Best Tech Gadget Gift Guide

Yay Holidays! Need some gift inspiration for your loved ones? We got you! Check out our recommended tech gift buys for 2016.

*Google Home. $129.99

Google’s foray into a home assistant is budget friendly, and  super handy. Have it do the dirty googling for you, stream music, and manage your tasks and smart home features with this voice activated speaker.

On the other side of the home assistant scale, we also have:

*Amazon Echo or Amazon Echo Dot. $179.99 / $49.99

A bit more expensive, or waaaaay less expensive if you consider the Echo Dot, the Amazon Echo (Alexa) has been around for a while now, and is very well respected as a fantastic addition to people’s homes for playing music, providing information, controlling smart home features, reading the news, setting alarms, etc.

The Echo dot is smaller, and isn’t actually a speaker – so you’ll need to connect it to one via bluetooth or 2.5 Stereo cable. Apart from that, it’s a standalone device that still does all of the above.

*Know someone who enjoys music? I’m guessing you probably do. It might be you. These are pretty much the most highly recommended headphones. Bose QuietComfort QC35 Wireless Headphones $349 from Amazon

Noise-canceling headphones, wireless, over-ear headphones with long battery life, and a niiiice sound quality. Pricey but worth it.

*MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and Touch ID. From $1,799

The all-new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and Touch ID is sleeker, lighter, more powerful and feature a great new keyboard,  trackpad, beautiful display and great battery life.  Available with 13-inch and 15-inch display, it features the Touch Bar, which delivers relevant shortcuts and tools for the apps that are in use.

*The RC Lamborghini Veneno from Hammacher Schlemmer. $99.95
This is the RAD AF remote-controlled replica of the exclusive Lamborghini Veneno Roadster.

Whaaaaaa.T

1:12 scale model faithfully reproduces the original from its aerodynamic hood to its bucket seats and gear shift in its “cockpit” interior. The iconic Lamborghini bull adorns the hubcaps and hood, the LED head- and taillights illuminate, and the exterior is painted the same “Rosso Mars” shade as the full-size version. You know you have someone in your life who’d want this.

* GoPro Hero5 Black $399.99 from BestBuy, REI, B&H, other retailers.

If you’re looking to splash some cash this Christmas, and you have an ACTION JACKSON amongst your loved ones, look at the GoPro Hero5 Black. It’s pretty much the premium adventure camera, with voice control, 4K video capture and electronic image stabilization to avoid shaky footage. Plus, you can use it in up to 33 feet of water without any additional housing.

* Roku Ultra. $129 from Amazon $129.00

The Roku Ultra is prettttttuy sweet guys. It delivers 4K content with HDR support for beautiful vision, and it offers more than 3,500 channels, with a remote that has both voice search and a headphone jack for private listening.

* Bluetooth shoe warmers from ThermaCell

Gettin cold, huh? We all have that someone in our lives whose little toesies are always shivering, and this is the answer they will thank you for. Bluetooth Shoe warmers. Check them out.

* Trip on a spaceship with Virgin Galactic $250,000

A gift of making someone into an Astronaut? Yes pelase, on both sides of the gift giving. Very expensive, and with no set date, this one is a little out of reach for most of us, but if you’re reading this and it seems like it’s in reach for you… do it. Just do it. Give someone the gift of being an astronaut. Kind of. 

* Sony Playstation VR. Best Price we saw was $399 with free shipping from Walmart

VR might just be the way of the future, and man, it’s fun. Someone in your life WILL appreciate this. Guaranteed. This is the standalone device, but you can also get the $600 bundle from Amazon that includes the VR headset, camera and two PlayStation Move motion controllers.

*Google Cardboard $15

On the cheaper scale of Virtual Reality, someone in your life will also definitely appreciate this, because it’s amazing. A little harder to source content, but there’s great games and 360 videos out there. You just need a smartphone.

* Nintendo NES Classic Edition $60 Currently sold out at BestBuy and… well, most places. Good Luck!

The NES Classic Edition includes 30 classic games like Super Mario Bros., Mega Man 2, Donkey Kong, Legend of Zelda and Pac-Man. Old-school controller is also included, as well as a newer-school HDMI cable. Weeeeee all the way back to the eighties!

