Economic disruption caused by the pandemic has CFOs implementing across-the-board cuts, with the exception of IT infrastructure. That’s largely because IT investment helped buoy many organizations through the economic downturn and could be the revenue-driving elixir needed to resurrect bottom lines.
PIC: IT investment
“CFOs are in wait-and-see mode to determine if and when revenue will return during the reopening phase, and, as part of that, they’re looking at additional cost reduction efforts related to employees,” Gartner practice vice president Alexander Bant reportedly said. “However, CFOs are certain technology investments must continue through the volatility. Making the right digital investments now will be important for getting work done in a remote environment and running a better-digitized business.”
A recent Gartner survey polled more than 160 financial officers regarding economic expectations and cost-cutting strategies. Data indicates that approximately 11 percent had slashed staff in March, and another 25 percent foresee more employee reductions into June.
Boston IT Support specialist Phil Cardone with Radius Executive IT Solutions shares his insights into the importance of sound IT investments.
Draconian CFO Staff-Cutting Necessities
As industries are tasked with retooling workspaces to increase coronavirus safety measures such as social distancing, many expect to be only half-staffed as summer arrives. These are anticipated workforce reduction trends, according to the polling data.
Hiring freezes to increase from 58 percent in March to 65 percent in June
New hire delays to increase from 32 percent in March to 57 percent in June
Staff furloughs to grow from 14 percent in March to 34 percent in June
Salary abatements or reductions to swell from 8 percent in March to 27 percent in June
The conventional wisdom behind these revenue-saving measures relies on the premise that business normalcy will not necessarily resume quickly. Industry leaders are experiencing staggering reopenings, with some sectors not able to work a full capacity. Those factors, coupled with insecurity about a potential uptick in COVID-19 infections in the fall, has many organizations in a holding pattern.
How Can IT Investment Help CFOs Overcome Adversity?
One of the bright spots in the economic pause has been investment in remote workforces. The trend toward work-from-home productivity was accelerated by the pandemic. Corporate accounting wings reported only minimal disruption due to remote workforce policies. Gartner surveys indicate 28 Percent of organizations suffered delays of less than three days when closing Q1 books. Only 3 Percent exceeded three days, with 65 Percent reporting no delay at all. This efficiency was primarily based on remote IT infrastructure.
“Most CFOs recognize that technology and society have evolved to make remote work more viable for a wider variety of positions than ever before,” Bant reportedly said. “Within the finance function itself, 90 Percent of CFOs previously reported to us that they expect minimal disruptions to their accounting close process, with almost all activities able to be executed off-site.”
This and other technology successes during the pandemic surge has prompted CFOs to strongly consider IT investment as a way to resolve revenue shortfalls and increase profit-driving endeavors. These may include the following, going forward.
An increased number of CFOs envision a post-pandemic business landscape that reduces reliance on real estate leases, capital investments such as in-house computer networks, and shifts operational success to wireless connectivity. Platforms such as Microsoft Teams, among others, deliver enhanced agility to small, mid-sized, and large corporations, that streamline expenses and increase productivity. Although CFOs wrestle with cost-cutting measures in the short-term, long-term investment into managed IT infrastructure blazes a trail to overcome pandemic disruptions.
Hope this article on IT investment and facts helpful in increasing your knowledge. Feel free to comment if you have any suggestion for us.
OK, prefer free best Music making apps for IPAD/IPHONE ?
PIC: Free music making apps
By then, don’t worry over that here are a part of our favoured free music-creation applications for PDAs. we provide you details pf free music making apps. Each one has an imperceptibly one of a kind method to manage to make tracks, so view and sees which one will best suit your necessities. There are a few clarifications behind this in any case, specifically that Android misses the mark on a standard show for MIDI, and it’s challenging to make applications that are acceptable with the hundreds, conceivably many phones that are running Android.
Here, we explore the best iPhone, iPad, and Android applications for masters and master craftsmen the equivalent—programs that merit your money and your additional room, don’t require outside hardware to be used and offer essential gadgets. We’re huge fans of creation, and the more well-known applications become for creation, the more we have to acknowledge which are the best. It was serious collecting this today in light there are such tremendous quantities of out there, yet we made sense of how to change ten of them. If you are looking for background music for your videos, or for your upcoming presentation or youtube video, or you want to add some funky sound effects in the game you are working on, creative commons music websites are the best solution.
