Mario Armstrong

The latest online banking scam is called “Gameover” and it’s an email that’s been making its way around in recent weeks.

The FBI even put out a warning to let people know what to watch out for. This recent scam doesn’t surprise me at all. It only takes these scanners to get .05% of people on email for it to be worth their time. And think how much easier it is today. I mean, I hardly ever go into a bank anymore. With online banking I can do almost everything, from checking my balance, transferring funds to paying my bills. And with hot new apps from banks like Chase, PNC and USAA I can even scan my checks with my phone and deposit them straight into my account.

But with all of these great new features rolling out across bank websites and apps, the security issue is becoming more important than ever. Read more over at @HLNtv.

Apple has always been a strong partner in education, and has been offering students and institutions discounts on its hardware for decades. At today’s announcement at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, Apple announced how it will be taking its commitment to education a step further with several major advances in how textbooks are both produced, purchased, and read.

The bottom line is that traditional textbooks present several major problems for students, from high prices to heavy backpacks. You remember the back pain and the lack of value the book had when the semester was over? Digital publishing, however, has taken too long to spark the e-learning expectations in education. Yes, I know e-reading devices like Amazon’s Kindle have been around but paper textbooks are still the definitive resource for students. Read more at @HLNtv.

As a digital lifestyle expert, people are constantly coming to me wanting to know what the next big trend will be. For 2012, all of my predictions relate to one thing: mobility. As smartphone and tablet adoption reaches critical mass in 2012, all the major new innovation we’re going to see will be in the mobile arena. Here are four of the top trends I’m expecting to see explode in 2012, as well as some tips on how your business can adapt:

1. Mobile Payments

While 2010 first saw the rise of mobile payment devices like Square transform your smartphone into a credit card terminal, 2011 was a banner year for mobile payments with all of the big players launching their first attempts at NFC payment technology. We’re going to see the mobile payment field rapidly expand in 2012, both in terms of more consumers using their mobile devices to pay for things as well as small business owners taking more of their payments with their phones, tablets to process credit card transactions while on the go. Don’t lose a sale because you haven’t started taking credit cards—research the newest and most innovative apps, and then find a way to bring your customers what they want this year.

Read more…

December 21st was my birthday and yes I had a blast BUT it’s also a time where I take a moment to reflect and really think through the events and experiences of the past year. I take a hard look at what worked well and what didn’t and where I can improve, this thought process goes for both family and career! In doing some reflection I realized I had not followed one of my own pieces of advice, visualization—the ability to see in advance the successful outcome of your goals. To o this you must write it down and review it daily which will help you see it through to reality! This process may not work for all but has definitely helped me. Below is a list of some of my career goals for 2012. My 2012 family goals are written down on paper and posted in 2 highly trafficked spots in the home! What? I’m not throwing all my business out on the internets :-)

With that being said, here are my personal/career goals for 2012: (not in a prioritized order)

1. Last year I started a tech teachers contest, this year I want to double it! The contest is an all expenses paid trip to ISTE, the largest technology conference for educators. Each year their conference has 20,000+ attendees from all over the world. It is SIMPLY THE BEST PLACE for any educator to be, learn, connect and bring back new ideas to empower education in their community.

2. Begin discussions to host a national TV show or special series- I’m an official contributor for NBC TODAY show and HLN and CNN as well as Rachael Ray and Nate Berkus shows and this year I even won an Emmy for hosting a tv show. I’m ready and am anxious to host a national tv show or special series. We have 2 show pilots and are headed to a few tv industry conferences this year and we are pitching networks and I’m really hoping my dream takes off this year. If Al Roker, Oprah or Simon Cowell are reading this gimme a call – lets gooo :-)

3. Increase the amount of random acts of kindness! Little acts can have an impact. I’ve done all kinds of random – like paying for the car behind me at a toll booth or asking people randomly on twttiter/FaceBook is there anything I can do to help move their goals forward. In fact, I’m running a survey right now to help me understand how I can bring you more value in 2012 (please fill it out). One act in 2011 stood out! I 4sq’d that I was at a Starbucks and someone tweeted that they wish they could go to a Starbucks but didn’t have money due to the recession, I didn’t know them at all but I immediately bought a Starbucks gift card & sent it to them, they replied via email with the most sincere note–it was an awesome feeling and a feeling I want to replicate more of in 2012.  I want to heighten my awareness and my action of giving more kindness!

