Family
Gizmos and Gadgets: Gift ideas to delight tech lovers
Tech gifts are almost always on trend but keeping up with the latest gaming and entertainment products isn’t easy. From palm-sized entertainment enabled by powerful smartphones to an ultra-flexible laptop-meets-tablet device ideal for unleashing creativity, you’re likely to find a tech gift that fits everyone on your list this holiday season.
Last Updated on December 1, 2025 by Daily News Staff
(Family Features) Tech gifts are almost always on trend but keeping up with the latest gaming and entertainment products isn’t easy. From palm-sized entertainment enabled by powerful smartphones to an ultra-flexible laptop-meets-tablet device ideal for unleashing creativity, you’re likely to find a tech gift that fits everyone on your list this holiday season.
Explore more tech-based gift ideas (and maybe even some inspiration for your own wish list) at Qualcomm.com.
Game Like a Pro
Crafted with the spirit of adventure, the ROG Phone 6 reaches beyond its cyberpunk roots. With its fusion of geometric simplicity and cutting-edge technology, this next-gen gaming phone is a high-tech companion for journeying through space and time. With power and performance enhancements from the Qualcomm Adreno GPU and Kryo CPU, users experience amped-up gameplay. A class-leading thermal system improves stability for demanding games and a 165Hz display offers a revolutionary visual experience that supports low-latency gaming and ultra-responsive input. For total control, there’s the AirTrigger 6 system and the Armoury Crate app, and for marathon gameplay, there’s a 6,000 mAh1 battery. What’s more, players can personalize the lighting with a huge selection of colors and several preset mood-lighting schemes.
Find a Whole New (Virtual) World
Grab a ticket to the metaverse (and so much more) with the Meta Quest 2 VR headset. Whether gaming, meeting up with friends or enjoying immersive experiences in virtual reality, users can experience industry-leading graphics and immersive audio. With 1832×1920 pixels per eye, everything from multiplayer games and productivity apps to 360-degree videos look incredible. Every detail is engineered to make virtual worlds adapt to player movements, allowing for awe-inspiring games and experiences with unparalleled freedom. The redesigned controllers feature improved ergonomics and intuitive controls that transport gestures, motions and actions directly into virtual reality. No PC or console is required, and with backward compatibility, players can explore new titles and old favorites in the expansive content library.
Tackle the Day with a 2-in-1
The Surface Pro 9 5G with Microsoft SQ3 enables fast performance and connectivity plus up to 19 hours of battery life with Snapdragon power. Whether its job is work, stream or play, this 2-in-1 has the flexibility of a tablet with the performance of a laptop. Unique artificial intelligence features such as Voice Focus and Portrait Background Blur take video calls to the next level while Windows 11 makes it simple to organize apps for expressing creativity, accessing favorite games and relaxing with streaming entertainment, all in one ultra-portable device. A virtually edge-to-edge 13-inch touchscreen and built-in kickstand make it easy to sign, sketch or navigate whatever work or play comes along. Accessories like the Surface Slim Pen 2 and Surface Pro Keyboard help complete the experience.
Mobile Multitasking All Day
A phone that can carry you through the day regardless of what your schedule brings is a powerful tool for crossing tasks off that to-do list. With a long-lasting 3700mAh battery, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 is the phone that claps back, giving you plenty of power for group video chatting, flexing your photo skills and sharing via social media. This sleek, pocket-sized smartphone allows you to snap hands-free photos with Flex Cam, makes checking notifications a breeze with its cover screen and comes in a wide array of colors. Plus, you can take selfies with the rear camera while the cover screen gives you a real-time preview.
Sound Shaped for Your Ears
As the next generation of wireless listening, you can enjoy a solution that’s perfectly yours with Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II. A strong combination of sound with noise cancellation offers high-quality listening behind CustomTune technology, which auto-adjusts sound to your ears’ liking. Additionally, Quiet Mode provides pure bliss when you silence background noise while Aware Mode is perfect when it’s time to pay attention, allowing enough transparency to hear your surroundings or engage in friendly conversation. Maintain energy throughout the day with up to six hours of battery life in a single charge paired with a charging case that holds three additional charges.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images (girls using tablet with family)
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Money Management: The Importance of Financial Literacy
You may have mastered the core subjects like math and grammar in school, but financial literacy – or understanding the basics of money management in order to help you make better financial decisions – often goes overlooked before adulthood. It’s not so much a course of study as it is a plan of action. When you understand how to earn, save, spend and invest wisely, you aren’t just building a stable future for yourself, but your family and community as well.
