I recently picked up a few new Kate Spade Tech items that I thought I would share with you all since I know many of you who read my blog also enjoy Kate Spade accessories and the like! I have actually purchased quite a few new items from Kate Spade in recent weeks and if you would like to see my entire Kate Spade Haul, click here! Now, of course, since I am tech obsessed, some of my favorite items are always technology related and I did pick up a few new cases and an absolutely adorable speaker as some new desk swag for myself.
If you are interested in more information about these items, feel free to click on the interactive image above for direct links to the products. As usual, links are affiliate, so if you make a purchase, you will be supporting the blog and I am very grateful for your support!
So, have you picked up any new tech gadgets or accessories lately? Let me know in the comments below!
Have you guys submitted your #EVSelfie to Twitter or Facebook and tagged @ElecGen for a chance to win a $250 gift card? What are you waiting for? All you have to do is snap a photo or video of yourself with an Electric Vehicle or some symbol of EV Culture (a charging station or a sign)! Remember, you can use this website to find a local charging station or you can do what I did and take a test drive of one of the many EVs available on the market! Let me tell you, its an eye opening experience that will totally change the way you look at Electric Vehicles!
Last week, I went on my test drive of the Nissan Leaf and had a blast learning about and actually driving the vehicle! Of course, I made a video documenting my experience which I am going to go ahead and link below, but I also wanted to take some time to give you guys some interesting facts that I learned from my test drive!
EVs are AFFORDABLE! They are pretty competitively priced with other similarly sized vehicles and the Nissan Leaf that I tested was filled with cool technology and really felt like a luxury vehicle!
EVs are money and time savers! Driving an EV instead of a gas vehicle will save you nearly $9,000 over the course of 5 years and you never have to waste time at a gas station. Fill up on electricity at home to the tune of $550 dollars of year for the electric (based on driving 15,000/year) and say bye bye to oil changes, tune ups and transmission problems!
EVs are perfect for the modern commuter or two-car family. With a range of 75 miles for a full tank, you have plenty of power to get yourself to and from work as well as a few pit stops for shopping and activities!
I go into much more detail in my video, so if these fun facts are piquing your interest, I suggest checking it out! And don’t forget to take your #EVSelfie! I am telling you, once you open your eyes to the world of Electric Vehicles you begin to notice them everywhere! From charging stations at your local convenience store, to EVs parked in a neighboring driveway, they really are more prevalent than you think!
So, will I see your #EVSelfie before the June 26th deadline? Feel free to tag me @MissTrenchcoat as well in your entry so I can check out your pics and videos as well!
Yesterday was Apple’s Keynote at WWDC. WWDC stands for Worldwide Developers Conference and it is a yearly event held by Apple filled with informational sessions dedicated to programming and developing for Mac and iOS devices! A majority of the goings on at WWDC are not newsworthy events for most of the world, but the keynote is always popular because Apple often uses the keynote as an opportunity to announce major updates to software, and in previous years, new hardware like the iPhone, which was announced at WWDC in 2007! As expected, this year’s keynote did not announce any new hardware, however, the impending OS X upgrade was certainly foreseen and to the surprise of no one, Apple announced the successor to OS X Mavericks, Yosemite! Apple also took the opportunity to announce the newest upgrade to their mobile platform with a sneak peak at iOS 8!
Now, although there were quite a few new items discussed during the keynote, for most of us, there were really only a few major changes that the average user may notice. Here is my top ten list of items I think would excite any Mac User!
The new user interface (UI) of Yosemite is very similar to iOS 7 with the translucent layering and self adjusting color pallet. Apple has even integrated a “dark mode” into Yosemite for those who do not enjoy the bright UI or may do a lot of work at night.
The iOS Messages App will now have some new group text options that include a Do Not Disturb mode and the ability to leave a thread when you’re no longer interested.
Spotlight has new features that integrate it to the web, which include an awesome movie search function and Wikipedia results in search on both Macs and mobile devices.
The Mail app is getting an upgrade called Mail Drop that allows you to email attachments up to 5GB! Mail on iOS is also getting some great gesture upgrades to make working on your mobile device a much more streamlined experience!
Doc Sync in iCloud will now support Windows so you can work seamlessly with non-Mac friends, family and colleagues.
Due to energy management upgrades in the software, you will get an additional 2 hours of battery life while streaming shows from Netflix in full HD in Safari!
