Present for 14 Year Old Son, Need Advice

Lthrifty mum on 25/07/2020 - 18:03
Last edited 25/07/2020 - 21:57 by 1 other user

Hi everyone,
My son is turning 14 on Tuesday, and I want to upgrade him from his Buzz Lightyear alarm clock I bought him when he started kinder! 😂

I think it would be cool to get him one of the options below, but don't know which one and the pros/cons of them.
They're not much help at my local JB, so thought I'd ask you guys for your advice.

NB. He's autistic and is obsessed with the weather each morning, giving me the idea he can ask it, not me! He does have an apple phone but rarely uses it.

Thankyou in advance! Sorry for long post🤭

If you could be bothered with reason for your vote I'd appreciate it.

Poll Options expired

  • 6
    Lenovo Smart Display 7" with the Google Assistant
  • 2
    Lenovo Smart Clock E27 Starter Pack
  • 30
    Google Nest Hub (Charcoal)
General Discussion

Comments

  • try2bhelpful on 25/07/2020 - 18:27
    +4

    Have you thought about a weather station clock that will give him the weather in his own backyard. Depending on the type you can setup one, or two, sensors for outside and the unit itself detects inside. We have a couple and they are good for detecting internal/external temperatures so we know, e.g. when the Temperature outside is cooler than the temperature inside to start airing out the house in summer.

    They also help when we are working out how many layers needed for a Melbourne winter morning.

    • thrifty mum on 25/07/2020 - 18:47

      Thankyou for the suggestion😊 Yes I did consider that, but I thought these options would be better going forward. As he gets older and wants to listen to podcasts and music, video chats with friends, etc.
      What would your suggestion be if I were to reconsider?

      • try2bhelpful on 25/07/2020 - 19:52

        I would Google to see what is available, you don’t need anything fancy, or expensive, unless you want to go to the full blown options. If you do get one you need to put the sensors in a protected area to stop the weather destroying them. I tried to put a link, as an example, and I got a spam warning. Ours are Oregon Scientific; we got them from catch of the day, quite a few years ago now, and they are still going strong (although sensors do go offline sometimes). What might be interesting is to get one with a couple of sensors and see if different parts of the garden give you different readings or maybe team it with a rain gauge. Just a suggestion if your kid is weather obsessed as he might feel a bit more “ownership” if it comes from his environment and his own instruments. Would he be into documenting daily readings and charting changes? The advantage of Melbourne is we do a lot of variation in the weather across the seasons. However, the other options will give you more variety going forward. Best of luck with the quest.

        • thrifty mum on 25/07/2020 - 20:23

          Thankyou for your feedback, appreciate it :)
          In answer to your question, no he wouldn't chart anything, that suggestion would sound too much like school work!😂

  • bazingaa on 25/07/2020 - 18:43
    +1

    if you want whether a station, this page has some ideas

  • yty1997628 on 25/07/2020 - 19:16
    -2

    buy switchlite and you will not need worry about present in the future, just keep buy game.

  • thefinalproblems on 25/07/2020 - 19:40
    +1

    You could also maybe consider a cheap tablet and a stand slash case and use widgets slash google assistant for weather. That way tablet could be used for other things too. There are some branded ones in the 7"/8" range that will be similar in price to your existing suggestions.

  • Mechz on 25/07/2020 - 19:45
    +1

    Socks…

    • thrifty mum on 25/07/2020 - 20:12

      Not sure how socks are relevant to the question

  • follow on 25/07/2020 - 19:55
    +2

    google mini. you can ask it the weather. much cheaper.

    • thrifty mum on 25/07/2020 - 20:11
      +1

      Thanks, not worried about cost, it's a birthday present, and he can't have a party. We're in the leper state :(

  • Noire on 25/07/2020 - 20:20

    I suggest you have a look at the Lenovo smart display in person if you are considering it, It smaller than it looks.

  • Melb69 on 25/07/2020 - 20:35
    +1

    My younger son just has one of those small google bluetooth speakers. It wakes him up. He can just tell it to turn off and the speaker aint to bad for music. Ask it for weather. Needs to be connected to your home wifi

  • Ryanek on 25/07/2020 - 20:38

    The Amazon Echo Show 8 is currently on sale.

    • thrifty mum on 25/07/2020 - 20:41

      I knew there was another option I'd seen, couldn't remember what it was! Cheers for the suggestion!

      • thrifty mum on 25/07/2020 - 20:47

        It would be 2 months too late! Expected delivery 30th September. His birthday is Tuesday😔

        • Ryanek on 25/07/2020 - 20:53

          You can get it at the Goodguys.

          It's a different ecosystem to Google so that's a factor to consider.

  • minniethemoocher on 25/07/2020 - 21:00
    +2

    My 14 year old son has a google mini and loves it. In your case I would get him the google nest hub or similar. If you haven't already get a check out the YouTube premium membership which includes google music so he can listen to music on it. There are some deals for it on ozbargain if you do a search.

    • thrifty mum on 25/07/2020 - 21:55
      +1

      Thanks for the tip! The Google hub seems like the front runner😊

  • Melb69 on 25/07/2020 - 21:26
    +1

    He might like some Lego as well. Good for Autistic children.

    • thrifty mum on 25/07/2020 - 21:53

      He has soooooo much Lego! Every birthday/Xmas since his 4th birthday, until his 12th, he received Lego. Now it's all about the PS4 (unfortunately. I gave up arguing with his dad about it 2 years ago).

      • Melb69 on 25/07/2020 - 22:07
        +1

        Yeah. Fair enough. Most kids drop off Lego after 12. Good that they are now marketing more to adults.

  • voiletmay on 26/07/2020 - 09:05
    +2

    My son is autistic (21 now) and since he was 5 has never had a gift as a surprise. I always let him choose christmas and birthday presents. He cannot cope with surprises at all.

    Goodluck with your choice. My suggestion is to ask him what he wants LOL!!

    • thrifty mum on 26/07/2020 - 16:30

      Oh really? Mines the opposite, has never asked for anything, (other than specific Lego trains or planes) and loves surprises. But I get it, he copes better in life/social situations if he knows what to expect. It could be the reason for the weather thing!? He's high functioning, so less affected by the typical autistic traits.

  • mjdau on 26/07/2020 - 11:15
    +2

    No Toy Story item wants to go to landfill, so if his Buzz Lightyear alarm clock is still working, I'll give it a loving new home (metro VIC). PM me.

    • thrifty mum on 26/07/2020 - 16:54

      Ha ha! I've been really struggling with what to do with Buzz. It's really the most awesome alarm clock, waking you up to all the Buzz catch phrases! When I hear it, it makes me smile every time!😊

      • mjdau on 27/07/2020 - 11:06

        Wishing your son a delightful birthday. I look forward to a post-birthday private message from you. Will come and collect.

  • Lexx-luthor on 26/07/2020 - 14:02
    +1

    Google Nest gets my vote, you can now stream Netflix on them.

  • Out24q on 27/07/2020 - 19:34
    +1

    Definitely get the Nest Hub, however get the Max, (Big 10" Display).
    You said "As he gets older and wants to listen to podcasts and music, video chats with friends, etc." Well, the smaller Nest Hub doesn't have a camera so his friends won't be able to see if on a Video Call.

    You can also set it up so that it will recognize when he walks in the room, and can great him with a message.

    Plus it sounds so much better, and with a bigger display, he can see the weather reports better.. :)

    I'm sure he will enjoy it. :)

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