Top 10 Coolest Tech Gadgets You Can Buy at the Dollar Store – Gear UP

Good news for gadget lovers who don’t have a lot of cash to spend on them: your local ‘dollar store’ has an electronics selection.

And you might just be surprised at what you can pick up for a mere buck or two.

Hey everyone, Welcome to Gear Up, the WatchMojo series that looks at the latest in tech trends. I’m Marc Saltzman, and in this video, we’re going to look at 10 gadgets to pick up at your local dollar store, 99-cent store, or whatever you call it.

Wait, has WatchMojo run out of ideas for Top 10 lists? Absolutely not! We’re just crazy enough to do one on Top 10 dollar store tech. If your friends call you El Cheapo instead of El Chapo, this one’s for you.

As long as you have reasonable expectations when it comes to quality, you won't be disappointed with what we’ve picked from this list – bought at places like Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Dollar General, 99¢ Depot and Dollarama in Canada.

Unless you're using a tablet with a backlit screen, reading an ebook or paper book in bed can be an issue – unless you turn on a lamp, which might disturb your significant other. Instead, pick up the GE LED Book Light in blue, pink or other colors, and clamp it onto your e-reader, paperback or hardcover. This adjustable book light includes a 10,000-hour LED bulb, says the company.

Don’t you hate it when your smartphone’s battery is about to die and you didn’t bring your charger cable with you? We found a no-name charging and sync cable that’s roughly the size of a credit card, so you can keep it tucked into your wallet. Essentially, the 8-inch cable is coiled up inside a rectangular plastic case, and it’s ideal for most Android phones as it’s a male microUSB connector on one end, accessible once you remove the corner piece, and a full-size male USB cable on the end.

Keep a spare pair of earbuds in your jacket or backpack – just in case. There’s no shortage of crappy pairs to choose from at your local dollar store, but in our thrift-shopping we actuallyfound a pair that’s not as bad as you may think. They’re called Eclipse Pro earphones, and for a buck they’re handy to keep around should you need it. It offers a teeny bit more bass than others we tried, and they’re more comfortable. Look, they’re a buck. What do you expect?

Ever found yourself taking notes on your smartphone or tablet during a meeting or presentation and realized an old-fashioned pen and paper might just be faster? Or maybe you’ve got long nails and can’t use your touchscreens easily, or in winter months you want to keep gloves on. Whatever your reason, stylus pens for "capacitive" multi-touch screens can cost up to $15 -- or you might opt for this no-name stylus for a single, smiling George Washington. This stylus is also a ballpoint pen, too, so you can just click the top to drop the pen through the stylus tip when you need it.

Are you thinking of hitting up a big box store if you need a spare computer mouse? Instead of paying more than you need to, for a couple of bucks you can find a Retractable USB Mouse from Tech-1. Available in white and gray or black and gray, this small right- or left-handed mouse plugs into an available USB port on your PC or Mac – no drivers needed – and you can pull on the retractable 30-inch cord to give yourself as much space as you need. At the very least it’s a good travel companion.

Are you still here? Did you ever think you’d ever watch a video on ‘dollar store’ tech? But don’t worry, we won’t tell your friends how “thrifty” you are. As if they didn’t know. OK...

Doubling as a clamshell compact used to put on make-up, this Hype-branded product is also an external speaker for your favorite audio device, such as a smartphone, tablet or music player. While it’s not a Bluetooth wireless speaker, it includes a custom 2-foot cable that plugs into the source and has an integrated USB connector to juice up the rechargeable speaker, when needed. Stereo sound quality is surprisingly loud and decent.

In the Great White North, we found a 4-in-one product called The TriPod & Selfie Remote. As the name suggests, you snap your smartphone in the holder and either open up the desktop tripod legs to place on a table, maybe for Facetiming or Skype, use the bendable legs to wrap it around an object, use it like a selfie-stick, and use the wireless Bluetooth shutter it comes with to snap the pic wirelessly. At $4 Canadian or $3 American, it’s the priciest gadget in our Top 10 list.

You don’t need to spend upwards of $20 bucks for a protective iPad case when you can find one for a buck or two. There are multiple options to decorate and protect your tablet, including ones from brands like XtremeMac and BYO. The durable and form-fitting silicone XtremeMac cases were available in multiple colors and designs for different iPad models, and had textured sides and back for added grip.

Ideal for closets, bathrooms, porches, garages, stairs, and other dimly-lit areas you want to illuminate, the aptly named Motion Sensor Light is a three-LED light with a motion sensor, so it’ll shine bright once it senses movement up to 2 ½ feet away -- such as you opening up a closet door in the bedroom. The light has an auto-off function after 30 seconds. Three triple-A batteries are required, but not included, but you can find them at the dollar store, too.
And…

Are you hooking up your new Xbox One or Apple TV? Pick up a 5-foot HDMI cable at your local dollar store. For uncompressed, high-definition video and sound, simply connect the Vibe HDMI cable from the output jacks of your home theater components – such as a digital cable or satellite box, video game system, Blu-ray player or media streamer – to the input jack of your television or HDMI-supported audio-video receiver.

Hey, thanks for watching Gear Up; I'm Marc Saltzman. Let us know in the comments section which tech products you want us to review next and if you're interested in any of these products, you can find links in the description below. For more tech-tastic lists, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.