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Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Netflix Comes to Marriott Hotels

One of my favorite travel "Road Warrior" tips is to use my Netflix account while on the road. As internet access and quality improves in hotels, using Netflix is an easy way to stay current on favorite shows.

So it's exciting to hear that Netflix and Marriott Hotels announced today a partnership that brings Netflix to guest room televisions.

Guests staying at select Marriott Hotels will be able to sign into their existing Netflix accounts by using the Netflix app on the hotel's internet-connected guest room televisions.

Netflix is currently available at six Marriott properties, with six more locations launching this summer.

Available now:

New York Marriott East Side

San Jose Marriott

Princeton Marriott

Newport Marriott

Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Solana

Bethesda Marriott Suites

Coming Next this summer:

Marriott Marquis Washington, DC

San Francisco Marriott Marquis

Atlanta Marriott Marquis

Dayton Marriott

San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino

Anaheim Marriott

Marriott Hotels plans to expand Netflix to 100 of its properties by the end of 2015, and to nearly all of its more than 300 properties in the U.S. by the end of 2016.

Source; Marriott Hotels

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#hotel #internet #Marriott #Netflix

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Skip the Line - Use the Subway App

We haven't seen Jared use it yet but Subway has a new app that let's you skip the long lunch lines at Subway restaurants.

The new Subway mobile app lets you order your favorite Subway sandwiches and then pick it up at the store directly from the cashier.

I've used several of the mobile apps to save time and I will review a few more here at OneCoolTip. But Subway certainly brings mobile ordering to the masses with their new mobile app.

In my personal experience, mobile ordering saves 15-20 minutes.

And a lot of hassle.

Before the app, usually there are 10 people waiting in line at the local Subway at peak lunch time. And when each person orders, he/she seems to have never been to a Subway before.

What do you want? Let me think.
Which bread? Let me think.
Do you want it toasted? Let me think.
Do you want cheese? Let me think.

These people have waiting for 10 minutes already. None of these ordering concepts seemed to have been contemplated before they up up to the Subway Sandwich Artist.

Avoid all of that hassle and order online through the new mobile app.

It's simple to use the new Subway app. Download to your phone. Setup a new account and then order from your local subway. You pay through the mobile app so your order will be ready to just pickup. I usually do this at least 30 minutes before I want to pick up the order.

The app is new but the Subway employees seem to know the process. Although you will get some stares from the people waiting in line why you can skip the line and just pick up your order from the cashier.

You can download the app from iTunes HERE and from the Google Android store HERE.

Source: Subway

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Monday, June 8, 2015

Skype for Web Now Open to All Users

Skype has opened up the beta testing for using Skype for Web to all new and existing US and UK Skype users.

This new option allows users to use Skype from within a web browser without downloading and running the stand-alone Skype app.

And it's not just about video.

Skype for Web allows users to make and receive video calls, instant messages and audio calls with friends and family.

The new service supports the major browsers: Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Apple Safari and Firefox. A plugin needs to be installed before the first call.

To try the new Skype for Web beta, visit http://www.skype.com or http://web.skype.com and sign in with your Skype ID and password.

This new service is a great step in making video calls easier to use.

Source: Skype

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Sunday, June 7, 2015

Amazon Echo Now Reads Audible Books

Is there anything the Amazon Echo can't do?

We'll, yes. But it is learning new tricks all of the time.

Now Amazon Echo will read Audible books to you. And Amazon Echo also supports Whispersync for Voice so you can switch between reading and listening Kindle Unlimited books.

Listening to an audiobook is easy.

To listen to an audiobook, just say "Alexa, read <Audible Book Title>".
To pause an audiobook, just say "Alexa, pause".
To resume the current book you're reading by saying "Alexa, resume my book".
To control the playback say "Alexa, go back" or "Alexa, go forward"

Note, in these examples the <Wake Word> is "Alexa" but you can change it to "Amazon" by changing the wake word in the Echo app settings.

Source: Amazon

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Friday, June 5, 2015

Waze is Your "Must Have" Driving App

Do you Waze?

That's the question you'll want to ask your friends and family from here on out.

Waze is a smartphone app that is a community traffic and navigation app.

The Waze community allows you to join drivers who share real-time traffic information.

Now owned by Google, this community-based app gives you the best route to your destination based upon updates from your fellow drivers and data acquired by Google from local and state traffic systems. It even updates the best route while you are driving.

Waze Screenshot - Report Real-Time Traffic and Road Conditions to Improve Driving for All

Waze Screenshot - Outsmart Traffic with the World's Largest Coomunity of Drivers

Waze is a powerful app because of this constant updating of information.

Millions of drivers are updating road conditions such as construction zones, accidents, potholes and even police traps.

This real-time data means that it is much more than regular maps you can find on your iPhone or Android phones like MapQuest, Apple Map or even Google's Map app.

As you drive to your destination, Waze will pop up information and audibly alert you to upcoming conditions.

You'll know about that police car on the other side of the hill before you even see it.

It's easy to find and connect to fellow Wazers from your social networks. You can connect your Waze account to Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. Once connected, you can share ETAs and destinations. This is a great option if you are travelling to the same destination in separate vehicles.

I've found having a good phone mount on the dash works best to avoid distraction and I always use the voice reporting to tell Waze about road conditions that I encounter. This makes it easy to share information while keeping my eyes on the road.

You can download the free Waze app for iPhone from iTunes HERE and the Android from the Google Play store HERE.

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Thursday, June 4, 2015

Check Out Google's New "My Account"

Google, long a target for its omnipresence role in people's digital lives, has just released a new tool to allow you to better control your Google life.

Or at least the information you share with Google.

The new tool, My Account, is available at : http://myaccount.google.com/

The new My Account tool provides access to your Google settings and other tools to safeguard your data and help protect your privacy.

For example, you can manage the settings and the information for popular Google services such as Search, Maps, and YouTube.

As with anything in life, it's a matter of making choices, If you want Google to provide relevant information from its maps or Google Now service, Google needs to know your location history. That's the key data behind providing the service.

Some people want the service while others may cringe at the thought of so much information in the hands of a large technology provider.

But that's the value of the new My Account tool.

You can make better decisions about how much information you want to share.

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Wednesday, June 3, 2015

How Do I Get Windows 10 for Free?

It's true. Windows 10 is free*.

OK, it's Free but with an *.

Microsoft is making Windows 10 available as a free upgrade for qualified Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1 devices.

It will be available to install starting July 29, 2015.

You can reserve your free copy today. But you only have until July 19, 2016 to take advantage of this offer.

To reserve your copy,

Click on the small Windows icon located at the lower right side of the taskbar.
Click "Reserve your free upgrade" when prompted

That's it. Microsoft will download Windows 10 to your device when it's available and let you know when your device is ready to install the upgrade.

To learn more about this offer, check out the Windows 10 FAQ HERE.

Source: Microsoft

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