Dear Geek,
With Mother’s Day coming up, what would you recommend for tech-related Mother’s Day gifts for my minimally tech-savvy mother?
Thanks,
Sonny
Dear Sonny,
Timely question. I was going to suggest ditching the tech-related gifts and belting out the Black Eyed Peas song “Hey Mama” in the front yard of her house, but upon reviewing the lyrics, I’m realizing it’s not really about a mother so much as what society would refer to as a “hot mama.” I rarely actually listen to the words of a song, but when I do sometimes I realize I liked a song more when I thought it was just cool music and a mishmash of words. Back on track now: tech-related gifts for Mom.
Printed pictures. Wait, how are these tech items? You no doubt have hundreds if not thousands of pictures on your phone. Print them! Many stores have kiosks for printing directly from a phone, or you can use online services such as Snapfish and Shutterfly. The same goes for scanned artwork by your kids. It’s hard to beat a custom mug that says “World’s Greatest Mom,” handwritten with a picture done by her grandchildren.
My mom loves Words with Friends and similar electronic versions of old-school games. She runs circles around me when I play her, and some of the words she scores oodles of points with don’t seem legit. It’s my mom, and they are on the game’s official word list, so the joke is on me. Playing on a phone is fun, but it’s easier done on a tablet. I’ve written about tablets in the past, so I won’t get into detail, but right now Amazon has a Fire HD tablet (8 inches) for $65. That’s a perfect-size screen for your mom to use when entering a word like quetzal on a triple-word score to give you a virtual spanking.
I have found that moms of all ages are leading the charge in an overall fitness trend. Running, walking, yoga, etc. are a few of the activities seemingly every mom is doing on a regular basis. Pedometers are popular little devices, and start at as little as $20. Maybe you could have a competition with Mom on steps taken over a specific time period; that would mix the tech world with some good old-fashioned exercise.
No matter what you buy your mom on Mother’s Day, don’t forget that the thing they want most is something you can’t buy: It’s your time. Uninterrupted, undistracted time. It would be hard to top a cup of coffee and some conversation as a Mother’s Day masterpiece. Simple can be wonderful. Of course, a little tech gift can’t hurt as an add-on to that.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there reading this column!
Thanks for writing,
The Geek
P.S. Hi Mom!
