If you want to get the most bang for your buck this Fourth of July, check out our guide to the top deals.

The Best July 4 Sales of 2015

The fireworks are set to launch. The national anthem is ready to be sung. The country is looking forward to celebrating Independence Day, but there’s one thing left to do: Shop the holiday sales.

If you want to get the most bang for your buck this Fourth of July, check out our guide to the top deals. We’ll tell you where you will and won’t find the best bargains, plus give you a handful of sales to get you started.

Deals That Sparkle

For the best buys in this week leading up to July 4, look for sales on products for the home and backyard.

• Furniture. July is the best month to purchase indoor and outdoor furniture. Accordingly, you’ll find big price reductions on items such as living room pieces and patio sets.
• Summer essentials. Sure, prices on summery items are lowest after the summer season is over, but if you need summer clothes for the remaining warm months, now’s the time to buy. If you wisely avoided purchasing these products when they first hit stores earlier this year, you’ll be rewarded now with an opportunity to snag them at better prices, since these items have been out for a while.
• Sleepwear. Finally, June is known as an ideal time to buy lingerie at a great price. As June wraps up and July arrives, make your final sleepwear purchases before this sale opportunity window closes.

Deals That Fizzle

Not every sale will be a showstopper. Try to avoid products that reach their lowest prices at different points of the year. 

• Tech items. You likely won’t find spectacular savings on tech products this July 4. Home gadgets such as TVs and other electronics tend to see their best sales near the end of the calendar year. Try to put off these purchases until then if you can.
• Office supplies. When summer is at its peak, back-to-school season is just around the corner. But hold off on scooping up those office supplies – at least for now. The price tags on popular academic essentials will drop even lower once August rolls around.
• Lawn mowers. One more product to avoid during deals for the Fourth? Lawn mowers. You’ll generally find better prices on lawn care products in August and September.
• Sales That Soar

  
  Now that you know which prices will pop and which deals will be duds, it’s time to hit the stores (or Web, if you prefer cyber shopping).

  Many major retailers are showing their patriotism with red, white and blue-inspired price cuts this Independence Day. Here are some of the top sales you can shop leading up to the holiday.

  • Macy's. The department store is hosting a July 4 furniture and mattress sale with what it’s touting as the “lowest prices of the season” on indoor furniture, outdoor furniture and mattresses. 
  • Home Depot. The home improvement store’s red, white and blue savings event will have shoppers seeing green with up to 30 percent price cuts on major appliances. Sale prices are valid through July 15 and apply to a selection of refrigerators, washers, dryers and more. 
  • Best Buy. This retailer is also having an appliance sale. Its 4th of July sale – which runs through July 15 – boasts savings of up to 40 percent on major appliances, including refrigerators, ranges and dishwashers. 
  • Lowe's. Through July 1, the store is lowering prices on appliances, outdoor furniture and other inventory. Additionally, shoppers who buy a Char-Broil full-size gas grill for $329 or more will receive a $100 Lowe’s gift card via mail-in rebate, while supplies last. 
  • Michaels. Fourth of July deals aren’t only for major purchases. At Michaels, holiday revelers can stock up on party goods  – including napkins, decorations and balloons – for 20 percent off. Visit theMichaels website to browse the full July 4 sale selection.
  • Amazon. Online marketplace Amazon is celebrating the Fourth with limited-time price cuts on movies, books, music and more. Visit the website’s Fourth of July section, and check each specific sale item for the deal’s ending date and time.
  • Hotels.com. Finally, if it’s travel you’re hoping to score this Independence Day, head over to Hotels.com, where customers who book by July 4 for travel through July 18 can grab savings of up to 50 percent off. Visit Hotels.com for full details.
• Read more: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2015/06/29/the-best-july-4-sales-of-2015
• Daniel Kaufman, Pres. & CEO, Reagan Wireless Corp. 
  www.reaganwireless.com 

Study Shows Best Times to Post

Hungry for Retweets and Facebook Likes? 

Whether you're posting on social media personally or professionally, sometimes you really do want to maximize the reaction. New research has some straightforward advice for you.

A study by social media metric company Klout found that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the best days to post things if you want the maximum amount of likes, comments and retweets — late Tuesday and Wednesday morning, to be precise.

The researchers analyzed the reactions to 144 million posts on Facebook and Twitter, and found that there was a reliable improvement in engagement as the morning wore on — and just before lunchtime, posts were three or four times more likely to find an audience. This boost quickly disappears in the afternoon, though.

And what's the worst time to post? The weekend, surprisingly. Perhaps users are inundated with pictures of Friday night, or sleep in past the late-morning social media prime time.

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/want-more-likes-retweets-study-shows-best-times-get-them-n385926

Daniel Kaufman, Pres. & CEO, Reagan Wireless Corp.

www.reaganwireless.com 

Know how to save a wet phone? It's not with a dryer and it's not with rice.

It's not with a dryer and it's not with rice.

Read more: http://www.cnet.com/videos/save-a-wet-phone-or-tablet/#ftag=CAD30dd16f

Daniel Kaufman, Pres. & CEO, Reagan Wireless Corp.

www.reaganwireless.com 

Love photography? So you must get this for your iPhone.

