Take Permission

The Right Tools & Mindset For Success

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It's All About The Apps: Apple TV 4 (2015) Tour

If you’re on the fence about getting the new Apple TV I’m here to push you off. While the price has gone up (base model with 16 GB is $149) the functionality has skyrocketed.

If you’re on the fence about getting the new Apple TV I’m here to push you off. #DigiHowTo (highlight to tweet)

This Apple TV is all about the apps. Apple has opened the doors to the app store and it’s just a matter of time before there are tens of thousands of apps for the Apple TV just like there are over a million apps for other Apple devices.

The only app I’m really missing at this point is Amazon Prime Video but even if they never add it (and I think they will) I still think the device is worth it because of the games, Netflix, Siri capabilities and Airplay functionality between it and your Apple devices.

In this video I share some of the best games for the device as well as some basic functionality of the newly designed (and highly expensive to replace) remote.

Click here to watch video -> Apple TV 4 (2015) Features

Are you thinking of getting one?

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Kavaj Munich Genuine Leather Wallet Video Review

It’s not necessarily “tech” but because I love Kavaj’s iPhone and iPad cases so much I had to get my hands on their latest product, a genuine leather wallet called the Munich.

kavaj munich wallet

Click To Watch Video Review

Kavaj makes the sleekest leather cases on the planet for iDevices and backs them up with an amazing customer service team. I met them when I inquired about two stitches that had come out of my iPad case. They refunded my order without me even asking. I’ve bought dozens of cases since then for my devices and for friends.

The Kavaj Munich is their wallet that holds up to 9 individual cards and has two pockets for business cards, receipts or cash.

It’s a “Buy”

This is a BUY for sure. The construction is solid, the design is smart, it looks awesome and it’s well prices for genuine leather backed by an awesome warranty.

Save $5

Bonus Tip: Go to Kavaj.com/newsletter and sign up there to get a coupon code for $5 off your first order. They do all their order fulfillment through Amazon.com so buying from them is easy.

Share Your Munich

Let me know if you get one and when you do drop me a mention and a picture on Twitter or Instagram at @AndyTraub

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The Anti Amazon Echo Review

Reviewing a product without purchasing it may seem unfair but Amazon’s latest hardware invention isn’t going to find its way into my house anytime soon. Here’s why.

[player src=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/andytraub/DHT001.mp3″]

Even at 50% off I’m not buying

Amazon’s latest hardware creation is the Amazon Echo. As an Amazon Prime member I was given the opportunity to buy an Amazon Echo before the general public at $100 less than it will retail for whenever it’s released to the masses. So what does it do and why am I not buying it for $99?

echo-mics

It’s version 0.00001

The Amazon Echo plays music from the Amazon music library (if you’re an Amazon Prime member), reads you news summaries from the news outlets you choose, answers questions (like Google or Siri) and acts as a bluetooth speaker for your devices. That’s not enough to justify it’s price of $199.

It’s always listening…no thanks

It has seven microphones listening all the time for two keywords that will wake it, Alexa and Amazon. If something inside your head just started to worry about privacy you’re not alone. This device is tied to the internet all the time and it is always listening. Amazon says it’s always “ready to listen” for the keywords that wake it up but as a consumer I see that differently. If it has the capability of listening all the time then I’m going to assume it’s listening. Combine its ability to listen and the fact that it’s connected to Amazon’s data services and you have a privacy concern unlike any other I’ve run into in a consumer based product.

Negatives

  • It doesn’t create reminders.
  • It’s not able to tell me my schedule for the day.
  • It’s not able to play music from my Spotify account through voice actions which makes it an expensive bluetooth speaker if you want to stream your music to it.
  • It’s not capable of handling phone calls. This is disappointing because it has seven microphones.

The Amazon Echo is the next generation of electronics because it’s supposed to be controlled by voice but if I can’t make phone calls, send voice or text messages to my contacts or control the most popular music streaming service (Spotify) then I’m not buying it, even at 50% off retail.

Amazon Echo Reviews and Documentation

I’m not the only person unimpressed with the idea of the Echo.
Let’s Call The Amazon Echo What It Is

Echo support documentation and videos.

Click to watch video

Are you going to buy an Echo?