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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Apple Watch deals from $180, 9.7-inch iPad $250, 12-inch MacBooks from $799, more
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Geekbench developer links iPhone performance to battery age and iOS updates
Last week we reported on the news that a new battery could solve performance issues with older iPhone models like the 6s. Today, Geekbench founder, John Poole, published an article describing his findings after diving deeper into the relationship between iPhone performance and battery age.
A more accessible future: AirPods, hearing aids, and the audio technology to make it possible
Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly stated his belief that technology should be accessible to everyone. For decades, Apple products have shipped with accessibility features, proof that these values are deeply rooted in the company. Apple even launched a dedicated accessibility website in 2016, showcasing the stories of several individuals and how their lives have benefited from accessible products.
One branch of accessibility that’s received an increasing amount of attention is hearing. While iOS has supported hearing aids in some capacity for years, deep integration with the iPhone first became possible when Apple expanded its Made for iPhone (MFi) licensing program to cover hearing devices. Advancements in Bluetooth Low Energy technology in concert with a proprietary audio transmission protocol have been essential in enabling a steady stream of iPhone-compatible hearing aids and cochlear implants to be released.
At the same time, Apple developed an audio product of its own – AirPods. The wireless headphones include advanced low energy technology themselves, powered by the Apple-designed W1 chip. Between the company’s work in both accessibility and audio, Apple finds itself in a unique position to dramatically transform the market of hearing augmentation.
Amazon Prime Video app reportedly set all-time tvOS record for early downloads
If ever a tvOS app was likely to prove a hit, it was Amazon Prime Video. Apple TV owners have had a very long time to wait for it to arrive on the platform, Apple promised it in more than one event, and when it finally did land, Apple heavily promoted it.
So it would be no great surprise if one claim being made for the app were to prove correct …
Stolen ‘Cuphead’ game gets past App Review accompanied by faked developer website, appears to be one of many
Cuphead was a smash-hit game this year, with Studio MDHR releasing on Windows and Xbox. This morning, Cuphead appeared on the App Store with recognizable app icon, screenshots and branding. Except it is all fake. Whilst the game is actually somewhat playable, it is a stolen port of the desktop game and should not be downloaded. Update: The game is no longer available in the App Store.
The criminal who published it to the App Store also made a fake website as the support link, to confuse App Review in believing the game was legitimate. The game has yet to be pulled from the App Store, and sadly appears to be one of many cases from the same unscrupulous person.
US Apple Online Store now offers next-day delivery on all iPhone X models
Well over a month since the phone’s debut, Apple appears to have finally caught up to the demand for the new iPhone X. All models in the US Apple Online Store are now listed as truly in stock; new iPhone X orders will deliver tomorrow.
The combination of strong demand for the new $999+ phone and production difficulties has meant the iPhone X has been supply constrained since launch.
Twitter’s promised clampdown on hate and abuse begins today
Twitter’s promised new rules designed to tackle abusive tweets and posts by hate groups kick in today. The company first vowed to do more back in October, in response to a #WomenBoycottTwitter protest …
Apple increases iPhone prices in India, 256GB iPhone X now equivalent of $1646
Guidelines on limiting children’s screen time don’t matter, say UK academics
If you’ve ever battled with your kids to limit their screen time to the recommended 1-2 hours per day, there’s good news: it doesn’t appear to be necessary.
A joint study between the Oxford Internet Institute and Cardiff University published in the journal Child Development found that there was ‘no consistent correlation’ between limiting screen time and a range of child well-being measures …
Disney’s ‘mega-merger’ with 21st Century Fox likely to face DOJ antitrust probe
Disney and 21st Century Fox have told investors that the proposed $66B merger is likely to take more than a year to complete, and that it will be necessary to get clearance from government regulators.
Key democrats have expressed concern about the deal putting too much media control into the hands of a single company, and called for congressional hearings …
Eight iPads transform lives of students with learning disabilities [Video]
A classical pianist who teaches music at a school in Queens, New York, says that iPads have allowed students with learning disabilities to play music for the first time – and that experience has transformed their lives.