A new feature called Continuity gives you the ability to start working on one Apple device and move to another device without loosing information or having to sync projects! This same feature will also allow you to answer and make phone calls from your Mac as long as your iPhone is nearby!
New predictive text upgrades, a voice messaging feature and the integration of third party touch keyboards will make typing on your iOS device a much more personalized experience.
There have been some awesome upgrades to Apple’s built in Photo Editing Software!
Yosemite is a FREE upgrade, so there is really no reason not to take advantage of all these great new features and more upon its release this fall!
When I was younger, I had high hopes for what life would be like when I was an adult. I was pretty sure that by the time I graduated college, the human race would have colonies on far away planets (or at least the moon), we would all wear clothing that slightly resembled a space suit and we would drive electric-powered flying cars. You can blame Disney World, television, and books for my overactive imagination, but I am beginning to realize that the reason none of those things exist is because, we, as the population of Earth, haven’t prioritized those sorts of endeavors. The technology exists or it could exist if we actually started demanding it from our leaders and businesses. Technology currently has the power to solve many of our day-to-day problems, but most of us don’t realize it’s out there. Heck, I really thought that by now we would all be driving around Electric Vehicles to save our wallets and the planet from the dependence on gas!The truth is though, there are plenty of people who are living this dream right now and we all could be if we just educated ourselves to the presence and growing popularity of Electric Vehicles aka EV’s!
That is why I have partnered with the Edison Electric Institute (or EEI for short) to help raise awareness for the EV Movement. Whether or not you realize it now, EV’s are everywhere! And I’m not just talking about the glamorous Tesla Motors Model S that has been making headlines lately, but a variety of other manufacturers now make EVs as well! There is the Honda Fit EV, Nissan Leaf, Toyota Rav4 EV, Mitsubishi e-MiEV, Electric Ford Focus, Fiat 500e, Smart fortwo Electric Drive, BMW i3, and the Chevrolet Spark EV to name a few of the most popular. That’s a lot of Electric Vehicles available on the market, so why don’t more of us drive them? Price can’t be the issue because most of these vehicles are actually competitively priced with other similar sized gas-powered vehicles, not to mention the amount of money you would save on gas over the life of the vehicle is nothing to roll your eyes at. Okay, what about charging stations, the electric equivalent to gas stations? Surely, those must be few and far between or you would need to pay an arm and a leg to install some special charger for your vehicle? Nope. Charging stations are actually more prevalent than you might know. I have no less than four within a 5 mile radius of my home. Use the PlugShare website to see how many are near you. Speaking of home, you don’t need to install any high-tech, high dollar charging unit in your garage to fill up your electric tank overnight, because most EVs can charge off a standard household outlet! Seriously, that’s even more convenient than having a gas station down your block, when was the last time you were able to gas up in your own driveway? Hmm, so we’ve covered that EV’s aren’t prohibitively expensive, and that charging them is more convenient that you may have original guessed, so what else is stopping you from switching out your gas guzzler for an EV? What about maintenance costs? An Electric Vehicle sounds pretty high-tech, maintenance is probably going to cost an arm and a leg, right? Wrong! Think about it, without a gas engine, an EV doesn’t need things like oil changes or tune ups, they don’t need fluids drained or gas filters replaced. They just don’t have most of those parts that routinely break! What they do have, however, are tires just like other cars that need to be replaced similarly to gas-powered cars and they have brake pads that actually ware down at half the rate of a gas vehicle.
Here’s one of the charging stations 1.5 miles from my home! Pretty neat, huh?
Alright, I know what you’re thinking, I have drunk the Kool-Aid and I am seeing the EV world through rose-colored glasses. You’re right, it’s not all roses with owning an EV. The truth is, like with every different type of car out there, EVs aren’t going to be the right fit for everyone, but they are definitely a great option for certain people. So, who could benefit from owning an EV? First and foremost, commuters. If you use your car most of the time to drive back and forth to your job and then maybe a little around town to do errands, than an EV may be the vehicle for you! EV’s are low powered vehicles so they aren’t the right car for people who drive heavily throughout the day or for people who travel a lot via car, because they need to be charged more frequently than a gas powered car needs to be filled up. Now, even if you’re a commuter who does occasionally need to drive long distances, an EV could still be the right second car for you if you belong to a two car household! Many couples and families own more than one vehicle, and if one of those vehicles were to be an EV, all the bases are covered and money is definitely being saved in the long run!
