You’ve bought them socks, chocolates and books for years, so why not buy your grandparents something a little different this Christmas…
Although there are more older people venturing online and buying laptops, tablets and e-readers than ever before, a lot of grandparents are notoriously stuck in their ways when it comes to technology.
So, here’s a list of five top tech gifts for your favourite relatives…
Granted this is a little pricey for a digital photo frame, but the beauty of the Kodak pulse is that you can be in control. You sync your computer or smart phone up to the device and then send any photo you want to be displayed onto the frame. This means no nonsense if your grandparents don’t have their own computer and would rather not sort out which photos that they want to display themselves. Just be careful not to let anyone near your phone, as you wouldn’t want any drunken photos from a night out to be plastered all over your grandparent’s coffee table…
For grandparents that are keen to keep in touch with relatives and already have a computer, a web cam is an ideal gift. There are so many out there to choose from but for simple Skype conversations, this cheap and cheerful model from Microsoft would be perfect.
There are always going to be relatives who are set in their ways when it comes to reading and would never be parted from an actual book. However, for those willing to experiment a little, a kindle really does mean that your grandma has access to a never-ending library wherever she goes. It’s also been specially designed for long-term reading, so it fits perfectly in your hands, fonts can be made bigger for when your eyes get tired and it doesn’t get warm no matter how long you use it for.
These cute little handsets are designed with older mobile users in mind. They have a powerful speaker, large keys, a bright screen and a ridiculously simple interface. Unfortunately, the bright jitterbugs are only available to those of you from the US at the moment as they work on the GreatCall network.
This might be quite a risky one, but great for grandparents who already know a bit about uploading content to a computer. The FLIP Ultra camcorders record in HD and are made to be as easy-to-use as possible, with simple functionality and a USB arm which means no messing around with wires, the camcorder can just be plugged straight into a computer.
Becca Caddy is a BitchBuzz Tech columnist and freelance writer for Reputation Online, New Media Age’s spin-off publication. You can follow her on Twitter @beccacaddy.
Main image via bummy2810 Flickr Stream