Mother's Day Gift Guide: 20 Gifts To Show Your Techie Mom You Care
The Best Gadget Gifts For Mothers
Mother's Day is just around the corner -- do you want to give your mom something more than the traditional breakfast in bed or flowers?
Does your mom keep up with the newest fitness trackers? Does she love smartphones with the best storage and memory? Or maybe your mother would love a Smart TV with a Touch surface remote, apps and games.
CRN has compiled a list of the best tech gifts to make your mother's life easier and show that you care. From new laptop accessorized cases to the Apple Watch, following are 20 gadgets that techie moms will love as gifts on Mother's Day this year.
Lively Wearable
The Lively wearable is essentially a Fitbit for seniors and is the perfect Mother's Day gift for all who want to stay in shape.
The Lively wearable has a sleek design and is offered in white and gold or gray and silver. This wearable tracks activity and delivers daily challenges to help users reach activity goals. Family members can also send messages of encouragement through a corresponding app.
The Lively wearable, currently available for $50, also has an essential safety feature -- it is equipped with a one-touch emergency button that connects with certified agents in case of emergency.
Nixplay Seed Frame
The Nixplay Seed Frame allows mothers to stay connected with the rest of the family through photo sharing.
With the Wi-Fi-enabled frame, users can create custom photo playlists of their favorite memories -- like a child's birthday or family vacations -- and instantly share up to 10 photos, along with captions, with their mother's frame through a companion app that comes on iOS and Android.
The $100 frame comes in multiple colors, including black and blue, as well as sizes (including 7-inch, 8-inch and 10-inch options).
Energi Sliding Power Cases
Help your mother avoid the never-ending problem of running out of smartphone battery with an Energi sliding power case. The 2-in-1 case includes a removable battery sleeve that rapidly charges smartphones. That power sleeve can slide off the case easily once the phone has been fully charged.
The Energi sliding power case, which ranges in price from $50 to $80, is available for the iPhone 5, 5s, 6, 6s and 6 Plus, as well as the Galaxy S4, S5 and S6.
Ring Video Doorbell
By giving your mother the more practical Ring Video Doorbell, you will be giving the gift of security.
Ring Video Doorbell, which connects to existing hardwired doorbells, features built-in motion sensors that detect movement in the front of the house, triggering instant mobile alerts and initiating video recording.
After purchasing the $199 doorbell, users can view and share the video with law enforcement officials if needed. This doorbell features two-way audio, giving visitors the impression that the house is occupied, and works with iOS, Android and Windows 10.
Jitterbug Flip
The Jitterbug Flip is an inexpensive, safety-targeted phone for seniors and makes a great Mother's Day gift.
This $99 (not including monthly plan and activation fees) phone is easy to use with a backlit keypad, big buttons, a powerful speaker so that conversations are loud and clear, and simple ’yes’ or ’no’ commands. The phone also includes an LED flashlight that lets users see in dimly lit areas. It features a 5Star app as well, which enables seniors to connect to a 5Star agent in case of emergency.
GoPro Hero Session Camera
Does your mom enjoy hiking or exploring outdoor areas? If so, the $199 Hero Session GoPro camera would be a great gift. This is the smallest and lightest GoPro model and has one-button control and a rugged, waterproof design, allowing the camera to work in up to 10 meters of water.
The device works with all mounts and includes intelligent battery use. The camera captures 8-megapixel single photos and can capture bursts of photos.
Sonos Smart Speaker System
Does you mother enjoy listening to music while cooking, hosting parties, or just likes having casual tunes playing in the background? Sonos is a smart speaker system that streams music straight from devices to any or every room in the house.
Sonos, the app, connects music from your mom's Apple, Android or Windows phone, as well as streaming services like Pandora or Apple Music, to stereos in various rooms.
The Sonos companion app itself is free, but Sonos speaker products vary in cost, starting at $199 for one wireless speaker and $349 for a component that connects existing stereo systems to Sonos.
Chatbook Photobook App
Chatbook is an easy, affordable way to hold on to your favorite memories by enabling you to create a book of photos right from your phone.
This is another good app to give on Mother's Day. This free app allows users to create easy photo books from sources like Instagram, Facebook or their phone's camera roll. Using these photos, mothers can put together a custom 60-page, 6 x 6-inch photo book for $8.
Zuli Smartplugs
Zuli Smartplugs can connect to lights and appliances, allowing users to control their home devices from one app. With Zuli Smartplugs, your mother's home will automatically know when she gets home and will instantly adapt to her personal lighting and temperature preferences -- and then everything turns off when she leaves.
The Zuli smartplugs can be controlled by the Zuli companion app, compatible with certain iOS devices. This product is available for $59.99 or in a three-pack for $159.99 at Zuli's website or in select retail stores, such as Lowe's and Amazon.
Amazon Kindle Voyage
Kindles are the best gift if your mother likes to read on the go.
Amazon's Kindle Voyage, a 6-inch device that the company boasts as its "thinnest Kindle ever,"has a high-resolution 300-ppi display.
