Happy President's Day!

We're in the office today- feeling a wee bit jealous of schools and government employees- ready to kick off the week with another recap of the ASI Show in Dallas.

If you missed Part 1 on Friday, we covered apparel and drinkware. Go read that first, then join us below to learn about new items for 2013 in audio, desk and displays. Grab some coffee too- this post is a little lengthy.

Audio

Every time I attend a show, one of the first suppliers I visit is OrigAudio. These guys know quality audio products, and they always always have something superbly cool to demo. You might remember me gushing about the Cubicool speakers in last year's Orlando recap. This year, the spotlight was on their new portable vibration speaker, the Epishock.

OrigAudio has had great success with their other vibration speaker product, the Rock-It, but unlike the Rock-It, the Epishock produces excellent sound quality on any firm surface (the Rock-It works best on hollow surfaces) with ten times as much power.

Another difference between the two products is their decoration potential. The Epishock is decorated with full color digital printing, an improvement from the Rock-It's spot color screen print.

An added bonus is this adorable packaging. LOVE the retro lunchbox set.

Check out the Epishock in action:

Another theme in audio products at the show was Bluetooth compatibility. The stereo headphones in the picture above have control buttons for volume, play/pause, forward/reverse, accepting/rejecting mobile phone calls and redial. A built-in rechargeable battery gives you 10 hours of use when fully charged.

Desk


In desk items, I saw a lot of little cord keepers, designed to keep your work space neat and tidy. I like that there were models of varying size. If you have a detailed logo that doesn't print well at small dimensions, there are plenty of styles that afford a few square inches of imprint area.


In the category of padfolios and portfolios, I really dug this flip portfolio for iPad. The front cover contains a swivel window, giving you the option to face your tablet out (convenient for presentations) or in (for travel and protection).



3M came out with a few fun additions to their Post-it Note line this year. The folded piece above caught my eye for its imprint potential; it gives you four times the space of a normal sticky note pad to display your message and logo. The blue notes on the far right are specially marked with rounded corners because they have adhesive across the entire backside.


Also from 3M is this adorable pink Post-it Note compact. So fun for a female-targeted promotion.



I can't say I saw anything revolutionary in journal books, but there were plenty of beautiful pieces on display that reminded me just how far a die cut cover and custom insert page will get you.


Interesting cover textures and mini journals with die cut slots for a pen also caught my attention.

Power banks and charging devices are another item category that I saw at just about every booth. There is an item out there to suit every budget and every charge duration need.



Stylus pens are all over the place right now. Read more about the benefits of using a stylus here. My favorite stylus pen from the show was definitely this piece from Fisher. Yep, the makers of the infamous space pen have come out with a stylus pen that will write upside down, underwater, in freezing cold and zero gravity. I want one.




This post is getting a little lengthy- if I haven't already lost you, I'm sure I am about to- so I'm going to move through these last few finds quickly. The hard cover business card folio and gel phone wedge, seen above, would make great choices for an inexpensive trade show giveaway. And for all of you brand-crazed readers that really, really want to look at your alma mater or company's logo all the livelong day, a custom keyboard skin would be totally up your alley.

Displays

Moving on to trade show displays, the most interesting item I saw in Dallas was this geometric popup number.


Floor displays are notorious for being a pain in the neck to assemble, but this lightweight popup frame with interchangeable fabric banners is a cinch to set up. The frame weighs more than 50% less than other comparably sized floor models, and I love that the fabric panels are machine washable.


The same stretchy, dye-sublimated fabric is used in this pyramid tent and fitted table cover. I think they have a really sharp, clean look.

So, that sums up my favorite finds from Dallas in audio, desk and displays. Come back on Wednesday for our final post- Health & Home, Auto and Fun ← real catch-all category right there!

Also known as "electronic pickpocketing". Have you heard of this?

Many of you probably received our email this week that contained a video featuring our favorite items for 2012. I also discussed several of these items here, here and here.

One item that I omitted from my blog recaps, but that deserves special attention, are these ID shield sleeves from 3M.

3M developed this product in response to the growing threat of electronic or digital pickpocketing. The sleeves, sized to fit your credit card, ID, building access card or passport, are waterproof and have a protective shielding. With an imprint opportunity on the sleeve top, this would be a great promotional item for companies in banking, security or travel.

