Small is Beautiful

It seems that small is beautiful in the world of hi-tech promotional products. MP3s, USBs, phones, cameras, multi national travel plugs and multi phone chargers are all decreasing in size with every new model. They are amalgamating as well, most phones have cameras, some have MP3s, USB chargers can charge phones and cameras. Where will it all end?

Well, I can’t tell you that, but I can tell you about some of the ingenious products that are on the market at the moment.

According to Bob Morgan of AV Promotions, iPods are probably the most redeemed incentive gift. He says, “We are probably the largest distributor of iPods specialising in the promotions market and we have recently introduced the iPod 4Gb shuffle.”

The new iPod shuffle is amazingly small and even easier to use. The controls are now conveniently located on the earbud cord. With the press of a button, VoiceOver tells you what song is playing and who's performing it. It also tells you the names of your playlists too.

With 4Gb of storage, iPod shuffle can now hold up to 1,000 songs. So your music library can go with you. And you can now sync multiple playlists for the perfect mix for any mood.
AV Promotions

You can store over 65 photos on this 1.5" digital photo-frame with LCD display from BTC Group.

And, that’s not all, this model includes a slide show function, calendar, clock and alarm function. For the tecchies among you, it’s compatible with Windows 2000/XP/Vista and Mac (above 10.3.9). The price is small too … around £12.95 depending on quantity and print requirement.

The Green Route
Jon Birrell, Senior Marketing Manager at The BTC Group, tells us, “We are continuing to invest time and resource into ethical trading and improving working conditions in our supply chain, but we are still very aware of the environmental issues and do not brush them under the carpet.”

An example of this is BTC Group’s soon to be launched Eco CO2 Cycle Computer. It’s display converts the distance travelled into the amount of CO2 emissions you have helped to avoid! Also measures your speed, elapsed time, distance travelled, and more! Available May 2009.
Product dimensions: 52 x 18 x 43mm, print area - 15 x 5mm.

But being eco-friendly is not just about products. USB Company has taken the eco-friendly approach one step further by moving to new ‘green’ offices – a five storey building made from recycled shipping containers! The offices use only low energy light fittings, water efficient cisterns and wood from certified sustainable sources. (See Company news for further details)

Staying with the green theme, as you would expect, Eco Incentives has a range of eco-friendly promotional products. From a recycled Phone Buddy (ref E59238) to a recycled Multifunction Speaker (ref E59720).

But, my favourites are the Wind Turbine Kit and the Wind up MP3 Player.

You can construct your own wind turbine with a working rota powered by its own solar panel with this kit (ref E954049).

This model is a detailed replica of a full-scale wind turbine, with a working rota, powered by its own integrated solar panel. The Solar Powered Wind Turbine is a great demonstration of how efficiently modern solar cells work, even when the only available light is from a desk light. Great fun, educational and a unique desk ornament.

The solar cell is included along with glue and detailed assembly instructions. Suitable for 8 years and upwards.

The Wind-up MP3 Player (ref E954021) (which is also rechargeable) has a 1.8" colour screen.

It plays movies, MP3, has a photo viewer, hi fi-recorder, FM PLLstereo radio, memo recorder, e-book viewer, LED torch, phone charger, 2 GB of internal memory and an SD card reader.
Eco Incentives

What else could you possibly want all in one little gadget? All-in-one wearability – that’s what! So says EIC.

All-in-one Wearability
With its trendy, lightweight all-in-one design, the WALKMAN® W Series comes in five cool colours and fits simply and comfortably on your head. There are no strings attached so you’re free to move around with absolutely no restrictions.

It features high-performance13.5mm EX Series headphones and the new ZAPPIN™ mode offers a new way to quickly browse through your music collection. With 2GB memory there’s room for all your favourites. And with 12-hour battery life, plus 3-minute quick charge for 90-minute playback, you’ll never run out of juice on the move.

Being lightweight the WALKMAN® W Series is perfect for the street or the gym – with no wires to slow you down.
EIC

Picture This
I know my Blackberry has a camera, but like many people, I still like the versatility of a proper camera and this

Olympus MJU6000 (OL-102) tough, digital camera in white is just the job for the summer. The cost is approx £215.00ex vat from Procurement International Ltd.

And, when they say tough, they mean tough. The Tough is shockproof to 1.5m** and waterproof to 3m*** and freezeproof to -10°C.

Whatever photographic exploits you indulge in – from snorkelling to mountain biking or snowboarding – the 10 megapixel Olympus [mju:] TOUGH-6000 provides peace of mind and keeps on delivering great shots. It has a 3.6 optical zoom, 2.7" LCD screen, tap control mode, dual image stabilisation (avoids blur) and face detection.

**Equivalent to MIL Standard (Olympus test conditions)
***According to IEC standard publication 529 IPX8
Procurement

Seriously Small
DIXIX presented what they believe are the smallest and lightest range of travel adapters and chargers in the world at the recent Promotional Marketing Exhibition.

Their stand being close to Promotional-merchandise’s own, we were able to find out all about their product range, which, until now, has only been available through duty-free and airlines shops and will not be available through general retail, a plus point for the promotional market.

Their JJ mobile phone charger, for instance, means a whole family can travel with just one charger and without a spaghetti of cables. This device can charge Nokia, Sony-Ericsson, Blackberry, Samsung, LG and has a mini and micro USB socket and it can charge multiple appliances at the same time! Impressive or what!
DIXIX

Next month we hope to impress you with our feature on promotional wear, badges, banners and lanyards. If you are a buyer, watch this space. Suppliers, please send in your info and pics by 15 May.

Carole Bull
Editor

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