List of Best free music making apps for IPAD/IPHONE:
Bandlab
Bandlab is an online collaboration instrument and application that grants specialists to work on a track together from wherever on the planet. In case you record a couple of instruments for your song, yet don’t have the foggiest thought on how to incorporate incredible consoles, or guitar, bass, or some other instrument, you could get another craftsman, who is starting at now on Bandlab, doing this for you.
Dj studio 5
It Is a Free App & considered the best music making apps for iPad for Mixing of Music and to Create Beats You can pick any solid report you have on your phone and import it. The work procedure is incredibly intuitive; you won’t gain some hard experiences using this application at all. It even goes with an auto mix work, which works amazingly well.
Searing 3
Searing 3 uses Synthesizers and entertainments to make sequenced music. It is a clear application to use, and it’s Intuitive and free music making apps. At present, you need to use headphones so you can keep your vocal and the authentic beat separate before joining them.
MV08
MV08 is free music making apps that moderate drum machine that goes with more than 200 models, an extraordinary XOX-style sequencer (a bleeding-edge take on Roland’s infamous TR-808 and 909 units), and basic effects (EQ, mutilation, reverb, delay). The iPad discharge uses its extra screenland to show a system based visualizer, which makes it less complex to cause an increasingly expanded beat; to, in any case, the iPhone version is comparatively as adaptable and best music making apps for iPad.
The two adjustments let customers program in odd time marks, give out effects on the trigger on unequivocal drum hits in the course of action, and generously more. Circles can, without a lot of a stretch, be conveyed as .wav or .m4a reports.
Moog Filtatron
We’ve all thought about the mind-boggling Moog, right? Well, in case you haven’t, they’re synth pioneers. This application empowers you to run a sound through a virtual type of their dearest Moog channel we, in general, love. You can use guidelines deferment, and overdrive to curve your sound. You input sound using a line/mic information, sampler, or even their inborn oscillator. Whether or not you aren’t excessively real and just need to mess around, this application is delightful and free music making apps.
Loopy HD
Loopy is the best music making apps for iPad & first circumnavigating sampler application for iPhone; Loopy HD works on the iPad also. The application’s explanation is incredibly direct, and it’s influenced praise the years for its reliable turn of events and low-torpidity approach to managing recording sound. Loopy offers six, nine, or 12 clear circles, onto which you can record and layer sounds.
These can rise out of your contraption’s recipient, various applications using AudioCopy and AudioBus, or recording interfaces like guitar inputs. You would then have the option to control and change your sounds, chance the beat, merge tracks, and overdub accounts on others. There’s MIDI control for using Loopy with a foot pedal, making it an ideal mechanical assembly for live specialists and street performers.
Steinberg Cubasis
Steinberg’s Cubase is a renowned electronic sound workstation among music creators and one of the best music making apps for iPad. Here’s their version(s) of Cubase as an application. For Cubasis, it’s another super application that gives you boundless features. You have vast audio\MIDI tracks, 24 assignable many-sided subtleties, amazing objectives up to 24-piece/96kHz, blender with FX, MIDI and sound circles worked in, a model and key article supervisor, and anything is possible from that point.
Beatmaker 3
$25 is a lot of cash to spend on an iPad application, yet anyone planning to begin convenient music creation will most likely find Beat music maker an excellent hypothesis. hence best music making apps for iPad, Sequencing MIDI notes and controlling models are clear.
Anyone accustomed to an MPC-style work process (ability to separate a model over a 4×4 drum pad quickly) or Ableton Live (ability to sort out music using “cuts”) can without quite a bit of a stretch get. Beatmaker, moreover, abuses the iPad’s touch screen; an exceptional “extend” controller makes it easy to playtests at different velocities, giving your beats nuance. Full fuse with Dropbox infers you can import your own sounds and skirt sound records of your work without any problem. In the occasion that you’ve never made a beat, Beatmaker’s a correct spot to start.
Garage band
Garage Band is free music making apps that offer different decisions when initially starting. From consoles to drums, to look at and different presets that make it easy to have fun effects without playing with the controls too much, Garage Band has a ton to play with. Start making capable sounding music straightaway. In your guitar or mic and peruse a dazzling bunch of sensible amps and effects.
You can even make incredibly human?sounding drum tracks and become moved by an enormous number of circles from notable sorts like EDM, Hip Hop, Indie to say the very least. The all-new Sound Library permits you to examine and download sound packs custom-fitted to help you with building your tracks with the ideal segments for the style you need.
Multitrack recording is another very supportive mechanical assembly here. Regardless of the advantages, this application must ask for; it ran effectively in each test we delivered for it, from an eight-track recording to various voice wellsprings of information and three-to five-minute sound records being adjusted onscreen. Check out this guide on how to use Garageband for pc.
we hope the list free music making apps that we presented is helpful for you. If you want to add some more free music making apps in this list feel free to comment.