One of the students who had never spoken before not only now speaks, but also sings the solo in a song he helped write …
How to Use Facebook Event Targeting in Your Facebook Ads
Does your page use Facebook events? Want to retarget ads to people who engage with your events on Facebook? In this article, you’ll discover three ways to target audiences using Facebook event engagement custom audiences. #1: Target People Based on Their Connection to Your Event The fastest way to target people who are going to […]
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17 Last-Minute Gift Ideas for the Marketer in Your Life
The days remaining in 2017 are few, and 2018 is just around the corner — things you undoubtedly know already.
But here’s something you may have forgotten about: There’s not much time left to finish up your holiday shopping. (Gasp! We know.)
Maybe you’re a marketer looking to complete your wish list. Or, maybe you’ve got a team of marketers you want to make smile.
To help you out, I’ve searched the internet far and wide (it’s kind of what I do), and found you some of this year’s best gifts for marketers.
Without further ado …
17 Last-Minute Gift Ideas for Your Favorite Marketers
1) Send a Starbucks eGift Card
Once upon a time, Starbucks offered a Tweet a Coffee program, which was retired after testing it in beta. I tried it for the first time earlier this season when Emily Maxie, B2B tech marketer at Very said something nice about our social media tool. I was really thrilled and just wanted to do something nice in return. Tweeting a coffee was an easy, hassle-free way to surprise co-marketing partners, customers, or others. Plus, it was almost instantaneous, so it was a savior for last-minute shoppers.
@emilymaxie, @meghkeaney just tweeted you a coffee! Redeem it now. https://t.co/0X3XIAVK4E
— Tweetacoffee (@Tweetacoffee)
November 21, 2013
Although that program has been retired, there’s still a good alternative: Send a Starbucks eGift Card. Just add a personal message and the amount you’d like to give, enter an email address, and hit “send.”
Where to get it: Starbucks
Cost: Buyer’s choice
2) Blogging Fuel Mug
As comedic writer Dave Barry once explained, “It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity.”
Not only is this mug a good way to keep your favorite marketer sufficiently caffeinated, but its message is also on point. Around here, at least, our marketers love creativity — but we also love precision. And, we love the written word. So when this mug came across our radar …
Source: Amazon
… we knew it had to make this list.
Where to get it: Amazon
Cost: $14.95 + $4.95 shipping
3) “Eat. Sleep. Blog.” T-Shirt
This is a pretty great gig we all have. Sure, there are seemingly unattainable lead goals and endless writing deadlines. But think about it for a moment: Every day, we get to get up and figure out how to capture people’s fascination. It’s an amazing job.
This shirt summarizes that sentiment nicely.
Source: Amazon
Oh, and it’s really comfortable for blogging.
Where to get it: Amazon
Cost: $17.39
4) HubSpot Fleece-Lined Winter Hat
We’re not sure how the weather looks in your neck of the woods, but around the holiday season, it starts to get cold where HubSpot is headquartered, in Boston.
It’s sweater weather. Hat weather. Fleece-lined hat weather, to be specific.
Luckily, HubSpot has a hat for that.
And while you’re at it, check out these other last-minute gifts from the HubSpot Shop:
Where to get it: HubSpot Shop
Cost: $15
5) “But First, Coffee.” T-Shirt
It’s best to wear your priorities on your sleeve … er … torso. This cozy T-shirt puts your working style out in the open. In fact, it may double as a signal for the best way to bribe you for extra work.
Don’t work in a jeans-friendly office? Nothing a blazer and nice pants can’t fix (she writes as if she has actual fashion sense.)
Where to get it: Skreened
Cost: $29.99
6) Mophie Smartphone Case
A few years ago, a group of HubSpotters got these cases while working long hours at the INBOUND. But they’re not just any cases — they’re Mophie smartphone cases.
Mophie is a smartphone cover that also doubles as extra battery life.
