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Apple TV ad campaign continues as colorful billboards go up nationwide
Apple launched the next phase in its Apple TV ad campaign with a number of billboards going up around the country featuring the same color bars seen in the promotional videos.
The new signage has been spotted in LA, New York, and Columbus already (photos below).
Apple also recently published a new video featuring the Muppets promoting ABC’s app for the Apple TV.
If you happen to spot another of these billboards in your area, snap a photo and send them to us at tips@9to5mac.com.
Filed under: Apple TV Tagged: Apple TV
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T-Mobile launches ‘full month of holiday gift-giving’ with 3 months of unlimited LTE for all subscribers
T-Mobile has announced its latest “un-carrier” initiative, dubbed “Un-carrier Unwrapped.” Rather than a permanent addition to the company’s offerings, Un-carrier Unwrapped is a month-long event during which the carrier will gift its subscribers and new customers with special deals and benefits.
The first of those was announced today: unlimited LTE data for all subscribers on Simple Choice post-paid plans for the next three months.
The deal won’t take effect today, though. Customers will need to wait until December 1st to start taking advantage of the unlimited data. From that date T-Mobile subscribers will be able to use as much data as they want all the way through February.
For the next three weeks, T-Mobile will also be launching special offers (likely incentives to switch) for customers on each of its competitors, one per week. A few other deals, such as discounts on tablets and other devices, are being offered as well.
T-Mobile also announced today that its popular iPhone upgrade deal will be back on Cyber Monday. The offer allows customers to get a new iPhone at the price of the cheaper capacity model—a 64 GB phone for the price of a 16 GB, for example.
Starting at 2:01 AM PST on Cyber Monday, T-Mobile is bringing back one of its most popular offers of the year. Buy a new iPhone online at T-Mobile.com and the Un-carrier will give you a free memory upgrade. The following memory upgrades are available for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus on Cyber Monday only:
- Buy iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus 16GB and we’ll upgrade you to the same model with 64GB
- Buy iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus 64GB and we’ll upgrade you to the same model with 128GB
To take advantage of these offers, simply put the 64GB or 128GB model in your cart online and you’ll see the pricing reflected at check-out.
You can read the full Un-carrier Unwrapped press release below.
T-Mobile Amps the Holidays, Starts with Gift of Unlimited LTE for Existing Customers
Un-carrier announces Black Friday offers and kicks off ‘Un-carrier Unwrapped’ − four weeks in a row of surprise holiday gifts − starting with three full months of unlimited LTE data for T-Mobile customers – at no extra charge!
Bellevue, Washington — November 23, 2015 — T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) is kicking off the holidays in style with Un-carrier Unwrapped, a full month of holiday gift-giving, with one special gift coming each week. First up, the Un-carrier is giving the gift of unlimited high-speed data for your smartphone – for the next three months – to every single one of its postpaid Simple Choice customers. But in true T-Mobile fashion, we won’t stop there. T-Mobile is also delivering special holiday gifts to Sprint, AT&T and Verizon customers starting next week – one carrier per week. Plus, T-Mobile is serving up a banquet of holiday offers, including a free tablet, $0 down $0 per month on the Samsung Galaxy S6 32GB with JUMP! On Demand, and more.
“We’ve had a fantastic year, and we’re going to spread that T-Mobile cheer by starting with the most important people first… our existing customers! Now you get Unlimited LTE data on our blazing fast network for three full months as a gift from the Un-carrier to you,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “But that’s not all….we know that Verizon, AT&T and Sprint customers need some holiday cheer, too – so we’ve got presents coming for them. Just wait!”
The holidays are for connecting with family and friends. In fact, data usage on T-Mobile’s network jumps more than 10% in December. The last thing customers want to worry about is their data, so T-Mobile is taking that worry away. For the next three months, everybody – all active Simple Choice postpaid customers as of end of day November 23, including business customers – has Unlimited 4G LTE smartphone data once you use up all your data and your Data Stash.
And, as the Un-carrier so often does, they’ve done the hard work to keep things simple for customers. Simple Choice postpaid customers don’t have to do a thing to get their Unlimited LTE gift. On December 1, 2015, the special holiday gift will simply appear under the tree—that is, in their existing T-Mobile plan. Which is how gifts ought to be given, right? No stress. No hassles. And, they’ll keep that free Unlimited LTE smartphone data as long as they’re on the same T-Mobile plan with Binge On active until March 1, 2016.
More gifts – for the carriers’ mistreated customers – will start arriving next Monday, one carrier per week. Stay tuned.
Black Friday: Get a Tablet on Us – and a Whole Lot More
On top of this unprecedented customer gift, Black Friday is starting early at T-Mobile. Beginning this Wednesday, November 25, you can get the popular Alcatel Onetouch Pixi™ 7” Android-powered™ 4G LTE tablet for $0 with any qualifying data plan at participating T-Mobile stores across the country and online. That’s right: $0 down, $0 payments; you pay only the sales tax. With Binge On and a new tablet this holiday season, the entire family can watch all the holiday movies they want from top video services like Netflix, HBO, Hulu, and SlingTV and never worry about the Grinch gobbling up your high-speed data.
More Black Friday Deals:
- T-Mobile customers can get the popular Samsung Galaxy S6 32GB for just $0 upfront and $0 per month with JUMP! On Demand with an eligible trade-in. $0 + $0 = $0. You pay only the sales tax!
- When you buy ANY Samsung smartphone, you get $100 off a Samsung tablet! Combined with the Black Friday Weekend offer on the Samsung Galaxy S6, it’s a helluva deal!
- Get the popular UE Boom Bluetooth speaker for $100 off (retail price $199) and enjoy all the holiday tunes you can handle – without ever using your high-speed data bucket thanks to T-Mobile’s Music Freedom.
For more about this and other special T-Mobile holiday offers, please visit: http://ift.tt/1y1Yj35.
Filed under: Tech Industry Tagged: AT&T, Sprint, tmobile, uncarrier, Verizon
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Skype for iOS updated with data detectors for phone numbers, addresses, and more
Skype updated its iOS client today with support for several different data detectors in text chats.
Now whenever someone sends you a phone number, address, or date, you can tap that information to automatically start a call, bring up a map, or create a new calendar event, respectively.
The update also now shows a bar that you can tap from any chat or the contacts list to get back to your current call.
Skype 6.6 is available on the App Store.
What’s New in Version 6.6
Phone number, date and address detection in your conversations:
– Call a phone number (using Skype Credit) direct from highlighted numbers.
– Set up calendar events by tapping highlighted dates, days and times.
– Check locations in Maps directly from highlighted addresses.Making it easier to multi-task in Skype:
– Quickly return to a call by pressing the Active Call banner in Skype.
– Use the unread counter to easily see how many unread conversations you have when in a conversation .General improvements.
Filed under: Apps Tagged: Skype
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Review: Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock is simple and elegant, but may not be for everyone [Video]
It’s been quite a while since Apple Watch came out (7 months!) and finally Apple has released an official dock accessory that might be worth a look. Maintaining typical Apple style, this watch dock is very simple…
There’s really not much to it at all. Inside of the box, you’ll find the dock itself and a 2-meter Lightning cable along with some simple documentation. The good news is that the magnetic charging puck for Apple Watch is completely integrated into the dock. You’ll use that Lightning cable and a power block, which does not come in the box, to hook everything together and charge your Apple Watch.
Check out our Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock review video below:
So what exactly are you getting for the $79 you’ll spend on this little dock? Well as far as build quality goes, the dock is weighted pretty nice, at least enough to where it won’t move when removing the Apple Watch. It’s off-white in color and seems to be made from the same material as Apple’s polyurethane iPad Smart Covers with a smooth top side and microfiber cloth lining along the bottom. Given the color and material, it may get dirty after a while, but only time and dirt will tell.
