I’m a guy. I like electronic gadgets. My eyes glow at the latest big screen TV, video game or computer. I love to hang out in Best Buy or Costco and peruse the electronics aisle. Unfortunately, my wife doesn’t share the same passion. She likes strange things like chocolate, flowers, and jewelry. Things I can’t really relate to..
Every Christmas and birthday season, I struggle with what to give her. I like to give her things that I can relate to. I want to make sure they are top notch and reliable. So I make a list of things that I like, and then, using prior knowledge and lists of prior failures, go down the list and cross out the no-no’s. Usually I end up with one or two items and then I casually drop hints to my wife about them. If they resonate, I know I am on to something, If not they get crossed off.
Over the years I have had massive failures in this area. I’ve really blown it. I’ve had my wife literally unwrap a package and hand it back to me… “Here this is for YOU!!” Arrgh! I have had some surprising hits though and I want to share three of them with you today. Here are my top 3 all time best electronic gifts for my wife, in order from number one to number three.
1. Apple iPad: This is the most surprising of the bunch. When the iPad came out, I took a look at it and decided it was just a netbook without the keyboard. I decided to pass on it. A few months later, my wife and I were in an Apple store and she picked up an iPad. I told her that I wasn’t sure what we would use it for, but just then an Apple Genius happened to walk by. He noticed the puzzled look on my wife’s face as she played with the iPad and offered to give her a demo. After 20 minutes of games, applications, e-mail and web-browsing, my wife was sold. We took one home that day. She has used it every day since. This is an amazing device and it just works. It’s instant on, has no wires or keyboard, and does everything my wife needs. She uses it while watching TV or on the phone with friends. She takes it with her to Starbucks and also to church. It has replaced her real bible with an electronic one. Overall guys… you can’t go wrong with this as a gift!
2. Smart Phone: My wife likes simplicity. When she got her first cell-phone she wanted something that was easy to see and had large buttons. She didn’t want frills. She really liked the flip phones because they were small and fit in her purse. Over the years she would stay with small, simple and easy. But when her contract ran out last summer I recommended that she look at the smart phones, since they were on sale. Here again, just like at the Apple store, a helpful salesman showed my wife how the smartphones work. He showed her a few different models, and explained all of the cool features. But what really sold my wife was the bright, easy to read screen, and how easy it was to make phone calls. She ended up with an HTC incredible that was on sale. She has learned many of the features and really likes the phone. Here is a lesson guys… have someone demo the technology to your wife. Take notes and listen well.
3. Keurig Coffee Maker. This was a real crap-shoot. We already had a coffee maker, and I make coffee everyday. What could we possibly use a new coffee maker for? We’ll I talked with a few friends, and I decided to buy a low end Keurig machine for my wife’s birthday. As she unwrapped it, she had the same reaction that I did at the store… what do we need another coffee maker for? Now I had to put my salesman’s hat on. I hooked it up, pulled out one of the included coffee flavors, and made her a great cup of Hazelnut coffee in just two minutes. She took one taste and was sold. This is a great substitute for a trip to Starbucks and much cheaper to boot. A cup of great coffee, brewed in just 90 seconds, costs about 50 cents. You can get teas, hot chocolate and all flavors of coffee in the small cups. Guys, if your wife likes Starbucks, you can’t go wrong here!
Overall, I’ve learned that technology can make a great gift if you do your homework. Asking questions and getting demos can really help you find the right gift for your spouse.
Question: What technology has worked as a gift for you?
