Zomm Blog

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

7 Tweetable Facts about Americans’ Cell Phone Usage

PEW recently did a study on Americans and their use of cell phones. The results are interesting, although not all that surprising. We’ve condensed the report into our seven favorite facts, and made them perfectly tweetable for you!

tweetable cell phone facts

 


Which fact do you find the most interesting? Click the link after it to automatically tweet it!

  1. 40% of mobile phone owners have found their phone helpful in an emergency situation. [Tweet]
  2. Sometimes we need a break. 29% of Americans turn their cell phone off just to take a break from it. [Tweet]
  3. 27% of Americans have had trouble doing something in the last month because they did not have their cell phone at hand. [Tweet]
  4. Do you take photos or send text message with your phone? You’re not alone—so do 90% of American smartphone owners. [Tweet]
  5. Bored no more: 42% of Americans have used their phone to defeat boredom. [Tweet]
  6. 44% of phone owners (cell or smart) use their mobile to access the World Wide Web. [Tweet]
  7. Cell phones allow us to avoid human interaction—13% of owners have used a phone to avoid awkward situations. [Tweet]

Did any of these facts surprise you?

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

February is Pull Your Sofa Off the Wall Month

Each February is Pull Your Sofa Off the Wall Month, and while we think you should probably check behind the sofa more than once a year, we still think it’s a clever idea. There are a few reasons why you should shift your settee:

 

To clean up.  Do you clean your sofa regularly? (You don’t have to answer that) But take this opportunity to give it a good scrubbing. Fluff the cushions, get new throw pillows, and maybe even make a few bucks by gathering loose change.

To try a new look.  How long has your living room been arranged the same way? Now is the time to move things around and shake it up a bit. Adjusting the layout of the furniture in a room can make if feel like a brand new space!

To find lost things. Remember all those things that “grew legs and walked away on their own”? You just might find them in the sofa. Your car keys, favorite bracelet or even a cell phone might just turn up in there (remember, if you had a Wireless Leash, your phone wouldn’t have been lost in the first place… just saying).

Do you plan to pull your couch off the wall this month? Let us know if you find any lost items in there!

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

Hot Winter-Related Smartphone Apps

Now that you know how to care for your phone during the cold winter months, you need it to ensure it stays “hot” with the latest weather apps! With the help of Verizon Wireless and Time Techland, we’ve put together a list of some of some of the best weather-related apps for your phone. We all know the winter can be unpredictable, so stay a step ahead of Mother Nature with one (or more) of these apps:

  • Winter Weather Outlooks ($1.99) Worried about inclement weather headed you way? Learn about what patterns are likely in your area with the National Weather Service Winter Weather Outlooks.
  • How Cold Is It? (Free) Rather, how neat is this? This app features a wallpaper function that changes color depending on the outside temperature. If you see deep red it’s going to be h-o-t! Spot an icy white hue on your screen? You know what that means… better bundle up!
  • ShoppeHUB (Free) This handy little app allows you to make secure purchases on cold weather gear, including winter clothing.
  • Winter Wake Up (Free) Genius! Wake you up according to the extra time you will need to defrost your car in the event of overnight snow. Why didn’t we think of that?
  • Powder Alert/WakeMeSki ($2.99) You can tell this app you want to be woken up when a certain ski resort has gotten the perfect amount of fresh powder.
  • Road Trip Weather ($0.99) On the go? Plot the route to your destination while keeping informed on what the weather is going to be like on your trip along the way.
  • Winter Survival Kit (Free) Stuck in a winter storm? This app will be your new best friend! Store important emergency numbers, track where the closest gas station is located and be stocked with survival tips at the press of a button.

Just another reason to love your phone—it can help keep you warm at night.

What are some of your favorite seasonal apps? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

4 Gadgets to Check out in 2012

Being two months into the New Year, it is time to review what gadgets you should know about in 2012. We have researched all the new electronics on the market and below you will find our list of the new must-have devices. Trust us, you aren’t going to want to miss out on these.

1.The Energizer Inductive Charger

For all of those people who can’t stand clutter, have limited space, or lose chargers this product is a must have. This charger takes away the need for different multiple chargers and chords. All you have to do is set your phone face down on this pad and voila, it is recharged. The best part is the Inductive Charger can charge up to three different devices all at one, saving you space and time.

2. ZOMM’s Wireless Leash

The hardest decision to make about this product is whether you will purchase it in pink, white, or black. If you accidentally leave your phone somewhere, our Wireless Leash sounds an alarm reminding you to get your phone. Press one button and be connected with 911. And, last but not least, the Wireless Leash allows you to answer all calls safely with just one press of a button.

3.Roku Streaming Stick

This little gadget would make a great gift and is reasonably priced. This device plugs into a port on newer televisions allowing instant access to sites such as Netflix and Pandora. The streaming stick doesn’t require power and boasts built-in wifi.

