$50 and under
GoldieBlox Toys
goldieblox.com
The difference between the number of male and female engineers worldwide is significant (86% are males, while only 14% are females). Many researchers point out that the disparity is related to simple exposure -- typically, boys are given toys that encourage logic, building and construction, while girls are given toys that are not.
GoldieBlox is a company that wants to change these statistics and even the playing field. As the brainchild of Debbie Sterling, a mechanical engineer, GoldieBlox has a mission of “disrupting the pink aisle,” and introducing girls to the joy of engineering. For that reason, the building sets have been given a seal of approval from great organizations like Techbridge, Girls Who Code, Black Girls Code, and the Society of Women Engineers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz7g4qy0l9M
The TrackR
Using a crowd GPS network, TrackR helps you find whatever item you’ve attached it to via GPS updates on your Android device or iPhone. It also works as a distance indicator and phone finder, and will ring your phone even if it is on silent.
Made of anodized aluminum, this coin-sized device attaches to phones, keys, pets and more, and is an excellent gift for the techie in your life who loses items easily. It can be purchased directly from the company’s website and is available in four different colors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJIE1qPhML8
$100-$200
Darkside
With speeds of up to 14 mph and Bluetooth connectivity up to 100 feet, the Darkside is the newest app-enabled robot from the company that brought us the Ollie. Waterproof and shock-resistant, this device offers hours of entertainment with onboard intelligence that tracks distance, airtime, color preferences, trick combos, and more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRR5fxcXZxU
Polaroid Zip
The Polaroid Zip is only slightly bigger than a deck of cards but can print photos directly from your iOS or Android device. Weighing barely over 6 ounces, the mobile printer connects to your smartphone to immediately print 2x3 borderless prints.
With a built-in battery that lasts for approximately 25 prints, the portable printer can be recharged through a micro-USB port. It holds 10 sheets of paper at a time and uses Polaroid’s Zink printing technology, with zero-ink, heat-activated printing. A pack of 100 sheets of the paper will cost around $25 and each print is smudge-free because it doesn’t use ink.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1DLJY72-3Y