The DxO ONE Is A Plug-In iPhone Camera With A 1-Inch Sensor

Your iPhone camera is already one of the better mobile cameras available, but a new accessory from imaging technology leader DxO could up the iPhone’s game considerably. The Lightning-enabled DxO ONE has a super bright f1.8 aperture lens, and a 20.2 megapixel, 1-inch sensor. That sensor size is on par with the Sony RX100 series of compact camera, which produces amazing pictures in terms of image quality and noise in a small-body device, and should enable great effects like truly dramatic background blur.
The DxO ONE is even smaller than the RX100, however – it’s roughly as tall as your iPhone 6 is wide, and only about an inch thick. The camera can swivel around the Lightning port, turning your iPhone into basically a swivel LCD display, and it can capture RAW files, meaning you’ll have lots more flexibility with the finished product in terms of editing with programs like Adobe Lightroom.



The DxO ONE has manually adjustable aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings, complete with the kinds of picture modes you’d see on a DSLR or micro four-thirds camera, and it can also capture video at 1080p/30fps, or at 720p/120fps for slow-motion effects. There’s a microSD card built-in for storage, and you can directly capture to your iPhone’s Camera Roll, too.

Here are some sample shots provided by DxO:

 

Read more: http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/18/the-dxo-one-is-a-plug-in-iphone-camera-with-a-1-inch-sensor/#.p5u4tt:FnKs

Daniel Kaufman, Pres. & CEO, Reagan Wireless Corp.www.reaganwireless.com 

Still thinking what to get for Father's Day? Here we have some affordable ideas. ‪

What dad doesn't like a good piece of tech? Find out what the gadget guys with kids are happy to have in their toolbox.

http://www.cnet.com/pictures/cnet-dads-recommend/

1. Fitbit Flex $79.95

I rarely leave home without my Fitbit; it's become a part of my everyday the way shoes are. It's brought my activity level into my awareness, and keeps me motivated and moving. And there just isn't anything quite like that buzz you get when you've hit your daily goal.

2. Sony PlayStation Vita $297.95

Somewhere along the line I got tired of playing smartphone games and now opt for a more console-like mobile gaming experience with the PS Vita. But more importantly, I use it to pacify the kids on trips. It turns them into zombies and takes the sting out of long plane rides.

Read more: http://www.cnet.com/pictures/cnet-dads-recommend/

Daniel Kaufman, Pres. & CEO, Reagan Wireless Corp.www.reaganwireless.com 

Apple Watch 2 details leaked.

A bunch of details about the Apple Watch 2 have already leaked:

Apple just launched the Apple Watch in April, but the company is already reportedly planning some new features for the watch's successor.
The next version of the Apple Watch will come with a camera for video chatting, among other additions, according to 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman, who says he has spoken with sources familiar with Apple's plans for the next watch.
The watch will most likely launch in 2016, though Gurman's source warns that the model referred to in this post could simply be a prototype. This means some of the features may not actually make it into the second-generation watch, though Apple is probably testing them.
Here's a breakdown of what to expect from the next Apple Watch, according to Gurman:

• The next watch will have a FaceTime camera. It will be embedded in the top bezel of the watch so you can make and receive video calls from your wrist. The current Apple Watch mirrors the camera on your phone and acts as a remote control for your iPhone's camera shutter.
• Apple wants you to be able to use the next Apple Watch without being near your iPhone. The Apple Watch 2 will come with a different chipset that makes it easier to perform tasks on the watch, such as text messaging and emailing, without being tethered to your iPhone. Apple is calling this initiative "tether-less," according to Gurman. You can already use some of the functionality in the Apple Watch without being tied to your iPhone via Bluetooth, such as music playback and activity tracking. But it sounds as if Apple wants to make it even easier to use the watch without your phone by adding a Wi-Fi chip to it. This isn't too surprising — in April, Google announced that Android Wear would support the ability to connect to Wi-Fi.
• New Watch models are coming. Apple is considering adding new Apple Watch tiers that fall between the regular Watch and the $10,000 Edition. It's unclear exactly how Apple plans to do this, though, but Gurman speculates that we could see Watch models made of different materials, such as platinum or titanium.
• It doesn't sound as if Apple will make any battery-life improvements. Apple has done some research that indicates its customers are satisfied with the watch's battery life. Most watch owners still have between 30% and 40% of battery left at the end of the day and don't mind charging it nightly, Gurman says.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-watch-2-features-specs-leak-2015-6#ixzz3dRDOsb4G

Pepper the humanoid goes on sale in Japan this weekend for $1600.

Pepper, the humanoid robot that its makers say can recognise and respond to human emotions, goes on sale in Japan this weekend.

SoftBank, the company behind the robot, is planning to release 1,000 robots every month.
Pepper will sell for 198,000 yen (£1,000), and businesses will be able to rent it for 1,500 yen an hour.
Robotic expert Prof Noel Sharkey said SoftBank's business strategy was "risky".
Although the upfront price is relatively cheap for a sophisticated robot - SoftBank is actually selling it at below manufacturing costs - customers will also have to pay monthly service fees of up to 24,000 yen and sign up to a three-year contract.

"SoftBank is hoping to make money from apps, but it is risky as it is not clear whether anyone will develop any for it," said Prof Sharkey, from the University of Sheffield.
There will be 100 apps available for download at launch.
The robots will be manufactured by FoxConn. Chinese online retailer Alibaba is also partnering. Both are investing $118m in SoftBank's robotic division and will take 20% shares in the company.
No date has yet been set for when Pepper will go on sale outside of Japan, but Softbank chief executive Masayoshi Son said it would probably happen next year.
Pepper can remember faces and is programmed to recognise human emotions.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33183360

Daniel Kaufman, Pres. & CEO, Reagan Wireless Corp.www.reaganwireless.com