Microsoft’s Surface Laptop is Worth Consideration
As one of the top tech companies in the world, people hold Microsoft to lofty expectations, and rightly so. Microsoft has long been on the leading edge of the tech revolution, designing, developing, and releasing some of the best and most-used software and hardware on the market. Late last year, Microsoft fans were finally treated to something for which they had been waiting a long time: the first ever Surface laptop. After focusing on making unusual products and unique concepts, such as kickstand tablets and detachable 2-in-1 tablet / laptop hybrids, it was time for Microsoft to focus simply on making a no-gimmicks top of the line laptop, and it succeeded with the Surface laptop. Ultimately, it is a laptop with enough power to run all your apps and programs, but light and thin enough to carry around. It also has a high-resolution display and a good keyboard, and it comes at a reasonable price. Read more »
When it comes to online marketing, the event industry seems to be falling behind. In fact, there are many opportunities to digitally engage potential event audiences of which organizers and coordinators are not taking advantage. That is the reason Feathr exists and, while there are some solutions and competitors on the market, none offer the same functionality or ease of use. While it is wise to utilize an online audience and web traffic, most event planners in small or medium-sized teams simply do not have the time, skills, or patience to master digital marketing. Beyond that, hiring a data analyst could be well outside of such a group’s budget. Feathr is an event-specific digital marketing suite that works entirely in the cloud, doing the difficult work that provides event managers with the best means of converting digital leads into sales and offering more to the sponsors and exhibitors that make events happen. 
A major trend in sports with the development of wearable devices is using them to monitor and track performance. Unfortunately for some, most of the wearable and accompanying apps developed have been focused on running and other cardio areas, but a device called Trace is bringing it to action sports in a yet unseen way. Trace provides skiers, snowboarders, surfers and others in action or extreme sports with real-time data to help them monitor, improve, and collect video of their activities. Simply put, Trace geotags and records your skiing, snowboarding or surfing activity, then organizes the data gathered so you can compare your own stats with your past stats as well as those of other Trace users and your friends. That is a gross oversimplification of what this waterproof, puck-shaped device that is small enough to hold in your hand and sticks directly to your board can do, however. 
When you need professional help, there are several different way to go about getting it. You can begin checking online or calling numbers until you can find a business or professional who can help and hope that they will perform the desired service satisfactorily. You can rely on recommendations or check Craigslist and local forums as well, but there are many risks involved. Fortunately, TalkLocal is, in its creators’ words, a faster, less frustrating way to get immediate help with everyday challenges. Whether you need a plumber, a contractor, a vet, accounting help, or just about any other service imaginable, TalkLocal is a better way to get it. It is also better for the professionals offering these services, connecting their businesses to the consumers searching for them more quickly and easily than ever before. 
One of reading’s major innovations was the inclusion of footnotes, authors’ notes, and the like. E-readers have further innovated reading far beyond that, and some even allow you to highlight words, phrases, or passages and more, but a startup called Pagedip goes far beyond to innovate the reading experience more than ever before. In fact, its creators claim that it will fundamentally change the way people read, and it is not difficult to see why. Its software lets e-book authors, who can easily create and develop works from a simple user interface, add corresponding content into their books using links called Binks to dramatically enhance the reading experience. Essentially, Pagedip allows you to view anything for which you might desire to search the web while reading a book directly into the story itself, which can include historical bios, photos, maps, or anything else that might pique one’s interest while reading. 
Conference calling was once a novelty in business, and it has continued to develop as a trusted means of discussing team projects, talking to partners overseas, and more. Collaboration drives growth, and communication is key. Developing technologies mean better ways to do everything, and that includes voice conferencing. The cloud is the latest in technological innovation, and now Jive Voice offers the latest in conference calling: a cloud-based phone system. It gives businesses a professional edge by offering features not available in traditional voice conferencing systems to enable better communication. 
One of the most common challenges in marketing, even in the age of social media, is turning data into something upon which a business can act to improve and continue drawing customers. There are plenty of tools that provide businesses with customer data, and some that take specific information pertinent to an individual business and make it usable. A startup called Spredfast goes beyond that in many ways with more comprehensive social media marketing and action. 
Many people find themselves browsing dozens of sites for discounts, when they want to find a good local spot to eat, or they want to support local small businesses. The more tech-savvy use apps, but they end up utilizing several for all of these purposes. Scoutmob is an app that can change all of that completely. It combines the benefits of services like Yelp, Groupon, and Etsy into one easy-to-use app that allows you to get great deals on food, support local businesses and makers, buy hand-made and eat local, and search reviews (as well as leave your own). 
Conceptually, Virtual Reality has been a long time coming. While several major tech brands attempted in the 1980s, it was never particularly successful, and has thus remained in development until such time as it became practically usable. That time is now, and a startup called Virtuix has added an element that goes beyond a headset. With just the software and a headset such as the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, you can potentially walk around a virtual world, but how to handle movement has been a challenge. Conventional control methods such as gamepads, mouse and keyboard, or headsets work as well as ever, they do hinder the possibility of total immersion in virtual worlds promised by developers. While some have attempted to allow users to game virtually, moving in-game while sitting in a chair, it has caused motion sickness with far too many people. Creators of the Virtuix Omni hope that their device will be the solution to this problem. 
While most are looking for the next great gadget, more and more people concerned only for the next advancement in technology, there is still a large market for nostalgia. This is the reason that Hobbydb exists, specifically serving those who are just as interested in collectibles as the next big thing. It is a website that serves, essentially, as a hobby and collectibles database, but it is much more than merely an Internet-powered catalog of old toys. There is still a large market for collectible items, and this includes a diversity of things in over a dozen categories. Other than serving as a place online to find these items, some of which are quite rare, it serves as a community for collectors while allowing its users to grow it as a resource for others with their own contributions. There are some other unique things that set it apart as well, even beyond adding to the database and connecting with other like-minded people.