#// depending on the moment it's either apple music or amazon music

[gccdstories]

// ah yes... that typical time of the year when--because you don't use spotify as your music streaming service--you have no adequate "spotify wrapped"

and the dash is nothing BUT people's spotify wrapped lists...

[sakurasakiyama]

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[Announcement/News] Musical Touken Ranbu ~Mihotose no Komori-Uta~ Character Singles Titled “Kodou” Will Be Released!

I do apologise for the lateness of this announcement. But there is still some time left if wanting to pre-order with the benefits from silkroad store, DMM, and Toumyu’s Official Online Shop. All info will be posted under the cut in a moment!

Toumyu have recently announced that they will be releasing their 7th character single for the musical “~Mihotose no Komori-Uta 2019~” that was performed earlier this year! :D There is a benefit if pre-ordering on the three main online sites until June 30th, after that, they will still be available for pre-order but without the benefits. 

Prices, track lists, benefits, links, and more (it’s quite long) are posted below! :D 

CD Information:

Title: 鼓動  [Kodou] Artist Name: Touken Danshi formation of Mihotose Release Date: September 4th 2019 Price: CD+DVD (Reservation Limited Edition) - ¥1,728 (tax included) / CD+Music Card (Press Edition) - ¥1,080 (tax included) Pre-Order Bromide Benefit Deadline: Started May 20th, 2019 at 1:00pm JST; Ends June 30th, 2019 at 23:59 JST CDs: CD+DVD (Reservation Limited Edition) - 6 CDs (A-F) / CD+Music Card (Press Edition) - 6 CDs (A-F)  Common Privilege Content (both Ed.): A lottery ticket with a serial number for “Musical Touken Ranbu Utaawase Ranbukyouran” ticket lottery, that’s performing from November 24th, 2019, until January 23rd, 2020. 

“Kodou” Short MV:

*Full version can be found on Toumyu’s Fansite under the ‘PV’ Section as of September 4th (you will need to be a Premium Member in order to watch it)

CD Covers & Track Lists:

CD+DVD (Reservation Limited Edition) Covers & Track Lists

■ Version A ＊Ishikirimaru Main Jacket <CD> 1. 鼓動 [Kodou] 2. 響きあって [Hibiki Atte] 3. 鼓動 [Kodou] (Original Karaoke) 4. Hibiki Atte (Original Karaoke) <DVD> 1. MV『Kodou』 2. MV『Kodou』Making -Ishikirimaru Version-

■ Version B ＊Nikkari Aoe Main Jacket <CD> 1. 鼓動 [Kodou] 2. 手が届くまで [Tegatodoku Made] song by Ishikirimaru・Nikkari Aoe 3. 鼓動 [Kodou] (Original Karaoke) 4. Tegatodoku Made (Original Karaoke) <DVD> 1. MV『Kodou』 2. MV『Kodou』Making -Nikkari Aoe Version-

■ Version C ＊Sengo Muramasa Main Jacket <CD> 1. 鼓動 [Kodou] 2. Stay with me 3. 鼓動 [Kodou] (Original Karaoke) 4. Stay with me (Original Karaoke) <DVD> 1. MV『Kodou』 2. MV『Kodou』Making -Sengo Muramasa Version-

■ Version D ＊Tonbokiri Main Jacket <CD> 1. 鼓動 [Kodou] 2. Impulse song by Sengo Muramasa・Tonbokiri 3. 鼓動 [Kodou] (Original Karaoke) 4. Impulse (Original Karaoke) <DVD> 1. MV『Kodou』 2. MV『Kodou』Making -Tonbokiri Version-

■ Version E ＊Monoyoshi Sadamune Main Jacket <CD> 1. 鼓動 [Kodou] 2. 風の先へ [Kaze no Saki he] song by Monoyoshi Sadamune・Ookurikara 3. 鼓動 [Kodou] (Original Karaoke) 4. Kaze no Saki he (Original Karaoke) <DVD> 1. MV『Kodou』 2. MV『Kodou』Making -Monoyoshi Sadamune Version-

■ Version F ＊Ookurikara Main Jacket <CD> 1. 鼓動 [Kodou] 2. 闘魂歌 [Toukon Uta] 3. 鼓動 [Kodou] (Original Karaoke) 4. Toukon Uta (Original Karaoke) <DVD> 1. MV『Kodou』 2. MV『Kodou』Making -Ookurikara Version-

CD+Music Card (Press Edition) Covers & Track Lists

■ Version A ＊Ishikirimaru Main Jacket <CD> 1. 鼓動 [Kodou] 2. 響きあって [Hibiki Atte] 3. 鼓動 [Kodou] (Original Karaoke) 4. Hibiki Atte (Original Karaoke) <Music Card> 1. MV『Touken Ranbu』 〜Mihotose no Komori-Uta 2019〜 2. 『Kodou』Jacket Photoshoot Making -Ishikirimaru Version-

■ Version B ＊Nikkari Aoe Main Jacket <CD> 1. 鼓動 [Kodou] 2. 手が届くまで [Tegatodoku Made] song by Ishikirimaru・Nikkari Aoe 3. 鼓動 [Kodou] (Original Karaoke) 4. Tegatodoku Made (Original Karaoke) <Music Card> 1. MV『Touken Ranbu』 〜Mihotose no Komori-Uta 2019〜 2. 『Kodou』Jacket Photoshoot Making -Nikkari Aoe Version-

■ Version C ＊Sengo Muramasa Main Jacket <CD> 1. 鼓動 [Kodou] 2. Stay with me 3. 鼓動 [Kodou] (Original Karaoke) 4. Stay with me (Original Karaoke) <Music Card> 1. MV『Touken Ranbu』 〜Mihotose no Komori-Uta 2019〜 2. 『Kodou』Jacket Photoshoot Making -Sengo Muramasa Version-

■ Version D ＊Tonbokiri Main Jacket <CD> 1. 鼓動 [Kodou] 2. Impulse song by Sengo Muramasa・Tonbokiri 3. 鼓動 [Kodou] (Original Karaoke) 4. Impulse (Original Karaoke) <Music Card> 1. MV『Touken Ranbu』 〜Mihotose no Komori-Uta 2019〜 2. 『Kodou』Jacket Photoshoot Making -Tonbokiri Version-

■ Version E ＊Monoyoshi Sadamune Main Jacket <CD> 1. 鼓動 [Kodou] 2. 風の先へ [Kaze no Saki he] song by Monoyoshi Sadamune・Ookurikara 3. 鼓動 [Kodou] (Original Karaoke) 4. Kaze no Saki he (Original Karaoke) <Music Card> 1. MV『Touken Ranbu』 〜Mihotose no Komori-Uta 2019〜 2. 『Kodou』Jacket Photoshoot Making -Monoyoshi Sadamune Version-

■ Version F ＊Ookurikara Main Jacket <CD> 1. 鼓動 [Kodou] 2. 闘魂歌 [Toukon Uta] 3. 鼓動 [Kodou] (Original Karaoke) 4. Toukon Uta (Original Karaoke) <Music Card> 1. MV『Touken Ranbu』 〜Mihotose no Komori-Uta 2019〜 2. 『Kodou』Jacket Photoshoot Making -Ookurikara Version-

Pre-Order Benefits & Links:

*PRE-ORDER BENEFIT DEADLINE HAS PASSED*

For silkroad store, DMM, and Toumyu’s Official Online Shop, the pre-order benefits include one 2L size bromide taken either in their battle outfit or live outfit. It depends on which CD you get and of which character/actor you want. A reminder that you will need a proxy to purchase them from these 3 sites, as they do not ship overseas.

CD+DVD (Reservation Limited Edition) Bromide Benefit

Version A - Ishikirimaru Battle Outfit - Silkroad / DMM / Toumyu

Version B - Nikkari Aoe Battle Outfit - Silkroad / DMM / Toumyu

Version C - Sengo Muramasa Battle Outfit - Silkroad / DMM / Toumyu

Version D - Tonbokiri Battle Outfit - Silkroad / DMM / Toumyu

Version E - Monoyoshi Sadamune Battle Outfit - Silkroad / DMM / Toumyu

Version F - Ookurikara Battle Outfit - Silkroad / DMM / Toumyu

CD+Music Card (Press Edition) Bromide Benefit

Version A - Ishikirimaru Live Outfit - Silkroad / DMM / Toumyu

Version B - Nikkari Aoe Live Outfit - Silkroad / DMM / Toumyu

Version C - Sengo Muramasa Live Outfit - Silkroad / DMM / Toumyu

Version D - Tonbokiri Live Outfit - Silkroad / DMM / Toumyu

Version E - Monoyoshi Sadamune Live Outfit - Silkroad / DMM / Toumyu

Version F - Ookurikara Live Outfit - Silkroad / DMM / Toumyu

Pre-Order Links Without Benefits:

*CD+DVD (Reservation Limited Edition) IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE ON ALL SITES DUE TO IT BEING A RESERVATION, ONLY THE CD+MUSIC CARD (Press Edition) IS AVAILABLE*

(Personally, I do apologise for this as I completely forgot that the CD+DVD tends to no longer be available for pre-order after the benefits deadline. Thus, forgetting to mention it prior to making the post as I couldn’t remember, and couldn’t find the details on that note which stated the CD+DVD deadline. However, there are still some available via possible means below.)

Toumyu Official Online Shop  -WILL NEED PROXY FOR PURCHASING-

Version A - CD+Music Card

Version B - CD+Music Card

Version C - CD+Music Card

Version D - CD+Music Card

Version E - CD+Music Card

Version F - CD+Music Card

Silkroad  -WILL NEED PROXY FOR PURCHASING-

Version A - CD+Music Card

Version B - CD+Music Card

Version C - CD+Music Card

Version D - CD+Music Card

Version E - CD+Music Card

Version F - CD+Music Card

DMM  -WILL NEED PROXY FOR PURCHASING-

Version A - CD+Music Card

Version B - CD+Music Card

Version C - CD+Music Card

Version D - CD+Music Card

Version E - CD+Music Card

Version F - CD+Music Card

Amazon Japan

Amazon Japan has only allowed for the CD+DVD reservation until June 28th. So unfortunately, the CD+DVD version can no longer be reserved/purchased there until a 3rd party seller adds one to sell.

Version A - CD+Music Card

Version B - CD+Music Card

Version C - CD+Music Card

Version D - CD+Music Card

Version E - CD+Music Card

Version F - CD+Music Card

CDJapan

CDJapan still have some of the CD+DVD copies available through their on-site proxy. It will cost a slight bit extra, but this is an option some people may want to consider if still wanting them. You can do a proxy search from the original product link below.

Version A - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version B - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version C - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version D - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version E - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version F - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

HMV Japan -WILL NEED PROXY FOR PURCHASING-

Version A - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version B - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version C - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version D - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version E - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version F - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Rakuten Books -WILL NEED PROXY FOR PURCHASING-

Version A - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version B - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version C - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version D - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version E - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version F - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Animate Online Shop -WILL NEED PROXY FOR PURCHASING-

Version A - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version B - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version C - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version D - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version E - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Version F - CD+DVD / CD+Music Card

Online Delivery Distribution Sites & Release Dates:

It’s been announced that some online sites will be releasing the songs from each of the “Kodou” character singles (excluding the MV) for purchase. The sites that you can purchase the songs off include:

iTunes - from August 20th

dwango.jp - from August 23rd ※Purchase Privilege Available - CD Jacket Can Badge

RecoChoku, mora, music.jp, and other major distribution sites in Japan. - from August 29th

Online Music Subscription Delivery has recently been announced also. They will all be released on these sites on the official CD release day of September 4th. The distribution sites include:

Apple Music

Spotify

Amazon Limited

Google Play Music, and other major distribution sites. 

[clarencenicholsonata]

How to Use TikTok Ads: The Ultimate Guide for Small Businesses

TikTok's 800 million user platform has become a cornucopia of advertisement opportunities with its video-only content and your small business now has a leg up with TikTok’s new self-serve marketing platform.

Whether you’re trying to drive traffic to your website, increase sales or launch a new product, a well-targeted and creative campaign can produce tremendous results. But, it can be daunting to figure out how to maneuver such a unique marketing platform. That’s where we come in.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about TikTok Ads, the different types of TikTok ads, and how to use them for your small business.

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a video-sharing social network that allows users to create and share short videos—owned by ByteMedia. However, it initially launched as the Chinese version, Douyin, in September 2016. It is now available in 155 countries around the world via Google Play Services and the App Store.

TikTok showed us all an alternative version of online sharing. We have all seen them - the funny videos that are constantly shared or the super informative videos that made you wonder what you even learned in high school.

Who Uses TikTok?

If your buyer persona is a well-funded Gen Z audience, your brand will do well with TikTok ads. The majority of TikTok users in the United States are between 10 and 39 years old (78.4%). But the active users aren’t limited to that age group. The remaining 21.6% are between 40 and 50+!

@gopro

Walkin' on water with ##GoProFamily member @jeremietronet + ##GoProMAX ##gopro ##fyp ##caribbean ##kitesurfing

♬ original sound - GoPro

Tiktok users vary because there’s a subculture for everyone - from #dogtok to #businesstok. With their targeting techniques, TikTok ads can help you find your niche, design your ad content, and meet your goals.

In early 2019, TikTok launched a beta version of its ad platform. Since then, big brands like Grubhub, Nike, Fenty Beauty, and Apple music have started advertising on TikTok, promoting unique campaigns.

What are TikTok Ads?

TikTok ads are sponsored short-form mobile videos posted to the TikTok ads platform to reach a larger audience. You can use these ads to increase your brand’s exposure, increase website traffic and generate new leads.

Strictly dedicated to short-form videos, TikTok does not allow you to post text or still image ads. A video ad ranging between 9 to 60 seconds has proven to be a successful length.

These feed ads are integrated into the users’ For You page with call-to-action buttons or text overlays and come in many forms, making them barely recognizable as ads.

TikTok offers advanced targeting and unique ad creation features. It can help you tap into one of the most lucrative pools of active users when used effectively.

How to Create a TikTok Ads Account?

To create a TikTok ads account, you’ll need to open a TikTok account specifically for your business. The process is pretty simple but is only for customers in regions where TikTok supports self-service advertisers. Follow the steps below to set up your account after you've downloaded and installed the TikTok app on your device.

Step 1: Create a Login

Go to the Sign Up page and create a login using an email address or phone number to verify your login information, agree to the terms and conditions, and click “Sign Up.”

Step 2: Create Your Account

Fill out all the information required:

The “Country/Region” your business is located in

Select the “Time Zone” of your business’s location. Be sure that this is correct because you can’t change it afterward.

Enter your “Business Name.” Your business name and your business’s actual name have to be the same, or TikTok will reject your account upon review.

If you plan to use TikTok for Business products such as their Creator Marketplace or apply for their ad credit programs, the Business name has to be the same as the one on your official documents, like a business license or the IRS SS-4 EIN Assignment Letter.

Select the “Currency” you want to use for billing.

Once you’ve filled out all the data, accept the Terms and Conditions and click “Register.”

Step 3: Access Your Account Setup

To access your “Account Info,” go to your TikTok ads dashboard by clicking “Dashboard” under “Account Settings.”

Step 4: Fill In Your Business Information

On the “Account Setup” page, complete the “Business Information” section with the following:

Enter your "Company Website" using the format “https://www.yourdomain.com/” for your URL, or it will be rejected during the account review. Your company’s website must work properly, have your contact information, clearly promote your products or services, and be relevant to the product or service you want to promote.

Select the “Industry” that best matches your product or service.

Fill out the “Street Address,” ”State/Province,” and “Postal Code” of your headquarters or where your business is registered.

