Gadgets Blog » Gifts

The countdown to Mother’s Day is imminent, which means that it’s a great time to start shopping for something that shows how much you appreciate your mom. While standbys like chocolate and flowers are excellent, I’ve decided to buck the traditional here on the Smarter Gadget blog and find some truly unique gifts for Mom that are useful to boot! In this regard, other Internet resources have been a bit shaky. One even recommended the Roomba Robotic Vacuum Cleaner, which while a nice idea, certainly doesn’t fit into something my own mom would appreciate! So instead, today’s gadget is something that will let her stay in better contact with family and friends: the Belkin Skype WiFi Phone!

Unlike ordinary telephones, which operate either via landlines or cell towers, a WiFi phone, as could easily be surmised, uses wireless Internet to make it’s telephone calls. While this may initially seem to limit the capabilities of such a device, in reality it provides a quickly-growing and less expensive alternative to other telephones. The Belkin Skype phone employs a program called Skype, enabling the user to place calls to anyone else with a Skype account on either a computer or another Skype-enabled phone. Instead of having a phone number, the user is able to call other people with a Skype account. This entire process is done over the Internet entirely free of charge, making it a great investment!

While the number of Wi-Fi only phones on the market is currently small, Skype has emerged as a leader in the field, enabling countless users to make free calls online. In addition to calls made to computers, apps are quickly becoming available on the iPhone and Android phones to increase the number of users. While it might take a bit of a learning curve for Mom, the result is a great deal! The Belkin phone is activated entirely separate from a computer, but her account will cross-over as well. On the computer version of Skype, it’s possible to video chat with spectacular clarity. I’ve personally used Skype to keep in touch with loved ones from across the country. It’s a great Mother’s Day present, especially if Mom is somewhere far away. What better gift than one that makes it easier for her to hear your voice and see your face?

I’ve often heard complaints from my gal-friends that boys are insufferably difficult to shop for, especially for the love-it-or-hate-it celebration of love that is Valentine’s Day. Some of this difficultly can be understood. After all, men always have the triumvirate of chocolate, flowers, and jewelry to fall back upon in case all other creative gift ideas fail.

As a young tech aficionado, I’ll admit that it can often be hard to shop for someone who’s into gadgets and electronics. When buying a device for myself, there’s often a rigorous investigative process that goes on, comparing reviews, checking out the unit in a department store, and finally shopping around for the best price. This usually takes several weeks, depending on how much free time I’m willing (or able) to sink into it. However, just because I’m pretentious about this stuff doesn’t mean there aren’t some great (and inexpensive!) gifts for your man on the most loving day of the year. You pretty much can’t go wrong with one of the following.

Netflix Subscription:

Netflix is one of my favorite online distribution companies, and this subscription is a great investment. Forget the entry level subscription; the real asset to Netflix these days is the ability to stream movies and TV shows to your computer, video game console, or Blu-ray player. There are some drawbacks to this system so far, such as a limited availability of new titles and a limited selection of titles one can instantly watch, but the good news is that the streaming accompanies the regular Netflix subscription, meaning your man can watch Lost on his computer before sliding The Departed into his Blu-ray player (all via the same subscription).

A Networking Hub:

For those unfamiliar with these devices, a good networking hub will serve several purposes. First and foremost, it will allow for all computers and office electronics in the house to have access to each other via a wireless signal. This is incredibly useful, as it allows you to do things like print a document while you’re sitting in the living room, or easily transfer files from one computer to another. Also, a hub can greatly increase the strength of your wireless internet signal, allowing you to surf the web regardless of where you are in the house. It may require a little installation, but the results can be both conveinent and a great asset to your computing.