5 Stylish Beach Vacation Must Haves

Getting ready for a great beach vacation? There is nothing more fun and relaxing then kicking it back at a beach under the warmth of the sun with nice breeze coming from the water and a cold cocktail in your hand. When it comes to packing for the beach there are just a few things you really need to make the vacation an unforgettable one.

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Let Influencers Decide What You Do On Your Next Trip

We can all agree that the hardest part of traveling is the actual planning that goes into it. Whether you're hoping to avoid bad weather for the weekend or a last minute business trip, not all trips can be well-planned due to time restraints. While having other people book your trip is always an option, executive assistants may be under-informed about cities their bosses are traveling to, hotel concierges may suggest tourist spots, and other discovery apps are often sorted by popularity or proximity, which may not be to your liking.

Which brings us to Dot & Pin, a personalized recommendation engine with a messaging-­powered online travel concierge, who caters for short or long-­term business travel. Rather than showing you the most popular results, Dot & Pin offers a virtual human concierge who acts as an expert local resource for various needs, such as recommending and booking restaurants, transportation, on­-demand meeting venues, golf tee time, outdoor activities, private jet, and many others.

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All it takes is answering 5 questions to build a personalized profile that'll only show you what you may be interested and taking out unnecessary choices. While many resources can be out-of-date or misinformed, Dot & Pin utilizes selected influencers of cities that most travel for business to as their experts on hidden gems and current events.

If you're looking to stay well informed before your next trip you can check out their blog with stories such as, Best Matcha Latte in America6 Best Cookies In The World, and 13 Carry-on Essentials for Frequent Travelers. Or simply start using Dot & Pin to get your personalized recommendation here

Dot & Pin is currently live in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

2018 Consumer Electronics Show Roundup

Last week in Las Vegas marked the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, the annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association. The newest innovations and trends in tech have us seriously excited, let’s take a look at some of the announcements.

One of the biggest, quite literally, announcements came from Samsung. They debuted their new 146 inch 4K TV appropriately called, The Wall. Samsung claims that The Wall is “the world’s first modular television.” It’s size isn’t the only thing that has people talking, The Wall uses MicroLED technology to produce it’s picture.

Phot courtesy of Samsung

Phot courtesy of Samsung

Alex Colon, of  PCMag stated that "I wasn't at all surprised to see voice assistance play a bigger role than ever this year, for instance. But I didn't necessarily expect to see it embedded in the bathroom, where it can do everything from start your shower to turn on your toilet's foot warmer. It was also a bit surprising to see Google Assistant keep pace with Amazon Alexa—not to mention the fact that Google had a big presence at the show, where it typically keeps a low profile. Although Alexa has held an edge in the past, 2018 looks to be the year that Google Assistant closes the gap. And although Apple steers clear of CES, it's worth noting we didn't hear much about Siri at the show, which doesn't bode well for the company's upcoming HomePod speak" you can read the full article and more on CES here.

Peloton dominated the fitness category at CES particularly with the reveal of their new treadmill, The Tread. Peloton is known for their cycles which allow the riders to stream high energy workouts without having to leave their homes. The treadmill features a 32 inch television which will allow the runner to choose between live or pre-recorded classes. Along with the launch of The Tread, Peloton announced they would be introducing total body conditioning class options.

Photo courtesy of Peloton

Photo courtesy of Peloton

Audio company Libratone announced the newest in their minimalistic audio products, the TRACK+. The TRACK+ headphones are wireless which include noise cancellation which comes at a variety of levels available to the user. The TRACK+ are both splash and sweat proof, so the neckband design is an excellent choice for use in work outs.

Photo Credit: Libratone

Photo Credit: Libratone

As always CES has shown a peak behind the curtain to what is sure to be an exciting few years in tech development. From robots, to drones, to advancements on items we use everyday it always offers an interesting look for what is to come.

