Smartphones are incredibly useful devices, and the amount of people using them has skyrocketed over recent years. Businesses have adopted them wholeheartedly, and now making sure employees have smartphones is as essential as buying business insurance policy. It seems that accessing the internet for communication through email, social media, and instant messaging has now taken a firm foothold, and it is much cheaper than traditional voice calls. Even voice calls can be made for free using Skype, so smart phones really have everything covered.

The only problem with the transition from using a traditional personal computer and physical keyboard to a smart phone is the touch screen interface that many of them now use. Some people find touch-typing on the new on-screen keyboards cumbersome and less efficient than with a traditional keyboard. The small keys make hitting the correct letter harder, and typing at speed can result in a lot of mistakes.

The Android operating system comes with touch-typing software pre-installed, but it is by no means the best software out there. Other software developers have noticed that problem that some smartphone users have with touch screen typing, and have endeavoured to solve that problem with new apps. Different apps will suit different users, so it is worth taking a look at all of them to see which one is right for you. Installing new software to make typing on a smartphone easier cold save you a lot of time and reduce the frustration of trying to write that urgent email on your smartphone.

SwiftKey X\

This handy app is really quite clever. It’s an intelligent keyboard app that collects information about your typing style and adapts itself to suit you. Once you begin using tis keyboard app it will see what words you use the most and the mistakes you commonly make. The more you use it the better it gets at predicting the word you are planning to type, so much so that just a couple of letters can be enough for it to present your chosen word. The only downside to this app is that it’s not free, but you can use it for one month, which should be enough time to decide whether you like it or not.

SWYPE

If you have a new Android smartphone the chances are that SWYPE may already be installed on your operating system. Just check your keyboard setting to see if there is a SWYPE option. This app lets you swipe the word you want to type instead of hitting each individual key. So you just glide your finger over the keyboard and move from letter to letter. The app predicts which word you are trying to type, and its clever algorithm is pretty good at picked the word you are trying to write. If it’s not already on your phone you can download it for free.

TouchPal

TouchPal works in the same way as SWYPE, by gliding your fingers over the touch-screen keyboard to each letter of the word you want to input. However, the developers of this app are trying to improve this system by adding a host of extra features to improve it even further. Things like swiping up to type a number and swiping down for a special character, and the ability to cut, copy, and paste can be done with TouchPal. At the moment it is in its beta stage and is still free, so try it out and see what you think.

Go Keyboard

The Go Keyboard app is a great looking keyboard app that allows you to customize the layout of different keys and add characters not usually present on a standard keyboard. You can add a key for things like smileys, and change the size and position of where your keys are placed. There are also a number of different themes to choose from to add the finishing touch to your customized keyboard. It is equipped with standard features like auto-correct, and also supports slide input.

ICS Keyboard

This free keyboard app is very effective at text prediction, and also has a speech to text feature, although this is only available for some languages. Other features it has include a built-in dictionary and an auto-correction option that is customizable. If that is not enough, it allows different smileys to be selected by holding down the ‘Enter’ key, and domains to be selected by holding down the ‘/’ key. Some of the technology used in ICS Keyboard is included in the latest version of Android, but download the app if you are running an earlier version.

Do Check: Android Coffee Maker

About Author

Charlotte Richards works full time selling business insurance but her real passion lies in technology. In her spare time she writes freelance articles with special interest in new media and web 2.0.Similar Posts:

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There have been a lot of technological advances since 2000 that deserve their place in history. Its amazing to think how far we have come in such a short time, with gadgets seemingly taking leaps and bounds every year and improving on already amazing ideas and technology. These not only make our lives easier but also help more products enter the marketplace based upon these technologies.

There are five advances that I think really stand out more than the others simply because they have turned the world upside down with their place in our world, making it easier for consumers and businesses alike to reach more people, bring in new products and generally live a better life.

1. Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is now found in just about every store, hotel, house, and café around the world, making it possible to connect to the internet without stringing a bunch of cables into the back of the computer. Since this advance, it has helped cell phones, tablets, laptops and other devices enter the marketplace more successfully as well. When our wifi goes down we forget how amazing this technology actually is.

Do Check: How Satellite Internet is Changing our Media and News Sources

2. Social media

Sites like Facebook and Twitter are extremely technologically advanced and it’s not just about helping others stay in touch with each other. Businesses rely on this social media more than anyone else in order to reach their target demographics, get feedback on their products and market successfully. A number of technologies have imitated these sites and the academic world has latched on by offering courses in social media.

