Tech Gifts for Holidays 2017

The holidays are fast approaching, and with Black Friday less than two weeks away, it’s time to start thinking about the gifts you may need for your family and friends. If someone you know is into all of the newest technology, these gifts might be just what they’re hoping for!

Garmin Speak

If you drive a car without an infotainment center, the Garmin Speak is one way to upgrade your vehicle without having to buy a new car. This mountable device with Amazon Alexa voice assistant allows you to control smart devices in your home, ask for directions, and stream music all hands-free. The only thing to consider is that the device runs off of a data connection from a smartphone, so strong network coverage is key to using it to its full potential.

Amazon Kindle Oasis

Water-resistant, super light and thin, Amazon’s new Oasis eReader is a giant step up from previous models the company has released. The Kindle Oasis is available in 8GB and 32GB builds.

GoPro Hero6 Black

This new iteration of the GoPro Hero series comes on the heels of a rather rough year for the action camera company, but this camera is nothing short of exciting, especially for those looking to capture super high quality and high-resolution video. The hero 6 Black can shoot in 4K, has digital motion stability and is just as tough as it’s predecessors. Just make sure your recipient has the proper capabilities for 4K playback.

DJI Spark

The selfie lover will take their pictures to a new level with this tiny camera drone. DJI’s drones are known for their quality, and the Spark is no different. With all the features a novice drone user could want in a small and easily portable design. Perhaps the most exciting feature for selfie queens (and kings) is the gesture control option.

Amazon Echo Spot

For those who haven’t gotten into the hype of the Amazon Echo and Google Home movement, the Echo Spot operates as a high tech alarm clock that does more than just wake you up. Plan the entire day with an alarm clock that can also tell and show you the weather, read the news, set timers and more.

Xbox One X

Though the reviews are mixed about the newest Xbox game console, there is no denying that the powerful console is impressive, especially for those looking to show off 4K picture quality and high-definition visuals.  

iPhone X

The hefty price tag on the new iPhone makes it a controversial choice, but with the reviews that are starting come out, with some calling the iPhone X the best smartphone on the market.  The highly upgraded phone is just the beginning of Apple making high powered and exciting changes to their product lineup making the iPhone X one of the most sought-after tech gifts of the year.

Smartphone Camera Lens Kit

If the iPhone X isn’t in the budget but taking high-quality smartphone photos is a priority for someone on your gift list, a smartphone camera lens kit can upgrade their photos in a flash. From fisheye to macro and wide angle, you can use interchangeable lenses to go beyond the normal smartphone photos. There are many options for these kits available online, so you can look and find the one that will suit your needs.

 Like this post? Read more at http://steverenner.com/blog-2/

Best Digital Marketing Podcasts to Subscribe to in 2016

If you’re looking for a refreshing way to improve your marketing skills, then here are 12 quickly ways to expand your marketing knowledge, absolutely free! The genius of these marketing podcasts is that they blend the actionable advice you need to be better at your job, along with some nice sound production and enjoyable banter.

You can listen to them anywhere. Listen to them as you’re hitting the elliptical, cooking, playing Mine craft, knitting, cleaning, taking a stroll into the Aokigahara forest, getting ready for bed, getting ready for work, coloring, painting, shopping online, roaming around, sitting on a plane, driving to work, driving home, sitting on a beach, making a pillow owl, cleaning your slow cooker, organizing the fridge, baking a cake, vacuuming the carpet, learning origami, painting your nails, packing school lunches, cleaning your juicer, sorting the laundry, etc.

So, without further ado, here are the best marketing podcasts (in no particular order):

1. #AskGaryVee

This one is a little bit different in both content and format. The brainchild of self-described marketing hustler Gary Vaynerchuck, #AskGaryVee is a podcast that’s not actually a podcast. Rather, it’s a YouTube show that has been repurposed into a podcast, which is pretty clever. Gary spends 15 to 30 minutes intensely answering your marketing questions. Have a question you need answered? Simply tweet him with #AskGaryVee and you may be on the next show!

2. Social Media Marketing Happy Hour

Aimed at entrepreneurs of all types, this 15-minute podcast (usually) comes out five days a week and will give you the inside info on how to leverage social media marketing sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more from the social experts at Happy Hour Hangouts. If you like professionally produced, banter-style podcasts, give this one a listen.

3. On The Media

Coming at you from WNYC, On The Media is a podcast on the next level. Since 2001, it has been one of NPR’s fastest growing programs, heard on more than 300 public radio stations. You can expect creative interview transitions as the podcast “casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas.” If you’ve gotten a little bit bored of marketing-only podcasts, listen to this one as a breath of fresh air, and then dive right back in.

