Sander Saar, founder of AgentCDN, making videos work inside AI

Transcript

1. 0:00

   Hi everybody, I'm Sander and I believe in technology. I'm really excited to share with you some of the best gifts you can give in technology and gadgets, and I'm sure you'll find the one you're looking for between $50 and $500. And more than that, get a good overview of the best tech available in 2017. Let's take a closer look. Finding a gift for a technology or gadget enthusiast or someone who's just getting into it can be really hard.

2. 0:28

   I know it from my own personal experience. In this video, all of the products and services that you're seeing, I've tried and tested myself, so there is no fluff or sponsorship bias in here. I've structured the video into 5 categories: under $50, under $100, under $250, under $500, and also a wildcard category from the future right in the end, so stick around for that. You'll also find all of the links to different products and pricing categories down in the About section, and those links also help me to keep the channel growing.

3. 0:58

   Let's jump right into it. First of all, let's take a look at the under $50 category, and I think you never got more for your money than this year. First one that I really highly recommend is a $29 Google Home Mini. You can use that to control your smartphone, set your reminders, timers, ask all the stupid questions that you wanna ask Google, and so on. It just works really well also with multiple users. If you're big into shopping and dependent on Amazon, Amazon Alexa Dot has also got $29 discount, so both of them really, really good.

4. 1:29

   Pair it up with Fire TV or Chromecast and you've got the full voice control entertainment system. Second up is a Xiaomi Home Smart Camera that only costs $19. If you want to keep your home safe when you're not there or look after your pets, I think that's the best solution out there. It has an English app, free cloud recording, you can put an SD card in it. There's a knockoff version in the US called Wyze Cam that costs $29 that you can buy directly from Amazon, but paying that $10 extra I don't think is worth it because you get exactly the same experience.

5. 1:58

   Third one is Tile. That's a Bluetooth dongle that would go into your wallet or any other valuables that you carry with you, and it has a network of other users to locate the devices that get lost. It's between $25 to $35 and quite valuable for your friends who lose stuff easily. The fourth one in this category is Xiaomi Mi Band 2 for $24. It helps you track your steps as well as track the heart rate. I gave it to my grandmother earlier this year and she's found it super useful to keep her going.

6. 2:27

   And it also integrates really well with Apple HealthKit as well as Android Fit. For all of the DIY fans out there, I really recommend getting the Google Paper Signal Bundle, which says what it does. So you can use physical objects to show what's happening in virtual life. So you can say, Google, hey Google, show me when it's raining in Seattle, and you can have that umbrella lift when it's raining in Seattle in the physical world as an object. The last one in the $150 category is actually a service that I've really found very useful.

7. 2:54

   It's called StrengthsFinder by Gallup. It costs $19 to do. It's a questionnaire that helps you identify your strengths and focus on these. And it's not just for yourself or your friend who wants to understand themselves better, but also for the people and the teams around you in order to understand each other better and focus and help each other in developing what they're already really good at. I found it really valuable and probably the best buy you can do in under $50. Moving on to the under $100 category, and the first one here is my really favorite tech of 2017.

8. 3:23

   That's the Ember Mug for travel. This one costs actually $149. It connects to your phone, you can adjust the temperature, so it quickly cools down a hot drink and also keeps it at the right temperature for a longer period of time. It connects to your phone so you can control it on your watch or on your phone. But this year they also released the Ember Mug, which is just made for home, only costs $79, and gives you the same technology and connectivity.

9. 3:48

   The second one in under $100 category are Allbirds. They're my definitely favorite shoes that I've used for running, for jogging, for walking, commuting, or even going to a meeting. They're made from wool, they feel like pillows when you wear them, and they only cost $95. The third one in this category is Moment Lens, and they're definitely one of my favorite lenses and highest quality lenses out there. They cost $90 and extend your phone's existing camera, so you can have a wide angle in order to fit all of your groups in into those tight spaces that we have around holidays, or you can have a telephoto to take really nice portrait photos.

10. 4:23

    Highly recommend it for all the photo enthusiasts. The 4th one in this category is Click and Grow, a home garden, a smart garden where you just need to put water in and it starts growing the plants for you. The pack of 3 only costs $90, so you can grow your own herbs or even tomatoes and other vegetables. The 5th one in this category is Polaroid OneStep 2 instant camera that costs $99. I've really enjoyed taking those instant photos with my retro Polaroid, But it's fantastic to see Polaroid reinventing themselves and bringing it back to the instant photo enthusiasts around the world.

11. 4:56

    And the last one in this category is actually a service for music friends. Their Spotify subscription for $99 a year, they discounted it almost $30, making it the cheapest music streaming platform out there. Now getting into the under $250 category, and the first one here is a Canon Selphy 1300 mobile printer. While it's great to have all of your photos in the palm of your hand always with you, it's also great to print them out to see your works and also have your memories on the wall instead of having some stock photos.

12. 5:25

    The great thing is you can print directly from your phone or your laptop to this printer in postcard-sized photos. The stock itself costs about half the price than other instant printers, and the printer itself is only $130. The second one in this category would be the truly wireless Bluetooth earbuds by Beoplay E8. As many of the phones coming out in 2017 have no headphone jack, we all need great alternatives through Bluetooth, and these just sound amazing.

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    You can see the full video here comparing all of the best ones in the market. They also cost the most at $249. The kind of cheaper alternative for it will be the Apple AirPods at $159. They both work great on Android and iOS devices. The 3rd one in this category following the music theme is a Bluetooth speaker from Beoplay called A1. I've used the Bose SoundLink Mini before as well as other JBL speakers, but nothing has ever sounded as good as the Beoplay A1.