3. The Smart Phone

The cell phone was advanced but the smart phone has gone above and beyond. The Android and the iPhone have popularized the concept but there are many manufacturers who have entered the arena. With apps becoming more and more popular as a way of doing business, the smart phone has internet access, a camera, gps, and many other features, making it an integral part of one’s life. It’s no longer just for making phone calls – it’s used for school, shopping, business, gaming, research and other aspects of life.

4. Electric Cars

There’s no longer a need to use gas or petrol to fuel cars. With the advancement of electrical and hybrid cars, it’s truly a green solution for the earth. Since the first prototype was designed, many manufacturers have piggy-backed on the idea to create more designs that use just electric or a combination of electric/petrol. As technology advances are made, the electric car is getting larger and faster as well.

5. 3D technology

3D technology is getting smaller and more readily available. The technology is going into televisions, smart phones, cinemas, laptops and everywhere else. Over the past 5 years, there’s been more 3D movies released to the big screen than ever before and the trend will continue as more television brands are releasing 3D televisions to the public. The 3D glasses are more advanced than the old paper ones and it’s changing the way people think about watching television and playing video games. However glasses less technology on a mass scale will bring this even further.

Paragon RT can help bring your technology to the masses with a rapid prototyping service and can work with low volume production options as well.

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IVIO Icon Pro by PTCL is an Android smart phone enabled with 3G. Two Packages of IVIO Icon Pro are available namely Evo Wind and Evo Wings. For Rs.16 999, get the smart phone with 5 GB data for 3 months

HTC Radar is the latest Windows Phone device released by HTC and recently launched by Mobilink; it runs the latest version of Windows Phone OS available, Mango. Lets take a look on it before proceeding with the review:

HTC radar has a very corporate touch to it while at the same time also being remarkably user friendly for any purpose. It has a metal body which gives a nice elegant feel to the fingers. Unlike some other phones, the metal feel to it does not affect the phones weight at all. At 137g it is very light and easy to handle at all times. The metal feel on Radar also gives a good grip when held in hands.

Next thing to consider is its size. With dimensions of (120.5mm x 61.5mm x 10.9mm) it looks really classy and it is very easy to get a grip on. It’s not that long and it’s not thick at all hence making it a very fun phone to deal with because it also has a little bend on the bottom side of it where you can see the compulsory 3 Window phone buttons.

At the back we can see the 5MP camera and the LED flash light along with the speaker that gives crystal clear sound. On the top there is a headphone jack along with the power button too. There are Volume and camera buttons on the right, microUSB/ charging slot on the left of the phone. Unlike many other HTC phones, HTC radar has no option of adding a memory card because there is inbuilt 8GB memory inside the phone.

All in all, this looks to be a very good phone and even though it might not attract people who want their interests in one screen (because it is a Windows phone) this is basically more of a corporate phone. It surely oozes class and user friendliness and for people who would like to buy it. I give it a 7/10. The only drawbacks are for those who don’t like Windows phones. It is like every HTC phone in the sense that it is extremely fast and has a great touch that responds well to every need of yours.

Design and Build

The HTC Radar comes with traditional HTC unibody, its metallic body with smooth plastic at bottom and top of its back makes it look elegant and smart. It has 3.8 inches S-LCD 480×800 pixel (WVGA) capacitive touch screen with nice sunlight legibility and reasonably bright colors but comparatively low pixel density i.e. (~246 PPI). It has a secondary VGA camera on its face placed above its touch screen and 5MP camera is at its back with LED flash, speaker is next to camera. The 3 traditional windows phone capacitive keys i.e. Back, Home and Search are well spaced and place at bottom. At right side of HTC Radar there is a volume control and camera button, camera can be directly activated from locked screen by long pressing camera button. On left side microUSB is found which may create problem for left handed people using the phone while charging. 3.5mm jack is on top with power button. Its bottom has a removable cover which allows inserting only SIM card, the memory card slot is missing as 8GB internal memory is available. The battery is not user-replaceable, which we see as a disadvantage but having a non-replaceable battery adds to the slimness of the phone. It has a powerful 1GHz Scorpion processor and Adreno 205 GPU.