Okay, so this was a lot of talk but when it comes down to buying a new car, some good information and a positive review aren’t all it takes to make such a big decision! That’s why I am going to be taking a test drive of an EV and sharing my experience with you guys here on my blog and on my YouTube Channel! That’s right, I am going to get behind the wheel of one of these and let you know if I could see myself in an EV one day! Now, I challenge all of you to open your mind and your eyes to the world of EVs around you!
Here’s my #EVSelfie! Now, show me yours!
The Electric Generation is hosting a contest through their Facebook Page called the #EVSelfie Contest! What is an #EVSelfie? Glad you asked! An #EVSelfie is just like a normal #Selfie but it incorporates either an EV or some element of the EV world in the image! Take a picture or video of yourself with an actual Electric Vehicle, a Charging Station or other icon of the EV Movement, post the photo to Twitter or Facebook with the #EVSelfie hashtag and tag @Elecgen for a chance to win one of four $250 gift cards! Also make sure to “Like” The Electric Generation on Facebook and follow them on Twitter! Head on over to their Facebook page for more examples of the #EVSelfie and complete rules and details! Make sure to keep your eyes open to the EV world, you never know where you may see an EV, a charging station or even an EV related sign or bumper sticker, so take as many photos as you can before the contest ends on June 26th, 2014! You get up to 20 entries!
Good Luck Everyone and I can’t wait to see your #EVSelfie on Twitter & Facebook!
As you may know, yesterday was my final installment of the Blogging 101 series and I covered the topic of monetizing your blog in a variety of ways. So, today I thought I should spend some time talking about the importance of tracking your analytics to help you understand your blog’s audience and reach! There are two points that I would like to make on the subject, the first is that you should be tracking analytics on your site, and the second is that the tracking system you should be using is Google Analytics!
To the first point, if you have a blog, you should be using analytics tracking. These systems are incredibly helpful and can give you a variety of information about your audience, their behavior on your website and which posts are driving views and which posts are duds. If your blog is small, you may not think analytics are important to focus on while you are growing your blog, but you would be surprised by the insights you can get in your analytic reports. Let’s be honest, when we publish posts, we really have no clue how the post is going to fare. I often write this long elaborate posts that I am sure will be popular and then when I check my analytics I find that it wasn’t attracting as many eyes as I would have hoped. Sometimes as content creators, we don’t know what will be popular unless you have been blogging and writing for a decent amount of time, but heck, I have been at this for years and I still have figured out the magic formula! So, it’s important for me to check my analytics, see what is doing well and what is not so I can spend more time creating content that my readers want and not waste my time on a piece that I may find interesting, but perhaps my audience does not. That’s not to say that I think we as bloggers need to ignore what we like to write about, but when you are serious about growing your blog and your audience, you have to focus on what works and finding unique and creative ways to package your content in ways that continue to surprise and delight your readers! Analytics can tell you so much about your audience as well, not just what posts are popular. You can find out where the majority of your audience lives (this is super helpful for figuring out times when you publish your posts), you can find out their age and gender (which is sometimes a very interesting thing to know if you are attracting more male or female readers than you expected based on your content so that you can either create more for those audience members or perhaps refocus your content to attract the reader you have in mind) and of course analytics helps you track how long people spend on your site and your page views (which is a necessary piece of information if you are looking to monetize your blog).
So, now that you know why analytics are important, lets talk about which analytics service you should be using. I’ll be honest, the reason I am writing this post is because I recently needed to switch over to Google Analytics and I wanted to make sure that others were using it because it is the industry standard when it comes to analytics. For years I have been using a different site to track my analytics, but now that my blog is growing and I am thinking seriously about monetization, I am finding that sponsors, marketers and affiliate networks want to see Google Analytics information specifically. Google Analytics is free, so thats a bonus, and it does give you an array of options that didn’t exist with my previous analytics system. I really wish I had jumped on the Google Analytics bandwagon earlier and because of my situation, I wanted to let you all know that you should seriously consider using it as well if you have no current analytics tracking or if you are using a different site. Analytics are one of those things that if you pay attention to, they can help you learn and grow your site, but if you don’t pay attention to them, its still good to have a system in place in case the day ever comes when you need the information.