You also have the option to upload some form of “Business Verification.” You can upload a government-issued number that you use to pay taxes, such as your Tin. This step is not required.

Step 5: Choose Your Payment Method

You can choose whether you want to use Manual Payment or Automatic Payment. However, Automatic Payment is not available in all markets at the moment.

Step 6: Submit Your Account Information

Once you’ve completed the required fields in the form, click “Submit” at the bottom of the page. This will automatically trigger an account review where TikTok will check all the information you provided to ensure everything is compliant with their policies. It can take up to 24 hours.

You’ll receive confirmation that your account is approved and then you’re all set. Your account is ready to use.

How Do You Use Tik Tok Ads Manager?

There’s a hierarchy of sorts when using TikTok's ad platform. To advertise on TikTok, you’ll first need to create a new campaign, then an Ad group, and then your new ad.

@amazon

So glad we can spend less and smile more this holiday season thanks to Amazon ? ❤️ @wilkingsister

♬ original sound - Amazon

Step 1: Create your TikTok Ad Campaign

Go to the Campaign Tab at the top of Ads Manager and click “Create.”

Choose your objective. Depending on your marketing goals, you’ll choose from conversion, awareness, or consideration.

Once completed, you will automatically get redirected to the ad group section.

Step 2: Create an Ad Group

To create an ad group, choose your ad placement (it’s easier to use auto-placement for your first ad).

Then choose your URL, display name, promotion type, profile image, and how you want users to engage with your content.

Decide whether or not you want to use TikTok’s automated creative optimization. TikTok created this tool specifically for small businesses. It pretty much builds TikTok ads using your videos, copy, and images and then continually tests them for you.

Choose your audience targets. You can choose them based on interests and demographics. You also have the option of creating a custom audience from your data. You’ll need to install the TikTok pixel on your website to do this, but we’ll get into that soon.

Under “Budget & Schedule,” you can choose between lifetime and daily budget. The lifetime budget is the total you’ll spend during the TikTok ad campaign, while the daily budget is your limit for 24 hours.

Set up your bidding method with some bidding strategies from TikTok.

Then, click “Next,” and you’re ready to create your first TikTok ad.

Step 3: Create a TikTok Ad

To create a TikTok ad, upload your ad content, which can either be images or video. The TikTok app will turn the stills into a video. Ensure you’re following TikTok's ad creative guidelines.

Add your text and call to action.

Then click “Submit,” and the app will send your TikTok ad campaign for review.

TikTok Pixel

After you’ve created your campaign, you’re going to want to track your ad’s performance. The TikTok pixel was designed explicitly for this. It’s a small piece of code that you put on your website’s backend to help you optimize your campaigns. Learn how to set it up here.

Its common uses are:

Measuring Campaign Performance:

You choose what events by which to measure your TikTok ads' performance. For example, when TikTok users click on your CTA button and purchase from your website.

Optimizing Ad Delivery:

Selecting an optimization goal allows the system to target users who are more likely to perform a specific action. For example, you can target TikTok users who are more likely to add items to their cart or complete a purchase.

@mountaindew

The big game just got BIGGER. Count the exact number of bottles in our ad on Sunday and you could win a million dollars ?

♬ original sound - Mountain Dew

Building Audiences Based on Behavior:

You can track users on your site and, based on their behavior, create Custom Audiences based on how they engaged and figure out where they dropped off in your funnel.

TikTok Campaign Objectives

Your campaign objective is whatever actions you want users to do when they see your TikTok ads.

For example, if your goal is to get as many people as possible to see your ad, you’d need to choose the specific objective for reach. If your goal were to increase the number of unique website visitors, you’d select the goal specifically for traffic.

All objectives fall under three categories:

Awareness

This objective gets people familiar with your company. If you’re launching a new product or even a new company and want as many people to know as possible, you’d choose the reach objective so you can increase recognition, awareness and build trust with your brand.

Consideration

This objective gets people to think about your brand and seek more information. For example, you’ve finally launched a website for your business, and you’d like to start taking orders through and having more potential customers view your products this way. You’d choose the traffic objective to drive more visitors to your website where they can learn more about your brand and products.

Conversion

This objective gets people who are interested in your business to use or buy your products or service. For example, you’ve recently created a newsletter after a surge of traffic to your website. You’d select the conversion objective so that the TikTok users who see your feed ads are the ones most likely to sign up for your newsletter.

@nfl

a punt that falls at the 1-yard line is ?? chef’s kiss ##coreybojorquez @buffalobills

♬ original sound - djb_renn

How To measure TikTok Campaigns?

With TikTok's built-in analytics feature, it has become significantly easier to measure the performance of your TikTok advertising campaign. Analytics gives you insight into what to post and when based on your previous campaign’s performance. To activate the Analytics feature, you’ll need to switch to a Pro account (it’s free). Here’s how:

Open the “Privacy and Settings” tab from your profile page

Click “Manage My Account.”

Click “Switch to Pro Account” and follow the prompted steps from there.

Select your business industry.

Click “Done”

TikTok’s Analytics tool tells you all you need to know to target the right audience. The best metrics to track are:

Video Views

Here you can see whether TikTok users are watching your videos, if the content is engaging, and if your strategy is sound.

Profile Views

This section shows how many times per day your profile was viewed by TikTok users. It gives you an idea of how much your content leads users to look for more on your profile.

Followers

Here you can see how many followers you have lost or gained in the past 7 days. If you’re losing followers, it means you need to change your strategy.

Gender

View the breakdown of your followers by gender here. You can produce different content depending on the people who follow you to ensure you’re appealing to your audience.

Follower Activity

Here you can view what times of the day your followers are most active and when they’re not, allowing you to determine the best time to post content.

Top Territories

View in which countries your followers live in here. It gives an idea of whether or not you’re reaching your target country’s population.

Sounds Your Followers Listened to

You can create a trending video using the top sounds your followers are also using or listening to.

Videos Your Followers Watched

Here the app will show you videos popular with your followers and their performance metrics (comments, likes, and shares) for the three top posts each week.

Likes, Shares, and Comments

Likes can be a validation for your posts and tell you more about the content that engages your followers. Comments help you to understand what your followers are thinking and further increase engagement. Shares help your content reach a wider audience.

TikTok Ad Formats

There are two main types of TikTok advertising offered on the app, biddable ads and native ads. Figuring out which is best for your brand is essential.

Biddable Ads

Biddable ads allow you to bid on ad slots available on the For You page. They are open to self-service customers through the Ad Manager.

Here you target your ads by gender, age, behavior, and location and employ the custom audience feature we mentioned earlier.

An example of Biddable ads is In-feed ads. These are short-form video ads blended organically into your target audience’s feed on the For You page.

Gushers’ use of this form of TikTok advertising is a great example of how to take advantage of feed ads, with the humor and editing echoing the platform's organic content.

Native Ads

Native ads come in many forms. These tend to be a more costly form of TikTok advertising and require a larger ad budget. They are managed through the TikTok Account manager. The campaign options are:

Brand Takeover

Brand takeovers are ads that appear when TikTok launches. This means that if you use TikTok advertising strategy, you can be sure your target audience is seeing your ad. A brand takeover is limited to one advertiser per day and appears when users open the app.

Mercedes Benz used this ad format in order to promote its #MBStarChallenge hashtag challenge which encouraged the TikTok community to share their version of the iconic Mercedes Benz star.

Branded Hashtag Challenges

Your aim with a hashtag challenge is to create user-generated content that goes viral. The subtle or straightforward call to action encourages users to participate by attempting a dance challenge or whatever activity you choose.

Branded hashtag challenges make you responsible for creating a trend that results in more engagement and increased brand awareness. With a bit of creativity, you'll be able to use a hashtag challenge to start something that'll get your brand top of mind.

Elf Cosmetics’ #eyelipsface hashtag challenge is a great example of a brand successfully using this strategy. They commissioned a song specifically for the TikTok campaign, believed to be the first original song commissioned for a TikTok campaign.

The brand then worked with influencers to kick off their, and the results from there have been mind-blowing. To date, the hashtag has gotten over 7 billion views.

@jessicaalba

#eyeslipsface my errryday look #honestbeauty #cleanbeauty

♬ Eyes. Lips. Face. (e.l.f.) - iLL Wayno & Holla FyeSixWun

Branded Lenses

Similar to Instagram and Snapchat, TikTok allows you to design custom augmented reality filters through which you can get users to engage with and generate content for your brand.

Ray-Ban was the first brand in Europe to take advantage of this new feature, overlaying a variety of their sunglasses onto participant’s faces along with a pinball machine that they controlled with their eyes.

Influencer Package

Influencer marketing is a popular form of advertising on TikTok. Choose an influencer relevant to your brand that will create sponsored content showcasing your products. In some countries, you will need to connect with these influencers through the app itself.

Top TikTok influencer Addison Rae’s partnership with brands such as ITEM Beauty is an example of such a partnership.

Topview Ads

Topview ads are similar to a brand takeover in that they appear when TikTok launches. The difference is that, unlike brand takeovers, topview ads are a video ad that plays with the sound on for 60 seconds. This also means that you can use in-feed video ads as topview ads, increasing views and engagement.

Is TikTok Advertising Worth It?

There is the misconception that only Gen Z creators use the app, that it’s just another social media platform, and there’s no place for business on the forum. But truthfully, TikTok is a great advertising platform! Here’s why:

Your Ads Can Reach a Diverse Audience.

While it is true that most content creators are GenZ, 59% of the social media platform consists of GenX, Millennial, and even Baby Boomer generations. The number of US adult users grew 5.5 times, receiving more downloads within the first quarter of 2020 than any other app (possibly due to COVID-19).

Most of the ads you’ll see on TikTok are for e-commerce, app downloads, and streaming services with subtle CTA cues. With the targeting feature, each generation will see ads in line with the lifestyle of their age, making it easy to reach your target audience. So, while advertising on TikTok to the GenZ demographic is an endless opportunity, there is also the opportunity for your TikTok ads to reach a target audience in several other niches, demographics, and age groups.

You Can Achieve Increased Brand Exposure.

The rich trend culture on TikTok encourages everyone to participate. Influencers can drive trends, but anyone can join in a trend (including your ads) and go viral on the For You Page! Creating video ads based on daily trends will increase their relevance and likelihood of appearing on others’ feeds, allowing for continual discovery, content rhythm, and instant relevance.

You’re Reaching Engaged Consumers.

On average, users spent up to 442.9 minutes per month on TikTok between October 2019 to March 2020. The benefit is that the app’s usage is on an upward trend, an excellent opportunity for advertisers like yourself to reach a group of engaged customers.

Your Products Will be Showcased Authentically.

TikTok encourages users to be their authentic selves. Your business can showcase your products and services and increase awareness in users who have never heard of you before. Showcasing your authentic self can drive your business to success.

You Can Achieve More Effective Video Marketing on TikTok.

While you can do video marketing on other social media platforms such as Facebook or even on Instagram, TikTok’s video-only structure gives you the ability to connect with users through sound. This is something that other social media platforms usually limit, resulting in fewer users turning on the sound when viewing an ad on these platforms.

How Much Does it Cost to Advertise on TikTok?

TikTok ad manager has two options: daily or lifetime budgeting options. You can change your budget anytime throughout your campaign, and the system will not spend more than the budget you set.

Your TikTok ads cost is based on your ad format, but a good rule of thumb is to budget a minimum of $50 at the ad group level and $500 at the campaign level for ads with a focus on the target audience you’re trying to reach.

There are different pricing options for biddable ads, according to Jungletopp:

CPM- Cost Per Mille (per 100 impressions) $1.82

CPV- Cost Per View $0.010

CPC- Cost Per Click $0.19

TikTok Targeting Examples

Interest Targeting:

Interest targeting works by choosing relevant interests for your audience.

For example, Ralph Lauren used the branded hashtag challenge #WinningRL featuring a video of the model, actress, and influencer Diana Silvers to challenge users to share a time they’d won a challenge in real life which coincided with the US Open tennis event. Three top challenge winners received Polo Ralph Lauren US Op apparel. This ad targeted persons interested in sports and clothing.

Behavior Targeting:

This type of targeting allows you to target users based on their in-app behaviors from the last 7 to 15 days. When using this targeting method, select a specific behavior and then a relevant video category.

For example, e.l.f. Cosmetics made a short ad that featured actresses using and wearing their makeup products in different settings. It would have targeted persons who recently watched many makeup videos or clicked on other makeup ads from another brand.

Ready to increase sales with your social media marketing campaigns?

Book a free call to learn how our team of marketing experts can help you to create high converting social media marketing campaigns today.

Conclusion

TikTok has become one of the most popular apps over the last four years. Its trend culture and participatory nature will drive more engaged users to your business with a well-placed ad on their social media network. While TikTok can be costly for larger brands, they’ve opened the door for small businesses to have the opportunity to reach even more customers and become the next sensation. It is well worth your ad dollars.

Related Articles

The Beginners Guide to TikTok Analytics for Business: 4 Tips to Understanding Your Content

7 Amazing TikTok Stats That Prove Why Brands Should Start Using It

8 Actionable Tips to Use Social Media for eCommerce Sales

How to Make a Social Media Checklist (Free Template)

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[techtoreview]

How To Use Your Google Home Device As Music Speakers

Do you have Google Home? Do you also have a smartphone or tablet with Bluetooth connectivity? So, you just made an account on an online music streaming website or app? You’ve everything for entertainment then what are you waiting for? Let’s feel the lovely weather and shake the booty on hip hop music.

A Google Home device along with Apple Music is enough to handle your mood swings. If you have both, you’ve ready-to-use speakers as well tools to control & shuffle to your favorite track.

While most of us take Google Home as a smart home assistant similar to Amazon Alexa, ready to follow your commands and help manage your household chores, book movies for you and reserve a table for two. Well, the AI has transformed the world so amazingly that it’s pretty common to have such expectations from an advanced device. But, this feature-packed device designed with future-proof technology can also serve as a humble, smart speaker, cranking out tunes with high quality sound in comparison to compact home speakers.

Here’s an easy guide giving you insights into how to use your Google Home device as music speakers in two different ways. It’s easy-to-use whether you’ve an iPhone or Android Device.

How to use a Google Home as Bluetooth Speaker?

First, you will have to put your Google Home in pairing mode. You can do it simply in two ways. Here’s how to connect your google home with Bluetooth.

Say, “OK Google, on Bluetooth pairing.”

Open the Google Home app on your iPhone or Android smartphone, tap the Google Home device you want to pair with, select “Paired Bluetooth device.” In this drop down, you will see other devices paired with your Google Home device. Now, enable pairing mode.

Once you enable pairing mode on your Google Home through either of the following methods, you can connect your smartphone simply like other Bluetooth devices.

Here’s how to do it on an iPhone

Open iPhone Settings.

Select “Bluetooth” in the first section next to Wi-Fi.

Give your iPhone a few moments to search for nearby devices, and then pair with your Google Home (If you change the name, then it will appear with that name) in the other device section.

Two devices may take longer than usual to connect. If they don’t connect, move the devices closer.

And, on an Android Smartphone

With the help of two fingers, swipe down the notification bar from the top of your smartphone.

Tap & hold the Bluetooth icon. If it’s not available on the notification bar, then go to settings and open it.

Your Android device will take a minute to search the nearby devices. It depends on what phone or device you are using. Once it finds nearby active devices, you will have to tap “Pair new device” or “Search for device”.

When your Google Home device appears on the list of available Bluetooth devices, tap and connect to it.

It will take some time to connect. If they don’t connect or take longer than usual, then bringing both devices closer can work.

