Tech toys are big business, and it seems that the coolest, fastest, smallest, smartest, most multifunctional or just plain “gotta have-it” products are particularly popular around the holiday season. But just because something is cool doesn’t mean it can’t also be useful, and some of the best digital tools are those that equal parts play and productivity (smartphones, anyone?) With this week’s Pulse, we asked ourselves one simple question: What fun and functional gadgets would make a great gift for the busy MarCom or PR professional in your life? We searched the e-shelves and found ten, any of which are bound to please.

2. TOP HOLIDAY PICKS
10 FUNctional Digital Tools for
Marketing & PR Pros
We started our search for holiday gifts and digital stocking stuffers with one simple
question: What gadgets would be both FUN and FUNCTIONAL for the busy marcom
professional in this season of giving? The result: You won’t find items on this list
designed to help you be “more productive” for clients. Nope. You won’t find tools to
help you convert more sales or listen to social media conversations more efficiently.
Not really. We already know you want a new iPad. You might find that here—but it’s
a supercharged version, we promise.
In our quest for practical yet enjoyable gift ideas, we found goodies that can help
keep you physically fit while on the road, that can protect your data while working at
a remote coffee shop, and that can help you leap vast mountains of reading material
in a single bound. Consider this your holiday wish list of FUNctional gifts—and share
it with your personal Santa, boss, client or co-worker. If you’ve been good, maybe
you’ll get your favorite one!

3. 1. Kindle Fire
Hot iPad Alternative
Some people find it hard to justify the cost
of an iPad. Others rebel against the whole
Apple culture vibe. Enter the Kindle Fire.
You just can’t beat the mix of convenience
and cost in a device that lets you read all
your RSS feeds, stay on top of breaking
news, and connect via social media.
We found the Fire to be the best
alternative for handling most of what
people want from a tablet without the
higher expense. Sure, you sacrifice a few
features—but a social-enabled entry level
mobile electronic reader/tablet like this
certainly is far better than the tiny screen
on your smartphone for remote reading.
To help you handle your mountain of
reading on the go, consider adding some
Fire to your life!
TOP HOLIDAY PICKS
10 FUNctional Digital Tools for Marketing & PR Pros

4. 2. Zeo Mobile Sleep Manager
Next Stop: Dreamland
Admit it. You work too much and you
probably don’t get your full eight hours of
shuteye. That’s not a good thing. You have
to be fresh and sharp to innovate and lead
in marketing and communications—and
there’s nothing better for that than REM
sleep. For those of you tethered to your
smartphones, the Zeo Sleep Manager
Mobile Sleep Management System may
be the perfect solution.
The Zeo Sleep system comes with a
bedside display, lightweight detection
headband, and online tools designed to
help you understand your sleep patterns
and improve them. This all happens
through your smartphone. We think that’s
cool, convenient and cost-effective.
TOP HOLIDAY PICKS
10 FUNctional Digital Tools for Marketing & PR Pros

5. 3. Evernote
The Modern Post-It Note
This one is free, but it’s a must-have.
Who said a gift has to be expensive to be
great? Share this with your friends or
colleagues and you’re sure to receive the
gift of appreciation in return.
Evernote offers a bundle of productivity
tools designed to help you capture your
creative ideas, photos, blog posts,
videos, and more. With the basic
Evernote and its companions—Evernote
Hello, Food, Clearly, Peek and Skitch—
you can save your lightbulb moments to
build upon later. It even searches
handwritten text images! Access your
notes from any digital device and your big
A-ha moments will never be lost again.
TOP HOLIDAY PICKS
10 FUNctional Digital Tools for Marketing & PR Pros

6. 4. Kinect for Xbox 360
Move Your Body
We put exercise in the same category as
sleep. It’s a must-do that doesn’t get done
as much as it should. Truthfully, though,
sharpness in the boardroom doesn’t just
happen on its own. You have to train to be
on top of things, both physically and
mentally. Having fun while you’re at it
makes exercising more likely to happen, so
we suggest the Kinect for the Xbox 360.
The Kinect enables you to control your
avatar using your body motion instead of
the traditional gaming controllers. The
Kinect motion detector can be sold as a
standalone unit or as part of a complete
Xbox 360 gaming system. We think it offers
a liberating way to keep fit—especially at a
retail price of only $149.99.
TOP HOLIDAY PICKS
10 FUNctional Digital Tools for Marketing & PR Pros

7. 5. IdeaPaint
Perfect for Brainstorming Sessions
Welcome to our surprise pick! Working
digitally is great. It’s efficient, practical,
quick, and modern. Sometimes, though,
we just like using a pen and paper, a
post-it note, or a white board. There’s
something visceral about creating and
shaping ideas with your hands—
especially during agency creative
brainstorming sessions. If you feel the
same way, then you’re going to love
IdeaPaint.
IdeaPaint transforms any surface into a
dry erase white board. It is easy to use,
environmentally friendly and doesn’t
limit your ideas to a small surface. It lets
you turn your big ideas into concrete
plans while allowing you to literally think
outside the box. We love that.
TOP HOLIDAY PICKS
10 FUNctional Digital Tools for Marketing & PR Pros