14. 6:19

    It also is water-resistant. You can take some hits because it's a full metal body, and it just feels and sounds amazing. You would not be disappointed if you use this speaker, and it costs $249. The 4th one in this category is for all of your power-hungry friends, and it's the Mophie XXL Battery Pack, 20,000 milliamp hours. The unique thing about it is that you can go in and out with USB-A as well as USB-C, But what makes it truly different is that you can also charge not just 2 laptops or tablets at the same time, which many battery packs can do, but you can also charge laptops using, which are USB-C compatible, directly from the battery pack.

15. 6:56

    So I find it really useful when you're out and about, you need to charge your laptop and your phone at the same time. It's really high-quality fabric on it, so you're not going to damage your devices that you have with you either. Costs $149, a little pricey in the end. But it's really worth it. The 5th one in this category is the Peak Design Everyday Bag in 20 liters. I use it for just daily commuting, for work, also for professional use and casual use where I'm out and about hiking or getting my groceries.

16. 7:25

    It's got access in the top and also either side. It can be readjusted to fit either your camera gear or just other electronics, so you can take it all the way out and have a full normal backpack. It can also be expanded through this magnetic latch up in the top, so you can add a couple of liters. And we also have a laptop zip up in the top that is also water-resistant. This bag is a little bit pricey, costs about $249, but it's totally worth it.

17. 7:52

    Super durable, well-made, and highly usable in any use case. The last one in this category is once again a service called 23andMe. It's a DNA test that you do at home by spitting into a tube and sending off to a laboratory. And then they run health and ancestry reports on it. It costs $149, and it shows you what kind of health preconditions and warnings you might have to keep in mind, and also your ancestry, where you're from.

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    In my case, I was like a third German, a third Scandinavian, and a third Russian. I found it very useful. Now looking at the under $500 category, and the first one here is DJI Spark. It's the smallest drone that DJI launched this year. You can fly it indoors, outdoors. It's a great drone to learn with. It doesn't have the 4K capabilities as the bigger brothers, but it's small enough to put it in your pocket. It costs $399 and it's a great drone to get started.

19. 8:44

    The second one in this category is a Xiaomi Mi Robot vacuum cleaner. It costs $319 but has helped me so much in keeping the apartment clean throughout the week. I've tested against the iRobot Roomba, which you can see a video here, and I truly found it to be really useful. If you want to up the game, there's a more than $500 version now that just doesn't clean the floor through vacuuming but also does the mopping for you.

20. 9:09

    If you're into that, you can see those products in the links down below. The 3rd one in this category is Apple Watch Series 3, and that's something that I've been missing on Android devices for a long time. This is truly the best smartwatch, and not just that, I think it's also the most accurate fitness watch, which is the biggest use case for me. It measures not just your heart rate in a similar accuracy as the chest strap, but also heart rate variability and other fitness metrics, which I really found useful.

21. 9:36

    Starting at $329, I think it's really useful, and if you want to go down to the Series 2, you'll already be saving another $50-$60. The 4th one is a Xiaomi Mi 360 camera. If you want to see the full comparison here of other 360 cameras out there, I highly recommend watching that video here comparing to Insta360, Samsung, and other players in the space. It only costs $200, captures 3.6K video as well as great images.

22. 10:02

    If you want to really capture and remember the moments with your family like if you're there and prepare for the future of augmented and virtual reality, I highly recommend it. The 5th one in this category is Ninebot Mini, which is the 2-wheel electric scooter by Segway. It's really high quality and actually the first one usable for day-to-day commuting. I have a full comparison video here. Comparing it to the 2-wheel electric scooters that were really popular last year for Christmas and they took all over the world.

23. 10:30

    These ones cost a little bit more at $499, but they're actually useful and not just toys. The last one in this category is related to health for all of those quantified self-enthusiasts around the world. It's an Oura Ring that used to cost $299 to start with, but now they're launching their Oura Ring 2 next year and taking pre-orders starting for $239 only. It packs almost all of the same sensors as Apple Watch for measuring your heart rate, your skin temperature, heart rate variability, and so on, and doing that 7 days a week on one charge of battery.

24. 11:03

    I'm really looking forward to it. I've also pre-ordered mine, and I'm sure you'll find it useful as well to actually get actionable insights from your health and tracking in a seamless way rather than having a watch or something else on you, having just a ring that many people already wear anyway. And now finally, the category that has got some crazy futuristic products that you can actually buy today. First one is a robot called Curie. Curie is a robot that's got built-in cameras in its eyes.

25. 11:31

    It's got speakers, microphones, and it's also able to move around and follow you. It can be used as a security camera to go around the house and understand where the movement's happening. It can also capture your day-to-day moments to the camera. It can also act as a voice assistant. As well as play back the music or follow you while playing audiobooks. It costs $999 and you can get access to it today. The second one in this futuristic category is Power Vision PowerRay.

26. 11:58

    It's the drone, as we talked about, taking those aerials in the air, but in the water, in the sea. So you can fly that underneath the water to see the sea life, capture it, but it's also got a practical application where you can drop your fishing line right where the fish are. It costs $1,500 and you can access it today. The last one in this category are projectors, especially the Sony Xperia Touch Projector, which can turn any surface into an Android tablet, be it your table, your wall, or any other surface that it might be using.

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    It costs about $1,000 and it's available today. For a similar price range, much brighter and more usable projectors are available also from LG, which I totally see as the future of any screen, especially when you're going to 4K, and they will have higher contrast ratio as well. Thanks again for watching this technology gadget gift guide video. If you enjoyed it, please leave it a thumbs up. Let me know in the info button here which are your favorite gifts in different categories, and leave them in the comments down below if I didn't list them here.

28. 12:58

    Subscribe to the channel for future videos, and I hope to see you next time.