Diwali 2016: Here are some not-so-common but interesting gifts you can get this festive season

While it’s true that gifts come in all shapes and sizes (as well as in the form of intangible objects, and donations made in your name to charitable organisations), it’s easier to find something for someone when you understand the intended gift recipient. It’s even easier when you’re told exactly what to buy for someone. But if emotionally disconnected gifting (which is arguably one of the best ways to gift, of course) isn’t your thing, at least let us attempt to make you aware of things you probably didn’t know existed as gifting possibilities. A word of warning, though: most of this stuff will need to be plugged in somewhere. Logitech Bluetooth Audio Receiver Starting off with something on the wrong side of the “not so obvious” category is this nifty little piece of hardware from Logitech. While it’s true that everyone including Raju’s aunt has a stylish, cylindrical Bluetooth speaker these days, there are some of us (including yours truly), who simply forgot to invest in such advanced technology. The Logitech Bluetooth Audio Receiver is the perfect alternative. Priced at a reasonable Rs 1,499 on Amazon India, this compact audio receiver unit plugs into any speaker system via Red-and-White RCA or 3.5mm cables. Multi-device Bluetooth pairing is another feature—easily stream audio from your phone, tablet or PC to your newly transformed wireless speakers. The device sports a range of up to 50 metres, and is compact enough to be redeployed to areas devoid of the sickest tunes. Price  Rs 1,499 Where to buy  Amazon.in FitBark Dog Activity Monitor Sometimes treating your pet as a family member simply isn’t enough. You know your dog is really family only when you begin obsessing about his daily activity and fitness levels. Believe it or not, somebody actually made a product for this.  Enter FitBark Dog Activity Monitor, a sensor which helps monitor your dog’s daily activity. As you would expect, there’s an accompanying app which gives you all sorts of information, activity trends, and could potentially provide useful information at the vet. You will also be able to compare activity stats with other similar dogs and get a weekly report! There’s no doubt that dogs are great exercise partners, and FitBark simply allows you to take that extra obsessive step. No more lazy Labradors, that’s for sure. Price  US$69.95 + Shipping/Duties | Approx Rs Rs.4,700 + Shipping/Duties Where to buy  Amazon.com Tech Gear HDMI Audio Decoder Admittedly, this little white box serves a very niche requirement (but there are more people who would benefit from its features than you would think). So you’ve got a games console which is plugged into a monitor which doesn’t have speakers.  Tech Gear’s audio decoder will allow you to hook up an external audio device via a 3.5mm connector (think PC speakers), while continuing to receive video output on your TV/monitor via HDMI. It’s particularly useful for those anti-social gaming nights when you couldn’t be bothered about having a conversation with friends/strangers in a PSN/Xbox Live party. Price Rs 2,040 Where to buy   Amazon.in Western Digital My Cloud 3TB Sure, online cloud storage is the bee’s knees, with Google Drive, Dropbox and more companies offering very good bang-for-buck for access to your files no matter where you are. But there’s something about the 3 terabytes of “free” storage (which is 2 whole terabytes of extra storage after taking into account your 1TB of selfies), automatic file backups and accessing those large, (legally) downloaded episodes of Game of Thrones on your home network for repeat viewing. Our recommendation is to get the 3TB variant since it hits that sweet spot in terms of price per gigabyte.  The bottom line: more storage capacity you would probably need; perfect for those large media files, and access from your smartphone, tablet or PC. Price Rs.11,840 for 3TB Where to buy  Amazon.in Portronics Pico-318 Portable LED Projector It can be frustrating when you’ve made the greatest PowerPoint presentation ever, but your enthusiasm building up to the actual moment itself begins to gradually die down because of the inefficient projector setup in a claustrophobic meeting room.  If there’s one way to not be left at the mercy of resident projector technicians and/or IT engineers, it’s carrying your own hardware. Pico projectors have existed for a while, and their very specific utility can never be understated. Weighing just under 200 grams, and measuring 142 x 72 x 23mm, Portronics’ POR 318 also comes with its own expandable stand, an 1800mAh rechargeable battery (which promises 2.5 hrs of playback on a single charge, by the way) and the promise of a massive 80-inch projection canvas. Downsides include low resolution (640 x 480) and a brightness of only 50 Lumens (a standard full-HD Epson projector comes with a brightness of 2,200 Lumens just for the sake of comparison). But hey, we’ve got to let the world see that amazing PPT, right? Price Rs 18,499 Where to buy   Amazon.in Belkin WeMo Switch Your dream of owning an entirely automated smart home might be a decade away from being fully realised, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start now. Belkin’s WeMo switches allow you to transform any power outlet into one that is wireless and controllable by your smartphone. It’s as simple as plugging in the WeMo into a power outlet and then any electronic device into the WeMo. The downsides? Well, you’ll still need a bunch of converter plus to get it to work (Indian plug design isn’t out yet), and you’re limited by the number of devices which can be connected to a WeMo (just one at the moment).  To unleash the full potential, however, combine the WeMo with an app like IFTTT, utilising various readily available automation recipes or creating entirely new ones. Price Rs 5,356 Where to buy   Amazon.in