Holiday Ads of 2017

The holidays are right around the corner and the commercials that are airing right now are becoming more festive, heartwarming and gift focused. So far, these are some of the best ads from around the world this holiday season.  

Waitrose: “#ChristmasTogether”

John Lewis “Moz the Monster”

Marks and Spencer “Paddington & The Christmas Visitor #LoveTheBear”

Cost Plus World Market “The Performance”

Heathrow Airport “#HeathrowBears”

Apple “Sway”

Audi USA “Parking Lot”

Amazon “Give”

Old Spice “Ye Olde Exploding Yule Log”

Spanish Lottery “#DANIELLE”

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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.

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Black Friday 2017 Predictions

With only a few weeks until Thanksgiving on November 23rd, savvy shoppers are ramping up to this year’s Black Friday deals and sales. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become some of the biggest shopping days of the year, and sales keep getting bigger and bigger. In the past, sales have started on Thanksgiving and gone into Black Friday proper and the weekend and Monday following the holiday (Cyber Monday), but in recent years, retailers have begun their sales earlier and earlier, sometimes having promotions all month long. Look for these trends this November!

Spending

According to predictions by the National Retail Federation, Holiday sales (retail sales between November and December) will grow by up to 4% from last year, up to a $682 billion dollar amount. PwC’s holiday outlook data suggests that the average holiday spend for 83% of US consumers is expected to be $1,189.

Top Stores

DealNews.com suggests keeping an eye on sales at Kohl’s (where your savings will largely be in Kohl’s Cash), Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart and Amazon this year, however, the best places to make your purchases will depend on what your items of interest are and will also be largely based upon price point. Forbes has a list of where to look for tablets and laptops this year, which can be found here.  If you are interested in Apple Products, online retailers will likely have better discounts on Apple products than the Apple Store itself.  Last year, Apple’s Black Friday deal included a gift card with the purchase of older product models at an undiscounted rate, and that is expected to continue this year, hinging on whether Apple even decides to participate in Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

Top Deals

Video game bundles for the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X are rumored to be heavily discounted this year, as well as many smartphones including the newest iPhones (8, 8 Plus and X), the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Note 8 and the Google Pixel 2. Discounted prices for 4K TVs and 4K media players are also expected.

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New Year Resolutions For Your Business

The holiday season is officially over, and it’s back to business as usual. But does it have to be? New Year’s is just another day on the calendar and away from the office, but it can also be a great reason to reevaluate if all the habits of the past year have really been working for you and your small business. Here are some hacks to try to give you an edge in the coming year.

Learn Something

It’s really a new age for education, from podcasts, online tutorials, to infographics, education is literally at the fingertips of anyone interested in learning, and often times free! Taking a little time to hone a skill, or learning new aspects of your market will prove invaluable.

Do Inventory

Survey, ask questions, do what you need to too know where you and your business stand with your customers, your associates and your employees. The new year is the perfect time reevaluate what needs your meeting and missing with the people that matter most.

Set Goals

The internet is full of statistics on the importance of goal setting. Having a clear and concise finish line with incremental benchmarks along the way make even the longest races seem manageable, it’s the same in business.

Automate

Do yourself and your employees a favor and automate all the services you can. There are businesses who have the sole purpose of automating processes and freeing up time for your employees to do more meaningful work. Try them.

Mix It Up

Make an effort to try something new once a month. Be it a new marketing strategy, company policy or otherwise. Take small calculated risks and see how they pan out. Often times even if they aren’t the “right” kind of change the bring a new and fresh perspective you otherwise wouldn’t have had.

Self Care

Last but definitely not least make sure to fit in employee appreciation whenever you can. My company does a monthly birthday party, others do happy hours ect. Boosting employee morale and workplace satisfaction does wonders for productivity, innovation and company loyalty. The internet is full of statistics on it, check them out.