Let me tell you a little story to kick off this post! Back in early 2009, I had just started a new blog with a tech focus that some of you may remember if you have been following me for a while. It was called “The Pink Mac” and it was all about my love for technology and Apple products; a total fan girl homage to my computer! One day, I was contacted by a company to review some of their gadget cases and I accepted. At that time, I had only been a traditional blogger, and didn’t even have a YouTube channel, but I loved watching tech reviews and unboxings so much that I decided that I would make the unboxing and review of these cases into a video. I’ll be honest, when I filmed that first video on the kitchen table at my dad’s house, I wasn’t even sure if I would post it. I remember feeling like a total weirdo for talking to myself about some iPod cases while my dad and step mom were watching TV on mute in the room next to me until I finished. Once I got home and reviewed the footage, I decided that although it wasn’t the best tech video, it certainly wasn’t the worst (although if you go back now and watch it, it was such poor quality, but for the time that was the norm). So, I bit the bullet, signed up for a YouTube channel and uploaded the video! Although I wasn’t as serious about my YouTube channel in those early days, it’s one of those, if I had known then what I know now, who knows how different things could have been for me, my brand and my blog! So, hopefully you learn a thing or two about video in this post and avoid my mistake!
Video has been a major trend among websites for years now, but with the major rise of YouTube, even famous video bloggers have started integrating their content to personal blogs and websites, and major bloggers have been taking a cue from the YouTube generation and adding video content to their sites as well. Video, whether you like it or not, is the future of blogging. As a blogger today, you need to treat your blog like your own little media empire. Think Martha Stewart, Oprah, Rachel Ray, and the like. Each of these women have an empire around their brand which includes written work via magazine’s and blogs, and video work via television and YouTube channels. Now, I get it, you may not want to be the next Martha Stewart, but in order to have a successful slice of the internet, we should be looking at brands like these and producing as much as we can like them. Why? Because they have whole teams dedicated to their media, studying the market trends and telling the brand where it needs to be. If you are like me, you can’t afford such a team, so the best you and I can do is just follow their lead!
For the uninitiated, video can seem like a whole new world of content, and it really is, but the good thing is, you can start slow and work your way into using it more and more as time progresses and you get used to the medium. The important thing to remember is that, in today’s world, you need to put out a pretty decent quality video to be taken seriously, which means HD video and good lighting, but I already talked about how that doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Most decent point and shoot cameras nowadays take HD video as well. I happen to use this video camera which is reasonably priced and this studio lighting kit which is pretty affordable! So, what are some ways that you can start using video on your blog right now? I have compiled a list of 10 videos that nearly any blogger can film no matter what you blog about!
An introduction to your blog
An “About Me” video that you can leave in your bio page
Your favorite things
20 random facts about you
A desk tour (aka a tour of your workspace, the place where you sit and blog, etc)
A video show and tell to accompany a written product review
What’s in your bag video (this is super popular!)
An outfit of the day video (you don’t need to be a fashion blogger to do this!)
A “Get Ready with Me” video (aka morning routine; people also love these)
A “How To “ video related to the content of your blog (these can be super useful!)
Okay, so now you have some ideas for video content brewing in your mind! You don’t have to do all of these videos at one time, like I said, start with one and then gradually work into the others. Take your time and produce the best video you can. That’s more important than rushing to make a ton of mediocre videos! Good luck!!
Since I just posted my best tips for taking awesome photos as part of my Blogging 101 series, I decided to also give you guys a tutorial of sorts on how I edit my iPhone photos for the web! I do frequently use my iPhone for photos I post to my blog because my iPhone takes great pics and I have an array of apps that help me achieve multiple different effects from my phone.
The apps I use in this video are AfterLight, BigLens and Rhonna Designs! Please make sure to click through the video player to Youtube and give me a Like and Subscribe to my channel if you aren’t already! Thanks so much and I hope you enjoy the video!
What other iOS or Android Apps do you use to edit photos from your phone? Let us know in the comments below!
You may remember that back in January I had created a set of tech wallpapers to kickstart the year! It was honestly so inspiring for me to create those images to share with you all and I decided that I had to do it again. I would LOVE to do this every quarter to sort of kick off each new season, so I have gone ahead and created a new design for you all inspired by spring! Spring means so many things to different people, but to me it will always be the time of year for boating! It’s just warm enough to spend time on the water, and still windy enough to get a nice breeze in your sails, so these wallpapers are meant to inspire you to explore and set sail in your own lives!