The Windows Phone tastes Mango

The HTC Radar comes with Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 (mango) operating system with HTC green tiles and black background. Its user interface is smooth with live tiles which display information, different shortcuts and allow direct access to selected softwares, these tiles can be easily edited and personalized. The way of information displayed on the tiles is improved, you can view social network update of you friends on a Group tile, picture tile displays animated slideshow of pictures and you can search applications by just typing their name in application list. The lock screen unlocks by swipe and its background can be easily changed.

Windows Phone till now do not allows you to manage your files & folders and even do not allow transferring them via blue tooth, the app store is smaller than android app store which makes less applications available to users. You can use feature of multitasking which allow you to access last used 5 to 6 apps but the older apps need to be re-launched for use, you can turn off this function from settings to save battery.

Windows Phone Mango update supports voice recognition which enables the users to dictate a text message or to listen any received message and you can even instruct the mobile to initiate a search in search engine by voice command.

The Mango update gives a great social networking experience; it provides better and faster synchronization. Call, text messages, email, Facebook wall, and Twitter mentions all appear when you open a contact. You can also get access to online pictures and galleries from social networks easily. You can make contact groups and pin then on your home screen as a live tile. You can pool your e-mail from your all e-mail accounts in your Window phone, what you need to do is to connect all your accounts to you HCT Radar.

Microsoft Office Support

As HTC Radar is a windows phone Microsoft office integration is a key function of this smart phone. The Mango update enables the users to sync documents between PC and windows phone using SkyDrive which provides 25GB free storage capacity. The main Office hub has the categories i.e. Documents, Location and Notes. With Microsoft office it is easier to create, edit and share several important documents but you can’t share them via Bluetooth or by e-mail editor, documents can only be shared using the Office hub. OneNote is a useful and comprehensive note taking tool which allows to perform several useful tasks, it can be used as a to-do list and you can pin it on the main screen.

To give a HTC touch The HTC Radar has some interesting HTC apps like Notes, Lists, Calculator, Converter etc .

Media and Connectivity

The Xbox Live is a gaming hub, it has many feature similar to x box. The spot light feature enables you to see the requests and game invites from your friends. Xbox live do not support all the games, there is a separate section for the games supported by the Xbox Live. HTC Radar’s 1GHz processor is powerful enough to play high quality graphic games like Need for Speed, Kinectimals and Angry birds.

In the windows phone Mango update there’s a new People tab which helps to browse pictures of your contacts and groups in the Picture hub. Previously last viewed picture automatically appeared at the background of the hub, now u can set a single picture or a set of pictures to be used as background picture which give more personalized look to the Picture hub. In new update picture editing apps are synchronized with the Picture hub which enables to edit and to add effects to the pictures direct from the Picture hub. You can share videos and pictures via e-mail, messaging, Facebook or Sky Drive. The HTC Radar does not support DivX or XviD video formats. Even a single video, song, radio channel can be pinned as a live tile on home screen.

The HTC Radar’s 5MP autofocus camera has a wide-angle lens which helps to capture wider images and back-side illuminated sensor which enhances camera performance in dim light. The secondary front camera is VGA which is placed above the touch screen for video chat. The camera app has several settings to create effects on a picture. Amazingly the camera can be directly accessed from the lock screen by long pressing the thin camera key. Its video results were not at all impressive in terms of colours, smoothness, details and overall quality. Its camera performance is not 2x better than HTC HD7 (as asserted by officials in the HTC Radar meet up), lets see a few images taken fom HTC Radar and HTC HD7 for comparison:

Pics taken from Radar:

Pics taken from HD7:

The HTC Radar supports quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and dual-band 3G with HSPA. It has standard Wi-Fi (with hotspot) and Bluetooth connectivity, but Bluetooth is with limited use as you can’t transfer files. The only ways to transfer files is by connecting to PC using Zune app or to sync with SkyDrive. The latest version of Internet Explorer is 7.5 which is available in HTC Radar.

The Bing search helps to search you market apps and other stuff, now it can perform two new functions i.e. it can work as bar code reader and song recognizer which were previously performed by different apps. The Bing map is a useful app which offers many helpful functions to help in navigation but for Pakistan its map support is extremely poor

Calling and Texting

The phonebook is now replaced by People hub and instead of contacts term Profiles is used in WP 7.5. The profile contains all updates and data from all social networks and email addresses of that contact. Contacts are arranged alphabetically and you can pick contacts by searching them by first alphabet of their name, a list of all profiles with names starting with the selected alphabet will appear.

