2021 Gear of the Year
Are you looking for a creative Holiday gift for the techy person on your list? We’ve hand-selected our top picks for this holiday season that are perfect for family, friends, co-workers, or a gift exchange. There are small, inexpensive items and high-priced gear represented, but everything on this list has either been used by us or is on our want list for 2021. Simply put, this is the good stuff.
Nest Doorbell (Wireless)
Intelligent, always-on monitoring in a handy doorbell that’s perfect for anyone that loves Google-y products. The battery-powered doorbell offers up-to 6 months of use on a single charge or you can wire it to your existing doorbell setup for uninterrupted use with no need to charge.
Buy from Best Buy
Nest Camera (Wireless)
The new Nest Camera is by far the best security camera we’ve used. With no need of a wired solution, our battery-powered camera has lasted in our office since we set it up months ago and has faithfully done its job, alerting us when strangers enter the building.
Buy From Best Buy
Nest Camera w/Floodlight
Smart security and real-time protection. The Nest Camera w/floodlight combines everything we love about the Nest Camera with 2 x 2400 lumen spotlights that would make the sun envious. With a 180-degree motion detection system and crisp, clear night vision, nothing will go unseen when you have this thing monitoring your home or business.
Buy from Best Buy
Google Nest WiFi Router
How many devices do you have connected to your home WiFi network? The number is probably higher than you expect, which means your router is having to do more work. The Google Nest Wifi router is simple but powerful and is a great gift for literally anyone who has internet.
Buy on Amazon
Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5
Without doubt, this is one of our favorite Chromebooks of the year. With it’s thin/light design, gorgeous screen, and faster-than-expected performance, this tablet surprised us with its unique versatility in both tablet and clamshell mode.
Where To Buy
ASUS Chromebook CX9
Of all the Chromebooks released in 2021, the ASUS CX9 was – without doubt – the king of the hill. While not a convertible, this Chromebook possesses everything you could possibly want in a high-end, flagship device.
Where To Buy
ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5400
While the ASUS Flip CX9 may have taken the top spot overall, the Flip CX5400 was a very, very close second and, arguably, a better overall device for certain users. It’s premium with a geat screen, top-notch inputs, and an included pen. This is easily one of the best of 2021.
Where To Buy
HP Chromebase 22
The next generation of Chrome OS all-in-one devices, the HP Chromebase 22 breathes new life into the desktop form-factor with a FullHD rotating display that flips from portrait to landscape with ease. Powered by 10th Gen Intel CPUs, the HP Chromebase offers up a premium and powerful Chrome OS desktop experience unlike any other.
Where to Buy
Logitech Wireless Keyboard & Mouse
At $49 for the keyboard and $29 for the mouse, the Logitech K580 keyboard and M335 mouse are an incredible value that, according to some, are the best Bluetooth accessories for Chrome OS that you can buy right now.
Where To Buy
Ravpower Power Bank
A portable power bank is one of those tech accessories that is a must-have for any tech nerd. With support for Power Delivery and Qualcomm Quick Charge, this travel-friendly portable battery offers high-speed charging to virtually any mobile device, including most Chromebooks.
Buy From RavPower
OWC Travel Dock Gen 2
The OWC Travel Dock Gen 2 delivers and offers all the connectivity that most Chromebook users need. The dock can be used on a desktop setup to connect an external display or on the go to plug in an SD card or USB thumb drive.
Buy From Amazon
Penoval USI Pen
Of all the USI pens out in the market, the latest stylus from Penoval is our favorite. It is modern, rechargeable, has a great, solid pen tip, and it comes equipped with an eraser up top that seems to work extremely well with just about every app and Chromebooks we’ve tested.
Buy from Penoval
Chromecast w/Google TV
With the new Chromecast, we finally get a real UI for on-screen navigation and a remote. With these two additions, this new Chromecast is the best one yet and truly the Chromecast for everyone.
Buy at Best Buy
Onn. Android TV
This affordable alternative to the Chromecast with Google TV is everything you need to start streaming content right now. There’s a familiar Google TV-like interface, Stadia/GeForce NOW support, and a very, very low price tag to go along with all of it.
Buy From Walmart
Pixel Buds A-Series
If you want a great set of wireless earbuds to go along with your Google-made Pixel phone, look no further than the new Pixel Buds A-Series. They have much of what was great about the original, but at a discounted price.
