Here are the products we thought were the most interesting from the Holiday Gift Guide 2021 from The New York Times.

• Amazon Echo Show (2nd Gen) - The small screen is good in certain places, while the Echo Show 10 is better in other places.
• Google Nest Audio Smart Speaker - If you're in the Alexa ecosystem already, check out the Echo Dot.
• Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug (KP400)
• JBL Bar 2.1 Deep Bass - Expensive but solid.
• Chromecast with Google TV - Good for a Google home, but the Roku is better for others who don't have it already built-in.
• Wacom Intuos Wireless Graphics Drawing Tablet
• Ducky One 2 SF
• Kindle Paperwhite (8 GB) - The hands-down best in the industry.
• Apple Watch Series 7 - Okay for Apple users, though we don't find it as a benefit.
• 9th-gen iPad
• EarFun Free 2 - Decent for the price.

These are some items that don't seem like a great deal.

• Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo - We would recommend an Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN for quality or Crosley for the retro feel.
• Sonos Roam Bluetooth Speaker - The Altec Lansing LifeJacket XL Jolt is a better portable speaker, and the Altec Lansing GVA2 Live is a better smart speaker for the price.
• Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 - The Monster Persona sounds better for less money.
• Pixel 5a - At this point, only consider the Pixel 6 series.