17 cool tech gifts you'll want to buy for yourself

There’s no need to break out into a sweaty panic when you can’t find your car keys—a smartphone can be used to figure out where you left your most forgotten item. Tile’s latest iterations include a replaceable battery, louder sound and larger bluetooth range so you find whatever’s missing in a snap. 

The Tile Mate Tracker, $30, bestbuy.ca.

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An illuminating makeup light is essential this time of year when the mornings are still dark. This one not only features a light, but also a speaker, so you can play your tunes while you do your makeup and get amped up for the day ahead.

iHome Lux Vanity Mirror Speaker, $179, urbanoutfitters.com.

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Many people refuse to ditch their soda habit in favour of healthier alternatives like water and homebrewed ice tea, because they love the fizz. A Soda Stream allows you to turn water into sparkling water with just the touch of a button—so it's perfect for adding fizz to holiday cocktails or a fruity iced tea.

SodaStream Fizzi One Touch, $180, sodastream.ca.

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Give the gift of plugged-in relaxation, and share the benefits of better sleep, lowered anxiety and increased mindfulness with a subscription to the meditation app Calm.

Subscription to Calm Premium, $60 US, calm.com.

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This Oral-B Genius electric toothbrush removes 500 percent more plaque than a regular toothbrush. Plus, coming in five colours, it's pretty enough to leave on your bathroom countertop.

Oral-B Pro 6000, $290, oralb.ca.

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This innovative Bluetooth-enabled bottle tracks water intake to promote smarter hydration.

Hidrate Spark 2.0 Smart Water Bottle, $54, urbanoutfitters.com.

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A great pair of headphones is exactly what the music-obsessed person on your list needs to enjoy all those holiday tunes (and maybe to drown out Uncle Ted?).

Beats by Dr. Dre Solo3 On-Ear Sound Isolating Bluetooth Headphones, $400, bestbuy.ca.

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Make 2019 the year of hands-free cleaning with a robot vacuum.

Robot Vacuum, $499 to $799 US, neatorobotics.com.

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With an output of 16.7 million colours, the Nanoleaf Light Panels can transform your space no matter your mood. Use the app to liven up your living space for parties or tone the mood down for at-home yoga sessions. And the best part? You can program the panels to respond to your music. 

Nanoleaf Light Panels R Starter 9 Panels, $250, ca-shop.nanoleaf.me.

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Budding phonetographers (it’s a thing) will get a lot from the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. Features like “Top Shot” create a burst of shots to pick from while filtering out the ones where someone has there eyes closed. Switch to the wide-angle angle front camera for group selfies, so you can get everyone in the picture. 

Pixel 3, $999, store.google.com.

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With this handy little tool, you can stream your favourite show from just about anywhere.

Roku Streaming Stick, $90, amazon.ca.

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The latest Fitbit is so much more than a step counter. New features like Female Health Tracking help you to keep track of period days and record symptoms, while glean more from your health with the most advanced heart rate monitor to date. This time of year, find some calm with the device’s personalized and guided breathing sessions.

Fitbit Charge 3 Activity Tracker, $200, thesource.ca.

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While diffuser technology isn't exactly new, if there's anyone on your gift list who doesn't already have one, you need to remedy that stat! This one from Saje is a new, gorgeous shade of burgundy and with the touch of a button you can release blended essential oils into your space to purify, scent and set the mood.

Saje Aroma Breeze Diffuser, $80, saje.com.

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Though speakers are constantly made to be louder, that doesn’t necessarily make the sound any better. With the Sonos brand being so sound-obsessed, you can be sure even their compact speakers play full, rich sound all controlled from your smartphone or by voice. The speaker works like a little Lego piece meaning you can connect them together to create a concert in the living room or stream the same song in different parts of the house. Best of all is the humidity resistant exterior so Adele can finally sing backup to your shower renditions of “Someone Like You.” 

Sonos One Smart Speaker, $250, amazon.ca.

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We’re thinking Santa’s Little Helper might’ve been this savvy device. The Google Home Mini seamlessly blends into your home (and life) making it easier to connect in all aspects—from managing your day’s tasks to controlling other devices like a smart thermostat. Since its launch, the built-in assistant has learned to answer over 100 million new questions and commands so you’ll get real time answers about pretty well anything. Hey Google, where have you been all my life?

Google Home Mini, $79, store.google.com.

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Give the gift of wireless charging with this super stylish charging pad for the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, iPhone X and all other QI compatible devices.

Native Union Wireless Charging Pad, $80, indigo.ca.

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Movie Night

Convert any space into a movie theater—sort of—will the Cinemood Portable Projector. It's super light, noiseless and offers up 12 feet of movie fun. Perfect for keeping kids occupied at your next holiday get-together or for enjoying an impromptu cottage movie night.

CINEMOOD Portable Movie Theatre, $500, bestbuy.ca.

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