This holiday shopping season, don’t just throw money at things because they’re marked down. Instead, buy gifts that retain value. Here are the gadgets we’ve lived with and loved over the past year.
- Amazon Echo (2nd Generation) Speaker
For those who haven’t yet embraced living with a talking speaker, the second-gen Echo is the one to get. (Original Echo owners: Stick with what you’ve got.) About half the size of the original, it’s just as loud at blasting “Jingle Bell Rock” or dictating eggnog recipes throughout your kitchen. Best thing about the new hardware? You can choose from six different color “shells”—or order extras for $20 to $30. - Roku Streaming Stick+
If you bought a TV in the past couple years, it’s probably a 4K set. But that doesn’t mean it has the best interface. Roku’s latest stick not only brings more cable-cutting and cable-on-demand apps than most smart TVs, it also highlights a good number of 4K programs, despite the still-limited number of titles out there. With snappier response and better Wi-Fi, it’s the best way to upgrade your TV on the cheap. $70. - Google Pixelbook Chromebook
A $1,000 Chromebook?! No way. Uh-uh. That’s what we thought—until we started using the Pixelbook. The 2.4-pound, supersvelte laptop has a beautiful, high-resolution screen, comfortable keyboard and more than 7 hours of battery life. And it does double duty as a tablet: Flip the screen around to launch your favorite Android apps. Its secret weapon? Bark “OK Google” to summon the Google Assistant. $1,000.
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