How to throw a successful Christmas party!

If it is your turn to host the Christmas Party for your friends, extended-family or neighbours you may, or may not be looking forward to it…

It is a lot of responsibility to make sure that everyone is happy! As the host, your guests rely on you to fill the awkward silences and provide enough wine to maintain a level of festive jollity without it tipping over the edge into slurred insults and dancing on tables. It’s tough- You have nothing in common with most of them and you are well aware that a some of them have dubious political beliefs. So how do you keep the party going while keeping away from the dangerous pitfalls of too much conversation?

The answer is to provide your guests with adequate entertainment so they do not have to resort to actually talking to one another!

Pick a couple of fun, interactive games that can include everyone- Make it competitive but keep it lighthearted!

The Appquiz is the most advanced interactive quiz game ever created and turns your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad into a fully interactive quiz machine, with mini games and 1000s of different questions! Just download the free quiz game and meet your charismatic quiz show host – Chuck Boldhart!

Go head to head with 2-4 players or play in small teams; Keep the game fresh and download new game content and quiz packs for hours of fun for all ages! 

The Appsing is perfect for towards the end of the night after everyone’s merry on the sherry. If you think you could have the next Nolans or VonTrapps on your hands, get them singing with this fantastic karaoke app-cessory! The Appsing transforms your phone or media device into the most amazing karaoke machine. Simply slot your smartphone or media device into the Appsing’s universal cage and load your favourite karaoke app, follow the lyrics on screen and sing into the built-in microphone. A separate speaker unit will blast out your singing in stereo sound for everyone to hear! 

Don’t forget to film the fun- it will make perfect year-round blackmail material and will be a great conversation piece at next years Christmas party!

Great Christmas gifts for big kids!

Do you know someone who just loves to play games, adores gadgets and would rather have a high-tech toy than a practical prezzie? Well then, here are three perfect gifts that will be adored by big kids and little ones alike!

The Appcopter is a gyro-stabilized smartphone controlled helicopter. 

The Appcopter uses your smartphone together with a free downloadable app to become the most intuitive remote control copter ever! Control it using tilt control for the ultimate flying experience. Simply plug the peripheral into your handheld device and use the DPAP (traditional remote control) or the built in accelerometer to fly the helicopter using the tilt function. With an 8 metre flying range, the skies are yours to conquer. The peripheral unit is charged using a USB charger so no batteries are required.

The AppRacer uses the same intuitive remote control technology as the Appcopter to control a super-cool off road buggy. Indulge any boy-racer or gadget-girl with this fabulous and unique toy and put yourself firmly in their good books this Christmas.

The Appblaster is the world’s first interactive gun for gaming! It turns your smartphone or media device into the ultimate shooting game. Simply secure your smartphone into the universal cage and  use one of several compatible apps to change your lounge, office or anywhere you are into a fully immersive shooting game.

The AppBlaster has a unique trigger to touch screen technology and a double trigger allowing 2 screen interactions with the game as well as a multitude of gyro interactions.

Don't just take our word for it! Here’s what everyone else thinks…

Business Insider: “the most awesome iPhone accessory this year”

Ubergizmo: “features really cool virtual creatures”

engadget: “appblaster lets you kick alien butt, bubblegum not included”

... A guaranteed Christmas hit!!!

How to stay fit over Christmas

It is very easy to let your health and fitness slip to the bottom of your list of priorities over the Christmas period. Your number of commitments shoots through the roof and you have presents to buy, cards to write and parties to attend! Where are you going to find a spare hour to go to the gym? Christmas is so often a time of excess eating and overindulging, frequently resulting in that post-Christmas guilt in January and New Years resolutions to eat less and exercise more!

Avoid the regret and piling on the extra pounds by following these easy steps:

·      Try to find time to fit in a small amount of exercise each day- even 10 minutes of high-intensity cardio like skipping with a rope or running up and down the stairs before your morning shower will help to maintain your fitness without having too much of an impact on your daily schedule.

