Skint this Christmas? Try these affordable tech gifts

Christmas 2013 seems to be a year of tech – an awesome console debate is in full swing and even the kids’ toys are Wi-Fi friendly – but what I’m interested in is the skint stuff! I read in an Experian survey that last year we spent an average of £511 just on Christmas gifts, and yet nearly a quarter of people view Christmas shopping as more stressful than rush-hour traffic!

So, to save you some stress, I’ve compiled a list of tech gadgets that are a little bit light on your wallets:

This year’s supermarket surprise: budget tablets

These are the perfect thing for parents looking for value tablets to slip into Christmas stockings. They’re great because they’re not so expensive that your heart will be broken if it’s lost or damaged, so you can pack it in your backpack or on a plane. Everyone’s talking about Lidl’s TrekStor SurfTab, which has a 1GHz Cortex A7 quad-core processor, a 7-inch HD IPS display with resolution of 1280 x 800px ,1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage – and best of all it retails for £79.99. There’s chat that the stores have run out of stocks so close to Christmas, which if true is a pity, as the reviews have been positive for this little tablet.

Image from MobilManiaCZ

Get snappy happy with a micro camera

Spy cameras were one of my favourite things when I was wee, and this just takes me back! The Bonzart Lit Mini measures less than 3×2 inches, “smaller than a deck of cards”, and resolution can be set at 2,048 x 1536px. You can set light meter and white balance for different conditions – you can even adjust exposure using a simple menu – and fun features include black, white, sepia, negative and red, blue and green filters. It retails for about £35 on Amazon, but you will need to add your own microSD memory card before you can start taking pictures! For more info, read the NY Times review: playing around with a toy camera.

Image from trendhunter.com

Make Christmas cocktails using your phone

This is great not just because you’ll be the most impressive bartender this Christmas, but because you can try out new recipes and save them to recreate later. Connect using your iOS or Android phone via the bartending app for no extra charge and use the virtual glass on your screen to pour the drinks. It retails for £35, and you can make drinks using the ingredients already in your liquor cabinet.

Image and product by Brookstone

Protect your smartphone with a Lego case

Usually the only thing that separates my phone from the elements, a case is a really important barrier from all kinds of knocks and spills. The thing I like about these lego builder iphone 5 cases is you can actually built onto it, so the back is layered with a semi-flexible shock-absorbing outer frame. It’s available in a few colours and if you’re giving it a Lego fan, you could match it with some Lego collectibles as well. Retails for £25.99.

Image and product from Belkin

Gadgets suggested by readers

• Mike from Scotland – Tesco Hudl: RRP £129, £55 with Clubcard Points

Have you seen any cool gadgets for people on a  budget? If so tell us about them in the comments section…