1. A Blade Runner–inspired lightsaber umbrella that’ll still look perfectly in place in 2049.
It’s powered by three AAA batteries and has seven LED color options. There’s an on/off button as well as a flashlight on the bottom!
Promising review: “This umbrella ROCKS! It was a gift for my husband. It dries quickly so he doesn’t have to carry around a dripping umbrella. The ‘saber’ aspect of it has the option to choose a color or even have them alternate. They all look really vivid and beautiful, especially at night. The flashlight on the bottom is really helpful at night when we’re walking our dog, too. My husband gets tons of comments on this umbrella, and I plan to buy more in the future. Really, it’s the coolest umbrella ever.” —TrivialShark388
Get it from Amazon for $25.99 (available five colors).
2. A rechargeable handbag light so you can actually see what’s inside your bottomless tote. And guess what? It doubles as a battery pack!
The 2,000mAh light can provide a full charge for a smartphone, whilst the 500mAh light gives your device a 25% boost. The light comes on with a light tap and will remain illuminated for 10 seconds before turning off automatically.
Promising review: “I have given this as gifts more times than I can count. It lights my purse and charges my phone on the run, on the plane. Fast and reliable. Love the design.” —RobinF
Get it from Amazon for $24.95+ (available in two sizes and colors).
3. An Echo Spot for catching up on the news before work or catching up with family via video chat (all via voice command, btw) — and that’s just two of the many, many things this lil’ gadget can do.
You can use the Echo Spot to watch video flash briefings, see music lyrics, weather forecasts, to-do and shopping lists, browse and listen to Audible audiobooks, and more — all via voice command. You can also ask Alexa to turn on smart home devices, make calls, or order an Uber.
Promising review: “I just love this thing. Even if it were little more than an alarm clock, I’d love it — it just looks so good. But it’s so much more. This was my first foray into a digital assistant that’s not on my phone. The number of ‘skills’ you can enable for it is mind-boggling. I started with having it control our bedside lights. Of course, there’s all the usual alarms, weather, general knowledge searches, even games (I particularly like True or False. It’ll make a statement and ask if you think it’s right. It also keeps score. Great way to pick up interesting facts). I’ve also connected it to my Arlo security camera. So I just need to say, ‘Alexa, show me the front door,’ and I can see it on the little screen. I use it to play music a lot. The Amazon music service is great, especially as it usually shows lyrics, too. But I often also use Pandora. So I say something like ‘Alexa, play alternative ’80s on Pandora,’ and she does! You can control volume by the buttons, or by asking Alexa to increase or decrease, or by saying something like ‘Alexa, volume five.’ Next, I plan to get a smart Alexa-enabled thermostat for the house. I’m a fan.” —P. Heald
Get it from Amazon for $129.99 (available in two colors).
4. A Dyson hair dryer that honestly looks like it dropped out of a UFO. But in all seriousness, it dries hair so quickly and quietly, you’ll wonder if it’s actual alien technology.
Promising review: “I adore this blow dryer so much. I had my eye on it since it first hit the market and saved up all my gift cards to finally purchase it on my birthday (it is worth the price tag). Not only is it gorgeous and elegant to look at, it seriously does cut my hair drying time in half. As a college student who is always on the run, this saves me so much time. I have long, thick, dark, curly hair that would normally take over an hour to style. My favorite part of this dryer is how it diffuses my curls. People do notice the difference when I use the Dyson versus when I let my curls air dry. The compliments come rolling in with the use of this dryer. It is really quiet, powerful, and not heavy, making it easy and convenient to use. I do not regret this purchase one bit. For straightening or enchancing my curls, the Dyson goes beyond my expectations.” —Prissy515
Get it from Amazon for $399 (available in three colors).
5. An Oculus Go — a virtual reality headset to give you a completely immersive gaming and viewing experience.
Here’s an excerpt: “Many of the games (at least the ones I’ve braved) are super satisfying in how simple they are. Wanna walk around a park and hang out with some dinosaurs? Sure. Spend 10 minutes watching a time-lapse of a breathtaking aurora? Yeah, I’m gonna. These apps don’t need cheap tricks to trick your brain into being there. You’re just… there.