The HTC Radar has an excellent and loud call quality and a good call reception. The live tile and the lock screen displays only the number of miss calls, the details off calls can be viewed in call history. It has a voice dialing option but it cannot differentiate between two people with same names but different sir names. You can download ringtones from market but unfortunately you can’t set a song or ring tone from your audio collection. It has good quality loud speaker with fairly high volume.

The HTC Radar provides you with a wonderful messaging experience. There are material changes in the messaging in the latest Mango update. Threads of text messaging, Facebook messaging and (WLM) Windows LiveMmessenger are combined. Messaging is now divided in two heads i.e. threads (offline) and online (friend available online) which makse messaging and online chatting easier. You can forward, edit, copy and paste the messages, you can’t send any attachment in Facebook chat in messaging, for this purpose MMS is used. The HTC Radar uses the standard Windows Phone QWERTY key board which we found comfortable to use, it has sound feedback but no haptic vibration feedback.

Final Words

HTC Radar is priced reasonably at Rs. 38,000 in Pakistan. So if you are looking for a sleek UI with blazing fast speed the WP Mango powered HTC Radar is one of the best options around. Here are some pros and cons

Pros

• Facebook integration at its best
• 512 MB RAM
• 3.5mm audio jack
• Microsoft Office Editor
• Sync with Sky Drive
• Exclusive HTC apps
• Wi-Fi b/ g/ n

Cons

• No mass storage/ data transfer mode
• Files can only be transferred to PC via Zune
• Documents cant be synced between PC and Phone via Zune
• No file manager
• No Bluetooth file transfer
• Manual IP settings for Wi-Fi not possible
• No Skype support
• Non user replaceable battery

Bulky computers and dial-up internet connections have long ago become things of the past. Amazing advancements in technology have made it possible to browse the internet from almost anywhere, anytime, directly from your mobile phone. Mobile internet service can vary greatly depending on what type of device you have, the company you choose to buy service from, and the internet package you have as part of your mobile phone plan–and because it’s not always cheap, getting the most for your money should be your ultimate goal. Highlighted for you here are some easy ways to get better mobile internet service.

Compare Data Plans

Mobile internet service providers offer a variety of data plans, so look at all of your options before deciding which one will best fit your internet needs. Some data plans have a cap on them, meaning once you’ve reached the download limit that has been set for you for the month, you either won’t be able to use the internet anymore or you will be charged for additional usage. Also, it’s important to find out if the service provider practices bandwidth throttling. Bandwidth throttling means the speed of downloads will decrease greatly once you’ve exceeded your data plan. If you download a large number of videos for example, you may want to opt for a plan with unlimited data usage so that you can maintain great coverage without the threat of additional charges.

Consider Mobile Reception

The quality of your mobile internet service can be largely affected by the area in which you live. If your current service is bad due to poor reception, you may want to switch to a different company altogether in order to improve your internet connection. If you want better service, go with a provider that has a network that covers the area in which you live or spend the majority of your time.

Check Out Customer Reviews

Customer reviews will tell you almost everything you need to know about mobile internet service, so go online or ask around to find out what others are saying about their current provider and service. A large number of bad reviews and customer complaints about a particular company should raise some red flags–if that’s what you find in your search, it might be best to move on and look for a provider with a stellar reputation when it comes to mobile internet service.

Read Contracts Carefully

When you purchase mobile internet service as part of your smart phone plan, you almost always have to sign a contract requiring you to stay with the provider for a designated amount of time before you are able to either stop or switch your service. Read fine print carefully when it comes to these contracts. If you purchase a plan only to find out your mobile internet service is poor or a better plan is being offered elsewhere for less, the last thing you want is to be locked into a contract for an extended period of time.

As you can see, there are several ways to obtain better mobile internet service so that you can access the internet when you want, where you want. Research different service plans and providers, and shop around. Having your options laid out on the table will make it much easier to see which mobile internet service is best.

Guest post from Karen Schweitzer. Karen writes about internet service providers and related topics for Internetserviceproviders.org.

