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Realtors loved their gadgets long before smartphones were ubiquitous.

Now in the golden age of gadgetry there are even more toys to put on your wish list (or buy for yourself after the holidays are over). Here are some of the things we’d like to see all wrapped up in pretty paper this season:

Powercup: Just about everyone has a phone charger in their car but what if you need to charge more than one thing at once? The Powercup from Powerline is a coffee-cup shaped device that provides 120V AC power from your standard auto 12V socket. It provides two AC outlets and a USB charging port from one location which means that you can charge up all sorts of devices. The coffee cup shape keeps it in place in your cup holder and helps prevent cord-tastrophes. It retails for $39.99.

Lytro: The Lytro just might be the biggest little gadget around. This year saw the launch of this light field camera that is being touted as a game changer in the photography world. The Lytro resembles a squared-off mini-telescope and creates images that allow users to change the focus of the picture after it is taken. If the image was focused in the foreground and blurred in the background you can reverse that with a few clicks. Lytro calls these images living pictures and each picture has a little button at the bottom that directs the user to click anywhere in the image to refocus the image. The Lytro has some limitations, there isn’t a flash or a way to control shutter speed or aperture and subjects shot in less than perfect light don’t fare well meaning that it doesn’t do great on interiors yet but it’s a tremendously fun toy and a chance to get in early on what may be a major shift in photography.Prices start at $399 for an 8GB camera that can hold 350 pictures on an internal flash drive.

Canon P-150 Scan-tini Personal Document Scanner: While we are inching our way toward a paperless world, the reality is that we aren’t quite there yet. The Canon P-150 has received high ratings for being a USB-powered portable scanner that can easily handle multi-page documents. It also plays well with both Mac and PC operating systems. At 11 inches long and weighing slightly over two pounds, it’s a little larger than some of the other scanners out there but its ability to scan 20 pages makes it a workhorse than can go from office to car. It has a list price of $295.

GearZero Guide 10 Plus Mobile Kit: Want to harness the power of the sun to keep your gadgets charged up? This kit helps you boost your smartphone or tablet through a USB charger and also comes with rechargeable batteries. An LED light at the top of the battery pack can also be used to find things in your dark backpack or purse. The light runs for over 150 hours before needing a charge. With 3.5 Watts of sun collection power this solar panel will charge the battery pack in about 6-8 hours. When folded up it is about the size of a wallet and it can be opened up on your dashboard to soak up the sun while you are in the office. It sells for $129.95.

Jawbone UP: The hottest gadget this season might just be the one you wear on your wrist. The Jawbone Up is a personal monitoring device that helps you fine tune your behavior for peak performance. It helps you track your sleep, your exercise and activity, and what you are eating with one goal: to build a better you. The system takes a holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle. The wristband monitors your movement and sleep and works with an app that displays your data, lets you add things like meals and mood. It will wake you up at a moment in your sleep cycle when you will be most refreshed, helps you track personal patterns, and prompts you if you’ve been at your desk too long and should take a stretch break. It sells for $129.99.

Olloclip: For the picture-taking iPhone user, the olloclip is a popular accessory that has gotten rave reviews online. The three-in-one quick-connect lens solution includes fisheye, wide-angle and macro lenses in one device that connects to the iPhone within seconds. It has a Macro lens with an approximately 10X multiplier that allows you to focus the iPhone within 12-15mm of the subject. The Fisheye lens captures approximately a 180 Degree field-of-view and the Wide-Angle lens offers a field of view, approximately double that of the normal iPhone. The olloclip sells for $69.95.

Handpresso: Dreaming of forgoing your morning coffee run but not missing out on your daily boost of caffeine? The Handpresso Auto, a French product that hasn’t quite made it Stateside yet, delivers the dream of a premium quality espresso made in the car. It sits in the cup holder and is plugged into the 12 Volt slot you likely use to charge your smartphone. You add water, a coffee pod and presto, it’s espresso time. The site lists it as selling for 149 euros. Hopefully this one will make it to the U.S. in time for next year’s wish list.


Dec. 01, 2013