Accessories

10 gift ideas for the bookworm on your list

Gifts that are not books

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If you have friends or family who love to read, chances are other people will already give them books this holiday season. It’s that or they already bought the book they want to read next. If you want to give something different that they will appreciate, here are some other ideas to help you out:

Kindle

For the friend who has too many books but not enough shelves, get her the new Kindle. It’s also perfect for that friend who brings a book or two when traveling. She always managse to finish reading on the flight leaving herself book-less for the rest of the trip.

The new Kindle retails for US$ 89.99 and comes in black and white.

Kindle case

If she already has a Kindle, how about a case inspired by classic book covers? Not only will it protect her gadget from scratches, it also gives her the feeling of holding a book while reading. Smell of an actual book not included.

The case starts at GBP 25, and comes in varying sizes and covers.

Audible credits

Some people will always prefer reading over listening to audiobooks. For those who are open to the latter, Audible credits are a practical, yet thoughtful gift you can give. If you know of a specific title they want to listen to, there’s also an option to get that book as a gift either through your own Audible credits or using a credit card.

One credit starts at US$ 15, and you can choose to give up to 12 months worth of Audible credits.

Noise-cancelling earphones

A pair of noise cancelling earphones is one of the best gifts you can give this year not just to bookworms, but to almost anyone on your list. Bookworms will especially love being able to block any noise and concentrate on reading (or listening to) their book.

Plenty of great options came out this year, including the Sony WF-1000XM3, which retails for SG$ 349.

Get it on Amazon

Bookends

Help decorate one’s home with cute bookends. For someone who lives in a smaller space, a multi-purpose bookend is your best bet — maybe one that doubles as a flower vase for the living room or a kitchen utensil holder. You can also get an upcycled one using old records. For a more personal touch, you can even do it yourself and you got yourself a crafty project this holiday season.

Lumio LED book lamp

Any bookworm will appreciate receiving a lamp to help them read when the sun starts to dip. What if you give them something in the shape of a book? They sure will love you more than they already do!

The Lumio LED book lamp comes in different finishes, and starts at US$ 150.

Laptop sleeve

Another gift idea for that special someone is a book-inspired sleeve to protect her laptop. Make it more personal by making her favorite cover made. You can even add the first and last pages of the book to make it feel more like one. There’s also an option to add a smaller but similar case for the charger and other accessories.

The laptop sleeve starts at $199 on Etsy, but is on sale at $59.70.

NYPL Library Card Pouch

The New York Public Library store has a ton of useful knickknacks you can buy as gifts. There’s a pouch inspired by the original library cards from the 1940’s that any bookworm will appreciate even if you bought it at the last minute!

The NYPL Library Card Pouch retails for US$ 15 for non-members.

 NYPL Library Card Socks

Another option is this cute pair of socks that will surely make any bookworm’s heart and feet warm this chilly season. It comes in small and large and is priced at US$12 for non-members.

Black NYPL Ruth Bader Ginsburg Tote Bag

Know someone inspired by the Notorious RBG? This tote could not be any more perfect. It can carry not just that heavy hardbound book, but her groceries or gym clothes as well!

The black tote bag retails for US$ 15 for non-members.

Accessories

Homture Magic Frame: Reliving wedding moments you didn’t get to see

Bring memories back to life, even the ones you weren’t present for

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Brides say it all the time: savor every moment, because your wedding day quickly becomes a blur. Months go into planning every detail, only for it to fly by in what feels like minutes.

Between the ceremony, conversations with friends, and the after party, there are moments you will miss — no matter how big or intimate the celebration is.

The Homture Magic Frame came to my life at a perfect time. It offers a way for me to experience those in-between moments that didn’t fully register in real time, while also bringing back the ones worth holding onto.

Understated design

Before even turning it on, Magic Frame already feels like something special. The packaging leans premium; it feels like a gift right out of the box.

Setup is simple. The companion app is intuitive and easy to navigate, so going from unboxing to seeing photos on the frame only takes a few minutes.

The 10.1″ screen is fast and responsive, which made setup feel smooth. It’s bright but not blinding, and its anti-glare coating is a nice add-on especially as we get more daylight this spring. It ticks everything you’d want from a digital frame.

