Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide

 

If you are trying to avoid the crowded parking lots and packed malls and shopping centers this holiday season, we have complied a gift guide that will allow you to shop from the comfort of your home! While online shopping is nothing new, we have included some great ideas for the techie in your life that cannot put down their smart phone. Some great applications are free and great for use year around, while other useful apps are inexpensive.

Sincerely – Application available on both the Android market and iPhone App store
Sincerely is a great app for the card or photo lover in your life. Simplify sending cards or printing photographs for him or her by gifting them with one of these great apps. Sincerely offers a variety of apps; the Dotti app takes 12 shots and delivers the prints to your door and Sincerely Inc allows users to snap a shot, add a holiday background and submit it to be mailed out. Other great apps allow users to send postcards and photo booth cards.

Epicurious – Application available on iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Phone for free
The holidays and food go hand in hand, but being in charge of the whole meal or even just one item can be stressful. Epicurious is not just a large catalogue of recipes, it makes shopping simple too. Simply add a recipe to your shopping list and it will organize the ingredients by grocery store sections, eliminating emergency trips to the grocery store!

TripIt – Application available on iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Phone for free
TripIt makes traveling easier. Now you don’t have to fumble around looking for your flight itinerary, hotel and car rental reservations that are in three different e-mails. Not only will everything you need be in a central location, you can also track your flight and check your terminal from the app itself.

Back to Basics Toaster and Egg Poacher – Pricing varies
With this 3-in-1 you’ll cook breakfast everyday! Toast a few slices of bread, warm meat and cook eggs all in one device. Not only does it speed up cooking, cleaning is a lot easier with this all in one appliance! Now the smart phone addict in your life can make breakfast without putting down his or her phone!

Seidio’s System of Accessories – Pricing varies based on accessories
Seidio offers a system of accessories for your device. While many other accessory manufacturers focus on cases alone, we want to provide users a system that works together with their device in order to bring efficiency into customers’ busy lifestyles. We develop our Desktop Cradles and Innodock Jr.’s knowing that many professionals like to dock their phones while using the case they purchased to protect their device. Why not make a co-worker, friend, or loved one’s life easier by getting them a system of accessories that fits their device and their lifestyle? Show now at seidioonline.com

 

Seeing blue with Seidio and Shark Week

This week is a great week to be seeing blue. Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week is upon us, and we are able to once again marvel at the cultural phenomenon that has spawned from some of the planet’s most ferocious and misunderstood creatures.

From July 31-August 5th, Discovery Channel will be airing shows like Summer of the Shark, which investigates a series of shark attacks in Australia, and How Sharks Hunt, which highlights the variations in hunting techniques among shark species. Personally, I am looking most forward to a re-run of Shark Week 2001’s Air Jaws: Sharks of South Africa. The cinematography and “wow factor” of this particular documentary featuring leaping sharks is amazing.

Feel free to pick up a blue Seidio case to accompany your week-long enthusiasm for the ocean. Sapphire Blue is one of our most requested colors for phone cases and even for the iPad 2.

Check out the episode guide, Facebook page, and Shark Week apps for more information on how to stay in the underwater loop this week via your television and smartphone. And just for kicks, check out the Shark Cam at the Georgia Aquarium and see if you can spot your favorite toothy friends.

Apps for Texans

Seidio loves having our headquarters in the bustling metropolis of Houston, Texas. Our employees enjoy living in a diverse city that has an active arts scene, youthful nightlife, and a stunning selection of culinary hot spots.

Even though the temperature hovers around or above 95 degrees in the summer, we still venture out to some of our favorite places: NASA, The Houston Zoo, Museum of Fine Arts, The Galleria, Washington Avenue, and the Museum and Theater Districts.

Part of loving our city is embracing the stereotypes that attempt to characterize the entire Texas population. We don’t ride horses to school and don’t all speak with thick accents, but we are still certainly proud to be Texan.

In a vein of good fun, here are some fun Texas-themed apps you might enjoy:

1) Texas Monthly BBQ App (Free)

BBQ has a special place in the hearts of Texans, and asking someone where his/her favorite barbecue joint is a great conversation starter. This app lets you take a look at Texas Monthly magazine’s top 50 places to check out in Texas and allows you to find new restaurants and track your barbecue adventures through check ins.

