5 tech gifts you shouldn't buy this holiday season

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1. Cutting-edge technology

This first category is a bit broad and includes smart watches, Amazon Echo, Vessyl and other cutting-edge tech products. Not only are they expensive ? $100 to $3,000 ? they're so new that no one really knows how useful they'll be in day-to-day use.

Vessyl, for example, is a $100 cup that knows exactly what's in your drink and keeps track of calories, hydration and other information. It's beautifully designed and executed, but I'm not sure the novelty will last longer than a week or two for most users.

Amazon Echo looks interesting as a personal assistant for your home, but it's not clear how useful it will be for the average person, or basically how well it works. Even as a family gift, you'll probably want to wait a year until the next version comes out. It might also come down from its $200 price by then.

Both Vessyl and Amazon Echo are so cutting-edge that you can only pre-order them now. Amazon Echo even requires an invitation. (By the way, here are more amazing tech gadgets that are just down the road).

There's another consideration. Even if you know the person on your list is an early-adopter who would love something like a smartwatch, she may have a very specific model she?s already interested in. People are particular when it comes to tech.

2. High-end TVs

You'll see fantastic deals on TVs this holiday season, but if you look closely, you'll notice the deals are on low-end TVs ? screens smaller than 48 inches, off-brand manufacturers and lower specs like 60Hz refresh rate or no Internet connection.

The TVs from major manufacturers like Sony, LG and Samsung with 48-plus inch screens, 120Hz or 240Hz refresh rates, 4K resolution, Internet apps and other advances are just as expensive as ever. Expect to pay north of $1,500.

Most stores wait until just before the Super Bowl to drop the prices on the high-end models.

Buyer beware: Most stores will sell you a cheap TV and then try to make the money back with expensive cables and other accessories. Don't fall for it; cheaper cables work just as well as the expensive versions.

3. Streaming media gadgets

Sticking with home entertainment for a minute, I'd also avoid streaming-media gadgets like the Roku, Google Nexus Player, Apple TV, Amazon's Fire TV and similar streaming boxes.

4. Stand-alone gadgets

This is another broad category, and it covers any low-cost gadget that does just one thing, such as a point-and-shoot camera or a media player, like an iPod.

Odds are that the person you're buying for already has a smartphone or tablet that takes decent pictures and holds plenty of music and movies. A smartphone or tablet also has a calendar, address book, video chat, video recording, games and tons more that used to require separate products.

5. Laptops

A laptop is a good gift for a college student or someone on the go, but the holidays aren't the best time to buy. Laptops generally see the best deals after the Consumer Electronics Show in January or during back-to-school sales in July and August.

Plus, if your gift recipient is looking for a bargain laptop ? say less than $400 ? to surf the Web, watch movies, listen to music, read books, play casual games and perform other light computing tasks, she might just want a tablet instead. A tablet is more portable, has a better battery life and you don't have to worry as much about viruses.

Bonus: For the person who has everything

Every year, you get that one person whose gift wish list is a shrug and an "I don?t need anything? or an ?I don?t know.? Instead of knocking yourself out trying to find the perfect gift, get her a gift card. That way, she can buy what she wants. Check out CardCash, Cardpool and GiftCardRescue to save up to 35 percent on the face value of gift cards.

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Tech gadgets you shouldn't buy as a gift: EVERYTHING.