* Spectacles by Snap

From SnapChat, these funky glasses capture 10-second circular videos which you can then share in Snapchat. A friendly light on the glasses shows friends that you’re recording, and the Spectacles charge in the included case.

Because of marketing, these are only being sold in ‘bots’ – traveling vending machines. These are placed in a new location about every 48 hours. A countdown will generally start on the Spectacles website 24 hours before the location is unveiled and there’s no clues before then as to where it will drop.

OR visit the pop-up store in that Snap recently opened in New York City at 5 E 59th St across from the Apple store. The location is open Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on the weekends from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m.

*The 8,000 Stars Home Planetarium. from Hammacher Schlemmer $129.95

This desktop planetarium projects an accurate view of 8,000 stars and simultaneously plays music from your smartphone. Its built-in LED illuminates the ceiling and walls of a room with an accurate view of 61 constellations as seen from the Northern Hemisphere while a built-in Bluetooth speaker connects to a paired iPhone or Android device and plays one’s preferred ambient star-gazing soundtrack. The planetarium’s whisper-quiet motor simulates the turning of the Earth by slowly moving the image and can be sped up or slowed down with five variable speeds and accurately aligns with every day of the year.

ISN’T THAT THE RADDEST THING YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE?

* The Child’s 3D Printing Pen. $99.95

Have your kid create three-dimensional works of art with harmless warm thermoplastic that hardens within seconds.  The pen is powered via the included micro-USB cord and is ready to use in less than one minute. Includes eight color plastic packs (192 strands), eight stencil discs, and a project book.

*The Levitating Bluetooth Speaker. $149.95

Sure, there are a lot  of awesome sounding speakers out there. But this one floats. 

It also delivers impressively robust audio from its full-range 5-watt driver when paired with a Bluetooth- or NFC-enabled device up to 30′ away. Volume is controlled from your device and LED-lighted rings on the base and speaker add a mystical glow.

* Lastly, if you’re thinking of buying a loved one a new iPhone, we’d recommend the iPhone 7 Plus. And then, get them to sell their stinky old iPhone to us so it’s like a double Christmas present. Really. A new iPhone and cash. Wrap these with some friends and family love and you’ve got yourself a rockin’ Christmas!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Tweet at Google for why?

Starting yesterday, if you tweet an emoji at Google,  it will most likely respond with a bunch of relevant and related results. Yay! Words are so overrated, right?

Example: Tweet a burger emoji @Google, and Google will respond with a link to Google search results for the best burger in your area on a map.

The feature will apparently work with over 200 different emoji for food, sites and activities near you. There will also be easter eggs! EASTER EGGS ARE THE BEST.

Try it today!

Samsung might remove headphone jack too

Duh?

Apparently there are credible rumors that Samsung will be following the controversial Apple move by removing the headphone jack from their upcoming Galaxy S8.

There are upsides to removing the headphone jack – creating a bunch (relatively) of space for a thinner sleeker design and new tech improvements, but as we saw with Apple, it can be a decision that consumers will not necessarily be happy with.

Credible rumors are to be taken with the knowledge that they are still rumors, however we’ll find out in February 2017 when the Galaxy S8 debuts at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona.

Oh, and the Apple AirPods? They’re coming… soon. Before Christmas, according to Tim Cook.

Amazon Go

Go into a store, take the food that you need, and walk out. Scan only one item- your smartphone- once.

This is the vision of Amazon Go. A supermarket where you walk in take what you want, and walk out. Everything you take out of the store is automatically (and correctly) charged to your Amazon account. No lines, no food scanning, no checkout.

The first Amazon Go store will open in February in Seattle, with more stores to follow. The technology that allows Amazon to do this? Well, simple, really. Computer vision, deep learning algorithms, and sensor fusion.

Check it out below:

Would you use Amazon GO if it was in your town?

Apple still interested in producing a car?

Even though to most it seemed as though Apple had put their car plans on hold in October, the company seem to have remained interest in the autonomous transportation industry.