One of the main features with Apple’s official docking solution is the fact that it supports the new Nightstand mode added in watchOS 2. The puck in the center surrounded by a metal ring is supported by a hing that will allow you to lay the Apple Watch flat on its back or stand it up for the ultimate mini alarm clock. It’s easily pushed up through the recessed cutout on the bottom and can be pushed back down with ease as well. There aren’t too many Apple Watch docks out there that have hardware features to support Nightstand mode so if that’s what you’re looking for, this may be a good solution. And thanks to the circular design, it’ll support both open and closed band types and prevent them from scratching from the surface of a table top or nightstand.
To me, this doesn’t really look like an Apple product. It’s a very interesting design nonetheless, and doesn’t feel cheap by any means. I wish it was available in other colors as I’d definitely prefer a dark gray or black version.
At the end of the day, it’s yet another quality (and high-priced accessory) from Apple, but I’m not quite sure it’s worth the money. If you’re the type who needs all Apple everything, it’s a no-brainer, but I’d highly recommend checking out some of the other docking solutions available on the market.
On the other hand, if you consider the $29 price of a standalone 2m Lightning cable, the dock itself wouldn’t be horribly expensive if there was a version without it, but unfortunately that’s not an option. At $79, it may be more appealing to $550 and up Apple Watch owners than $350-$400 Apple Watch Sport customers.
There’s really not much else to say here though. It’s a simple dock that pretty much just works, but only if you’re willing to pay up the Apple Tax.
Filed under: Apple Watch, Reviews Tagged: accessory, Apple watch, charging dock, dock, review, video
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12 Tips for Writing With Unforgettable Personality
The best writers aren’t necessarily the smartest, the smoothest, or those with the biggest vocabulary. The best writers are those that possess an unforgettable personality.
A writing personality is just as real, unique, and nuanced as your personality in everyday life — expect you only release it when you create content. And if you can create content that brims with personality, I guarantee that people will love reading it. They’ll come back to it again and again. They will share it.
Your personality becomes your authentic signature, a trademark that appeals to your target audience. Not to mention, it’ll serve as a source of incredible brand power and potential.
Want to let yourself shine through in your writing? Check out these 12 methods for writing with unforgettable personality.
12 Methods for Writing With Unforgettable Personality
1) Embrace your (writing) personality.
The problem with a writing personality is that most people don’t realize that they should have one. Instead, they try to follow the rules and regulations handed down to them by a well-meaning 10th-grade composition teacher. Or, if they do realize the importance of a writing personality, they try to mimic someone else’s personality.
Neither of these is the right approach. You can’t “follow the rules” and expect to have an unforgettable personality. Nor can you try to force a personality that isn’t yours.
You have to discover and shape your own personality in your writing. It takes time and effort, but it’s possible. Each of these tips will help you do just that.
2) Pick a focus and stick to it.
To have a consistent writing personality, you need to start by having a consistent area of focus. This can be something broad like marketing or more specific like social media. The important thing is that you’re not all over the place.
After all, one of the basic tenets of content marketing is dominating a niche. This aids your SEO and your entire digital marketing effort.
Food blogger Ree Drummond is a great example of a writer who has a clear topic. She could write about anything and do a darn good job, however, she uses her writing personality to focus on one topic, and one topic only.
3) Break grammar rules.
Some people are inveterate rule breakers. And that’s okay. While we don’t recommend you throw grammar out the window, breaking a rule every once and a while can serve as a great way to amp up your personality.
What kind of grammar rules should you break? It depends. Here are some common ones:
- Sentence fragments: “Seriously. I mean, people, really.”
- Punctuation: “I. Just. Can’t. Even.”
- Starting sentences with conjunctions: “But I’m okay with that.”
- Using “like”: “It’s not like you’ve sinned.”
- Using a preposition at the end of a sentence: “You’ve got to get your traffic up!”
Again, be careful with rule-breaking. If you’re frivolous with your grammar, people may start to suspect your intelligence rather than respect your personality.
I like what T. S. Eliot, an iconoclastic poet, wrote about rules:
Credit: AZ Quotes
4) Get to know your audience better.
The principal group of people who should shape your personality is your audience.
Why? Because they are the ones consuming, accessing, and subscribing to it. Make sure that your personality does not cross their boundaries of proprietary, offend their sensibilities, or rub them the wrong way.
Comedian Milton Berle used to tell five one liners at the beginning of each routine. Based on the laughter from each one, he would know how to shape the rest of his routine.
His overall personality was, of course, funny guy. But he tailored his funnies to the particular audience.
You can do the same thing with your writing. You don’t need to reshape your entire personality, but you should adapt it to your specific audience. And the better you get to know your audience through social media, blog comments, in-person interactions, and research, the better you’ll be able to tailor your personality to them.
5) Highlight a personality trait that you have in real life.
Your writing personality isn’t exactly the same as your real life personality. Writing and in-person interactions are intrinsically different. However, there is usually some overlap.
If you’re known as a smart and serious individual in person, then your writing can convey that. If people know you as “the funny guy,” then let your humor shine through in your writing.
It’s your personality. Own it.
Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal creates hilarious content and comics.
Credit: The Oatmeal
People expect Matthew to be a funny guy. And he is.
The lesson? If you find a way to infuse your writing with your real life personality, go for it. After all, people like reading content that feels like it has actually been written by a human.
6) Talk about yourself.
To truly own your personality, you have to talk about yourself. Many successful bloggers and writers aren’t afraid of using “I,” “me,” and “my.” It’s not self-centered. It’s just a natural way of communicating.
Michael Hyatt runs a successful blog that reaches tens of thousands of people. His writing is personal, and he refers to himself.
Take this recent post as an example. He refers to himself seven times in the first few sentences.
While this is a great way to show off your personality, it’s important that you also remain focused on your readers. And their wants. And their needs. Inserting yourself into your work makes it easier for people to connect with you, but at the end of the day, you’re creating content for them, not you.
7) Write like you talk.
Writing like you talk is generally a good idea. Obviously, you want to cut out useless filler words. “Um” and “uh” aren’t necessary in writing.
At the same time, your style of speech is a mark of your personality. If you’re sarcastic, gentle, incisive, crude, bombastic, or use outrageous expressions, shake a little bit of this into your writing.
8) Stay organized.
Don’t allow your personality, whatever it is, to throw off your organization.
Good writing is inherently organized. If you have a disorganized and scatterbrained personality in real life, don’t try to import this into your writing. People don’t like to read scattered and disorganized content. Create an outline and stick to it.
Tim Ferriss is an example of someone who writes brilliant content. Often, his articles are far-ranging, discussing things like chickpeas and angel investing (like this one).
However, Ferriss maintains a well-ordered structure in each article. His personality is evident in the way that he can move from subject to subject while keeping his outline intact.
9) Find a trademark technique.
To create personality, find a trademark technique that you can use every time you produce content. One of my trademarks is asking a question at the end of every article.
James Clear’s trademark is starting each article with a true story from history.
Here’s one of Clear’s articles, in which he tells the story of Robert Wadlow:
Clear’s next article starts with a story, too.
Clear’s readers have come to know and expect this style. It’s his consistent trademark, and an excellent facet of his writing personality.
10) Write in a way that you enjoy.
When you enjoy the way that you write, you know you’re hitting a personality stride.
Blogger Crystal Paine explains in her book, Money Making Mom, that when she wrote about her daily life, challenges, and similar topics, she found fulfillment and joy.
Her readers could tell a difference, too, and they responded with strong affirmation.
While Crystal still posts about daily deals and giveaways, her best posts are the ones that are filled with her personality.
A post about daily stress garnered lots of shares:
But a post about a daily deal was less impactful:
11) Be authentic.
If you’re forcing it, people can tell.
