If you’re stumped for tech gifts as the holiday season winds down, I’ve got a few suggestions for your final gadget-shopping push.

I’ve tried out all of the following, and I like them enough to recommend them — though I’ve noted where I see minor issues.

Amazon has ’em and will get them to you before Christmas Eve —but you’ll have to pay for delivery, in most cases, unless you have Prime.

What gadgets are you giving or hoping to receive this Christmas? Email me at the address above.

Safety-focused earbuds

Rockin’ your tunes with traditional earbuds that lodge in your ear canals is great … except when you’re running, jogging or driving and you need to keep your wits about you.

JVC’s HA-NP50T Nearphones solve this problem because they are positioned just above and outside your ear canals, not inside them. This means you can hear your podcasts and music clearly without blocking out ambient sounds.

This is a bit of a compromise with audio that won’t blow you away, but it’s legit tech. The JVC buds are stylish in how they wrap around your ears, too (but they’re a little awkward if you wear glasses). And they’re affordable at $109.95. (Amazon link)

A wallet you can find

Apple’s AirTags help you keep track of your stuff, but the gumdrop doodads don’t fit easily into a traditional wallet.

ESR’s $39.99 Geo Wallet Stand is the answer. The leather wallet, which magnetically adheres to your iPhone via MagSafe, incorporates Apple’s Find My tech just like AirTags do. This means can find the wallet on a map even if it’s across town or halfway around the globe.

The wallet pocket accommodates only about four cards with no added room for paper currency. Tripod mode lets you watch movies on your airplane tray table (I loved this on a recent trip to visit my folks). A leather finger loop makes holding your iPhone comfier in a quasi-PopSocket style.

The wallet needs to be charged periodically; take care not to lose the nonstandard power cord (I’m shocked I haven’t misplaced mine). (Amazon link)

Audio-jack transmitter

There are still 3.5mm audio jacks everywhere: in air cabins, older cars, on tablets and headphones, on exercise gear at the gym, and on the backs of those old speakers gathering dust in your attic.

AirFly to the rescue. The TwelveSouth gizmo plugs into such ports and creates a wireless connection with your AirPods or your iPhone.

This creates possibilities. Watch airline movies in comfort. Use the AirFly as a car audio adapter to crank tunes on the auto speakers. Plug it into your kids’ old iPad to shut ’em up. Hear what’s on the gym TVs. Bring those classy speakers out of retirement.

An AirFly even lets two people watch a movie together, each with their own set of earbuds or headphones.

Which AirFly to get? It’s a little confusing; versions range from $34.99 to $54.99. Sort it all out here. (Amazon link).

Phone and tablet stands

Tablets and phones are great, but propping them up can be a pain. Stump Stand has this issue licked with a couple of its clever device stands.

The rugged, circular Stump Stand has a slot to hold up a tablet or phone on a table, desk or tray table at various angles. Keep one of the $24.95 accessories in the kitchen to use while munching on Cheerios, and another in your home office for video calls.

The big, soft Super Stump ($39.95) is a glorious lap stand for watching videos or reading ebooks in bed, on the couch or in the car. There’s a slot at the top for a tablet so you can watch videos at more of a distance, too.

I found the Stump Stand on Amazon but, strangely, not the Super Stump. But you can order directly from the manufacturer.

A more-centered webcam

Video calls are weird in one respect: You can’t decide whether to look at the screen or directly at the camera lens. Either way, you have entered the uncanny valley.

Center Cam solves this problem with a webcam that is built onto the end of a bend-able gooseneck stalk. When you clip the $119.99 apparatus to the top edge of your computer display, the camera lens drops down so it’s in front of your screen.

Just position the video window on your display so it’s directly behind the lens. Now you’ll have video calls that look and feel natural (though the quality could be better). Read an excellent review here. (Amazon link)

Foldable wireless keyboard

Sometimes you want to get some work done on the go, but you don’t want to lug a laptop.

Consider ObVus Solutions’ Minder Portable Folding Bluetooth Keyboard, a mouthful of a name that says it all.

This is a full-size keyboard when unfolded for use with your phone or tablet, and even has a small trackpad (which works fine with iPads).

The $49.99 Minder won’t win any luxury-feel contests, but you’re not going to write a novel on this thing. Deploy it to bang out a memo or finish up a spreadsheet, and then tuck it away. It’s plenty comfy for that. (Amazon link)

Totally the best selfie stick?

I’ll defer to the New York Times’ Wirecutter on that claim, but my purchase on their say-so — I bought two sticks! — has not disappointed.

The $14 Yoozon Selfie Stick is inexpensive and feels plastic-y but holds up nicely, and my wife and I have really knocked ours around.

The Yoozon functions as both an arm extender when holding out a phone for selfies, and as a tripod you place on a flat surface for timed group shots and to gain added stability. In either scenario, it adds up to two feet.

The Yoozon is plenty portable when folded and includes a little remote to trigger your phone’s camera shutter. (Amazon link)

Tiny charge/transfer cable

You don’t need a super long cable for device charging and data transfers. Nomad’s ChargeKey does the trick and, as its name suggests, hangs on your keychain when it’s not in use.

I used the company’s USB-C to USB-C ChargeKey on my trip to charge my iPhone 15 Pro Max using one of my MacBook Air’s ports. As this occurred, I transferred the day’s photos and video to the computer.

The ChargeKey looks elegant and feels rugged (no surprise for a Nomad product).

The company also sold a USB-C to Lightning version, but that version was sold out last I checked.

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