Like many of the games and apps available with Oculus Go, you control the direction of your person in Mount Wingsuit by turning with your head… it’s almost as fun to watch people play this game as it is to actually be playing it.” —Mallory Mower
Get it from Amazon for $199.
6. A rechargeable sonic facial cleansing brush for removing all traces of dirt and makeup and providing gentle exfoliation. Plus, it just looks super cool.
Read our review of the Foreo Luna Mini 2!
Promising review: “I dried my face with a white towel and there was not a speck of makeup left on the towel, and I didn’t have a drop of mascara raccoon-eye look left on my face. This is the cleanest my face has ever been.” —hine0108
Get it from Amazon for $139 (available in five colors).
7. A video game–inspired necklace that’ll give off an otherworldly glow in the dark.
Get it from Amazon Handmade for $31.49.
8. An automatic pet feeder so you can pre-schedule when food gets dispensed for your furry friends or even feed them remotely from your smartphone.
You can set up to 12 meals to feed on your pet’s schedule, and you can also use the “Feed Now” option to feed your pet outside normal feeding times. With the app, you can get notifications from the feeder and control the feeding remotely. There’s also a special “Slow Feed” option allows the food to dispense slowly over a 15 minute period. It’s designed to feed on schedule as programmed even if Wi-Fi connection is lost or feeder is offline.
Promising review: “Great product. Feeds my pets automatically or I have a webcam to see if their bowl is empty. If it is, I’ll manually feed them either next door or across the country. Very dependable. Works great. Highly recommend for travelers.” —NotSatisfied
Get it from Amazon for $189.93.
9. A low-maintenance countertop garden perfect for anyone who dreams of having a backyard while living in a tiny Fifth Element–style apartment.
The kit includes the countertop garden, Genovese basil, curly parsley, dill, mint, thyme, Thai basil, and Miracle-Gro plant food. It’ll alert you when the plants need more food or water, so you don’t need a green thumb for it to work! I actually own and love this Aerogarden — it’s super easy to take care of, doesn’t take up too much space on my counter, and provides me with an endless amount of fresh herbs to cook with. I’m clueless about plants and this machine basically does all the work me.
Get it from Amazon for $139 (available in two colors).
10. Cyclops sunglasses that are not just a prop — they actually block out harmful UV rays. But the fact that you’ll look like a mutant superhero doesn’t hurt.
Promising review: “As an avid biker and runner, these are my go to glasses. They don’t have the regular nose piece like most sunglasses that gets stuck in your hair if you push them up on your head, and they’re so perfectly fit that I never have a problem with them sliding down my nose. Wrap around protection from bugs/wind/dust but also a nice air flow for ventilation. When I do push them up, I can easily wear them as a cool looking hair band and no one is the wiser. I have two pairs (reflective blue and clear pink) and will be buying a few more colors soon. Absolutely love them.” —LocketShark
Get it from Amazon for $14.95 (available in 18 colors).
11. A magical stand to hold your device in place without any form of support.
How does this stand keep your device in place? It has a nanofoam pad that uses micro-suction technology — thousands of microscopic suction cups create a vacuum seal when pressed against any device with a flat, metal surface. The mini version can support devices up to eight inches while the regular version supports devices up to 10.5 inches.
Promising review: “I work from home the majority of time. This ingenious device holds my cell phone for me at the perfect angle so I can see incoming texts, stream music, and check my personal emails. This firmly holds my phone but is still easy to disengage my phone when need be. I don’t know how I ever managed without it. It’s a desk necessity.” —Tamara
Get it from Amazon for $39.95+ (available in two sizes).
12. A motion-sensor trash can so you can feel like one of the Jetsons. It’ll open (smoothly and quietly) with the wave of a hand.