A personality can’t be forced, so use your normal personality to infuse your writing.
Ramit Sethi is completely authentic in his writing. His personality is everywhere. You read a single post, and you practically feel like you know him.
If Ramit wants to swear, he swears. If he wants to be rude, he’s rude. If he wants to tell someone off, he does it.
This is his personality, and he’s being authentic. While this might not work for every business or industry, inserting a bit of authenticity into your writing can help to make it more relatable.
12) Commit to your style.
Once you get into the groove of your personality, don’t change it. Your audience expects you to be a certain way, write a certain way, and convey information in a certain way.
Seth Godin is a brilliant writer. Even though a lot of conventional content marketing wisdom says to create long-form, image-heavy content, Godin doesn’t go for it.
Instead, he creates bite-sized articles with no images.
Is that okay? Yes. Because it’s his style.
(Besides, Seth Godin is basically the king of marketing, so he gets to write some of the rules.)
Finding your style and sticking with it will serve you much better than flitting off to create a new personality, even if it does seem better.
Ready to let your personality shine?
You won’t write like Seth Godin, James Clear, Tim Ferriss, or Crystal Paine. That’s okay.
You are you, and your writing needs to have your fingerprints, timbre, voice, and personality all over it. Unleashing that personality in your writing starts with knowing it, owning it, and not being afraid to let it loose.
What’s your writing personality? How does this impact your writing?
9to5Toys Lunch Break: AirPort Extreme refurb $100, Canon T5 refurb w/ lens $200, Runtastic Mountain Bike free, more
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
Heads up! During Black Friday/Cyber Monday you’re going to have to follow us on Twitter to get the best deals since many sell out too quickly to post.
TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:
Apple AirPort Extreme 802.11ac Wireless Router (refurbished): $100 shipped (Orig. $199)
Canon Pre-Black Friday Sale: T5 w/ 18-55mm lens kit (refurb) $200 (Orig. $549), more
Runtastic Mountain Bike PRO GPS for iPhone goes free (Reg. $5)
App Store Free App of the Week: Stackables ($3 value)
The Black Friday Mac Bundle offers 10 productivity-boosting apps including Drive Genius 4 for $34.99 (Orig. $533)
Best of Black Friday — Apple: deals on iPad Air 2, iPhone 6s/Plus, Apple Watch, Macs, more!
Amazon’s Black Friday deals go live later this week w/ mobile shoppers getting extra perks
Top 5 ways to score the year’s best online Black Friday deals
10 can’t-miss deals for the holiday season: HDTVs, iPad Air 2, iPhone 6s, more
MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:
Herman Miller takes rare 15% off world’s best office chairs + desks, inc. award-winning Aeron, all shipped free
- Save 25% on Nike Gear: FlyKnit Lunar 3 Men’s Shoes $90 (Orig. $150), any NFL jersey, more
- Samsung SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit for iOS or Android: $199 shipped (Reg. $249)
- JBL Yurbuds ITX-3000 Signature In-Ear Headphones: $5 shipped
- Maker Architect 3D Printer $400 shipped (Orig. $600)
- SanDisk 200GB UHS-I Class 10 microSDXC Card $75 shipped w/ Visa Checkout (Orig. $250)
- Home Theater Audio: Bose Sound System $299, Sony soundbar w/ sub $198, more
- Daily Deals: Acer Home Projector $300, Samsung Level Wireless Headphones $30, more
- Games/Apps: Bayonetta 2 $35, Disney Infinity Star Wars $49, iOS freebies, more
BLACK FRIDAY AD LEAKS & NEWS:
Best of Black Friday – Streaming Media Players: Apple TV 64GB $180, Roku SE $20, 2-Pack Chromecast (2nd gen) $50, more
Best of Black Friday – Smart Home: Nest Thermostat $250 + $50 GC, Philips Hue kit $130
Best of Black Friday – HDTVs: 40-inch from $149, Samsung 55-inch Smart $580 (Reg. $1,200), more
Best of Black Friday – iPads, Tablets and e-readers: iPad Air 2 from $360, Amazon Fire $35 (Reg. $50), more
Best of Black Friday – Games: Xbox One/PS4 console bundles, deep discounts on games, more
Best of Black Friday – wearables: Fitbit Flex $59/Charge $90/more, $100 off Apple Watch, Android smartwatches, more
Best Buy’s Black Friday ad brings deals on Apple Watch, Macs, HDTVs, games & more!
- Walmart’s Black Friday ad leak hits with 4K UHDTV deals, iPad Air 2 $100 off, more
- Target previews its top Black Friday deals, launches surprise one-day sale
- Staples Black Friday Ad Revealed: iPad Air 2 from $374, mini 4 $300, more
- Amazon plans dramatic Black Friday discounts for its Kindle, Fire TV Stick & Fire tablet
- Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store is now open for business
- ShopRunner’s 2-day shipping service may be your best friend this Black Friday
- eBay’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday will deliver deals on MacBooks, iPhone, iPad Air 2
- GameStop Black Friday ad leak: PS4/Xbox One bundles $300, new Nintendo 3DS XL $180
- Costco’s Black Friday ad includes deals on Chromecast (2nd gen), Fitbit Flex, more
- Microsoft launches its Black Friday promo early for Xbox Live Gold Members
- Toys R Us Black Friday ad leak: Xbox One/PS4 bundles $300, more
- Sam’s Club Black Friday ad leak: iPad Air 2 Cellular $175 off, Google Play $100 GC $80
- Kohl’s Black Friday ad leak: more PS4/Xbox One $300 bundles, home goods, clothing
- Sam’s Club One-Day Sale: iPhone 6s/Plus $100 off, iPad Air 2 64GB/128GB $150 off
- HHGregg Black Friday: Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless Headphones $100, more
- Sports Authority Black Friday Ad: Free gift cards w/ footwear, FitBit Charge HR $120
- McDonald’s offer nets you a free Big Mac or Egg McMuffin per week for 1 year
- eBay calls on Black Friday shoppers to decide which products will get discounted this year
- BJ’s Warehouse Black Friday ad hits with Samsung 4K UHDTV deals, fitness trackers
- Sears Black Friday Ad: deals on Samsung 4K UHDTV’s, more
- Black Friday ad leaks drop for Lowe’s, Menards, Cabela’s, and more
- Grab 2 free ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ tickets during Black Friday at Kohl’s
- The Office Depot & OfficeMax Black Friday ad doesn’t bring much to the table
MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:
Save on the new Apple TV: 32GB $130, 64GB $180 or 3rd Gen (refurb) for $40 + free shipping
Apple iPod touch (6th gen) in multiple colors: 16GB $159, 32GB $199, 64GB $239 + free shipping
- Bose SoundTrue On-Ear Headphones (multiple colors): $75 shipped (Reg. $90+)
- USB roundup: Anker MFi 3ft Lightning cable $4 Prime shipped, Power Banks from $6, more
- Seagate Backup Plus External Desktop Hard Drive: 5TB $120, 8TB $200
- Portable Solid-State Drives: SanDisk 120GB $60, 240GB $80 + more
- Samsung Chromebook 2 2.16GHz/2GB/16GB SSD: $149 shipped (Reg. $190+)
- Twelve South BookBook for iPhone 5/5s: $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $60)
- NETGEAR DOCSIS 3.0 High Speed Cable Modem: $80 shipped (Reg. $100)
- Toys 20% off – NERF, Melissa & Doug, more + Buy 2 Get 1 free Board Games
- Amazon Kindle e-Reader deals from $50 shipped, Paperwhite $100 (Reg. $120)
- APC Back-UPS 450VA Network 8-Outlet UPS $28 shipped (Reg. $55)
- MacPhun offers up to 85% off Creative Kit 2016 for Black Friday: $89 (Reg. $630)
- Pebble Time iOS/Android Smartwatch: $130 shipped (Reg. $200)
- Home Theater: Samsung 55-inch Smart 4K LED UHDTV $900 (Reg. $1,200), more
- Verizon launches freebies promotion: 1GB of data, $5 iTunes credit, more
- Stocking Stuffer Alert – Anker 31-inch Bluetooth Selfie Stick: $6 Prime shipped (Reg. $17)
- Samsung Bluetooth Soundbar w/ Wireless Subwoofer: $148 (Reg. $228)
- Japanese interactive dictionary app goes free for the first time in years (Reg. $7)
- Download Michael Jackson’s Thriller album for free (Reg. $10)
- JBL Clip or Micro Bluetooth Speakers in multiple colors for $25 shipped (Reg. $40)
- Expansys pre-Black Friday deals: Nexus 5 $200 (Reg. $350), Chromebooks $120, more
- Networking: TP-LINK Archer C5 802.11ac Router + Wi-Fi Extender $105 ($135 value), more
- MacBook felt portfolio style sleeve: $12 Prime shipped (Reg. $17)
- Get your wings and a free can of Red Bull today at 7-Eleven stores
- Monitors: Dell 24-inch $240 (Reg. $275+), LG 34-inch UltraWide $400 (Reg. $460)
- 2-Pack SONOS PLAY:1 Starter Set for $349 shipped ($400 value)
- Media: Holiday classics on Blu-ray/DVD from $4, more
- Decorative Holiday Solar lights: 17-Meter White LED Lights $17 (Orig. $36), more
- Implosion – Never Lose Hope for iOS goes free for the first time ($10 value)
- Apple MFi Certified 3.1A 4ft Coiled Lightning Car Charger $12 (Reg. $20)
- LG 43-inch HDTVs: Smart 4K + $150 Dell Gift Card $600 (Reg. $800+), more
- Adobe Elements 14 w/ download: Photoshop as low as $40, Premiere $60
- Sony 7.2-ch. 4K AV Receiver w/ AirPlay and Bluetooth: $298 shipped (Reg. $400)
- LEGO locations to offer free build sets in-store with registration
NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:
Leica introduces a new low-cost M series camera, but don’t expect bargain pricing
- D-Link takes all the smart things and puts them together in one Komfy light switch
- Curate With Me, Win A Prize: 2015’s Most Coveted Holiday Tech Gifts List!