For decades, Microsoft Power Point has been used by people around the world to present information and data effectively. Power Point has secured its place as a tool through which information about a certain topic or idea can be depicted easily and practically. The presentation software is everywhere. For instance, teachers use Power Point to create virtual lessons, highlight points, mention educational animations, etc. On the contrary, students are often required to present their learnings about a subject throughout school and college. Every day, there are over a million presentations created across the world. A majority of these are Business presentations.
PIC: Power Point template
Power Point helps significantly in creating corporate presentations. With a dedicated Power Point presentation, it has become easier to create marketing and sales plans, their execution and take follow-ups. With the help of diagrams, charts, images and tables, critical company data is shown to stakeholders through which important decisions are taken. However, Microsoft Power Point or even Google Slides come pre-packed with only a limited number of resources. What happens is, most of the people start with a basic theme while creating a presentation. Since not everybody has a knack for creating powerful Power Point presentations, your presentation might lack the much-needed engagement factor.
How does the readymade template help?
When we talk about creating amazing Power Point presentations featuring consistency, quick customization, branding, speed and professional graphic design, readymade templates come handy. When you use a pre-made Power Point template, not only you save a heck lot of time but you also make your presentation design savvy. Instead of initiating your presentation at an intimidating blank slide, you should consider making use of a template which can attune to your business branding. When your presentation slides have quick customization available, chances are high that your audience will relate more to the presentation topic. Why? Well, customization directly impacts the interest of the audience.
One size doesn’t fit all. When your slides are innovative, people will fall for them. Moreover, the design scheme and visuals included in templates are often created by experts. Great visuals when blended with a tiny bit of text in your presentation can do wonders. In other words, visuals are pure magic. If used well, not only your audience will pay attention to the topic, they will understand the content well, remember it and use the provided information. Since a picture paints a thousand words, it can be said that inculcating an amazing template in your presentation can save your audience a lot of time from reading. Rather, beautifully designed templates can make it easier for your audience to understand the material.
Who are SlideModel?
SlideModel is the world’s leading Power Point template provider over the internet. The website has been making a difference in the presentation world for quite some time now. SlideModel features over 20,000+ professional Power Point templates for professionals and individuals. Versatile design, high engagement, customization at its core, these templates are suitable for all kinds of persons. It doesn’t matter if you hail from a corporate or you are creating your science presentation, SlideModel.com has got relevant resources for you. Using SlideModel’s templates instead of designing slides from scratch can be a real game-changer for you. With these templates, it has become easier to impress your audience.
Let’s move ahead and know-how can you make an effective presentation with resources available at SlideModel:
PIC: Power Point template
Corporate friendly design:
One of the key aspects of SlideModel templates is their professional level design. These business templates have been crafted for perfection. You can take your presentation to the next level without any stress or extra effort. Business templates at SlideModel feature-rich design which is suitable for industrial sectors such as technology, medical, finance, marketing and many more. The layouts are a careful design. These templates can be fully edited to suit your brand’s needs. You can ensure consistency throughout your presentation. Hence, the integrity of your presentation automatically goes up and people really look forward to the next slide.
100% customization:
The best thing about templates on SlideModel is that you can alter them 100%. Would this background colour appeal more to your audience? Change it. With SlideModel, you can edit each and every component of your PowerPoint template. Increase or decrease the size of slide elements, change colours, set typography, include graphics such as charts, tables and much more. Always remember that an effective presentation draws a line between successfully pitching the new strategy or killing it. Today, the customer is the biggest branding strategy, in your case, it’s your audience. With customizable templates, you can easily cut unwarranted waste and can provide fresh & interesting content to your viewers.
Engaging graphics:
When your presentation has relevant graphics to support the message, it surely becomes more integral. SlideModel has a collection of specifically tailored graphics, shapes and images to be used in the presentations. Templates such as 7 Rings Centric, 3 Level Glossy Funnel, 6 Item Thin Head, etc. can be used by your presentation to take audience engagement to another level. Graphics resources such as animations, signs, cartoons, shapes are again, all customizable and flexible. Holding on the attention of your audience has become easier with templates available on SlideModel.com.
Persuasive, concise graphs and diagrams:
Best suited for business presentations, graphs, tables and diagrams available on SlideModel can help you showcase complicated concepts, stats, figures, data in the most engaging way ever. No one loves raw numbers. Those are dull and not at all eye-catchy. With templates at disposal such as 3D Infographic Cylinder, Established Business Lifecycle and 3D Waffle Chart, you can make it easy for your audience to digest the numbers and interpret information better. Thus, your presentation becomes much more effective, useful and successful.