According to the guys over at VentureBeat, last week, Apple wrote a letter to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration telling it that “new entrants” to the auto industry should get the same rights as the established companies in the industry.

In the letter, Apple admits to its interest in “machine learning and automation” as it pertains to transportation.

Established car manufacturers do not have to pursue exemptions to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards when attempting to test cars on public roads due to the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.

New entrants in the auto industry, like Google and others, are not granted the same right under the FAST Act.

Apple wants the NHTSA to amend policy to state that seeking exemptions isn’t necessary for internal development vehicles on public roads.

The letter also addresses the Federal Automated Vehicles policy and a proposed data sharing program. From the Sauce:

“Apple agrees that companies should share de-identified scenario and dynamics data from crashes and near-misses, data should be sufficient to reconstruct the event, including time-series of vehicle kinematics and characteristics of the roadway and objects.”

Apple also points out that data sharing should not come at the expense of privacy, and that companies should invest resources to protect the “individuals’ fundamental right to privacy.”

The letter was signed by Apple VP of Product Integrity Steve Kenner, who used to be Ford’s Global Director of Automotive Safety.

Apple issued a statement to Financial Times confirming the letter and Apple’s interest in helping to define rules for self-driving vehicles. Sauce:
“We’ve provided comments to NHTSA because Apple is investing heavily in machine learning and autonomous systems,” the Apple spokesman said. “There are many potential applications for these technologies, including the future of transportation, so we want to work with NHTSA to help define the best practices for the industry.”

Thinking of upgrading? Here are the best ways to sell your current iPhone.

The iPhone 7 is coming!!

Said to be announced early-mid September, with pre-orders starting in the middle of the month,  NOW is the time to start thinking – are you going to upgrade?

Check out what’s coming with the new phone here. 

Do you currently have an iPhone that’s a bit cracked, water damaged, or just a bit old and stinky? Do you want to sell it in order to upgrade to a shiny new iPhone 7?

Here’s your best options:

1. eBay – Check out what iPhones are selling for in past transactions and sell it on eBay! Just make sure you’re aware of the seller fees – use this calculator to find out!

2. Craigslist – advertise on Craigslist and someone in your local area can make good use of your old iPhone. Best for used iPhones instead of broken/cracked iPhones, but worth a shot with those too. Just make sure you’re safe when organizing how to physically give the buyer the phone.

3. Donate your iPhone to a charity. This doesn’t help you upgrade, but it will help you feel all the good feels. We’d suggest Cellphones For Soldiers.

Cell Phones For Soldiers is a national nonprofit dedicated to serving troops and veterans with free communication services and emergency funding. Donations of newer or gently-used cell phones and tablets from all wireless carriers and brands are accepted. Each donated device valued at $5 will provide troops with an estimated 2.5 hours of FREE talk time.

4. iPhone Antidote!  Using coupon code ‘UPGRADE2016’, get an extra $5 on top of your quote when you sell your iPhone to us! Get a quote here and we’ll send you a free mailer box. We’ll send you your payment in your choice of Check, Paypal or Bitcoin and we’re fast, safe and easy. And we’ll give your phone hugs when it gets to us so it doesn’t feel bad.

5, Give it to someone you know that might like it and doesn’t have one of their own! Little sisters need iPhones too, you know.

6. You know how when you go for a run, you’re always scared of your iPhone falling out of it’s little protector sleeve and smashing? Well, once you get a fancy new iPhone, your old stinky one can be used as your iPod for when you exercise! Smash away, friend.

Send us an email if you’re thinking of upgrading or selling your current device and you have any questions! Email us at: iPhoneAntidote@iPhoneAntidote.com

The iPhone 7 is coming SOON!

The iPhone 7 is coming!

How soon? Pretty soon, guys. Specifically, we’ve heard reports that the Apple Special Media Event will take place on Wednesday, September 7th, with pre-orders starting on September 9th and a public launch date on September 16th.

There are conflicting reports that it won’t happen until the 23rd, but we have a funny feeling in or bellies that it might be the earlier date.

Media invites for the event are expected to go out next week, so it’s not long now until we know!

