Couponing on Your Smartphone

Don’t have time to weed and coupon clip your way through the Sunday morning newspaper?

Fire up your smartphone.

Literally millions of smartphone users - most of whom are women - are using their smartphones to shop and save BIG. In fact, according to a Harris Interactive survey for CouponCabin, 40% of smartphone owners have redeemed at least one coupon on their mobile devices.

Surprised?

All of us here at the Jamie James Collection weren’t. In fact, I wrote about this topic last month in a post about geo-shopping. Since that post was published, many of our smartphone savvy customers wrote in, indicating they rely only on their smartphones to save money.

Admittedly, I am late to the party on this one. Until just a few days ago, I had no idea there were so many money-saving mobile apps available for all smartphones. Literally, there are dozens! Here are the top picks from smartphone users and U.S. News and World Report:

If we’ve left out your favorite, please write in and let us know!

Coupon Sherpa: Finds and displays in-store coupons for the items you want to buy. Available free for iPhone.

Compare Me: Find the highest value for an item, regardless of volume, by using Compare Me. You can enter quantities in grams, ounces, or pounds. Available for $1.99 for iPhone.

Save Benjis: Find the best deal on specific products by typing in the product name for a comprehensive search of retail and online outlets. Available for $2.99 for iPhone.

SnapTell: Find information on video games, books, CDs or DVDs by taking a picture of the cover. Available free for Android and iPhone.

Shopper: Make a shopping list and stick to it. This app will search for coupons while adding up your total, which is excellent for staying within a tight budget. Available for $0.99 for iPhone.

Gas Buddy: Locates the most affordable gas station closest to your present location in both the United States and Canada. Available for $2.99 for iPhone.

Be Nice to Bunnies: Check to make sure no animals were harmed in the making of a product with a quick barcode scan. Available for $1.99 for iPhone.

Slifter: Get a map to the best deals for more than 1 billion products worldwide with this comprehensive app. Available free for iPhone and Blackberry.

GoodGuide: With a simple barcode scan, this app provides instant ratings on how environmentally friendly and health conscious products are. Available free for iPhone.

Amazon: One-click ordering allows you to make quick purchases on Amazon’s site. Plus, you can compare Amazon’s prices with other retailers before buying. Available free for Blackberry, iPhone and Android.

Red Laser: Search websites, like Amazon, Google, or the UPC database for specific barcodes. Scan barcodes with your camera and plug in your desired website. Available for $1.99 for iPhone.

Shop Nearby: This app makes it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for at the best price, anywhere in the world. Available for free for iPhone.

Handy Apps to Keep You Organized on the Road

Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, staying organized on the road is a must.  I simply can’t afford to let little details slip by. If they do, I find those little things can snowball into BIG problems.

So, in an effort to keep myself and all of you organized while away from home, I thought I’d pass along some helpful mobile apps that are extremely handy to have at your fingertips.

First, I recommend you download the Kayak app. Even though you may be lucky enough to have an assistant who takes care of flight, hotel and rental car bookings, plans change - especially when traveling. The Kayak mobile app aggregates deals from online travel agencies, hotel chains, car rental companies and other aggregators such as Travelocity and Priceline.com. It provides comparison tools in a mobile-friendly format that lets you quickly find available deals in seconds.

Second, if the thought of drafting a travel itinerary for your colleagues, friends, and family seems daunting - let Tripit do the work for you. Forward your reservation confirmation emails, and TripIt will extract the details and create an itinerary. You also can connect Tripit to your shared online calendar so that your reservations automatically appears on the calendar for everyone to see. You can add maps, directions, custom notes, mobile alerts and reminders, as well as share your itinerary with whomever you choose.

Lastly - and quite possibly the most important - is the free Wi-Fi Finder. This app for iPhone and Android is indeed brilliant for anyone who needs to access the Internet in a hurry. Wi-Fi Finder lets you search for nearby free and paid hotspots listed in its database - anywhere. No more wandering around aimlessly hoping to tap into a signal.

I simply can’t live without these essential travel apps on my smartphone. And while I know there are dozens of others that deserve a mention, these are - and always will be - my go-to favorite apps.

What are yours?