Death by PowerPoint should be avoided at any cost. SlideModel helps you significantly in this endeavour. The website encompasses a comprehensive collection of flexible and professionally designed templates suitable for a variety of business verticals and sectors. You come up with any topic, you’d certainly find a relevant template for it here.
A Wi-Fi router is the backbone of your entire internet surfing. In this fast-paced world, with the growing use of technology, a stable connection to the internet is of utmost importance. And it is your wi-fi router that helps you maintain this connection through your work schedules.
This Wi-Fi router has several functions; it connects your device to the internet. It combines multiple machines (i.e., smartphones, laptops, desktop, tablets, and now, also printers) to the internet and even to one another.
The Wi-Fi uses parts of the IEEE 802 protocol standards, and with different radio technologies determine radio bandwidths. While most of us have been using the Wi-Fi access extensively and are probably reading this through a WiFi network connection, have you ever flipped the router around and tried to explore its other features? Well, if you had wi-fi access, you would know that besides being an average internet provider, your router might have a superpower of its own.
USB port
Most of us are aware of the cloud-based sharing system provided by Google Drive, the Apple iCloud, or just the Dropbox app. But did you know you could use a similar sharing network using your Wi-Fi router?
The Wi-Fi router usually provides a USB port. When a USB storage drive/device is plugged in to this, the contents it has can be accessed by all devices connected to that Wi-Fi network. Incorporate work-spaces; this kind of sharing system provides secure communication between individuals.
USB port for printers
Instead of using multiple cables entangled with each other to connect all your systems to the printer, you can join the printer to the router’s USB port. With this, the printer can be accessed by all the systems connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
Malware and spam protection
Your router can also provide you with security online. Some routers include features that are commonly called Unified Threat Management (UTM) gateways. Most devices (whether a smartphone or PC) always require an antivirus, anti-spam, or a filter to block inappropriate content. Although there are some WiFi hacking apps that do impact it. However, a UTM gateway ensures the blocking of this malware before it reaches individual systems to provide double protection against cybercrimes.
These UTM gateways are either in-built or can be purchased, and provide network encryption. It ensures the information shared between various devices through a particular network is safe from external internet threats. It helps block new local networks from interfering with day-to-day data sharing.
Guest Wi-Fi access
Most routers these days have built-in Wi-Fi access points that provide wireless network connections for PCs and other devices. These Apps use several wireless standards, with IEEE 802. 11a. 802. 11b, and 802. 11g considered being universal, which means that this feature allows multiple devices to be connected to the same WiFi network and share data throughout.
Some routers also include a feature typically known as wireless guest access.
In Wi-Fi access, the user is allowed to broadcast a separate wi-fi network name (SSID) with security settings different from that of the leading network. Since, in this setting, the two systems are virtually separated, guests cannot see the traffic or access computers on the leading web.
WPA Enterprise
A Wi-Fi network can be kept considerably secure using a WPA/WPA2 Personal (which uses a PSK or Pre-shared Key). However, for extra protection, consider a WPA Enterprise. In a WPA Personal protection, every system connected to the network uses a standard passphrase, which is pre-shared to everyone.
If this passphrase reaches the wrong person or a device connected to a network through this passphrase is stolen, anybody can connect to the Wi-Fi router (i.e., the same network). Thus, to prevent this, you will have to go through the hassle of changing the passphrase in every previously connected device.
Thus, a WPA Enterprise feature authenticates individual users to an external server using a unique username and password for each. It also gives every device an encryption key, which ensures the user is unable to see the passphrase once connected. This provides security to passphrases in connected devices and protects the user from dealing with a compromised network.
Conclusion
We use a Wi-Fi router daily. A lot of our work is entirely based on or supported by the internet connection provided by the router. A lot of business firms run their day-to-day tasks using the sharing features of this wireless network. A Wi-Fi router is responsible for the sharing of systems throughout the globe. A small slip in security can result in a massive loss of information.
Therefore, these routers are designed to provide maximum safety to all its users. These are a few of the five things that indicate that your Wi-Fi router has a superpower; the power to let you share information, keeping in check your Wi-Fi network privacy. Its superpower is that it makes sharing of data quicker and easier without compromising on your security.
