Author: Beatrice Bisais Page 30 of 32

On December 22, 2015

Photographers can hard to shop for–after all, beauty is in the eye of the lens holder. So, what do you get for that photographer in your life? Don’t think too hard – we’ve put together a list of great gift ideas for photographers.

1. Digital Frames — $59.99

What better to get a photographer than a digital frame—to display the images they’ve taken over the years? By adding multiple photographs to a single frame, they can display their work in a compact place, regardless of whether they’re a professional looking to impress clients or an amateur looking to entertain family and friends. A high-quality digital frame can display a large number of images with a small amount of desktop real estate.

In addition to simply displaying digital images in rotation, you can create digital playlists (similar to a music playlist in iTunes). These playlists will empower them to sort their images into groups that make sense to them. For example, they may want a frame filled with portraits, wedding shots, landscapes, or architecture to display their work to prospective clients. You can read more about playlists and other digital frame features here.

2. Wifi Cloud Frames $59.99 to $249.99

If you’ve got a techie photographer in your life, then Wifi Cloud Frames could be the perfect gift. A Wifi Cloud frame is a digital frame with the added touch of being connected to the Internet and the cloud. With this online connection, it can instantly display images that your photographer uploads via an app on their smartphone. You can also download images to the digital Wifi Cloud frame from social media profiles—handy for photographers that market themselves via platforms like Facebook.

These high-tech frames truly are one of the greatest gifts for photographers, especially with their IPS display—which displays high-res photography beautifully.

4. Photoshop Keyboard Shortcut Skin – about $30

This may surprise you, but digital photographers spend more time on Photoshop (a digital image manipulation software program) than they do behind the lens! The endless hours they spend adjusting light levels and getting rid of pesky blemishes and other imperfections could be sped up significantly by learning the keyboard shortcuts for Photoshop. With the Photoshop Keyboard Shortcut Skin, they can learn how to more quickly navigate the program, and save hours slaving away at their computer.

The above goes double for amateur photographers, who may want to improve their Photoshop skills by learning about new features and capabilities!

5. Tickets to a Photography Show –$20+ (prices depend on event)

Depending on your area, you may have an upcoming photography show that you could purchase them tickets for. At these events both amateurs and professionals alike can learn about new techniques and technology that could take their photography to the next level.

Other special gift ideas include touch-screen friendly gloves (for outdoor winter photographers), a large (1 TB+) external hard drive (for storing the super-large image files on), a book from their favorite photographer, a photography-gear-storing backpack, a tripod, or even a photography course. Getting your favorite photographer one of these thoughtful gifts will make their days brighter – and maybe in return they’ll feature you in their next series. So head on over to Amazon to get started shopping today.

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

Christmas and Holiday Gift Ideas for Family

How To Bring Your Family Closer Together This Christmas – Without a Plane Ticket

On December 15, 2015

In Holidays

“Home for the Holidays” isn’t just a sentimental song. When the holidays roll around each year, just about everyone wishes they could gather their entire extended family together in one spot to celebrate. And while some families are lucky enough to be able to do just that, others have members spread all across the country, or even the globe, who can’t make it for a Christmas visit.

If that’s the case in your family, what can you do to bring everyone closer together this Christmas, in spite of the distance? And if you’re one of the lucky ones, how can you maintain that Christmas closeness all year long? We’ve put together a list of ways to bring your family closer together, and keep them that way.

1. Share family traditions year-round.

Traditions are an important part of family identity and bonding, especially during the holidays. But it doesn’t have to be Christmas to share a tradition with family members, no matter how far away they live. Does Grandma have a legendary cake recipe? Distribute it to everyone in the family and have a long-distance bake-off each year! Points can be awarded for appearance, creative twists, and, since virtual tasting isn’t an option, most vivid taste descriptions from spouses and kids. Is your family into fishing? Hold a virtual fishing derby each year, measuring fish to see who wins the prize. By sharing a tradition, even long-distance relationships can be strengthened.

2. Write letters.

Writing letters may be old-school, but that just makes it even more special. It’s so rare to get a letter in the mail these days that when one does arrive, it makes a lasting impression. And that’s why it’s perfect for tightening those family bonds. Assign each family member a regular pen pal, or have everyone write to everyone else on a rotating basis. Encourage pen pals to include drawings, pictures, or even small gifts in their envelopes, as well. Looking forward to the next letter is a fun way to keep family on everyone’s mind.