·      It is always a challenge to keep your calories at a normal level at Christmas. Rich puddings and cakes are full of sugar and fat that any other time of the year would be off the menu to those of us who like to watch our waistlines. Adding cream or brandy butter sends the calorie content of these treats through the roof! Try swapping these for yogurt and crème freiche.

·      We often eat far more than is necessary at Christmas- enjoy your festive feasts but STOP when you feel full! When dishing up fill half of your plate with vegetables before you tuck into the meat, potatoes and all the trimmings. This will make you feel like you have still got a plentiful platter without making you feel bloated, overly full and boosting your calorie intake to way above what it should be!

·      Adjust your daily activities to increase the amount of exercise that you do; Park in the carpark at the far end of town when you go to do your Chroistmas shopping; Take the stairs instead of the escalator or lift; walk to your kids carol concert; take your dog for a walk where you know you will have to walk uphill. You will be astonished by how it all accumulates! To keep track of all of the positive changes you make, why not invest in a Fitbit. The Fitbit Ultra monitors your activity all day to provide you with real-time feedback on steps, distance, calories burned, and stairs climbed to encourage you to walk more and be more active. It wirelessly uploads your data to Fitbit.com so you can gain deeper insight into your daily or monthly fitness and sleep levels with free online graphs and charts. On Fitbit.com, you can earn fitness badges, connect with friends to share and compete on fitness goals, or join the Fitbit community for advice and encouragement. So you can get fit- one step at a time!

Secret Santa gifts for every budget

If you are feeling that 'Pre-Christmas panic' that effects all of us at this time of year, the thought of getting that Secret Santa present for your colleague might just be the last straw! But don't panic! Here are some great presents to suit every budget...

£10 and under

These Kitsound Mini Buddy portable speakers are fun and functional. The philosophy is simple- small creature - big noise! Plug your Mini Buddy into any chosen device, such as a mobile, tablet, PC or music device using the 3.5mm headphone jack. Flick the on switch and go wild! Their built-in Li-on batteries can be charged using the supplied USB cable. The perfect gift for any music lover on the move!

£20 and under

Be an office hit and get your Secret Santa something that they really want. Fenice premium phone cases are of the highest quality and come in a huge range of colours to suit everyone’s tastes and personal style. If you are not sure which colours they would prefer, it is best to stick to neutral tones, like this Prada Brown Fenice cover.

£30 and under

Introduce some excitement to your Christmas party by buying your Secret Santa the Appquiz. 

The Appquiz is the most advanced interactive quiz game ever created and turns your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad into a fully interactive quiz machine, with mini games and 1000s of different questions! Just download the free quiz game and meet your charismatic quiz show host – Chuck Boldhart!

Go head to head with 2-4 players; Keep the game fresh and download new game content and quiz packs for hours of fun for everyone!

Boxing day activities for the high-tech family

One of the best things about Christmas is spending quality time with your family. After the overindulgence of Christmas day and the chaos and stress of getting the potatoes roasted and the Turkey cooked through and on the table at the same time (and preferably still hot!) Boxing day is the day when we truly get to enjoy each other’s company. Traditionally the time for playing with new toys and playing board games, Boxing Day is when memories are made that will last a lifetime. But if the idea of getting your kids to sit down and concentrate long enough to play a three-hour game of Monopoly makes your blood run cold, you may want to re-think the entertainment on offer.

If your family loves gadgets and you have trouble getting everyone to put down their phones and tablets and be sociable then you could use that to your advantage!

The Appquiz is the most advanced interactive quiz game ever created and turns your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad into a fully interactive quiz machine, with mini games and 1000s of different questions! Just download the free quiz game and meet your charismatic quiz show host – Chuck Boldhart!

Go head to head with 2-4 players; Keep the game fresh and download new game content and quiz packs for hours of fun for all ages! 

The Appsing is perfect for the family who loves to perform. If you think you could have the next Nolans or VonTrapps on your hands, get them singing with this fantastic karaoke app-cessory! The Appsing transforms your phone or media device into the most amazing karaoke machine. Simply slot your smartphone or media device into the Appsing’s universal cage and load your favourite karaoke app, follow the lyrics on screen and sing into the built-in microphone. A separate speaker unit will blast out your singing in stereo sound for everyone to hear!