You do not necessarily have to be an owner of a restaurant or a blogger to leverage the versatility and power of a phenomenally popular social media platform like Instagram. If executed effectively every business, brand, or creative individual could reap the benefits of being on Instagram. As per searchenginejournal.com, WordPress themes are supposed to be the most popular CMS platform. We know that this popularity is accompanied by a host of WordPress themes that have been designed for complementing sites fueled by WordPress.
When you are publishing such fascinating content on your specific Instagram profile, you may consider using WordPress Instagram themes for promoting it further. Display your fabulous Instagram feed on your website and you could then consider using it as an extra attention-grabber. Everybody loves to check out short video clips and amazing pictures.
When you use WordPress Instagram themes, you could seamlessly demonstrate your Instagram feed along with others’ on your website directly. Make it seamlessly blend with your website’s overall layout by utilizing all the additional high-quality or premium features. Your audience could see your creativity and take a look at your life. If you are operating a website but have no clue regarding effective ways of integrating your Instagram feed on your site, you could depend on the amazing WordPress plugins for doing the trick. Let us explore some of the best and most frequently used WordPress Instagram themes that should dominate the scene in 2020.
Conall multipurpose WordPress themes are clean, elegant, highly extensible, and contemporary. However, it is a versatile and multi-functional theme that could be an ideal choice. It has 12 homepage styles that are meant for fashionistas, shops, blogs, restaurants, business owners, and mobile app builders, etc. The admin section seems to be immensely user-friendly hence; even newbies could come up effortlessly with professional looking websites. Five headers, numerous shortcodes, a changeable grid size, and testimonials are some of the additional features worth exploring. Conall is known to be an amazing Instagram WordPress theme that not only under promises but is always appreciated for over-delivering. Initially, you may feel that the theme is pretty basic however, once all the features have been enabled, it leaps to heights much beyond expectations. In this context, you may buy 50 real Instagram followersto boost your promotional and marketing endeavours.
For fashion and style buffs SugarBlog is just like a sweet treat. It is known to be cutting-edge and sophisticated and just the right tool for creating high-end blogs. Thanks to SugarBlog, your stories would be getting a brand new destination for outshining others and grabbing the attention of a tale-hungry and like-minded audience.
Even though the content is of pivotal importance for the success of your blog, the features, and the layout is of great consequence. Moreover, you must be looking for seamless Instagram integration. Thanks to SugarBlog, you would be getting precisely that. You would enjoy the feature-rich WordPress theme that assures you complete freedom so that you could customize and come up with the most optimum site. For Instagram, you could have access to a full-width feed that provides extra entertainment for the users. You could now showcase your recent Instagram posts. Moreover, it features amazing hover effects.
SugarBlog offers 11 blog layouts, a custom login page, a pop-up subscribe page, six sliders, and even four headers. Moreover, it is well-equipped with some other pages meant for archives, galleries, 404, and FAQs. Thanks to the Widget Manager, you are free to specify precisely where you wish for a specific widget to appear. You may also, specify where you desire to hide it. SugarBlog must be your top choice in terms of WordPress Instagram themes.
Sitka is a brilliant WordPress Instagram themes that could be used by bloggers. With numerous demos at your disposal, Sitka is just the right tool for ensuring a scintillating and speedy creation of a nice and compelling blog. All web designs are creative and modern and cater to a broad spectrum of tastes. You could be a newbie or an experienced blogger, Sitka is well-equipped to cater to all your wants and unique ideas without any hassles. Sitka is highly compatible with Gutenberg. Moreover, it is fast-loading, responsive, and very much in sync with web users. You are free to customize Sitka’s default look. Sitka is known to be quite search-friendly too and hence, your posts and articles could be quite quickly identified by Google.
Buzz Stone is the best WordPress Instagram themes for viral blogs and magazines. For instance, if you are running a news website and having an Instagram account, you could integrate the two seamlessly and enjoy the benefits of the online landscape. Buzz Stone is an outstanding theme that is packed with goodies and striking features. It boasts of a drag-n-drop page builder, readymade demo material, and is search engine optimized and simple to customize. When you use this impressive WP Instagram theme, you would realize and appreciate that web development could be pretty simple.
Conclusion
We have discussed just the top few WordPress Instagram themes. You may choose a theme as per your unique requirements. Rest assured of seamless integration thanks to these amazing WordPress Instagram themes.
Not all wireless headphones are suitable for running and exercise, of course. There are wireless headphone models that are clearly suitable for everyday use, with great design and fantastic sound quality. Yet, when it comes down to sports, they are not comfortable if the activity requires a lot of movement. The result is obvious: they will end up falling out, they will continually fall out and we will be more concerned with them than with the training itself. That’s why Treblab truly wireless headphones is the choice that you’re looking for when it’s about a Bluetooth device while running and working out. But if you’re looking for wireless earphones instead of headphones, you can jump in to this article.
