Five Gift Ideas for Your Grad
By Mike Agerbo
June 03, 2014
Lifestyle
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As the proud dad to a son who’s graduating high school this year, I’ve been thinking about the perfect gift for the occasion. While it might be tempting to spring for an extravagant, impractical gift it’s nice to get your grad something that will be a useful tool in the next phase of their life. Check out my list for some tech suggestions that are fun and practical:
1. Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga Touchscreen Laptop
Price: $1,099.94
OK, maybe a laptop isn’t a novel idea for a gift but it’s certainly practical if your grad is off to college or university in the fall. The ThinkPad Yoga is actually doubly practical because it works as a laptop and converts into a tablet with an easy twist of the screen. This means that it can be used for papers, projects, reading, and entertainment. It has a touchscreen for easy navigation and comes with the Windows 8 operating system. Basically, it’s a winner all around—especially when tuition makes it impossible to spring for both a laptop and a tablet.
2. Apple iPad Air, 32GB
Price: $619
If you’ve recently upgraded your grad to a new laptop, adding a tablet to the mix is a great idea. The iPad Air is the perfect choice because it’s light and portable, while still offering a larger screen for watching videos, taking notes, or reading. Thanks to FaceTime, it’s also a great tool for calling home when homesickness sets in.
3. Microsoft Office 365 University Edition
Price: $79.00
This might not seem like the most exciting gift but it’s certainly a practical one that will come in handy in college and university. A Microsoft Office 365 subscription will give your grad access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote2, Publisher2, and Access. These programs will prove to be very useful for creating projects, writing papers, and taking class notes.
4. Monster Inspiration Active Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones
Price: $249.94
Besides being all the rage, Monster headphones are actually a very practical gift for a student going away to college or university. Dorm life can be loud and often means sharing a space with at least one roommate. The Monster Inspiration Noise Cancelling headphones can cancel surrounding noise, allowing a student to study even when roommates and neighbours have other plans. They’ll also come in handy in the reverse situation, when a roommate wants to study or sleep, and your grad just wants to watch movies or play video games.
5. Sony Cyber-shot DSCW830B Digital Camera
Price: $149.29
If your grad is going traveling this summer, or even for the year, you might want to help them capture all those memories with a good point and shoot camera. This Sony Cyber-shot takes beautiful photos without the need for too many settings adjustments. Another great feature is that this camera is compact and light, which means that it can be slipped right into a pocket and easily pulled out to capture those priceless moments.
So there you have it, a list of great tech gadgets to congratulate your grad on a fantastic achievement and start them off right for the next phase of their life.
1. Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga Touchscreen Laptop
Price: $1,099.94
OK, maybe a laptop isn’t a novel idea for a gift but it’s certainly practical if your grad is off to college or university in the fall. The ThinkPad Yoga is actually doubly practical because it works as a laptop and converts into a tablet with an easy twist of the screen. This means that it can be used for papers, projects, reading, and entertainment. It has a touchscreen for easy navigation and comes with the Windows 8 operating system. Basically, it’s a winner all around—especially when tuition makes it impossible to spring for both a laptop and a tablet.
2. Apple iPad Air, 32GB
Price: $619
If you’ve recently upgraded your grad to a new laptop, adding a tablet to the mix is a great idea. The iPad Air is the perfect choice because it’s light and portable, while still offering a larger screen for watching videos, taking notes, or reading. Thanks to FaceTime, it’s also a great tool for calling home when homesickness sets in.
3. Microsoft Office 365 University Edition
Price: $79.00
This might not seem like the most exciting gift but it’s certainly a practical one that will come in handy in college and university. A Microsoft Office 365 subscription will give your grad access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote2, Publisher2, and Access. These programs will prove to be very useful for creating projects, writing papers, and taking class notes.
4. Monster Inspiration Active Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones
Price: $249.94
Besides being all the rage, Monster headphones are actually a very practical gift for a student going away to college or university. Dorm life can be loud and often means sharing a space with at least one roommate. The Monster Inspiration Noise Cancelling headphones can cancel surrounding noise, allowing a student to study even when roommates and neighbours have other plans. They’ll also come in handy in the reverse situation, when a roommate wants to study or sleep, and your grad just wants to watch movies or play video games.
5. Sony Cyber-shot DSCW830B Digital Camera
Price: $149.29
If your grad is going traveling this summer, or even for the year, you might want to help them capture all those memories with a good point and shoot camera. This Sony Cyber-shot takes beautiful photos without the need for too many settings adjustments. Another great feature is that this camera is compact and light, which means that it can be slipped right into a pocket and easily pulled out to capture those priceless moments.
So there you have it, a list of great tech gadgets to congratulate your grad on a fantastic achievement and start them off right for the next phase of their life.