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How To Use Gifted Gadgets

This year was a big year for advances in technology, so you may have gotten the gift of a brand new gadget that you have no idea how to use or how to get the full potential out of. Here are some of this year’s biggest gifts and how you can use them.

Google Home

These home assistant speakers can be the first step into turning your home into a smart home. Google Assistant speaks to all of your internet enabled devices, plays music, uses Google’s wealth of information to help you answer almost any question, as well as give you updates for the things that you care about including weather, traffic reports and upcoming events. When combined with other smart devices (Nest, Chromecast, Hue by Phillips) you can have your google assistant turn off or turn down lights, change the temperature of your home or even change what is showing on your TV.

Amazon Echo/Echo Dot

Amazon’s home assistant speakers utilize Amazon’s Alexa to control your home. The Echo is a dedicated speaker, with top of the line audio quality, whereas the Echo Dot has all of the functionality, just with a smaller speaker, for those that may own a great sound system already. With these you can connect via bluetooth and play your music from any source.

Fully integrated with Amazon, you can order from Prime as well as track those orders, use other smart devices to control almost anything in your home, and even order an Uber or a pizza from Dominos.

Smart Watches

Every watch has different specs, but one thing is true for all of the newest smartwatches: the designs are becoming much more attractive. Let smartwatches control your phone, send messages and emails, play music, answer phone calls, report the weather, give you reports on the elements and even track your fitness.

Fitness Trackers

The ever popular FitBit and it’s many competitors are absolutely one of the more popular gifts over the last few years, so it may not be a surprise if you found one of these in your hands this year. With tons of different features and specs, different models fit different people based on the type of athletics pursued and how fashionable one wants to look while tracking steps, heart rate, sleep patterns and a multitude of other statistics.

Drones

Drone technology will continue to grow and change, but the current models do live up to the hype surrounding them. Take videos, photos, practice just flying around. Just make sure you know if there are FAA regulations surrounding the model of drone you have, as this can cause you to need to register your drone, or limit the areas where you are permitted to fly.

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Staying Focused at Work During the Holidays

It’s the holiday season and for many, this time of year can lead to burnout or just a general lack of motivation. Expectations can be high in both professional and personal lives, so it’s important to stay balanced. I have a few tricks that I use to stay focused this time of year, that help keep morale high and keep me working hard. Try some out and see what works for you.

Make A Checklist

Keeping track of what you need to accomplish is important at anytime, but at the holidays when your thoughts can be in a million places it’s helpful to have a way to look at the big picture and be able to cross things off of it to feel like you’re moving forward in your responsibilities.

Take Time Off

If you are able, take some days off that you can use just for yourself to clear your head, not just days off to celebrate the holidays. It’s easy to get caught up with parties, and events and family obligations, but the constant commitments can make it feel like your schedule is more full than it is. Take a day or two to feel a little less weighted down.

Plan Events With Your Co-Workers

Teams can often feel disconnected during the holidays when people are gone or distracted. Plan a gift exchange, an outing or a whole office party to ramp up the community feeling and reconnect with those around you. My team just celebrated at our office holiday event last week!

Don’t Multitask

Work on one project at a time. Having multiple projects going on at once makes your workload feel triple the amount it is, and you do better work when you are only focused on one aspect. When you need a break from one thing, move to your next project and so on, but commit to only having one thing going at a time. You get more done and your work seems less daunting.

Commit To The Holiday Spirit

Being positive during the holidays isn’t easy for everyone, but by having a good attitude and positive outlook you not only make yourself positive, but also those around you. Keep the mood light and help others that may be having a hard time as well.

The days leading up to the holidays can either fly by or take forever to get through, but you can make them productive regardless. Let me know how you stay motivated in the comment section below.

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Gift Ideas For The Tech Lover In Your Life

Here in Minneapolis the snow and the temperature are falling and that means one thing; winter is here. With the arrival of the season also comes holiday shopping. If you have someone on your list that always seems to be in the know with the latest and greatest tech gadgets, it can be hard to find gifts that are sure to make their jaw drop, so here’s a guide with some great options to help you out.

