Best last minute gadget gifts from Cricut, Logitech, Samsung, SmartTag2, Technics, Twelve South

The Cricut cutter is almost literally the mother of all last-minute gifts.

Not only can you get one as a last-minute gift for someone you forgot about, but you can also get one last-minute for yourself and use it to make dozens of last-minute gifts. everyone you forgot.

The cutter is like an inkjet printer, but instead of sending a Word document to the cutter, you just send a design created with Cricut’s easy-to-use software. And instead of printing these designs, your Cricut cuts them using a blade attached to the printhead. You can also draw designs by replacing the blade with a marking pen.

Cut and draw on all kinds of things, including iron-on transfers (great for making last-minute personalized t-shirts), paper or lightweight cardboard (for personalized greeting cards), and stickers (our favorite). You can

Joy Xtra is a great starting point to your Cricut addiction. It can do most of the things the top-of-the-line Cricut Maker 3 can do (it can’t cut wood or fabric, but other than that it’s pretty much the same as the Maker), but it’s much cheaper and takes up a lot more space. It takes up less space in the house.

Even if you also own Maker 3, you’ll probably end up using Joy Xtra more often anyway. So why not start there?

Starter Bundle $399. Available at Harvey Norman and Officeworks.

ember cup

If you’re not a fan of slowly sipping your coffee all morning while watching your milk gradually turn sour, then you probably hate the habit. What kind of monster drinks lukewarm latte? Were they raised by wolves?

Instead of dealing with your own judgment issues, you can just give those people an Ember Cup or a larger Ember Mug and you can solve the problem head-on. This is a battery powered, Bluetooth and app controlled cup/mug that can store your coffee. Leave your cup/mug on the charging tray and you’ll have hot tea for over an hour, or actually all day long.

Now, when I say “hot” I don’t mean “hot”. The highest temperature you can set the Ember to is 62 degrees, which is well below the brewing temperature of most tea and coffee drinks, but well above the temperature at which disgust begins.

Ember cups and mugs start at $149. Available from JB Hi-Fi, Amazon, and David Jones.

Logitech MX Key S

It’s hard to think of a PC that wouldn’t be improved by the addition of a Logitech MX Keys S keyboard.

Is that the weird HP Envy Move I reviewed a few weeks ago? This is what happens when you transform it with a nice Logitech all difference.

These backlit keyboards are very sturdy (the chassis is aluminum), the keys feel great, they work with Mac as well as Windows computers, and can be paired with up to three computers at the same time using Bluetooth. . Connect or Logitech’s proprietary USB receiver (included in the box). (Switching between paired devices is as easy as tapping one of the three “Easy Switch” keys above the arrow keys.)

The only PCs that won’t really benefit from the MX Keys S keyboard are those that already have older MX Keys models. This new model isn’t much different, except it has a USB-C connector instead of the old micro-USB connector for charging, and the backlight level is now automatic.

MX Key S $229.95. Available at JB Hi-Fi.

samsung smart tag 2

Samsung’s SmartTag2 was one of our favorite products this year, and one of the rare occasions when Samsung followed in Apple’s footsteps and created a better product.

Like Apple’s inferior AirTag, the SmartTag2 is a Bluetooth and ultra-wideband (UWB) beacon that attaches to your keys, bike, bag, toys, and more to help you find them if they’re lost.

The tag periodically sends out a wireless “ping” that nearby Samsung phones and tablets recognize, and reports to Samsung where it was when it received the ping (and, via Samsung, (report to the owner).

Unlike AirTag, SmartTag2 also has a button that you can use to ping your phone if you have the tag but no phone.

Please note that SmartTag2 only works with Samsung products, just like AirTag only works with Apple products. For the tag to be anything other than decorative, the recipient of this gift must already have a Samsung phone.

Smart Tag 2: $55. 4 pack: $169. Available at Samsung Store, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys, Amazon, Bing Lee, Optus, Telstra

Technics wireless earphones EAH-AZ80

There are many things to consider when choosing wireless earbuds. Audio quality, battery life, noise cancellation, and ease of control are all very important.

But none of that matters if the earbuds don’t fit comfortably in your ears and stay there.

This is where Technics’ EAH-AZ80 earphones shine. These are the best-fitting and most comfortable earphones we’ve used at Digital Life Labs over the years.

The sound is great, the noise cancellation is very good (though not the best I’ve heard), the ambient noise suppression on calls is excellent, the controls are easy to use, and the battery life is great. Masu. One charge will last him 7 hours.

The only thing I don’t like about these high-end earphones is that they may be difficult to find in a hurry. JB Hi-Fi’s online store has these products, but you might also want to consider specialist audio dealers such as Addicted to Audio in Sydney and Melbourne and Todd’s Hi-Fi in Brisbane.

At the time of writing, the sale price is $399.

Twelve South Airfly Pro

Wireless earbuds like the aforementioned Technics and Apple’s AirPods Pro have one major drawback. That doesn’t work on airplanes.

Or rather, it doesn’t work. and plane. There’s no way to connect wireless earbuds to your plane’s in-flight entertainment system to replace your favorite airline-provided headphones.

What you can do, however, is connect the AirFly Pro to your in-flight entertainment system and use that to connect back to your earbuds.

When you plug Twelve South’s AirFly Pro into your plane’s headphone jack, it converts its wired signal into a wireless Bluetooth signal that you can listen to on your favorite earbuds or earbuds.

There’s also another mode that allows you to send an audio signal from your phone or tablet, also via Bluetooth, but this time in the opposite direction, to something that doesn’t have a Bluetooth receiver but has an audio input connector (like an old Hi-Fi). fi or very old car stereo.

$89.99 at JB Hi-Fi and Officeworks