Besttechie

In 1995, a New York Times article by James Gleick offered a glimpse at the future of the Internet of Things by focusing on a hot tub located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Paul Haas, a pioneer in connecting machines and systems to the burgeoning internet, ran 50 feet of Ethernet cable to a set of sensors that returned the temperature of his hot tub. Connecting vending machines, CD players and other devices to the internet so that users could check on their status or even manipulate was an early 1990s trend that would eventually develop into the IoT. These days, device manufacturers are constantly th

If you have ever bought anything online, and chances are that you have, you undoubtedly had to use some type of payment option. There are many different kinds, with varying levels of functionality, security, flexibility and compatibility. You can usually just use a credit card to pay for nearly anything online, and if you use a modern service and a decent bank to back your card, you should have the extra protection of 3-D Secure, such as MasterCard SecureCode or Verified by Visa. These technologies make it virtually impossible to spy on your information. But what if you don’t want to input an

For a tech startup, the first few years are critical to its growth. You need to do your research, target the right customers, create a product that meets the needs of the market, and develop a solid marketing strategy. Most importantly, to stay relevant, you need to keep pace with the ever-changing IT trends and adapt your product to them. But, no matter how important all those steps are, none of them are possible if you don’t establish a solid financial management strategy first. Of course, managing finances is not only about getting your startup funded. This is just the beginning of your jo

Most of us are familiar with the Clorox ad campaign that shows David Hasselhoff (Baywatch) visiting random people’s house and cleaning up for them with the help of Clorox supplies. The ad campaign shows that cleaning doesn’t have to be a hassle and was well-promoted through a series of Vine videos, Twitter posts and the trending hashtag of #HassleOffDay. A few lucky families also got a chance to have their house cleaned by the Hoff through a lucky draw contest. As a result, the campaign’s videos received more than one million views while the hashtag was tweeted 12,595 times on Twitter. Above a

As someone who is currently looking for new job opportunities I pounced at the chance to learn more about a new startup that’s tackling hiring called Uncommon. The company was founded by Amir Ashkenazi and Teg Grenager, two veteran entrepreneurs with extensive experience building B2B products and who had previously worked together to start the programmatic video advertising startup Adap.tv, which was acquired by AOL for $405 million. Ashkenazi also founded Shopping.com, which was acquired by eBay for $634 million. Having built successful companies in the past the two of them realized how diff

So you’ve decided to add PPC (pay-per-click) advertising campaigns to your marketing mix. Most likely, you’ve engaged several firms and received a few elaborate proposals, all offering competing strategies. I’ll bet there are firms telling you awareness and engagement are your goals. Their campaigns will get you in front of people’s eyes and build your brand. They say awareness and engagement are less expensive than lead generation and can enhance your other marketing and sales efforts. It takes five to seven touches (times a person comes into contact with your brand) to close a deal. I’ll b

Each and every business has the same primary goal – to gain as many customers as possible and to turn over a profit at the end of each year. Whether or not a business is able to reach this particular goal is completely dependent on what they offer their customers and how they offer these products or services to their customers. Another important factor that has a significant effect on how successful a business can truly be is their marketing strategy. When a business spends time, effort and usual money on promotional strategies, then they are able to win over customers and grow – but only when

Due to the tone of many news articles from major sources, people would quickly conclude artificial intelligence (AI) is an extremely promising technology that could help humans reach the places they need to go by car, buy items with greater efficiency and much more. Some analysts even say AI will change the world as we know it. Add machine learning — which is a specific type of technology under the AI umbrella — into the mix, and it’s easy to see how formerly arduous or repetitive tasks such as legal research or maintaining a tidy inbox become significantly more manageable. Most people would

It was reported late last year that Google would be offering various improvements in Chrome 64 to help quell user concerns over website’s that autoplay videos–especially those that do with the sound enabled. I know first hand that I’ve been nearly scared out of my chair one too many times because of autoplay videos with the sound on. The new improvements in Chrome 64 are supposed to allow users to mute specific websites from being able to play sound on their computer. There’s just one problem: the feature only works on a site by site basis. In other words, while the setting to have autoplay c

Google is a digital titan and you don’t want to mess around with it. The company established a full set of rules that you must respect in order to keep your online business alive. Following these standards, you get the opportunity to compete with other companies in a cyber market. But if you don’t, Google will penalize your website. It is not necessary to explain too extensively the consequences of Google’s discipline measures. They will immediately hurt your project and you will have to invest a lot of time (and money) to get back where you once were, while competitors will be a long way ahe

Did you receive a strange link from one of your Facebook contacts today? Stay alert: you may be the target of another hacking attempt. There are malicious people out there who want to decode your Facebook account or login to your Instagram account without a password in an effort to spread malware and infect computers around the world. Many of these hackers are gaining unauthorized access to your friends accounts and are using their accounts to try and trick you into infecting your computer with malware. Here’s how to spot hacking attempts on Facebook Many Facebook users have started

We just got in the Promise Pegasus3 R6 and did a little unboxing video. The Pegasus3 R6 is a 6-bay hardware RAID enclosure with dual Thunderbolt 3 ports allowing you to daisy chain up to six additional devices. Promise also offers two other models, the R4 (4 drive bay) and R8 (8 drive bay). The company recently started offering a “build to order” (BTO) option which allows customers to select from various configuration options including hard drives and solid state drives. Pricing for the BTO models starts at $1,499. Pegasus3 R6.The R6 model that Promise sent to us included 4 2TB SSD’s and 2