8. 6. ioSafe Data Recovery
Protect What’s Important
Losing your computer data can be a
business disaster. It can be a personal
one, as well, especially when you realize
you just lost the pictures of your kids from
last summer vacation. Your precious
memories (and work files) deserve better
than that.
Enter ioSafe, an indestructible data
storage system that is fireproof and
waterproof. It can even be crunched by
stilettos without suffering data damage
(yes, really). This device can also
withstand 30 feet of submersion for three
days, a 5,000-pound crush, or an hour-
long dunk in diesel fuel. If it doesn’t, the
company offers a free, no-questions-asked
data recovery service. If you want to
protect what’s important—both at work
and at home—this is a safe bet!
TOP HOLIDAY PICKS
10 FUNctional Digital Tools for Marketing & PR Pros

9. 7. Garmin Approach SI GPS Watch
Tee Up Your Mojo
We know plenty of business is conducted
on the links. We also know that you don’t
often get away from work to enjoy an
afternoon of golf. What better way to marry
work with pleasure than with a GPS watch
that gives you an edge on the fairway?
The S1 is a GPS device, sure. But it also
comes pre-programmed with distance
information to the front, back and middle of
greens for more than 16,500 preloaded
U.S. and Canadian courses. You can
measure individual shot distances, track
how far you walk on the course, and then
use the alarm to get back to the office in
time. This handy device is our favorite
holiday pick for making green on the
greens.
TOP HOLIDAY PICKS
10 FUNctional Digital Tools for Marketing & PR Pros

10. 8. Joos Orange Solar Charger
Find Your Place in the Sun
We think a little bit of sunshine is good
for you. And beach reading certainly
does much to recharge your batteries for
the work week. But it doesn’t do much for
recharging the batteries in your digital
devices when you’re away from an
electrical outlet.
Enter the Joos Orange Solar Charger, a
perfect companion for your sunshine
adventures. It charges all of your digital
devices, giving you two hours of 3G talk
time for every one hour charge. The Joos
is durable, waterproof, and works in
overcast conditions, the shade, and even
light rain. Holiday sun worshippers never
had it so good!
TOP HOLIDAY PICKS
10 FUNctional Digital Tools for Marketing & PR Pros

11. 9. Etymotic hf3 Headset+Earphone
Great Sound Without the Noise
Most working professionals love their
smartphones. They use it to stay caught
up with work emails while away from the
office, and many like being able to video
conference into calls with the team. What
they do NOT like is the background noise
that typically accompanies such calls.
Worry no more—the Etymotic hf3 is here.
This headset+earphone uses passive
noise isolation technology to cut out the
rest of the world. You’ll be able to hear
high quality sound without the distracting
noise, and it comes in at under $200. If
Santa doesn’t bring you this work-friendly
item, we recommend you go out and get
it for yourself. The world never sounded
so good!
TOP HOLIDAY PICKS
10 FUNctional Digital Tools for Marketing & PR Pros

12. 10. iPad Supreme Ice
Going for the Gold
You didn’t think we would offer a
holiday gift list without an iPad, did
you? To avoid presenting the standard
fare, however, we searched for
something with a little more “bling.”
Witness the ultimate in iPad luxury—a
solid 18K white gold version.
This limited edition iPad, created by
luxury gadget designer Stuart Hughes,
retails at $127,000. Hughes clearly
understands how image can be
everything. The Supreme Ice has a
brother called the Fire if you prefer a
24K traditional gold version. You can
get an iPhone and Blackberry in gold,
too. We don’t joke around when we tell
you to “go for the gold.” You deserve it!
TOP HOLIDAY PICKS
10 FUNctional Digital Tools for Marketing & PR Pros

13. TOP HOLIDAY PICKS
10 FUNctional Digital Tools for
Marketing & PR Pros
May the Season Be Good to You
The holiday season is the time to catch up with friends, set your plans for the
upcoming year, and to reflect back on the good work you’ve accomplished in the
months past. Whether you travel to exotic sunny locations, recommit to your fitness
goals, or just enjoy time with your buddies on the golf course, it’s all made better with
these FUNctional gift suggestions. We’d be more than happy if you bought any of
these for us!
It’s your turn. What’s on your wishlist? Feel free to share your favorite picks below in
the comment section. With any luck, Santa will hear your request…

14. TOP HOLIDAY PICKS
10 FUNctional Digital Tools for
Marketing & PR Pros
Next on “The Pulse”:
Top 10 Picks for the Year’s Leading Social Media Influencers
THE PULSE:
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so integrated marketing and communications professionals can work smarter, succeed and enjoy.
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