(Feature Impact) You may have mastered the core subjects like math and grammar in school, but financial literacy – or understanding the basics of money management in order to help you make better financial decisions – often goes overlooked before adulthood. It’s not so much a course of study as it is a plan of action.
Financial literacy in the United States has remained stagnant at generally low levels for several years, according to research from TIAA Institute and the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center, with even lower levels among Gen Z. Yet greater financial literacy – including key aspects such as goal-setting, budgeting, saving, credit management and investing – is strongly linked to better financial outcomes, including lower rates of debt constraint and financial fragility.
While emboldening yourself to understand financial terms can be a little overwhelming at first, once you have a grasp of basic concepts you can begin to get a handle on your money and make better financial decisions. Simply put: When you understand how to earn, save, spend and invest wisely, you aren’t just building a stable future for yourself, but your family and community as well.
From nonprofit partnerships to volunteer-led programs and fee online resources, Schwab and its employees help millions of people every year build the knowledge and confidence to take charge of their financial futures by serving as board members, mentors, role models and educators.
Because financial health is a lifelong journey, the earlier people learn vital money skills, the better. That’s why the financial advisory services provider develops education programs geared toward kids that continue into adulthood, helping people no matter where they are on their journeys.
Talk Money
It’s never too early to start a conversation about financial literacy. Having teens identify goals that are important to them – such as concert tickets or a first car – can kickstart coversations about money. Working with your child (and a financial advisor, if necessary) on a plan for saving to realize those goals can serve as a jumping off point. After achieving some success, their enthusiasm may grow, which is a powerful motivator to keep saving.
Support School Initiatives and Programs
Outreach programs that empower young people to make smart financial decisions is key to a bright future. Programs like Money Matters – Schwab’s flagship financial education program utilized by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America – gives young people hands-on experience with all aspects of money and investing.
This example, and others, don’t just include program funding – they build partnerships that create impact and opportunity with national collaborations that reach more than 17 million youth annually, empowering young people with the tools and confidence to make smart financial decisions for life.
Spread the Financial Love
Championing financial literacy empowers everyone – individuals, families and communities. By serving as a board member, mentor, role model or educator to help bring financial literacy to others in your community, you can supply the tools and knowledge to lead programs that focus on giving back, empowering future generations in countless ways.
To learn more about financial literacy and find resources to empower your local community, visit SchwabMoneywise.com.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
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Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.
child education
Making the Grade: How High-Impact Tutoring Builds Student Success
Student Success: If your child is struggling in school, it can feel overwhelming to know how to help. One approach many schools are turning to is high-impact tutoring, also known as high-dosage tutoring.
Making the Grade: How High-Impact Tutoring Builds Student Success
(Feature Impact) If your child is struggling in school, it can feel overwhelming to know how to help. Learning gaps can grow quickly, confidence can slip and what should be simple can start to feel frustrating for both students and parents. But families don’t have to solve this alone. Schools and districts play a critical role in providing the right support. One approach many schools are turning to is high-impact tutoring, also known as high-dosage tutoring.
Backed by extensive research, high-impact tutoring has emerged as one of the most effective school-based strategies for accelerating learning. Studies from EdResearch for Recoveryshow students who participate can gain the equivalent of 3-15 additional months of learning in reading and math within a single school year, making it a powerful tool for accelerating learning and closing achievement gaps.
This type of enrichment goes beyond merely homework help and is vastly different than traditional tutoring. Offered during the school day, many schools and districts across the country are starting to offer proven, structured high-impact tutoring programs by partnering with organizations like Catapult Learning, a leader in providing education solutions that generate demonstrable academic achievement and better life outcomes for students.