PIC: Wireless Headphone
Therefore, the first fundamental point we should look at is their design and construction. Headphones specifically created for sports have a better fit, they usually have different placement and insertion mechanisms. Some surround the ear, others have a design joined by the neck, others are headbands, other manufacturers bet on in-ear headphones with internal stabilizers to prevent them from moving and falling… In short, each manufacturer looks for the solution they think is the most suitable. What is the ideal one? There is no perfect and universal design for everyone, every sportsman will have their own preferences.
The resistance is another key point. You have to think that a headset for sports will have a continuous jog with running, cycling, at the gym, will fall quite often, will receive blows, get wet and bathe in sweat, maybe one day you catch the rain … So you have to look at Bluetooth headset waterproof or with some kind of IPxx certification (either waterproof or splashproof).
Beyond resisting our sweat, we also need a liquid-resistant sports headset to easily wash it under the tap and leave it as good as new every time we want, knowing that nothing will happen to it.
The third and last point, but not least, is the battery. Wireless headphone sports need to be recharged, of course. As a rule, we’ll see a range of about 5-6 hours, although there are extraordinary models with 8 hours or more. That means we won’t have to charge them for several days. As an extra point: it’s a good idea that their charging port is standard (like the micro USB) in Wireless headphone and we don’t need to charge with another dedicated cable when we travel. Extra point 2: check if they have fast charge, some models have this technology and with the charging of a few minutes we will have an extra 1-2 hours of training.
Bluetooth sports headset: advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of the Bluetooth sports headset or wireless headphone over wired headphones are clear: as for Bluetooth, we forget about the hassle of cables and it’s ideal for listening to the music we have on the smartphone without being physically connected to it, being able to get away and have freedom of movement (something great if you want them as a headset for the gym).
On the other hand, among the disadvantages of Bluetooth headsets, there are mainly two: usually, they are more expensive than cable headsets, although this depends on the model, as we will see below (recently some very cheap and high-quality headsets have emerged), and another point against them is that they have a battery and therefore we need to recharge them. They usually ensure several hours of operation, but it is possible that sometimes you forget and get “silent” in the middle of a training. Doesn’t it come amiss from time to time?
We start with options for those who don’t want to spend too much and then we enter Mpow territory. The Mpow brand is not as well known as others. However, it has several models of Bluetooth headsets for sports. The best thing is that what they offer for their tight prices is hard to beat.
On the one hand, there are the Mpow Cheetah, a resounding sales success that can be found for less than $30. They are finished in silicone and are placed behind the ear and the neck, so that area acts as a stabilizer in activities with a lot of movement.
They are connected via Bluetooth 4.1 to the smartphone (Android or iPhone) and theoretically have a battery of 8 hours in continuous playback. Although from experience I can tell you that it is closer to 6 hours. They include playback controls and the micro USB port is protected, like the rest of the headset, by sweat and splash-proof coating. Sincerely, for $25.
In addition to the Cheetah above, the Mpow Swift is the company’s other best-selling headset (and it shares the design with dozens of other headsets, so you’ll probably see it under a different name).
Here the type of headset varies, and there is no support behind the neck. But they are held in place by the in-ear headset and the silicone ear pads that hold it to the inner wall of the ear. The battery life in these is less, about 5 hours. For that price, you can’t order more (available in 3 colors).
As a third alternative to inexpensive earphones, the SoundPeats Q12 also take advantage of the stabilizers to be attached to the ear (various sizes included). The difference here, however, is that they are magnetic, i.e. when you zoom in on each part they stick with the picture and remain off.
They have the controls on the cable itself, a battery of about 5-6 hours and a comfortable case to carry them protected. Note that in this case, we do not have protection against real water. I have used them running and at the gym without problems, but we don’t all sweat the same.
Increasing the budget we find the Plantronics BackBeat Fit, a model of wireless headphone for sports that also bets on the design of the neckband. They are less voluminous and lighter (only 24 grams).
Their construction is exceptional, they are totally flexible, resistant to sweat, rain, and dust (IP57 certification). They have a spectacular 8-hour battery (perfectly complying with what the manufacturer says) playing music and two weeks on standby. TheBackBeat Fit have an energy-saving mode that turns them off if it detects that the connection with the smartphone, tablet, or that to which it is connected by Bluetooth has been lost. A plus: they have a quick charge, in 15 minutes we’ll have 1 hour of autonomy.
