Category: Gifting Guides Page 7 of 12

Business travel can seem glamorous to the family and friends whom you have to leave behind. After all, they get to see your trip through the rose-colored glasses of your social media feeds and the pictures you send home to your family’s digital frame.

But those of us who travel frequently know that it can be quite a slog. There’s all that time you have to spend waiting in airports, and getting to and from your meetings, and trying to get WiFi on your iPad so you can send that presentation by the deadline…the list goes on.

That’s why there are so many excellent gadgets out there to make business travel a bit easier. Here are a few of our favorites.

A portable wireless router

We’ve all been in those hotels that, for whatever reason, are still using Ethernet cables for their in-room internet connections.

And if you’ve been sitting at a conference table all day, the last thing you want when you get to your hotel room is sit in another uncomfortable chair, tied to a desk, while you Skype with family or do some research.

A portable router lets you set up any location’s internet as wireless, which also lets you connect several devices at once.

Streaming stick

There’s no reason to rely on spotty hotel cable or, even worse, Pay-per-view for your entertainment while you’re traveling.

Bring along a streaming stick like the Roku or an Amazon Fire Stick and you can access everything you’d be able to at home. They’re tiny, so they’re easy to pack – just make sure you don’t lose them among your clothes!

Luggage tracker

If you’re a bit of a nervous traveler, or if you’ve lost a bag to the airlines before, traveling with a luggage tracker might ease your mind.

These small devices that you place in your luggage connect to an app on your phone. When you log in, you can easily see where your luggage is (hopefully, it’s in the same city you are!).

There are several on the market, and many can be used to locate other items too – your wallet, your phone, even your car. Do your research before buying, as some require subscription fees.

High-tech travel wallets

Travel wallets have come a long way from the days when they were just big wallets with an extra pocket for your passport.

Today’s travel wallets come with high-tech features like tracking devices that can alert you to your wallet’s location if you lose it or someone steals it.

Some offer RFID shields that can protect the RFID chip in your passport from being scanned by a hacker. Since these chips carry the same identity information that your actual passport does, it’s a good idea to protect them – all an identity thief has to do to steal the info is use a small RFID reader to scan your purse or wallet at close range, like in the subway or in a crowded square.

Nixplay WiFi Cloud Digital Frame

One of the most fun ways to stay connected to family while you’re traveling is through pictures. You can send them to a loved one’s smartphone or post them on social media, but if you really want to show them you care, send them to your family’s digital frame.

By using the Nixplay app, you can instantly send photos to the frame – even if it’s in your family’s living room thousands of miles away. You can even create playlists for your family to see while you’re lounging in your hotel room.

Of course, you can bring a digital frame with you, too. Then your family can send you pictures that you’ll see when you get home after a long day of work.

Business travel can be a troublesome necessity at times, but these gadgets can help you make it a little bit easier. For more advice on making your business trips more comfortable, read our post “Creating the Perfect Digital Frame Playlist to Take on Your Next Business Trip.”

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

Moms can be some of the most difficult people to buy gifts for. Why? Because for whatever reason, lots of moms just won’t come out and say what it is they want for a gift.

Maybe they’ll say “I’m sure I’ll love whatever you get me.”

Or “Just get something you think I’ll like.”

Or even “I don’t need anything – I have you.”

And as nice as all that is, here’s a newsflash, mamas – your children want to give you something! Moms are some of the most important people in our lives. We want to honor your love, sacrifice, and commitment to giving your children the very best life possible.

Mom may keep quiet about what she wants with her children, but there are ways to figure it out if you’re just a bit sneaky (hint: ask her best girlfriend). Here are a few ideas for things that your mom really wants this year.

Having someone else cook dinner – a nice, big, family-style one. 

If your mom is the one who usually cooks, then there’s no way she should be the one making dinner on Mother’s Day. Rather than going out, which can be fun but also stressful with kids, make a big family meal at home while Mom relaxes with a glass of wine and her feet up.

An uninterrupted nap.

Moms can never get enough sleep, and even if she manages to squeeze in a nap, it’s usually interrupted by cries of “Mommy! Mommy!” within a few minutes.

This Mother’s Day, give Mom some time to nap without the distraction of children running around. Take the kids out for ice cream or on a fun outing, and give Mom an empty – and silent – house for a few hours. She’ll thank you for it.

A professional house cleaning.

Even in the most equal of partnerships, moms tend to do the bulk of the housecleaning. With kids, the tidying up is neverending, so splurge on a professional housecleaning and give Mom the day – or a few – off.

Even if it just lasts half an hour, having all the grit and grime removed by the pros will at least give Mom a head start on next week’s cleaning.

