Teen Easter Basket IdeasLight Therapy LampsEaster Gifts for AdultsBest Earbuds for iPhoneEaster Basket StuffersTechGift Ideas for 2024The Tidbyt: A Scrolling Feed of My Friend’s Favorite AppsI know he’ll enjoy its customizability and use as a fun little digital hub.

　　By Kevin Cortez

　　Buying a gift takes special consideration. And we’ve all been on both sides of the exchange, whether it’s gone well or not so well. You know when the wrapping paper comes off whether a present is a winner. In our Gifted & Approved series, we tell the stories of those winners, the best presents our editors have either given or received. We hope they provide a little inspiration and advice as you go about your holiday shopping and gift search.

　　Somewhere between a classic alarm clock, a , and the sits the Tidbyt, a retro-tinged digital hub that displays… whatever you want it to, however you want, whenever you want. This unconventional doohickey is an eye-catcher on any shelf it sits on, flashing quick bits of information (get it?) with a purpose that’s totally up to its user. It’s the definition of a product someone may not have known they needed, which is the best kind of gift to receive.

　　Tidbyt Digital Display

　　Tidbyt Digital Display

　　$199 at tidbyt.com

　　Thomas HenggeWhen you’re bored with an app, you can mute or delete it. You can change the order in which they show up, too, in addition to the speed at which the apps cycle and the Tidbyt’s brightness. Most apps also have app-specific settings. The CNN News app, for example, lets me choose what news section I’d like to pull headlines from and how many articles it’ll show me at once. You can send messages on it, in case you’d like to send a special shout to a roommate or significant other. Best of all, you can also program your own app using Pixlet. So if your techie pal wants to try their hand at software development, this could serve as a fun coding toy.

　　Buy the Tidbyt