2017 Holiday Gift Guide for Technology Buffs

It’s almost December! Have you started your holiday shopping yet?

Starting with last week’s gift guide for the home cook and continuing this week with our gift guide for kids (and parents), London Drugs is setting you up for success this holiday season with gift guides for everyone on your list. Today we’ve got a great list of gifts for technology buffs. Know a techie who’s always got the latest gadget? We’ll help you pick out the perfect gift!

Here’s our guide to help you buy a gift for the techie on your list that you know they’ll love.

1. Tech Tools for Tracking Health

Wearable technology is all the rage, and nobody’s doing it better than health and fitness companies. You can track your heart rate, steps, activity level, sleep, body fat… we even have portable machines for tracking blood pressure and glucose levels. It’s finally cool to want to be healthy!

gifts for technology buffs

Give the techie in your life the Fitbit Ionic, which has all the functionality of the previous Fitbit watches plus is water resistant up to 50 metres–perfect for tracking one’s swims. This version of the Fitbit also includes an NFC chip so you can pay at a contactless terminal with your credit card, from your wrist! If your techie friend is really adventurous, they may prefer the functionality of a Garmin smart watch, great for multisport tracking with GPS and full colour maps. Pair a smart watch with the Fitbit Aria or another smart scale, which track body fat percentage and wirelessly sync stats so they can track progress over time.

2. Make Mornings Bright with the All the Right Gear

gifts for technology buffs

Looking for something to help you start your day right? Try this gentle alarm clock that mimics the sunrise. A great gift to help them wake up in a more gentle way for those early morning workouts. Need more motivation to get out of bed? This running alarm clock literally runs away from you, forcing you to face the day. Like to listen to music or podcasts before drifting off to sleep? This eye mask has built in wireless headphones and full button controls. 

3. Outfit Your Home with Smart Technology

Smart home devices have come a long way in the last few years. Nest is leading the way, having developed a thermostat, smoke detector, and security camera you can control with your smartphone. Other companies have taken their lead, creating water sensors to detect leaks, smart locks for the front door, and smart outlets that allow you to turn on and off anything you have plugged in from your phone. Techies can set timers for the outlets their lights are plugged into, or just reduce their energy footprint by turning outlets off. Upgrade your techie friend’s home with technology and give the gift of peace of mind!

gifts for technology buffs

If they truly love using technology to make their life easier, or if they’ve always dreamed of having a robot butler, then get the techie in your life Google Home, the voice-activated speaker with built in Google Assistant.  With an “OK, Google,” they can ask it questions (Math! Definitions! Sports scores!) or tell it to play a song or movie on their Chromecast. It also connects with Nest and other smart devices. “OK, Google. What’s the perfect gift?”

gifts for technology buffs

 

4. Get the Perfect Shot

 

Technology keeps getting better and better, especially when it comes to photography. No techie should be without a good quality digital SLR camera like the Canon Rebel T6i pictured below. They have all the functionality of an analog camera with manual control, but with amazing features you can only get in a digital camera: snap amazing high-definition shots, view and edit using a touchscreen LED, and even take 4K video.

gifts for technology buffs

 

For the adventurous techie, the GoPro is the way to go. Waterproof up to 30 metres and able to go up to 120 frames per second, GoPro cameras take incredibly smooth videos in difficult conditions. Perfect for exploring the beauty of Canada! Or try a drone with a built in HD camera for gorgeous aerial shots.gifts for technology buffsIf they already have the latest in digital photography equipment, a lightweight tripod or an external hard drive to back up their photos will always be welcome.

 

5. Small Stocking Stuffers

One of the best things about technology is all the accessories. Perfect to supplement a larger gift, or pop them in a stocking for extra Christmas cheer. Things like batteries (never included, why?) and battery chargers. Or AV cables and adaptors.

gifts for technology buffs

 

For someone travelling during the holiday season, nothing is more useful than a soft electronics accessory bag for all the cables and accoutrements of laptops, phones, and other devices–except maybe this all-in-one plug adaptor good for more than 150 countries. 

6. Fashion Accessories for the Tech-inclined

In cold December weather, these texting gloves for men and women allow for uninterrupted texting. Or bring a pop of pattern to your friend’s phone with a fun new phone case. If they take work with them on the go, these beautiful laptop totes are a stylish answer to the messenger bag. 

gifts for technology buffs

For more gift-giving advice for the kids (and parents) on your list, speak to an LD Expert today. To make a purchase, visit London Drugs in-store and online.

We’ll be back next week with a top gift guide for DIYers. See you then!

See all of our 2017 Holiday Gift Guides here:

2017 Holiday Gift Guide for Kids (and Parents)

2017 Holiday Gift Guide for the DIYer

2017 Holiday Gift Guide for Music Lovers

2017 Holiday Gift Guide for the Home Cook 

World Photo Day: The Evolution of the Camera

Olympus film camera

Photography wouldn’t be possible without the incredible invention of the camera. According to Kodak, “the use of photographic film was pioneered by George Eastman, who started manufacturing paper film in 1885 before switching to celluloid in 1889. His first camera, which he called the ‘Kodak,’ was first offered for sale in 1888.”