Source: Mophie
They’re a little clunkier than the standard phone case, but they can extend your phone’s life by 100% or more. If you know a marketer who is often working on the road.
Where to get it: Mophie
Cost: About $100, depending on variety
7) Book Cover Laptop Case
Rumor has it writer Jorge Louis Borges used to sleep surrounded by books. He’d crawl into bed with stacks of them on either side. His last scent before sleep would be that of open pages and intricately worded lines.
Source: Twelve South
This isn’t quite as poetic, but it’s close.
This laptop cover would be a good fit for the bookworm on your team.
Where to get it: TwelveSouth
Cost: About $80
8) Subscription to a Streaming Music Service
Okay, so music may not make you smarter, but it does make you happier. And isn’t delight what we’re really after here?
Many marketers already listen to streaming music while they work, but without a subscription, that streaming music is typically limited or interrupted by commercials.
Buying your marketing friend a subscription to a streaming music can get rid of all the commercial interruptions and just leave them with good working music. We’re inbound marketers — thus, we hate commercial interruptions.
Here are a few options:
- Pandora: $54.89
- Spotify: $9.99/month for Premium
- Apple Music: Plans start at $4.99/month
- Google Play Music: Plans start at $9.99/month
9) @TwitterName Necklace
It might be a bit excessive, but it’s also kind of awesome. Here’s a gift for the social media strategist who has single-handedly grown your company’s Twitter following from 15 to 500 and beyond.
Source: Etsy
If jewelry isn’t the right gift, there are also a range of social media coasters.
Where to get it: Etsy
Cost: $43.99
10) 1Password
Welcome to secure accounts on the internet. Your password must be 15 characters long with at least two capital letters, three symbols, two numbers, and at least one variation of the Jabberwocky poem.
Nope, that won’t work. And it can’t be the same as any password you’ve used since junior high school.
If you could spare the marketer in your life this frustration, wouldn’t it be a happier new year? Take a look at the 1Password app. It will create and store all of your passwords securely and enable you to log into your accounts with one click.
Where to get it: 1Password
Cost: Plans start at $2.99/month
11) 99U Essays: Manage Your Day-to-Day
One of my favorite books, this collection of essays from 99U, focuses on how to develop a habit of creativity in your work and personal life. It gives you tips on how to put your creative work first and fend off a stream of endless emails, texts, and other interruptions.
Source: 99U
With an average 4.4-star rating on Amazon, this book offers concrete ideas for getting more out of your daily routine and finding the right moments for creative, complex work.
Where to get it: Amazon
Cost: $10.99
12) Freelancer Tools From WriterAccess or Zerys
While they don’t do gift cards, you could help a freelancer’s life easier with tools from WriterAccess of Zerys. Create a gift certificate yourself and wrap it up in a bow: Good for one day of reprieve from creating content.
Where to get it: Zerys or Writer Access
Cost: Varies
13) Premium Versions of Productivity Apps
Marketers use all sorts of freemium tools to organize their time and plan campaigns. Find out what online apps your marketer uses to make his or her day-to-day easier with access to all the bells and whistles for a year.
Here’s a breakdown of some popular ones:
- Evernote: Evernote is a repository for just about anything: ideas, articles, documents, photos, marketing examples. You can use the tool on your phone, desktop, and tablet, so it goes where you go. The big benefit of Evernote is how searchable it is. You can search documents or even the words in a picture to quickly retrieve your content again. The premium version gets you more storage, better search, and an interesting presentation mode. Cost: $69.99/year
- Dropbox or Box: We all could use a little space. Help your marketer out by upgrading their Dropbox or Box accounts to a pro version. Cost: Varies
- Feedly Pro: When Google Reader closed its doors, Feedly was widely adopted as the replacement RSS reader. Feedly Pro is a more powerful version of Feedly with one-click integrations, custom sharing URLs, and full support. Cost: Plans start at $5.41/month
14) Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Can you really put a price on peace and quiet? Turns out, Bose can: At a minimum, it’s about $180. Yikes.
