GIFT GUIDE <strong>2015</strong> TECH GEEKS, REJOICE! BY ERIC YOUNAN Santa is coming to town, but given the North Pole’s distance from Silicon Valley, he may not be carrying many gadgets. Whether you’re buying for a binge TV watcher, fitness freak, smart phone addict, music lover, gamer or computer nerd, our gift guide has you covered. For the Music Lover Braven 570 Bluetooth Speaker $59.99 at Amazon.com Braven.com This affordable portable speaker does more than play music. It features a built-in speaker phone and the ability to charge other mobile devices. Its 1200 mAh battery, which delivers 10 hours of playtime, makes the Braven 570 an ideal choice for picnics, tailgates, fishing trips and other outdoor activities. It’s available in black, white, green, blue and purple. For the Binge Watcher Roku Streaming Stick $49.99 at Best Buy Roku.com This gateway to couch potatodom provides a powerful punch at a minimal price. The streaming stick provides access to more than 2,000 channels and content from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime and countless other apps. It also allows streaming of personal content from smartphones, tablets and laptops. With more and more people cutting the (cable) cord, the Roku Streaming Stick is sure to please. Best of all, it’s easy to install and even luddites will be up and running in a matter of minutes. For the Gamer Microsoft Xbox One 1TB Holiday Bundle $399.99 at multiple retailers Xbox.com The Microsoft Xbox One 1TB Holiday Bundle gets the nod over its closest completion due to its included games: Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, Rare Replay, and a full-game download of Ori and the Blind Forest. As an added bonus, this game console doubles as a streaming device for Netflix, Pandora, Hulu Plus and Skype so gamers can binge-watch television or listen to music when their thumbs need a break. For the Fitness Freak Fitbit Surge $249.99 at Target Fitbit.com Wearable tech continues to be hot and is now a staple in the fitness world. With so many options, the Fitbit Surge stands out for its reliability and simplicity. This an intuitive smart watch that provides automatic, continuous heart rate and activity tracking right on your wrist. It integrates GPS to accurately track steps, intensity, distance, number of stair flights climbed, calorie burn and sleep quality. It wirelessly syncs to your smartphone to provide a fitness tracker dashboard. There’s even a social aspect where you can add friends for friendly competition and bragging rights. For the Computer Geek Microsoft Surface Book Starts at $1,499 at multiple retailers Microsoft.com With the Microsoft Surface Book, you’ll have to make one less decision this Christmas: Whether to give a laptop or tablet. That’s because the Surface Book transforms into three configurations: a laptop; a tablet by removing the screen; and a creative canvas by turning the screen around and reattaching it. With up to 16GB of memory and an optional discrete graphics chip, this is a powerful computing device, even in its tablet configuration, with a performance level that is exponentially higher than any iPads and Android tablets currently on the market. It’s suitable for the boardroom or dorm room. Plus, it can run the full version of many software applications, which has been a limitation for most tablets. For the Smart Phone Addict Google Nexus 6P $499-$649 Store.Google.com It would’ve been easy to list the iPhone 6s or 6s Plus or one of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy Note 5 or 6s. However, the Nexus 6P edges them out for several reasons – it’s the first Android launched that runs the 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. Plus, it includes the new fingerprint scanner technology, USB Type-C port for connectivity to peripheral devices and Now On Tap capability, which means you no longer have to leave one app to run a search in another, or to use a mobile web browser. Another attractive feature: it costs $200 to $300 less than those Samsung and Apple smartphones. 24 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>DECEMBER</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
Happy Holidays! Authorized Lladro Dealer ENJOY SPECIAL PRICING UNTIL DEC. 31, <strong>2015</strong> Let’s go places. 30 % OFF COLLECTIBLES 35 % O FINE JEW 0% Financing available on select <strong>2015</strong> and 2016 models. Lease a 2016 Toyota Camry $1,500 down and $199 a month. 35 % OFF FINE JEWELRY 40 % OFF SWISS TIMEPIECES Martin Allos PHONE: 866-760-5005 DIRECT: 586-353-0133 EMAIL: mallos@toyotawarren.com 27100 Van Dyke, Warren MI 48093 www.prestigewarrentoyota.com Four generations of artistry and craftsmanship <strong>DECEMBER</strong> <strong>2015</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 25
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