Our 2021 Holiday Tech and Electronic Gift Picks | Notes

By Lon Hosford

12/10/2021

These are my notes and links for the 12/9/2021 meeting.

We had three presenters, myself, Ken Powell and John Gbur.

Meeting Presentation Deck

12/9/2021 Presentation deck for 2021 holiday gift picksDownload

Lon Hosford

I presented on gotchas for ordering online, using new interest free payment shopping platforms, and my YouTube pick on 2021 tech shopping ideas.

Link to Affirm as an example of interest free payment services. You may need to create an account or offer your mobile number to see this list.

These services are now checkout payment sources but also provide their own shopping catalog. Vendors offer products in the catalog and some with special deals including the payment option. Beware these offers can be for a limited time.

Amazon Tech Gifts Link. You will find various filters such for men, for women, $ ranges if you just click in the search bar after the key words.

Video: Top Tech Gifts in 2021 – Holiday Gift Guide by Lizzie Peirce

Video [not shown in meeting]: top 10 Tech Gifts (2021) by Mike O’Brien

The gotchas for ordering online.

  • Delays and software glitches in the vendor’s website shipping tracking or link to the actual shipper’s information. Even vendors like Lowes and Walmart have shown me the target shipping date is the past. Best to get the tracking code and setting up notifications at the shipping carrier’s website such as FedEx, USPS, UPS, etc.
  • Beware of phishing text and emails shipping status notifications. For example claiming there is a shipping balance on your order but not specifically making it clear who, what and where. Best when you set up shipping notifications to select all the choices. If available choose the notice that you set up notifications. This will come immediately. It helps you recognize what their notice look like. Also best when uncertain about a shipping notice to go get the original tracking code. Then go the the shipper’s website to check the status. Much better choice than click the uncertain shipping notification link.
  • Used products on Amazon. Amazon has a very liberal return policy. This is good. But its not unusual for customers to use products and return them used. The returned products simply go back into inventory without inspection. Read the 1 star and 2 star reviews looking for this. For example a thermos being returned with tea inside.
  • Damaged products on Amazon. Same with the very liberal return policy. People return damaged such in trying to assemble or first use products.
  • Fake brands on Amazon. Amazon allow anyone with a financial proof to sell on Amazon. Often they are simply liquidators perhaps located in a room above a store in Taiwan for example. The products are knockoffs and they falsely brand them and ship them. Quality is often inferior. Want a good product get it from the vendor who makes it at their website. Often they will have a better deal such as shipping or choices. Check their return policy as most are not as liberal as Amazon’s return policy.

Ken Powell

Ken Powell demonstrated a UV light cell phone sanitizer he owns.

Link to a cell phone sanitizer shopping list on Amazon.

Link to article on best smart phone sanitizers article.

John Gbur

John Gbur brought us up to date on the Roku product and services.

Link to Roku products.

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By Lon Hosford

Internet and Mobile Development Educator and Consultant Independent software developer with practical engineering project experience for clients such as AT&T, Avis, Bristol Myers Squibb, Ortho BioTech, Chanel, Avaya, Green Birdie Video, Aztec Learning Systems and Verizon Wireless. Lon is well known for translating client needs into useful applications. An interesting aspect of Lon's consulting work was the creation of industry jobs that did not exist before. That lead to hiring and training college students who were taught dead technologies at a time academia was woefully behind on the paradigm shifts in personal computing, the internet and today the distributed device environment often called mobile. Lon has taught thousands of students internet web development, animation and programming topics over two decades both privately and academically. He developed Multimedia Associated Degree program and courses for Raritan Valley Community College in the 1990s at a time when Macromedia Authorware and Director were tools. He is the founder, developer and educator for Raritan Valley Community College Web Developer Certification program also having its roots in the 1990s at the dawn of the internet. He also was a key curriculum developer and instructor for one of the Nation's first Web Developer Certification program offered through New Jersey Institute of Technology. Lon was also a technology instructor at the University of Phoenix Online. Lon over the years has produced educational video for topics including Paradox, Cobol, Java, Jasmine, C, C++, Linux, Flash, Cocos 2d and HTML. These courses were distributed and taught in Universities internationally when global was an emerging term.