Here’s what we can probably expect for the iPhone 7:

* No Headphone Jack

*Better water resistance

*New design for antenna bands

*Flush, sensitive home button.

*Duel lens Camera for iPhone 7 Plus

*Upgraded Processor.

Are you looking to upgrade to the iPhone 7?

Accessory of the week! Extra iPhone storage!

STORAGE. It’s big, yo. or it’s not, but it needs to be. Everyone wants more storage. Because we need ALL THE THINGS! The music things, the video things, The App things, all the things!

SanDisk might be your new best friend. Because of this:

It’s the new iXpand Memory Case and guess what? It’ll boost your iPhone’s storage capacity. Is that awesome or what?

It’s available for iPhone 6 or 6 Plus with extra storage options of 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB for $60, $100, and $130 respectively and it connects via the lightening port.

Caveat: You’ll need to use a SanDisk app to take advantage of the extra space. But this app can automatically back up your camera roll and password-protect your photos and files. There’s also an optional 1900mAh battery pack that can be attached to the case for $40 extra.

Check it out SanDisk here, and pick one up from Amazon here!

Tesla offer to buy Solar City

In the aim of creating end-to-end clean energy solutions, Tesla has today confirmed it’s intentions to buy SolarCity, with an offer made of between $26.50 per share and $28.50 per share, giving the company a $2.8 billion valuation. It would be paid for with Tesla stock.

This is not a random solar company – Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is also the chairman of SolarCity, and he helped launch the company back in 2006 with his cousins, Peter Rive and Lyndon Rive.

From the Sauce:

“Tesla customers can drive clean cars and they can use our battery packs to help consume energy more efficiently, but they still need access to the most sustainable energy source that’s available: the sun,”

SolarCity shares predictably shot up after the offer, while Tesla stocks were hit a little, dropping by about 12%. What do you think of Elon Musk’s clean energy empire?

WWDC 2016 Roundup

So, if you weren’t able to catch the live stream of the Keynote that kicked off WWDC, what did you miss?

Well, nothing earth-shattering, but there was a number of welcome updates to iOS, WatchOS, TVOS, and the newly named MacOS (previously OS X).

We’re guessing that the number one expected and celebrated update was opening up Siri to third party developers – Just look what you’re favorite iPhone friend will be able to do now. 

Siri is also on your Mac, what. 

MacOS Sierra

*Copy and paste functionality across devices

*Window tab support within multiple apps such as Maps, Mail, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and TextEdit

*Picture-in-Picture feature, found in iOS 9.3 will be brought to the Mac so you’ll be able to float video from Safari or iTunes in a window on the desktop while working on something else.

*The Photos app will have a new ‘Memories’ feature, which automatically creates collections of special occasions like birthdays, weddings, and vacations using people, object, and location recognition. Yikes.

*Also in Photos, the ‘People’ feature will automatically group photos into Albums based on who is in them, while ‘Places’ will display photos on a world map so users can see where they were taken.

*In MacOS you’ll get Optimized Storage, which frees up space when a Mac starts getting full by storing infrequently used items in iCloud

*The Messages app gets an update thanks to the updated features in iOS 10

*You’ll also get an updated version of Apple Music in iTunes, similar to the changes seen in the iOS 10 Music app.

*Siri integration

*Accessibility of files on the desktop and in the Documents folder on any Mac, iOS device, or even a PC.

MacOS Sierra is available to developers for testing today. A public beta will be launched in July, while the final public release is coming in the fall.

iOS 10

*Messages gets a revamp in iOS 10, with a bunch of new features like text balloon animations, invisible ink, enlarged emoji, and handwritten notes. Also included is a native app for Home automation, redesigned apps for Music, Maps, and News,

*A new “rich notifications” system that lets users get more information from various apps without unlocking their iPhone.

* A new feature is a “Raise to Wake” ability that wakes up the iPhone whenever users raise their device to eye level.

*Users on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will get deeper integration of 3D Touch with the new rich notifications.

*Notes will be getting a new collaborative project feature and Live Photos will be able to go through an editing process.

