iPad Air & 9 Other Tech Gifts You Should Buy on Black Friday
The entrepreneur in your life deserves a great new piece of tech, and Black Friday — which falls on Nov. 29 this year — is the perfect opportunity to grab a gadget that could help your favorite small business owner run a better business.
There are more options than ever, so get creative. Any small business owner could benefit from a new PC or smartphone, but what about a computerized pen or watch?
Read on for 10 business-boosting tech items you might find on sale this Black Friday.
1. Sony Digital Flash Voice Recorder
For the small business owner who attends seminars and conferences, or just wants an audio recording of company meetings, a voice recorder is a great gift.
The Sony Digital Flash Voice Recorder features high-quality playback and a light, unobtrusive design. And with 2GB of internal memory, it can easily record more than 20 hours of audio.
And once you're done recording, it's easy to unload your audio files onto your computer via USB.
2. Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot
Verizon's Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot will put an end to dealing with spotty signals and flaky hotel Wi-Fi. It boasts a long 14-hour battery life and a status indicator, so you'll never exceed your mobile data allotment.
Paying to use a mobile hotspot is an ongoing monthly commitment, but it's a great gift for the small business owner who travels and needs fast Internet access from any location.
3. Sage One accounting software
Sage One is an accounting software package that's specifically designed with entrepreneurs, freelancers and startups in mind.
The package comes packed with tools for tracking projects, managing business tasks and processing payments. And because it's an online solution, your records will always be up-to-date, secure and viewable from any Web-connected device.
4. HyperJuice Mini 7200mAh External Battery
Ever noticed that your smartphone or tablet tends to die right when you need it most? For a small business owner, that could be disastrous, so snag this external battery pack to keep mobile devices going and going.
The HyperJuice Mini packs two USB ports, so it can charge two devices simultaneously. It stores enough juice to recharge your iPhone up to six times, or append an extra six hours to the life of your iPad.
5. Kindle Paperwhite e-reader
Great entrepreneurs don't grow their business in a vacuum. Reading an informational book or a biography of a great business leader is a smart way to stay ahead of the game.
Give your favorite small business owner the gift of e-books with the new Kindle Paperwhite, which features a backlight, a touch screen and a battery that lasts for weeks on a single charge.
6. Pebble smartwatch
The Pebble smartwatch is a capable, affordable companion for any smartphone user. The device pushes messages and notifications straight to your wrist so you never miss an update.
For business users, that makes it easier to stay on top of important messages and reminders. The device links to any iPhone or Android phone via Bluetooth.
7. Livescribe 3
With this tool, a small business owner will never misplace any crucial information jotted down during a company meeting. The Livescribe 3 smartpen tracks the marks made in special Livescribe notebooks (sold separately), and then recreates your notes in digital form.
Unlike older models, which required users to connect the smartpen to their laptop via USB to initiate syncing, the new Livescribe pen maintains a Bluetooth connection to sync wirelessly.
8. iPad Air
Apple's new iPad Air is lighter, thinner and faster than ever, with a long battery life. Business users can take advantage of the Apple App store, which is packed with top-tier business and productivity apps. Apple's tablet can even be used to process credit cards.
The new iPad also runs on iOS 7, an operating-system update with enticing features for small business owners, including a revamped version of Apple's iWork mobile office suite that comes preinstalled.
If your gift recipient depends on Windows software, consider Microsoft's Surface Pro 2 tablet instead. And if you're looking for a smaller, cheaper tablet, grab Google's Nexus 7.
9. Belkin QODE Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad Air
Touch keyboards are more responsive than ever, but if you have real work to do, you'll need to pair your iPad — or any other tablet — with a full QWERTY keyboard.
The QODE Ultimate Keyboard Case is the top model in Belkin's new lineup of keyboard cases for the iPad Air. The device links to your iPad via Bluetooth and features a built-in kickstand.
Belkin's keyboard case also boasts a silver or black aluminum unibody designand has an impressive 264 hours of battery life on a single charge.
10. Isotoner SmarTouch gloves
Winter is coming, and in many places, that means cold, wind and snow. Business owners need to be able to check their calendar or respond to their email, even when they're bundled up.
You don't have to remove the Isotoner SmarTouch gloves to use your smartphone or tablet's touch screen. The hand warmers feature special pads on the thumb and forefinger of each hand that allow for touch-screen usage. And like any good pair of winter gloves, they're warm and water-repellent.
This story was provided by BusinessNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Originally published on BusinessNewsDaily.
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