Amazon Prime, man. It's a lifesaver—especially around the holidays. But if you're planning to do some last-second Amazon Prime shopping and were counting on that free two day shipping you better HURRY.
All of these items are eligible for free two-day shipping, and will arrive before Christmas. BUT! You only have a few more hours. After 8PM PST, you're gonna have to either pony up for the $4 overnight upgrade, or actually leave the house.
1. Roku 2 1080p XS Streaming Player
Wanna make someone's life better for cheap? hook them up with the king of media streamers. It's got a slick interface, connects you to the key services and is a piece of cake to use.
$88 [Amazon]
2. Camelbak Mini-M.U.L.E.
The great thing about a Camelbak is that, unless you are a major outdoorser, it's probably the last thing you'll buy for yourself. But it's just as useful for those of us who consider curling that lunchtime brew a daily workout: You don't have to put water in it, dude.
$35 [Amazon]
3. Adagio Teas Ingenuitea Teapot
A perfect cup of tea isn't a beverage—it's a work of art. Or so say tea snobs. This awesome little gadget makes art accessible to even the least creative of tea drinkers: Dump in some leaves, add hot water, read a post on your favorite weblog, and then sit the Ingenuitea on top of your cup. Gravity takes over, depositing your infusion in your mug and sifting out the leaves with a fine-mesh filter along the way. Genius. $19 [Amazon]
4. Audio-Technica ATH-M30 Headphones
Most people wear big headphones to look cool. That's what all those Beats with their colors are about right? Audio-Technica's bottom tier studio cans look cool—in more of a nerdy classic way. But they sound better than any over-ear headphones in their price range. They're also comfortable and lightweight, so you can wear them for hours on end.
$59 [Amazon]
5. Sonos Play: 3
Music without wires. Amazing. What is a better gift for a music lover than something that helps them listen to more music? NOTHING. Able to access your iTunes library, or pull songs from Spotify, Rdio, Pandora, and pretty much every service in between, Sonos is the king of the wireless music mountain. Even if your giftee already has a system, the beauty of Sonos is how easy it is to add zones. Do they have music in the John? They do now. $299 [Amazon]
6. Cuisinart CPM-900 EasyPop Popcorn Maker
Microwave popcorn is like light beer: not as delicious, probably laden with mysterious incredients, and inconsiderate of your coworkers. Pop that corn the old-fashioned way without waving a pot over the stove. Cuisinart's EasyPop works as promised. You add kernels and oil, flip the thing on, and then flip it over once the corn is done—the popping chamber doubles as a bowl. Movie night just got pro. $59 [Amazon]
7. Refurbished iPod Touch
Look, we're willing to accept that some people don't want an iPhone. The greatest part of the iPhone is that you don't really need to use it as a phone at all. But apps are fun, useful, and as long as you're near Wi-Fi most of the time, an iPod Touch is basically just as good as an iPhone. Why pay full price, when there's more than enough refurbished goodies in the world to go around? $185 [Amazon]
8. Dell 24-inch LED Monitor
You have to really love someone to give them a work-related gift during the holidays. Like you had better know them really well or else you just look like a weirdo, but if you know someone who spends way too much time hunched over a tiny MacBook Air, hook them up with an awesome LED display——this professional one by Dell is a great example. Widescreen changes lives. $350 [Amazon]
9. Leatherman Skeletool CX
This variant on the classic Leatherman design is pure genius. It's not so much as a multi-tool as a tough, sharp-as-hell folding knife that clips to your belt loop and happens to have some occasionally useful other tools attached to it as well. You never know how much use you have for a pliers until you carry one around with you all day.
$60 [Amazon]
10. Coopers Brewery DIY Beer Kit
Maybe the loved ones in your life aren't as obsessed with alcohol as all of us, but making your own beer is something everyone should do at least once. And then they can turn around and give you some homebrew for Christmas next year. EVERYBODY WINS. Especially you. $110 [Amazon]