Promising review: “I know, I know! It’s crazy to be in love with a trash can, but I am. This thing is just great! Smooth, quiet, sleek — and the semi-round shape and footprint (size) was critical to where it could fit in my small kitchen! Now, you are talking to someone who, for years, never used a real trash can and only relied on loose grocery shopping bags for their trash. I didn’t know what I was missing!” —Amazonshrimpy
Get it from Amazon for $138.34 (available in five finishes).
13. A smart bottle attachment that’ll track when you take a sip of water and remind you to drink more (by blinking) before dehydration kicks in.
It works on any water bottle!
Promising review: “I have a really hard time remembering to drink water at work because I am on the computer all day. This device is great because it flashes when I forget and I can see it even if I am on a call or engrossed in an order. I would highly recommend.” —Kelley K. Lamb
Get it from Amazon for $25 (available in 10 colors).
14. An actual 3D printer so you can create pretty much anything you want in your own home office.
Promising review: “This is my first 3D printer, and while it is very easy to get set up and get started, it takes some time and research to master. I think that is what makes it even more fun! Yes, you’ll have a few failed prints here and there. But the process of learning your printer, getting the settings just right in your software, and getting those really amazing looking prints (and this thing can really make some awesome quality prints!), it is all worth it. It’s so much fun to watch as the printer goes to work and starts laying down layers. I just sit and watch it for long periods of time because it’s really so amazing. Most prints will take anywhere between one to five hours or even more! All depends on how large and how detailed you set your quality. If you are interested in 3D printing, this is a fantastic printer to own! Highly recommended.” —Jeremy
Get it from Amazon for $229.99.
15. A reusable notebook for blasting your notes directly to smart devices via an app. Just wipe it clean with a damp cloth when you’re done, and it’ll be good to go again.
It’s only compatible with Pilot FriXion pens (one is included with the notebook).
Promising review: “I love it! I will admit that the transition from paper to digital when it comes to notes is not an easy one for me, but this is a fabulous way to sort of split the difference. You still have the action of writing (which I find really important in meetings and brainstorming sessions) but without the consumption of paper and countless notebooks. And, being able to throw things into the cloud makes them accessible no matter where you’re working — handy.” —Meredith
Get it from Amazon for $29.97 (available in two sizes).
16. An antioxidant-rich magnetic mask that’ll effortlessly lift off with a magnet wand. This the future of beauty, people!
Promising review: “I’ve seen a few videos about this mask and had to try it myself. It’s amazing! It’s fun, smells so good, and leaves my skin feeling soft. My skin has never felt this good, and I used to work for a high-end makeup retailer and have tried all the expensive creams and serums.” —Jessymessy
Get it from Target for $24.
17. A motion-sensor toilet light to make the ol’ porcelain throne feel like a state of the art piece of technology. No more bright overhead lights when you need to pee at 3 a.m. in the morning!
This LED toilet light has 16 colors that can work on a rotation or as a solid color.
Promising review: “This seemingly silly little gadget has turned out to be great! The light level (brightness) can be dimmed down if desired, and the color can be set to whatever you want, but the bottom line is that you don’t need to turn on a bright overhead light (which wakes me up and makes me angry, not a good combination) when you need to go into the bathroom at night. Cleaning it is a breeze, too; what seems like it’s going to be a problem…isn’t. I can’t recommend this toilet night light highly enough, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Could be on the gift list this December.” —Lee R. Gurr
Get it from Amazon for $10.49.
18. A tiny Bluetooth speaker with mind-blowing sound — it’ll make your regular-sized one seem like a relic.
It comes with a travel case.
Promising review: “Blown away by the sound quality put out from this tiny, inexpensive speaker. It’s miniature in size but surprisingly heavy and well-built (I dropped it on a hard floor and didn’t even get a dent or break it). Puts out sound nearly equal in quality to my more expensive $100 speakers. It paired very easily but doesn’t have extra features like sound adjustment on the speaker directly — which is fine because it costs less than $20. There’s no tinny quality to its audio output, it delivers full rich sound with good bass. Battery life is decent for such a low-cost speaker. I honestly have no complaints about this product. It’s an amazing speaker for so little cost.” —Alex
Get it from Amazon for $14.99.
