Despite the good tidings and bright tassels of holiday cheer, less daylight and more clouds make seasonal affective disorder real. This holiday season, give your friends and loved ones a pop of color with gadgets and gear that express every shade of their creative moods. These gifts will bring a ray of sunshine to their everyday life.
QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones
You know them as your trusty travel/commute/open office companion, but Bose QuietComfort Headphones are back with a new palette of nature-inspired tonal options worn in a new Bose campaign with DJ ZULAN and duo Royel Otis. And that's not all—the same world-class noise cancellation sticks around with "quiet," "aware," and "custom" modes, but adds an upgraded Wind Block feature. The combination of physical and digital engineering (plus a 24-hour battery life) is the perfect way to lock your loved one into a flow state of high-fidelity audio and color.
For the inveterate longhand note-taker who wishes they could move their written work to the digital world—like a notes app, messaging platform, or just make their thoughts searchable—the all-new reMarkable Paper Pro Move Journal is an ultra-pocketable color e-ink digital notebook. The secret sauce here is that the screen and stylus combo has the natural pen-on-paper feel of your fancy black-bound pocket notebook. The backlit screen allows for working in direct or low-light environments, and it can be dressed up in a case that matches your daily vibe.
Kodak Charmera Key Chain Digital Camera
Keep your phone in your pocket and capture the world through this colorful, diminutive throwback camera. Inspired by the Fling—Kodak's first-ever single-use camera from 1987—the Charmera sports a 1.6MP 1/4" CMOS sensor and wide-angle 35mm-equivalent f/2.4 lens good for 1440 x 1080 stills and video captured at 30 FPS. Seven onboard filters allow users to have fun with their off-the-cuff street photography and then transfer them to a bigger screen through microSD or USB-C. No drive-thru photo kiosk required.
Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT-WW Bluetooth Turntable
Want a vintage-inspired listening station with modern flair? Audio-Technica’s legendary design is available in a standout white colorway and includes some under-the-hood updates. This fully automatic belt-drive stereo turntable includes start, stop and tonearm lift controls, with Audio-Technica’s Dual Magnet cartridge integrated directly into the headshell to keep setup straightforward for novice operators. The real leap into the 21st century: an integrated Bluetooth-enabled phono preamp compatible with the aptX codec so your budding vinyl addict can stream their tunes directly to the headphones or soundbar of their choice.
Teenage Engineering pocket operator
Gift inspiration on the go with Teenage Engineering's pocket operator—a line of diminutive, daisy-chainable synths. Designed to evoke a vintage calculator, each model of the multicolored music machine specializes in a different aspect of the studio experience. From drum machines to 8-bit-esque synths, knob tweakers can compile their perfect mobile studio, outputting sound through each unit's onboard speaker or to their recording platform of choice. Don't forget to pick up an optional multicolored silicone case for added personalization (and protection in an overstuffed bag of gear).
Desk tools don't have to blend in; in fact, it's probably better if you can instantly spot them in your scrap pile for first-order retrievability (and safety). Clocking in at 7 ounces and sporting four different combinations of ceramic coating and vinyl-dipped rings, these cast stainless steel, precision-milled scissors will bring a sense of functional whimsy to even the most high-tech workspace.
Reduce, reuse, and sail away with a one-of-a-kind, minimally branded tote from Mafia Bags. Handmade in San Francisco from durable spinnaker sails and upcycled climbing rope, no two are the same, but all will add more of an eye-catching pop than the pile of free totes sitting in your trunk.
Stylophone S1 Pocket Synthesizer
Does that special someone in your life have a predilection for humming and drumming on their desk throughout the day? Skip the fidget spinner: Stylophone’s diminutive pocket synth’s retro-look and touch-sensitive UX has been providing an endless palette for tasty lead synthesizer licks since 1968. Slide, bend and tap using the provided stylus and tuning knob, and output to headphones, speakers or your recording interface via the 3.5mm stereo cable. There’s an onboard speaker for when you’re just sitting in your office waiting for a meeting to start