Anyone with a creative spark knows full-well that staying motivated all the time is quite a challenging feat. Sometimes your creative juices stop flowing and you may not be up to task, be it writing, coding or designing. “Creative block” is often considered a non-issue, since it’s all in the head. But staying inspired and clear-header is nigh impossible, especially in the modern age. The best that can be done is getting regular sparks of creative brilliance. Now THAT is definitely possible. It’s normal for people to face periods of lackluster creativity, when there’s absolutely no desire to

If you’re in the market for the best wireless headphones for the geek and/or audiophile in your life (or for yourself), we have the perfect list of headphones for you to choose from. Best Wireless Headphones Bowers & Wilkins PX WirelessBowers & Wilkins PX ($399) – These are currently my favorite wireless headphones–they offer impeccable sound and have some of the highest build quality I’ve ever seen in headphones. The Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless come in space grey or soft gold, both finishes look incredible. Check out our complete review here. Sennheiser PXC 550Sennheiser PXC 55

A few weeks ago, our very own, Jeff Weisbein spoke about how smartphone addiction isn’t real. The argument was simple: smartphones have become so prominent in our lives due to them replacing much of the other devices or means of getting information. For instance, Jeff mentions that unlike in the 1990’s, where newspapers and television were still the standards from where to get your news, today most of us check the latest news with a click of a button on our mobile phones. We can also watch a movie, call or send an email, check the time, update our calendar and even play games – all in one pla

Probably everyone except me has broken their smartphone’s screen (and I type that knowing I’m now going to become a victim of a broken phone screen). The cell phone repair business is estimated to have generated $4 billion in revenue in 2016 and analysts peg the industry to continue to see growth of three percent or more per year. That’s a lot of broken phones. As you would expect the most common repair for a phone is replacing a broken screen. When it comes to finding a reputable person or company to fix your smartphone that’s where it can get a little more complicated. There are many cell p

Not long ago, the idea of controlling various items around the house through your smartphone or even by making a voice command into a nearby device may have sounded like a science fiction concept. However, technology has evolved considerably in recent years, and smart home technology is a reality. More than that, it is increasingly commonplace. Smart home technology allows you to control everything from your appliances and HVAC system to your doorbell, blinds, clocks, lights and many other devices through an Internet connection. While you can command these devices to turn on and off or to fun

When it comes to aging parents, anything that can make their life easier, more comfortable, or more convenient is worth considering. If you looking to buy your loved one a birthday gift, or simply want to give them something they can use around the house, the six gadgets below are great options. Though you may be drawn to the latest smartphones and tablets, the features and benefits these devices provide may be lost on your parents or grandparents. Instead, focus on practicality and usability – do so and you’ll find that you can’t go wrong. Amazon Echo It’s worth noting upfront that Amazon

Time management is one of the areas that many entrepreneurs struggle with. There are often many urgent tasks that must be accomplished within a set period of time, but there is seemingly not enough time in the day to tackle everything. After all, everything from conducting market research and collaborating with strategic partners to managing your finances and attending meetings requires your attention. Today’s entrepreneurs who embrace technology can simplify their lives in many ways. Simplification could lead to saving your both time and money. There are easy-to-use apps that can assist you

The 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that ran January 9-12 was the place to be to see all the new technology that’ll soon be introduced to the market soon. One of the biggest trends was tech for pets and their owners. The following are the five best pet-friendly gadgets that all pet owners are going to want in their lives. 1. PetMio PetMio combines a smart tracker, smart food bowl and personalized diet solely for your pet to make sure they’re living their best life. The tracker on the collar provides info on their activity levels, as well as anything unusual to help a vet figure out if an

Mobile gaming has been around since the days of the Microvision, the world’s first handheld console released in 1979 by Milton Bradley. Ever since then, there have been dozens of mobile gaming devices of varying popularity – including Game Boy, Nintendo DS, PSP – but none of them had really managed to replicate the experience of a home console or computer. Nokia attempted to enter the mobile gaming market in 2003 with their N-Gage gaming phone, but the phone fell short of mobile gamers’ expectations. It wasn’t until the smartphone revolution came about with the advent of the iPhone that mobil

The advancement of phone technology has made it extremely easy to constantly connect to the world around us. We can talk, text, and reach our friends with the blink of a wifi password. Unfortunately the one thing that hasn’t changed is how we make phone calls. Going abroad and having to do something as simple as make a dinner reservation, becomes difficult and costly. International calling rates are still high, and although we can now make in-app phone calls between users (like on WhatsApp), there is still the friction that exists when needing to call landlines from abroad. Until now. Vibe

Content marketing is a critical requirement if you want to grow your business online. It allows you to improve the visibility of your business and position it as a thought-leader. Also, great content ranks well on search engines for the right keywords and helps drive highly-qualified visitors to your website, who might eventually become paying customers. In fact, did you know that business are spending up to 28% of their marketing budget on content creation and production? However, today’s readers are looking for in-depth, informative and visually appealing content that delivers immense value

Can we please stop with this idea that “smartphone addiction” is a real thing? For most people, smartphones have two main functions: communication and entertainment. And in my view, any function which a smartphone has taken over for us are simply because they have replaced an older way of doing that thing. For example, with smartphones you can read the news without needing an actual newspaper or magazine, play a game without a console, watch a movie or TV show without a TV, call someone without a landline, communicate with a friend on the other side of the country without having to mail a l

The internet is incredible–I don’t think anyone would argue with that statement. However, as incredible as it is, it can also be dangerous. Internet security is becoming more important as more people put more of their lives on internet connected devices and that’s where Bitdefender BOX comes into the picture. The folks over at Bitdefender have been in the security business for over 15 years (the company was founded in 2001) and their latest product isn’t software-based but rather a hardware solution that sits in your home to keep you and devices safe and secure. What is the Bitdefender BOX? T