Once you pair a Google Home device with your smartphone through Bluetooth, it will act like a normal Bluetooth speaker and play your favorite track. Also, you can control it directly from your phone and drop the beat from YouTube, Spotify, or other apps.

[nigeiadigitalmarketingcompany]

Netflix Numbers

Digital Elixir Netflix Numbers

They’re killing the golden goose.

Because price matters. Otherwise everybody would use an iPhone and a Mac, but Netflix is not a premium product, it can’t win appealing to a sliver of the public, it needs all of it.

This is how the publishing industry killed digital books.

Despite the hosannas of boomers boasting that they saved the physical book, it won’t be long until they lose the war. You know change…it looks like it’s never going to happen, you laugh at the predictions, and then overnight, it takes hold. Can you say digital photography? Can you say internet connection?

People had been using digital cameras for years, but they were expensive. Just like people were communicating via bulletin boards utilizing low speed modems with arcane software. But non-traditional consumer camera companies, like Panasonic and Sony and Samsung, put out products while Nikon and other high-end manufacturers sat by, as well as the everyman’s company Kodak, and then in a year, digital eclipsed film, just like that. Kinda like AOL turned everybody into an internet user, they made it easy.

Now we had a similar situation in the music business, with the iTunes Store. At first the labels considered it a joke, being Mac-only. But then when sales far exceeded expectations and distribution included Windows, suddenly this sideshow was throwing off revenue… And what did the labels want to do? RAISE PRICES!

And who said they couldn’t?

STEVE JOBS!

The labels are greedy, short-term thinkers, why else would Universal have stored all those masters in an unprotected facility? The music business was always run on intimidation, but finally it came up against someone who wouldn’t play that game, Apple kept prices low until consumers were hooked, then they jumped from 99 cents to $1.29.

99 cents. Ever notice no car is advertised at a round number? How it’s always something 99? Even gas! Our minds trick us into thinking $3.249 is equivalent to $3.24. But the truth is it’s only a tenth of a cent from $3.25.

And going back to books, did you see that Pearson is going digital first on textbooks? Physical was killing them. They got no revenue on resale. And prices were so high, sales were less frequent.

Instead, they went to the subscription model. That’s right, for less than print you get something that can be upgraded on a regular basis, like a streaming music service. Your subscription to Spotify, et al, is not a fixed picture, but a constantly rolling enterprise that adds new titles on a regular basis…and as long as you keep paying ten bucks a month, you can hear them.

Ten bucks. Spotify is a public company under earnings pressure. It could immediately raise prices, but it would start hemorrhaging customers. If it’s under ten bucks, it’s a throwaway. Once it eclipses that number, you start to think about it. I mean there are months when we barely watch Netflix, but we don’t cancel. But if you’re counting your pennies, supporting a family, every little bit counts and you look for alternatives that are good enough, like Android and Windows.

There’s a huge market in good enough. Not everybody needs to buy Nike or 7 jeans or… They’ll settle for the knock-off.

So Netflix is under Wall Street pressure, to pay for all that programming. So it keeps raising prices. Now you think they’re going to keep going up FOREVER! You feel the company no longer cares for you, the bond is broken and you start evaluating cash versus benefit.

As for HBO… On one hand, people are accustomed to the $15 price point. But the dirty little secret is that most people don’t pay that $15, or don’t think they do. The HBO fee is baked into your cable plan, which is a negotiation worse than buying a car. I got so frustrated I told my provider to cancel everything but the internet, and just before the clerk did this, she told me for $9.99 more, I could get essentially all the channels I was getting, including HBO…believe me, I don’t think HBO is costing me $15.

Which is why Disney is so brilliantly starting with a low price for its streaming service.

And what Netflix kept doing was adding loads of product while raising the price.

But the truth is most of this product sucks. And it’s an experiment, if it doesn’t immediately generate an audience, Netflix kills it. That’s right the Northern Californians are so into algorithms and spreadsheets that they miss the essence… One or two great shows make up for a slew of crappy ones. Kinda like the CD business!

And I can’t say there’s been a killer show on Netflix this year. No water cooler moment.

And one thing we’re looking for from Netflix is something DIFFERENT! Not only from network, but HBO too. Come on, HBO never would have aired “Babylon Berlin,” no way, not enough people would watch it. But if you struggled through the first few episodes on Netflix, you got hooked, I haven’t stopped talking about the show and I saw it YEARS AGO!

And it’s not like history is unwritten. “Sex and the City” ended and HBO suffered, they needed more hits.

I scan the sites all the time, looking for what to watch. And when I rarely find new Netflix shows, it frustrates me.

And screw the algorithm, showing me what I should be interested in, I have no idea what’s actually on Netflix, I read about a movie being available on the service, but it never pops up on my screen. Where’s the website where I can scan all the content? Hell, it looks to me like they don’t have that much, even though they keep telling everybody they do!

There’s too much television for mediocre to survive. Not only are there so many other options on TV, there are non-series/movie distractions only a click away, like YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat…

In other words, Netflix has lost touch with its customers.

Just like the publishing business. Who in hell is gonna buy the digital version if the hardcover is cheaper, or only a dollar or two more? It’s a bad value proposition. Kids are down with virtual purchases, as they do in video games, but the oldsters still need to be convinced. Most people who are anti-digital readers never even read that way! But when all books were $9.99 or less… If you bought something and it sucked, no big deal. But when it’s $15?

Yup, the book business is just like Netflix. Not aware their business depends on customers. Amazon was growing their business, adding customers and sales. I used to buy a physical book a year, maybe two or three. It just didn’t make sense, $25? But with digital, I buy a book every other week if not more often. But I must admit, I think twice about my purchases at these inflated prices, and I’m pissed they’re so high when there’s no printing and shipping…

You want your customers to LOVE you, otherwise you’re the record business. Devastated at the advent of this century. Customers had been ripped-off for so long, they didn’t feel bad about stealing, And what did the execs say? Nothing could replace CDs, they were perfect! But the customers didn’t feel this way, and they wanted instant accessibility and portability, qualities that are the essence of digital.

And streaming saved the music business.

But sales don’t equal the pre-internet heyday, so the streaming services are…waiting to raise prices.

Let’s not talk about what something is intrinsically worth… It’s only worth what a buyer is willing to pay.

And one thing’s for sure, I’m not paying for every streaming video service, no way. I’m gonna end up paying as much as cable and getting less! I’m trying to hold off on Hulu. I don’t have the time, and I feel it’s an insult.

But, I did pay for Mhz Choice to watch a foreign series, I thought twice, but it was only $7.99 and opened up a world of proven quality television that otherwise I wouldn’t have access to.

Now is the time for Netflix to ensure that it trumps the competition.

All the news is negative. It’s losing “The Office,” “Friends.”

I don’t watch either, but there’s such blowback that my fealty to Netflix is wavering, I want to be a member of a winning cult. And I know Netflix is countering with all the product it still has, and the press is talking about viewer numbers, but entertainment is not facts, it’s about hearts and minds!

