This special time of year comes and catches everyone off guard, but not to worry! Cinema Without Borders has kept an eye out over the past year for products that would serve as great gifts our readership could use or give to fellow filmmaker in the family. Here is the culmination of that research broken down into an easy to ready article. Click each Product title you like and you’ll be linked to a retailer ready to sell you that perfect gift.
Happy Holidays to YOU from everyone at Cinema Without Borders!
Best 2016 Holidays’ Gifts for filmmakers and film fans:
Amazon Echo Dot 2 – Echo Dot (2nd Generation) is a hands-free, voice-controlled device that uses Alexa to play music, control smart home devices, provide information, read the news, set alarms, and more
Connects to speakers or headphones through Bluetooth or 3.5 mm stereo cable to play music from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn
Controls lights, fans, switches, thermostats, garage doors, sprinklers, and more with compatible connected devices from WeMo, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Nest, ecobee, and others
Hears you from across the room with 7 far-field microphones for hands-free control, even in noisy environments or while playing music
Includes a built-in speaker so it can work on its own as a smart alarm clock in the bedroom, an assistant in the kitchen, or anywhere you might want a voice-controlled computer
Always getting smarter and adding new features, plus thousands of skills like Uber, Domino’s, and more
Amazon Echo is not required to use Echo Dot
HP ZBook Studio – The world’s first quad core workstation Ultrabook™
It is a meticulously-designed performance machine for professionals on-the-go. The 15.6-inch diagonal HP ZBook Studio represents the expertise developed over the past 30 years of HP workstation engineering excellence, HP Z DNA, and the extensive testing that went into the development of the system.
Starting at just 4.4 lbs and 18mm thin, the HP ZBook Studio can be configured to fit business and road warrior needs with professional choices of memory, processor, graphics and more. The model features Intel® Core™ or Xeon® processors, dual 1 TB HP Z Turbo Drive G2 for up to 2 TB of total storage, up to 32 GB ECC memory, dual Thunderbolt™ 3, dual cooling fans, and optional HP DreamColor UHD or FHD touch displays. The ZBook Studio is built to handle heavy graphics loads, with a choice of new NVIDIA® Quadro® M1000M 2 GB GDDR5 Professional graphics or Intel® HD graphics 530.
The ZBook Studio is available at a starting price of $1,399.00 USD.
HULU Plus – Offers best of international cinema.
Hulu is a premium streaming TV destination that offers hundreds of thousands of hours of the best of current season programming, premium original content, films and full seasons of hit series to subscribers with limited commercials for $7.99 per month or commercial free for $11.99 per month. Hulu is the only streaming subscription service that offers current season programming from top U.S. broadcast networks the day after new episodes air, as well as acclaimed Hulu Originals including The Mindy Project, The Path, 11.22.63, Difficult People and the Golden Globe® nominated comedy series, Casual. Since its launch in 2008, Hulu has been at the forefront of entertainment and technology and continues to redefine TV by connecting viewers with the stories they love.
Palm Springs – Book to Screen Pass, January 3rd & 4th, 2017:
Book To Screen is a two-day event covered by a single pass which provides full access to all symposium panels, discussions, and screenings. Day one consists of film screenings. Day two is a symposium featuring conversations with a remarkable array of writers and screenwriters exploring the push-and-pull between the literary and cinematic worlds. $200.00
Sling TV – Television through the Internet.
Sling TV is the first true Internet-delivered alternative to traditional cable and satellite TV, providing live channels from ESPN, AMC, TNT, CNN and Disney, as well as some on-demand content, for far less than standard pay TV packages, with no contract or commitment. It works anywhere in the US with a stable broadband Internet connection, and video quality is mostly indistinguishable from cable TV. Sling is available on a wide range of devices including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android, iOS, and Mac
Now with an excellent designed Cloud DVR there is little to complain about and Sling TV takes a big step towards perfection
UE Boom – Portable Bluetooth Speaker.
The UE Boom is a compact, durable wireless Bluetooth speaker that plays very loud for its size and is water- and stain-resistant. It offers up to 15 hours of battery life, has speakerphone capabilities, and is well-suited to outdoor use. Also, if you buy a second speaker, you can create a completely wireless pair of true stereo speakers using the UE Boom app for iOS and Android devices.
The $98 UE Boom is a versatile and durable wireless Bluetooth speaker that plays loud and is great for on-the-go use.
Verizon Moto Z Droid – Smartphone, $624.00 at Verizon and VerizonWireless.com
The world’s thinnest premium smartphone*, exclusively on Verizon. Moto Z Droid places a world of previously unimagined possibilities right in your pocket. Snap on interchangeable Moto Mods™ to transform it into a movie projector, boombox or battery powerhouse. Multi-task at the speed of life with all-day battery power†, quick charging of TurboPower™ and the ultra-efficient Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 820 processor. You’ll love its super-thin metal design and stunning 5.5-inch Quad HD AMOLED display. And you’ll enjoy faster data transfer speeds with the latest USB-C connectivity. The Moto Z Droid comes in 32GB. Available in Black/Lunar Grey or White/Fine Gold.
Verizon Insta-Share Projector Moto Mod – Portable projector technology to attach to your phone.
Turn flat surfaces into a large viewing screen for photo sharing or to watch the big game with the Motorola Projector Moto Mod™. Simply snap the Motorola Projector Mod on to your Moto Z Droid or Moto Z Force Droid and you’re ready to show your favorite content.
$299.99 at Verizon and VerizonWireless.com
Fun facts:
Share at the spur of the moment – Life can be unpredictable. But, with the Moto Mod you’ll be ready the next time you’d like to share your favorite photos with friends or stream the series-winning game for all to see. Just snap the Insta-Share Projector onto your phone and then instantly project the pictures or your recent vacation or the show that everyone’s been waiting to see.
Give everyone a great view – No more gathering around a small screen to see what’s being shown. Now, you have the ability to use your phone to project your content onto an indoor wall, an outdoor camping tent, or even the ceiling. The Insta-Share Projector turns any flat surface into a 70″” big screen and transforms any space into an instant theater.
Take anywhere, view everywhere – Boasting an ultra-thin design, the Motorola Projector Moto Mod makes it easy to take big screen entertainment with you wherever you go. Slip it in your backpack or slide it in your pocket. Then just snap it onto your phone, flip up the kickstand, and project onto a wall or ceiling. It’s designed for comfortable viewing at almost any angle.
Get an extra hour of screen time – The Motorola Projector Mod also has a built-in battery. So you get an additional hour of projection time, even if you’re phone’s power is running low.