An extra hour in bed could lower your blood pressure

 The Daily mail reported today that a recent study has shown that going to bed an hour earlier than usual could help to ward off high blood pressure.

The study, carried out at Harvard Medical School showed that men and women who regularly slept for only seven hours or less a night and were beginning to have borderline high blood pressure readings. They also found that just an extra hour of sleep every night brought the readings back down to a normal level in only six weeks.

According to the Mail, high blood pressure, or hypertension, affects one in five adults in the UK and is thought to be responsible for half of all heart attacks and strokes.

Despite an array of different drugs available on the NHS, it’s estimated more than half of all patients have ‘poorly controlled’ blood pressure, which means they still have readings in the danger zone above 140mmHg/90mmHg, a measure of the amount of force inside arteries when the heart is forcing blood through them and the force when it relaxes.

Lack of sleep and a stressful lifestyle have long been associated with an increased risk of the condition.

But the latest study is one of the first to prove that blood pressure can be brought under control by simply increasing sleep duration.

A large number of people suffering with hypertension are not even aware that they have a problem until it leads to more serious health complications, often when they are hospitalised- and for many it is too late.

It is so important to stay in control of your blood pressure and to stay aware of changes in your own body. Some doctor’s surgeries offer clinics or blood pressure testing in waiting rooms. There are also some excellent home monitors that allow you to record and track your blood pressure daily.  

This Bloodpressure monitor is compatible with your iphone, ipod or ipad. Based on the iOS operating system and Bluetooth technology, you can test, track and share your blood pressure results wirelessly. The monitor is integrated on the arm cuff and works with the Free App. It can even work out averages to see if the changes that you have made to your lifestyle or any medication that you are on is having a positive effect. This information can then be sent to family members or caregivers at the touch of a button. Completely portable and easy to use, it has never been easier to manage your own health- both for immediate results and to protect yourself for a healthy future.

How to win XFactor.

With less than a week until we find out who has won that elusive XFactor record deal, things are really hotting up! The stakes are high and as the final three start practicing their last songs to win over the voting public, you are left thinking that maybe if you had auditioned earlier this year, you too could be attending film premieres and playing gigs at Disneyland... Maybe, Just maybe…

Well if you have set your heart on winning next year there is a simple formula that you should follow to secure your place in the 2013 final…

Firstly you need to build an unshakable hometown following. If you live somewhere small it is best that you move to a bigger town- preferably one with a strong identity and sense of community. You need friends in every hairdressers and café who will put up posters urging everyone to vote for you. A big family helps too- every distant cousin and friend of your grandmother needs to have your voting number on speed dial!

Next you need to find your own style. No matter how great your voice is, if you don’t have a definable style, people just won’t vote. Choose carefully- people want a style they can envy and emulate, but nobody likes a diva- the trick is to look effortlessly cool.

Next- and this is an important point- you need to find a sob story. Got no friends? Still live with your mum and work in a dead-end job? Great! The public will love you! Turn your misfortune into your biggest asset- hey, if life gives you lemons…!

The most important aspect in winning the XFactor is, of course, having a great voice. You need to be versatile enough to consistently bang out hits every single week no matter what the theme is. The best way to make sure you are ready for whatever inappropriate song Louis Walsh throws at you is to practice, practice, practice! Sing everyday and sing everything. Find out what suits you and add your own personal touch to every song. AppSing is the perfect accessory for any wannabe singer as it allows you to flex your vocal cords wherever you are. It transforms your phone or media device into the most amazing karaoke machine. You simply slot your smartphone or media device into the Appsing’s universal cage and load your favourite karaoke app, follow the lyrics on screen and sing into the built-in microphone. A separate speaker unit will blast out your singing in stereo sound for everyone to hear.

 

So if you think you have got what it takes, you better start practicing now!