4. PowerSkin Spare One

Although this may not be the coolest or most innovative product it should certainly be a staple in your household for any emergency that may occur. SpareOne is a non-chargeable cell phone that is powered simply by an AA battery. The Spare One phone can stay charged for up to 15 years and has 10 hours of talk time from one single battery.

 

What’s the coolest gadget you’ve seen so far this year?

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

Top 3 Super Bowl Commercials – Do You Agree?

Super Bowl XLVI was an exciting one. In the end, the New York Giants came out on top, edging out the New England Patriots by four points. While thousands watched the big game go down, they also got to see one of the most exciting parts of Super Bowl Sunday: the commercials.

We watched them all and chose our Top 3. Take a look at our choices below, then let us know if you agree!

3. Audi – Vampire Party

Taking on the vampire craze that’s swept the country over the past few years, Audi created a hilarious spoof, while truly showcasing their new feature. Plus, we really want those headlights.

2. Honda – Matthew’s Day Off

If you love Ferris Bueller, you can’t help but love this one. The reprise of the 80s flick is full of more references than we could count.

1. Best Buy – Innovators

Without mobile phones, where would we be? There’d definitely be no need for a Wireless Leash—and that’s why we chose this as our favorite commercials. Highlighting innovators in the mobile world, Best Buy did it right.

 


Do you agree with our top three? If not, leave a comment below with a link to your favorite Super Bowl Commercial!

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Super Bowl XLVI: Giants vs Patriots – Social Media Edition

The New York Giants and New England Patriots first met during the preseason this year. Now, they meet again in the final game of the NFL season—the Super Bowl. Both teams have already landed in Indianapolis, home of Super Bowl XLVI, and are preparing for the big game. On Sunday, they will fight it out until only one team is left standing as NFL world champions.

super bowl giants patriots

Photo Cred: NY Daily News

Today we’re going to have to two teams face-off, not based on their football skills, but on their social media skills. Let’s take a look at how they compare:

Twitter:

  • New York Giants — @Giants, 215,434 followers
  • New England Patriots– @Patriots, 301,714 followers

Facebook:

Notable Social Media:

  • New York Giants—This past August, Mashable did a story about the social media initiatives within Giants’ MetLife Stadium. During their preseason game against (ironically) the Patriots, they Giants integrated life tweets from fans into NBC 4’s live broadcast. According to the article, the Giants were the first NFL team to “embrace Twitter to this magnitude.”
  • New England Patriots—Wide receiver Chad Ochocinco has built a significant Twitter following—more than 3.1 million followers—including President Felipe Calderon of Mexico. If you follow @ochocinco, you know that he likes to interact with fans by taking them to dinner, offering dating advice and provide lots of inspirational messages.

We’ll let you decide who wins this battle. And speaking of social media, why not check out ours? You can find us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube!

Who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl?

Friday, January 27th, 2012

Clean Your Inbox Week

Are New Year’s Resolutions made to be broken? A study found that about 35% of people break their resolutions before the end of January. Are you guilty of this?

If you’re already broken a resolution, don’t despair. Now’s the time to start fresh! This week is Clean out your Inbox Week. So if you had a resolution to get organized, clean up your junk, or get to inbox zero, then today’s the day to start!

In honor of Clean out your Inbox Week, we found this article on Life hacker that gives instructions on how to archive your old mail (in Gmail) and have a tidy inbox—in a flash!

clean out your inbox week

It’s simple: select all and hit “archive.” This will clean up your inbox, but keep those messages accessible via the search function in Gmail. That’s right—you’re not losing any info!

Lifehacker also provides tips for keeping that inbox tidy:

  • Get Rid of Newsletters and Ads You Don’t Want

    You can get rid of it quickly by doing a quick search for the word “unsubscribe” and creating a filter that automatically deletes emails with that word in it.

  • Create a Whitelist Filter

    All you need to do is create a filter that is designed to ignore important messages and leave them in the inbox, but move everything else into a secondary folder (or label, if you’re a Gmail user).

With a clean and tidy inbox, you’ll feel less stressed and be more productive. Up next? Working on those memory skills.

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

Headz Up App – Stay Safe while Plugged in!

Here at ZOMM, we know how crucial of a role mobile phones play in our lives today. That’s why we created the Wireless Leash—so you won’t ever have to worry about living without your phone. Similarly, the creators of Headz Up App know that you need to stay plugged in no matter what. They’re just making it safer to be!

Ok, so this is really a Saturday Night Live clip, but like writer Alexia Tsotsis at TechCrunch, we hate to admit that this actually sounds a little bit like a good idea…

Do you need an app like this? Share your stories by leaving a comment!