3. Share photos via Nixplay Wifi Cloud Frames.

If you currently rely on email or social media to share photos with your extended family, they’re getting a glimpse into your life – but only a fleeting one. With your pictures sandwiched between their friends’ posts about their children, and updates from their favorite organizations, they just don’t have much staying power. When each household has their own Nixplay Wifi Cloud Frame, however, all that changes. Family photos can be sent directly and instantly to each frame from family members’ smartphones, and even customized with captions, so that an uninterrupted stream of family photos is displayed. Having that constant reminder of family in your home is the perfect way to keep in touch, keep up-to-date, and share experiences – which is exactly what it takes to bring family closer together.

So if you’re looking for ways to strengthen those family bonds at Christmastime and throughout the year, try these tips to jumpstart your efforts. And since Christmas is just a few short weeks away, why not get the ball rolling by presenting your family members with their own Nixplay Wifi Cloud Frames as gifts? You’ll be setting the stage for a closer family relationship, and getting your Christmas shopping out of the way, all at the same time! Check out our selection of frames today.

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

Gift Guide for Non Tech-Savvy People

On December 10, 2015

You’ve got what you need. Now get shopping!

Having tech around the house is almost unavoidable, even for the most non tech-savvy among us. Thankfully there are a lot of tech-based gift ideas for the non tech-savvy out there. They’re the kind of gift gadgets you can give to grandma to help her look up-to-date without challenging her tech knowledge.

1. Nixplay WiFi Cloud Frames

The Nixplay Seed WiFi Cloud Frame comes with 10GB of free cloud storage, connects to social media and other platforms and can receive photos directly from a smartphone. If WiFi and social media are words that are going to scare the recipient away, try the Nixplay Edge WiFi Cloud Frame. With all the same great benefits of the Nixplay Seed WiFi Cloud Frame, the Nixplay Edge allows the option of adding photos through a USB or SD Card instead

It’s a gift that both your grandma or your startup-founding cousin could enjoy. With the ability to create playlists of your favorite memories, even the most tech-challenged person you know will find it worthwhile to get this set up.

2. FitBit

The FitBit takes next to no maintenance and is useful for everyone from an athlete to your family’s resident cubicle-dweller. It tracks your activity throughout the day to keep you on your exercise goals.

Best of all? It makes everyone feel good. Didn’t get to exercise today? No problem. You can tell everyone how many steps you took on your commute and feel good even if you didn’t make it to the gym.

3. Tile Dongle

Tech savvy or not, we all lose our keys. The Tile Dongle helps make sure that it happens a little less frequently. The Tile Dongle is a tiny sensor you can attach to your keys — or other often misplaced objects — that will help you track them down next time they’re misplaced.

Using either an audible noise or a visual tracker, the Bluetooth-connected Tile Dongle is an affordable digital tether for the objects that you lose most often. Tile Dongle for your Tile Dongle not included.

4.Jawbone Jambo

We all love music and with music moving to digital, the tactile-loving music fans among us miss our stereos and the idea of holding an album.

The Jambox takes us a little closer to the glory days of yore. The wireless speaker connects to your computer or Bluetooth-enabled phone to give you music on the go. Play any of the music from yesteryear that you want to hear all over the house or office.

5. Pet Rock

No batteries required AND no wires? Now that’s a Christmas miracle!

Pet rocks also come with a free trip back to the 80s for anyone watching the gift recipient unwrap their present. Everyone wins with the pet rock. See also: Chia pets, Pop Rocks and the first two seasons of Dallas on DVD.

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

8 Perfect Xmas Gifts for Empty Nesters

On December 8, 2015

One day you have kids. One day the nest is empty. That’s just how it goes.

But you can ease mom and dad into their new lifestyle (even if they seem to be having all the fun all of a sudden) with some great holiday gift ideas for the empty nester. Check out the Christmas gifts for parents we found below:

1. E-book Reader

With all that newfound spare time they’ve got, maybe they’ll finally tackle some of those books they never had time for before. In the morning with a cup of coffee, in the evening with a glass of wine, they are having all the fun now.

Worst case scenario, they’re checking their email and playing sudoku with a glass of wine. Worst case scenario is great.

2. This Heart to Heart Pillow

You might not be at home any more, but you can still show them that you’re thinking about them and that you know where home is with this custom Heart to Heart Map Pillow.

3. Nixplay WiFi Cloud Frame

Let them remember all the good times with you and know that there are more on the way with the Nixplay WiFi Cloud Frame. They can wirelessly connect and make a playlist full of photos of the family. It’s great to get a lot of photos into a small space and you can swap them out easily, no matter how far away you are.

