Hot Staff Picks For Great Tech Gifts
As the resident biker geek of the bunch, Paul Lilly gets equally excited at redlining hardware as he does going full throttle down a secluded road on his motorcycle. Both provide thrills in their own way, and when those interests come together, well, you’ll find him grinning from ear to ear (just try to ignore the bugs in his teeth!).
The selfie generation will never know the struggle of ending up with ruined pictures from popping open the camera door and exposing a roll of film to light. Instead of rewinding film and dropping it off to the local Kodak Express shop, digital photography and color printers are the way of the day, but this combination has its own struggles. One thing I hate is taking a beautiful picture from a scenic ride and then fighting with my printer to spit out a high-quality print that does it justice. That’s why my next printer is likely to be the Epson SureColor P600, an inkjet unit. It splashes photos with ink from nine (yes, NINE!) different color tanks and can create borderless 13-inch by 19-inch prints. Sure, it’s pricey, but I’m tired from tussling with less capable printers for display worthy photos. (Editor's note: I'd love one of these too! -- Marco)
Sometimes I look at touring bikes like Harley Davidson’s Street Glide and wish I had one too, then I twist the throttle on my 2013 Yamaha Raider S and am quickly reminded why I opted against a geezer glider. At this stage of my life, I’ll take chopper-inspired flash and speed over excessive creature comforts, though I don’t have to go completely without the latter. While I won’t be installing a fancy-pants fairing any time soon, high my list of upgrades is Kuryakyn’s Bluetooth-enabled Sound of Chrome speakers. These weatherproof beauties feature a set of 3-inch main speakers with additional tweeters and a built-in 50-watt amplifier.
When photos don’t cut it, there’s video, and GoPro is the go-to brand for capturing your adventures. The HERO4 Black is the flagship version with up to 4K video at 30 frames per second. It lacks a built-in touch display as found in the HERO4 Silver, but it has higher resolution recording options. Even sweeter is the discounted price for the Moto Bundle – it’s actually cheaper to go this route than to buy the camera alone, and it comes with extra goodies like a 32GB memory card and some helmet mounting accessories. It’s not my plan to ever crash in epic fashion, but if I do, this will capture what went wrong. (Side note, this would mount nicely on Dave's recommended GHOST drone on the first page.)
I love to hit the open road, but I also bring an assortment of electronics, like my smartphone and (if Santa’s kind this year) a GoPro camera. All of these items require power, and rather than try to find an outlet when I’m out in the middle of nowhere, a USB power adapter will do the trick. This particular one has two USB ports so I can charge my phone and GoPro at the same time, plus a 12V cigarette lighter to power a compact air compressor in case of a flat. Oh, and it’s waterproof!
For quick rides around town, I typically lean on my smartphone for taking pictures, which then get posted to social media sites like Facebook. But if I’m going on a longer ride, like a cross country excursion, there’s a world of scenery that a smartphone camera just can’t do justice. That’s when I pack up my Canon EOS Rebel T6i DSLR. It’s not top of the line, but it’s a great camera for hobbyists that have outgrown their point-n-shoot. I also advise picking up a spare battery and, if your budget allows, a separate lens specific to the type of pictures you take (the kit lens is serviceable, not steller).