They are undoubtedly my favorite choice for comfort, durability and sound quality. A super balanced model, here you can read my in-depth analysis and opinion about the Plantronics BackBeat FIT. One detail: the model I show here is a new one, the previous ones only differ in external design and you can find them cheaper for about $79.
Jabra Sport Pulse, sports headset with heart rate monitor
The well-known Jabra brand has several specific models of wireless headphones sports, such as the Sport Coach, Sport Pace, and Sport Wireless+. For this list, I will focus on one of its latest innovations – the Jabra Sport Pulse.
The big difference between these Bluetooth headsets and others is that in addition to listening to all your music without fear of annoying you with bumps or rain (they are IP55 certified), the Jabra Sport Pulse measures your heart rate during training.
That’s right, they include an in-ear heart rate monitor, recording the athlete’s heart rate directly from the inner ear. Other features include up to 5 hours of battery life, a lightweight 16-gram build and the Jabra smartphone app (the app is “Jabra Sport Life”) for planning training and training by zones. But a nice touch is that we can also pair them with popular applications such as Endomondo, Runtastic or Strava.
The Denon AH-W150s join this list of best headsets. Despite being veterans, they still hold up very well to the type in the Bluetooth category combining construction and sound quality.
At first glance, they look more ‘flashy’ but in reality, they weigh only 23 grams and are placed around the ear and inside the ear (in-ear). They include sweat resistance, so you don’t have to worry about that part. On the headset itself, we have the play buttons to control the music without touching the mobile, as well as a built-in microphone to answer calls. Their battery lasts 7 hours per charge and they are available in several eye-catching colors.
High-end sports headphones: if money doesn’t matter
If the budget is really not a problem and all you want is a very high-end headset, with a great sound experience and an all-terrain construction, the following models come with higher price tags, but at the same time, you will have a headset to do sport for many years.
These babies can crash any giant well-known wireless headphones sports. The brand wants to produce affordable headsets and meantime keep A-class quality of the pack. Well, they did a great job here. The headphones deliver high-fidelity sound protected with Patented Multi-Function Noise Cancellation. In simple words, there are two types of noise cancellation. Pick the one that works the best for you!
As for the battery life, I have to admit – it is unkillable. So, 50 hours on a single charge and 10 hours after a 5-minute charge surely impress anyone. They definitely pack a punch here amongst competitors. Ultra-soft earpads, premium materials, the latest Bluetooth 5.0, voice assistants activation, such as Siri, Google Assistant, Bixby, Alexa – that’s what makes them a great bargain and no-brainer for any athlete. If under $100 price tag doesn’t scare you, then these babies are 100% an ideal purchase.
We are serious about introducing the Jaybird X3, which is the evolution of the award-winning Jaybird X2 (these are already hard to find, they are out of print).
The Jaybird X3 headset can be considered as one of the best sports headset on the market. They are in-ear type but, as you can see in the picture above, they include a lot of adapters and earpads to fit in almost any sportsman’s ear. Actually these headphones are perfectly valid for the day to day as well (especially in their darker colors, as they are more discreet).
One of the biggest changes of the X3 is that now they are 34% more compact and ultra-light (17.9 grams) but they keep the 8 hours of battery life per charge, a very good autonomy. In addition, they have fast charge, with 20 minutes in the charger we will have 1 hour of use. They connect via Bluetooth 4.1 with multi-device support (we can pair up to 8).
They are completely sealed against sweat and humidity, no matter how intense the exercise is. The sound quality is very high, and users can create different audio profiles from the app on the smartphone. The only remaining feature is that they use their own charging connector (not micro USB). They are available in several colours.
While building startups, you may face a lot of obstacles and barriers. Technical due diligence is one of them. It lets you understand the quality of code, development processes, and conduct a risk assessment.
PIC: Startups
In this post, you’ll learn how startups handle Technical due diligence.
What is Technical Due Diligence?
Firstly, you have to understand what technical due diligence is. This expression means analyzing and reviewing the product’s tech aspects. It usually takes place before rounds of investments or merging of companies.
The main question during the tech due diligence are:
The technical state of the product. What is the product’s stage? (planning, development phase, release)?
Clarity of code. Are all coding guidelines met?
Software scalability. How to scale startups and not to fail? How flexible is the product? How difficult will it be to expand?
etc.
Technical due diligence provides some advantages bot for startups and investors:
Allows to estimate the expenses for product upgrades
Provides an understanding of the product’s condition
Highlights risks for both company and investor
Technical Due Diligence Process: 6 Essential Steps to Take
The average technical due diligence process has six steps. However, depending on your needs, there may be more stages.