Dealing with credit card companies over fraudulent charges is a total pain in the neck. I can't imagine how unpleasant it would be to sort out a stolen passport.

If you're just catching up with us, please be sure to read Best of Orlando: Part 1 for a summary of apparel items new for 2012.

Wearables is just a small category within promotional products; there is still so much more to share! Read on to learn about our favorite finds in technology...



Julianne spotted this handy speaker for your iPhone. It worked exceptionally well!



These little night lights aren't as long-lasting as true compact fluorescent light bulbs, but they do come equipped with an energy saving sensor. Plus, they're just so gosh darn cute!



At Sonic, we have long been fans of OrigAudio's Rock-It portable vibration speakers and their collapsible, eco-friendly craft paper speaker sets. This year's product line additions did not disappoint! The above photo shows off their new Cubicool speaker. This little 3x3x3 cube will work with ANY audio product that has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack (think laptop, iPod, cell phone), and two hours of charge will get you up to twelve hours of battery life. Use just one speaker, or connect them together to increase the volume. The sound quality is phenomenal; my jaw literally dropped.



The best part? You've got four imprint opportunities with a digital imprint on each panel. I really love how Disney and Absolut played with design to create a full set.

Another great piece for a full color imprint is this grip stand. It might look small, but it has powerful strength.

Use it to prop up your iPad for movie viewing, or place it on your desk when you want your cell phone close at hand. If you notice the grip power diminishing, just rinse it under water to restore its strength.



Now, I wouldn't normally catalog a mirror under the "technology" category, but I had to make an exception for this unique piece. Created with dark bars, restaurants and nightclubs in mind, this mirror illuminates your logo and makes it impossible to ignore.



Some businesses have used this piece to advertise promotions and vendor partners by placing a live screen in the bottom corner. Pretty cool!

Well, that sums up another round of our favorite items from the ASI Orlando show. Stay tuned for more!

The Computer Age has given the individual easy access to a seemingly infinite database of information. Questions or problems that we would have previously struggled to tackle on our own are now answered with a simple trip to google.com.

Most of the time, I fully support the advantages of our modern system. I like ending stupid arguments about the number of landlocked countries in Europe (there are 15, fyi) before they begin. I like using my smart phone to determine which constellation I'm looking at in the night sky. And thanks to the IMDb app, I really like never having to struggle through a movie wondering, "where have I seen this actress before?"

Sometimes though, with all this information around me, I have to wonder if I might actually be thinking less.

Just because we have access to every issue out there does not mean that we are systematically an expert on every issue out there. Let's all take a big, deep humbling breath and admit that webmd.com is not a substitute for a medical degree. One-click answers are surely satisfying, but they are incomplete more often than not. It's in these instances when it still pays to consult a professional.

Promotional products provide a perfect example.

Let's say I have a corporate event coming up, and I really want to present our guests and panel speakers with one of those cups that I saw at Starbucks yesterday morning. I google "printed tumblers" and get 1,100,000 results. Wait. I can be more specific than that. I want a straw too!

"Printed tumblers with straw"

208,000 results. That's a little better, but I'm still not much closer to making a decision. No, for that, I will certainly need pictures.

Here are three different plastic tumblers with straws:



They all look about the same, right?

One of them holds 24 fluid ounces, while the other two hold 16. One is composed of SAN Plastic, ensuring that varied content temperatures will not cause the tumbler's surface to craze and sweat. One comes with TWO straws, in case you lose or break the first.

Product descriptions could probably give you this information, but will they tell you which tumbler is in stock at 200 pieces? Will they explain to you which tumbler can be produced in 1-, 3- or 7-days time? Will they steer you away from the tumbler that frequently arrives with cracked lids and missing straws?

My point here is that there is often more to your query than a search engine can reveal. Sometimes it's best just to leave it to the experts.

Yesterday a client called me in a panic.  Her company was holding an online video conference for their best clients, and they wanted to be able to provide each participant with a branded web cam.  Finding the item was not nearly as challenging as meeting the in-hands date; she needed them in days as opposed to weeks.  Nice electronics used to require weeks to arrive custom ordered from overseas.  Now we can do them in days or even hours.  Here is the finished product.  Pretty cool gift.