Make it the most thoughtful Valentine’s Day yet with the right tech

Not everyone celebrates Valentine’s Day in the traditional sense, but whether you “believe” in the occasion or not, it’s an excuse to show your appreciation for a special someone. And there are lots of traditional and non-traditional ways you can do that. With the latter, this is where tech comes in. There are some inspiring and useful tech gift ideas that your true love will enjoy.

Thoughtful tech that shows you care

As the saying goes, it’s the thought that counts. When it comes to gifting for Valentine’s Day, it’s all about showing the person that you have put some thought and effort into choosing the perfect item for them. That might include a specific product you heard them mention once that they wanted or something you think they might love based on their interests and hobbies.

A smart speaker or smart display, for example, is a great gift if the person has a tough time getting up in the mornings for work, or could benefit from a speaker to play music as they get ready and smart assistant to advise on the weather, traffic conditions, and even read the daily news headlines. They can use a smart display in the kitchen to follow recipe videos or watch the news while making dinner, convert measurements, and more. It’s like having their own personal assistant at home.

Go big with a model like the Amazon Echo Show 15.6-inch smart display that’s like a smart display and small TV in one. It functions like any other smart speaker or display with built-in Alexa for commands, but has the added benefit of the Fire TV smart TV platform built in. They can use it as their daily virtual calendar, configuring it to display the information that’s most important to them. It can even neatly mount on a wall in either landscape or portrait orientation.

The obvious gift choice if your partner has taken on a New Year’s Resolution to get fit or adopt a healthier lifestyle is a smartwatch or fitness tracker. Bring you closer to them by grabbing one for yourself as well so you two can challenge one another with daily steps, active minutes, calories burned, and other achievements. Grab a pair of ones, like the Fitbit Inspire 3 in two different colours and you can challenge one another in the app for daily, weekly, or even weekend step challenges. This will not only encourage you to do things like exercise or go for walks or runs together, but it’ll also spark some friendly competition between you.

A tablet or e-reader is also a thoughtful gift if you know the person loves to enjoy “me” time by playing games on their phone, reading e-books, or watching videos. For the passionate bookworm, an e-reader is a great gift, especially if you personalize it by loading it up with some titles from their favourite author or in their favourite genre, books you know they have been meaning to get, or even just a selection of romance novels that cleverly express how you feel about them in their titles or stories.

The Kobo Clara 2E 6-inch digital eReader has a touchscreen and features like Dark Mode and ComfortLight PRO so they can read in virtually any setting, from outside by the pool to in bed at night. Yes, it is indeed waterproof so they can even read in the bathtub, while lounging on the beach, or anywhere the desire strikes.

One of my favourite new categories of tech is digital photo frames, which aren’t actually new at all. But the latest models have emerged with a host of great features, including Wi-Fi connectivity so you can upload photos remotely. It’s essential that, before gifting one of these to the love of your life on Valentine’s Day, you load it up with a selection of beautiful photos that will take your loved one down memory lane, whether it’s photos from vacations, fun events, a wedding, the kids, or even just silly photos you have stored on your phone of the two of you.

A digital photo frame like the Nixplay 15-inch smart digital photo frame (I gifted this same one to my parents several years ago) is a gift that, as they say, keeps on giving. You can continue to upload photos to it, adjust slideshows, and, with some models, even add videos. The person can keep it on their desk at the office to stay connected to you and/or the family or display it prominently somewhere in their home.

Valentine’s Day gifts for the home, kitchen

If your sweetheart loves spending time in the kitchen, consider something they will love but will also help you enjoy experiences together. And something that will help you provide great experiences for them.

A high-end coffee maker might be a great option for a coffee aficionado who would appreciate being able to get more intense flavours and customizable brews. Not only can you surprise them with this machine, you can also be a barista on Valentine’s Day and greet your loved one in the morning with homemade breakfast and a piping hot cup of their favourite mocha beverage, made from scratch at home. They’ll think you went out to the local cafe until they see the surprise new machine in the kitchen.

A coffee maker like the Breville Barista Express espresso machine can provide professional cafe-like beverages from the comfort of home. The built-in grinder means you can use your favourite coffee beans and adjust the strength of the brew as you like. Practice some cool coffee art beforehand so you can present them a cup with an adorable heart in the crema on top, or add a dollop of whipped cream with some cinnamon hearts.

I recently bought my husband a SodaStream so he could make his own sparkling water at home, adding fresh fruit and letting it infuse the water with flavour or using concentrated fruit flavour drops. You can use the machine to create delicious drinks together for date nights at home as well, adding a spritz of vodka and juice for a yummy homemade cocktail.

It doesn’t just have to be gifts for the kitchen: a cool soundbar is a great way to bring you closer together so you can enjoy improved sound while you binge watch your favourite new series or curl up on the couch for a scary movie night.

The Sonos Ray soundbar is, like other Sonos speakers, super-simple to set-up. You can expand it over time with additional wirelessly connected speakers. But even on its own, it’ll provide an added level of immersion while you binge watch a favourite TV show together, curl up for a movie night, or even enjoy a lazy Sunday together playing video games.

You could also grab a new piece of fitness equipment for the home that can bring you together as you exercise. It could be as simple as a yoga mat to make their home workouts easier (maybe get two so you can work out side by side!) Or, it could be more elaborate, like a home gym so you can work out together, taking turns as you do reps.

Capturing moments with your Valentine

What better gift than one that can help your Valentine capture moments of the two of you? Sure, smartphones these days have awesome built-in cameras. But it’s all about keeping those memories for posterity, not just loaded on a phone. A digital photo frame, as mentioned, is a great way to put the best photos on display. But creating a tangible photo album gives the person something to flip through and reminisce over, again and again.

Grab a photo album, add printed photos of the two of your together, and leave some pages empty.

Splurge on a nice DSLR camera that you can enjoy using together as you capture memories you’ll keep for a lifetime. Bring it on the next vacation or use it to capture everyday candid moments. If you want to really think ahead, make sure to snap tons of candid and moment shots through the year so you can get them printed to make an album or framed photos to share next Valentine’s Day, too. With a carry bag and memory card bundled with the Canon camera, it’ll be ready to bring along on any adventure together.

Timeless gifts for someone special

Of course, some people appreciate the traditional gifts of jewelry, accompanied by some flowers and chocolates. If this describes your special someone, then there’s no reason to divert from what you know they like. But then it comes down to decision time. What specifically should you get them?

Earrings are always a safe bet for a woman (or man who might have his ears pierced) because you can never have too many pairs for various occasions, outfits, and moods. A nice pair of studs is usually a safe bet but choose based on your loved one’s style. Gift this item to them with an invitation to dinner (homemade, even) so they can dress up for your romantic night in.

Necklaces and chains are similar to earrings in that you can never have too many. There are great options for both men and women from which to choose, and from gold to sterling silver and other fashionable or casual designs, like dog tags or playful pendants. Get matching ones, like heart-shaped necklaces, that show your commitment to one another.

A watch is also a thoughtful gift for Valentine’s Day, especially if your partner doesn’t yet own one or has been looking for something more stylish or conversely, something sporty to complement the watch they already have. Make sure to get it set up with the right date, time, and maybe even get in engraves with a special message.

Bottom line

Jewelry, chocolates, and flowers will always go over well for a special someone on Valentine’s Day. But if you really want to stand out and give a gift that will bring you closer together, consider thinking outside of the box this year and looking at alternatives gifts that are more thoughtful, personal, and/or can come in handy while you share experiences together down the line.