UNDER $25

Google Cardboard $15

Virtual reality is seeing updates left and right, but for those just starting to garner an interest, Google Cardboard is the hilariously fun (and inexpensive!) way to get started in the immersive experience of VR.

Tile Mate $25

Losing your phone, wallet, keys and other personal items has never been less stressful. The Tile Mate attaches to your items and when you can’t find them, simply use the accompanying app to alert the tile to play loud noises until you have the item back with you.

LOOP World Adapter Plug $18.95

If you have a life full of travel like I do, you know that charging your devices can get tricky if you’re out of the country.  The LOOP World Adapter Plug is a universal AC socket that can charge up to 3 devices at a time. Powering up on the go has never been so easy.

UNDER $50

Mobile.Net’s @udio Ultra Earbuds $40

Power, performance, precision: in four bold colors. Offering earth­shaking bass and sweeping treble, the @udio Ultra prove big things come in small packages. Plus, hands-free call answering and microphone support make multitasking a snap.

Amazon Echo Dot (2nd generation) $39.99

The smart home revolution is upon us, and this small device packs a punch with the full capabilities of Amazon’s Echo, just in a smaller package and a basic speaker, rather than the Echo’s dedicated one.

Roku Streaming Stick $49.99

Stream almost anything from this device that looks like a USB drive.  With this plugged into your TV’s USB port you can access great content from anywhere, and control your TV with your mobile device with the Roku app.

UNDER $100

Amazon Fire TV $89.99

Go a step up from the Roku and pick up the Amazon Fire TV streaming device. With universal search results, games, Alexa enabled voice control and 4K enables picture, this is the new wave of entertainment technology.

AirHogs Ultimate Millennium Falcon Quad Drone $99.99

For the Star Wars fan in your life check out this iconic drone that has no FAA registration requirements. Control the drone from up to 250 feet away.

Samsung Gear VR $99.99, Google Daydream View $79.00

With both of these VR headsets you can experience the fun of Google Cardboard in a comfortable and wearable option. Unfortunately, Daydream View is currently only available for customers with Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL phones, and Gear VR is only for Samsung Galaxy flagship phones. However, with that being said, if your techie has a compatible phone, this gift is really a head turner.

Mobile.Net’s @udio Mix Headphones $50

Featuring 20-20000 Hz of frequency response, the @udio Mix is all about supercharged sound. Not to mention the smooth surfaces and streamlined design, letting you look as good as you feel.

$150+

Nixon Mission Smartwatch $400

Defined as the first action sports smart watch Nixon’s Mission watch is attractive, but functional; with it’s capabilities seemingly unlimited. Calibrated for surf and snow, and powered by Android, this watch is more durable than it looks, and is water resistant up to 10 ATM, which is the highest rating of any smartwatch.  Perfect for the person that craves adventure and innovation.

Vantage Robotics Snap Drone $1295

For those that have already embraced drone technology, this small but powerful drone is revolutionizing the way that videos are made. This tiny, portable and smart drone captures 4K video as it flies for 20 minutes, at speeds up to 30 mph. Snap can follow you via your smartphone’s GPS, and orbit the area you’re in and boomerang back to you for the most stunning aerial videos you can imagine.

Ember Mug $149.95

There is nothing worse for anyone than having a hot drink that you forget about, or leave at your desk during a meeting only to come back to a cold drink when you finally remember it. The Ember Mug changes all of this, with their mug that maintains the temperature of your drinks for up to two hours on the go. This smart mug can be controlled by the base that changes your set temperature, or the Ember app that allows you to change the temperature remotely, create presets and get notifications. The sleek design makes this mug attractive even without the added benefit of continually warm coffee.

Technology moves fast, but your gifts can be just as quick to please. Share any other gift ideas in the comments section below. Happy Holidays!

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