Google Glass

Google Glass is Not T approved! What more can I say other than the fact that these are just not a finished product yet. The cool factor and also being a Google shareholder prompted us to pick up a pair of these to try out. After a computer required setup of the glasses T tried them on for size and gave the picture taking and gaming features a try using voice, movement, and swipes on the side of the glasses. The games were pretty basic and T didn't play any of them more than once or twice. He thought they were cool to wear initially, but after about 10 minutes the novelty wore off and he was back to his iPad :-) It might be time to sell our google shares now that they have split and their recent offerings products wise have not had success.

Amazon Fire TV

The Amazon FireTV arrived without much fanfare from reviewers online who seemed to think that their "late to the streaming party" device was entering the space too far behind AppleTV and Roku without any key features to differentiate itself and make a significant impact. I have news for you, T likes the Fire TV more than the AppleTV and the reasons why he likes it more gives us insight into the future development of streaming devices.  If you want specs and how it compares technically to its main competitors AppleTV or Roku please read one of the thousands of reviews or blogs out there by the so called tech experts, geeks, or full time bloggers who repeat the press release and what everybody else is saying. I will be focussed on how my son T sees, uses, and likes the device and what it means for the future of both tech development and how we might be able to capitalize through stock investments.

   

T Playing Fire TV with the Nyko Controller

The big difference between his "old" AppleTV and the new FireTV that T likes so much is the gaming! He immediately took to playing the kids geared games like Monsters U and Minion Mayhem, but soon realized there were more fun games he had never played before under the free games category! A few games into our initial exploring we quickly realized that there was a serious need for a gaming controller if T wanted to take his gaming to another level. Although T prefers the size and feel of the FireTV remote over the AppleTV remote for normal use, it became difficult to play fast paced games on the Fire TV remote. A quick search on Amazon revealed that all three known compatible gaming controllers for the Fire TV were all back ordered, another indication that this will be a key feature to customers to its base. We ended up ordering the Nyko play pad pro instead of the actual Fire TV controller since it was about half the price. Being a long time gamer myself from C64, Atari, Nintendo, and so on I find it fascinating watching my 5 year old son discover and learn video games before my eyes. So far the games have been easy to learn and play for him, but still entertaining enough for me to play with him as well.

Fire TV remote fits his hand so well!

Another key difference T seems to like about the Fire TV over the Apple TV is the speed. If you want to know the processor speeds and wifi stuff check out the other "pro" reviews, all T knows is the Fire TV starts video streams a little quicker than the Apple TV and as you know generation Z wants it as quickly as possible. T is a serious Netflix junkie and having to wait for buffering on Apple TV is a thing of the past with the new Fire TV.


T also watched the Amazon Dash promo video (you have seen it right?) and wants to know when we are getting the "magic wand" to order his favorite snacks! This all translates to AMZN being a bargain if you can pick some up at the $300 level its at currently. I personally sold 300 and 275 puts with May and July expirations when we first started playing with the Fire TV.

Fire TV remote vs Apple TV remote

What Can a Toddler Tell us About the Future of Tech?

T with his first iPad @ 2

Being born in October of 2008 gives my son “T” a unique and untainted perspective of technology which could give insight on the future of gadgets and the companies who make them. With the first groundbreaking iPad making its debut (not the first tablet, but sure feels like it) when T turned 1.5 years old he was an early adopter to the new touchscreen tablet technology and is now an expert at navigating and using many different apps with iOS.  

When I saw how easily and naturally he took to the iPad, buying stock in AAPL was a no brainer, it was a clear indication that touchscreen tablets would be the future. AAPL is up over 400% since that time so T’s college is paid for! Growing up with a touchscreen may mean the end of the keyboard and mouse by the time he’s an adult, so tech companies who aren't evolving away from this ancient technology will continue their decline over time unless they can adapt to the change in input dynamics. 

He has used iPad, iPad2, iPad3, iPad mini, iPhone, iPhone3g and now currently uses an ipad mini retina and, iPhone4s.  Before we leave the house he always makes sure his iPad is making the trip with us so if any “boring stuff” happens he will have something to do. Needless to say we are long AAPL and will continue to own the stock as long as he keeps using the devices and refers to every tablet as an iPad. He also uses an Apple TV, Nintendo Wii, Blueray player, and Comcast DVR. There is a small netbook that he used a few times, but it's been sitting neglected and covered in dust since everything he does can be accomplished more quickly and easily on his iPad. T primarily uses the iDevices for streaming Netflix (NFLX up over 500%), Disney junior (DIS up almost 300%), and playing games of which he has spent over $200 in the app store so far. All this is great in retrospect but how can T’s insight help see more future tech trends and what stocks am I adding to his portfolio? 

Reborn

It's been a long time since posting on this blog, but I have found new inspiration for investment tips from my son so this blog will be reborn as T's take. I will begin posting about how I have utilized T's take on products, services, and tech to make some great investments for the future. This is pretty common sense investing in line with my easy money theme and should make for interesting and profitable insight that can help make some easy money in stocks.

BTW, If there is anything out there you want T's take on let us know!