it’s all stored in the cup with the leak-proof lid. Back at home, they can use it for smoothies, homemade dips, or even alcoholic beverages. It’s simple to clean and easy to fit in a large purse or the centre console of the car. I’d recommend getting the optional case for it and, if you want to go all out, a set of the Jetpack powders, which range from smoothie mixes to lattes, they can use when hunger strikes. Keep a small container of oat milk in their backpack, for example, and they can mix it up with this in a jiffy. The machine itself can be had on sale for about US$65 and the Jetpacks are about US$30 for a five or six-pack, but if you sign up for recurring deliveries, you can save over the long run.
Kokoon Nightbuds Sleep Earbuds
Moms need a good night’s sleep, and the Kokoon Nightbuds sleep earbuds can help them achieve that. Selling for $329, they fit snug in the ears to mask disturbing noise through intelligent noise-masking technology and passive noise blocking. Ideal for slide sleepers, the sensors also monitor your sleep to provide personalized coaching, insights, and tips. They also feature adaptive audio that automatically fades as you drift off to sleep. Body-monitoring sensors and technology help you understand your sleep, while personalized coaching through the MyKokoon app provides advice that is specific to you, based on your sleep habits and quality. At under 6mm thin, which is over three times thinner than an average earbud, Nightbuds are designed to be comfortable while being worn all night. Use the MyKokoon app to review your sleep insights and customize the relaxation audio experience.
Chipolo Card Spot Bluetooth Tracker
If mom is forgetful or tends to often misplace her wallet or bag, look into getting her a Chipolo Card Spot Bluetooth tracker, which uses Apple’s Find My Bluetooth network to help locate lost or misplaced items. Unlike other trackers from Tile and the Apple AirTag itself, the Chipolo Card Spot is shaped like a credit card, ideally suited to slot into a wallet or side pocket of a gym bag, for example. About $50 in Canada, she can find a wallet she left in the local coffee shop, or even at the airport or in another country, using Apple’s network of users. If someone finds it, they can view a message and your contact number once they scan a code and let you know where it is. If mom tends to misplace her wallet at home all the time (she left it in that other jacket or the purse at the back of the shelf), she can “ring” it from her phone to hear the 105dB alert from within a 200-foot range. It’s water resistant and uses a non-replaceable battery, so she’ll need a new one every two years or so. Through a return program, she can return an old tracker for safe recycling and get a replacement for half off.