Our Top Gadget Picks from Best Buy for Your Tween/Teen

It’s hard to believe the Holidays are already upon us.  I have always found it helpful to begin shopping early.  Before kids, I started my shopping process in September.  Now, well, I tend to procrastinate a little more…or maybe it’s because I just don’t have enough time!  But one thing I am often asked around this time of year is, what would the kids like for Christmas.

As our kids grow older, inevitably, most of the items on their list are either gadgets or some type of technology.  Believe me, I know, my daughter is a tween.   Perhaps you’re in the same boat. What does your tween or teen want for Christmas?

Because at WellConnectedMom.com we have the luxury of seeing many types of technology…many before they are even launched into the marketplace, we a good perspective on gadgets tweens and teens will be asking for.  So when BestBuy.com asked us to participate in their Gifts That Do wish lists*, we were eager to share our knowledge.

Our Tweens & Teens List on BestBuy’s GiftsThatDo.com website suggests some great items, priced from $25 all the way up to $799.  I know what you’re thinking…$799, why would we recommend a present that expensive…well, here’s why…

BEST BUY Pitch In Card 

Often times people want to give gifts that are meaningful and will be used.  But to find something for a tween/teen that costs under $25 or $50 nowadays that a tween/teen will use is not easy.  It’s similar to a wedding.  When you look at the gift registry, you sometimes feel awkward giving one set of candle sticks or most of a place setting instead of giving something bigger, but it’s all you can afford.

What I like about BestBuy.com’s wish lists is that you can not only list your desired presents, but you can also add a “Pitch In” card where people viewing your list can decide to contribute or “pitch in” to help you get to a higher priced present.  This is a great way to show your tween/teen patience and working towards a goal.  The Pitch In card never expires and can be used at any Best Buy store or online at BestBuy.com.  Best Buy created a fun video to explain the Pitch In card here.

One Recommendation

So what is the gift we are recommending that is $799?  It’s the new HP Envy 14″ Touchscreen Ultrabook, which by the way is on sale for $749 with free shipping right now.  Your tween/teen is getting at the age now where they will need their own computing power to get their assignments done at school.  An iPad can work in a pinch, but it does not have the processing power, hard disk space, or the ruggedness that an ultrabook can provide.  And why an ultrabook over a laptop?  Just see our article, Goodbye Laptops…Ultrabooks Have Arrived!  Utrabooks are much lighter, come out of sleep mode fast like a tablet, and nearly all of them are under $1,000.  Ultrabooks can have similar processing power to laptops but are very lightweight.

Give your tween/teen some freedom and unleash them from the family PC so s/he can take their ultrabook with her/him to a reclining position, to school, or to a friends house to work on school projects together.  Portable computing is your child’s future.  A stationary desktop doesn’t make sense for this younger mobile generation.

Find out more suggestions on top gadgets, games, and accessories your tween/teen will be asking for this Christmas.  Read our recommendations at GiftsThatDo.com.

source:  All teen images sourced from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/

*  I have been compensated for giving our reviews on BestBuy.com.  All opinions are my own and stem from what we have learned by interacting with tweens/teens and  investigating and reviewing products.