10 tech gifts that will make Mom's life easier — and arrive in time for Christmas

Moms do so much for us every day that they deserve holiday gifts that will make their days (and nights) easier and more enjoyable. From wireless earbuds and phone mounts for cars to mugs that keep her coffee warm and Alexa voice remotes, there are plenty of tech devices that can do just that! We've collected 10 especially useful gadgets to make any mom feel appreciated...and that will arrive in time for you to make sure her stocking is fully stuffed.

Read on to find the right gift for every mom and every budget, all arriving at your door by the holidays. There's sure to be something to make the important moms in your life smile.

Amazon

Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen)

Echo Buds are small, light, and IPX4 sweat-resistant, with a secure, customizable fit that's made to move with users, as well as Alexa integration to play your favorite audio hands-free.

$120 at Amazon

An excellent set of smart earbuds can be like an extra set of hands — these Amazon Echo earbuds can play music or make calls, set reminders, add items to shopping lists and summon a digital assistant. They have active noise cancellation to limit background noise and a sealed in-ear design to make them comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Mom can ask Alexa to play the latest episode of a podcast, add ‘pizza dough’ to her grocery list, even start a meditation session.

One reviewer reported that the Echo earbuds have “Great craftsmanship, solid design and feel.... Good noise cancellation, deep bass, high trebles and the best part of all: Alexa at the ready. Pretty cool to just be able to say what song to play and there it goes.”

Amazon

Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen, 2021 release)

With the Echo Show, Mom can watch TV shows and movies, listen to music, make video calls, control her smart home, access traffic reports and, best of all, get step-by-step instructions for recipes!

$130 at Amazon

With an 8-inch HD touchscreen, stereo speakers and a 13-megapixel camera, the Echo Show 8 can cover a lot of ground. It’s an excellent countertop companion for all her daily to-dos, especially with Alexa helping out.

“It’s perfect!" said one customer. "Great picture, sounds nice, response time is quick and video call quality is great. The size is perfect… definitely better than my phone for watching videos while moving around the kitchen.”

Ember

Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug 2

This smart mug, in classy copper, allows you to control it with your smartphone — just pair with the Ember App to set temperature, customize presets, receive notifications and more.

$129 at Amazon

For busy moms, drinking a hot cup of joe is like trying to find a swear word in a Hallmark movie: just not going to happen. So they need a mug that can keep up with them. The Ember Mug lets her choose the temperature she likes her beverages (up to a piping hot 145 degrees) and keeps it there for up to 90 minutes. Mom can even control the mug from her smartphone so she can change the temperature as she multitasks.

“I had a friend who owned one and kept raving about it, so I thought I would buy it as a gift for my sister for Christmas. She also raved so much about it, and told me how she uses it not just for coffee but her oatmeal and soups. I thought...I have to get one for myself," wrote one thrilled reviewer. "One of the best purchases I have made...I absolutely love it. I use it 2–3 times a day. It keeps my coffee and tea at a perfect temperature. I would not hesitate to recommend it.”

SOI.

SOI Mini Smart Light for Handbag

This small disc lights up when it senses an approaching hand and then automatically switches off after ten seconds, making certain that Mom will never lose anything in her purse again.

$22 at Amazon

If your mom's been known to dump out her purse in order to find something, then you can likely see the utility in a handbag illuminator. The SOI Mini fits into a variety of purses, including clutches and totes, and is also useful on nightstands or in bathrooms, RVs and car trunks.

One user shared: “This little light is smooth and kind of saucer-shaped. It really does light up the inside of whatever you put it in, and stays on a few seconds and then fades out. I got it for my cavernous bags so I can see what’s in there, down in the depths, as it were. This is a nice design, seems to consistently work and helps me see what’s in there. I think it’s a cool little tool!”

HP

HP Sprocket Portable 2" x 3" Instant Photo Printer

This instant photo printer has seamless Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, so everyone can view a shared album and print borderless 2" x 3" photos anytime and anywhere.

$80 at Amazon

While smartphones have made it easy for Mom to snap a pic anytime, anywhere, getting prints of those memories won't be as easy unless she has a portable photo printer like the HP Sprocket. The 4.6" x 3.1" x 0.98"-inch device creates 2" x 3" color prints on zink, a special sticky-backed paper. It easily connects to any phone or tablet with Bluetooth to make printing painless.

“The genius here is that you can call up your photo archive and make super crisp, Post-It–style photos," one happy customer pointed out. "The Sprocket was very easy to set up, and I was making prints in minutes...These are wonderful for dropping into a note, letter or thank you…. Just so much fun.”

YOSH

Yosh Magnetic Universal Phone Holder for Car Air Vent

The YOSH holder is only 1.6" in diameter and holds a device firmly in place with four N50 magnets. It's made from soft silicon rubber to protect both Mom's car and her mobile device from scratches. And it's easy to remove and replace.

