Okay time is running out, you’re up against it in your Christmas shopping and, the odds are, you have a limited budget. So, how about these five cheap and cheerful stocking fillers?
The chances are you still have one or two bits and pieces to pick up before Christmas at the end of the week. Town is a nightmare, internet shopping is probably a little too late and, as we said, time is really tight.
So we’ve taken a look at some random, nice, affordable tech stocking fillers to consider at the last minute.
Burst HMDX rechargeable speaker (€10-€15)
The Burst HMDX rechargeable speaker ticks an awful lot of boxes. First up, the sound quality is surprisingly good for something so, well, basic looking.
The front-facing speaker sounds as good with audiobooks being played as it does with The Waterboys’ Fisherman’s Blues. It’s exceptionally cheap for what it does. Our review is here.
Although it doesn’t appear to be listed online, these are in store at Carphone Warehouse.
Power banks (€10-€50)
Okay, one gadget is quickly becoming a must-have: a power bank. Power banks come in all shapes and sizes, costing very little or plenty. Essentially portable charge points, you often get what you pay for – it’s very important to read the packaging to know just how much power can be stored on one.
There’s no point picking up a cheap option only to find out it barely charges half of your phone’s battery – and different phones require different amounts.
An example of a good one is the Juice Squash XL power bank that we tried out. There are three sizes, the middle of which (at €30) packs plenty of punch. Again, not included on the site, but you can pick them up in Carphone Warehouse.
Love and Robots: Textlace (€35)
Love and Robots is a particular favourite of a certain member of our team, with the Textlaces prominent in recent conversations.
Starting at €35, the customisable necklaces are as versatile as you want and, with the company currently operating out of a pop-up shop on Dame Lane in Dublin, you can pop in and get a unique 3D-printed gift while you wait, right up to Christmas Eve.
Keva Contraptions’ 50 Plank Set (€25)
How about a bit of engineering. Using no glue, latches or connectors, KEVA Contraptions has 50 small sheets of wood and two balls. You simply build a route and let gravity take hold.
For example, see what kits similar to this can create:
You can pick this up in Cogs The Brain Store, which has outlets in Swords and St Stephen’s Green. Sadly, nothing outside of Dublin.
Liquid Timer (€5)
Egg timers are so last millennium. Now you can get timers that are more like lava lamps. Who doesn’t love lava lamps? This is more a ‘really, really last minute roll of the dice’ gift for one of the smaller stockings hanging over the fire.
Available in Tiger stores nationwide, the cylinder has sections at the top and bottom to store the coloured liquid used for timing, releasing single drops. It’ll get you through Christmas Day, and maybe St Stephen’s Day, before anyone spots that you cut corners.
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Christmas stockings image, via Shutterstock