- The ultimate 4K set-top box battle [Video]
- GENII’s CAST streaming box skirts copyright rules to beam your content to friends
- Pryme Vessyl skips the 8-cup rule for a user specific iPhone-connected recommendation
- Mass Fidelity tries to solve virtual stereo sound with its new Core wireless speaker
- What Watch uses Bluetooth connectivity to tab the memorable moments of your life
- Pulse brings Bluetooth LE + iOS connectivity to a slew of Canon and Nikon DSLRs
- Roku surprises with a new “special edition” streaming media player
- Nintendo announces Zelda Twilight Princess HD remaster, more
Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon, app deals, Apple AirPort Extreme, Best Buy, Canon Pre-Black Friday, Canon T5, Daily Deals, free apps, Gold Box, new Apple TV, video games
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WordPress gets a Mac app alongside completely rebuilt, open-source WordPress.com
Today online publishing platform WordPress, which powers approximately 25% of websites on the Internet (this site included), is getting a major redesign with a completely rebuilt wordpress.com and the introduction of a new Mac app. We’ve been getting a taste of the improvements incrementally over the last year, but today is the company’s official launch.
I’ve been using the app for a few days leading up to the launch and, for what it is, I quite enjoyed the experience, which essentially mirrors what you get from the new wordpress.com. My enthusiasm, however, is keeping in mind that the app essentially feels like the web app in a wrapper, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing once you see how the wordpress.com web app experience has improved with the revamp.
Both the new wordpress.com and Mac app can be used for publishing to sites hosted by WordPress, self-hosted blogs using the open-source WordPress platform, and WordPress VIP customers (like us).
The company gave us some background on the rebuilt wordpress.com and Mac app experience, which is also going open-source today with the launch, noting that the redesign “shifts WordPress.com from being primarily PHP-driven to primarily JavaScript- and API-driven”:
These products were all powered by a project internally codenamed Calypso, and Automattic is now releasing the code open source on GitHub under the GPL v2 license. More than 140 people worked for the past 18 months on Calypso, which shifts WordPress.com from being primarily PHP-driven to primarily JavaScript- and API-driven.
WordPress has more on specifics of the behind-the-scenes changes for developers and open-source contributors on its website here.
And here’s a closer look at the Mac app in action:
You get a similar publishing experience to what you’d get on the web through wordpress.com, which is overall a vastly improved experience if you’re coming from using the latest release of WordPress on your self-hosted blog. The interface itself is a cleaner version of what WordPress has been slowly rolling out on the web in recent months, with access to all of WordPress’s main publishing and sharing features, a Reader mode for distraction free viewing, site stats, notifications, and settings. WordPress notes that users can use the Jetpack plugin to sync their site with the Mac app.
And while I was hoping to see more of a full-fledged Mac app than a mirror of the web app, it’s definitely the fastest and most streamlined WordPress experience so far. You’ll still get the benefit of using the app without a browser (although some features pull you out to a browser, for example, to view your website homepage or admin panel), and that means OS X features like full-screen app mode, system notification badges on the app’s icon in your dock, and navigating the app with OS X key commands, but that’s about it.
But you might not find everything you’re used to exactly like it is on the latest release of WordPress you have installed. Some features aren’t accessible yet like configuring and managing plug-ins. You can download the WordPress for Mac app now (direct link).
Filed under: Apps, Mac Tagged: API, Automattic, calypso, GitHub, JavaScript, Mac App, Open source, PHP, WordPress, wordpress.com
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Square’s new Apple Pay-ready contactless card reader now rolling out
Earlier this year around WWDC, Square announced that it would be selling new hardware that will allow small businesses to easily accept Apple Pay later this year. Now Square is setting up 100 small businesses around the US with their new Apple Pay-ready contactless card reader. These allow customers to pay merchants using Apple’s mobile payment service through iPhones and Apple Watches securely and without sharing credit card information.
While Square has provided 100 local businesses with the new readers, according to USA Today, several customers who signed up to pre-order the Apple Pay-ready devices earlier this summer were recently notified that some orders would not ship until early next year.
We’ve had such high demand for the new Square contactless and chip reader that it’s taking us longer than expected to fulfill every order.
In the meantime, Square has customers who reserved the new readers would not have to worry about the new liability shift around securing transactions.
The new Apple Pay-compatible Square reader works wirelessly through a rechargeable battery, or can optionally plug into a Square Stand USB hub for power.
Aside from Apple Pay and other NFC payment solutions, the new readers also can take payments from new debit and credit cards that use chip and pin (or EMV). Square Contactless + Chip Reader is sold at pre-order for $49.99. Swipe fees start at 2.75.
Earlier this year, Apple partnered with PayAnywhere to distribute a competing solution for small businesses. Similarly priced at Square’s solution, PayAnywhere’s Apple Pay reader is sold in Apple Stores for $39.95 with the first $5,000 in Apple Pay transactions free.
Filed under: Apple Pay Tagged: Apple pay, business, contactless reader, mobile payments, PayAnywhere, Small businesses, Square
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Why ITIL Can Be Dangerous to Business Relationship Management Health
Why ITIL Can Be Dangerous to Business Relationship Management Health
By Vaughan Merlyn
First, let me be clear—establishing robust Service Management discipline is essential ‘table stakes’ for an IT organization with low supply maturity (i.e., one that is not good at keeping the proverbial ‘lights on and trains running on time.’) If your Business Partners don’t understand […]
from Project Management Articles – PM Hut http://ift.tt/1MxNH5Z
via pmhut.com
New Visa ad campaign for Apple Pay starts today in the UK with ‘anticipation’ theme [Video]
Apple seems to be working hard with its card company partners to promote Apple Pay in the UK. Alongside a MasterCard promo offering free travel in London, Visa Europe is today launching a two-month long ad campaign designed to emphasize the speed, ease and reliability of the service.