19. A metallic peel-off mask (formulated with diamond and pearl powder) that might remind you of a spacesuit. But more importantly, it’ll also help to exfoliate and brighten your skin.
Promising review: “One of the best peel-off masks I have used. The scent is really light and pleasant, not overpowering. Skin definitely looks brighter and more radiant after use. Does not irritate my very sensitive skin, and it actually peels off very easily!!! There is probably enough for about 10 total applications. Will absolutely be purchasing again!” —Jennifer S.
Get it from Amazon for $17.56.
20. A robot vacuum to suck up all the pet hairs and dirt around the house so you don’t have to. Now you can do something else with that extra time.
This robo-vac has an infrared-sensor for evading obstacles and drop-sensing tech to avoid falls. It also automatically recharges so it’s always ready to clean. It comes with a remote control (two AAA batteries included), charging base, AC power adapter, cleaning tool, an extra set of high-performance filters, four side brushes, and five cable ties. It can clean continuously for up to 100 minutes.
Promising review: “We are very pleased with our Eufy who we named Sneaky Pete because he is very quiet and can sneak up on you. We run him twice a day and are always surprised how much grime and pet hair he picks up. The instructions are simple and clear. Cleaning is super easy. He travels under beds and couches where we would not normally be able to reach with the traditional vacuum. After comparing all of the leading robo-vacs, we chose the Eufy because it was rated as high as expensive ones and was less than half of the cost. We chose well. Like all robo-vacs, Pete will become confused on an area that is black due to the anti-fall safety feature. Like a black patch of a rug. But, we don’t hold that against him. Our dog is totally indifferent to Pete which is another pleasant surprise. We are very happy with our Eufy.” —Dahna Brinkley
Get it from Amazon for $224+ (available in two colors).
21. A rechargeable wireless touch sensor lamp you can take anywhere light is needed, even if there’s no outlet in sight. It can be dimmed or turned off with a tap.
It can stay on for up to 110 hours at minimum brightness.
Promising review: “The power went out so I bought three to four of these for emergencies. Now, I use them every day. I loved them so much, I bought like 10 more to replace our nightstand lamps and to give them out as gifts. They are both functional and beautiful. I use them to walk around at night in the house without disturbing others to the bathroom or working late. I will also be taking them camping soon. It is dimmable, and bright enough to read or low enough to use as a night light. Having four completely lights up a whole room. The handle is brilliant. That is one of the best features.” —latte happy
Get it from Amazon for $31.99.
22. A handheld wireless mouse that not only looks incredibly ~advanced~ but can also give your wrists a break.
Promising review: “I have my laptop connected to my TV, I can just sit back on the couch and use this little handheld wireless trackball mouse to control everything. Can you ask for anything more?” —Bradley Card
Get it from Amazon for $30.98.
23. A space pen for writing at any angle, even upside down. It’ll work under water, in extreme temperatures, or even in zero gravity.
The patented ink cartridge was designed by Paul Fisher for NASA in the 1960’s! The rainbow titanium nitride coating is just a wonderful bonus because it looks cool and keeps the pen from tarnishing.
Promising review: “I keep this in my back pants pocket because it is small enough that I can do so. It gets sat on, dropped, and occasionally sent through the washing machine…and it is still as good as new.
I have had worn this pen on my person, daily, for the last FOUR YEARS, and the coating is as good as ever. It needs refills every once in a while, but other than that, no maintenance is needed.” —Segv
Get it from Amazon for $34.
24. Wireless Bluetooth earbuds so you can abandon the constraint of wires forever and move into the 22nd century.
The earbuds work three to four hours per charge. The charging case provides four to five times full charge for both earbuds.
Promising review: “Sound quality is extremely impressive for $30 headphones, bass levels are fantastic as long as you ensure a tight seal in your ear canal, and boy are they comfortable and convenient. I truly believe you won’t find any true wireless headphones better than this under $100. I use these at the office and at the gym. They never fall out of my ears, they fit in my pockets, and feel like nothing is there.” —Phil
Get them from Amazon for $29.99.
