Eleven weird gadgets from China that you need this Christmas
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift on the cheap? We got you covered.
With the shopping season right at our door, Abacus is spending its days rummaging through Chinese ecommerce platforms to bring you the gadgets you didn’t know you wanted.
Some of these gizmos are in fact genius, some are cute, some are useless, and some are just downright weird. Check out the oddest things we could find on Taobao below!
(Abacus is a unit of the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba -- which also owns Taobao.)
1. This glove equipped with Bluetooth
Sometimes you just want to get a bit weird, right? Just me? Whatever, this Christmas, you can drop your Bluetooth handset for something that looks a little more eccentric.
This unique glove holds a tiny speaker in your thumb and a wee microphone in your pinky, allowing you to walk around and scare your neighbors with your invisible phone. (The glove is connected to your phone via Bluetooth.)
2. This oversized Enter button
What is it for? We don't know. Do we want it? YES, WE DO.
Apparently, this enormous fully functional enter button was made for office stress relief. We can imagine how using it could be fun.
Dear Amy,“ (PUNCH)
“Not sure if you saw my last email. “ (PUNCH)
“Per our conversation, the new order requires confirmation. Any update on this?“ (PUNCH)
“FYI the deadline is tomorrow.“ (PUNCH PUNCH)
“Sorry for the double email. Please advise.“ (PUNCH PUNCH PUNCH)
3. This tiny, tiny phone
This miniature phone -- which was apparently made to target Hobbits -- is smaller than a cigarette lighter. (Kids, before Juul, people actually had to light up with actual fire. No, really.)
But it comes with a surprise. On the other side of those tiny buttons made for baby fingers, there is a headset that looks grotesquely large but it’s actually normal sized.
4. This baby hypnotizing contraption
Sometimes you just want to chill in front of your phone... with your baby?
We're sure that many exhausted parents have considered buying this phone stand to get some much needed quiet time from their little ones. However, most experts agree that toddlers should spend limited time in front of the screen, so it might be best that you save it for yourself.
Or... share it with a partner! Bear in mind, though, that you'll have to squeeze together pretty close in front of that small screen… which might lead to even more babies.
5. These screen viewing goggles
These glasses may not be stylish, but they definitely belong in the genius basket. Essentially, they have mirrors, enabling you to see your mobile phone screen or computer screen while lying flat on your bed. This means you can watch your favorite TV show or movie while saving your neck from cramping and your eyes from that nasty screen glare. Mind. Blown.
But we couldn't help but notice one slight issue with these goggles: You need to be lying perfectly horizontally flat and not moving at all to really see through them.
So you’d have to either be sleeping or dead to use them properly. But if you were, you probably wouldn’t be watching a film.
6. This exercise faker
You know perfectly well that once the New Year kicks in, everyone will be rushing to the gym and updating their social media with fitness tracker results. And that’s not to mention posting all those pics in sweaty gym clothes accompanied by cheesy inspirational quotes.
7. This screen magnifying glass
Another entry that makes you think “why hasn’t this been done before”, this simple but effective screen magnifier will definitely come in handy if you visit your family for Christmas and forget to pack your computer.
We admit that the quality of the video will likely deteriorate once you place the smartphone behind the magnifying glass. But we're sure your grandma will appreciate it.
8. This phone handle for your phone
If your question is “But why?“ let me explain that this product first came out in 2008, the advent of hipsterdom when everyone was trying to show how unique and edgy they are. And for your die-hard non-conformist uncle that's still sporting his French handlebar mustache and skinny jeans (it's 2018!), this piece is a jewel.
9. This cooling device for your smartphone
We're not sure if this is an actual device people use or a way to signal your family members that someone has a gaming addiction. In any case, this little device is supposed to keep your smartphone nice and cool while you play mobile games.
10. These drone floats
Tired of getting your drones lost in the sea? We are too. No, seriously, we are – Abacus managed to lose one in the sea. And another one disappeared near the sea. Anyway, that’s why we are definitely excited about these drone floats.
We're still waiting for the fun version of the floats, though, we're hoping we might see them emblazoned with SpongeBob SquarePants or some other cartoon character.
11. A myriad of phone accessories
OK, we know that smartphone accessories are not exactly a very original gift. But there are so many options out there that we just had to list them here.
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