GadgetGuy 2015 Holiday Gift Guide for Android Owners

There are Apple iAddicts, and then there are those of us who dig the green droid made by Google. If you know someone who loves their Samsung or Sony or LG or HTC — pretty much anything not made by Apple — these are options for you.

Lexar phone to PC flash drive

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Price: from $31

Getting files off your phone has to be easier than plugging it into a computer and transferring or relying on WiFi or 4G, and it is with thumb drives mades for both types of Android devices.

Whether you have a phone with microUSB at the bottom or one with USB Type C (you lucky new phone owner you), the drives on offer from Lexar will let you plug into the phone, move files over, and then use the regular USB end on a PC or Mac. Easy.

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Google Chromecast

google-chromecast-australian-release-2014-05-04

Price: $49

Google’s Chromecast may well not be the newest thing on the block, but if you know someone with an Android phone or tablet keen to get their photos, their videos, or even just a bit of Netflix working on their TV, this cheap gadget will do it and it won’t complain.

Chromecast is super simple to setup and use, merely needing a bit of power from the wall (or TV) and plugging straight into your TV’s HDMI port. From there, just control it all from your phone.

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Belkin Family Rockstar 4-Port Charger

belkin-4-port-2015-01

Price: $90

Android owners may well have more than just one device, with a phone, a tablet, a wearable, and possibly something else, and that often means lots of charge adaptors.

Belkin’s “Rockstar” charger gets around this issue by providing four USB ports on one plug, with the ability to sit on a desk or be wall mounted.

You’ll need to bring your own charge cables, but that’s cool, because you probably have amassed a big collection of those, too.

Jays A-Jays Five for Android in-earphones

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Price: $120

Most headphones tend to come with in-line remotes that aren’t really Android friendly. That’s just a fact, and you can thank Apple for that.

Jays, however, has built a pair of decent in-earphones for not too much cash that gets around this, packing in a remote that Android can use and even be re-programmed with a downloadable app.

Plus, the earphones are actually quite nice and warm, making for a great way to listen to your tunes.

Read our review…

Bose QC20 noise cancellation in-earphones for Android

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Price: $399

One of our favourite pairs on earphones received an update of sorts this year, with the Bose QuietComfort 20i earphones losing out on the “i” and getting shifted to an Android-friendly remote instead.

That’s something you don’t often see, especially in the noise cancellation space, and that means Bose’s QC20 earphones could well be among the best wired active noise cancellation in-ear choices out there, providing solid sound with no outside noise leaking in and a battery that takes the same method of charging as most Android phones.

A must have for anyone with an Android phone taking public transport or an overseas trip.

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Samsung Gear S2

Gear S2 on the left, Gear S2 Classic on the right.

Price: $499

One of the more deluxe styles of smartwatch, Samsung’s latest smartwatch for the first time ever doesn’t need a Samsung phone.

Now that the requirements have been lowered, you can instead focus on the fact that this is a circular watch with close to two day battery life, fitness tracking, and a unique menu system relying on a circular ring and touchscreen, giving you two ways of using the watch.

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Huawei Watch

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Price: from $549

Samsung’s watch wasn’t the only game in town this year, with Huawei bringing its A-game for a big shiny metal watch that kind of looks like more premium than any other Android Wear device out today.

This one comes with a properly metal chain link band and is one of the better looking smartwatches around, going so far as to look more like a watch than any other device we’ve seen.

Oh, and this one supports both iPhone and Android, just in case you were thinking of going to the Apple side of things later on, or know someone who treads both.

Read our review…