 

 

 

What To Know Before You Buy The iPhone X

With each year we have at least one occasion to camp out in front of Apple stores, or at least it feels that way with a new IPhone seeing release each year since 2007 saw the original IPhone come out. As with all things ten years old, we’re beginning to see some startling changes. Apple is looking to make the IPhone X set the tone not just for the next few releases but the whole next generation of IPhones. Which has me a little bit worried. Sure apple products have always asked you to adjust to them a bit, but the new IPhone asks what could be for some a little too much. Yes Apple is asking you to adjust to spending a significantly larger amount of money for their products. So is it actually worth it to buy the IPhone X?

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Personally I would say no, common sense seems to say save $200 dollars and get the IPhone 8, which is still a brand new IPhone. The IPhone X and 8 have the same iOS 11 operating system, and under the hood both phones have identical software so there won’t be any difference in performance either. They have the same A11 chips, and even the front facing cameras are functionally identical. Plus the IPhone X has different dimensions to your current model which means you also would need to get a new case, and getting a new case is highly recommended as the IPhone X has been dubbed by some gadget warranty companies as “the most breakable iPhone we’ve ever tested.” Combine that with the astronomical costs of repairing the screen ($279) or glass back ($549) to make the thought of not having a case for any period of time stressful. I mean dropping your phone is always unpleasant but this is ridiculous.

Everything isn’t bad though, what really differentiates the new IPhone from the old IPhone is what new tricks Apple can make the X do. Most noticeable of these is the Face ID feature. Which is the new system for unlocking your phone, it’s really what the whole phone is designed around since they got rid of the home button. The Face ID system is housed in a notch at the top of the screen, something we’ll come back to later because there is a lot to say about it, and now just by holding your phone up to your face you can be in. Whenever the phone is activated an IR light turns on in the notch and if the IR camera in the notch detects a face a dot projector flashes a few thousand dots onto your face to create a depth map of it. Setting up the Face ID system is also very user friendly, the phone displays a circular border around your face, and you move around until that circle turns green. Over time the depth map of your face will become more detailed and the system should become better at recognizing you as well. Best of all gradual changes will be kept track of so growing a beard won’t result in you needing to set up the whole system again. You also use Face ID for Apple Pay just double click the side button, authenticate, and then hold the phone to the reader.

The final use for the Face ID system is the new Animoji feature. Which is sure to please young and old alike, as finally when someone sends you a smiley emoji you can know that they really had to smile to send it. Essentially what it does is make a short video clip of your face, recreating facial and eye movements in the form of cute emoji characters. I’m partial to the panda, but there are all kinds of animals and even the poop emoji, because of course they would include the poop emoji.

The iPhone X also switches from an LCD screen to an OLED screen. Which is great, OLED’s have a much nicer range of blacks seeing as how OLED’s can actually turn off individual pixels, something LCD’s simply can’t do. However as with all OLED screens the iPhone X has some color shift when tilted, not a big deal, but definitely noticeable if you look for it. If I had to take a guess as to why the iPhone X is so much more expensive than the 8 this would be it, but the effect of this wonderful new screen is spoiled a little bit by the previously mentioned notch at the top of the screen. It really messes with apps and videos on the X. This will probably improve with time, as apps are updated to take the change in screen shape into account, but currently things can get a little buggy. When watching videos you’ll either get black bars on the sides of the video or you’ll have to deal with a part of your video being played underneath the notch as the expands as if it wasn’t there.

So the question you need to ask yourself when you consider buying the iPhone X is “is Face ID and dimmer blacks worth $200?” They say OLED screens will become cheaper in the future, and I would think it smarter to wait till then to get an iPhone featuring one, as the average person probably won’t care too much about the difference in display. However if you’re a diehard Apple fan and you aren’t afraid of spending a little cash to stay on the cutting edge, then you should absolutely get the X.

By Connor Sherman

Social Concierege Will Help You Find A Date For New Years

We've all done the dating apps, you find some people to talk to, but how often do you actually meet in person? Or even better have a second date with them?

