Here’s 10 awesome things to get for Mother’s day instead.
Every year I prepare for the posts about mother’s day and let out a sigh for the myriad of website posts about “technology gifts she’ll actually want for mothers day” that display kindles and cooking apps.
Really? Does your blessed mother really want another way to cook food? What are you saying with this? And a kindle? She probably already has one that she doesn’t use because books are better.
One day I might be a mother, recipient of gifts from my devoted offspring and I can tell you now that I do not want a *bleeping kindle. I would very much like a collar tracker for my cats, or a new phone, or a working BB-8 unit. I wouldn’t mind something for the car, maybe a new satnav or something that I can speak into that shows the driver behind me exactly what I think of their tailgating.
Your mother deserves something fun, she deserves something useful and for mothers day, lets face it, something that isn’t going to break the bank, so I took to Firebox.com and iwantoneofthose.com to find the perfect gift for the mum of today. I have used my own mother as a template, because she is the perfect mixture of ‘mumsy’ and motorbike gang member. She also loves Sci-fi. I’m going to use technology as a theme, but remember that technology is anything that helps better your life, it doesn’t have to be electronic.
1) Congito autoseal travel mug
‘Push button, drink coffee’ is the tagline featured on the product page of Firebox but frankly, your mother would rather be drinking tea. Still, regardless of what you want to keep stored, Congito promises to keep hot stuff hot and cold stuff cold, so you can enjoy a nice hot cup of tea while you sit in traffic. It also claims to be 100% leak free and you can choose from 4 colours, making it practical and snazzy. Still it is a little boring, so only get this if your mother commutes often and will appreciate the practicality of this gift.
2) Tile
‘Never lose anything again’. If your mother is anything like mine, then she will enjoy playing the finding game. It’s a game with no winners. She has lost something, say her purse or house keys, she’s not sure where she last had it but it must be found and it must be found immediately, or there will be repercussions. With Tile, you don’t have to worry. Tile works with your smartphone to locate lost objects in your home (the range is approximately 100 ft), simply stick it to your phone, keys or wallet and you’ll never lose it again.
3) Smartphone projector
Turn your bedroom into a home cinema with the smartphone projector. This will please more than just your mother, but the whole family as well. I mean, you can just put the telly on but lets be honest, this is way more fun and even better, you can set it up in the bathroom and watch movies in the bath. I know for a fact my mother will watch movies in the bath, so I can bet that yours will too.
4) Hot cookie USB cup warmer
We’ve all done it: left our tea to go cold and it’s a sin against all things good and pure to microwave it, but I’ve done just that and I’ve admitted it and now I can get help. My mother on the other hand, refuses to drink tea that has been microwaved, so the USB cup warmer will negate the problem of cold tea for up to 30 minutes and this one comes in the shape of an Oreo cookie so it looks cute too.
5) Lomography Konstruktor Flash Camera
This camera is not only perfect for a budding photographer, but it’s also a build-it-yourself unit. You will get satisfaction of building and using your own SLR camera that will help you learn the basics of photography and up your Instagram game. The best part of this gift is the price – £28.99. This is a gift that will impress anyone without you having to fork up a fortune.
6) Mopet robot mop
Yes, I know this is incredibly mumsy as a gift choice, but this is pretty freaking awesome and it makes housework easier. Your mother should not be doing housework. I hate dusting. Hate it. Look at this this little thing. It just goes along, doing all the work so your mum can enjoy uploading her newly taken art photos with her hot cup of tea. And, and, it comes with stickers! Stickers! You mean to say I can have something that hovers for me that comes with stickers and it makes stuff smell nice??? I’m actually going to buy this.
7) Long life milk portable chargers
My mother is always on her phone so her battery runs down pretty fast. It’s something she complains about alot, so I might actually get one of these for her. Give your mother the gift of life (as she did you, you ungrateful wretch) in the form of ‘long life milk‘ portable chargers. Or, if milk isn’t her thing, Firebox has a cute Robot version or the Pebble smartstick charger for mothers who likes chic.
8) USB mixtape
Your mother will enjoy the heartfelt mix tape you have lovingly crafted for her with the 1GB USB mixtape. You can create a mixtape of your choice and customise the fold-out cover. Your mother will love this one, because it’s a present that comes with effort and love and really that’s all your mother wants. Your love. But also stuff, ’cause, well you know, you picked love last year.
9) Zippo hand warmer
At first glance it seems abit like it might burn you rather than warm your hands, but the Zippo hand warmer is actually a really nice thing to have in your pocket on a freezing cold day and it can stay warm for up to 6 hours. I think it’s safe to say that many of us feel cold fairly easily. My family is akin to lizards, we need warmth and sunlight to function and my mum is a gardener so having warm hands will definitely help her work.
10) AeroPress coffee maker
For mothers who work hard and drink hard, you want a coffee maker that can handle a challenge. Like the AeroPress coffee maker. Simply put your coffee in the transparent chamber, pour in hot water, stir for 10 seconds and then depress the plunger. Air pressure forces the mix through a micro-filter and into the cup below. Result: practically instant coffee with the taste of fresh coffee.
BONUS GIFT: Corkcicle Air
I decided to add a bonus gift because it occurred to me that technology is designed to better our lives, make our lives easier and progress humanity. So in light of this, I have added the Corkcicle Air wine aerator. My mother will greatly enjoy fancy wine while she bathes and watches a movie on her smartphone projector. What a time to be alive.
So, with all these choices, get your mother something that she will actually use and/or enjoy this mothers day (that doesn’t also cost one of your kidneys).
– Blog post by Jess Brown, Head of Marketing at Invicta Linux.
I work for Invicta Linux, Business specialists in Data, Security & Communications.
Tel: 0330 2020 139 / 01304 450070
Email: info@invictalinux.co.uk
Website: www.invictalinux.co.uk