25. A makeup brush cleaner that’ll do for you (in minutes) one of the most annoying jobs ever — cleaning makeup brushes.
Just three quick steps to clean makeup brushes: 1) dip and dunk your brush in water and cleaning solution; 2) spin to rinse; 3) spin to dry. The base is rechargeable so your spinner will always be charged and ready to go.
Promising review: “Works AMAZINGLY well! Had all my brushes clean and looking brand new in the time it normally would have taken to hand wash one brush. If you hate cleaning your brushes, then you need this product. So easy and fun! I only wish I would have bought this sooner!” —Tellie82
Get it from Amazon for $33.88.
26. A stylish suitcase with an ejectable battery so you can charge your phone while waiting to board the plane. Super convenient!
Promising review: “Never ever have I ever taken a trip that was so smooth and easy as this last one with an Away bag. It held everything perfectly and so orderly. The bag is beyond light so it was the first time I walked through airports and didn’t sweat and struggle with my bag. The design is FIERCE! Super stylish and even strangers were complimenting me. The wheels are so smooth. Perfect size, fits anywhere with no effort. And my favorite part, of course, is the battery pack. Not only does it charge my phone faster than any other charger I have, I was able to charge all of my devices on the one juice pack. Life saver. This is the smartest bag ever. Intelligently designed and perfect! I’m in love.” —Valerie R.
Get the carry-on size from Away for $225 (available in 11 colors). Or, shop all the luggage styles at Away.
27. A wireless pocket projector for accessing a giant screen anytime, anywhere. The best part is it can fit in the palm of your hand.
I actually own and love this pocket projector. Despite its compact size, this little guy can actually project quite far (I tested it at 14 feet or so, and the image measures approximately 50”x60”). I’ve used it to watch films and shows, and it truly feels like I have my own personal movie theater. (The darker the room, the clearer and crisper the images are, so I always use it at night with the lights out. However, blackout shades would work, too!) It can connect to a phone or computer, AND it has its own speakers (though you can connect it to an external speaker as well). For longer binge sessions, I like to have it plugged in so it doesn’t run out of juice, but it can last through a couple of 40-minute episodes unplugged just fine. The best part is once I’m done with it, it fits nicely into my drawers for storage. Easy peasy. It’s a lot simpler to deal with than the full-size one I used to own. Though I haven’t taken it on a trip yet, I’m excited that it’ll fit easily in my duffel bag or carry-on suitcase.
Get it from Amazon for $184.40.
28. A bidet that’ll literally wash your butt for you. If that isn’t progress, I don’t know what is.
Promising reviews: “Speaking as a hirsute gentleman, the Luxe Bidet Neo 120 has soured me on pooping in bidet-less toilets forever. It’s shown me the difference between rubbing peanut butter out of shag carpeting and that sparkling clean feeling you get right when you step out of the shower.
The unit took me all of about 10 minutes to install on my existing toilet with only a wrench. The easy-to-control flow valve allows for a full range of cleaning, from ‘gentle trickling stream’ to ‘full-on Silkwood decontamination’, ensuring the end of your bowel movement leaves you feeling cleaner and more refreshed than using just toilet paper alone. Even flushable wet wipes pale in comparison.” —Mercury
Get it from Amazon for $32.50 (available in two colors).
29. A Qi charging pad so you can declare cables a thing of the past. Just place your device on top and you’re all set!
It has a venting system to prevent the pad from overheating. It’ll also work for cellphones with cases!
Promising review: “This pad is super easy to use — just plug it into any USB outlet, then put your Qi-compatible phone on it. Boom, you’re charging! It seems like a small change, but it’s honestly so much easier to keep my phone charged with this vs the traditional extra step of plugging a cable into the bottom of your phone and hoping the connectors in your phone or cable aren’t starting to wear out. This just saves all that hassle. The light on the front is really discreet so it doesn’t keep you awake at night like some of the other Qi pad chargers with big glowing lights. ” —Joshua & Ally
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
30. A (Bluetooth-powered) ComBadge to make every Trekkie’s dream come true. Now if we can just figure out how to make a real-life transporter.