Right click the image to download the desktop wallpaper at full resolution!Right click the image to download the iPad background in full resolution!Right click the image to download the iPhone wallpaper in full resolution!
So, what do you think? Will these wallpapers help keep your eyes focused on the horizon ahead? I sincerely hope so! Enjoy!
Nearly as soon as Apple released its recent iOS update, 7.1, complaints began rolling in that the iPhone’s battery life was being depleted to quickly. This is a common theme with iOS updates recently, and while we as the end users cannot control the way the operating system manages battery life, there are a few things we can do to help keep battery drain from usage to a minimum.
1. Keep your iPhone’s brightness at a third or less: Although there are times when we need to up our brightness (like in full sunlight), for the most part we can function pretty well with our iPhone’s screen turned down to the lower third of the spectrum, which will also help to keep our battery full longer.
2. Reduce motion in your system preferences: If you go to system> general> accessibility, you will find an option to “Reduce Motion.” This controls the iPhone’s visual animations and 3D effect of the app icons, known as the parallax effect. If you turn this option “on” the visual effects will be turned down thus saving precious battery life.
3. Turn off Bluetooth if you aren’t using it: Many of us use Bluetooth enabled devices in conjunction with our iPhone’s, but get in the habit of turning your Bluetooth off when you are not. Leaving the Bluetooth function on, even when devices are not connected, can drain the battery.
4. Shut down apps that are running in the background: I know most of us use tons of apps on our iPhones, but its important to shut down apps when they are not in use to cut down on battery drain. If you do not know how to do this, double-click on your home button with the iPhone screen on and you will be able to scroll left and right through your open apps. Swipe the app preview up to turn it off completely so it is not running in the background.
5. Keep a backup charger or portable external battery with you in case of emergency: iOS updates are frequently being released and issues with the iPhone’s battery drain issues are pretty much never-ending. Make sure you keep a charging solution or external battery with you for those emergency situations when your battery is getting dangerously low while you are out and about. I love these backup battery solutions from ban.do!
Do you have issues with the battery life of your iPhone? Do you already use some or all of these battery saving tips, and yet still have problems keeping your battery alive? Let me know in the comments below!
Look, if you have been reading this blog for a while, you know I love iPhone cases, and here’s the YouTube video to prove it! But seriously, I love a good iPhone case, but even a crazy iPhone case lady such as myself has some limits. So, I have found you 5 of the craziest iPhone cases I have ever seen, because, well, technology! By the way, if any of you own one of these cases, I am by no way saying you are crazy, just that your iPhone case may be a little over the top and I sorta love you for it! Here goes.
1. Fur laden, jewel encrusted iPhone case fit for an Ice Queen: Holy Smokes! Is it weird that I want to own this case? Okay, I get it, you’re thinking this isn’t real fur… wrong-O! It’s real alright, so just make sure your red paint toting friends from Peta don’t catch you with this one! At least it will keep your hand warm.
2. Little mini toy covered case that a toddler would die over: This is like a flashback to my childhood when I used to turn my toy chest upside down and swim through a pile of toys and dolls to find exactly what I wanted to play with… except it’s a phone case. It’s certainly visually stimulating to look at this, but I have no clue how one actually holds this, you’d think little mini bunny ears may pinch the skin a bit, right? Look, I definitely want it, but it’s a little too pricey to justify!
3. I clearly own a diamond mine but I totally don’t, case: Excessive bling and I have a love-hate relationship. Like most women (and dogs) I love sparkly things! I just don’t love feeling like a faker for having a case covered in diamonds, that if real, only Kim Kardashian and Kayne West have the money to own. Also, I am pretty sure I would constantly have anxiety that I would hold my phone to hard and loose a jewel, but so it goes.
5. Hello Kitty or any other oversized character case: Wait a minute! I actually own this one! Okay, so in truth, these cases are a little ridiculously unpractical, but they are also sorta like an adult version of a dolly! I think this case is adorable beyond compare and I have no shame in owning one which is why I make sure to switch it out for a simpler, more appropriate case for when I have to talk to people and stuff. Like, in real life!
So, which of the above cases is the craziest to you? Do you own any of these crazy iPhone cases? Let me know in the comments below. No judgment here! Also, all the images used above were sourced from their corresponding links. I don’t own any of the images, nor was I contacted or compensated by any of the shop owners I have linked to. This post is purely my own opinion and links are available for your reference if you do happen to want to buy any of the cases!