The design is clean and modern: a white mat paired with a thin black frame in a basic rectangular shape. The mat makes it look more like a real frame than a generic Android tablet.

While the modern look fits easily into most spaces, I would have loved customization options. As someone who has artwork all over her home in different shapes, sizes, textures, and colors, what’s missing in the digital frame market is fun. There are many options that look exactly like it.

Curved, rounded edges, irregular shapes and textures, or matching frame colors and mats — brighter tones or an all-chrome look are both trending right now. A quirky design could have helped it stand out more.

One subtle detail that I really liked is the back design. It resembles a turntable: the kickstand looks like a tonearm, the internal layout is circular like where a record would sit, and even the power button looks like that of a typical record player. It’s a thoughtful touch, even if it’s not something you’ll ever look at.

Bringing memories to life

What makes Homture Magic Frame different from most other digital frames, is it uses AI photo-to-video technology to animate still images. Within minutes, a photo becomes something more alive.

Right now, the options are very limited. During testing, I tried “Duo” which creates a short clip of two people waving at the camera.

Magic Frame comes with 200 credits out of the box, with each animation costing 100. It’s a fun feature, though a bit early for me to consider paying for more. I’m not sure I want to see more videos of people waving hello or converting ourselves into claymation-looking cake toppers.

Before the wedding, I asked my friends to capture emotion and motion — more candid moments, less posing, even if the results are blurry. The goal was to remember how the day actually felt.

My friends more than delivered, and Magic Frame has allowed me and my husband replay those memories. It reveals moments that we weren’t present for that day. Different friend groups meeting for the first time, a parent getting emotional over a letter, small interactions happening across the room while our attention was elsewhere.

A frame that feels aware

An unexpected highlight is how interactive the frame feels. With a built-in motion sensor, Magic Frame responds when someone walks by, almost like it’s acknowledging their presence.

As I’m still on cloud 9, there’s something special about passing by and catching a moment from the wedding that subtly comes to life, without needing to reach for my phone. It turns a passive activity into something more immersive.

While it’s great as it is, I do wish that photos did not shuffle as quickly, or that the transition was more subtle — things that can be updated later via software.

Keeping every memory in one place, not just the highlights

After the wedding, photos start coming in from everywhere — friends, family, group chats.

Magic Frame makes it easy to bring everything together. With unlimited cloud storage and 64GB of local memory, it holds more than just my favorite photos of me and my husband. The candid moments, shiny dresses, high heels, the toasts, the bubbles and the people who made the day special — all of it lives in one place.

Through the app, friends and family can also upload their own photos directly. It’s an easy way to involve everyone, and sometimes new memories pop up unexpectedly on a random day. Instead of a perfectly curated album, I love that it has become a shared collection of perspectives from everyone who was there.

A more meaningful way to look back

There’s still that post-wedding feeling — wanting to hold onto every memory before it fades. Instead of doom scrolling through my camera roll, Magic Frame has given me a reason to pause.

It retails for under US$180, but you can get it today for just US$139. I wouldn’t buy it solely for its AI features, but for something as momentous as a wedding, having the Homture Magic Frame quietly bringing those memories back to life while I sip my coffee in the morning? The experience is priceless.

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Fujifilm Philippines introduces instax Mini Evo Cinema, Mini Link+

It’s time to enter your film+ era and hold onto your favorite moments

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The digital scroll is fine, but Fujifilm Philippines is making a strong case for the tangible.

For a weekend, the Open House World in Makati transformed into a nostalgic playground for the “In Our Film+ Era” pop-up.

The mission was simple: proving that memories feel better when you can actually hold them.

The stars of the show were the new instax Mini Evo Cinema and the instax Mini Link+, two gadgets designed for the artsy geek who wants their life to look as good on paper as it does on a Pinterest board.

Retro meets technology

The instax Mini Evo Cinema, priced at PhP 22,599, is a total vibe-shifter. With its 10 Eras Dial effects, you can toggle through a hundred different creative combinations.