Preparation
You have to think in advance and start technical due diligence beforehand. The key to success is honesty between participants. Trustful relations between partners will be beneficial for cooperation.
Starting officially
This stage starts after all the wishes and details are discussed. Stakeholders set deadlines for preparing necessary documents.
Reviewing the documentation
The company should have technical documentation, like APIs documentation, architecture, and design documentation. Pass these docs to your partner before the meeting.
Arranging the live meeting
Personal meetings will help investors understand the inner processes of the startups. This kind of meeting may continue for a day or two and allows stakeholders to analyze the product personally.
Discussing all the issues
Stages listed above always bring some questions. These questions should be necessarily discussed with investors. Several personal meetings will shed light on questions about the tech part of your product.
Making a Report
Finally, the last stage requires you to prepare a report. As for the investors, they usually hire third-party specialists to complete due diligence. The report they get describes all possible risks, advantages, and expected profit.
Key Points of Technical Due Diligence for Startups
During preparation for technical due diligence, you have to outline the strengths of your product.
Technical due diligence in startups questions depend on your product’s stage. Here are the main investment stages:
Seed funding. This stage requires you to release the product. The investors will see the first results, analyze them, and make a decision about the product’s potential.
Series A. You have already developed a business model and revenue strategy for your product. Now, you need investments for further upgrades of your product.
Series B. The same case as the previous one, except the fact that your company also focuses on clients’ demands and scaling-up.
Series C and beyond. You already have a prospering product, and you’re searching for investments to create new ones.
The tech due diligence may vary depending on the investment stage. Nevertheless, there are six essential elements to consider.
Architecture and Infrastructure
Your company’s technology is the major thing during technical due diligence. You’ll have to describe your technology and provide documentation. Besides, you need to compare your product to the competitors, to ensure investors that you’re offering something unique.
When it comes to infrastructure, you have to explain the components of your product. Investors pay a lot of attention to programming languages, databases, and so on. These components play are important for eliminating security issues.
Architecture can be examined with the help of the ‘4+1’ model by Philippe Kruchten. This approach allows you to analyze the system from different angles. The ‘four’ means physical, logical, development, and process views. In its turn, ‘one’ stands for scenarios that show different use cases of the system.
Code and Data Quality
Another significant part of tech due diligence is code quality. A poorly-developed system can have a lot of bugs and malfunctions.
Investors are interested in well-written code because a badly built software leads to additional expenses.
Unit-testing may come at handy since it reveals possible pitfalls from the start. However, testing should be applied not only to the back end but also to the front end and database architecture.
Scalability
No doubt that investors care about the product’s scalability. Throughout the tech due diligence, it’s common to analyze how the system works and what growth potential it has.
To understand how scalable your product is, you have to answer an important question. Is my system ready for unplanned growth? If the answer is no, then it’s important to highlight the problems that may appear during the growth.
Also, don’t forget about security issues. Prepare all the documentation that concerns security tests. There are some automated tools that can gather such data and provide reports (Apigee, SoupAI).
People
Another point of interest for investors is the team of software developers. You have to provide information about your team members, their skills and responsibilities, and highlight team leads. If you hired the services of an outsourced development team, it’s better to introduce its members to investors.
Take care of organizational issues in advance. Create a database of your employees and their associated costs. Besides, highlight their skills and explain how they impact your project.
Workflow
Now, it’s time to overview inner processes. Issues like quality assurance, deployment process, product support, and security testing are the components of a successful software development process. Investors want to understand that these components are effective and cost-efficient.
Mind to document your inner processes. Document performance metrics and KPIs. Also, keep information about expenses, schedules, and team members.
Intellectual Property
The final stage is all about intellectual property. Issues with intellectual property can bring a lot of trouble to investors. That’s why you have to provide proof that intellectual property is completely protected.
To ensure protection, you have to keep an eye on open-source components of your product. Dependencies, licenses, and other third party elements can play a dirty trick with your project. So, attention to these details will prevent any legal issues.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, investors are paying a lot of attention to tech due diligence. If you’re not an expert in this field, it’s better to hire professionals. They will supply you with the required documentation. Besides, third party specialists can assess the code quality, architectural design, and more. With the help of different analytical tools, they will deliver results in the shortest terms.
About the guest author:
Vitaly Kuprenko is a technical writer at Cleveroad. It’s a web and mobile app development company in Ukraine. He enjoys telling about tech innovations and digital ways to boost businesses.
