Teen Christmas Idea – Orbit MP3 Speaker

It can be pretty tough to find the right Christmas gift for a teen. So, when Altec asked me to try out the Orbit MP3 speaker, which retails for $39.95, I said I’d be happy to do so. The Orbit is a very sleek little speaker that is impressively powerful for its small size.

Photo via Altec Lansing

Although it is marketed as an MP3 player speaker, I hooked mine up to my laptop and enjoyed watching Benny & Joon on Hulu. (One of my all time favorite movies.) I usually have trouble listening to movies on my laptop, but, with the speaker, this one came in loud and clear. It wasn’t as awesome as listening to a movie in a media room with surround sound, but the speaker didn’t cost a few thousand dollars, either.

You’re thinking, “Nice, but will that really excite my teen?” right? Well, there’s a special little bonus that makes this a great teen Christmas gift idea – the customizable Skinit skin for your speaker. You can give your teen an Orbit and let him or her customize it later on or create the skin ahead of time and give the skin as part of the gift. I think the custom option is really fun, because your teen can use photos of a favorite pet, best friends or just about anything else to make a unique skin of his or her own.

This skins are under $15, which makes the whole package a bit over $50. Not bad for a techie gift for a teen.