Then there is the instax Mini Link+ for PhP 8,999, built for the maximalists who refuse to let their best shots die in the camera roll.

This smartphone printer adds AR effects and custom designs, turning digital snapshots into high-aesthetic physical keepsakes.

As Masahiro Uehara, President of FUJIFILM Philippines, put it, the goal is to reimagine how people connect with their memories by blending innovation with raw emotion.

More than just a photo op

The weekend functioned as a masterclass in creativity rather than just a product demo.

On the first day, filmmaker Elyandre Dagli showed the crowd how the Mini Evo works as a powerhouse for documentation and storytelling.

The energy continued the next day with Nica Cosio, who led a session on rubber stamp carving and journaling. Cosio showed how the Mini Link+ bridges the gap between digital tech and old-school scrapbooking.

Artists like Soleil Ignacio, Bryan Sochayseng, and Jill Arteche also dropped by to share how these tools fit into their professional creative workflows, proving that “instant” doesn’t have to mean disposable.

Ready to enter your Film+ era?

If you missed the pop-up, you haven’t missed the tech. The instax Mini Evo Cinema and instax Mini Link+ are officially hitting authorized FUJIFILM dealers nationwide right now.

It’s time to stop scrolling and start collecting.

For the latest updates, you can follow Team Instax on Facebook and Instagram.

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Razer sharpens its competitive edge with Viper V4 Pro and Gigantus V2 Pro

Ultra-light. Ultra-tuned.

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Razer Viper X4 Pro and Gigantus V2 Pro

Razer expands its pro-grade lineup with a lightweight mouse and a highly customizable mouse mat built for different playstyles. The Razer Viper V4 Pro focuses on speed, precision, and responsiveness, while the Razer Gigantus V2 Pro brings tailored surface options that adapt to how players move.

Lighter, faster, and built for control

The Viper V4 Pro weighs approximately 49g in Black and 50g in White, making it around nine percent lighter than its predecessor. Razer achieves this through mechanical refinements like a thinner shell and a more compact PCB, without compromising durability. The structure still feels solid in hand, even with the aggressive weight reduction.

This balance matters in competitive play. A lighter mouse reduces fatigue and allows quicker adjustments, but stability keeps movements consistent. The Viper V4 Pro aims to deliver both.

Plug in, tweak, and play instantly

Razer also streamlines setup and tuning. The optimized hemispherical dongle maintains stable connectivity while providing quick status updates through LED indicators.

Players can adjust settings without installing software using Razer Synapse Web, enabling browser-based customization. Onboard controls allow quick DPI and polling rate changes mid-match, so adjustments happen without breaking focus.

A mouse mat that adapts to your play style

The Gigantus V2 Pro evolves Razer’s mouse mat lineup by introducing five distinct speed ratings paired with corresponding foam firmness. Instead of a one-size-fits-all surface, players can now choose based on how they aim and move.

Developed with esports pros like Nikola “NiKo” Kovač, Faker, and Zellsis, each variant reflects real competitive needs across different roles and playstyles.

The five surface options include:

  • Max Control for ultra-high friction and precise flicks
  • Control for consistent micro-adjustments
  • Balance for a mix of speed and stopping power
  • Speed for quicker swipes
  • Max Speed for the fastest possible movements

Each surface is paired with Razer’s GlideCore foam, tuned to match the friction profile. Softer variants provide more stopping power, while firmer ones prioritize speed and responsiveness.

Built for consistency across every match

Razer ensures the Gigantus V2 Pro works seamlessly with modern optical sensors. Lab testing guarantees consistent tracking, whether for fine adjustments or wide flicks.

The mat is also designed for competitive environments. It features stitched edges to prevent fraying, an anti-slip base for stability, and a rollable build that makes it easy to bring to tournaments.

A complete competitive setup

Together, the Viper V4 Pro and Gigantus V2 Pro form a cohesive setup that covers both input and surface. The mouse emphasizes low latency, precision tracking, and a shape validated by pros. The mouse mat complements it with clear, playstyle-based options.

Rather than focusing on a single standout feature, Razer builds a system. One that supports consistent performance, adapts to player preference, and helps turn practice into results when it matters most.

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