Dec. 17--Our tech team put together a list of gadget gift ideas, and our resident grinch Tracey Lien told them why they're all terrible.
Tracey: David. David, David, David. This vacuum cleaner costs almost $900 and, if you look at its underside, the brush bar isn't even the full width of the machine. That spinning side brush looks as if it's made of toothpicks. For your crumb woes, I recommend one of these.
Tracey: $99 for an Oculus-powered virtual reality headset ain't bad, but don't forget, it's only compatible with certain Samsung smartphones. For iPhone, Windows Phone and Blackberry users, a Gear VR would make a really unwieldy paper weight.
Tracey: I am not sure what anyone is meant to get out of a $150 robot that doesn't do anything. Sure, the BB8 can recognize and react to your voice and be guided with your smartphone, but really now, what does it actually do? At least the overpriced Roomba vacuums.
Russ: Good point, Tracey. I passed on the BB8 and got our child a similar product from the same company: the Sphero SPRK. It's not just an expensive toy. With the SPRK, a kid can actually learn to program computers. And it doesn't look like anything from Disney, so there's one less piece of movie-promotion stuff in the house.
Tracey: The problem I have with fitness trackers is that most of their features, as you said, are useless. As for the useful features, like the pedometer, they give those away for free in cereal boxes.
Tracey: Paresh, thanks for making all my arguments for me.
