Mother’s Day Gift Guide: Tech

OUR experts have picked the perfect pressies for all pockets and tastes to help you give mum the special day she deserves.

Spoil mum this Mother’s Day with gift ideas from our team of experts.

TECH: Top treats for a gadget guru.

Philips Micro Music System

Philips Micro Music System

Philips’ latest iPhone dock covers all the bases for musically-inclined mums, with everything from CD playback to digital radio outside of her iPhone or iPad. Where it gets clever is with a revolving dock that flips between the newer Lightning and older 30-pin Dock Connector types, so no matter what kind of iDevice mum’s rocking, she can keep on rocking along. Like most powered docks, it’ll also charge her iPhone while she listens, so it’s easier for you to keep in touch as well. The 20W speakers aren’t exactly ear-bleeding quality, but considering the compressed nature of most music on iPhones, they do a quality job.

Philips

$249.95 

ProMaker X-Pro Tights

ProMaker X-Pro Tights

If mum’s a fitness fanatic who also loves her smartphone, then she’s got a problem. Sweaty hands are good at dropping smartphones, and while you can buy armbands, they’re unsightly and not suited for every exercise type. That’s the pitch for ProMaker’s X-Pro tights, which combine a pair of fitness tights with a front pocket for smartphones. The pocket is see-through and touch sensitive, so while mum’s working out, she can take calls or change music tracks, although they’re not really clear enough for playing Flappy Bird. They’re a snug fit, quite deliberately, so make sure you get mum’s measurements right.

ProMaker

$110 

Canon Powershot G1X Mark II

Canon PowerShot G1X Mark II

Chances are that mum’s got a camera in her smartphone, but there are limits to what you can do with small sensors and lenses. Canon’s Powershot G1X Mark II is a serious bit of kit, but without the serious heft of a full DSLR, making it a good purse companion. Its 12.8 megapixel large sensor and a 24-120mm f/2-3.9 zoom lens combines with a 3 inch tilting touchscreen that allows for viewing in direct sunlight, as well as flipping up for some selfie action. NFC connectivity also allows for quick file sharing out to mum’s smartphone so she can easily share her favourite family shots.

Canon

$862.50 

Yurbuds Inspire Limited Edition Wireless

Yurbuds Inspire Limited Edition Wireless

Yurbuds are popular headphones with sporty types because of the “twist and seal” design of the earbuds that keep them firmly in your ear. This wireless model has the advantage of the comfortable fit without the hassle of a long cord that can get in the way. Pairing them with your smartphone is a simple one-button process. You can answer a call by touching a button on the ear bud, and there are small buttons for volume control that are handy although can be a little tricky to find just by feel. The earbuds are sweat and water resistant and they’ll last six hours between charges, which should be enough to keep your mum happy unless she happens to be an ultramarathon runner.

Yurbuds

$199.99 

Tech 21 Impact Snap

Tech21 Impact Snap

Tech21’s new range of Impact Snap cases for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are designed as much for function as fashion. These slim-fit cases are a transparent cover for a Mac but their key advantage is the thin layer of FlexShock that sits inside of the hard outershell. It doesn’t look like much but you can go online to see videos of Tech21 folk demonstrating the impact absorbing properties of FlexShock by wrapping their fingers in the putty-like substance and whacking their hands with a mallet. If your mum takes her Mac everywhere, an Impact Snap case could save from a nasty mishap. They come in clear, purple, pink and black.

Apple Store

$99.99

CONTRIBUTIONS from fashion and beauty writer Anna Byrne, books editor Blanche Clark, music writer Cameron Adams, Shop SMART editor Renata Gorton, technology writer Rod Chester, lifestyle editor Jessica Leo, food writer Dan Stock and wine writer Tony Love.