4. Be more in the present! Summer of 2011 I took a “tech-detox” – yep my own version of removing tech from my life. I did this for 3 weeks during the summer and it was incredible! I did a piece on CNN & some radio interviews and I’m starting a new blog to help others take a tech-detox. The clarity of mind was refreshing, all of my 5 senses were extremely heightened and right then I committed to taking more control over tech. I mean with all these damn screens and over stimulating environments, it can really pull at your concentration and derail your focus. Don’t get me wrong, you know I live and breathe tech BUT I don’t believe in multi-tasking, so why do I find myself trapped sometimes trying to do it. To me there is no such thing as multi-tasking. Worst though, I fear the “twitter-memory”. No, I don’t fear twitter, I LOVE me some tweets. I’m talking about feeling like your life is a bunch of scattered brief moments because we are trying to do too much at the same time. This year, I am putting even more systems & controls in place to increase “being in the present” and sucking it all in, not just a piece of the moment but really tasting, smelling, comprehending and concentrating harder in the moment so it goes to my internal HD and not something temporary like my RAM :-)

5. Bring more value! Personally, this is a big one to me! I get pumped when I see others “value temperature” increase! Everyone (I think to some degree) wants to feel that they are contributing and that they have a sense of purpose in life. The size of the purpose or contribution doesn’t matter, what does matter is FINDING YOUR PURPOSE QUICKLY AND TAKING ACTION to make as big a contribution as you can make! Quite often, I think, “we think” we know what our value/purpose is BUT there are times when we need to step back and ask others, what value do YOU really gain from me? I often use twitter and FaceBook to help keep me in check and make sure I’m delivering as much value as I can, so I ask folks – What do you expect from me in this space? What kind of content resonates the most with you? What’s a specific post/tweet your remember? What can I do more of that you like? What REALLY brings you more value? What should I do less of? We should constantly check our value temperature and make sure it is rising! I’m doing a survey right now to gather these answers, please fill out the survey to help me make my value temperature rise!

6. Try some acting or join an improv group – I really want to see if I have some potential in this area. It will be a new challenge that I’m excited to take on. Additionally, acting and improv have been proven to really help bring out more of your creative qualities. I don’t want to leave any creative ideas locked away in 2012!

7. Begin Spanish lessons – are you kidding? There’s no spanish, media-techie person out there! Ok, ok there are a few BUT how cool would it be to do tech segments on NBC TODAY show one minute and then jump into a different studio and do a segment on Univision or CNN Espanol :-)

8. Start the book writing process – it’s time I write this kids book about tech, life and passion! Over the past 18 mos. I have spoken to over 12,000 kids — I’ve learned so much from them and how they prefer content. A portion of the book proceeds will be given to an educational program that is really making an impact to our future problem solvers.

9. Summer App Academy camp for Youth – I can’t wait to get this goin! This camp would teach young minds problem-solving, spirit of innovation and precisely how to make, sell and market apps. I’d like to start in Baltimore, refine it and then offer up resources for others to host their own App Academy in their cities. The program would have to be free for the kids and offered in a distressed area where the kids really lack the exposure and opportunity.

10. Increase the amount of TV segments and/or a special series on NBC’s TODAY show, CNN & HLN networks. I am excited we have a newly signed contract with network HLN and the TODAY show but I can’t sit on my butt, now I have to pitch them solid ideas constantly to ensure I get on-air. The more I get on air the close I hope this will get me to goal #2!

11. Identify people and sponsors who want to create/support an annual Technology Diversity Awards program at CES, honoring the behind the scenes heroes of the consumer electronics industry. These people never get the accolades deserved. I’m talking a full-blown, red-carpet program that’s fun, inviting and highlights women, minorities and those who are disabled that are making a big impact on the tech industry. Interested or want to know why this is needed-read up!

12. Outsource, Outsource, Outsource! Time is precious and we can’t control it so maximize it by outsourcing tasks that take up time and pull you away from spending time with your family or on your business. I watch over my time like a hawk and you should too! There is no way I could do as many networks as possible, also blog, do public speaking and travel without outsourcing effectively. You can outsource so many things for example, lawn care, laundry service, proposal writing, scheduling travel, setting meetings etc… In 2012, pick at least one task that you can outsource to get time back. You can also take a look at this site GetFriday for help https://getfriday.com/

These are my Goals for 2012 BUT NOW I want to know, What are yours? Tell me in the comments, I wanna get pumped up by reading your goals!!!!

I’m looking to jump start an awards program that celebrates employees & entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds in the consumer electronics arena.  I need your help! Would you like to be a part of the team to help make this a reality? We are looking at kicking off this awards program at CES 2013! Let me know if you are interested by posting a comment!

Also if you happen to be going to CES 2012, let me know if you have a quick moment to discuss this idea? Or hit me on twitter @marioarmstrong

If you plan to give someone you love a great tech gift this holiday season, you can’t go wrong with an ereader. Yes, they have been around for awhile, but the technology has changed along with the selection. The great news is that ereaders are still relatively inexpensive, and they’re bound to get a ton of use — really, who doesn’t need to read more?

