So it’s the season for taking advantage of sales to buy gifts for your home and for your loved ones, but it seems like everyone already has their favorite smartphone, their own tablet, their own speakers, and even a Kindle, so I thought it’d be a good idea to share some unconventional, but still very functional, gifts for everyone on your list!
Under $25
The Powershell controller makes mobile gaming more engaging than ever by offering console-style controls for your iPhone! At $14.99, it is the perfect gift for the iPhone user who loves playing applications alone or with others while still allowing the phone’s features to be utilized.
The Anker Portable Charger is smaller than a tube of lipstick and conveniently charges your devices via a micro-USB. Smartphones can be charged back to full power for hours of use! On Amazon, it’s on sale for $19.99, down from $39.99!
The Tile is a nifty little $25 device for anyone you know who is apt to misplace their own belongings. The tile acts as a tether between the object you add it to and your phone, allowing you to pick up the Tile’s bluetooth signal within 100 feet and retains the last position that your tile was in relation to your phone to make for easy retracing of steps until you are back in the bluetooth vicinity. The Tile is water-resistant, so putting it onto a backpack wouldn’t be a problem, it’s also small enough to not get into the way of your normal interaction with whatever you add it to and it can be added to a keyring or zipper with ease through its design, and it’s durable-requiring battery monitoring annually!
Under $50
The Roku Streaming Stick is perfect for any avid media watcher on the go! It is remote-operated (included) and connects to any TV-or adapter, with an HDMI input, for access to your favorite subscriptions like Netflix, Pandora, HBO Go, and over 1,000 others while the free Roku phone application lets you stream your favorite photos, songs, and videos! Right now, it’s on sale from $49.99 to $39.99!
Buying a Logitech Wireless Mouse for that special person who’s tired of the trackpad or corded mouse. It’s $29.99 and comes complete with a track wheel for scrolling, rubber grips on either side of the mouse for comfort, and a microUSB for wireless integration into your desktop or laptop! The battery lasts about 18 months and the microUSB is cross-compatible with logitech keyboards that run on the same frequency.
Under $100
The Fitbit Flex starts at $99 and acts as a pedometer, a calorie tracker, and sleep quality meter. You can set goals for yourself while earning badges upon completion, and it easily syncs with your computer or smartphone to provide monitoring and constant access to your real-time data through charts, graphs, and other tools. This data can be shared and This awesome wearable even has the app, MobileRun, that maps routes, tracks hikes and treks, record workouts, and even read barcodes of your favorite foods to manage nutritional information!
The Apple TV grants access to a multitude of media like shows, movies, 
news, live sports, media saved to the iCloud, and access to applications for viewing on your tv or laptop through an HDMI port. For only $99, the AppleTV also offers stream sharing between different iTunes libraries, iCloud sharing and access, and remote control through your TV using AirPlay or through your iOS device.
Seagate Backup Plus Slim is for the avid computer user. Saving to the cloud and to your internal hard drive are good practices, but to ensure that your digital data is safe, secure, and easily accessible, an external hard drive is the way to go! Sporting a two terabyte capacity, this Seagate external hard drive offers the ability to save directly from your favorite social media sites, from mobile devices, and even the ability to work cross-platforms without the need for reformatting to go between Mac and PC. This awesome, needed, gift starts at $99!
Over $100
The Nest Thermostat is a great gift for your home and family! Heating and cooling systems account for more than half of all home energy bills and could be cut down by at least 25% with careful monitoring and customization. Nest’s energy-efficient technology can help you to monitor and cut down on energy usage by offering scheduling that adapts to your heating/cooling trends, auto-away sensors to shut off the heating/cooling when you’re not around along with the ability to control the thermostat remotely. The Nest Thermostat price starts at $249, but the ability to save energy monthly and annually allows the Nest to easily pay for itself.
GoPro has fueled the want for videographers everywhere to record and share videos of awesome activities from singing, to diving, to biking, to motocross, to cooking, and they have really outdone themselves with their newest model! Their processor and video frame rates are two times better than their last model, and with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the ability to control your GoPro camera via the Smart Remote or your smartphone with the GoPro application is easier than ever! The Hero4 price starts at $499 but it’s perfect for the active member of your family and easily includes others!