The Fastest Growing Buyers of iPhones

I travel a lot. I also dine out with my friends and family several times a month. As a designer of an accessory for all smart phones, I pay close attention at department stores, cafes, in airports to which brands and styles people are using. Take the iPhone, for instance. For a  long time, I thought young adults - men and women in their 20s, just out of college - were driving the iPhone market. After all, those were the people I tended to see using an iPhone.

I was wrong.

Young adults aren’t the growing buyers of iPhones. Mothers are.

Are you surprised?

I was.

According to a technology research group, in 2011 alone, the number of moms who purchased iPhones grew 132% compared to the previous year. They outpaced men!

That’s right... women are the voracious users of mobile search, social media, news, and photos.

And, you know what? It makes perfect sense.

Moms juggle kids, careers, exercise, shopping, and friends. They NEED a little help from their smartphones. They NEED their phones to keep them organized. And, quite frankly, sometimes they NEED them for their own “me time.”

So what’s the attraction with the iPhone in particular?

In addition to its minimalist, sleek design, Apple iPhone apps simply have more to offer than any other app store. Throw in the seamless beauty of iTunes integration, a solid camera, FaceTime, iBooks, and the wonderful iPhone accessories available (like the stylish cellfolio!) - it’s no wonder moms are clamoring to buy one.

Just like the Apple ad says, “If you don’t have an iPhone, well, you don’t have an iPhone.”  I’m curious...do you agree?

HTC Rhyme on Verizon Wireless is Extra Sweet for Women

I’m not one to endorse one particular smartphone over another - even though I’m an iPhone user myself - but I couldn’t help but write about the HTC Rhyme on Verizon Wireless.

I saw a friend using the Google Android phone the other day and was blown away by its accessories. And, since all of us here at the Jamie James Collection are all about smartphone accessories (check out the new leather cellfolios colors!), I just had to profile some of the unique extras for the HTC Rhyme.

First, the charm call indicator. It’s a purple translucent cube that plugs into the headphone jack of the Rhyme. When you throw your Rhyme into a purse, or cellfolio, you let the charm hang out of the side. When you get a call or text the purple charm blinks. Brilliant! Never miss a call or a text!

Second, my friend said her phone came with TANGLE-FREE headphones. No joke!  The cables are flattened and have a soft rubbery feel to them. This, evidently, makes them tangle-proof. My friend says she hasn’t had to battle with her stylish plum-colored cables once.

Finally, the docking station. Sure, I know docking stations are nothing new - especially for us iPhone users. But what’s interesting about the Rhyme docking station is that its super sleek and super simple. There are three metal contacts on the back of the Rhyme that align with pins on the docking station. Place the Rhyme into the dock and voila, the phone automatically switches into a docking station mode. You can play music, set alarms or use it as a digital photo frame. The dock itself is even covered in a slick black fabric and has a sticky rubber finish on the bottom to keep it from sliding around.

In addition, the dock has speakers built into the side. When it recognizes that the phone is in the dock, it connects to the phone via bluetooth to route all of your music and alarms through the dock and out of the dock speakers.

I want to repeat that all of these accessories are INCLUDED with the Rhyme. It’s quite the package... and one that might be willing to give up my iPhone for. Good thing the cellfolio is made to fit ALL smartphones! Stay tuned...

Proactive Password Protection

Listen up, ladies. When was the last time you locked your smartphone? 

Do you even know how to lock your phone?

Probably not - because it either never occurred to you or it’s just one more thing on the bottom of your to-do list.

You’re not alone. Fraud experts say that 62% of smartphone owners don’t lock their phones with passwords. This means that the majority of smartphone users are putting their electronic personal and financial data at risk.

The key to avoid losing money to hackers and ID thieves is to be proactive about your passwords. Use them as real protection.

Here are some effective password protection tips that I’ve picked up since becoming a smartphone user:

1. The longer the better.

Don’t use words - especially short words. There are hacking programs out there that can try all the words in the dictionary as your password in minutes.