A day to be the fun, no-rules parent. 

Whether they’re single or partnered, most moms find themselves having to fill the role of structure-creator and rule-enforcer with their kids. Do your homework. Clear your dishes. Make your bed. Don’t touch your brother. Stop pushing your sister.

Who knew, but moms just want to have fun, too! Have Dad or another family member take on the role of rule-enforcer for the day, and allow mom the freedom to let her hair down with the kids. Go swimming, to a theme park, or somewhere else fun and have someone else decide when sunscreen needs to be applied or when it’s time for lunch.

Some chocolate or dessert that no one else eats. 

Kids have a way of getting into your chocolate stash – unless you have a really good hiding place. Get mom some gourmet chocolate or other decadent treats, and let her in on your secret spot. That way, they won’t have disappeared the next time she needs a chocolate fix. 

A heartfelt, homemade gift from her kids.

Kids, even if you’re too old for the homemade cards, bookmarks, and potholders that you used to make your mom when you were little, know that your mom still loves getting homemade gifts from you.

That can mean a special dessert you whip up from scratch. It could mean a thoughtful photo collage of pictures from throughout your childhood. Or if you’re artistic, create a painting, drawing, or other piece of artwork for her.

Having someone else organize the photos.

As much fun as it is to look through old photos, actually taking the time to organize them is…not so much fun.

This is doubly true for digital photos, as clicking through an endless string of images and sorting them into folders can take its toll with eyestrain and headaches. If mom is the one who primarily handles your family photo-sorting, give her a break and take it on yourself.

Divide your photos up by year, event, or however else she sorts them, and store them neatly. One great way to make sure those beautifully sorted photos get seen is to send them to a Nixplay Cloud WiFi Digital Frame. You can create specific playlists – even one just for Mom.

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

Not all mums want flowers and a lovely brunch out for Mother’s Day. Some would rather spend the day enjoying the latest tech gadget – with their dear son or daughter, or course.

If your mum is among those who prefer FitBits and iPads to handbags and scarves, take a look at this list of the best tech gifts for Mum this Mother’s Day.

Google Home

Busy Mums deserve all the help they can get when it comes to running the household.

The Google Home voice-activated speaker can remind family members of appointments and events, play music from a variety of web services, let you know what the weather will be like, and even work with your other smart devices like TVs, appliances, and thermostats.

Tile trackers

Maybe Mum is incredibly organized – but even the best of us lose things now and then. Tile trackers are small, sleek Bluetooth locators that can be attached to keys, wallets, backpacks, remote controls – anything that you might misplace.

When you lose an item that has a Tile attached, all you have to do is use the Tile app on your phone to get the tracker to ring, alerting you to the item’s location. It works in reverse, too: if you lose your phone, just push the button on any of your Tile trackers to get your phone to ring.

You can even put a Tile in your car or on your bike to make sure you never again have to wander a street or parking lot searching for your transportation.

Microsoft Band

Perfect for high-achieving, career-oriented moms, the Microsoft Band is more than just a fitness tracker. The Band tracks your workouts and steps, sleep, and calories burned, and comes with a continuous heart rate monitor that allows you to see how your heart rate changes over a 24-hour period.

In addition to your fitness data, however, the Band allows you to view and reply to text messages, preview your emails, and receive calendar notifications.

Drop

Mums who love to bake will love Drop, a smart scale that works with a recipe app that lets you access free recipes and precisely measure ingredients so you end up with less waste.

The app walks you through your recipes step-by-step, and you can even interact with the app by pushing a button on the scale. That way, you don’t have to worry about getting flour all over your iPad.

Nixplay Seed Cloud WiFi Digital Frame

The Nixplay Seed Cloud WiFi Digital Frame is the perfect gift for Mums everywhere – especially for those who don’t live in the same town as their children or grandchildren.

The Nixplay Seed works with the Nixplay smartphone app, which allows users to send photos to frames instantly from anywhere around the world. Mum can place her Seed frame in the family room and see images from her granddaughter’s ballet recital, or her son’s trip to India, as they’re happening.

You can even create playlists for Mum’s Seed frame before you give it to her – for ideas, check our post “A Lifetime in Pictures: Suggested Playlists for Your Gifted Nixplay Digital Photo Frame.”

Tech-savvy Mums deserve useful, fun-to-use gadgets. Whether Mum is an avid baker, a fitness enthusiast, or a devoted family woman, you can certainly find something on this list to make her happy. For more ideas on how to stay connected to Mum throughout the year, not just on Mother’s Day, read our post “How the Nixplay App Can Keep Your Family Connected.”

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.