$60 at Amazon

It's one thing to know that it's important to keep your eyes on the road when driving, but it's another thing to avoid looking at your phone to check directions when you don't know the right highway exit. Yosh’s universal magnetic car mount makes it possible for Mom to do both things at once. It attaches a smartphone or GPS device to her car's instrument panel, putting it close to her line of vision so she can easily peek at a map or skip a song on her playlist.

A reviewer who gave the gadget five stars said, “It is quite sturdy, and when the phone is attached to the magnetic base it STAYS THERE. It is unobtrusive when you are not using it to hold your phone…. We have access to everything on the dash and great visibility. It is painless to install and a marvel to use. I bought two and plan to buy several more for my friends and family as little gifts. Buy this. It is made well and you will not be disappointed!”

Blink Home Security

Blink Mini

Monitor the inside of home day and night with the Blink Mini, a 1080p HD indoor plug-in smart security camera with motion detection and two-way audio.

$30 at Amazon

Setting up her home with smart cameras might seem intimidating, but Blink Mini cameras are easy to install and use. They will provide a 1080p HD camera feed right to her phone, and have motion-detection alerts and two-way audio. The live view can be accessed at any time from Mom's phone and she can hear and speak to people through the Mini. It also works with any Alexa-enabled device so she can say, “Alexa, show me the camera” to get a quick look at what’s happening — even if she's miles away.

One reviewer said she bought two Blink Mini cameras to use as baby monitors: “These were super easy to set up and the picture quality is great. I love that I now have all of my cameras on a single app. These do everything that I need them to. They have a great wide field of view and...pick up nearly all of an average-sized bedroom. The night vision is good. The audio is great, and I was surprised how good the speaker is on the camera itself! I can talk from my phone to the camera and it actually sounds good and intelligible.”

Amazon

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (8 GB)

The Kindle Paperwhite has a 6.8-inch display with adjustable light and a glare-free screen so it’s easy to read even in bright sunlight. 8GB of storage holds thousands of books and up to 10 weeks of battery life!

$140 at Amazon

If the mom you’re shopping for doesn’t already have an e-reader, now is the perfect time to treat her to one! The Kindle Paperwhite even can read books aloud to the user through an Audible subscription and headphones. This handy device is also waterproof enough to withstand accidental immersion, so reading at the beach, pool or in the bath is safe.

A reviewer who had a previous model said, “I love it. It is zippy, the text is crisp and clear, and the backlighting is wonderful. I actually love the bigger size. I’ve read four books in as many days on it, and I just adore it.”

Amazon

Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote

The Fire Stick supports HDR, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, making for an extremely clear picture and theatre-level audio for Mom's favorite movies, shows and apps.

$25 at Amazon

The Fire TV Stick is a small dongle that is plugged into a TV to give Mom access to millions of movies and TV episodes — she can stream from services like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ or Peacock and play music, podcasts or audiobooks. Best of all, it’s on sale right now for only $25.

Many folks love the Fire TV Stick because of its Alexa Voice Remote, which allows users to search, launch shows and control other smart-home devices with a voice command. The Fire TV Stick has more than 272,000 five-star reviews. One of those reviewers, who said the Fire TV Stick was the best purchase they’ve made in ages, added, “The picture is amazing! It’s like getting a new television set!”

Kasa Smart

Kasa Smart Plug 2-pack

The HS103 Kasa smart plug is the easiest way you can start controlling lamps, fans, humidifiers and other home electronic appliances. Voice control for any outlet also means savoring the joy of hands-free convenience.

$14 at Amazon

If Mom's home has an Alexa device or she uses Google Assistant, she can add voice control to any outlet with the Kasa smart-home plug. Setup is easy — just plug in the Kasa, open the app and follow the instructions. Voila! The outlet is now connected so Mom can turn electronics on or off, live or via a timer. She can also use her voice to control lights, fans or more — making her whole home a little bit smarter!

One reviewer shared: “Setup was a piece of cake; just plug them in and use the Kasa app to configure them. You can also control these by voice if you’re an Echo user — adding them as new devices is easily done through the Alexa app. They are small and unobtrusive, and because they are so compact you can plug two of them in at the same outlet. They require no hub, since they connect via Wi-Fi — this is a huge plus! They are very easy to control with the Kasa app, which is well designed and fairly intuitive.”

If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

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More Holiday Gift Ideas

We’ve got your holiday shopping list covered with fantastic gift ideas for everyone on your list. You’ll find expert picks on the best tech gifts on Engadget, the best gift ideas for car lovers at Autoblog, gifts for the young (and young at heart) at In the Know, and picks for just about everyone else on your list (moms, dads, teens, nurses, you name it!) in Yahoo’s holiday gift ideas section. On AOL, you'll find for gift ideas for seniors shopping for moms, dads, teens and toddlers.