We’ve all received some crappy gifts during Christmas time. And while many were given with the best of intentions, it becomes very awkward between the giver and recipient if you try and get a receipt to refund the gift. This year, we want to try and avoid this for tech gifts – so consider this as a public service announcement or a reverse Christmas Gift Guide.
Like last year’s guide, the basic rules apply – it has to be crap, and it has to be available in Australia. So, here are our choices of gifts that YOU SHOULD NOT give to friends and family this holiday season.
Selfie Stick
Despite the fact we put this on our list last year as a terrible gift idea, the selfie stick has apparently become the “top pick for a Christmas gift” for teenagers, according to a News Corp tabloid. I would highly doubt that, because it is f**king stupid. It is just an overpriced plastic tube with a big button on one end and a mobile clamp on the other.
If you do end up buying this as a gift, you deserve the world of pain you’re about to get from your gift recipient – especially if said person is a photography geek.
Bluetooth Handset Gloves
What’s worse than Bluetooth earphones? Bluetooth Handset Gloves. Literally, you do the “call me” pantomime (hold your thumb and pinky and point to your ear and mouth) to talk to the person on the other side. The left thumb includes a tiny speaker, while the pinky has a microphone inside. Unless you are getting this as a gag gift, you would be better off spending money on something your gift recipient would actually use.
“For Dummies” books on anything technology
Unless your gift recipient is very old AND you don’t have the time to teach them the basics of technology, you should avoid at all costs buying any tech-related For Dummies books. Firstly, why buy a book for around $30 when you can simply read the numerous beginners guide online for free? As well, the contents of the books will be very different in two years time. That’s assuming you bought the latest edition of that particular book and not grabbed something from the bargain bin.
Newspaper subscriptions
Like every other subscription service, you can gift a newspaper subscription to your family members or friends this holiday season. While I believe that people should subscribe to a news outlet to keep good journalism alive, I doubt no one would like a newspaper subscription as a Christmas gift compared to the many other gifts you could have chosen. Your gift recipient should make the decision if they want to support the newspaper you would have chosen.
Personalised Desktop Wallpaper
Yes, this is apparently a thing. The personalised desktop wallpaper comes from an Etsy store in Brisbane and was actually listed on Etsy’s Gift Ideas page for tech lovers. I would highly doubt that any tech-savvy person would like to receive a personalised wallpaper as a Christmas gift, Etsy. Some people just want a nice background of some landscape that you can easily find online – and for free.