Featuring a central theme of anticipation, the campaign uses imagery that captures the pause before a primary action – the weightlifter before pressing the lift, the pianist before striking a chord, the chameleon before making a strike – the scenes then snap into the dramatic conclusions as an analogy to how fast, easy and reliable using a Visa card in Apple Pay is in everyday situations such as paying to use the Tube or in a café …
The ads will be broadcast on TV and also shown as promoted videos on social media.
Visa has prepared two versions of the first ad, a London-centric one with a commuter and a rest-of-UK one substituting a cafe for the tube.
Filed under: Apple Pay, iOS Devices Tagged: Apple pay, Apple Pay ad, Apple Pay ads, Apple Pay UK, Visa, Visa Inc.
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9to5Mac’s iPhone Holiday Gift Guide: best picks for every budget
Welcome to 9to5Mac’s iPhone Holiday Gift Guide. Bookmark it or send it to your favorite people, because either you or someone you care about is going to find the ideal iPhone holiday gift inside!
I’m genuinely excited to present this collection to you, because the iPhone is the one Apple product I take everywhere — and couldn’t give up. Since I’ve been using iPhones and their accessories since the first iPhone debuted in 2007, I have a lot of experience sorting the good and great stuff out from the junk.
My iPhone Holiday Gift Guide picks are all best-of-breed options, selected for their combination of reasonable pricing and excellent performance. Whether you’re looking for the perfect case, great headphones, a smart car mounting solution, a battery pack, or a way to improve your iPhone’s camera, you’ll find the smartest iPhone gift picks below…
Cases
Over the years, I’ve become highly partial to a specific iPhone case, because every version has successfully kept my iPhones free of dents and shattered glass. That case is Speck’s CandyShell, and the just-released CandyShell Clear ($35-$40) is the best version the company has ever made. Still built with a hard plastic outside and a soft TPU inner layer, CandyShell makes iPhone insertion and removal super easy, while completely protecting any model against drops. The Clear version is the first one to let your iPhone’s color shine through, and I’ve been using and loving it for months. Consider it the best investment you can make in a practical iPhone case.
The only other case I would recommend as a “more protective” alternative would be Lifeproof’s Frē ($70-$80), and then only if you need waterproofing. Frē is around twice the price of a CandyShell, but if you’re concerned about dropping your iPhone in a pool, ocean, bathtub, or snowpile, it offers additional screen and port protection that will keep your iPhone alive.
Car Accessories
The one car accessory that has become a major part of my daily life is Spigen’s inexpensive Magnetic Air Vent Mount ($9). It includes a strong, circular magnet that attaches to your car’s air vent, plus circular and rounded rectangular metal plates that can be attached to any iPhone case. (If they fit inside the case, great; if not, they have adhesive to attach to the back of the case.) Mounting your iPhone in your car becomes a 1-second process, as easy as touching it to the magnet; GPS still works, too. Spigen makes a very basic case called Thin Fit Hybrid ($14, shown in pink above) with an internal slot to hide the metal plate; I keep the metal plate inside a CandyShell, instead.
Car chargers are a dime a dozen now, but some are better than others. I continue to use and like Just Mobile’s aluminum-barrelled Highway Max ($27-$34) as a dual-port car charger, though I’ve recently been alternating it with Nomad’s unique combination battery pack and car charger Roadtrip ($60). Highway Max has twin 2.1A ports that can charge any iPhone or iPad; Roadtrip has twin 1.5A ports and a 3000mAh battery that are best-suited to iPhone use.
Batteries + Battery Cases
I spent a great deal of time this year compiling a comprehensive guide to the best iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus battery cases, most of which remain compatible with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. But the short “what’s best?” answer when it comes to batteries is “pretty much anything from Anker.” Anker’s Ultra-Slim Extended Battery Case for iPhone 6/6s is only $40 and delivers an over 110% recharge to either of those models with a 2,850mAh battery. Most of the iPhone 6 Plus battery cases out there have issues of one sort or another, but Tylt’s Energi ($80) and Mophie’s Juice Pack ($88-$100) are options; I’d suggest looking below instead.
You can save a lot of money if you don’t need to keep a battery strapped to the back of your iPhone all the time, and as with battery cases, Anker’s standalone batteries have come to lead the industry in quality, capacity, and value for the dollar. The PowerCore 20100 ($40, shown above) offers 7 times the capacity of the Ultra-Slim Case for the same price, while the larger $60 Astro E7 (reviewed here) offers nearly 9.5 times the capacity for $20 more. Either of them can charge an iPhone many times, with juice left over to charge an iPad.
Headphones + Speakers
9to5Mac’s readers love Apple’s products, so it’s no surprise that the latest Beats Studio Wireless (shown above in “titanium”) over-ear headphones and Beats Solo2 on-ear headphones top my list of recommendations. Over the last year or so, Beats have improved in audio quality and become available at more reasonable prices, particularly through Amazon.com. I grabbed a pair of Studio Wireless when they dropped to $270 (down from $350), and the smaller, more basic wired Solo2 now starts at $130 (down from $200). If you’re looking for an Apple-built speaker, the new Beats Pill Plus can be had for under $240; the smaller Pill 2.0 now goes for $150.
If you want to step beyond Apple’s glossy plastic designs, Bowers & Wilkins offers truly luxurious headphones and speakers with higher-end sonics and materials. I’m personally a huge fan of the $400 P5 Wireless on-ear Bluetooth headphones (shown left, reviewed here), which are also available in a wired version called P5 S2 for $100 less. My favorite pair of in-ear headphones is B&W’s $179 model C5 S2 (shown center), which have the best ear stabilizers I’ve tested, and lush, detailed sound. On the speaker front, I just reviewed the company’s new Zeppelin Wireless ($700), which is a powerhouse all-in-one audio system with Bluetooth, AirPlay, and Spotify support — ridiculously powerful, sonically balanced, and aesthetically distinctive. It’s the priciest iPhone-related gift on this list, but worth the cost.
Chargers + Cables
High-quality iPhone wall chargers have come down in price and surged in power over the last year, making it difficult to recommend spending more for mere cosmetic improvements. Anker currently dominates the charging category with excellent options ranging from two to ten ports: for $40, the 10-port PowerPort 10 (shown above, reviewed here) can charge an entire household’s devices at once, though I personally use the more compact 6-port, $36 PowerPort 6 (reviewed here). Pair them with Anker’s surprisingly high-quality $6 Lightning cables, and you’re set to go. If you only need a two-port charger, RAVPower’s $10 Dual USB Wall Charger isn’t fancy, but works well to charge two iPhones (or even iPad Pros) at once.
Portable Video Projectors or Apple TVs
Apple made iPhone screens a lot easier to see with the introduction of 4.7″ and 5.5″ iPhone 6/6 Plus models last year, but if you want to share presentations or videos so everyone can see them, portable projectors or Apple TVs with AirPlay support are a great option. The best portable projectors I’ve covered this year are Sony’s tiny, $350 MP-CL1 (reviewed here, shown above left), which is small enough to fit in a pocket but creates a big-screen HD image, and AAXA’s $450 P700 (reviewed here, shown above right), using an iPad mini-sized footprint to perform videos and audio at 4X the power. Each has a battery and does a remarkable job of projecting video given its size.
The alternative, of course, is to stream your iPhone’s content to an HDTV using AirPlay — for that, you’ll need an Apple TV. Even the 3rd-generation Apple TV ($65 with free expedited shipping) includes AirPlay support, but the just-released 4th-generation Apple TV ($149 with free expedited shipping) adds apps, games, and Siri Remote voice control. Go with the one that fits your budget; I love the newer model.
