Top five tech gifts for Mom

Forget about the wallet, gloves, or PJs—Mom deserves a more creative gift that will bring her enjoyment long after the holidays are past. Here are some great tech gadgets that she'll be thrilled to unwrap.

Canon PowerShot SX700 HS ($300)

Slim, lightweight, and powerful—if that describes your Mom, then why not give her a camera with the same qualities? The 30x zoom lens on this Canon point-and-shoot camera will let her get up-close shots at the kids' soccer games and school concerts, and wireless capability will make it easy for her to share those photos with the grandparents. Photo and video quality are both very good, and there are fun extras like a mode that applies Instagram-type filter effects. This bright-red camera should fit neatly in her purse or coat pocket, too.

Polk Audio Nue Era ($100)

Instead of giving Mom another pair of earrings, treat her to earphones that will give her countless hours of enjoyment. These provide very good sound quality, and their design helps muffle some external noise so she can actually hear her favorite tunes. They come in stylish tortoiseshell with gold accents and classic black and silver. On the cord, there's an inline microphone and remote with volume, music player, and call connect/disconnect controls. These headphones are compatible with iPhones, iPads, and iPods.

Get more gift ideas in our buying guide and Ratings of cameras, headphones, and tablets.

Pebble Watch ($100)

This is one time you can get smart with Mom and not get in trouble for it! The Pebble smart watch will do much more than tell her the time. She'll be able to see who is calling, texting, or e-mailing her without having to dig out her phone. There are tons of apps, including fitness apps, and a lively online community. Oh—it tells time, too! Choose from a variety of colors, including cherry red and orange.  

Roku Streaming Stick ($50)

Watch your mother's eyes light up when she sees this: a streaming media player that plugs right into the back of the TV. No more boxes and cables to contend with. Tiny as it is, this player packs all kinds of entertainment options, from Netflix to Amazon Prime, Vudu, HBO Go, and much more. It's the motherlode of streaming video! The user-friendly remote is a snap to use.

Sonos Play:1 ($200)

Look Ma, no wires! The Play:1 is a stylish, solidly constructed Wi-Fi speaker that can stream your Mom's entire music library, popular music services, and Internet radio—with no cables connected to the source. It's very easy to use and provides very good sound quality. She can even control it with an app on a smart phone, laptop, or tablet. What more could anyone ask for?