End-of-Year Technology Picks

Here are a few technology products which were sent to us recently to review. Below are some of our favorites which we also feel make great gifts, so they are included in our Holiday Gift Guide as well.

Nigi

We discovered Nigi at the TransformativeTech Conference in Silicon Valley last month. New to the market, the device idea and creation came out of a team in Japan.

Essentially, Nigi is designed to help break down dissonant information that affects our natural energetic balance to bring us back into a state of coherence. It’s a nifty device that you can hold (or put in your pocket) that transmits specific digital frequencies at very high speeds to help break down the “stuff” that adversely impacts our body and mind. It is also very grounding, so wonderful if you do any healing work at all.

Their approach is made possible by a digital consciousness technology they utilize, which optimizes five layers of each person through a state-of-the art technology of human consciousness. So, what does this mean?

Blocking out the negative stuff allows you to feel a more grounding and calming effect during your daily life. Think of it as a tool to help your body and mind detox from excessive information overload and toxic energy.

It is aimed for those who want to feel the benefit of meditation but either don’t have the time or the experience to feel the benefits.

Nigi’s design is gorgeous.

Nigi’s goal is to make people feel more grounded, calm and less stressed so you can be more focused during day-to-day activities. They offer a series: Nigi (the original design), Iza-Nigi (adds extra layer of energetic protection) and Nigi-DAMA which helps people go into deeper meditative states. Check out their website for more information on availability in the United States and Europe.

Cherry DW-3000 USB Wireless Keyboard/Mouse Deskset

When you’re a mobile warrior, a wireless keyboard and mouse is a must. We hadn’t heard of Cherry before recently so when they offered to send out a few products, we were excited to test them out.

Cherry’s wireless keyboard and mouse set is a great option for the holidays — first, it’s elegant and compact but also comfortable to the touch.

Cherry wireless keyboard and mouse set

Secondly, we love the design and it’s at a great price. You can find the set over on Amazon.

Cherry MW 4500 Mouse

Cherry also offers a wireless mouse with a scroll wheel. It offers 6 buttons you can program on the mouse, making it a great option if you’re a power user like I am.

The mouse is roughly 4.5 x 2.4 by 1×4 inches and only weighs around 4.2 ounces, making it easy to also take on a trip. You can buy the Cherry MW 4500 wireless mouse over on Amazon.

Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST & Wonderboom Speakers

The MEGABLAST from Ultimate Ears is apparently their biggest and loudest speaker offering. Their MEGABLAST speaker boasts 360° of intensely rich sound with clarity and deep, heart-pounding bass. It’s a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth speaker which connects to Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Deezer and Spotify. You can also check the weather, control smart home devices, and enjoy any number of Alexa’s crazy skills, other great features.

Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST is is also waterproof making it a godsend for travel adventure enthusiasts. Think: pool, beach, boating, skiing, parties and beyond. It’s rugged and portable and we absolutely love that it has a 16-hour battery life, which we think is one of its biggest benefits.

Wi-Fi network and a compatible Android or iOS mobile device required. Minimum OS requirements are iOS 10.2 or Android 5.0. Multiple microphones with beam forming technology and noise cancellation enable a smooth far field voice recognition and control experience. It comes in a gray, vivid blue, merlot red and white and is priced at around at around $250.

The WONDERBOOM is a smaller speaker but that still provides 360 sound with a balanced bass. Yup, it’s also waterproof as well and gives up to 10 hours of non-stop music — more great battery life from Ultimate Ears: bravo!

For travelers, its durability makes it a great choice. The WONDERBOOM is drop proof tested from up to five feet and sports a hanging loop on top so it can easily attach to any bag, bicycle or backpack or even your belt loop. It‘ll pair up to 8 Bluetooth enabled source devices and you can connect up to two source devices at the same time. You can also wirelessly stream to two WONDERBOOM units from one source and it comes in 11 fun colors at only around $99. Visit the Ultimate Earswebsite for more information on these products and others, as well as how to order.

Yeticaster

One of the reasons we were rally excited about Yeticaster is because it allows anyone to set up a podcast and have a voice on whatever topic you’re passionate about. The Yeticaster delivers the ultimate broadcast studio setup to your desktop.

Yeticaster features something they call Yeti, the world’s #1 USB microphone, which includes a Radius III shockmount and the Compass premium broadcast boom arm. With this system, you have everything you need for professional podcasting, game streaming and voice-over work. How cool to transform your desktop into a broadcast studio.

You can record and stream sound quality direct to your computer using Blue’s Yeti USB microphone. Yeti uses Blue’s proprietary tri-capsule technology to produce pristine, studio-quality recordings and streams. It features controls for headphone volume, pattern selection, instant mute, and microphone gain. The Compass is a premium microphone boom arm with internal springs and built-in cable management, which you can clip to the side of your desk. It is ideal for broadcast applications like game streaming, podcasting, voice-over, and more.

Radius III is a vintage-style suspension mount designed to isolate Yeti and Yeti Pro USB microphones from noise, shock and ambient vibration. This awesome product can be found on Blue Designs website for only around $199.

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Note: we are sent products to test and review but all opinions expressed are entirely our own.

Renee Blodgett

Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.

She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.

Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.

Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.