David Gregg, Senior Editor of BehindtheBuy.com joins us with his product recommendations that promise to ease the stress of our holiday planning, preparation and gifting.
Canon PIXMA MG6620 Wireless Inkjet Photo Printer
A great way to prepare for the holiday season is decorating your home with framed family photos from years past, as well as creating holiday photo cards. With the Canon PIXMA MG6620 wireless inkjet photo printer, personalizing the holidays and printing photos – even from mobile devices – is easier than ever! This printer makes it easy to bring your digital life to reality with the PIXMA Printing Solutions application for easy printing from social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter and PIXMA Touch & Print capabilities, which instantly connects your Android mobile device to the printer through NFC technology, making printing a snap. As mobile devices and tablets continue to be popular holiday gifts, at $149.99, the PIXMA MG6620 is the perfect accessory to complete the tech gift ecosystem.
PRICE: $149.99; www. usa.canon.com
BISSELL Symphony All-in-One Vacuum and Steam Mop
The BISSELL Symphony All-in-One Vacuum and Steam Mop can vacuum and steam at the same time – or vacuum and steam separately! Simply pop off the quick-release mop pad tray and you have a powerful vacuum. Great for small living areas, there’s no need to have two vacuums. The Symphony’s Dry Tank Technology™ keeps your tank dry while you steam and nothing extra is needed – pads are washable and reusable and no need for formulas, simply use water to clean and eliminate 99.9%* of germs and bacteria (when used as directed).
The BISSELL Symphony allows you to get a clean, hard floor without using a broom and dust pan and then a mop and bucket – one pass vacuums dirt and the steam mops picks ups the grime and sticky residue. Easy Touch Digital Controls let users switch between functions while cleaning to vacuum and steam at the same time or separately to match the right clean to the right situation. When done, an adjustable handle and Quick-Release Mop Pad Tray make it easy to store.
The BISSELL Symphony All-in-One Vacuum and Steam Mop is lightweight (less than 10 pounds), features 5 adjustable height settings and a 25 foot cord.
PRICE: $199.99; www. bissell.com
JURA Z9 One Touch TFT Automatic Coffee Center
The new Swiss-made Jura IMPRESSA Z9 One Touch TFT coffee center with Aroma Plus grinder delivers a true bean-to-cup experience using freshly ground beans instead of pods or capsules. This is the first model in the Z line to include a 3.5-inch TFT color display, making it easy to personalize your brew. Graphics and text showcase the type of beverage, number of ounces, coffee strength and amount of milk. Use the TFT display to view and select options: just press the button to choose between eleven coffee specialties (espresso, coffee, latte macchiato, cappuccino, ristretto, hot water, milk and more). A glowing white light illuminates the cup as it brews. This model features six programmable beverage buttons that can be labeled by the name of beverage or with peoples’ names to denote their favorite brew. The Jura Aroma+ grinder allows for perfect aroma in all its fullness in half the grinding time. The grinder’s high-quality burrs guarantee consistent results throughout the lifetime of the machine. Additionally, Jura’s fine foam technology creates steamed milk or froth with a feather-like consistency. The machine comes with a 20-ounce stainless steel vacuum milk container that keeps milk cold and ready to froth or steam on demand for up to eight hours.
PRICE: $3,599; www.us.jura.com or Sur La Table
Kyocera Brigadier and Hydro LIFE Smartphones
There are a few cell phones out there that get a TON of attention, but they’re fragile, expensive and not right for everyone. SquareTrade, which sells insurance for cell phones, recently said that more than 1 in 10 people using that phone from that fruit company have cracked or shattered displays. And by God don’t get them wet!
Kyocera has become one of the nation’s leading brands of cell phones by offering devices that are waterproof, rugged and very affordable. We all have accidents with our phones, but whether it’s a drop from the pocket, a sudden rainstorm or a dip in the sink, Kyocera phones are made to survive life’s challenges and keep you connected.
For people with tough jobs or who love adventure-sports, there’s the ultra-rugged Kyocera Brigadier – the only phone on the market with a pure sapphire display that’s virtually scratch-proof – for just $99 with a contract at Verizon.
The BRIGADIER features full Military Standard 810G and IP68 ratings for protection against dust, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, blowing rain, low pressure, solar radiation, salt fog, humidity, blowing rain and water immersion (up to 30 minutes in up to SIX feet of water).
PRICE: Brigadier — $99 from Verizon with a 2-year agreement or eligible upgrade — www.verizonwireless.com/smartphones/brigadier
If you don’t need that level of protection and want a sleeker device on a budget and still want the Kyocera durability and peace of mind, Hydro LIFE is for you! It’s everyday tough (waterproof up to 1 meter deep for up to 30 min, Military Standard 810G rating for shock and drops ) and is just $49 after rebate with prepaid service from MetroPCS.
PRICE: A killer deal! Marked down from $149 to just $49 (after $50 rebate) at MetroPCS – all with no contract! www.metropcs.com/phones/details/kyocera-hydro-life/610214635860.html