And Netflix is losing them.

~~~

Visit the archive: https://ift.tt/IH9kjT – @Lefsetz http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz – If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter

      Netflix Numbers

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[podpocketss-blog]

Get Wireless Airpod Accessories From Online

The key note to the introduction of momentous new addition to the Apple arsenal. Cue the Apple AirPods. Apple’s first official jump into the wireless headset game despite acquiring Beats by Dr. Dre in 2014. Apple believes it can take the wireless headset industry by storm by introducing its take on wireless headsets. Despite the delay in their production, they finally made their splash early this year sparking conversations and controversies in its usage and function. Now no device is perfect neither can it do everything. That’s why third party developers took the stage to fill out the small and tiny holes of decent first generation Apple AirPod. In this article, we are going to be looking at two great innovations aimed at making the AirPod great for you and more personal.

We’ll start it off with a review of the Actual gadget.

AirPod: Quick Review

Do Apple's AirPods sound extraordinary? Not by any stretch of the imagination. In any case, they're about far more than playing music.

Before we start, let me just get all the shots out of my system when I think about the new Apple AirPods: Pardon me just a moment…

One Word, Two Syllables! Ugly! They look like modest hair dryers! Modest sweet sticks! Little beans growing! Baby golf clubs!

Ok, I Am Done!

But seriously, never have Bluetooth earphones been so natural to match. AirPods transform Siri into an inescapable being. Battery life and fit are both superior to anything you may anticipate. The AirPods sit fine in my ears, in reality, superior to the EarPods. They even remained in while I ran. The battery lasts somewhat longer than the five hours publicized. In the six days, I've had them, I've just needed to charge them one time.

What I absolutely hate about this gadget is and they ain't got no plausible excuse in my opinion. All the best elements just work with Apple stuff and they don't sound in the same class as they ought to at the cost.

Looks aren't all that matters, however, and the truth of the matter is AirPods look the way they do as a result of their most imperative component: they have no wires. There's nothing to break or tangle, nothing to connect to, nothing to get on your rucksack on your commute each and every single day. Simply sweet aural opportunity. (Without a doubt, you may lose them, yet that is your issue, not an earphones issue.)Factually, a great many people approve of the EarPods, and they'll approve of the airports as well. However, in the event that you've at any point bought a couple of earphones that cost more than $50, I'd wager they sound superior to the AirPods. In the event that you've spent more than $100, they certainly do.

A Few Months Later…

Following a couple of long stretches of utilizing the Airpods, an irregular thing continues transpiring. Despite everything I don't think AirPods sound great, regardless I don't think they look great, and a couple of their components still make me totally crazy. But, I continue winding up backpedaling to the AirPods. The case, on the other hand, didn’t bode so well. While it is still looking rather new, it has definitely lost its luster and freshness that it came with. I found like a billion scratches on the casing and it is putting me off a little but hey, it still plays and all so I guess it's lucky it’s hasn’t been tossed out yet.

For every one of their issues, Apple's twin candy sticks (I promise that was the last one) are so natural to pair, thus agreeable to wear for a considerable length of time at once, that I can disregard the many deficiencies. Now and then.

Ok so if you were listening to any word I was saying about this gadget you’ll realize that besides the ok sound it produces, I only really have a problem with the casing.

And The solution? SIMPLE

Enter The PodPocket (Really smart name for this accessory, that’s what personally drew me in)

The PodPocket

Depiction

The PodPocket is founded on the simple idea of keeping your podcast safe, healthy and never to lose them. It is a simple design that will compliment any look be it professional or casual (just depends on the color you pick) That’s right I forgot to mention that. The PodPocket comes in three characteristic sleek colors. The PodPocket comes in the first Blazing Red (the one I have), Indigo Blue and Cocoa Gray hues, and the restricted version Technicolor and Came hues, and before the year's over, Pear Green, Ash Pink, and Aqua Blue will be coming.

It is for the individuals who acknowledge both shape and capacity. The pocket is majestically shaped from a high review of silicone to give a safe fit to the AirPods charging case. The PodPocket configuration wonderfully supplements Apple's mark tasteful. It accompanies an excellent key ring and catches with the goal that it can be appended to a pack or keychain and the open access to the base permits charging while the AirPods are still in the PodPocket. (it sounds just as awesome as it sounds. Trust me)

On the off chance that you are anything like me, having spent a considerable lot of money to arrange the Apple AirPods, the exact opposite thing you would need is to lose or even lose your AirPods. Close by the astounding sentiment liberating yourself of Apple's great wired headphones, the primary concern pundits have pointed with Apple's new AirPods is that they are helpless to being lost, a dread that isn't lost on me.

Functionality

Looking to discover approaches to secure my little venture, I went over PodPocket, a clever case-with-keyring for your AirPods. That way, I can safely keep my AirPods coupled up with my auto and house keys, in a stylishly satisfying case that snugly fits my AirPods. In this article, I survey the PodPocket for seven days and perceive how it charges amid my consistent undertakings.

The First Week

Going through seven days with the PodPocket, I can sincerely say it was obviously, a similar feeling I had from the very beginning to day seven. The silicon case with key chain, fitted my AirPod case snuggly, without the dread of it dropping out which is the purpose of binds your keychain to your AirPods. It fit truly perfectly, it didn't obstruct access to the best lock to get to the cases and does not meddle with the charging port.

Fixing to my auto keys, it comes wherever I go, giving me access to it whenever I need, in my left-take pants as opposed to having it concealed somewhere in an office drawer. Worked from what is by all accounts to a great degree solid material, after seven days it doesn't hint at any wear and looks as new as the principal day I got it.

The best part, having it physically paired with my keys implies I won't lose my keys either. The last update to iOS stretches out the “FindMyPhone” to incorporate scanning for your AirPods, so on the off chance that you went out, you can look for it alongside the AirPods.

Fun Fact

They have had stunning accomplishment on Amazon offering more than 30k units all around, and in deed are the most elevated appraised AirPod case on Amazon. The PodPockets cost $19.95, a deal considering the cost of supplanting lost or scratched cases of the AirPodaccessories.

The Verdict

I was totally sold from the very first moment when I got my PodPocket, and following seven days, requested another, Cocoa Gray just to change it up every now and then. I was one of the first to get the AirPods the day it turned out, and being as cautious about my gadgets I needed to guarantee I had a case to ensure it. Bending over as more than a case, however daisy-bind to my keys, I additionally won't lose my AirPods, at a cost I’m alright with, $19.95, I absolutely was not disillusioned.

I haven't discovered anything on the web that would make me take a gander at another case or coupling answer for my AirPods, so this practically goes unchallenged in the commercial center.

We were clowning around about how some organization expected to make a rope extra for Apple's new AirPods, well someone dog on went and did it. So let’s take a look.

AirPod Strap

The fact with the airpod accessories is that with two loose and free wireless earbuds it looks likely and will appear to be anything but easy to lose. And minutes after the fact one emerged, Spigen and many other outlets took on the idea that you may want work out while you listen and enjoy your music.Basically, it puts a wire between your AirPods so you can keep them sticking around your neck like a commonplace remote in-ear earphone that has a string between the buds.

The AirPod Strap appears to overcome the AirPods greatest offering point (that they're absolutely wire-free), yet hello, it's just $10, and you can clearly evacuate it at whatever point you need to live more perilously.

There isn’t much to say about these straps but they are good and will definitely enhance your usage because what you see is all you get with these accessories so they’re not much look at. And they won’t do much for you style wise. But who is going to be looking at your ears while on the treadmill? I know I won’t but that’s just me.  

[iwantasecretgarden]

Taggetytagtag

DoBrought up by the freaking awesome and strong @nachodiablo

Rules: Answer all questions, add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions.

1. Coke or Pepsi: Diet Coke in a glass of ice or a can or a bottle or a fountain or anywhere, always. “Is Pepsi okay?” is probably the worst sentence in all of human history.

2. Disney or Dreamworks: Disney Renaissance (90s kid)

3. Coffee or tea: Coffee. I want to like tea, but it’s leaf water. And drinking it tastes like hot leaves. I try and I try and yet still...clogged pool filter in a cup.

4. Books or movies: Books. Books, I’ve never seen so many books in all my life. Best weapons in the world. But seriously in 2016 I read 42 books - didn’t quite get to my 52 I had hoped for as my upper goal, but far surpassed the 25 I had planned.

5. Windows or mac: Mac since birth. Born with my dad getting me a tiny apple jumper as he used the old timey rainbows apple with the startup OS face.

6. DC or Marvel: Marvel characters are deeper and more interesting, especially because I WANT to like Wonder Woman but every single writer just changes her backstory and nothing is consistent and I hate that. X-Men are my favorite because it’s embracing difference in an exclusive, bigoted world.

7. X-box or Playstation: I wasn’t allowed to play video games because my parents thought they would make me violent so now I’m WOEFULLY AWFUL at them. But does Wii Lego games count? Because I really like Wii Lego Harry Potter. I know. I know. But it’s actually adorable. I also play Wii Lego LOTR and Batman and Star Wars (but SW one sucks).

8. Dragon age or Mass effect: Er...what. 

9. Night owl or early riser: I do better working at night because I like to have an hour or so to wake up. So if I leave at 9 I get up at 6:30 so I can drink coffee and blink awake and watch a tv show before doing chores and getting ready.

10. Cards or chess: Cards - more for the memories that accompany them and because I’m hellishly impatient for Chess.

11. Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla not because I’m vanilla but because chocolate can either be overwhelming or when in ice cream doesn’t taste like chocolate? Like why? It tastes like mystery brown flavor and I’m not into that.

12. Vans or converse: Converse for life. Black. With doodles on the white parts. Quotes and drawings. Being a cool kid way past the age I could pull it off (since I never could). I also have a blue pair that I drew the TARDIS on during the DW fanvolution but now don’t wear because they don’t match.

13. Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar: I feel dumb. I don’t know what these are. 

14. Fluff or angst: Angsty fluff. Like when the angst drenches your soul and in the darkest moment someone says the right thing that no one in real life has ever said to you and it’s like a sweet sweet salve. 

15. Beach or forest: Forest. I hate sand. I’m stupid annakin. And deep in my heart of hearts I’m still the wolf girl I was at 13 where I wore braces and boys jeans and tie dyed wolf t-shirts and braids in my hair with a bunch of friendship bracelets and wanted to be a psychic dragon rider or be raised by sentient wolves. So in the end...it’d be untrue to my nature (and to my secret shame wolf patronus) to not say forest where I used to dream of running away and finding my true pack.

16. Dogs or cats: I have two greyhounds (Fred & George), and a cat - Gandalf. That way I can introduce the bunch as Gandalf (and) the Greyhounds. Yeah. I’m serious. PM me for picture proof or check out insta @greyhoundgeorge

17. Clear skies or rain: Rain when I have nowhere to BE. If I can stay home and eat hot popcorn and drink cold water and snuggle on a couch under the blankets and put on an old movie or quiet film scores and pick up a book I want to read all in one go. That’s a little corner of heaven right there. But clear skies if I am going out to do something - if I’m doing something stressful and knowing I can go outside after to let the sun drench into the skin of my face and smile and take a breath and get a cold diet coke and congratulate myself on being brave and finishing out.

18. Cooking or eating out: Depends. Depends on how lazy I am and how broke I am and how hungry I am. I like cooking when I’m really hungry because then I can personalize everything to my own tastes and having leftovers I know will be yummy later. When I eat out/order take out I’m eating it all. Don’t be foolish.

19. Spicy food or mild food: Spicy food. Make my nose rain. I once drank a bowl of salsa in a Mexican restaurant. Like in Beauty & the Beast. Bowl to my mouth. Drank it down. My sisters hissed at me to stop. It was so good. So I drank theirs too.

20. Halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas: Solstice, Yule, ***Christmas*** I am so into Christmas. I’m the dumbass that starts listening to carols too early in November. I’m wearing sweaters and sweating. I’m getting my peppermint hot chocolate. I’m the one viciously stalking that Christmas feeling that seems to get farther and farther away the older you get. Because I want it to last forever. I want to make sure my little sisters never lose it.

21. Would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: Too cold. I’m already hot all the time. It’s hell. And I sweat through my clothes and that’s embarrassing and uncomfortable. At least when I’m cold people feel pity for you. When you’re hot all the time everyone looks at you like a freak.

22. If you could have a superpower, what would it be: Hallucination/Projection. I’d be called “Storyteller” or “Story” and if I wanted you to think you were on a beach in Aruba, you would really see and feel it. I would be able to travel for free, protect myself through a veneer, and never have to harm anyone. And I could taste all food however I wanted even if it was just celery. I could look how I want to look, dress how I want to dress, make my world the reality I want.

23. Animation or live action: Live action. I think the nuances of character actors and their expressions bring something to a film that evokes a sympathetic response in the brain that cannot (currently) be copied in animation.

24. Paragon or renegade: Again. I’m a silly person who has no idea what this is.

25. Baths or showers: SHOWERS. Hot showers. Baths - like tea - are just stewing in dirt. In your own dirt. In a tub where you get to look at your knees and rest your wet head against the hard tile. Ew.

26. Team cap or team ironman: Captain America forever. Stucky and Steggy forever.

27. Fantasy or sci-fi: Fantasy at my heart of hearts. It appeals to my wolfgirl nature. But I’m an equal opportunist and love Sci Fi. Just watch out for those weird 1950s fantasy/sci fi crossovers about colonizing planets cuz those get WEIRD.

28. Do you have three or four favourite quotes, if so what are they:

"Do small things with great love.” - Mother Teresa

“Courage, dearheart.” - C.S. Lewis

“Don’t worry. Don’t worry.  Look up at the ceiling and breathe with those curiously fragile lungs and remind yourself don’t worry. All as it was meant to be. It was meant to be lonely, and terrifying, and unfair, and fleeting. Don’t worry.” - Welcome to Nightvale

29. Youtube or netflix: Netflix or Amazon Video yo

30. Harry Potter or Percy Jackson: Yeahhhh see I was too old when PJ came out. My youngest sister was reading it and even she thought it was under her age level. So HARRY POTTER FOREVER FOOLS. I mean, I cannot stress how much our family loves HP. We had a year when my youngest sister turned 11 she had a welcome to Hogwarts party in March, my family surprised me with a Horcrux Hunt 17th birthday Coming of Age in April, and my other sister turned 14 and got a Triwizard Cup party in May. My Mom listens to HP on Audible every night before bed. She can literally quote the first book word for word. We went to HP Wizarding World in FL before it opened on special passes when I was 19. If my mother wouldn’t murder us, our entire family would have matching HP tattoos. I write Marauders book fanfiction for my entire family to read and critique. We have sorted ourselves and own everything in our respective houses (a split R/G family). It’s our dream to go to Leaky Con together. We all have complete uniforms. Not just the robes. All of it. We know all the spells, have played all the dumb computer 2001 games and Wii games and Pottermore before it was lame and basically omg. HP FOR LIFE. (or LOTR). 

31. When you feel accomplished: When someone acknowledges I saw the problem and solution immediately but everyone else tried a bunch of things first and eventually realized I was right. #INTJ

32. Star Wars or Star Trek: I am very into both, and both my sisters have hard core taken a position on each camp. But if I had to choose, I would say Star Trek because of the massive cultural shift it caused, especially in featuring multi-racial characters and women in positions of science and power.

33. Paperback books or hardback books: Paperback if I’m reading it the first time and Idk if i’ll like it but then I want hardback (leatherbound tbh) of everything I’ve ever loved and read for my library I want to own like in B&B. 

34. Horror or rom-com: Ughhhhhhhh both suck. But I only like cerebral horror (like Sixth Sense) or intellectual horror (like Hannibal) because physical horror (torture), gross horror (teeth losing and pus), jump horror (basic) really aren’t interesting to me so I GUESS I’ll say rom-com.

35. TV shows or movies: TV shows streaming so I can binge them. Yep.

36. Favorite animal: Tigers! I’m so into tigers and know so much about them. The ONLY tiger fact I’ll bore you with right now is that lion roars are much shallower due to being lighter weight with less lung capacity so for the Lion King whenever the lions roar, it’s actually tiger roars to sound more macho.

37. Favorite genre of music: Alt rock or indie - coldplay, mumford, snow patrol, frank turner, damien rice, the wonder years, etc. 

38. Least favorite book: I know people are really into it now, but when I read it A Separate Peace sucked balls and everyone agreed. Also I once read this terribly written horror book Neverwhere. Actually I’ve read several such poorly written books that it honestly gives me hope that I can be an author if these dingbats can.

39. Favourite season: Winter before Christmas

40. Song that’s currently stuck in your head:  Help by the Beatles

41. What kind of pyjama’s do you wear: Old t shirt (usually huge) and pj pants or shorts

42. How many existential crisis do you have on an average day: Lol so many. Depends on the day. More like “my life is confusing and I have no idea what’s happening and everything is a chain reaction that hasn’t begun and I’m holding my breath praying for a fallout that’s marginally okay.”

43. If you can only choose one song to be played at your funeral, what would it be: “Penny Lane,” by the Beatles

44. Favourite theme song to a TV show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer or (honestly) Magic School Bus or Jimmy Neutron

45. Harry Potter movies or books: Books, where the inaccuracies aren’t too many to count

46. Favorite traditional food from your family: Tamales

47. Favorite decade from 1900-now: 1990s. But only 90s kids remember the 90s.

48. Worst habit? Thinking I can do it all.

49. Teach an old person to use the internet or stay for a week with a kid stuck in the “why” phase?: Kids. I love kids. Why phases are great. Sometimes I never outgrew mine, and adults always brush them off without actually taking time to explain why satisfactorily.  50. Who’s your favorite painter?: Claude Monet. 

51. Favourite flower?: Roses (trite) or bluebonnets. 

52. Boots or sneakers?: Sneakers now - boots in fall.

53. Abroad or at home?: Home if I could magically go back in time when “home” was everything I wanted and not a place to visit my mom in my old room with no clothes or friends.

54. Planning or spontaneity? Planning! But occasional spontaneity. 

55. Boxers or briefs? Boxers so that I can wear them as pajama shorts.

56. Hogwarts house? Better be...Gryffindor! 

I’m not tagging 56 people, so if you’d like to do this, tag me so I can read them! If you don’t want to, then just enjoy learning more about me. If it’s more than you wanted to know (and it probably is) feel free to ignore.

[hellotechsgeeksfan]

Huawei Watch GT Smartwatch | REVIEW