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Cali Lewis of GeekBeatTV Interviews Henry about Lifestyle Connect at CES 2012

Our good friend Cali Lewis stopped by our booth at CES this past week to talk to Henry about our new product, the Lifestyle Connect. We were thrilled to give her a full demo! Check out the entire segment here:

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

2012 CES – ZOMM Recap

Alas, CES has already come and gone. It was a whirlwind week—but we enjoyed every minute of it! You can see some photos of our booth, and the new Lifestyle Connect, on our Facebook Page.

We unveiled our brand new product on Sunday night at an event appropriately called “Unveiled.” Since then, we’ve talked to thousands of people about our product and seen lots of media coverage! Take a look at just a few of the publications that saw ZOMM, and the new Lifestyle Connect, as noteworthy:

PCMag.com – Wireless Health Monitoring Solution from ZOMM

Eugene Kim from PCMag.com shared images of the Lifestyle Connect and myZOMM app, along with information about our new product:

“The Lifestyle Connect is compact and lightweight, allowing owners to carry the device with them at all times. Using Bluetooth 4.0 +LE technology, the Lifestyle Connect pairs with any Bluetooth-enabled phone to connect users with a crisis-certified Personal Safety Concierge. Users will enjoy 24/7 service with immediate assistance in any situation.”

The Verge – ZOMM Lifestyle Connect give elderly a contact in case of emergency (hands-on pictures)

The folks at The Verge got some great hands-on photos of the Lifestyle Connect during Unveiled, and shared them along with description of the product:

“Zomm’s always made products to help you track your stuff, but with the new Lifestyle Connect the company’s fixed its focus on helping the elderly. The Lifestyle Connect is a small dongle that slips into a purse or clips on a shirt, and acts as an emergency response system for the scary ‘I’ve fallen and can’t get up’moments”

In another article, The Verge even mentioned how Verizon is following in our footsteps with their new product!

Engadget – ZOMM Announces the Lifestyle Connect, keeps your trusted friends one button away

With by far the most hands-on photos, Engadget truly showcased the Lifestyle Connect.

“The folks that developed the Wireless Leash Plus, keeping your iPhone close at hand via Bluetooth, have taken the personal security bit of that device a step further. ZOMM has outed the Lifestyle Connect, a personal security monitor that alerts someone from your network of trusted pals in the event of an emergency with a single button push. The device works with any Bluetooth-enabled phone and can also put you in touch with a Personal Safety Concierge 24 hours a day.”

What do you think of our the Lifestyle Connect?

Older Posts

Categories

Latest ZOMM Updates

  • ZOMM As a Holiday Gift – Check out These Gift Guide Appearances

    Share We’ve told you that we think a ZOMM Wireless Leash makes a great gift for the holidays. However, you don’t have to just take our word for it...

  • Holiday Contest Time – Spot the ZOMMs, Win a ZOMM!

    From now until Christmas, we’ll be giving away several of our Wireless Leashes to you, our loyal customers, fans, followers and of course, friends....

  • iPhone Apps: Before, During and After Thanksgiving

    If you’re the host of one of these gatherings, it can be a little stressful. However, today’s technology provides tons of tools out there to help you throw the best Thanksgiving party on the block....

  • America Recycles Day – Recycling Your Electronics

    If you’re like most of us here at ZOMM, you’ve probably upgraded your cell phone multiple times over the past few years. Most of those old phones (especially if you’ve been using a ZOMM Wireless Leash to avoid losing them) are probably sitting in a drawer or closet somewhere. ...

  • AOL Shopping Recognizes ZOMM Pink

    AOL Shopping's Stylist on a Soapbox did a post in October about products that give back during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We were thrilled to see the ZOMM Pink included in the list! You can read the article about Breast Cancer Awareness Month or watch this video:...

Recent ZOMM Reviews

From Laurie's Blog

  • ZOMM Loves Female Innovators

    As many know, ZOMM was invented by Laurie Penix, the mom of the Penix family. Laurie recalls being on the treadmill, watching Oprah, when a phone call from a girlfriend inspired her to look further into the idea of a wireless leash. Inspired by Laurie’s innovation, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to find some of the other top mompreneurs to share with – and hopefully inspire – everyone....

  • Keep Your Children Safe – Alternate Uses for ZOMM Wireless Leash

    In light of this spring’s annual National Safe Kids Week, we wanted to share these alternate uses of our Wireless Leash. Keep reading to find out how ZOMM can keep your toddlers and teens safe…...

  • A Lot Can Happen in a Year! ZOMM 2010 Wrap-up

    2010 has come and gone! Here's ZOMM's 201 Wrap-up....

  • Latest ZOMM Happenings

    As usual, things have been super busy in the ZOMM headquarters this fall. We’ve been busy traveling to conferences like Opencamp and shows like CTIA’s Mobile Focus in order to spread the word about ZOMM....

  • ZOMM = A Mother’s Peace of Mind

    With my two girls being on their own this summer, I felt better knowing they had their ZOMMs. I knew that with a ZOMM in hand, they would drive safer by using the call notification and speakerphone feature. ...