It truly is amazing how much the camera has evolved since then. In came the digital camera, and the debate between film vs. digital began. Today, people appreciate the merits of both, and choose based on their preferred aesthetic.

If you love the nostalgia of film, you’re not alone. Film offers a creative challenge for photographers. Shooting analog photographs is an art form that truly embraces the candid nature of photography. The excitement of having your film photos developed, anxiously awaiting the final images, is a feeling many people love. There is something to be said about the simplicity of shooting with film too; without a Photoshop program to edit with, the result is a much rawer, visceral image. There is also a great deal more thoughtfulness involved in film photography, as you are limited by the amount of film you have. This is one of the reasons why many people recommend starting out on a film camera, even if you want to shoot digital. Being forced to be more selective with your shots will ultimately make you a better photographer, whether you shoot on film or digital.

Meanwhile, if you prefer to shoot digital, there are plenty of benefits that come with the ever-evolving technology of digital cameras. They are more convenient than ever, and are constantly being upgraded with more advanced features. Photographers can choose from point and shoots, DSLRs, and even compact mirrorless cameras, depending on what the situation requires. Today, many digital cameras also come with added features such as WiFi and Bluetooth. This allows you to directly transfer images to your smartphone or tablet, making it super easy to share all of your great moments.

Nikon camera and Nikon lenses

As digital technology has progressed, mobile phones have become the camera of choice for many people who wish to snap and share moments instantaneously. Some of you may remember seeing the #shotoniphone7 campaign, which inspired iPhone users to take incredible photographic shots simply using their phones’ camera. Today, millions of photos are uploaded every minute, allowing us to share our snapshots with the world in seconds, and find inspiration in the talent of other passionate photographers worldwide.

Whichever you prefer, London Drugs proudly offers a large selection of both digital cameras as well as film, and still offers film developing.

If you’re looking to upgrade your current gear, whether it’s a phone, film camera or DSLR, World Photo Day is a great time to see what’s out there and try something new. Our LDExperts can help you choose the right camera for your interests and needs. London Drugs’ selection of photography gear doesn’t end with cameras, either. We also have an extensive collection of lenses, camera accessories, photo printers and photo editing software to help you achieve the best images possible.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay tuned for our World Photo Day deals (including a very special drone offer, available exclusively on August 19th)!

World’s First Ever Smart Drone Launches at London Drugs

Our buyers recently attended the Global Drone Summit at 3DRobotics’ headquarters in Austin, TX to test out the newly launched 3DR Solo Drone, which is now available for pre-sale at London Drugs. The Summit was the first of its kind, and brought together distributors and retailers from around the world, including London Drugs, to get a sneak peek at the world’s first ever smart drone.

DSC_0112The London Drugs buyers spent 3 days with the 3DR team and SVP Colin Guinn learning about Solo, flying drones, and filming aerial videos. Having had the chance to test out the drone first-hand, their assumption that the Solo is a must-have for any video or photography enthusiast was confirmed.

Arguably the most evident advantage of the Solo was its GoPro functionality. In fact, Solo is the first drone to access the GoPro API. 3DR worked very closely with GoPro to have custom firmware written for the Solo that allows the user to fully control the GoPro while the drone is in the air. This means starting and stopping video, taking photos, and even changing camera settings from DSC_0094the ground. The result is a full HD video feed, directly to iOS or Android, or through an HDMI port, that allows you to see what you’re capturing up above.

Among the most impressive features was most certainly how easy the Solo was to fly, from automatic take-off and landing, to the return-to-home push button, to the emergency break pause button. For anyone who has never flown a drone before, Solo makes it easy to fly and film, straight out of the box.

After learning the ins and outs of flying, the 3DR team walked our buyers through Solo’s Smart Shots: a series solo drone flyingof presets that allow the user to capture amazing cinematic aerial shots, all with just the push of a button. Choose from selfie, cable cam, orbit or follow, and Solo does the rest. They captured some stunning shots using the cable cam, which made the camera movement between two points into one steady, flawless motion.

Once all their captured footage was downloaded and edited, the result was an eye-catching video full of beautiful, stabilized aerial shots: mastered with just a click of a button on the Solo. For those looking for the most cutting edge video and photography tool, the possibilities really are endless with the 3DR Solo drone. You can pre-order your own Solo drone now. The Solo will be available in stores on June 27th.

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Tech Talk with GoPro and 3DR Drone

If you haven’t already heard, GoPro’s are the next big thing and London Drugs has all the accessories and items you need to capture the perfect video. On Monday, April 20th, London Drugs tech expert David Levett sat down with anchor Darrell Rumold on CTV Morning Live in Regina to discuss the latest GoPro and some of the newest accessories to go with it.

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