It hooks up to your phone or device via Bluetooth and has a built-in microphone for hands-free calling. Once connected, one touch answers/ends calls, plays/pauses audio, or accesses Siri, Google Now, or Cortana. Oh, and it chirps when touched.
Get it from Amazon for $69.99.
31. A LED shower head that’ll change colors according to the water temperature so you know exactly when to get in.
Blue is cold, green is warm (aka just right), red is hot, and flashing red is super hot. There are also five water settings — power rain, pulsating massage, hydro-mist, economy rain, and water-saving pause.
Promising review: “My night time showers are a lot more interesting. It has inspired me to turn on some music, turn off the overhead lights, and enjoy the pretty changing colors of my shower head. Well made and installing it took less than 10 minutes.” —jspencer
Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (available in three styles).
32. A magnetic balance light — it’s how I imagine all lamps will look like in the year 3000.
Promising review: “I loved this. It is bright enough for a reading light or to work at your desk in a home office at the end of the day.” —Stephanie
Get it from Amazon for $70 (available in two colors).
33. Smart lighting panels to give your room cool spaceship vibes. You can customize them in both design and color.
Download the app to select colors, choose lighting animation, name and save custom scenes, and schedule different scenes to go on and off throughout the day. The starter kit comes with nine panels, connectors, power supply, a controller unit, nine sheets of stencil paper, and 28 pieces of mounting tape. The “rhythm edition” comes with everything the starter kit does, plus a built-in audio sensor, which instantaneously translates beats, sounds, and melodies played from a connected device to light signals, making the colors “dance.”
Promising review: “Am amazingly bright, vividly colorful set of light panels that seem like you are decorating a room aboard the Enterprise on Star Trek! Easy to install, beautiful, can’t say enough about how great this product is.” —St. Erik
Get them from Amazon for $180–$200
34. A twinkling skirt that could be mistaken for a costume piece from The Hunger Games. Simply add an extravagant headpiece to complete the look.
This skirt is lit up by 60 LED wire lights and the battery pack is cleverly tucked away inside waistband. With six different modes, these lights let you twinkle however you desire.
Get it from Amazon for $47.97 (available in sizes M–3X).
35. A smart digital frame for uploading and displaying an unlimited number of paintings and photos. You can even cycle through them via the touchscreen or an app.
This smart frame features a large 27″ display with 1080p resolution and connects to Wi-Fi. It supports both images and video. You can upload your own images/photos or get unlimited access to the Meural library of 40,000+ works of art with a $49.95 annual Meural Membership.
Promising review: “I shoot wildlife photography. I have so many great pictures that it would be impossible to put them all over my house — let alone pay for the printing and framing of these shots. So I began my journey looking for a large format digital frame that I could load my photos to via Wi-Fi. I found a very limited number of them. Fortunately, I found the Meural Canvas frame. It was something that was aesthetically pleasing to hang in my house, shows my photos in exquisite clarity and coloring, and is large enough to show their beauty. While it is expensive, if you really analyze the cost, it’s about what it would cost to print and frame three large photos. So in that respect, it’s a bargain.” —Soundman Art
Get it from Amazon for $595 (available in three frame colors).
36. A stainless steel spatula so sleek and ergonomical, it’s ahead of its time.
It’s dishwasher-safe. You can bend it and use it to get under pretty much anything.
Get it from Amazon for $30.
37. A futuristic LED word clock that’ll make you ask, “What year is it?!” when you wake up.
38. A Darth Vader Clapper so you can use the force to turn off the lights instead of a switch.
When you clap twice, the outlet will toggle power and turn on or off whatever appliance you’ve plugged in.
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
39. A set of long-distance lamps — they light up simultaneously when touched so you know when your loved one is thinking of you and vice versa.
Get a set of two from UncommonGoods for $190.