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While dating apps are great to see who is out there, you still need to do some work and actually leave your place (well, most of the time), what's the solution, actually going out! This can now be done with Social Concierge, a group that hosts private dating parties, originally from London.

Rather than swiping left or right, Social Concierge is a private dating club for 20/30-year-olds who have been vetted by their team so everyone you meet will be top tier.

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To kick off the holiday season Social Concierge will be holding a festive party Baby It's Cold Outside, with 150 + single professionals waiting to drink, network and flirt. The event will be hosted by musician Michelle Rose of Frances Rose fame.

In case you can't make it to this event, don't worry! Members (at a low $25 per month cost) have access to 2 invite parties a month at such locations like The Jane Hotel and the Mailroom.

Apply today to join the network in time for the festive celebrations and receive a complimentary guest ticket by using the code, SCLOVE as your proposer:

www.socialconcierge.co.uk/new-york

Fall Fashion Essentials for Men

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As summer is coming to an end, it’s about time you started thinking about your fall wardrobe staples and ways to combine them in order to come up with some flawless clothing combos. However, if you still aren’t sure about what the fall fashion essentials are, just be sure to stay with us and keep on reading. Here are five of them you simply have to have this season! Stridewise is where I nurture a maniacal obsession with footwear and share my findings.

Quality wool trousers

As soon as fall arrives, you should definitely turn to a bit thicker fabrics like wool and corduroy. These are the best ones for crisp weather and lower temperatures typical for this season. Cotton can also be a great choice, even though it isn’t as comfortable and warm as wool. When picking appropriate trousers, one of the most important things is their cut. Slim cut is always a good idea, just make sure that your trousers aren’t too tight. As for the color, black, navy and grey are an amazing idea, as well as all shades of brown. Burgundy and deep green will work, too!

Shawl collar cardigan

This timeless item is pretty much everything a fashion-forward man needs to own, so make sure to get a shawl collar cardigan for an upcoming season. As its name suggests, the high shawl collar is what characterizes this piece and makes it what it is – a staple for cold weather. Such cardigan will definitely help you feel warm and cozy. Apart from that, it’s trendy, stylish and just a little bit nerdy, and you know what? Girls really dig that, so don’t skip it this fall!

A rain jacket

The season we’re about to enter is well-known for its unpredictable weather, so don’t let it fool you and be prepared no matter what. Getting a rain jacket is an absolute must, so be sure to pick one that perfectly combines function with a fine design. Such piece will help you stay dry on a rainy day without looking like a tourist lost in space, which is exactly why you should look for brands that provide both protection from the rain and stylish designs. Make sure that the jacket you’re about to get is 100 percent waterproof, and you won’t make a mistake with it!

Fashionable accessories

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No outfit is complete without proper accessories, and that’s the case with fall clothing combos, too. A trendy umbrella is always a good idea, especially when matched with the rest of your outfit. However, we can all agree that it maybe isn’t even necessary if you decide to get a rain jacket. Ties made from wool blends are a fantastic choice if formal attire is your everyday choice, as well as patterned pocket squares. Apart from these, you can never go wrong with a statement wrist watch. These simply scream class, so get some quality watches online ASAP!

Smart boots

If there’s something that can keep you safe from the rain, apart from a rain jacket (obviously), it’s a pair of smart boots. Quality footwear will keep you warm and protected from rain and snow later on, so be sure to get the best boots you can find. Apart from providing more coverage than an average pair of shoes, these are also highly versatile – you can wear them both in casual and in formal occasions, and even in combination with suits! Matte leather is one of the most convenient choices when it comes to fall, whereas black, gray and chocolate brown are fantastic in terms of color selection.

As you can see, each of these four pieces, alongside with appropriate accessories, is absolutely essential when it comes to this season. These will allow you to stay warm and cozy while being really fashionable at the same time, so get them as soon as possible and rock your fall outfits like a pro!