From phones and tablets to online subscriptions and 'smart' baby monitors, the range of gadgets on the market today makes it as easy as homemade pie to treat your mum this Mother's Day.
A new phone
If your mum has a bad habit of splashing coffee on her phone, is always running out of battery and takes loads of pictures of kids and pets, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is the phone for her. It's waterproof, uses super-fast wireless charging technology and its camera's autofocus is amazingly fast, so your mum won't miss a moment of her grandkid's first bike ride or her dogs' best round on the agility training course.
For mums who are less tech-savvy but still need a smartphone, the Vodacom Smart 6 is only R799 once-off, making it one of the best-value phones on the market. Its compact design and Android operating system mean it is a device that does the basics really well.
Fitness trackers
It's so much easier to stay motivated when you have a personal trainer on your wrist.
The Samsung Gear S2 is one of the optional extras that are compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, so if your mum is lucky enough to have the phone, why not get her the tracker to go with it? It comes with a wireless charging dock, and can also store up to 300 songs for music on the trot. They're available to buy on Takealot.
If you think your mum would prefer a fitness tracker that looks like a stylish watch, order her the Withings Activite Pop – it's less sophisticated than more expensive trackers on the market, but its good looks and sleep tracker functionality more than make for it. You can buy one through Loot.co.za.
Peace of mind
New mothers will swoon for a Wi-Fi compatible digital baby monitor that allows them to check on their snoozing beloved through their phone, tablet or computer, no matter where they are.
The iBaby Monitor and a number of Motorola models of baby monitor are available to buy on Babygroup.co.za.
Convenience
Even mums who love to cook get tired of the daily grind of planning, shopping for and executing family meals. Buy the mother in your life a Daily Dish subscription, and all she'll have to do is take delivery of a box of ingredients, read the recipe cards that come with them, and toss the ingredients together according to the instructions – in under 30 minutes. Your gift will allow her to kiss decision fatigue goodbye. Could there be a better gift for Mother's Day?
Things to read
Even if your mother is a bibliophile and only reads physical books, it's worth introducing her to an eReader. Though you shouldn't read them in the bath, they're lightweight, so they can just be popped into a handbag by those on the go, and the premium models are especially easy on the eye.
Amazon Kindles, with their Paperwhite technology, do not have backlit screens, so eye strain is less likely, and the pricier models even have built-in lights for sneaky bedtime reading (especially useful if you're buying one for a new mother, who will be spending a number of hours in a dark room feeding the baby). They are available to purchase online through Takealot.
For a cheaper option, check out the Kobo eReader available from Pick n Pay stores.
If your mum already has a Kindle, you could treat her to an eBook (also available through Takealot). With the Rand in its current trough, eBooks aren't as affordable as they used to be, so giving her the digital version of the new Jonathan Franzen, Nora Roberts and/or Jojo Moyes are sure to put you in her good books (so to speak).
Her own tablet
She will probably tell you she doesn't need a tablet, but she does. Especially if she complains about how small the keys on her phone are, or if you catch her squinting at the text on the screen of her phone.
Unless you want to invest in a beautiful iPad mini or similar for your mum, you needn't spend more than R69 per month for a tablet on a data deal through Vodacom, because the Vodacom Smart Tab 3G costs exactly that. You can't beat that value. Read more about the Smart Tab 3G's features here.
Shop for the most cutting-edge or the best-value devices on Vodacom Online now »