Consider these benefits of high-impact tutoring:
Small Group, Big Leaps
A number of factors set high-impact tutoring apart from traditional tutoring. To start, high-impact is most effective when it’s delivered during the school day (either on-site, live virtually or hybrid) in small group settings. Secondly, each session occurs up to five times per week and can be 20-45 minutes in duration. This type of small group instruction delivered with frequency and consistency isn’t just a supplement to classroom learning – it creates a pathway toward academic goals that may not have existed before.
Trusted Tutors, Real Progress
For families, finding the right tutor can feel overwhelming. Vetting private tutors, managing schedules and evaluating quality can be a time-consuming, uncertain exercise. School-based high-impact tutoring removes that guesswork. Districts partner with experienced education organizations to provide vetted, highly trained tutors, structured instructional materials and ongoing progress monitoring.
Through partnerships with school districts nationwide, Catapult Learning helps deliver structured, research-based high-impact tutoring programs that are designed to support students in reading and math, aligning with classroom goals to ensure learners of all skills and abilities receive the right support at the right time. Plus, its research-based instructional materials – combined with exemplary tutors and real-time accountability – allow families to benefit from clear insights into their child’s growth through real data and measurable outcomes.
Flexible and Accessible
High-impact tutoring has the added benefit of being flexible, accessible and less taxing on parents. Because it’s designed to be built directly into the school day, there are no extra trips, costs or added scheduling stresses for families. It’s a hassle-free way for students to get the help they need without burdening parents or caregivers.
Proven Results
The urgency for high-impact tutoring has only increased in the years following the pandemic. The widespread instructional disruptions left countless students with unfinished learning and specific skill gaps traditional classroom time can’t always address. High-impact tutoring offers a targeted way to make up for educational losses and promote equity by providing intensive, individualized instruction to the students who need it most.
Research shows high-impact tutoring is now recognized as the most effective school-based strategy for accelerating learning in reading and math for struggling students. Multiple studies confirm that well-designed tutoring programs produce measurable learning gains.
While many school districts face challenges in providing consistent, high-quality academic support due to limited capacity, staffing and resources, programs implemented by Catapult Learning have demonstrated students can achieve up to eight additional months of learning in reading or math within a single school year. In practical terms, this means students can make accelerated progress toward grade-level expectations, strengthen foundational skills and build confidence in the classroom – all within the structure of the regular school day.
As more schools adopt this approach, families can check with their district to learn whether high-impact tutoring is available. To better understand how these programs are delivered in schools, visit catapultlearning.com for additional information.
SOURCE:
Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.
New hybrid event aims to give grieving audiences meaningful holiday viewing, with films from more than 25 countries and a mission centered on love, loss, and emotional truth.
A new film festival debuting in late 2026 is taking a different approach to holiday entertainment. Grief Fest™: The Grief Film Festival, created by My Grief Angels Inc., is being introduced as what organizers believe is the world’s first film festival dedicated entirely to grief, remembrance, resilience, and healing.
The hybrid festival will run in two segments: November 25–29, 2026, during Thanksgiving week, and December 24, 2026, through January 3, 2027, during Christmas and New Year’s. Top Honors films will be announced on December 31, 2026.
Organizers say the timing is intentional. Research cited in the announcement shows that grief and loneliness are major holiday stressors for many Americans, making the season especially difficult for people coping with loss. In that context, Grief Fest™ is positioning itself as an alternative to the flood of traditional feel-good holiday programming.
The festival is open to short films, features, documentaries, experimental work, AI-generated projects, and VR experiences. It is described as inclusive, non-religious, and LGBTQ+ friendly, with submissions already received from more than 25 countries. All films will be presented in English, either spoken or subtitled.
Grief Fest™ will be available both in person and virtually through Film Festival Plus, making it accessible to audiences worldwide. The launch of GriefFest.com also includes Lumen, a multilingual AI guide designed to help filmmakers and attendees navigate the festival in their preferred language.
Rather than focusing on industry prestige, organizers say the festival is centered on community and emotionally honest storytelling. For audiences who feel unseen during the holidays, Grief Fest™ is aiming to offer something rare on the seasonal screen: recognition.
Source: PR Newswire
Related Reading
- Grief Fest: Official festival site
- My Grief Angels Inc.: About the nonprofit behind the festival
- Film Festival Plus: Virtual access platform
Catch the latest in movies, TV, music, pop culture, and live events in STM Daily News’ Entertainment section.