Apple Watch
While the topic of Apple Watch accessories is worth a whole separate holiday gift guide, it’s worth mentioning that the Apple Watch itself ($349 and up) is expected to be one of the most popular gifts this year, and since it requires an iPhone, it’s technically an iPhone accessory. You can save $50 on any Apple Watch or Apple Watch Sport here; check out my guide to the best Apple Watch stands and docks, too (including Nomad’s Stand, shown above).
Apps
I’m only going to recommend three apps, but they’re all great. Fireproof Games’ The Room Three ($5) is probably the single best iOS game I’ve seen all year, a completely 3D adventure that takes excellent advantage of any iPhone’s graphics, sound, and touchscreen capabilities. Tapbots’ Tweetbot 4 for Twitter ($5) is the ultimate Twitter client, featuring a superb interface and full support for the Apple Watch. Finally, Silvio Rizzi’s Reeder 2 ($5) is the RSS reader I use to canvas over a dozen different news sources at once. All three of these apps are universal, running on iPhones, iPads, and iPods.
Photography Accessories
My 9to5Mac Holiday Gift Guide for Apple Photographers includes a ton of photo and video options for Apple users generally, including a bunch of iPhone-specific accessories. The ones that could make the most difference to you are Olloclip’s 4-in-1 Lenses, Eyefi’s Wi-Fi SD card Mobi, and extenders such as Spigen’s S520 Selfie Stick or Tiffen’s Steadicam Smoothee (shown above). Check out the entire Photography Gift Guide here!
Which iPhone To Buy, And iPhone Trade-Ins
If you’re shopping for an iPhone as a holiday gift, the question of which iPhone to buy isn’t a simple one, but after wrestling with the same choice a few months ago, I’m going to offer an answer. Controversial though this may be, I don’t think the differences between the iPhone 6 and 6s models are important enough (yet) to matter to most people. I personally upgraded from an iPhone 6 Plus to an iPhone 6s Plus, but in retrospect, I could easily have held off (and saved myself some money in the process). As compelling as they may be, features such as 3D Touch and Live Photos still need more third-party support.
As long as you’re not buying a 16GB model — it’s just too little capacity — you can’t really go wrong with any of the iPhone 6, 6s, or Plus models. I would suggest the 4.7″ 6 or 6s if the idea of having a “slightly too big” iPhone in your pocket or hand bothers you — even people who love the 5.5″ model’s screen concede that the device could stand to be a little more compact, tolerating the large size for the bigger display. Only go with an “s” model if you’re a photographer who appreciates the superior front and rear cameras, or if you’re hoping to record 4K videos. Otherwise, the regular 6 and 6 Plus are great, and will save you money.
Last but not least, if you’re looking for a way to raise cash to fund a new iPhone or gift purchase, I’ve put together a guide to trading-in your old iPhone for a new iPhone. The TL;DR version: unless you feel comfortable using Craigslist for a local transaction, save yourself the numerous hassles of online sales and go with Gazelle. You might get a little more from online auction sites, but between flakey buyers, transaction and listing fees, and the need to create and maintain listings, the dollars won’t matter as much as the peace-of-mind you get from just sending your iPhone in and getting guaranteed cash back.
More From This Author
Check out more of my editorials, How-To guides and reviews for 9to5Mac here! I’ve published a lot of different topics of interest to Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, and Apple Watch users, as well as an earlier holiday gift guide for Apple photographers.
Filed under: Apple TV, Buying Guides, General, iOS Devices Tagged: Accessories, gift guide, iPhone, recommendations
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PSA: Got a MasterCard and Apple Pay? Travel for free in London today and the next three Mondays
If you’re in London, have got a MasterCard and haven’t yet started using Apple Pay, today would be a great time to start. The card company has launched a promotion offering free travel in London on Mondays, starting today. Quite a neat way of persuading people to select a MasterCard as their primary card in Apple Pay …
The promo covers tubes, trains and buses. Just use Apple Pay with a MasterCard selected when you touch in and out, and all your fares for the day will be refunded to your card – up to a maximum of £27.90. The offer runs on Monday November 23rd & 30th, plus December 7th and 14th.
Apple has also been highlighting Apple Pay, recently adding a new Guided Tour video to its YouTube channel on how to use Apple Pay on the iPhone. The company already had one for the Apple Watch, but this is the first video how-to for the iPhone. The expansion of Apple Pay to new cards continues apace.
Via Engadget
Filed under: Apple Pay Tagged: Apple pay, London, London transport, MasterCard, tube
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Futurama is set to return – as an iOS game
Futurama fans may have been disappointed when the series ended, but if you want one last venture into the futuristic cartoon world, there’s an iOS game on the way. Fox has teamed up with German developer Wooga to create a game to be entitled Futurama: Game of Drones …
The game takes players on a journey with the Planet Express crew as they fight a desperately imbalanced trade war against longtime shipping rival MomCo. While delivering dangerous cargo to hazardous locations under ill-advised circumstances, players connect groups of delivery drones to solve an array of fiendish puzzles as they venture into iconic environments from the FUTURAMA universe.
Judging by the talent involved, the game should be good: it partners Dave Grossman (Secret of Monkey Island, The Wolf Among Us), Jonathon Myers (Game of Thrones: Ascent) with one of the show’s original writing team, Patric M. Verrone.
There’s no indication yet on when the game will be released.
Via Engadget
Filed under: Apps
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Oneadaptr Kickstarting its own take on Apple’s clever collapsible UK plug, priced from £11
We Brits can occasionally feel we miss out on US-specific tech, but Apple showed us a little love with the extremely clever collapsible plug it supplied with the Apple Watch.
Oneadaptr is now Kickstarting its own take on the idea, with three different Flip models on offer. The Duo has two USB sockets, the Quad four and the Power is a Duo with a built-in powerbank. You can back the project from £11 for the Duo.
The project is currently two-thirds of the way toward its £15k goal, with 25 days to go. The company previously successfully launched the Twist World Charging Station.
I do have to say I cringe when seeing either plug sitting on that iPad screen, though!
Filed under: iOS Devices
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Holiday Homepage Designs: 12 Cheerful Examples From Real Businesses
78% of holiday shoppers used the internet to research gifts last year, and 40% of all holiday shopping happened online, according to Google’s data and research from the 2014 holiday season.
That means a lot of eyes are going to be on your website in the upcoming weeks. The smartest marketers will prepare for this not only for by prepping their website for higher-than-normal traffic on the back end, but also by giving their website design a dose of holiday cheer.
It all starts with the homepage: The first page many people will see when they come to your website. How have other companies redesigned their homepages for the holidays? Let’s take a look.
Note: Businesses change their homepages on a regular basis. The examples below may not be current.
Download more holiday marketing resources to help your business succeed this season from HubSpot’s #HolidayHub.
12 Examples of Holiday-Themed Homepage Design
1) Free People
When your business has a loud personality like American bohemian retail company Free People does, making a big first impression on your homepage can be a great thing. Free People’s redesign is all-encompassing, starting with a large, high-definition image of a model wearing some of their latest winter apparel.
We especially love the embellished font they used in the headline, “First Frost.” For certain brands, decorative fonts like these can be a great seasonal touch to the style of your homepage. (Get tips for using fonts in your web design in our free do-it-yourself design guide.)
2) IRONMAN
You don’t have to completely change the look and feel of your normal website just for the holidays. IRONMAN’s homepage redesign is a great example of small changes going a long way. In fact, all they changed was the header image and text, promoting their IRONMAN ugly sweater collection.
So while it’s easy to get caught up in making sweeping changes, returning users will appreciate your site if it looks familiar to them and works in the ways they expect it to.
