Top Three Tech Gifts of 2017

By Jacob Kersh

     3) Sonos One ($199.99): The Sonos One is a new speaker that integrates Amazon’s extremely praised Alexa voice control, just like an Amazon Echo speaker but with significantly better sound quality and performance. It offers most of Alexa's smart home controls and her extensive knowledge base, and its response time is also much quicker than the Echo’s. The Sonos One is also able to work seamlessly as part of a Sonos multi room system, which is a huge benefit to those who already have Sonos speakers or receivers in their house; it also can pair with another One for a true stereo sound experience. Additionally, most are very excited to use Amazon’s artificial intelligence to control music in their households. Freshman Anthony DeCamillo says that his family “already have two Sonos speakers in our house and an Amazon Echo because [they] really love music. [They] have always wished that [they] could use the Echo to control [their] Sonos speakers, and now that dream’s going to become a reality!”  Another benefit to buying this speaker is that, in early 2018, Sonos plans add Google Assistant as another personal assistant option in case users aren’t a big fan of Amazon’s Alexa. Go figure!

     2) Nintendo Switch ($299.99): The Nintendo Switch is a versatile hybrid game console that “easily switches between a big-screen TV and on-the-go portable” (CNET). Although it had a bit of a slim gaming library when it first hit stores back in Spring of 2017, it now includes a tremendously good mixture of must-have Nintendo franchise exclusives, indie titles and even some decent PC ports. Since its debut, the Nintendo Switch has shown the company is still willing to take risks in order to separate itself from mainstream consoles such as the XBOX One and PlayStation 4, and at the same time innovate in ways the worldwide gaming community never saw coming. Finally, the Switch offers plenty of unique and compelling gaming experiences, immense portability through its connectable controllers, and intensive graphics that really pop—all while exhibiting an elegant design and amazing ease-of-use. Its sleek and clean operating system also has allowed it to catch up and maybe even surpass its competitors. Overall, this console is a massive breakthrough for Nintendo and the console community as a whole.

     1) iPhone X ($999.99) The iPhone X was overall a massive gamble for Apple, but high risks often result in high reward. And the chance they took on this revolutionary new device has not only paid off for them, but for their consumers as well. Removing the beloved home button and altering the design factor of the new iPhone was a tremendously dangerous move, but Junior Hassan Malik says that the shift was “desperately needed after years of similarity” and that “the phone’s premium design, extra battery life, and all-screen blend together to really form the best iPhone that Apple has ever made.” Its shiny, edge-to-edge display in the shape of the polished stainless steel antenna band looks extremely spiffy, and the silvery glass back is both elegant and flashy. Its new interface has been reported to be enjoyable by the majority of consumers, and although the shift to using gesture control took longer than expected for some, the resounding consensus is that it feels more intuitive than what came before. Many especially like the fact that swiping down to reach either Notification Center or Control Center is much easier because of the division created by the notch at the top. Overall, Apple’s new iPhone is truly a winner, so only one question remains: will you pay the hefty price required to make the device your own?