Hey everyone what is going on today I'm showing you this beautiful Smart Watch this thing is sexy it's sophisticated looking and everything about it and the outside looks absolutely great but how is it on the inside how are her feelings how about that personality that's what I'll get into and see if this watch is worth it for you guys folks this is the Huawei watch GT the version I have here is the classic priced at $229 at the time this video as always I'll place my affiliate links down in that blog end below click on my links for the most updated prices in real-time you never know when these things might go on sale matter of fact I think the black sport model is at least cheaper right now so again check out those links as well as being transparent wow I did send us over for review but my assessment was not altered.

Image Source - Amazon

In any way, I'll be going over both pros and cons I'm Charles with Techs Geeks review room and I'm here to help you make that purchase decision welcome everyone to another video going over the physical features first I very much love the look and the feel of this watch you can beat a judge so comment down below but here are my three things that thing every consumer will appreciate now first up is durability and the quality of the materials the stainless steel casing has a DLC coating diamond like carbon coating making this very much scratch resistant now with some smart watches in the past the same amount of time testing herself I would have Nick's or scratches that would show up within let's say even a week this one doesn't full disclosure I've had this for about a month now but we'll see how long this will hold up but for a month it looks pretty darn promising now second the silicone strap itself is very comfortable very much flexible on my wrist I haven't had any issues of irritation or rashes and the level look on the outside seems pretty good too the color matches my shoes I do love the look of that leather the stitching the little details that pieces everything together and if for some reason you don't like it similar to most if not all other smart watches these days there is a tool at for you to swap out that van now the third physical aspect I love about the Huawei I'm finally at a fitness size that I'm absolutely happy with I love my Samsung Galaxy watch but I will admit though it is a little bit bulky the Huawei comes in at ten point five millimeters and it's just the right size not too cumbersome to feel it against my sleeves when I wear long sleeves or when I do shoulder presses at home or maybe doing push-ups and my wrist or my hand is bent backward like this it's not getting in the way it's not like you can see my muscles or anything like that but it's also not too thin to basically feel lackluster either the fitness on this SmartWatch is seriously what every SmartWatch should strive for when you're at this thickness this would be more appealing to mainstream or if anything the average consumer.

Now getting into other standard features this has a 5 ATM water-resistant rating safe for splashes rain-snow freshwater swimming and such we have the optical heart rate tracker on the back as well physically connected are used to charge to watch which I'm okay with I would prefer the convenes of a wireless charger but the pins do function fine and produce less heat which is the enemy of batteries now one of the biggest pros and cons on the history of this blog here or so I think the battery life is phenomenal that's the good part while weighs climbing up to two weeks of typical performance that does include heart rate tracking on 24/7 and while we claims that's with ninety minutes of exercise per week now with my testing I'm a virgin about a week worth of battery life give or take a day or two depending if I'm more active on certain weeks or not but compared to the competition that's still seriously good Samsung in the amazing Apple Watch for my test we're averaging four to five days of normal use take away a day or two maybe two if you're going all out with GPS and heart rate tracking and such but with the Huawei experiencing five to eight days that's impressive especially considering they watch GT's price points.

Now here's the con well the reasons how Huawei achieved such amazing battery life is the development in their use of their own operating system it's called light OS know many Huawei software is running leaner less bloatware maybe their system is that much better optimized but with a new OS to help with a battery life there comes limitations because the OS is just simply so so new now for the Huawei watch GT there are no third-party apps and keep in mind this watch is focused on health so we can't install oddly Strava Run Keeper and map my run all three apps that I personally use and the data from Huawei health cannot be exported to those tabs either at least at the time this blog to be fair the while we watch GT is priced lower than the flagship watches out there but there are clearly nonflagship smartwatches that offers more than it was GT even last year's Huawei Smart Watch had more but again it wasn't running light OS and it doesn't have the same banner life either now one feature though I loved on the older Huawei watch since I briefly touched base on it, the budget issues Zen watch - also from back in the that I reviewed - even the flagship competitors today I can't take phone calls on this I can't take phone calls right from my wrist I don't get NFC either to make credit card payments with my wrist unless I would love to leave my phone behind when I'm working out and have music stored on my watch connect my Bluetooth earphones or headphones to it and then go for a run leaving that phone behind that's not possible now there's sport-oriented watch so everything I've mentioned so far are those limitations a deal-breaker for you let us know in the comment section below like I've said before your comments do help others coming in and trying to decide if this is for them or not.

But moving out here take a look at the screen and then continuing with my experiences the screen is great though it's big 1.3 inch AMOLED display a resolution of 454 by 454 which is on the higher end Samsung only has 360 by 360 tick watch a great budget brand with comparable prices have a resolution of 400 by 400 it's also bright in sunlight it's easy to read and due to the high resolution I don't see any pixelation now with the experience on the right side the top button brings up all your included apps like I said a lot of health features and you can rewind this video if I went a little too fast for you now tapping on the button again brings you back to your home screen button on the bottom right here triggers your workout profiles and tracking parameters now taking a look here running since it is the most popular sport or activity that most people do there is GPS built-in also GLONASS and Galileo with all three every time I'm attempting to personally connect it is fast here and the tracking is accurate to know right now I'm in of course an office building medical steel and concrete and there's what two more floors above me so it might have a little bit of trouble in real-time but also you get real-time heart rate tracking once you start the activity you have this color band up here that indicates your heart rate zone which I absolutely love in turn I can't tell if I'm pushing myself too hard or not also there's pace distance and time are of course shown as well now pulling the screen up you have your step count, cadence, total calories burned another swipe shows how many feet climbed your current elevation and neck swipe shows your heart rate in real-time unless this is really cool here your trailing average pace are you going slower or faster than your average with a very cool animation in play. So for the moments that you're running and tracking what is displayed, I'll be honest with you I think it's great it's everything that I need and it's all the data that I want while running making this one excellent running companion app or running companion watch but like I said again I wish there's built-in music with Bluetooth for my earphones simply sticking with other apps would have been tremendously helped maybe in version 2.0 now let's get back to the main screen here and going through some of the smart features now from the home screen you can hold it down you can hold down that watch face and select from a variety of others that Huawei provides to you now keep in mind there are no third-party apps which means there are no other watch now faces available until why wait updates their operating system like I said at times video there is a huge limitation some of them look good some of them look ok it really honestly depends on your preference here now from the main screen swiping down shows your Do Not Disturb feature find your phone and settings pretty straightforward going back to that main home page here swiping up instead shows all of your notifications now I can't clear out just one notification unfortunately I have to scroll all the way down whoops sorry about that scroll all the way down here and then click clear all to get rid of them now while in notifications you also notice I can't respond to anyone of them there's no text to speech you can't scribble text out here and no old-fashioned typing on the screen to respond to those text messages messenger and email that's again available on other competitors. Last but not least going back to the home screen here and now swiping right you have your heart rate monitoring which has been accurate for a Smart Watch from my experience I just wish there was just more data such as my last 5 days maybe an option to see what's considered as fat burning versus cardiovascular it's good data if you want to see what your day is looking like but looking at some history on the watch itself I would think would make it but more interactive useful and practical swiping for the weather is also available but unlikely competitors with more mainstream operating systems I wish I could see what the next five days are maybe the hourly reports to see when it will rain in my area we simply don't get that now besides weather the last screen shows a ring of colors representing steps active minutes and the amount of time I've been sitting very similar to the apple health display on their SmartWatch other then that what's been offered in y ways like OS the speed and functionality has been good with minor legs and hiccups here when I first tested the watch after a week that lag or stutter has been gone for the most part I don't think I've noticed it anymore it was really subtle now I do wear this to sleep and it's been as accurate as my Fitbit that I also wear my right wrist here down to the minute at a time so it's reassuring that these two devices are confirming my sleep is pretty accurate or it's reading pretty accurate with each other now I do very much battery the segmentation of light sleep versus deep sleep versus REM sleep very similar to fit bit’s and the breakdown as you can see I'm a very light sleeper now you do have the ability to set up a vibrating alarm through the app itself the watch does vibrate when I receive notifications and also of course a vibrating alarm to wake me up in the morning I'll admit though it's on me very much lighter and keep in mind I am a light sleeper so it does wake me up that is but I think for most people it might not work also and to supplement that as well when I receive notifications probably a moderate amount of time I do miss the vibration altogether I just don't sense it or feel it on my wrist.

Conclusions So in the end here in the Huawei watch GT nailed some areas down gracefully the fitness in wash display the battery life the Bell quality and the look as well it's all on par and again the thinness on this thing is a huge seller for me but the lack of experience of what a SmartWatch should be the interconnect ability the function we've clearly seen available on older models that actually uses Google's operating system it's been amazing with those smartwatches and I feel like now we're missing out in my personal humble opinion this feels more like a fitness or a high-end activity tracker masking itself as a SmartWatch I love why away smartwatches from the past but man be light OS it's holding me back so much so that's it folks be sure to subscribe to my blogs since I'm testing attending gear to get to a million subs fired.

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[lindawood]

How Many Smart Speakers Do I Need in My Home?

Whether you’re already one of the 20 percent of American adults who own a voice-controlled smart speaker or you’re still on the fence about investing in an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant device or an Apple HomePod, you might be wondering just how many of these intelligently attentive devices you’ll need. A smart speaker can offer voice-controlled convenience throughout your home—but only if it can hear you.

The number of speakers you should buy depends on what kind of home you live in, and where and when you’ll need your voice assistant to hear you. We have a few suggestions, depending on whether you want to build a smart-home setup, to listen to music and podcasts, to keep in touch with family and friends, or to use a digital assistant to boost your productivity. If you plan to buy multiple smart speakers, we recommend staying in the same family—although you could set up an Alexa-based speaker in one part of the house and a Google Assistant device somewhere else, you’d probably end up forgetting which platform has your to-do lists and which one controls the lights, or you’d have to do lots of redundant setup to get your smart home working with both platforms.

Smart-home setups

Photos: Michael Hession

To control a smart home without having to pull out your phone, get at least one smart speaker for each major living area so that they’re always within voice range when you need them. Before you buy, identify the rooms in which you plan to use smart speakers the most. If you have more than one such room on each floor, also consider whether the walls could block sounds, creating the need for a speaker in each room.

You don’t need a full-size smart speaker in each location if you need it to listen only to commands or to answer questions and you won’t often use it to play music or podcasts in every room. The smaller, cheaper versions, such as the Amazon Echo Dot and Google Home Mini, let you easily spread voice control around a large home.

A single smart speaker can connect to any number of smart-home devices—but if you have smart lights, smart wall outlets, or other such devices throughout the home, you may need to arrange several smart speakers so that they can hear your commands no matter where you are.

For example, I live in a 1,000-square-foot three-bedroom house with an unfinished basement. I have three Alexa-enabled speakers: an Echo Plus in the kitchen that my wife and I can also hear from the bedroom, an Echo Dot in the living room, and an Echo Dot in my music studio downstairs. In the kitchen, I can ask Alexa to turn on the switches in the basement music studio; by the time I walk down the stairs, the lights are on and the amps are warmed up. When I’m finished, I can tell the Echo Dot in the basement to turn everything off. I also have it set to automatically shut down at midnight, just in case I forget. We can even adjust the lighting or temperature with voice commands, whether we’re lying in bed or watching TV in the den across the house.

If you live in a studio or open-concept home, however, a single speaker could be all you need. When I lived in a 1,200-square-foot loft space, the wide-open design meant that a single Echo Plus speaker was enough for Alexa to hear me from anywhere.

More about Alexa and Google Assistant

The Best Alexa-Compatible Smart-Home Devices for Amazon Echo

We selected the best smart-home devices to work with your Alexa speaker, based on our extensive testing and real-world use.

The Best Google Assistant–Compatible Smart-Home Devices for Google Home

Get the most out of your Google Assistant speaker with these smart-home devices designed to work with it.

Digital assistant

Video: Kyle Fitzgerald

If you plan to use a smart speaker only for tasks such as checking your schedule or making to-do lists, you may need just one speaker in your primary work space. Similarly, if your primary need is for reading out recipes, recording your grocery lists, setting timers, or other assistance while you’re cooking or eating, you could probably get by with a single speaker in the kitchen. In these cases, your smartphone, which probably has either Google Assistant or Siri built in, should be able to fulfill the role of a second, portable smart speaker for related tasks that follow you beyond the home or office.

Most smart-speaker platforms enable you to add things to your grocery or to-do list, search the Web for quick answers, check your calendar, and perform basic tasks such as setting timers and doing math. You can do even more by creating your own functions on websites like IFTTT. Each of these tasks might sound like minor victories on their own, but the more you can automate, the more time and mental bandwidth you can free up for yourself. You can accomplish many of these things with the voice assistant that’s likely built into your smartphone. But smart speakers such as Amazon Echo and Google Home models are generally easier to use because they support more natural-language cues, which make it easier for you to rely on them and build better habits for your productivity.

Even in my three-Echo household, I typically rely on the Echo Plus in my kitchen only for digital assistant tasks such as adding to my grocery list or checking my calendar and to-do list in the morning over breakfast. Google Home and Apple HomeKit devices can integrate with your smartphone via Google Assistant and Siri, which means you can use their productivity features on the go. With Alexa, you can leave reminders through your smart speaker that then transmit to the app on your phone. This feature is helpful if you (like me) are painfully forgetful.

Pull Quote

The more you can automate, the more time and mental bandwidth you can free up for yourself.

Listening to music, audiobooks, and more

If you want to improve the audio or extend the sound of your smart speaker, these are some of the portable Bluetooth speakers we tested for our fall 2018 update. Photo: Brent Butterworth

If you’re looking to stream music or podcasts that sync across multiple rooms in your home, you’ll need more than one speaker. However, you may be able to use a mix of smart speakers and basic speakers without voice-control capabilities. Most people prefer having a higher-quality smart speaker in their primary listening location, such as the living room, kitchen, or dedicated music nook. But you can save money by supplementing this setup with smaller, more affordable speakers such as the Google Home Mini or the Echo Dot, so you can still hear alarms and news broadcasts in other rooms.

For a multiroom music experience made up entirely of smart speakers, we think the Sonos platform is the best way to go. Most streaming services can play out of multiple smart speakers simultaneously when configured for multiroom playback, but a Sonos speaker offers more music services, provides the best coordination, and sounds better. Echo and Google Home speakers can also work in a multiroom audio system, but Sonos makes the setup simpler and works with more music services. We particularly like the Sonos One, which already has Alexa built in; the company has announced plans to add Google Assistant and HomeKit support in the future as well.

You can also connect Amazon Echo speakers to an existing stereo system through the aux port, or via Bluetooth to any number of home Bluetooth speakers or portable Bluetooth speakers; Google Home speakers can connect to other devices via Chromecast. Apple’s HomePod is compatible only with other Apple devices. If you plan to take a Bluetooth speaker into the backyard, you could choose something portable such as the UE Megablast, which includes Alexa support.

Communication and chat

Your smart speaker’s microphone allows you to make and receive calls to and from any phone number or other smart speakers. Photo: Michael Hession

If you want to communicate between rooms in your home or accept calls on a smart speaker, you should place a speaker in each room from which you might communicate. If you plan on making only outgoing calls, a single smart speaker should suffice.

You can make phone calls or send text messages through your smart speaker, whether you have an Echo, a Google Home, or a HomePod—although the way that call or message is routed, and what numbers you can reach, might be limited based on your location and phone provider. Your smart speaker essentially works as a speakerphone, but Echo devices can also pair with Bluetooth headphones (in which case, you may as well just pair those Bluetooth headphones with your phone and take the call that way).

Phone-call capabilities likely aren’t the most important factor for most people who are deciding to invest in a smart-home system. That said, such features can be a real godsend when you’re in the middle of cooking dinner and need to tell your spouse or roommate to grab an avocado on their way home. Consider where you’re most likely to want to take a call hands-free, and make those locations the first places you put a smart speaker for taking phone calls.

You can also create an intercom system, which lets you converse between rooms by voice or video call. As with taking phone calls, consider where you might use the feature the most. In my home, we occasionally rely on the intercom feature, but it isn’t always as convenient as we want it to be. There is a slight lag, and our kitchen and living room are close enough that we end up hearing the unintelligible sound of the other party’s distant voice before we hear their words coming through the speaker.