The $200 Kindle Voyage reads just like the printed page, according to Amazon, and new adaptive front lights now allow users to read day or night.
Boogie Board's Jot 8.5
Help your mother keep track of her busy schedule with a new eWriter, the Jot 8.5 from Boogie Board. This eWriter works with its companion iOS app to easily save, share and edit notes and drawings.
The bright reflective LCD is engineered so that it feels like you are writing with pen and paper, while the sleek, thin slate makes it ideal for home, school, the office or on-the-go. The eWriter has a built-in kickstand and magnets on the back that make it easy to leave notes, to-do lists and messages for others.
The Jot 8.5 is currently available in blue, pink or gray on Amazon or Boogie Board's website for $25.
TrackR Tracking Device
If your mom tends to lose her keys or wallet, one good gift might be TrackR, a small, coin-size device that tracks valuable items. Your mother can put this cool little gadget on anything from luggage to keys, and if the items are misplaced they can then be located from the TrackR app, which causes the device to ring.
In addition, for those who easily lose their phones, TrackR contains a two-way ringer that allows you to find your phone from the device the TrackR is connected to. TrackR can find items within 100 feet through Bluetooth.
TrackR is currently available online, as well as in Best Buy and Brookstone, for $29.99.
Apple Watch
If your mother is an Apple fanatic, buying her the Apple Watch for Mother's Day is a must. This wearable includes health and fitness features, a plethora of messaging, calendar and music-based apps and, of course, Apple's personal assistant, Siri, all right on the user's wrist.
The smartwatch's least expensive version, a 38mm white-sport-banded watch enclosed in a silver aluminum case, costs $349 from Apple's website, and may be less expensive at other retail stores such as Best Buy. If you feel generous, Apple also offers midrange models in the $500 range, all the way up to special edition high-end models that are in the $10,000 range.
ECandy Device Mount Stand
If your mother has an iPad, iPhone or Galaxy device, Mother's Day is the perfect opportunity to give her the ECandy device mount stand. This mount holds up your mother's tablet or smartphone on any convenient place in the house where she can easily look up recipes, directions and other apps in an accessible area.
This simple $8 mount comes in silver and is made of high-quality solid aluminum. It has angled support so users can easily watch videos or browse online.
Netatmo June
Many mothers worry about sun exposure with the risks of skin cancer. The Netatmo June is a good solution for this issue -- and a perfect Mother's Day gift.
This wearable gadget measures time in the sun with a UV sensor to track the amount of exposure. It then recommends the appropriate protection, whether it's sunscreen or a hat, through a companion app.
On the outside, June is a $139 bracelet that comes in gunmetal, gold or platinum.
Roku 4
Roku 4, a streaming device that offers a massive spectrum of video, music and gaming content, is Roku's newest product to hit the market.
This player, which provides access to more than 2,500 channels on demand, as well as more than 300,000 movies and TV episodes, is a good Mother's Day gift for television lovers. Roku says its Roku 4 has advanced processing for smooth streaming at higher resolutions and new features like a lost remote finder.
Roku 4 works with both 4K Ultra-HD TV and 1,080p full-HD TVs, and contains features like voice search. The streaming device can be purchased on Roku's website for $129.99.
LifeActiv LifeProof Armband
LifeActiv's armband is a great gift for mothers who like to keep their smartphones handy while at the gym or on a run. This armband mounts users' smartphones onto their arm and lets them interact with fitness apps, GPS and music while training.
The $36 armband also includes a positive locking switch for added stability and is compatible with LifeProof protective cases.
Samsung Galaxy TabPro S
For mothers who are working professionals, the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro S is a great Windows 10 2-in-1. This feather-light device features a clear, bright 12-inch, Super AMOLED display. The tablet snaps into a keyboard through a pogo pin connector at the bottom of the device, and the keyboard has a back cover that snaps magnetically to the back of the Tab Pro S, transforming it into a sleek laptop device that could easily be disguised as a notepad when closed. The Galaxy Tab Pro S starts at $899.
Firebox's Mighty Clutch
On a night out with friends, make sure your mom's smartphone stays fully charged with the fashionable -- and technical -- Mighty Clutch. This $78 clutch is made from real leather and is available in three different finishes. On the inside, the clutch doubles as a charger with a built-in high-capacity battery that can recharge phones up to two times per charge. This clutch is also compatible with all MicroUSB smartphones and iPhones, and comes with an internal 4 LED indicator so users will always know how much juice they have left.
Saddleback Leather Tablet Bag
If your mother needs to carry around her iPad, Surface Pro or Galaxy Tab S tablets, Saddleback Leather's classy tablet bag may be the perfect gift for Mother's Day.
The tablet bag offers a simple, lightweight streamlined design with four color options: tobacco, dark coffee brown, chestnut and black. It also features a removable shoulder strap and front accessory pocket for extra storage. The tablet bag can be purchased on Saddleback Leather's website for $198.