Buy from Best Buy
Wyze Buds Pro
Many of you know I’m always on the hunt for the perfect earbuds. While not perfect, the Wyze Buds Pro get very close with great sound, a small case, and a host of features that make the price feel ridiculous. I love these earbuds.
Buy from Amazon
Pixel 6 & 6 Pro
We’ve waited a long time for Google to put out a true flagship phone, and the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are those devices. With great screens, top-notch build quality and Google’s own Tensor SoC inside, these phones are the real deal.
Where to Buy
Pixel 5a
One thing Google has been great at is mid-range phones. The Pixel 3a and 4a solidified this, and the Pixel 5a follows in those footsteps, providing a whole lot of phone for a very small price. And you get that legendary Pixel camera.
Buy from Amazon
Nest Audio
For $100, the Nest Audio is the best value on the market for an Assistant speaker and the upcoming theater feature that will allow you to set up a surround sound experience with the new Chromecast w/Google TV makes it the best choice for a Google-fied home entertainment setup.
Buy From Best Buy
Fitbit Sense
Sure, there’s talk of a new Pixel Watch, but if you’re in the market for a great watch that can take/make phone calls, handle voice commands, and queue up the Google Assistant all while keeping your fitness goals in check, look no further than the Fitbit Sense.
Buy From Amazon
Lenovo Smart Clock Gen 2
Featuring some subtle design upgrades, Lenovo’s second generation smart clock adds to its resume with an optional wireless charging pad that attaches directly to the base of the clock. Like its predecessor, the Gen 2 smart clock is the perfect bedside companion to control your smart home, consume some audio content, and get you out of bed on time.
Buy From Lenovo
Lenovo Smart Clock Essentials
The smallest smart clock Lenovo makes brings a lot to the table in a package that accomplishes much of what you need out of a smart alarm clock and little else while keeping the price insanely low.
Buy from Best Buy
Lenovo Smart Plugs
Lenovo’s smart plugs integrate perfectly into your existing Google Assistant and Nest-powered smart home and setup takes less than five minutes. You can create groups and routines to quickly and easily automate your entire home in no time flat.
Buy from Lowe’s
Meross Smart Light Bulb
Spice up any room of the house or your office with color-changing smart light bulbs that connect to the Google Assistant. After a quick setup via the Meross app, you can control them via the Google Home app with the Google Assistant with ease.
Buy from Amazon
SkyTrak
If you love golf and love tech gadgets, a golf launch monitor is just your thing. At the lower end of the price spectrum for these kinds of things, the SkyTrak launch monitor has proven its worth time and again, giving us regular access to golf all year round when paired with a screen.
Buy From Best Buy
Spornia SPG-7 Net
Along with that golf simulator, you’ll need something to hit into. The Spornia net is perfect, breaks down into a bag in just a couple minutes, and has an optional impact screen for projecting your simulator. It’s the best net I’ve used by far.
Buy From Amazon
Epson Home Cinema 880 Projector
Part of the golf simulator experience is the projector, but you don’t have to spend a ton to get a nice, bright, 1080p model that will work in most lighting conditions. The Epson Home Cinema 880 is the right combo of resolution, features, and brightness and it works perfectly.
Buy From Amazon
Golf Mat
Finally, to complete the set, you need a good mat to hit from. I’ve been through a handful, and this particular 5-foot by 4-foot, extra-thick mat has been the best of the lot. It holds up to a lot of swings and absorbs contact perfectly.
Buy From Amazon
Breville Barista Express
For the coffee snob on your list, the Breville Barista Express is the perfect home or office espresso machine. A simple and reliable machine that will pull a perfect shot every time.
Buy From Amazon
AndaSeat Chair
If you work from a desk, chances are you are constantly in a seated position, and that means you need a great chair. AndaSeat makes some of the best out there and they likely even have a style that suits your needs, too.
Buy From AndaSeat
SanDisk Extreme SSD
We truly believe in the power of cloud computing but sometimes you need to move files around so a super fast portable external SSD can be a great Chromebook accessory.
Buy From Amazon
Fresh Roasted Coffee
Fresh Roasted Coffee has simply been a revelation for our office. With coffee that completely rivals our own in-house roasts at the same price as unroasted green coffee, the move to using Fresh Roasted Coffee has saved us both money and time and we love it.
Where to Buy