When you’re deciding where to place a speaker, you should also consider whether its positioning might make for some awkward or invasive moments—something to consider before you invest in any Internet-connected hardware. One time I was recording a song for an album when I heard a strange sound in my headphones, like a filtered ghost howling through a chorus pedal. I glanced up and saw a little green ring circling my Echo Dot, which meant that the Drop In feature (which allows household members to talk between smart speakers, intercom-style) was on—and that the ethereal sound was just my wife trying to say hi without interrupting me. Now I know to mute the speaker when I’m recording.

from DDigits WP Feed 2 https://wrctr.co/2Tuk4vb via IFTTT

[anthonykrierion]

How Popular is Voice Search?

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in February of 2017 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

“Hey Siri (or Alexa, Google, or Cortana), can you tell me what the weather will be like today?”

Every year, the functionality of voice search assistants evolves. Whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, stand-alone beacon (like Amazon Echo), or even your refrigerator, these personal AI assistants are here to help in all kinds of ways. From the weekly weather forecast to turning on the lights in your kitchen or ordering a pizza, the opportunities with voice search programs are turning out to be endless.

With growing functionality and increased presence in our smartphones, we wanted to know how many people are regularly using mobile voice search commands, which AI systems are the most popular, and what exactly people are using them to search. Want to know what trends we uncovered? Read on to find out.

Voice Search Stats

  There was no clear winner for preference when it came to frequency of using voice-automated search options. In fact, according to the more than 2,000 people surveyed, roughly 40 percent said they never use it. In 2017, that number was only 28.7 percent, suggesting that for some, the novelty of voice search has worn off. Despite household automated search products like Amazon Echo being breakout trends at the 2017 CES show in Las Vegas, many users are still not using mobile voice search, regardless of its upgrades or conveniences.

Still, voice search has earned some loyal fans. Although the number of once-a-month users has decreased from 23 to 15.45 percent over the last year, the percentage of more frequent users has held fairly steady. Over 21 percent of respondents in 2018 said they use voice search at least once a week, while nearly 23 percent use it every day (compared to nearly 26.7 percent and 21.6 percent in 2017, respectively). As we’ll explore below, usage trends are emerging among different age groups, helping us understand not just who’s using voice search but why.

In asking our 2,000 participants why they chose to use mobile voice search, over 29 percent thought it was easier than manually searching for answers. About 22 percent used voice search because they weren’t able to look at their phones. Further, when we asked when they used it, over 34 percent of participants said they put voice search to the test when they were driving. Another 21 percent said they used it when they were preoccupied with another activity. For users who take the time to know their integrated voice assistants a little more personally, they can be time savers in the end.

Finally, over 37 percent said they thought it was faster than using mobile browsers or other resources — compared to only 25.7 percent in 2017 — while nearly 82 percent thought voice search was accurate.

The Voice Battle Continues

  Many of our users had a voice search assistant built into their smartphones. Depending on which phone manufacturer you’re committed to, you might be more familiar with Google Assistant or Apple’s Siri. Over 90 percent of respondents had one or both of these programs on their phone, while nearly 76 percent listed Google Assistant or Siri as the voice search program they favor. In both cases, Google Assistant seems to have gained a slight edge over Siri.

Other less popular assistants included Microsoft’s Cortana, Amazon’s Alexa, and Samsung’s Bixby. Of these, Alexa (the digital assistant of Amazon Echo), is by far the most popular option. Nearly 17 percent of respondents reported having Alexa on their phone, and nearly 14 percent identified Alexa as the voice assistant they use most.

At the 2017 CES show in Las Vegas, Echo earned critical praise for its evolved home integrations and voice search capabilities. According to our research in 2017, around 92 percent of our respondents felt Alexa was accurate, while 93 percent of Cortana users and nearly 91 percent of Google Assistant users found their voice assistants to be accurate. At the bottom was Apple’s Siri — only 82 percent of users thought it was accurate.

Alexa was still at the top of the list in 2018, but users were less satisfied across the board — perhaps because users are beginning to expect more from their voice assistants. Still, a respectable 88 percent thought Alexa was accurate in 2018. Google Assistant jumped to second place, with 87 percent of users finding it accurate. Siri and Cortana rounded out the list at 77 and 74 percent, respectively.

Common Voice Assistant Commands

  With users capitalizing on moments where they might have otherwise been preoccupied with other tasks (like driving, watching TV, or cooking), the most popular request of voice search services in 2017 was to play music. Whether you’re in the car and want to hear a certain tune or tidying up around the house and need some music to pass the time, asking that invisible someone in your smartphone to find the perfect tune might be the ultimate convenience.

Playing music is still a popular voice command in 2018, with over 35 percent of respondents using it regularly. However, even more users — over 40 percent — ask their voice assistant for directions. Nearly 33 percent ask for the weather forecast, while over 23 percent use their voice assistant to search for local businesses.

Speaking of convenience, over 17 percent of survey participants regularly use voice search to help them set, cancel, or manage their alarms. Asking Siri or Google to play a catchy song is one thing, but getting them to turn on your alarm when you’re already in bed means not having to get up or double-check that it’s set. Nearly 10 percent use voice search to add or manage appointments and events in their calendar.

Other popular commands included looking up a contact number (nearly 22 percent) and finding recipes (nearly 18 percent). Around 14 percent of respondents use their voice assistant for each of the following tasks:

Looking up measurement conversions.

Asking for a sports score.

Checking traffic alerts.

Reviewing news headlines.

Performing a calculation.

Our research also shows that people are having more fun with their voice assistants in 2018. Last year, only 9 percent reported using voice search to ask fun questions; this year, that number is nearly 36 percent. Women and millennials are each about 7 percent more likely than their male or baby boomer counterparts to make use of this feature. Silly questions might seem, well, a bit silly, but where else can you get entertainment like this with no cost?

Voice Search, by Generation

  In 2017, millennials were more likely to put their personal AI assistants to task with nearly as many common search phrases as Gen Xers and baby boomers combined. However, it appears baby boomers and Gen Xers have caught up over the last year. Our 2018 survey found no significant difference in the top voice commands by gender or age.

That doesn’t mean every generation uses voice search in the exact same way, though. The order of which commands are most popular does vary slightly between age groups. Gen Xers are the most likely to ask for directions, for instance, while baby boomers are the most likely to search for a local business.

Millennials, meanwhile, are far more likely than either group to use voice search to manage their schedules. Over 20 percent have used it to set or manage an alarm, compared to roughly 13 percent of Gen Xers and 5 percent of baby boomers. For managing calendar events and appointments, those numbers are over 14 percent, nearly 9 percent, and nearly 6 percent, respectively.

Some surprising similarities exist, too. Baby boomers and millennials are almost equally likely to use voice search to find recipes, and both are more likely to do so than Gen Xers are.

Voice Search, by Gender

  Our research also showed slight differences in how men and women use their voice search programs.

For both genders, the top use was asking for directions. However, women seem to use this function more than men, with roughly 42.5 percent of women and 37 percent of men asking their voice assistance for directions regularly. Women were also more likely to search for recipes, look up measurement conversions, and look up contact numbers. As you might expect, men are more likely to ask for a sports score — 18.71 percent versus 11.61 percent. Otherwise, the genders were roughly equal in their use of popular commands.

Voice Search, by Region

  In 2017, the U.S. didn’t entirely agree with the use of voice search assistants. According to our survey, those in the Midwest were more likely to use voice search — with more than 73 percent of respondents using it at least occasionally in states like Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio.

While the South had only a slightly lower average usage than those in the Northeast, it was states in the West that acknowledged using voice search the least. Despite California and Washington being home to some major tech headquarters, only 69 percent of users from this part of the U.S. put voice search to work for them.

In 2018, the gaps between these four regions have narrowed. Additionally, usage has dropped across the board. Where 70 percent of Southerners reported using it at least once a month in 2017, nearly 59 percent claim to do so in 2018. Usage in the Midwest, meanwhile, has dropped to nearly 58 percent. Numbers in the Northeast and West sit at roughly 60 percent and 62 percent, respectively.

The Future of Voice Search

Despite these changes, as the functionality of voice search increases and consumers become more familiar with everything it can do, we expect its popularity to grow. Already, the majority of mobile phone owners have begun to incorporate voice search into their everyday lives. Nearly 60 percent of those surveyed in 2018 use voice search at least once per month, and nearly half use it weekly or daily.

While search assistants are changing the way we play music or set alarms, they’re also changing the way we search for localized requests, like businesses or restaurants. Millennials, especially, were more likely to use voice search assistants to help them interact with the outside world by looking up movie times or traffic updates. However, older generations have increased their use of voice assistance technology since our 2017 survey, even surpassing millennials in the use of certain voice commands.

With this being the next frontier, you should ask your SEO services provider what they have planned for your website.

See Also: What is the Future of Search Engine Optimization?

Methodology

We surveyed 2,017 mobile phone users in the U.S. about mobile voice search.

Sources

http://www.cheatsheet.com/gear-style/20-questions-to-ask-siri-for-a-hilarious-response.html/?a=viewall

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38539326

http://www.pcmag.com/article/350857/9-top-trends-at-ces-2017

http://www.twice.com/samsung-smart-fridge-harmonizes-amazon-echos-alexa/60021

https://techcrunch.com/2016/02/03/amazon-echo-can-now-order-your-pizza/

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-siri-responses-2015-6

Fair Use

Want to know how to properly share our content with your readers?  You don’t need to ask Siri or Cortana. Just make sure to link them back to this page.

How Popular is Voice Search? was originally posted by Video And Blog Marketing

[samuelpboswell]

How Popular is Voice Search?

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in February of 2017 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

“Hey Siri (or Alexa, Google, or Cortana), can you tell me what the weather will be like today?”

Every year, the functionality of voice search assistants evolves. Whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, stand-alone beacon (like Amazon Echo), or even your refrigerator, these personal AI assistants are here to help in all kinds of ways. From the weekly weather forecast to turning on the lights in your kitchen or ordering a pizza, the opportunities with voice search programs are turning out to be endless.

With growing functionality and increased presence in our smartphones, we wanted to know how many people are regularly using mobile voice search commands, which AI systems are the most popular, and what exactly people are using them to search. Want to know what trends we uncovered? Read on to find out.

Voice Search Stats

  There was no clear winner for preference when it came to frequency of using voice-automated search options. In fact, according to the more than 2,000 people surveyed, roughly 40 percent said they never use it. In 2017, that number was only 28.7 percent, suggesting that for some, the novelty of voice search has worn off. Despite household automated search products like Amazon Echo being breakout trends at the 2017 CES show in Las Vegas, many users are still not using mobile voice search, regardless of its upgrades or conveniences.

Still, voice search has earned some loyal fans. Although the number of once-a-month users has decreased from 23 to 15.45 percent over the last year, the percentage of more frequent users has held fairly steady. Over 21 percent of respondents in 2018 said they use voice search at least once a week, while nearly 23 percent use it every day (compared to nearly 26.7 percent and 21.6 percent in 2017, respectively). As we’ll explore below, usage trends are emerging among different age groups, helping us understand not just who’s using voice search but why.

In asking our 2,000 participants why they chose to use mobile voice search, over 29 percent thought it was easier than manually searching for answers. About 22 percent used voice search because they weren’t able to look at their phones. Further, when we asked when they used it, over 34 percent of participants said they put voice search to the test when they were driving. Another 21 percent said they used it when they were preoccupied with another activity. For users who take the time to know their integrated voice assistants a little more personally, they can be time savers in the end.

Finally, over 37 percent said they thought it was faster than using mobile browsers or other resources — compared to only 25.7 percent in 2017 — while nearly 82 percent thought voice search was accurate.

The Voice Battle Continues

  Many of our users had a voice search assistant built into their smartphones. Depending on which phone manufacturer you’re committed to, you might be more familiar with Google Assistant or Apple’s Siri. Over 90 percent of respondents had one or both of these programs on their phone, while nearly 76 percent listed Google Assistant or Siri as the voice search program they favor. In both cases, Google Assistant seems to have gained a slight edge over Siri.

Other less popular assistants included Microsoft’s Cortana, Amazon’s Alexa, and Samsung’s Bixby. Of these, Alexa (the digital assistant of Amazon Echo), is by far the most popular option. Nearly 17 percent of respondents reported having Alexa on their phone, and nearly 14 percent identified Alexa as the voice assistant they use most.

At the 2017 CES show in Las Vegas, Echo earned critical praise for its evolved home integrations and voice search capabilities. According to our research in 2017, around 92 percent of our respondents felt Alexa was accurate, while 93 percent of Cortana users and nearly 91 percent of Google Assistant users found their voice assistants to be accurate. At the bottom was Apple’s Siri — only 82 percent of users thought it was accurate.

Alexa was still at the top of the list in 2018, but users were less satisfied across the board — perhaps because users are beginning to expect more from their voice assistants. Still, a respectable 88 percent thought Alexa was accurate in 2018. Google Assistant jumped to second place, with 87 percent of users finding it accurate. Siri and Cortana rounded out the list at 77 and 74 percent, respectively.

Common Voice Assistant Commands

  With users capitalizing on moments where they might have otherwise been preoccupied with other tasks (like driving, watching TV, or cooking), the most popular request of voice search services in 2017 was to play music. Whether you’re in the car and want to hear a certain tune or tidying up around the house and need some music to pass the time, asking that invisible someone in your smartphone to find the perfect tune might be the ultimate convenience.

Playing music is still a popular voice command in 2018, with over 35 percent of respondents using it regularly. However, even more users — over 40 percent — ask their voice assistant for directions. Nearly 33 percent ask for the weather forecast, while over 23 percent use their voice assistant to search for local businesses.

Speaking of convenience, over 17 percent of survey participants regularly use voice search to help them set, cancel, or manage their alarms. Asking Siri or Google to play a catchy song is one thing, but getting them to turn on your alarm when you’re already in bed means not having to get up or double-check that it’s set. Nearly 10 percent use voice search to add or manage appointments and events in their calendar.

Other popular commands included looking up a contact number (nearly 22 percent) and finding recipes (nearly 18 percent). Around 14 percent of respondents use their voice assistant for each of the following tasks:

Looking up measurement conversions.

Asking for a sports score.

Checking traffic alerts.

Reviewing news headlines.

Performing a calculation.

Our research also shows that people are having more fun with their voice assistants in 2018. Last year, only 9 percent reported using voice search to ask fun questions; this year, that number is nearly 36 percent. Women and millennials are each about 7 percent more likely than their male or baby boomer counterparts to make use of this feature. Silly questions might seem, well, a bit silly, but where else can you get entertainment like this with no cost?

Voice Search, by Generation

  In 2017, millennials were more likely to put their personal AI assistants to task with nearly as many common search phrases as Gen Xers and baby boomers combined. However, it appears baby boomers and Gen Xers have caught up over the last year. Our 2018 survey found no significant difference in the top voice commands by gender or age.

That doesn’t mean every generation uses voice search in the exact same way, though. The order of which commands are most popular does vary slightly between age groups. Gen Xers are the most likely to ask for directions, for instance, while baby boomers are the most likely to search for a local business.

Millennials, meanwhile, are far more likely than either group to use voice search to manage their schedules. Over 20 percent have used it to set or manage an alarm, compared to roughly 13 percent of Gen Xers and 5 percent of baby boomers. For managing calendar events and appointments, those numbers are over 14 percent, nearly 9 percent, and nearly 6 percent, respectively.

Some surprising similarities exist, too. Baby boomers and millennials are almost equally likely to use voice search to find recipes, and both are more likely to do so than Gen Xers are.

Voice Search, by Gender

  Our research also showed slight differences in how men and women use their voice search programs.

For both genders, the top use was asking for directions. However, women seem to use this function more than men, with roughly 42.5 percent of women and 37 percent of men asking their voice assistance for directions regularly. Women were also more likely to search for recipes, look up measurement conversions, and look up contact numbers. As you might expect, men are more likely to ask for a sports score — 18.71 percent versus 11.61 percent. Otherwise, the genders were roughly equal in their use of popular commands.

Voice Search, by Region

  In 2017, the U.S. didn’t entirely agree with the use of voice search assistants. According to our survey, those in the Midwest were more likely to use voice search — with more than 73 percent of respondents using it at least occasionally in states like Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio.

While the South had only a slightly lower average usage than those in the Northeast, it was states in the West that acknowledged using voice search the least. Despite California and Washington being home to some major tech headquarters, only 69 percent of users from this part of the U.S. put voice search to work for them.

In 2018, the gaps between these four regions have narrowed. Additionally, usage has dropped across the board. Where 70 percent of Southerners reported using it at least once a month in 2017, nearly 59 percent claim to do so in 2018. Usage in the Midwest, meanwhile, has dropped to nearly 58 percent. Numbers in the Northeast and West sit at roughly 60 percent and 62 percent, respectively.

