It feels like every other day, the next big thing is rolling out. A new phone. A new tablet. A new ultra whatever… Whether it’s true or not (and there’s certainly some debate on this issue – just check out the comments on this Harvard Business Review blog), it feels like the pace of technology advancements just keeps accelerating. As a procurement specialist trying to source hot and trendy tech accessories for your team or an event marketer looking for eye-catching handouts at your next trade show or experiential campaign how are you supposed to find something that won’t be out-of-date the minute you hand it out? Everybody loves their toys and it would follow that tech products and accessories would make for ideal branded merchandise, but isn’t the goal of a promotional products to remain useful to the end user so that it continues to stay in site for others to see? Why hand out a cell phone case that may or may not fit on the user’s phone? The key is to find items that are adaptable and/or are proven technologies, therefore will remain in the market for years to come. What’s the biggest challenge for most people with a smartphone or tablet today? Right, BATTERY LIFE. Most of us work at least 9 hour day and our batteries last us well short of that….Check out this regularly updated study on the battery life of different common devices. Our phones and tablets get more and more powerful but battery life just isn’t keeping up. Sure one day there’ll be a breakthrough in battery technology but by the time that happens, our devices are sure to need even more juice. So thinking about ways to help your employees, clients, prospects, whomever you’re targeting to stay connected. Look at power banks or wall/car charges. Most people with a device already have an adapter for their device that convert from whatever their device’s connection type is to a standard USB format. Or if you want to really make sure that the different connection types are not an issue look for a kit which includes are variety of converters along with the aforementioned power banks or chargers….
Bluetooth is another popular area to consider. If you’re not familiar with Bluetooth technology you can read up on it at Wikipedia. One of the more popular applications for Bluetooth these days are speakers. Bluetooth speakers will sync with your phone or your tablet and allow you to stream music or other audio. There are lots of products out today that will sync with your phone, tablet, or laptop and are platform agnostic. Some will question whether Bluetooth is here to stay, but we feel pretty confident it’s not going anyway in the near future. Bluetooth has been around for roughly 20 years already and while there are a couple of competitors out there, no one’s got the market share that Bluetooth currently enjoys. If you’re interested to learn more about Bluetooth and competitive technologies check out this Techradar article from January. Here are a couple of Bluetooth product ideas to consider:
- Speakers
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Headphones
Beyond power and bluetooth, there’s a plethora of accessories that you can consider. Just make sure to take into consideration the adaptability of the item and whether it’s truly platform agnostic. Here are some ideas for accessories that everyone can use:
- Tablet cases/stands – look for adjustable straps that’ll hold tablets of all different sizes
- Phone or tablet stands – again look for ones that have room to hold a device of various sizes
- Phone wallets – these trendy little pieces attach to the back of your phone and will fit 2-3 credit cards
- Carrying cases -something that is TSA compliant for the heavy traveler
This month we’ve got a handful of tech products and accessories on sale including bluetooth speakers and keyboards, carrying cases and stands, and more. Check them out on the Stran Store and let us know in the comments field below what kinds of tech products and accessories you like to use and how you use them in the world of promotional products….
