We live some wonderful times. Years ago there were the travel agents who make all the holiday arrangements for us but now from the comfort of our homes we can choose if we will work with a travel agent or if we will use the internet to find better deals.

Finding holiday lets using the internet can be fast and easy. I said can be because some times it can be very time consuming to find the best deal. I remember I have spent a week looking at hundreds offers before I chose one. But it was worth it because I had a great vacation.

The internet changed the way we travel for good. All processes were accelerated. And the travel agents had a choice to disappear or to offer better services. Because you can find and reserve a room online and also you can purchase the bus/train/ plane tickets online the travel agent must make you a better offer. So on the long run we, the consumers have the advantages: we can choose to work with an agent or to find an offer ourselves and we now have better offers.

Another advantage of the internet is that you find the correct price easily. example if you are looking for Cornwall cottages you can go to a price comparison site and see what are the offers.

The risks

Of course, not everything is great because when you book online you see only some images and sometimes they can be misleading. This is why some people choose to work with a travel agent.

But there are many smart sites where you can find reviews and get the truth. You must be able to read between the lines because you will find 5 star reviews along with 1 star ones. Happy and unhappy customs in one place. However there is no problem filtering them: some people are always unhappy no matter how good the products and services are, so ignore their reviews. Also ignore the reviews of the ones who are to happy (optimists see life in pink no matter what). Now after removing the too good to be true and the worst reviews you should have the real experience.

A new Apple iPod generation is now available in the online shops: Apple iPod nano 8 GB (6th generation).

Featuring a multi-touch screen, the new iPod nano has been redesigned to be easier to use, more intuitive and more fun.

Apple iPod nano 8 GB (6th generation) main features:

• Memory capacity : 8 GB
• Screen : 1.54-inch (diagonal) colour TFT display
• Radio tuner : FM radio with Live Pause feature for pausing a radio broadcast and rewinding (within a 15-minute…
• Video playback : No
• Weight (g) : 21.1

More compact that ever, the iPod nano lets you play anything you want to hear, wherever you happen to go. With a single gesture, you can tap into your entire music collection. Simply gently skim your finger across the iPod nano’s 1.54-inch TFT display to select a track, return to the home page, browse songs and even rearrange icons, so your tunes are organised just how you like.

The iPod nano by Apple is equipped with an accelerometer for shaking and shuffling to a different song in your music library. For dancing the night away, the iPod nano has a long-life lithium-ion battery that lasts for up to 24 hours per charge. The built-in memory has a capacity of 8 GB, meaning you’ll have plenty of entertainment to help you make it through your daily commute, your workout and beyond.
Genius finds songs like those you love and lets you stay in the groove with unique song combinations. Just tap the Genius icon on your iPod nano’s screen to get mixes you wouldn’t have thought of yourself. You can create medleys in iTunes and sync the ones you like to your iPod nano.
You can ride the airwaves with the iPod nano’s FM radio. If you need to take a break from listening, you don’t have to miss a minute of radio time with Live Pause. Tap to pause a song or show, and then tap again to continue where you left off. 

The iPod nano has a new built-in clip, so you can walk, run, ride or dance with your favourite songs on your sleeve, pocket, jacket or bag. The iPod nano doubles as a personal trainer, helping you to keep fit. The display rotates so you can see it no matter where you clip it on.

In plus the iPod nano can serve as a pedometer, which makes it the ideal exercise partner. And the Nike + iPod Sport kit (sold separately) keeps you motivated from warm-up to cool-down on your run or in the gym.

Pricing and availability

The Apple iPod Nano 8GB 6th generation price tag is £ 115.50. And it is available at PixMania.co.uk.

Recent search terms:

In the last 5 years I have advertised my sites only online. In 2011 I want to test some offline advertising for Gadgets Club.

My question is: can offline advertising work for a gadgets site? If you have some experience in this field please use the comment form to share your expertise.

I want to have a more aggressive marketing this year this is why I will make some changes.

First of all I want to keep my advertisers happy so instead of using email for communications I will make them a nice surprise. I want to use the regular, old style mail and to use letterhead printing to make my messages look appealing.

Another idea is to use calendar printing for a giveaway. I’m thinking of a calendar full of cool gadgets.

And the final idea is to use stickers printing and create some great looking stickers and place them in crowd spaces frequented by youths.

The stickers will have a message like this: Want to read about the latest gadgets? Go to Gadgets-Club.com.

What do you think?

I just love a good cup of espresso or coffee in the morning. It helps me get up and moving. The Coffee Machines are used for several decades but they are becoming more complex in our days.

You can find combo machines: espresso, coffee and cappuccino maker – all in one or specialized devices like Espresso Machines. Espresso fans claim that a specialized machine will deliver a better espresso.

I own a combo and I think it is the best option if you are not an extravagant coffee drinker, you are on a budget and you don’t have a vast space.

I have observed an ascending trend – people buying Single Cup Coffee Machines. This type of devices became popular because in one capsule is all you need to create a single cup of coffee, espresso, cappuccino or tea. I think they are so popular because they are convenient: you just need to put a capsule into the machine and press a button.

Recent search terms:

I was reading on some marketing forums that mobile phone marketing is the new best thing for marketers. I saw people enthusiasts about this form of marketing but almost all wanted to implement it in the wrong way!

They intended to buy a list and send them SMSs. This is so stupid. It is SMS spamming. And it is more annoying than email spam. One company sent me one SMS per day, which I didn’t asked for and they announced me about their offers. Of course I didn’t care I have stopped buying for them and I have asked for my number to be removed from their list.

Unfortunately there are many companies which think they can have success by spamming people. The real success comes from offering value. Offer the information people need and they will ask for it.

There are hundreds of smart and non invasive ways of using Mobile Marketing. The key is to ask permission!

You can send customers the info they want and need like the order status. For example Cellit Mobile Marketing uses the power of mobile marketing: text messaging, wap, app and more to keep clients happy.

The mobile marketing technology itself it is great. You can use the SMS or mobile web, or Android, Blackberry, or iPhone App to communicate with your target audience. And as long as you have permission and you delive the info people want it is fantastic for both the business can clients.

The major benefits of mobile marketing technology:

• It is simple to use. There are hundreds of providers which offer platforms for campaigns management. These platforms are build on the user friendly standards so they are intuitive and very simple to use.
• It has a huge potential because everyone has a mobile phone and we all carry it with us everywhere.
• It is affordable, This technology can be used with success by small business because it is isn’t very costly.

A smart way to use this technology is to offer Mobile Coupons for discounts. Like I said before ask permission first because if you send the texts to someone who don’t wants them they will be ignored.

The key to success is to communicate with the right people. The people who shop from you and will appreciate a discount coupon.

I’ have seen a good campaign on one of my friends phone. He got a SMS with a discount coupon from his favorite cafe shop (the shop staff asked him previously if he wanted to receive discount coupons on his cell phone). This was the perfect situation. He got a good deal on coffee and the shop got a happy customer.