Christmas is just around the corner and you’re looking for gift recommendations for the tech-lover in your family. You already know what Christmas is and you already know you’re looking for tech stuff, so I’ll cut to the chase and get straight to the recommendations:

Sony Xperia Z1: A waterproof smartphone with a 21MP camera

While the Galaxy S4 and Nexus 5 get a lot of marketing attention, the Sony Xperia Z1 remains one of the best Android smartphones available today. It’s a fantastic gift this holiday season – especially if you can get a good discount on a contract.

The Z1 features a 20.7MP camera and is completely dustproof and waterproof. Yes, you can take your smartphone underwater. How cool is that? The phone also features Android 4.3 and a Snapdragon 800 processor, which means it won’t have any trouble running whatever apps you install.
Price: $600

Sonos: Play 3

If you’re sick of listening to low-quality, tinny music over your smartphone’s speakers at home, then a Sonos: Play 3 is an excellent investment. The Sonos: Play 3 is a wireless speaker that pumps out high-quality sound without the need for any messy wire configurations.

You control the system from your iPhone or Android handset. Better yet, the sound system is expandable, which means you can add two or three of these bad boys to your home to create a larger sound system. If you’re looking for a good sound system without the hassle of setting it up, then the Sonos: Play 3 speakers are an excellent investment.
Price: $300

Western Digital My Cloud 3TB Personal Cloud Storage

The cloud is good. You should use the cloud. This software is integrated with the cloud. Clouds clouds clouds.

Personally, I’m sick of hearing about the cloud. Too often, companies make it sound like ‘the cloud’ is some magical universe where all your files go to safely frolic about. That’s not true and it just serves to confuse PC users.
That’s why I like the Western Digital remote cloud storage system. This drive features 3TB of storage and can be accessed wirelessly from anywhere in your home. You can store music, movies, PC games, or whatever else you need on the cloud. It backs up your files automatically form multiple computers and even allows you to transfer files to third-party cloud services – like Dropbox.
If you want to share music and movies between devices in your home without using USB sticks, then installing a cloud storage drive is an excellent option.
Price: $150

Xbox One or PlayStation 4

Choose your side: Xbox One or PlayStation 4. Or, if you’re smart, ask the person you’re buying the gift for to decide.

Choosing between the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 is extremely important, and it’s a choice many gamers have not yet decided. If you have a gamer in your family who hasn’t yet upgraded to the next version of the console, then you should consider treating them to an Xbox One or PS4 this holiday season. But only if they’ve been really good.
Price: Xbox One: $500
Price: PlayStation 4: $400

Google Nexus 7

The Nexus 7 is one of the best tablets out today. It features a razor sharp full HD screen along with blazing fast performance and access to nearly 1 million apps.
If you’re not an Apple fan or an iPad fan, then the Nexus 7 is one of the best tablets money can buy in 2013. Today’s Nexus 7 features Android 4.3 although it should be getting the latest Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade in the very near future.

Oh, and did I mention the price tag is several hundred dollars less than that of the iPad or comparable tablets? This one’s a steal.
Price: $199.99

FitBit Force

The FitBit represents the cutting edge of fitness technology. The FitBit Force will track your steps, sleep, and calorie burn throughout the day. It’s one of the smartest wrist devices you can buy and hey, it even tells you the time of day.

The FitBit Force syncs with your handset over Bluetooth and it is comfortable and lightweight to wear. If you’re looking for an easy way to track your runs and monitor your health, then the FitBit Force is an excellent option.
Price: $129.95

Belkin WeMo Switch + Motion

Want to embrace the future in your home? The Belkin WeMo Switch + Motion will let you do that. It features a relatively low price, no subscription fee, and the ability to plug and play it with any appliance in your home.

Here’s how it works: you simply plug your Belkin unit into an outlet and then plug your desired appliance into the outlet on your Belkin unit. You pair your Belkin unit with your smartphone or set a schedule and then watch your home’s appliances become automatic. Embracing the future doesn’t get much easier than this. IT’s also a great way to save energy in your home.

PC Cleaner Pro

Why not give your friends and family a gift they’ll actually use? PC Cleaner Pro is an all-in-one PC optimization program that will make your system feel brand new again. It speeds up your PC, fixes errors, and removes deadly malware.
It’s a gift that could give someone a fresh take on an old PC. It’s easy to download and it even comes with a free trial. Best of all, once you buy it for someone, they can use it for life. What’s not to like?
Cost: $39.99
Do you have any other must-have tech gift recommendations this holiday season? Let us know in the comments section below! We’ll post the best ones on our blog.