A year ago, there were really only two kinds of devices on the market: basic ereaders like the Kindle, the NOOK and the iPad. Today, Amazon alone offers six different versions of the Kindle (twelve if you distinguish the ad-supported versions from the more expensive ad-free models).

The choices this holiday season can be overwhelming, but that’s why I’m here to help you pick the perfect ereader.

Finish reading this post on Mashable.com.

If you’ve already entered my #techdoutsweeps I’m doing with @Staples this holiday season, then you’re probably starting to get excited: the contest closes tomorrow morning and winners are going to be announced soon. If you haven’t entered yet, what are you waiting for? I’ve teamed up with Staples to give away a $2,300 tech makeover, so this is your last chance to enter. Just visit staples.com/techdoutsweeps and enter to win!

But if you’ve already entered, then I have one more great deal from Staples to tell you about, their laptop trade-in program. Basically, if you have a 5 year old laptop or less that powers on, has an intact screen, battery and you still have the AC adapter, then you can get a $100 Visa prepaid gift card when you buy a brand new Windows 7 laptop regularly priced at $599 or higher.

After making a qualified purchase at Staples, you just head on over to tradeupandrecycle.com to register your purchase. They send you a box in the mail to pack up that aging laptop, and you send it right back. Since you probably have tons of important data on that drive, you want to be careful so make sure to zero out the data on your hard drive first. To do that you can follow this great guide for PCs from Gizmodo or boot off your original install DVDs on your Mac, launch Disk Utility, and follow Apple’s guide for securely wiping a hard drive.

If you’ve still got a 5 year old clunker, then it really is time to upgrade, you rode the wheels off that laptop. Lots of great options are on sale this holiday season, and some picks from Staples that I like include the $699 Samsung Series 3 which is an 11” ultraportable with a real-deal Intel Core i3 processor, the $899 Acer Aspire Ultrabook, Acer’s all-aluminum response to the MacBook Air with SSD for amazingly fast start-up times, and the $1049 HP ENVY with Beats Audio, a 14.5” powerhouse of a laptop with a sleek design. Whichever one you pick you can’t go wrong!

Hey everybody, here’s a fun tech holiday song we did last year! I’m looking for ideas on what to do this year. Should we do a part 2 of this OR do something different? Let us know in the comments below:

Calling all Entrepreneurs, Startups, Media and PR professionals in Atlanta!
Let’s MeetUp TOMORROW w/myself & friends!
WHEN: Tues. Nov 29th 6:30p
WHERE: BarOne in Atlanta! (see flyer below)

REGISTER: REGISTER FOR FREE and COME NETWORK WITH US!

FOLLOW: @clydeanderson @nyasha @marioarmstrong for updates
EVENT HASHTAG: #meetUpATL

The agenda: (a short presentation) like 15 mins:
- Expedite your brand to create opportunities using 5 powerful tips
- Take your biz from 0 to 60 with these 5 quick tips that will increase your productivity!
- Networking and covering some of the specific topics you mentioned in your registration!

Come get these tips, network with awesome people, win a tech prize and meet other experts & fellow CNN contributors like @clydeanderson & my favorite get-it-done tech consultant @nyasha!

Black Friday means gifts but it also means STRESS. Reading all of the ads, standing in line, missing precious time with family (trust me, I know, I’ll be at the TODAY show bright and early on Black Friday bringing you all the info you need!).

To help take a little bit of the stress of getting everyone the best tech gifts this winter, I’ve put together a list of some of the best deals I’ve found and where you can pick them up.

Televisions

Keep these points in mind when buying a TV:

- Heaviest discounts will be on 40 inch OR larger plasma and LCD TV’s, but if you can find an LED television on discount snatch it up.

- 3D TV bundles will be out there but I still think you should hold off on 3D, to me it’s more important to buy a smart internet connected tv than 3D. Plus Toshiba is working on a glass-less 3D tv – yep no glasses soon!

- When shopping budget for the extended warranty, most extended warranties aren’t worth it but on big purchases I’d rather you budget for it and if you want to save money, look at using a site like SQUARETRADE.COM to save on extended warranties

- Don’t just buy the lowest price you see, unless it’s a tv for a kids room. Mnay of the deals will have very low Hz refresh rating like 60Hz, if you watch a lot of action movies or sports you want the highest refresh rate you can afford.

- Most importantly MAKE SURE you identify all the connecting devices you have now (blu-ray player, game consoles, DVR box etc…) you need to make sure the new tv can accommodate all your devices or if you will need additional equipment to connect them.

Without a doubt the best deal I’ve seen so far this holiday season has gotta be the 42” Sharp LCD 1080p HDTV for $199.99 at Best Buy. This set carries a regular price of $799.99, so you know this will be hot. With limited quantities (only 10 per store) you’re gonna have to get in line EARLY if you want this one. A ticket is required to purchase, so make sure you head straight to Best Buy early Thanksgiving night if this is the deal for you.