The Future of Voice Search

Despite these changes, as the functionality of voice search increases and consumers become more familiar with everything it can do, we expect its popularity to grow. Already, the majority of mobile phone owners have begun to incorporate voice search into their everyday lives. Nearly 60 percent of those surveyed in 2018 use voice search at least once per month, and nearly half use it weekly or daily.

While search assistants are changing the way we play music or set alarms, they’re also changing the way we search for localized requests, like businesses or restaurants. Millennials, especially, were more likely to use voice search assistants to help them interact with the outside world by looking up movie times or traffic updates. However, older generations have increased their use of voice assistance technology since our 2017 survey, even surpassing millennials in the use of certain voice commands.

With this being the next frontier, you should ask your SEO services provider what they have planned for your website.

See Also: What is the Future of Search Engine Optimization?

Methodology

We surveyed 2,017 mobile phone users in the U.S. about mobile voice search.

Sources

http://www.cheatsheet.com/gear-style/20-questions-to-ask-siri-for-a-hilarious-response.html/?a=viewall

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-38539326

http://www.pcmag.com/article/350857/9-top-trends-at-ces-2017

http://www.twice.com/samsung-smart-fridge-harmonizes-amazon-echos-alexa/60021

https://techcrunch.com/2016/02/03/amazon-echo-can-now-order-your-pizza/

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-siri-responses-2015-6

Fair Use

Want to know how to properly share our content with your readers?  You don’t need to ask Siri or Cortana. Just make sure to link them back to this page.

The post How Popular is Voice Search? appeared first on HigherVisibility.

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How to get started with and get more out of the Apple TV 4K

The Apple TV is more expensive than most streaming video hardware, but it is overall is the best-designed and most under appreciated of them all -- if only Apple didn't try to control how you use it. AppleInsider switches on. It's no exaggeration to say that Apple TV is the best thing we've ever plugged into our television set. Maybe it would be an exaggeration if we'd also spent the same amount of time with Roku or Amazon Fire sticks -- but we suspect not. Apple TV is going to get a significant software update next month with the new tvOS and features we're looking forward to such as easier entering of app passwords. Even before that, though, this is already the box we automatically turn to whenever we want to watch anything. That certainly includes watching iTunes purchases or rentals, but it's precisely as easy to switch instead to video streaming from our Macs with Plex. Then there's live television plus untold box sets of series from our TV provider. Plus there's YouTube and Vimeo right there in our living room. And then there's Netflix too. That does raise a snag, though, and it's to do with Netflix and the TV app. Sideline the TV App It pains us to say this because every other tip is going to be positive but our first one isn't. Truly, Apple TV is a treat but for us the treat begins with getting the TV app out of our way. This is the confusingly-named app that Apple wants you to live in whenever you switch on your Apple TV. It's Apple's TV app for Apple TV. Since 2015's fourth generation Apple TV, even if you want to watch movies, Apple would have you use this TV app because it's meant to be the one place you go to watch everything. The company is so keen on this that it's made the TV app the default. Whatever you're watching, when you press Home on the remote control, you don't go Home, you go to the TV app. Except that means we are forever then having to press the Menu button to get out of the TV app and go to the actual home screen. It's a regular occurrence because this one-stop shop that includes everything you can watch through your Apple TV doesn't actually include Netflix. Netflix is on Apple TV but it isn't in this TV app: you have to launch its own one. Then when you are in the TV app and it's showing you recommendations for things to watch next, there are some design issues. For one thing, we've had it recommend the next episode of a series -- but mistakenly recommend the previous one instead. Then typically you can't tell whether a recommendation is for something you have in your library, that's included in an existing subscription or will cost you extra. Still, when Apple releases its forthcoming television series you can bet that they will all appear in the TV app. It would even be best if they did. The current offerings such as the 808 music documentary or Carpool Karaoke, for instance, are rather buried within iTunes and Apple Music so a more prominent and easy to find place would be great. Even then, though, we won't want the TV app replacing the Home screen. So go to Settings, then choose Remotes and Devices. The second option down is Home Button and it's a toggle. Click it to switch between TV App and Home Screen. That's it, you're done. It's a short fix for a large annoyance but better that way around than the other. App moving While we're dismissing that TV app from our minds, though, you can also move it out of the way. Exactly as you can move apps around iPhone and iPad, so you can on Apple TV. To move an app, click and hold on it until it starts wiggling. Unlike iOS, only the one app wiggles. Swipe across the top of your remote and you move that app along or down the screen, pushing aside whatever else is there. Click when it reaches where you want it to be and that's where it goes. You can also create folders of apps. In theory, you make an app wiggle, then you drag it over another one and click. That should create a folder exactly the way it would on iOS but in practice we just can't seem to hit the right spot. There is an alternative, though. The moment your currently-selected app starts to wiggle, you also see a notification that you can press the Play/Pause button for more options. That line goes away very quickly but if you press that button while it's on the screen, you do get these options -- and they include creating a new folder. Remote clicking Moving apps and creating folders is all about clicking and swiping on your remote but you can do more. Obviously you can select things to watch and then come back out to the menu, but that remote can do several other things. Perhaps first and foremost is that it can get lost on you so very, very easily. Plus if you've never picked it up and unknowingly held it the wrong way around, you're lying. When you do lose it, the thing is so small that it's hard to find. Until you sit on it again, though, you can use your iPhone in its place. The quickest way is to swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone screen to show Control Center. By default, there is an Apple TV icon there and tapping on that opens the Remote app. It then needs to find your Apple TV but once it has, you've got a fully-functioning remote right there on your phone. It's even better than the regular remote because you can type text into it when you're searching Apple TV for something. This even works if you don't have the Remote app installed. However, if you're going to give up hunting for your actual remote control, make sure the app is installed. It's quicker to get into the Control Center one but that switches itself off after a few moments of inactivity. Plus the hardware remote control has some extra system functions. It can immediately put your Apple TV to sleep, for instance. That's handy because otherwise, the minimum amount of time before it will go to sleep by itself is 15 minutes. Press and hold the Home button for a few seconds. Your Apple TV will ask if you want to put it to sleep now. Or if something's wrong and you want to restart the whole Apple TV, you can press and hold both the Home and the Menu buttons together. Again, it takes a few seconds but then the box will restart. Troublesome apps We've restarted our Apple TV like this on the rare occasion that it was frozen or something wasn't connecting over Bluetooth. Truly, it's so rare that we're struggling to remember. Unfortunately, we have no such problem recalling when apps go wrong. It's not like this is really common either but there are apps that seem more prone to freezing than others. It wouldn't be fair to single one out when we can't find a reason or prove that it's not some odd combination of apps, so we won't mention YouTube. When any Apple TV app goes wrong, tap the Home button twice. This actually launches the app switcher and usually it's meant for rapidly going to another Apple TV app. Rather than going back up to the menu and choosing a different app, you can tap the Home button twice like this and then swipe left and right between all your open apps. Swipe to the one that's causing problems, however, and you can then also swipe upwards to kill it. It is ridiculously satisfying, like you're flicking an errant app off your screen. Next, press Home again and you're back at the main Apple TV screen. Then you can find the YouTube app and launch it afresh. While you're doing all this tapping on the remote, though, try clicking the Menu button three times. This is starting to sound like alchemy but what it achieves is that Apple TV goes straight from whatever you're watching to one of its screensavers. It sounds daft to like a screensaver, but these are beautiful. One more thing about launching By default, Apple TV shows you a grid of apps on a dark background -- but you can change that to a light one. It's chiefly a question of taste but to us the light one does look better or at least it does in the daytime. At night, when you come to it after some brooding film noir movie, it can be blinding. Rather than making that choice between dark and light, though, you can tell Apple TV to choose for you depending on the time of day. So just as macOS Mojave will do on the Mac, Apple TV does already. Go to Settings, General, Appearance and choose Light, Dark or Automatic. Ask Siri There's a Siri button on your Apple TV remote and while what it does is limited compared to, say, Siri on iPhone, it's still addictively useful. Press and hold that Siri button. Then you can say something like "Show me thrillers" and Apple TV will present you with a list that matches. The list will be from iTunes, typically, but it'll match. You do have to hit upon genres it's expecting, so for instance you can't ask it to show you "time travel thriller". However, you can ask it quite detailed questions such as "Who stars in this?" If you ask that while a video is playing, Apple TV will pop up a panel listing the main cast. Or our absolute favorite when we're watching a film with really bad audio is to ask: "What did she just say?" Apple TV then almost always rewinds the video a few seconds so you can catch it again. It's a little inconsistent and depends on the source of what you're watching. If you try it in YouTube then you'll just get a notification that it doesn't work at all. On the other hand, if you try it on a film or TV show you bought from iTunes, it works even better. For as well a rewinding a few seconds, it also temporarily switches on subtitles so you can read what you missed. None of this is something you should do if the whole family is together and engrossed, but when you're on your own, it is so handy. Also on your own Also when you're on your own, you can be sneak a peek at how much longer this show is going to last. Just tap on the touchpad at the top of the remote and in almost every app that's playing video, you'll get a timeline. It'll show you how far you've got through it and how long the whole show is. If you're close enough to the end that the current time can't neatly be shown, you'll only get the end time but there's a marker showing your progress. If you waited a moment, that timeline would go away. Instead, though, tap the trackpad again. Now the same timeline changes to show you the current time of day and also what time the show will end. There are exceptions. If you guessed YouTube, you're right. Take it away There's one more great thing about an Apple TV -- you can take it away with you. We seriously wouldn't recommend walking out with it and leaving your family with nothing to watch. However, it is portable. Say you have a slightly old Apple TV and you're tempted to upgrade to the latest Apple TV 4K. Enjoy the new hardware, but keep your old device and pack it with your travel bag. You can present with it or you can plug it into hotel TV sets. If there's good enough WiFi, you'll have all of your regular Apple TV services with you. How to save on the Apple TV Apple authorized resellers are currently discounting Apple TV hardware, with prices starting at $139. For the latest deals and price drops, please visit our Apple TV (4th Gen) and Apple TV 4K Price Guides. Current Apple TV deals 32GB Apple TV (4th Gen) for $139.00 ($10 off + no tax outside NY & NJ*) 32GB Apple TV 4K for $169.99 ($10 off + no tax outside NY & NJ*) 64GB Apple TV 4K for $189.00 ($10 off + no tax outside NY & NJ*) *B&H will not collect sales tax on orders shipped outside NY & NJ (CO and VT residents, see here). https://goo.gl/gx1Mvk

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Hoping to observe more anime, yet not certain where to think that its on the web? Look no further. These four sites make anime more open to the overall population than any time in recent memory — and they're totally lawful! Three out of the four are even free.

Anime, Japanese energized TV shows and motion pictures, has detonated in prevalence as of late, and an ever increasing number of individuals outside of Japan are finding this great combination of narrating, craftsmanship, music, and activity.

A couple of years back, we surveyed a portion of the best anime locales on the Web, yet circumstances are different and you would now be able to discover a great deal of anime through these magnificent standard sources.

The Best Anime Sites On The Web

The Best Anime Sites On The Web

Read More

CrunchyRoll

CrunchyRoll is at present the leader of lawfully gushing anime. You can watch recordings without a record, or make a free record to monitor what you've seen and add new shows to your line. CrunchyRoll offers paid participation designs other than the essential free alternative.

CrunchyRoll-Web

They have a magnificent choice of shows from One Piece to Sword Art Online, despite the fact that it is feeling the loss of some enormous names like Fullmetal Alchemist. In any case, this ought to be your first stop when looking for anime.

CrunchyRoll additionally has manga, the funnies that huge numbers of the animes depend on, and a decent measure of Asian shows and Asian popular music recordings. Alongside a news area, discussions, and a store, the entire site is only a great group for anybody intrigued by any type of Asian media.

CrunchyRoll-Android-1

They've an iOS application and an Android application that are accessible for nothing , and the applications, while very negligible, unquestionably take care of business.

CrunchyRoll additionally has different gadgets very much secured. Moving up to the $6.95 every month anime enrollment design will dispose of the video advertisements, permit spilling on every single accessible gadget including amusement consoles, Roku, and Apple TV. You'll likewise get quick email bolster, rebates at the store, access to full HD streams, and have the capacity to see demonstrates that day they're circulated in Japan. They additionally have a $11.95 every month arrange for that gives you access to all the manga and Asian dramatizations on their site too. Look at their enrollment designs and sink into 12,000 hours of anime, Korean show and real to life titles they guarantee.

Netflix

Netflix is the main alternative on this rundown without a free form, however Netflix is justified regardless of the $7.99 a month for moment gushing. My most loved part about watching anime on Netflix is that you can switch consistently between viewing with Japanese sound and English subtitles to watching the named rendition with English sound. Named or subbed? You choose.

Netflix-Web

Discovering anime on the site is as straightforward as tapping on Watch Instantly and after that tapping on Anime. While Netflix's determination is entirely great, it likewise does not have some huge names like One Piece. Be that as it may, a Netflix membership supplemented with a portion of alternate administrations on this rundown make for an entirely total anime gathering.

Netflix-App-1

It has a strong Web rendition and Windows 8 application (read our survey of the two Netflix devices), and in addition applications for iOS (our audit), Android and even amusement consoles and shrewd TVs. The Android and Windows 8 applications have been smooth and snappy as far as I can tell, and Netflix completes an incredible activity of isolating shows into pertinent classifications and afterward prescribing comparable ones to you.

Netflix Showdown: Windows 8 Modern App Vs. Work area Version

Netflix Showdown: Windows 8 Modern App Vs. Work area Version Netflix is an incredible administration, however clients on Windows 8 have different choices for getting a charge out of it. Would it be advisable for you to run with the cutting edge styled Windows 8 application, or the work area variant open in the program?

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Hulu

A standout amongst other alternatives for staring at the TV on the web, Hulu likewise ought to get some kudos for having an extensive variety of anime content. Like CrunchyRoll, you can either watch appears without a record or make a free record for following what you've seen.

Hulu Plus versus iTunes versus Netflix versus Amazon Instant Video: Which Is Best?

Hulu Plus versus iTunes versus Netflix versus Amazon Instant Video: Which Is Best? Hulu. iTunes. Netflix. Amazon Instant Video. The backbone of online film and TV. The new influx of home media. The suppliers of interminable amusement in which pants are not really required. They are the contenders...

Read More

Hulu-Web

You can discover anime from the primary page by clicking More and after that clicking Anime. Since I more often than not like to watch named appears rather than subbed appears (sorry), I discover Hulu a touch of lacking on the grounds that it isolates named appears from subbed appears and has a considerably bigger subbed choice. All things considered, there general gathering is gigantic and changed in numerous kinds, so you should investigate.

https://androidcurry.com/anime-flv-apk/

Hulu-sub-name

The paid form, Hulu Plus, will set you back $7.99, and keeping in mind that it doesn't evacuate advertisements, it gives you access to more substance, enables you to stream in HD, and enables you to utilize Hulu Plus on your cell phones, diversion reassure, or keen TV.

Hulu is formally just accessible in the US, yet don't stress, there are some simple approaches to get to district blocked media.

VPNs Are Old: Better Ways to Access Region-Blocked Video

VPNs Are Old: Better Ways to Access Region-Blocked Video Internet clients outside of the United States are hindered from getting to the abundance of gushing video and music content accessible to Americans. Indeed, even Americans are denied of worldwide administrations like BBC iPlayer. Looked with this,...

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YouTube

Discovering anime on YouTube can be somewhat trickier, yet it's certainly out there. YouTube has an Animated TV Shows segment, with some anime, yet this additionally blends in a considerable measure of American kid's shows and children appears.

In any case, there are authentic transfers to be found. Daisuki has posted every one of the 25 scenes of Sword Art Online on YouTube, and Funimation has transferred both Fullmetal Alchemist and its change that stays more genuine to the manga, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. You can look at Daisuki and Funimation's channels for more anime from them, however your speediest method for discovering anime on YouTube is with a straightforward hunt.

YouTube-Funimation

YouTube doesn't have a significant number of the upsides of alternate administrations, similar to a group worked around Asian media or consistency with subtitles, however it is free and broadly known and utilized. On the off chance that an anime you'd get a kick out of the chance to watch can't be found on any of the administrations specified previously, attempt YouTube.

Conclusion

On the off chance that you adore anime that much, you'll unquestionably be keen on the manga that has motivated them, and we've secured a couple of the best locales to peruse manga online too. Also that Tumblr has a couple of good online journals you ought to take after for some anime-and manga-motivated cosplaying.

The 5 Best Sites to Read Manga Online

The 5 Best Sites to Read Manga Online Manga is a Japanese style of comic books that has turned out to be a major hit the world over. So for fans all around, here are the most ideal approaches to peruse manga on the web.

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What is your most loved method for watching anime on the web? Do these administrations fit your needs, or improve? Tell us in the remarks.

[kriterium3-blog]