If your gift recipient isn’t into the high-tech route, try the NIX Digital Frame. Upload photos via memory stick or SD Card and simply transfer over the photos you want to display.

The best part? Even if your parents struggle with technology, Nixplay has fantastic support to help ensure that your memories are always up and running

4. Tickets

Their evenings are more free than they’ve been in years. Get them tickets to a movie or play in town. Give ‘em an evening out. Throw in a dinner at their favorite restaurant if you’re feeling extra generous.

5. Camping Gear

Tents? Sleeping bags? Campfire cooking gear? Yep. Because they really are having all the fun now.

6. Photography Classes

Everyone wants to rekindle their creative side when they’ve got some extra time. Get ‘em some classes and unleash their inner artist.

Maybe you can start them off with some of the photography guides we’ve got up at the Nixplay blog and then they’ll be filling that Nixplay WiFi Could Frame with new pictures before you know it.

7. Herb Kit

These dried herbs from Williams-Sonoma are the perfect fit for the empty nester who loves to cook. Make the kitchen smell nice, give them a beautiful piece of decor and inspire them to try something new, dropping fresh herbs into their cooking with this kit.

8. French Press

With all the reading they’ll be doing with their free time (and maybe that ebook reader you got them) they’ll want to have some delicious coffee in the morning. A French press might be the solution that connects them with the process and has them really enjoying some luxurious mornings to themselves.

Your mom and dad dedicated their lives to raising you – isn’t it time you gave them a little something back? Give them any – or all – of the gifts on this list, and you’ll be letting them know they raised you right.

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.

Suggested alt text: Cool tech gifts for tech savvy guys and unique gift ideas for men

Cool Tech Gifts for the Guy Who Has Everything

On December 3, 2015

1. 94Fifty Smart Sensor Basketball Pack

Some people are easy to shop for. They have interests or needs that lend themselves perfectly to gift giving. But others are much more difficult to choose for.

Maybe their tastes are a bit too esoteric or too expensive to make for easy shopping, or maybe they already seem to have everything they want. Men, in particular, can be hard to shop for—otherwise, why would a tie be the standard Father’s Day gift?

If you’re having trouble coming up with unique gift ideas for men, don’t worry, because we’ve got you covered. We’ve put together this list of cool gadgets for men to suit every occasion.

Top Tech gift Ideas

With men being notoriously hard to shop for, it can be a struggle to find the perfect present. But whether you’re looking for an unusual digital gift or gifts for tech-savvy guys, we can help you find the ultimate surprise tech gifts for men who have everything.

Got a guy in your life who loves tech—and basketball? He may have all the gear, but the 94Fifty is one ball we’re betting he doesn’t have. This basketball communicates with any smartphone via an app, tracking the data on his dribbles and shots and giving him instant feedback on his performance. With its 8-hour battery life, the ball can also act as a coach, walking him through drills and workouts. A digital gift that acts as both a basketball and a personal trainer? Way better than a tie.

2. Panono

If your guy is more of the photography type, why not get him what’s got to be the most unusual camera on the market today? The Panono is a spherical camera – in other words, a ball. To take a picture, you simply toss it in the air and it takes a 360-degree panoramic photo of its surroundings. This camera could spur him on to travel or inspire him to take more creative shots—it’s a cool tech gift the gift of cool and the gift of inspiration all in one.

3. iDevice iGrill 2

Is your guy is the master of the backyard barbecue and the king of the grill? Then he’s sure to love the iDevice iGrill 2, a gadget that will give him a little more freedom to mingle and hang out with buddies while he grills, all while keeping close tabs on the food’s progress. This device allows the user to move up to 150 feet away from the grill, and get regular updates on the meat’s temperature via smartphone. He’ll never feel alone at the grill again.

4. Nixplay Seed Wi-Fi Cloud Frame

Does your guy have family pictures on display in his office, or is he an avid photographer himself? Then he’ll love the Nixplay Seed, a Wi-Fi Cloud electronic photo frame that allows him to display playlists of photos sent from his smartphone on a high definition screen. This frame takes photos to a new level, getting them off his phone or computer and into the real world for everyone—including him—to see, enjoy, and comment on.

No matter what the guy you’re shopping for is interested in, he’s sure to love any of the unique gift ideas for men on this list. Of course, we’re partial to an electronic photo frame ourselves. To get a head start on your Christmas shopping this year, check out our selection of Wi-Fi Cloud Frames and Digital Frames today.