2) NASA App (Free)

Houston is fondly known as the Space City in some circles, and NASA is a great part of our economy. Stay up-to-date with the latest  in the space world via NASA’s stunning images, videos, and mission updates.

3) Spanish Class App ($2.86)

Texas’s proximity to Mexico lends itself to rich cultural influence from our neighboring country. Spanish is widely spoken in the area and it wouldn’t hurt for all of us to know more of another language if we don’t already. This app isn’t free, but it has great ratings in the Android Market and seems like a great tool if you want to pick up some basics.

4)  Rodeo Houston App (Free)

Every February, Houstonians look forward to the arrival of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The event consists of a couple weeks of livestock presentations, rodeo events, concerts, cultural events, and of course lots of fun and games. If you’re visiting the area between February 28 and March 18 of 2012, be sure to stop by!

* What apps would be interesting to people from your state or country?

Making smart choices when purchasing a smartphone

Buying a smartphone can be a big decision, especially for first-time buyers who are wary of potentially spending over $200 on the phone itself and then having to sort through the maze of data plans. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or seasoned smartie, here are some things to consider when purchasing your next device.

(The following are not in any particular order and links will take you to some helpful resources)

1) What will you be using your device for?
Predict how you will use your device – will you mostly be making phone calls? Texting? Sending emails? If calls are your priority, consider your phone’s talk time and battery life. Also, check out the speaker quality – if you can’t hear your conversation partner, it doesn’t matter how many hours you’ll get out of your battery. If texting  or email is your preferred form of communication, take a look at the keyboard – will you be using a physical keyboard or a touchscreen? How do your fingers feel on the keys?

2) How much emphasis do you place on entertainment and media?
For some users, the ability to access media is a priority. If you like to watch videos and listen to music, look into how much internal storage your device has. Can you expand your storage via SD card? Also important is the quality of your screen and camera. Consider the device’s display and the number of mexapixels offered by your camera. If you’re a budding filmmaker, video resolution and HDMI ports may be something to look into.

3) What other technical specs, add-ons, and accessories are available?
Besides the ever-present operating system battle, there are other “tech specs” to think about. For example, are you interested in a dual-core processor? Dual-core processors are designed with multitasking and intense gameplay in mind, but the average user may not necessarily need that kind of power for the price. What about 3G or 4G? Weight? Size? How much RAM?

App markets anyone? Some might say that apps are the jewelry of smartphones – not essential, but certainly enhancing. Applications can increase your business productivity, help you find new restaurants, keep up with current events, and more. We know that Apple leads the market in app offerings, but the Android Market is right on its heels, with Windows Marketplace and BlackBerry App World following behind.

Finally, while this may not be a dealbreaker, what accessories do you have to choose from? I love my Seidio ACTIVE in Burgundy, but I often wish I also had some kind of alarm clock/charging station/radio hybrid to use at home. If you’re a long distance driver, look into car mounts; if you’re an office professional, look into desktop cradles; if protection is important, look into screen protectors and cases. I know where you’ll look for those!

Other sites to help you with your decision:
CNET Reviews
Engadget Reviews
PCMag Reviews 

Smartphone summers

With summer approaching, conversation about vacations has become more common. Are you taking the road trip of a lifetime? Hitting the beach? Exploring canyons, climbing mountains, or hiking nature trails?

If you are enjoying any of those vacations or are participating in other fun activities this summer, how do you think your trusty smartphone will play a part?

Mobile technology is no longer limited to making calls or sending text messages – the whole world (and what everyone else thinks of it) is now at your fingertips.

If you’d like to make more use of your smartphone while traveling, here are a few suggestions:

– Use your device as a navigational partner – access maps, compasses, trail guides, or even use your device as a GPS for driving, hiking, or geocaching.

– Want to try a new restaurant? Look up locations and reviews on a variety of apps, like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and UrbanSpoon.

– Smartphone cameras are now equipped with more megapixels than my first digital point-and-shoot, so use that to your advantage and save some space in your luggage! Take some photos and videos and share them with your friends and family instantly. Spice them up with camera apps like Instagram or FxCamera.

I’ve also seen folks use their devices to obsess over the weather forecast, locate stars and planets, and even as a flashlight. Mobile devices not only make calls and send text messages, but also can check on flight statuses, find hotel rates, and calculate tips, all while keeping you connected.

Can you part with your phone for a week? Or how does your technological companion help you pursue relaxation and fun?