In this upside-down world of a pandemic and uncertainty, thoughtful Valentine’s Day gifts with a touch of tech will go a long way. Technology plays a big part in our more complicated lives today, which sees the way we work and play changing. Whether its smart gadgets or cool ways of expressing ourselves, technology can make Valentine’s Day a memorable experience.
Here are some of our picks for great tech gifts for Valentine’s Day 2021.
Ampere Cell, UV Sanitizer and Wireless Charger
Express your love and care with Ampere’s innovative phone accessories like the Cell, an expandable UV sanitizer and wireless charger. It expands accordion-style to sanitize phones as well as laptops, tablets or other small objects. Cell’s four UVC LEDs safely remove 99.9% of bacteria and 99.9% of viruses from your phone or other items in just one minute. When you’re done cleaning, charge up your Qi-enabled device with two powerful built-in 15W wireless charging coils on the top of the Cell. It adjusts for multiple charging positions — flat, horizontal (for when you’re watching Netflix) or vertical (for FaceTime). And it’s portable enough to take from your home to your office. US$155
Philips Shaver S9000 Prestige
The ultimate shaver with rings coated with metallic pigments for superb gliding, this shaver has extra strong, sharp edged blades for ultimate closeness. It features three personal shaving settings: Sensitive for a gentle, thorough shave, Normal for a thorough, everyday shave, and Fast for a quick shave that saves you time. A BeardAdapt Sensor checks the hair density 15 times per second and automatically adapts the shaver to your hair. Shave wet, dry, or even while in the shower. Multi-direction ContourDetect heads follow every contour of your face, catching even difficult hairs. It includes a click on trimmer and a wireless Qi charging pad. This is the Philips Shaver S9000 Prestige on steroids. Do you think he’ll like it? $400
Personal NFC Embedded Cards
Give your Valentine’s partner a message of love only a phone tap away. These plastic blank business-size cards sell for less than one dollar and have a re-writable embedded NFC chip that can re-direct a smartphone with a simple tap to a YouTube love song or a photo slide show of favourite trips. Add a handwritten personal message on the white card like red hearts with an indelible red marker and short notes with other colours. Don’t forget to include a “tap here” message in the card’s corner. Download free NFC editing apps for NFC equipped phones (Android and later iPhones work best) and re-record a different link again and again. Or how about repeating the Valentine’s Day experience every day or week using the same re-writable card of creating new ones? Amazon has a large selection of NFC embedded cards, including colour ones.
Philips One Toothbrush
Let’s face it, brushing your teeth can be tedious and boring. But the new Philips Sonicare One ultra-portable toothbrush can change that. It’s small, light, and carries its larger and pricier sibling’s DNA including the right tooth and plaque vibration and two-minute timer. It’s the first battery-operated Sonicare toothbrush that features a clever and small space-saving case. It’s available in a disposable battery model ($35) in Midnight, Mint, Miami, and Mango colours for 90 brushing days or a rechargeable option, in the same sleek style available in Shadow, Snow, or Champagne for 30 days of double brushing ($55). The One is an easy upgrade from a manual toothbrush, with on-the go convenience without compromising oral care, all in a vibrant new style.
Vivid-Pix Restore
Got old and faded album photos that need some sprucing up? Unless you are proficient at restoring old parental photographs for a Valantine’s gift let Vivid Pix Restore automatically fix fading monochrome or colour pictures to snappy black and white or brilliant colour. It can also improve pictures from slides even faded old documents. Here’s how it works. Copy quality reflection-free and evenly lighted album photos, even small ones, with your smartphone using the free Google Photoscan app for Android or iPhones. If you have a scanner, you can also copy old prints and save those files in a folder. Then, upload the photos to the Restore app, which uses patented artificial intelligence software. It offers two restoration options: pick the most pleasing result from a selection of final large thumbnails or dabble a little deeper with easy-to-follow editing software. Although the site prints photo enlargement projects for a fee, there are also services like creating a downloadable Valentine’s theme photo card you can print at home or a local photo lab the same day. You can try the program for free – no credit card required.
Kamado Joe Charcoal BBQ Grill
The hot hot hot London Sunshine Ceramic Kamado Joe Charcoal BBQ Grill 15-inch in Valentine Red with Tabletop Stand will maximize the charcoal heat output in any weather. Just the right size for couples, it includes stainless steel grill grates with foldable side to add extra charcoal in the middle of cooking. Up to 1,000 °C heat resistant thick ceramic with a cooking temperature range of 180°F~750°F(82°C~399°C) allows you to cook by smoking, slow cooking, baking, grilling, and broiling. The Kamado BBQ Grill ($450) is a long-lasting beautiful masterpiece BBQ Grill that is by far more economical than buying a new BBQ every few years. It could reduce around 50%-75% of charcoal usage, as well, compared to regular steel smokers.
Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10
This is a sweet 10,1-inch loaded tablet for her on sale for $249 ending a few days past Valentine’s Day with participating outlets. Equipped with a 10.1-inch touchscreen IPS display, crisp 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, Mali T830 MP2 processor Android 8.0 (Oreo) + EMUI 8.0 operating system, 3 GB RAM, 7500 mAh battery, and Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4 GHz&5 GHz, it comes with a stylus pen. The front camera is 8MP Fixed Focus, Rear Camera 8MP Auto Focus; and for audio, it has Quad Harmon Kardon speakers.
Ekster Trackable Wallet
A box of chocolates and roses can cost a bundle and be in the trash by the next day. But if you accidentally trash the Ekster Trackable Wallet you can always find it on your phone or with Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant. It features a pullout quick card access, RFID blocking technology and of course it’s un-losable. It also comes in environmentally certified leather or vegan leather made from recycled car windshields that have been re-fashioned into wallets, which will satisfy those interested in sustainably sourced products. A perfect blend of analog and digital, they sell for $104.
Looking for more gift ideas? Check out our other Valentine’s Day Gift Guide with more ideas, from a ruby red Bluetooth tracker to sexy lighting, dressy smartwatch bands, and more.