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There are two clear-cut winners among those: The wonderfully well-made Dell XPS 13 for Windows users, and the long-steady MacBook Air for Apple loyalists. With its sharper screen, lower starting price, and tighter design, I prefer the new XPS 13, but you really can’t go wrong either way.Laptops are one of those markets where you really see a drop-off in quality if you try to cut costs — there are a few decent budget options out there, but most are too chunky and battery-light to be great companions on the go.If you know you can be careful with it, though, Acer’s Aspire V13 is a solid value for a relatively affordable $600. If even that is too much, or you just want something to type up some Word docs on the flight, I don’t mind the $170 Lenovo Ideapad 100s, either.Unless you splurge on something like a Surface Pro 4 — which still appears to be as good as it gets, for a hybrid — your tablet will probably get more mileage as a consumption device than a production one on the road. It’s mostly something for movie watching, web browsing, book reading, and game playing.To nobody’s surprise, Apple’s iPad line still has the best mix of gorgeous design, super fast performance, and dead simple software for making all that a pleasure. If you grab the iPad Air 2, you’ll get something that’s at least somewhat accommodating to most people’s work too.

The iPad mini 4, meanwhile, is about as powerful as the Air 2, and more compact, but won’t be as friendly if productivity is a big deal.The entry-level iPad mini 2 is the weakest in the series, and has a comparatively lesser display, but it’s still great for the money, and a little less unwieldy by default. The sheer user-friendliness of iOS on tablets keeps it a step above just about any other budget tablet on the market.For pure value, though, the $50 Amazon Fire is tough to top. It’s a cheap slate, to be sure, but it’s consistently competent where it matters. If you just want to pass the time with a few videos, especially if you’re an Amazon Prime member, it’s a great buy for the cash-strapped.If you’d really rather not crunch your laptop into your bag, packing a portable keyboard will make working with your tablet less of a headache than it’d be with a virtual QWERTY pad.These don’t get much lighter and thinner than the Logitech Keys-to-Go, which is what one of the Surface Pro’s Touch Covers would be like if it had genuine feedback and travel. It’s totally spill-resistant, too, and these days you can find it for a relatively affordable $35 or so.

Its ultra-thin design won’t be for everyone, however. If you’d rather a slightly more traditional, though no less affordable, keyboard, the Logitech K380 feels good, looks good, and isn’t a burden to carry around.If you’re the type who spends your rides plowing through books, Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite is a great buy. The Kindle ecosystem is far and away the most reliable of the e-reading crop, and the fine display, big battery, and built-in backlight of the Paperwhite make accessing it very smooth. The only noteworthy issue is that it’s not waterproof; if that’s a concern, Barnes & Noble’s Nook GlowLight Plus should do the trick.You don’t need me to explain why your smartphone is an important travel accessory. There’s a good chance it runs your life as it is. But if you’re a frequent traveler in the market for a new phone, it’s worth picking up an unlocked model — i.e., one that isn’t tied down to a particular carrier.You’ll still pay a little more for it upfront — though times are changing — but one perk you’ll gain in return is the ability to swap out SIM cards and switch carriers if you’re heading overseas. You’ll keep coverage and avoid pricey roaming charges as a result, and most of the time you’ll even make a little more cash when it comes time to resell the device.

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None of this really changes which smartphones are best, though: The iPhone 6s is still great for most people, what with its wonderful camera, blazing fast performance, full display, and eternally supported app store. There isn’t really anyone for whom it’s outright bad. Just about all of that applies to the Samsung Galaxy S7, too, and its camera is even better. Huawei’s Nexus 6P is a fantastic alternative for phablet aficionados, meanwhile, and the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 is a well-rounded choice for those on a budget.And if you just need a cheapo old-school phone in case of emergencies, you can look to something like the Blu Tank II. Don’t judge.Alright, you’ve made it to the hotel, and you want to relax a bit before heading back into the wild. You can catch some Netflix on one of many solid media streamers, but of the cheaper and more compact dongles on the market, I like the new Roku Streaming Stick.

Its UI doesn't heavily favor one service the way the Amazon Fire TV Stick does, it doesn’t require an outside device like the Google Chromecast, and it's faster than both. It can bypass the pesky captive portals that keep some streamers from connecting at hotels, and its app now lets you connect headphones for private listening. For $50, it does almost everything you need, and does it well.You can liven up that hotel room (or the drive to it) by blasting some music (or just some NPR) through a quality Bluetooth speaker. There’s an overwhelming number of options to choose from, but the JBL Flip 3 nets you a full, smooth sound, about 10-12 hours of battery life, water resistance, and a sturdy, colorful design for less than $100. It’s good value.If you’re backpacking or generally heading outdoors, though, a more diminutive speaker like the JBL Clip+ might work better. As its name implies, it has a built-in carabiner clip that lets it easily attach to a bag or belt loop. It also has the same water resistance. It can’t get as powerful as the Flip 3, naturally, but its sound is still crisp, clear, and largely free of distortion. It’s a superb choice in the $40-50 range.

As we’ve noted before, HooToo’s series of TripMate devices are explicitly designed to make traveling more convenient. The TripMate Titan is the high-end model of the group, and acts as a serviceable portable battery, travel WiFi router, and network-attached storage all at once.It isn’t outstanding in any one of those areas, but it’s the rare all-in-one that actually does multiple things well. It isn’t particularly big, either. For $59 (normally), it’s a fairly affordable way to consolidate a few handy devices into one.Still, many of you may not need a travel router or NAS to make it through your trip. A portable battery, on the other hand, is almost always something you’ll be glad to have brought with you.Anker is a tried-and-true name in that market, and its new PowerCore batteries are smooth, slim, and efficient. At $20 for a 10400mAh unit or $40 for a 20100mAh pack, they aren’t overly expensive either.That they have near-perfect user reviews on Amazon at the moment should give you an idea of how reliable they are. If you have a long ride ahead, there’s just a heightened sense of security that comes with having one of these things around. They’re usually worth the bag space.

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Then there’s the obvious power-related stuff. Regardless of what gadgets you bring on your travels, it can never hurt to have a few spare microUSB and/or Lightning cables around in case one gets misplaced along the way. Again, Anker has reliable and affordable options here with its PowerLine microUSB Cable and Lightning-to-USB Cable.Likewise, if you wind up in a hotel room that doesn’t have enough outlets to charge all your devices, a small power strip like Belkin’s SurgePlus Mini Charger can come in handy.Finding steady internet on the go (or in a spotty hotel room) is a notorious hassle, but you can bypass much of that annoyance with a mobile hotspot. If you can’t or don’t want to use your phone as such, Verizon’s Jetpack MiFi 6620L is a dependable, consistently well-reviewed option. Like most MiFi routers, it’s not cheap, but Verizon’s network has long been the fastest and most expansive in the country. If you live on the road, it could be a wise investment.Finally, your gear will be more prone to disasters when you’re outside the confines of your home. As such, it’s worth another reminder that you should really go out of your way to backup your data before heading off. If you’re working with a handful of important files in particular, bringing along a spare flash drive is a simple and space-efficient way to keep them safe.

The differences between most USB sticks aren’t enormous, practically speaking — just make sure you buy a USB 3.0 one — but the SanDisk Extreme gets you proven fast read/write speeds and a fair amount of space at an affordable price. With a 4.6 rating after 1,800 Amazon reviews, it’s shouldn’t let you down. Google is reportedly working on a brand new tablet that will look and feel just like the Chromebook Pixel, save for two key differences — it'll run on Android and it won't be attached to a keyboard.Google's current Chromebook Pixel devices are laptops that run on its Chrome OS operating system, which is based on its Chrome browser. The new tablet would essentially be a tablet version of Google's Pixel line of Chromebooks, and the company plans to call it the Pixel C, according to Android Police, which claims to have received information from insider sources. The new device will reportedly launch in November, but Google is likely to announce it at its big event in San Francisco on Tuesday.

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Welcome to the smart speaker power war

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/welcome-to-the-smart-speaker-power-war/

Welcome to the smart speaker power war

By now, we’ve become accustomed to smart speakers shaped vaguely like cans. The original Google Home, the upcoming Apple HomePod, the Amazon Echo and Echo Plus, the UE Blast, the Harmon Kardon Invoke, and a whole pile of others all opt for life as a cylinder. The Google Home Max, however, looks like a traditional speaker, and that leaves lots of room inside for sonic power.

What is it?

The $400 Google Home Max does everything you’d expect a typical Google Home device to do, like tell you the weather, play trivia games, control smart home devices, and of course, sync up to music services like Spotify and Pandora.

The Max is roughly the size of a large bread—not the wimpy Wonder Bread from the super market, but a hearty loaf from the farmer’s market. It measures 13.2 in x 7.4 in x 6.0 in and weighs 11.7 pounds, so it’s a pretty formidable little cabinet that’s meant to stay in place. It comes with a floppy rubber mat you can attach to the side of the speaker if you want to stand it upright, which comes in especially handy if you want to sync a pair of the speakers for stereo playback.

Tune for the room

In addition to its traditional AI implementation in the form of Google Assistant, the Home Max also uses artificial intelligence to tune the sound of the speaker to your room. It has an array of six microphones surrounding the speaker, which it uses to monitor that sound bouncing off the walls of your room. This allows it to monitor the bass output and specifically tune it so it won’t overpower the rest of the mix.

I moved the Max around my living room, putting it in corners, alcoves, open spaces, and up against the wall, and while the sound can’t stay completely consistent, it does a very reliable job maintaining balance. I notice more bass when the speaker is in an open space or against the wall than if it’s relegated to a corner or semi-enclosed.

Now, depending on your outlooks regarding speaker settings, you’re either smirking or scoffing at this moment. Because the AI does all the tuning work for you, the equalizer settings are kept under wraps. So, if you don’t agree with the Google Home Max’s taste in tunes, you can only adjust the bass and treble, which may not be enough for hardcore audio heads.

So, how does it sound?

The first thing you’ll notice about the Google Home Max is how loud it is when you start turning up the volume. At 50 percent, it more than fills my living room, which is roughly 12 ft x 15 ft. At full volume, it’s enough to make my wife ask me if I was almost done reviewing this thing because it’s blasting out everyone’s eardrums. Google says it’s 20 times more powerful than the Google Home and I can easily believe it.

The hardware inside consists of a pair of 4.5-inch woofers for bass and dedicated tweeters for the highs. This is different from the can-shaped design because it’s directional. The soundstage is fairly wide, so if you’re even vaguely in front of the grill, you’ll get solid sound, but if you end up all the way on the side or behind, you get less volume and clarity. That’s true with any cabinet speaker, of course, but it’s a departure for a can-shaped smart speaker that throws sound in every direction.

I ran the speaker through my regular battery of eclectic music, powered mostly by my Spotify year-end wrap-up playlist, which is full of Run the Jewels and Animals as Leaders tracks. It handles heavy bass without a problem, eschewing distortion, even when the volume got too loud for my room. The highs cut through nicely because of the tweeters, but I sometimes found the sound slightly lacking in the mids.

Compared to its obvious competitor, the Sonos Play:5, the Max is bass-heavy, which you’ll either like or dislike depending on your taste and your music selection. Still, the Max is a full $100 cheaper than the Play:5, and that’s without the fact that it requires an Echo Dot to make it Alexa compatible.

How smart is it?

Using the Max is a lot like using a regular Google Home or pretty much any other smart speaker. Setup takes less than five minutes, though the early unit we tested required a software update that took roughly 10 minutes to apply.

The redesigned microphone array promises more sensitivity, even when the speaker is cranking at high volume. Under normal circumstances, I found it to be more sensitive than a regular Google Home, catching everything above a whisper from across the room when it was quiet. Once the music was playing, it took a regular speaking voice to cut through the noise, but I never had to shout.

The smart home, however, is one place where the volume can be a downside. I asked Google to turn off my lights before going to bed late one night and her response was way too loud for a totally quiet house. Don’t forget to turn down the volume after listening to loud music.

The top of the speaker—which becomes the side if you stand the cabinet upright—has an array of touch-sensitive controls, which work, but I hardly found myself using. One of the big draws of this thing is that I never have to touch it, but it’s nice to know that I can.

You can connect to the speaker over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and even auxiliary headphone jack, which is a nice touch if you just want to use it like a regular old speaker.

Should you buy it?

We’re about to enter an era of more powerful smart speakers and Google is really the first in the fray. If you’re already fully-committed to the Google Home platform, then this is a worthy upgrade from the comparatively puny Google Home. The $399 price point is steep for a product like this, especially when we’re yet to get a real feel for Apple’s upcoming $349 Siri-powered HomePod. The UE MegaBlast is also a compelling option for $299, but the smart home Alexa integration is still a bit lacking compared to a true smart speaker.

It will be interesting to see down the line if Google offers something in between the $79 Home and the $399 Home Max to fill out its lineup. Until then, the Max is an excellent—if expensive—way to bug your neighbors with all-night death metal marathons.

Written By Stan Horaczek

[makiyang107-blog]

Five Best Bluetooth Speakers 2017

We all love going out from time to time such as camping, picnic, you name it. We love to listen to music not just for listening sake, but also enjoy it. But how do we achieve this to our maximum satisfaction? That’s when the need for bluetooth speakers become helpful.

But there are so many bluetooth speakers in the market, and you don’t know which one is right for you and serves your needs. I think I can help you make the right choice.

Below are the best five bluetooth speakers on the market in 2017.

GGMM E5 wireless smart speaker with Amazon Alexa, WiFi+Bluetooth, Multi Room Audio Speaker for Music Streaming, Powerful Sound with Enhanced Bass, 15 Hours Battery Life, Airplay Spotify iHeart Radio

Let me first say that if I could give this smart speaker 10 stars I would. It has far exceeded my expectations with the Alexa feature, sound and just the overall quality of it. We had been looking for a really nice, high quality speaker for home so that we can play loud, clear music from our devices. I especially like music for when I am cleaning house but my smart TV does not play music that good so I went looking on amazon and found this one. It is worth every penny I spent and we are all I in love with it.The price is $129.99, you can buy it from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/GGMM-Wireless-Bluetooth-Streaming-Powerful/dp/B01M9FYRQ7/ref=pd_sim_23_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01M9FYRQ7&pd_rd_r=BC2EX96W7JZDKMRFR2EF&pd_rd_w=w2KL1&pd_rd_wg=w71jg&psc=1&refRID=BC2EX96W7JZDKMRFR2EF&dpID=51gCWXuxO3L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

[Apple Airplay Certified]GGMM M4

wireless speaker

for Music Streaming,Wi-Fi Bluetooth Indoor Outdoor Speaker, Built-in Battery,10-Hour Playtime,Powerful 40W Audio Driver,Enhanced Bass,Multi Room Play

The sound quality is terrific, the speaker is large, so it produces exaclty powerful bass as I wanted, the moment I turn it on, it fills my room with loud music and strong bass. I love the fact that it has build in battery and leather strap, so I can take it to outside when I am doing my yard work.This speaker also allows me to connect it to my home wifi and streaming music from my iPhone, iPad, that is one of the reason I decided to buy it.Its price in Amazon is $179.99.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RWH769M/ref=s9_acsd_hps_bw_c_x_8_w

GGMM E3 Smart Speakers System,

wireless multi-room play audio speaker

, WiFi+Bluetooth Stereo Sound with Wifi repeater, LED Clock and USB Charging Port, Compatible with Apple& Android, Airplay/ Spotify

I got this E3 speaker as a companion to my E5. The cool thing is that you can link both speakers and have a multi-room music system, or you can use them to create a stereo system, where one speaker has the left channel and the other the right channel. The E3 is not a portable speaker like the E5, it doesn't have a battery and it needs to be connected to a power outlet. It's well made and it everything works great. I tested it with various kinds of music, from heavy metal to melodic, and never experienced any kind of distortion.You also can get it from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E3MXHKA/ref=s9_acsd_hps_bw_c_x_10_w

GGMM M3 Retro Wi-Fi

bluetooth wireless leather speaker

for Music Streaming | Featuring Powerful 40W Audio Driver, Enhanced Bass, Multi-Room Play, Airplay, DLNA, Spotify, iHeart radio

GGMM is actually who makes my other WiFi speaker too, the E3, which is a much more portable speaker than the M3 (which is meant to be more of a permanent audio fixture in a room, than a carry-about speaker like the E3). Our E3 literally gets daily use, as our Spotify Premium provides endless hours of background music at home. For apps that don't support WiFi audio (not all do, just keep that in mind), the E3, and even this M3, also support Bluetooth, where it can be used for literally any sound or application on your phone, provided you're within the safe bluetooth range from the speaker. The big advantage to WiFi is two fold; first, you don't need to stay near the speaker. As long as the speaker can connect to your WiFi, then the phone will actually hand the audio stream over to the speaker via WiFi, rather than continuously streaming it like Bluetooth. WiFi audio will therefore consume CONSIDERABLY less battery power than having to stream through bluetooth or listen through headphones. With WiFi audio, your phone is little more than a glorified remote control once you start streaming to the speaker. Both of these are what give us the freedom to always keep our Spotify pumping without having to worry about the audio cutting out if we leave the room, or draining either of our phones if the tunes are playing all night long while working around the house.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WGOO2AW/ref=s9_acsd_hps_bw_c_x_5_w

  GGMM M-Freedom Wireless Plug-n-Play Built-in WiFi Home Audio Leather Speaker (Compatible with Apple Products)| 30W Output, Supports Airplay, DLNA, Spotify, Pandora

As a Mac user i found it dead simple to add to my wifi network. Probably the hardest part was finding the instructions on the GGMM site. Hint find the product first and click on downloads. The cabinet uses a bass reflex design so the sound really varies depending on where it's placed. putting it close to a wall but not completely against the wall adds more bass. Placing it in a corner results in even more bass while placing it in the middle of a room or outside produces much less bass. The

wireless speaker

ships with a large external power brick with is a pain to deal with or to try and conceal. The upside is the brick converts the 120VAC household power to 12V DC to it would be easy to come up with a 12V battery and connector for camping or other uses off the grid. Lastly i noticed the blue power light on top really lights up my bedroom at night. not sure what to do about that since it completely surrounds the volume control. Put a cup over it? For more information, please go to

GGMM

official website. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J0UYNTU/ref=s9_acsd_hps_bw_c_x_14_w