The holidays are upon us already, time for our annual tech gift guide. The pressure is mounting to get that perfect gift that is useful, shows you care and more importantly won’t end up regifted or worse, sitting in a box in the corner of the garage awaiting a future Goodwill run. There are thousands of gadgets out there. If history continues to repeat, most will be lucky to make a future list of novelty flash in the pan gifts of the past. Below is my attempt the cut through the holiday marketing blitz and present items that I think will stand the test of time.
On-Line Back-up Service. At the risk of repeating myself, I am still a fan of backing up all of your computers and devices on-line. It is not the most romantic gift,
but you will be a real hero when one of your loved ones’ hard drives crashes or gets an unrecoverable virus. These backup services run quietly in the background whenever you connect to the internet. This link is a review of the top services.
Security Camera. I still keep tabs on my old neighborhood in Seattle via the Nextdoor website. At least once a week, there is a post about packages gone missing, car prowlers or unsavory looking characters knocking on the door. More and more, the postings have 
images attached of the culprits captured by a security camera.
There are many security cameras on the market this year. Arlo’s multi camera offering easily integrates into your home’s wi-fi system and in addition to sending links to captured video triggered by the motion detector, it provides email alerts confirming scheduled arrivals of hired help around the house. This is a big help when I work prevents me from being at the house.
Ring is another company making security camera’s. Their main focus is door mounted cameras that allow you to have 2-way communication with whomever is at the door. Whether you are in the house or off-site.
External Battery. Last year’s list included external batteries too. I repeat it here because these will always be a good stockin
g stuffer. Especially as our personal devices are more and more integral to our daily lives and stopping to charge them is not always an option. The latest external batteries pack more power in a smaller package. Some features to look for are: capacity of at least 20,000 mAh, multiple charging ports. Built in protection to prevent overcharging and some sort of charge status indicator.
Virtual Assistant. One gift you almost can’t not get this year is a personal 
virtual assistant like Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Home. I have seen them being offered at a reduced price or a free gift with purchase of any connected electronic device. These are the brains behind a smart home setup allowing you to control lights, thermostats, door locks, entertainment systems and more and more things everyday. Do your research to make sure that your expected electronics purchases are compatible with whichever assistant you choose.
Meat Thermometer. And one last item from last year’s list that will definitely be 
appreciated when summer grilling season comes around again. I love my Classic Thermapen from Thermoworks. It is arguably the best, fastest and most accurate meat thermometer on the market and will be an appreciated companion at the grill.
Teledata Select offers a whole range of services that will help you meet your business goals. Starting with a complimentary review of your current telecommunication bills to identify errors and find opportunities for savings, better service and more functionality. We also offer project management for new service implementation and infrastructure installs, including fiber and low voltage cabling. Call us at 404-257-1502 to discuss your current Telecom Service Solution and what you would like to get out of it. Or send us a note via This Link to start a no obligation discussion of your specific business technology needs.
Don Miller is a PMP certified Project Manager splits his time between Atlanta, Ga and Cleveland, Oh. He has come to Teledata Select via Seattle, New York and Washington DC. His experience running small to multi-million dollar projects in the Banking, Software, Telecommunications and Insurance Industries across the US has given him a wide range of business experience.
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