* As in MacOS Sierra, iOs 10 also gets the updated  “Memories” tab in the Photos app that will use facial recognition and geo filters to group together family vacations and special memories. The app will also create slideshows.

*Maps gets larger buttons and typefaces, and the ability to scan your calendar and deliver directions proactively. Apple Maps is also now open to third-party extensions, allowing you to make a restaurant reservation via OpenTable within Maps or calling a ride from service like Uber.

*Apple Music and Apple News both get a redesign, apparently making it easier for users to find the content they want.

*iOS 10 features a new Home app that can control all of their HomeKit devices in one place.

*Apart from making Siri open for developers to play with, with iOS 10 you can use Siri to make VoIP calls, send messages through messaging apps like WhatsApp and hail cabs from services like Uber.

*Bedtime Alarm mode in the Clock app is a new feature that encourages users to set a regular sleep schedule and reminders for bedtime.

*Differential Privacy is another new feature. Starting with iOS 10, Apple is using this to help discover the usage patterns of a large number of users without compromising individual privacy. In iOS 10, this technology will help improve QuickType and emoji suggestions, Spotlight® deep link suggestions and Lookup Hints in Notes.

The developer preview of iOS 10 is available today, and a public beta program will begin in July. Users interested in the public beta can sign up for information at beta.Apple.com. iOS 10 will be available in the fall for free for iPhone 5 and later and all iPad Pro and Air models. The fourth-generation iPad and the iPad mini 2 and later will also support iOS 10.

WatchOS

*Swiping up from the bottom of the Apple Watch will bring up an all-new Control Center with toggles for Airplane Mode, Do Not Disturb, notifications, and more. Swiping left and right willswitch between watch faces.

*Speaking of Watch faces, there’s new ones!  Minnie Mouse, Activity, and Numerals.

*In WatchOS there will be new ways to create and respond to iMessages, including a Scribble feature animations, invisible ink, stickers, larger emoji, sketches, taps, and your heartbeat.

*You’ll be able to share your Activity rings with others for competitive motivation, and receive notifications when people finish workouts or earn achievements.

*New features for wheelchair users: The Activity app now supports a trio of wheelchair pushing techniques for varying speeds and terrain. There are also two new wheelchair-specific workouts and a new “Time to Roll” notification.

*Are Apple Watch users super stressed? They must be, because they’ve introduced a  new Breathe app, which guides you through a series of deep breaths with relaxing animations and gentle taps. A summary provides you with your heart rate and the length of your breathing session, which can be adjusted by spinning the Digital Crown.

*The SOS feature is very cool.  Press and hold the side button and Apple Watch will initiate a call with 911 or local emergency services. It can also send a message with your location to alert your chosen emergency contacts. The feature, which works over Wi-Fi or cellular, includes a medical card with your personal information and any medical conditions.

*Apple Watch now supports Apple Pay within apps.

*Apple Watch can be used with the new Home app for controlling HomeKit accessories

WatchOS 3 is available as a developer beta today. A public beta will be released in July. The free software update will officially launch in the fall.

TVOS

*New Apps including Sling, Fox Sports Go, Molotov TV, and game-based apps like Minecraft Story Mode and Sketch Party.

*Siri will be able to search through YouTube, and search for movies by topic.

* You’ll be able to direct Siri to tune-in to live channels within apps now. For example, if a user asks Siri to “Watch CBS News” or “Watch ESPN,” Siri will instantly open the live feed within the app, rather than transporting the user to the app’s home screen.

*Siri can also manage a user’s HomeKit devices via Apple TV.

*The new Apple TV and tvOS are compatible with the revamped Remote app, which mirrors the abilities of the Apple TV’s Siri Remote on an iPhone. The app, like previous Remote apps, allows users to control their content, but it also allows users to use Siri to control the Apple TV. Users can also use the app to play games on Apple TV and enter text via the iOS keyboard.

*Newly redesigned Apple Music, and Photos for Apple TV  will have the same updates as in iOS 10 and MacOS.

If you want to catch the Keynote, Apple has made the video available for customers here on their website, and on Apple TV.

What did you think of Apple’s Software updates?