3) Sephora
Like IRONMAN, Sephora didn’t make many changes to the overall look and feel of their website. What they did do was feature a holiday edition of their editors’ picks, specially curated for different gift recipients, price ranges, categories, and so on.
By putting editors’ picks front and center, Sephora is reminding customers how much the company values their customers’ success. Plus, we love the simple red bow banner — it’s a cute, festive way to separate modules on the page.
4) Baudville
While seasonal website redesign is often dominated by B2C companies, a few B2B businesses have been known to dress up their website a bit too. Baudville, an employee recognition solution, is one of them.
The changes they made to their website are simple, yet powerful. The banner of colored lights is displayed on most pages of their website, and the sleigh icon beside their shopping cart replaces the normal cart icon we see during the rest of the year.
While some web designers like to add a ton of new elements to their holiday designs, Baudville shows you don’t have to. Something as simple as a string of lights around your logo, snow along the top and/or bottom of your page, or a “Happy Holidays” note in your navigation menu can be enough to warmly welcome users to your site during this time of year.
5) Magnolia Bakery
Magnolia Bakery’s holiday homepage design features gorgeously soft hues of traditional winter colors like green and blue. Users are greeted with a seasonal product image beside a festive flavor of the month. Mmm, gingerbread. Again, this webpage is an example of a business staying true-to-brand with an added holiday touch.
Image Credit: Blue Fountain Media
6) L.L. Bean
For a U.S. outdoor retail company like L.L. Bean, the holidays mean winter — which means cold. (For most of us, unfortunately.) They keep the holidays out of their seasonal redesign completely: The featured photo on their homepage is a picture of the mountains and pine trees covered in show, which is in keeping with their outdoorsy theme. Below is a list of holiday gift ideas. For the more adventurous types, they’ve added a call-to-action near the bottom of the page for “giving the gift of adventure,” which promotes the lessons, trips, and tours the company offers in addition to clothing.
If you’re more attracted to a winter-themed seasonal redesign, consider using winter-themed stock photos for your homepage. You might also consider cooling down the color scheme of your whole site for the holiday season. This means using cooler tones like blues, purples, and greens to give it a more “wintery” feel. (You can read more about cool color schemes in this blog post about color theory.)
7) Man of Many
Festive banners don’t have to be bright reds, greens, and golds to exude holiday cheer. Man of Many found a great way to incorporate typical holiday colors by darkening an image of holiday lights in the banner at the top of their homepage. The image they put behind their “2015 Christmas Gift Guide” call-to-action is delightfully minimal, too: No trees or candles or holly decorating the kitchen table. They did a great job of staying true to brand while still offering great holiday resources for their customers.
8) REI
REI is the master of messaging in this seasonal redesign. The primary call-to-action isn’t just “Deals to save you money!” or “Deals to get you to buy from our website!” No, these are “Deals to get you out” — as in, deals that encourage people to buy so that they can go enjoy the outdoors. Thanks to this positioning, their message feels less like a way to make money, and more like a movement to get people outside.
Scroll below the fold and they hit the point home with their 2015 #OptOutside campaign. As part of a movement to get Americans exploring the outdoors on their day off, rather than spending it shopping, they decided to close down their stores on Black Friday. That’s a powerful message that backs a powerful mission statement: “to empower, educate, and outfit for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship.”
9) Blue Nile
When you’re in the business of engagement rings, what are you really trying to sell over the holidays? The perfect holiday engagement, of course. Their message is the same as it is during the rest of the year: Pick a diamond, look at settings, or check out preset engagement rings. But the subtle message in the header of those calls-to-action is holiday-specific: “Your Perfect Holiday Proposal.”
10) Rent the Runway
The image and header on Rent the Runway’s website are very much in line with the company’s typical branding: A model wearing a gorgeous dress in front of a neutral background, accompanied by a coy message.
However, in this case, the model is wearing a festive, red, lace dress, and the header reads, “Let the Festivities Begin.” This is both attractive to first-time visitors who are greeted with simple imagery and user experience, as well as returning users, who expect a design like this but still appreciate the added holiday touches.
11) Thomas Laine
Not only does Thomas Laine center their homepage messaging around gift giving, a hallmark of the holiday season, but they also clearly promote their holiday shopping dates just below the fold. What a great way to solve for their customers and show they care about helping people get their gifts shipped on time.
12) Warby Parker
Warby Parker stuck to the basics of beautifully simple design in their seasonal homepage redesign. “Winter 2015” is the simple headline, which showcases a man and a woman dressed in winter apparel, set in front of a cool, blue background and a whole lot of negative space.
While their primary call-to-action is still their usual “Shop Now,” you’ll notice a secondary call-to-action as you scroll that offers gift cards. We love how they included the copy “(with a bonus)” on that CTA, which compels users to click to see what the surprise is. Spoiler alert: Turns out you get a crop of decorative holiday buttons with every physical gift card. Everyone loves a free gift, especially around the holidays!
Finally, Warby Parker’s responsive design gives mobile users a pleasant holiday shopping experience. According to Google, 53% of people who shopped online in 2014 used smartphones or tablets, up from 41% in 2013. The numbers are expected to rise this year, especially now that more people are searching Google on their smartphones than on desktop, so be sure your website is mobile-friendly in time for the holidays.
(To see more examples of ways ecommerce businesses have redesigned their websites for the holidays, check out this library of examples on Crayon.co.)
Oh, and one more thing: As you plan your own website design strategy for the holidays, be sure to plan and prepare your site for higher-than-normal traffic. The last thing you want is for your site to go down during a time when you hope to be doing great business.
What great homepage redesigns have you see this holiday season? Share with us in the comments.
Apple celebrates App Store records as it notes iTunes Connect’s usual holiday break
Apple has posted the dates of the usual holiday shutdown of iTunes Connect, running for eight days from 22 to 29 December inclusive. During this time, developers will not be able to submit either new apps or updates to existing ones.
Developers can still schedule apps for release during these dates, but they will need to be submitted and approved beforehand. Other iTunes Connect functionality, such as access to analytics data, will remain available.
In the post on its developer website, Apple notes the record downloads, revenue and active customers for the App Store.
Because of your incredible apps, the App Store crossed 100 billion cumulative downloads. Revenue from the App Store increased 25% year over year, and the number of transacting customers grew 18%, setting a new all-time record. We want to thank you for all your hard work and dedication to our platforms.
Apple announced at the start of the year that developers have now collectively earned more than $10B from the App Store.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: App Store, App Store (iOS), developers, iTunes, iTunes Connect
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The Chinese Apple Stores keep coming: number 27 opens on Saturday
Apple is making good progress with its aim of having 40 retail stores open in China by next October, announcing that the 27th store will be opening on Saturday in the Chaoyang Joy City shopping mall, Beijing. It will be the fifth Apple Store to open in China’s capital city.
Apple has doubled its year-on-year revenue from China for two quarters running, with the country already representing a larger market than Europe and on track to become a bigger one that the USA …
The new store will be open from 10am to 10pm daily, with a grand opening at 10am on the 28th November. It will bring the total number of Apple Stores in mainland China to 23, with a further four in Hong Kong.
The Chaoyang area is home to Beijing’s central business district, as well as the Olympic Park and many foreign embassies. Joy City is a large mall, with many international brands present.
Apple is also working to bring its commitment to clean energy to a country currently notorious for the pollution levels in major cities, with a number of new programs designed to help its suppliers become carbon neutral.
Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple China, Apple Retail Store, Apple Store, Beijing, Chaoyang Joy City, china, Shopping mall
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10 Science-Backed Tips for Rocking Your Next Public Speaking Opp
“I read a thing that actually says that speaking in front of a crowd is considered the number one fear of the average person. I found that amazing. Number two was death. That means to the average person, if you have to be at a funeral, you would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy,” jokes Jerry Seinfeld.