Think about incorporating numbers and other special characters. The best passwords are phrases with 12 characters or more. You can even get creative and mix numbers, special characters, and deliberate misspellings into something memorable, like:

EyeLuvPupz&Kittz4Evr

2. Use different passwords - for everything.

As tedious as it sounds, experts say it’s important to use a different passwords. You don’t want a security breach at your favorite online retailer to put your online banking account or e-mail at risk.

And, seriously, don’t try to remember all your passwords - especially for those seldom-used sites. Just reset your password each time. While it sounds like more work, it’s safer in the long run.

3. Sign up for two-factor authentication.

With two-factor authentication, in order to change your password or log on from a new computer, you’ll need a four-digit code that’s sent to your cell phone. No code, no changes. 

4. User password checkers and managers.

If you feel that your passwords might be weak, run a check on them using Microsoft’s password checker. The FREE program will tell you how secure they really are.

Or, if you need help creating and managing passwords for all of your accounts, the following programs can create strong passwords, encrypt, and store them securely:

1Password

Clipperz

RoboForm

I encourage all of you to take a good hard look at your passwords. In many cases, they’re the only protection you have against hackers.

Write it Down... and it Will Happen

All of us need a good dose of inspiration now and then and recently mine came from an unlikely source: Jim Carrey.

As I was thumbing through the pages of a magazine the other night, I came across a short snippet about how the actor visualized his own success by literally writing it down.

When Carrey was struggling as a wanna-be actor, before he ever made a movie, he parked his car on a bluff overlooking Hollywood and took out his checkbook.

He wrote a check out to “Jim Carrey” for $25 million and dated the check 3-years into the future. At the bottom of the check, he wrote, “For acting services rendered.”

Wow. Talk about the power of goal-setting!

Carrey’s story got me thinking about my own goals; my goals for The Jamie James Collection, my law practice, my family, and for myself! 

Sure, I’m aware of my goals. They’re constantly being cycled through my mind every day. But I’ve never actually written them down.

I did some quick research on the internet to investigate this idea further, and found that, yes, researchers say written goals produce better results than goals that aren’t written down. Writing goals in a place where you can easily see them has the effect of reminding you of your commitment to yourself. Furthermore, journaling researcher Laura King says that the simple process of writing down a goal stimulates a more hopeful mindset, which in turn stimulates more creative and proactive ways of achieving those goals.

It worked for Jim Carrey. It also worked for Oprah Winfrey, who has said that her diary has been a place where goals came to life for her.

It makes perfect sense. Write it down - and it's more likely to happen.

Inspired by True Grit

Being a lawyer and entrepreneur, I’m inspired by gritty women; women with gusto, who’ll stop at nothing -- ever -- to achieve their goals.

What is grit, you ask?

By definition, it means, “firmness of character; indomitable spirit.”

Not everyone has grit. But, you’d know it if you have it.

Grit comes from within. It helps us accomplish our goals and achieve long-held ambitions. It gives us persistence and perseverance. Grit also lifts us up when we suffer setbacks. It keeps our wheels in motion; gets us out of bed in the morning.

Who are some of my favorite gritty women?

I’m inspired by the female leaders in fashion -  designers and merchandisers like Tory Burch, Rachel Roy, Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkas (founders of Gilt.com)

But I’m also inspired by women in the tech-world who have broken the gender-code, shifting the “man’s world” mentality. Women like:

Virginia “Ginni” Rometty, CEO of IBM

Meg Whitman, President and CEO of Hewlett Packard

Char Wang, Co-founder and Chairperson of HTC

Ursula Burns, CEO and Chairperson, Xerox

Safra A. Catz, President and CFO, Oracle

Sondra Barbour - CIO, Lockheed Martin

Kait Mauritz, Equity Sales, Citigroup

If you need a dose of grit-inspiration, book stores, libraries, and newspapers are full of stories about people who never took no for an answer. As you read their stories, you’ll find underlying themes: passion and resilience.

Gritty people are passionate about what they do and the goals they want to accomplish. Having that commitment keeps them moving forward, even in hard times.

People with real grit also seek out and learn from criticism and failure. They know how to handle setbacks and bounce back from them. Grit, in a sense, can be a shield; a shield against failure, and all things that can bring a person down.

If you haven’t found your grit yet, I urge you to dig deep to find it and build it up. Your life’s dreams depend on it!