But if you can get over the price, this is an amazing gift for anyone who needs to focus throughout the day. Noise-cancelling headphones put your marketers in their own cozy and uninterrupted lead-generating world.
Whether they listen to Mozart or Modest Mouse, these headphones give marketers a chance to block out everything but the work ahead of them.
Where to get them: Bose
Cost: Models start at $179.95
15) Class Reimbursement
For intellectually curious marketers, think about giving them the combo-gift of classes plus the time to learn a new skill.
There are a number of low-cost and free online classes and tutorials out there for people looking to code (Codecademy), design (Skillshare), or acquire other relevant skills. The trouble is finding the time.
If you really want to thrill a marketer on your team this season, give them the classes plus an approved block of time each week to dedicate to the lessons. Wrap it up in one package.
Where to get it: Check out Code Academy and Skillshare, plus your local continuing ed classes. Then, help your favorite marketer figure out how to make the class time possible.
Cost: Varies
16) INBOUND Tickets
Surprise! It’s not too early to buy tickets for INBOUND 2018.
INBOUND is an industry event like no other. Of course, I would say that, because as a HubSpotter, it is the center of my life in August and September. But as it turns out, others think so, too.
Darby Tinch of Mohawk Home said, “This was by far the best conference I’ve attended in a very long time. Not only was it the recharge I needed professionally but also on a personal level. It has been a long time since I’ve been this excited about my career. I cannot wait until [the next] INBOUND!”
Where to get it: INBOUND
Cost: Tickets will be available at a special early bird price in January.
17) Donation in the Marketer’s Name or Honor
If none of the above seems like a fit, consider a donation in your marketer’s name or honor. Donations are a personal thing, so be sure you have a sense of the issues your marketer cares about. But once you do, a gift in his or her honor can be really meaningful.
Where to get it: Because the donation should reflect the gift recipient and there are so many nonprofits we care about here at HubSpot, I’m going to leave the door open here and not make any specific suggestions. Talk to the gift recipient and see what they care most about.
Cost: Whatever amount you see fit.
There’s your starter list. There are dozens more ideas out there: subscriptions to magazines or journals, lunch from a local restaurant, or a plethora of other gift certificates anyone would love.
AirPods sold out from Apple & other retailers until 2018, frustrating last-minute holiday shoppers
As we enter the final stretch of holiday shopping this week, Apple’s AirPods are again facing supply issues. After once improving to 3-5 day delivery, and even quicker in some cases, you now won’t get them in time for Christmas if you buy straight from Apple…
Phil Schiller recounts Apple’s 2017, attributes recent software bugs to a ‘bad week’ in new interview
After a pair of interviews earlier this month, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller recently sat down with The Telegraph to talk about his on Apple’s latest and greatest products in 2018, that really bad week for software bugs, and more…
This week’s top stories: The iMac Pro is here, Apple acquires Shazam, and more
In this week’s top stories: The insanely powerful iMac Pro is officially here, Apple acquires Shazam, hope for jailbreak fans, a tip for speeding up older iPhones, how Apple Watch saved a man’s life, and more. Read on for all of this week’s top stories… more…
Logic Pros: What’s new in iOS & Mac music production this week
This is the place to catch up on all the biggest product announcements, hardware, apps, synths, Logic/GarageBand instruments and so much more in the world of iOS/Mac music production. This week, one of our favorite plug-in makers has released a massive new FM synth for Mac, IK takes its analog emulations to iOS, apps that turn your Trackpad into a MIDI controller, and, as usual, more free instruments… more…
Bombshell letter from former Uber employee outlines company tactics of wiretapping, bribery, more
As part of its ongoing litigation with Alphabet’s Waymo self-driving unit, a new letter from Uber’s former manager of global intelligence makes startling accusations towards the ride-hailing company. The letter alleges that Uber engaged in a series of surveillance activities and corporate espionage…