Valentine’s Day gift decisions are hard enough but if you’re looking to buy something special for your high tech Valentine you may feel completely lost.  Considering the fleeting nature of technology you have to consider that whatever you buy this year will most likely be shelved in twelve months for the next big thing.  It may seem pointless but technology gifts are still among the most coveted and appreciated, especially for those true tech lovers among us.

Most people don’t have huge expectations for Valentine’s Day gifts but if you have some money to spare and you want to get something fun then consider an inexpensive tablet, a new TV, or a subscription to Netflix.  Tablets sit comfortably across that line between cameras and smartphones so not everyone has one.  While the iPad is always popular you may want to look for something in a more affordable price range, especially since Apple may be on the verge of releasing a major upgrade.  Amazon’s Kindle Fire is extremely popular and for about a third the cost of an average iPad it’s a far better value for casual couch web surfing and reading.   The Fire runs a proprietary interface on top of Google’s popular and robust Android Operating System and while there are some limitations Amazon imposes to steer you toward their own products, the Fire is still a very capable and useful tablet that offers fun and entertainment as well as practical usefulness.  A Valentine’s Day gift should always be fun.

A new TV is always a favorite Valentine’s Day gift for any tech nut.  It’s difficult to recommend a specific television since prices fluctuate daily.  The optimal screen size should be more a function of room size rather than ego but TV features and technology have advanced considerably and a new TV is almost certainly going to bring a smile to anyone who doesn’t have the latest and greatest.  Plazma is no longer something you need to steer clear of and offers far better contrast ratio than LCD screens.  Smart TVs with built in WiFi are the way to go these days.  You can watch streamed movies, TV episodes, and video clips from popular services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu directly on the set.  The good news is that even many of the least expensive sets have these features as standard so you don’t need to sell your car anymore for a large flat screen TV.  As far as screen size, consider this basic formula:  Five inches per foot.  So if the sofa is ten feet from the screen, look for something in the 50″ range.  It also depends a lot on the available space, your budget, and how good your eyesight is so it’s not a hard and fast rule.  Also consider a Blue Ray disc player for those who already have the TV of their dreams.  Most disc players also have WiFi and can make a great and inexpensive upgrade to a good TV that doesn’t have those “smart” features.  In any case, you will enjoy many romantic evenings watching theater quality movies in your living room.

Don’t forget a subscription to Netflix or a gift card to Amazon for the movie enthusiast who prefers to stream or download movies rather than collecting actual discs.

Although high tech toys are likely to be obsolete and superseded by the latest and greatest we haven’t seen yet, they are still appreciated as Valentine’s Day gifts and certainly have a longer shelf life than flowers or candy and can be shared and enjoyed together for the coming year.