And it’s true. Experts estimate that 75% of the population has some level of anxiety regarding public speaking.
Now, I’m willing to bet that this statistic is troubling for those who work in an industry where delivering presentations comes with the territory. Whether you’ve gotten up in front of a crowd 100 times or are about to encounter your first public speaking opportunity, the entire process can feel pretty overwhelming.
To help you command the positive attention you deserve, we’ve uncovered 10 science-backed tips for nailing your next speaking gig.
Before Your Speech
1) Practice your speech in front of friends, family, and/or colleagues.
Practice makes perfect.
You’ve heard it a million times — and you’ll likely hear it a million more — but when it comes to delivering a speech, it couldn’t be truer. If you’re gearing up for a presentation, seek out opportunities to run through your talk in front of a group of people. This type of repeated exposure will help you become more comfortable in front of a crowd, and give you a chance to work out and revise any kinks before the big day.
“Exposure is hands down the most successful way to deal with phobias, anxiety disorders, and everyday fears of any sort,” explains Stanford neuroscientist Philippe Goldin.
In fact, it has been reported that just a single session of exposure therapy has the power to eliminate and disable one’s fear of phobogenic objects or situations. While practicing your speech in front of a group of people isn’t the equivalent of an advanced therapy session, it’ll surely help you shake some of the nerves.
2) Leverage affirmations.
“I am going to nail this presentation.”
“I am a confident public speaker.”
“I have every reason to be successful today.”
If you are what you eat, then it must be true that you are what you think too, right? Reciting positive affirmations — while it may feel a little silly at first — is a great way to cultivate the motivation and confidence you need to deliver a presentation you can be proud of.
According to US Navy psychologist, Marc Taylor, found that Olympic athletes who practiced both visualizations and positive self-affirmations were better able to deal with the pressures of competition, and were more likely to succeed. Check out the video below featuring a ton of positive affirmations you can try next time you’re preparing for a presentation.
3) Get a good night’s sleep.
While it’s easy to toss and turn the night before you’re set to deliver a presentation or speech, staying up late might just increase your stress levels.
“Not only does sleep help us create and consolidate memories, but it also helps us maintain a healthy immune system, regulate hormones that affect our appetites, and stay energetic when we’re awake,” explains my colleague Lindsay in her article on the science of sleep.
To ensure that you’re feeling your best the day of your presentation, we offer the following recommendations:
- Avoid eating heavy meals at night. Research reveals that food is processed differently during different hours of the day. Avoid eating around bedtime to keep your body from struggling to process those calories.
- Put your phone away. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the presence or absence of light determines whether or not your brain releases the sleep hormone that makes you tired.
- Exercise the morning before. Studies have shown that exercising in the morning or afternoon can make it easier for you to fall asleep that night.
During Your Speech
4) Check your posture.
Imagine that you bought tickets to see your favorite band in concert, but when you got there, the lead singer sat slouched on a stool for the entire duration of the show. Even if he sounded great, it’d probably be a pretty peculiar thing to look past, right?
When presenting in front of a group of people, there’s more to be considered than just what you’re saying. The way you stand, sit, or move around the room has the ability to enhance or detract from the strength of your message and the way people perceive you.
According to social psychologist Amy Cuddy, standing in a “high-power” pose for as little as two minutes can stimulate higher levels of testosterone (the hormone linked to dominance) and lower levels of cortisol (the stress hormone).
To prove this, Cuddy conducted an experiment in which she assigned 42 male and female participants to either a high- or low-power pose group. The results of the experiment revealed that the high-power poses decreased cortisol by about 25% and increased testosterone by nearly 19%. As for the low-power pose group, they saw a 17% increase in cortisol and a 10% decrease in testosterone.
So if you want to look — and feel — more confident, try standing up straighter.
5) Be conscious of your voice.
When you speak in front of a group of people, your voice has the ability to make or break your delivery. Your tone, inflection, tempo, volume, emphasis, and nervous habits all influence the way your message is perceived. For example, the wrong tone might give your audience the wrong impression. An inconsistent tempo might make your presentation difficult to follow. And too many “ums” and “ahs” could prove to be seriously distracting.
According to psychologist Albert Mehrabian, there are three elements that inform first impressions when we are deciding whether we like or dislike someone: words, tone of voice, and body language. He calls this the 7%-38%-55% rule, where words are 7% of the message, tone of voice is 38%, and body language is 55%.
To ensure that your delivery is well received, you’ll want to avoid things like using an upward inflection towards the ends of statements or employing a sarcastic tone when discussing something rather serious. While these crutches often occur as a result of nerves, being more aware of them should help you be more in control.
For more tips on improving your delivery, check out this awesome resource on speaking voices from Toastmasters.
6) Look for a smile.
People always say that when you’re nervous about delivering a speech, you should imagine the entire audience in their underwear. Turns out, finding a friendly face in the crowd will do the trick … and spare you the weird mental image.
According to research on anxiety sensitivity and public speaking, the peak anxiety time for most presenters is the first moment of confronting the room. That said, receiving positive reinforcement during this initial confrontation can help eliminate some of that nervousness.
So if you’re feeling extra nervous, ask one of your friends or colleagues to take a seat up front. Before you begin, look for them in the crowd and make eye contact to help yourself relax.
7) Crack a joke.
Humor in public speaking can often go one of two ways: horribly wrong or delightfully right. However, while there are risks involved in cracking a joke during your presentation, humor can function as a great tool for reducing anxiety, improving mood, and relieving stress, according to Dr. Matt Bellace.
Our advice? It’s not the tool, but the way you use it that will make a difference. For example, before you pull out your best one-liner, keep in mind that the success rate of a joke is highly dependent on context. If your audience is made up of many different cultures or age groups, it’s best to avoid jokes that require background information in order to resonate.
8) Be empathetic.
When delivering a speech, keep in mind that the feelings you convey will often influence the way your audience reacts.
In a study designed to test the influence of empathy on speech ratings, the results revealed that speeches containing high levels of empathy were rated higher than speeches containing low levels. Further analysis of these findings revealed that the empathetic speeches evoked stronger feelings of empathy within those who were asked to rate them, leading them to give the speakers a higher score.
This type of behavior can be tied to the mirror neurons in our brain, which allow us to experience what others experience. For example, when we see someone smiling, it’s often difficult for us to not smile back. In contrast, when dealing with a friend that’s really upset, it’s not uncommon us to become upset ourselves.
So think about ways to be more empathetic with your audience and your subject matter — it could pay off in spades.
9) Make eye contact.
Have you ever been in a situation where the person you’re speaking to refuses to make eye contact with you? There’s something about their shifty eyes that’s a little unsettling, wouldn’t you agree?
While too much eye contact during a presentation might come off as overbearing or intimidating, failing to connect with your audience has the potential to make you appear uneasy or insincere.
In fact, an analysis of patients’ complaints by a large country hospital revealed that 9 out of 10 letters included mention of poor doctor-patient eye contact. For patients, this failure to connect was generally interpreted as a “lack of caring.”
To avoid this notion in your next presentation, make it a point to look up from your slides or notes and connect with people in the audience. While you don’t want to stare down one person in particular, studies have shown that instances of uninterrupted eye contact have the ability to increase likeability.
10) Use visuals.
According to the Social Science Research Network, 65% of us are visual learners. Given this statistic, it should come as no surprise that visual aids serve as a powerful tool for enhancing the impact and influence of a presentation.
Think about it: Would you rather a presenter rattle off 20 statistics about her latest research project, or organize the information into a visual that can be more easily interpreted?
To help you get a better grasp on how to create more visual presentations, check out the following resources:
What are your favorite tips for presenting in front of a crowd? Share them with us in the comments section below.