LAPTOPS

For laptops, watch out for very low prices, many of those prices will be for netbooks NOT laptops. Netbooks are much less powerful than a full-on laptop. If you need a good price drop these two HP deals below are huge BUT limited in quantity:

First up is the perfect entry level machine. This guy is an HP 15 inch laptop – but it comes with some solid specs: 320 gig hard drive, 3 gig ram, webcam, AMD processor. The Regular Price is estimated at $449, but you can walk out with this for the sale price of only $248 at Walmart on black friday. It’s a great laptop for the price—this is no netbook, this thing will store movies and play them back in High-Def! For the price, this is a STEAL for a fully-featured laptop.

Want even more POWER? Then check out this deal. Staples has a $399 HP laptop with an Intel Core i3-2330m processor in it, that’s a 2.2 Ghz beast that will let you do almost anything you want—video editing of Xmas movies? NO PROBLEM! Store entire seasons of shows? No worries with the included 640 GB hard drive. Wanna do a little gaming? Though this machine only has Intel’s integrated graphics, it should easily be able to handle a little Starcraft II, Half Life 2, or something similar—not the LATEST, mind you, but close!!!

GPS

If you still want a stand-alone GPS now is a great time to buy. Many of you probably use your phone but for long trips and those without a smartphone this is a great deal. PS–BTW–I would never pay over $100 for a GPS these days.

The TomTom is great because not only do you get a top-of-the-line GPS system with a whopping 5″ touchscreen panel, but also FREE MAP UPDATES for life.

TomTom Via 1505M GPS $89 (Reg Price $189.99) only at Target (doors open at MIDNIGHT on Thanksgiving night remember! No waiting until the morning of Black Friday this year!!!)

GAMING

It can’t be all work and no play. So look for video game console bundles to save some money. A hot bundle this year is at Toys R Us. Get a full Xbox 360 system with Kinect for only $199 plus a $10 gift card = not bad! This is the price you’d have paid for the 360 ALONE just a few days ago, and now you get the Kinect for FREE! You gotta try the Kinect out to believe what a great deal this is.

Xbox 360 System With Kinect $199 (Reg Price $299) with $10 Gift Card only at Toys R Us

Stocking Stuffers

Okay, not everyone on your gift list deserves a brand new computer, TV or an Xbox, right? What about all those friends and coworkers you just wanna drop a small tech gift on. Now that they’re selling all kinds of tech, I’m not surprised Staples has all kinds of great deals on the big stuff but also the smaller gadgets and accessories to help you upgrade your digital lifestyle.

Check these awesome stocking stuffers out:

Flash Drive

No kid, college student or mobile professional should be allowed to leave the house without all their files on a flash drive. I know, I know, cloud storage is the NEXT BIG THING, but you can’t get your files from the cloud if you don’t have Internet access! So sometimes you have to do things the old fashioned way.

Now keep this in mind: It’s true what they say, bigger is better. Sure, a 1 GB flash drive is great when all you have is boring Power Point docs, but today you want to bring your MOVIES and MUSIC around on that flash drive too, and those files are HUGE. Staples has a good deal on an 8GB for under $9, but with the size of High Def video this Xmas I’m saying nothing less than 16 GB these days is acceptable. We’re talking about TWICE the storage for a few bucks here. Also you need to go with a name brand. Don’t buy a flash stick from some company you’ve never heard of, you’re going to be storing files that you absolutely can’t lose. Reliability is key. That’s why I think this $12.99 Sandisk Cruzer 16GB USB stick from Staples is the perfect pick up for Black Friday.

Mouse

So, you’re taking my advice and buying a cheap laptop for Black Friday? Yeah, that’s the ticket. Now one thing you might not realize is that while you’re getting a great deal on some slick silicon, you’re probably not getting a world-class trackpad on a laptop under $500 (heck, there are a lot of $1000 laptops with wack trackpads!). So I’m recommending you get a MOUSE to go with that laptop, and if you’re going portable you gotta go WIRELESS for that mouse. Don’t be stuck plugging and unplugging a rodent this holiday. My pick this season is cheap but a solid performer from a company you know—Logitech. They’re selling the Logitech M525 Wireless Mouse for only $14.99 at Staples. Is that a misprint or a mistake, because this is a solid mouse that will last you years.

Alright, those are my top picks, but how about you? What line are you gonna be in this Black Friday? Ohh and if you need advice while out shopping on the morning of Black Friday call our live Black Friday Help Desk between 9a-11a edt at 866-801-8255 and we will answer the call live on our SiriusXM radio show ch. 128.