4. HBR IdeaCast

When you think of the Harvard Business Review, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t podcasting, but it’s actually on the cutting edge of media production. Host Sarah Green Carmichael sounds like your favorite NPR hosts, and she doesn’t beat around the bush, she goes straight into the interview. Expect experts ranging from professors to CEOs. As you can imagine, episode topics will center on many topics including marketing, aerospace and design. Look for their condensed episodes in the HBR print issue each month.

5. Louder Than Words

Louder Than Words is a podcast that wants you to be more successful at your craft. Focusing on creative leaders, the show tries to get to the bottom of what has made each interviewee successful in the creative space. Host John Bonini has a casual way of introducing all of the interviews, and talks to a diverse group of individuals making a substantial impact, from designers to writers to entrepreneurs.

6. Traction

Traction podcast provides an inside look into the nitty-gritty details of launching a startup—the things that get glossed over in the media when you read about those other successful startups. Hosted by Jay Acunzo from NextView Ventures, this podcast boasts expertly produced interviews from founders, startup execs, media members and investors.

7. Call to Action

This podcast was born from a minimum viable product (MVP) project and has since become a staple in the marketing mix. You can expect actionable interviews with leading authors in the marketing blogosphere that dissect what truly makes a good marketer, and a successful marketing campaign.

8. Freakonomics

Although not technically a marketing podcast, the Freakonomics podcast is filled with delightful stories that take a lot of data into account. Hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest, it’s produced in partnership with WNYC so you can expect a high-quality product that will entertain, concern and baffle you

9. Copyblogger FM

Join hosts Demian Farnworth and Jerod Morris as they talk (and joke) about what’s going on in the copywriting (and marketing) world. Expect to have your burning marketing questions answered!

10. Marketing Over Coffee

Marketing Over Coffee is the podcast for you if you want to know what the latest news is in the marketing world,. It’s a weekly discussion of what’s new in marketing, hosted by John Wall and Christopher Penn. It’s one of the few marketing podcasts out there that is news-based rather than topic-based (most of the time). Plus, episodes are under half an hour.

11. Growth Byte

If you’re running out the door and don’t have time to listen to a 30-minute show, Growth Byte will give you the “best startup growth content online” and summarize it for you in two- to three-minute clips.

12. StartUp

The flagship podcast of Gimlet Media, StartUp provides an incredibly transparent look into what it’s really like starting a business. Host and Gimlet Media CEO Alex Blumberg is no podcast novice, with roots in the This American Life family. The first season chronicles the founding of Gimlet Media, from incorporation to funding to its first employee disagreement. The second season features a new startup, but with the same delightful style you’ve come to love.

Do you have any other marketing podcasts that you absolutely can’t live without? Let us know!

Like this post? Read more at http://steverenner.com/blog-2/

Earbuds that Can Translate Foreign Languages in Real-time

A new startup called Waverly Labs, an innovative consumer electronics company created in 2014, claims a “smart” earpiece will reportedly be the world’s first gadget to translate between two users speaking different languages in real-time. The creators say it’s “intended for the Traveller, International Professional and Digital Nomad.”

The earpiece, dubbed the Pilot, is shaped similar to regular earbuds, but comes without any wires or cables. Pretty handy if you find yourself lost in a city without WiFi connection, or frantically trying to figure out which subway to take.

Using the latest technologies in speech recognition, machine translation and the advances of wearable technology, our smart earpiece allows wearers to speak different languages but still clearly understand each other. Simply put, when one person speaks, the other hears it in their language. Science fiction has called it many things, but we call it Pilot.”

The Pilot has so far raised over 3 million dollars via Indiegogo (launched May 15^th, 2016, funded June 25^th, 2016) and is estimated to ship worldwide May 2017. For now, the product comes with English, Spanish, French, and Italian, but other languages are on the way, including Arabic, Hindi, East Asian, and Slavic. Here are a few other cool features included:

• The Pilot is designed to hug the curves of the ear without being obtrusive, snug yet fashionable, and comes in three colors: red, black and white.

• The Pilot comes with a secondary earpiece for wireless streaming music, or to hare with the person you are speaking with.

• It’s accompanying smartphone app toggles between languages and uploads them to the earpiece when in use offline and overseas. For basic translation, the app can also be sued as a phrasebook.

• In conference mode, multiple people can wear the earpiece and join in on the same conversation, even if they’re all speaking different languages.

• In addition, the smartphone’s speakerphone can be used as a loudspeaker to transmit what you’re saying to everyone in the room.

The full package includes the Pilot and secondary earpiece (2 earpieces total), 1 portable charger, 3 different sized eartips for the perfect fit, and an accompanying app. The app is where the languages are downloaded for the earpiece.

The first generation of the device only works when speaking to another person who also has a Pilot earbud, but the company says that future versions will be able to translate from any surrounding spoken source.

The full retail price for the Pilot is expected to be $299, but the early bird special on Indiegogo starts at $199. The purchase will come with two earpieces in each pack, and additional languages will be available via downloadable language packs.

Like this post? Read more at http://steverenner.com/blog-2/