In the world of marketing, especially internet marketing, display advertising often gets the short end of the stick. Often overlooked in favor of search engine marketing and other forms of online advertising or even accused of being too invasive. Display advertising banners gets a bad rap, but if done correctly it can bring great results. It…
Display advertising is a tricky code to crack. On the one hand, you can bring in a lot of traffic through display ads. On the other hand, you have to combat the growing phenomenon of “banner blindness” — people are becoming “programmed” to ignore the banners they see on the web totally. Here are some…
Display advertising often gets the short end of the stick in the digital marketing world. Overlooked in favor of search advertising or accused of being invasive and futile, the display banner gets a bad rap. But with a good understanding and the correct attention to detail, the use of online banners can be a…
With the significant increase in mobile phone thefts, scams and online fraud and bullying, it is important that we educate ourselves to become more diligent when using our phones and online services. We work with the Telecommunications UK Fraud Forum (whose members include 02, Vodafone, and EE) to deliver the Out of Your Hands education programme (www.outofyourhands.com).
Internet and mobile communications offer fun, learning and exploration but they also present problems for teachers and parents. We work with educational specialists and teachers to design and deliver free curriculum relevant resources for schools that strongly support the need for online safety and mobile phone theft awareness. The programme is complemented by a website, email campaigns and a social media strategy that all aim to educate and engage schools and young people aged 7-16 years.
“We love working with the Digital Storm team! Creative, flexible and easy to work with – we highly recommend them.“
If you’re stuck with 16GB of internal storage on the iPhone 6 or the 6S and find yourself running out of space, you may want to take a look at SanDisk’s iXpand Memory Case. It’s better than carrying around additional storage separately for sure, and it adds a significant bump in storage while protecting your phone. The company is offering three different storage sizes — 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB, with the respective prices of $60, $100, and $130.
The Memory Case is also modular, so for an additional $40, you can slap on a small 1,900mAh battery pack on the back. That should be a little more than enough to recharge the iPhone 6S from zero to 100 percent. It’ll add a hefty bump to your phone, but you’ll only have to keep it on when you’re low on battery.
Diving with your expensive Apple Watch isn’t recommended, but that hasn’t stopped people from trying. The Watch can surprisingly can handle its own in shallow depths, but you still might want to get a waterproof case. Catalyst has been offering its regular Apple Watch waterproof case for a while now, but it may not tickle your fancy. The dust- and shock-proof case wraps your $400 watch in silicon, which is not exactly what you want on a fancy smartwatch.
To provide a more premium feel, Catalyst is releasing a limited edition aluminum case for the 42mm version of the Apple Watch. It performs exactly the same as the previous version, so you’ll be able to take your Apple Watch down under 165 feet of water. The case’s availability is limited, but it’s available for purchase now for $200. It comes in gold, silver, or gray.
If you’ve ever tried to walk and text at the same time, you know the feeling: Your phone balancing precariously on the edge of your palm, mere inches from tumbling to the unforgiving sidewalk below. It’s a problem that artist Adam Hirsch aims to solve with HandL, a smartphone case that acts as “an organic interface between hand and phone.” The elegant, stitched leather case sports a rear-facing leather bit attached by elastic. Once secured between two fingers, the strap fits snugly, ensuring the attached phone doesn’t take any unexpected dives. And, as a nifty bonus feature, the HandL doubles as a makeshift stand.
The HandL’s available for the iPhone 6, 6S, and 6S Plus, and the Samsung Note 4 and Note 3, and comes in a variety of colors including black, patent leather, grey, brown, and white. It normally ships for $50 from the company’s store, but HandL is hosting a half-off sale on several models this month. Future models may dispense with the case component entirely, said Hirsch, and opt for suspender-like straps that attach to the back of your phone.
Power bank company MyCharge is perhaps best known for its colorful array of power banks and battery-extending cases for the iPhone, iPad, and Samsung’s Galaxy series of devices, but it’s breaking ground in a novel novel category: VR accessories. At CE Week in New York City, it took the wraps off PowerGear-VR, a lightweight, compact battery that affixes to the side strap of a Samsung Galaxy Gear headset and plugs into its Micro USB port.
The spherical power pack’s 3,350mAh capacity is enough to add four additional hours to any VR play session and features stylish accoutrements like a high-gloss finish and illuminated battery life indicator. MyCharge was mum on availability and pricing, unfortunately, but promised details “in the coming weeks.”
Portable keyboards designed to work with your mobile are a dime a dozen, but comparatively few require no power or arduous pairing process. Enter One2Touch’s SlimType, an accessory for Samsung’s Galaxy series of smartphones that leverages NFC to sync. The process couldn’t be simpler: Download the SlimType companion app, slot your smartphone in the attached case, position it next to the keyboard, and you’re good to go. The keyboard acts as a seamless extension of your phone’s software keyboard. It’s got hotkeys, too, for one-touch access to your calendar, contacts, and email. And importantly, the SlimType’s comfortable – its textile keys are soft, scratch-resistant, and lightly resistive to the touch.
The SlimType is available at the introductory price of $40, and ships in your choice of cherry red, black sapphire, and white pearl.
By sending out a statement the week before its Build 2014 conference, Microsoft pre-empted the inevitable questions it faced regarding the acquisition of Nokia’s Devices and Services business, which had been pushed to sometime in April. When the deal was first announced, the press release stated it expected to have everything completed by the end of March 2014, a deadline it would go on to miss.
The statement, published on Microsoft’s own blog, was written by Brad Smith, the company’s General Counsel and VP of Legal and Corporate Affairs. He said the regulatory process was nearing the final stages, and approval for the deal to go ahead had been given in 15 different markets around the world.
Why the hold up? Cryptically, Smith says it’s still waiting for approval in “the final markets,” but didn’t state which ones. However, Nokia shed some more light on the situation in its own statement. “The transaction is pending approvals from certain antitrust authorities in Asia, which are still conducting their reviews,” and added that despite this, both it and Microsoft were “confident the transaction will close.”
Updated on 04-08-2014 by Andy: Nokia has sent out a second statement, dated April 8, saying it had received regulatory approval from the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China. The signature joins ones from the U.S. Department of Justice, the European Commission, and other key jurisdictions. It’s added the transaction is still on target to close during April.
According to Bloomberg, quoting sources in the Chinese government, Huawei and Samsung both “expressed concern to China” about the deal, saying they feared the partnership would result in patent licensing fees being raised. The report said that despite this, officials told the publication it was “likely to approve the deal.” Interestingly, Nokia’s closing paragraph in its April 8 statement says the regulatory process included a “thorough review of it patent licensing practices,” and that it hadn’t been challenged, or been asked to make any changes.
Microsoft opened the doors to its Build developer conference on April 2, which if the initial target had been met, would have allowed it to talk about its new Windows Phone plans as the proud owner of Nokia’s Devices division. Nokia and former CEO Stephen Elop presented new devices on stage during the opening keynote, but there was a notable lack of discussion regarding the future for the almost-wed couple.