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The Indigo HTC Explorer is the latest smart phone with its unique look and design.The offer of Indigo HTC Explorer is available at only specific sales and services centres of Mobilink in every city

“You don’t need to be a doctor to save a life“. This morning out of nowhere I read this line and that instantly reminded me the part of the verse number 32 of chapter 5 (Surat Al-Mai’dah) that says, “And if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole humanity”. It makes serving others and saving in order to save lives of the others a divine duty of us all. During the days of busyness with my dissertation and all I collected a great pile of unread emails, last night I came across to an email that was introduction of save life project. Since morning, I am trying to gain more information on this project.

Save Life project is all about saving lives of the other and with the planning, developing, and organizing it is now accessible at SaveLife.pk an idea that was initially started with the blood donation organizing during Dengue Attack. Save Life, simply provide a collaboration point for the blood organizing bodies, all the organizations can register with it and share their database of donors. That will make donor arrangement easy with the availability of larger data.  This is a multipurpose service i.e. natural disaster assistance, hepatitis, cencer, thalessmia, and HIV awareness.

One can get registered by sending an SMS to their code number with a defined pattern “Blood Signup gender, full name, city” (e.g. blood signup male, Rai Azlan, Lahore) and send this SMS  to their code number. In addition, one can request blood by sending an SMS to their code number stating, “I need to get [blood group] blood in [city] near [some area]” (e.g. I need to get B+ blood in Lahore near Cantt).

This is indeed a good idea to me in order to build database and arranging blood when required. However, being a start-up this need a lot of support and especially need many registered donors to show how effective it is. All those who are not willing to donate blood for some reason can still help and show support by become Social Media volunteers. These volunteers will require to set facebook status or share tweets regarding the blood requirement to spread the word. (E.g. Urgently required B+ve blood in CMH Hospital Lahore Pakistan. Contact 0300-1234567). This does not mean promoting save life as getting popularity is not the motive; the motive is to save life.

SaveLife.pk has also developed Facebook and Twitter App. The apps for smart phones are available. The mobile apps are location-based service and helps in finding blood near to the location it is actually required.

While my information search I came across to some of the success stories regarding Save Life project. As I am follower of no idea is bad idea concept I highly regard it as a very good idea and wish all the best to men behind this concept Talal Masood and Ahsen Masood. In case more information required regarding this service you can drop an email at help@savelife.pk.

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Now that you have managed to make it through the Thanksgiving holiday, your mind has begun to drift away from thoughts of turkey and stuffing, not to mention pumpkin pie, to thoughts of holiday giving.  Today the Christmas shopping season officially begins, as Black Friday consumes shoppers across the country.  It’s the American way to look for a deal and a bargain, but does your bargain gift come with a price?

Global March Against Child Labor estimates that one in every eight children from 5 to 17 years old, some 179 million, work in the worst forms of child labor. Slavery taints many of our consumer products such as clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, electronics, sports equipment, rugs, agricultural produce, sugar, tea, coffee, chocolate, and many others. Often products, like clothing, may even be tainted at multiple points in the supply chain. For example, children may have been used to pick the cotton of a shirt, while workers were held in situations of slavery and forced to sew the clothing.

Why not make your holiday shopping list one that not only brings joy to your friends and family, but is free from slavery and gives back to individuals and communities in need? Slavery touches each one of us as a consumer, therefore take a stand against child and slave labor and work toward being a more conscious consumer by keeping slavery tainted products out of your home today in just a few easy steps:

1. Donate to local organizations that help empower people out of poverty & slavery, many can be found here; Fair Trade and Slave Free Links, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Links, and Child Soldiers Links
2. Educate yourself about the companies that use slavery in the making of their products. Green America has a sweatshop free guide.  Sweatfree Communities: Sweatfree Communities has a great shopping guide with a number of places to buy sweatshop-free apparel for men, women, and children.  Fair Trade Federation: You can search their online directory for Fair Trade vendors in your area.
3. Become a more conscious consumer and buy products made by survivors of trafficking or Fair Trade products.  Amanda Kloer summed it up nicely with her list of 7 Ways to Fight Slavery at the Grocery Store and her post on where to find gifts that help human trafficking survivors, over the last two years. You can also see the Fair Trade and Slave Free Links list, which has a number of resources and sites where you can learn more about, and purchase Fair Trade or slave free goods.
4. Here is a quick list to get your Black Friday Shopping Started:
• Fair Trade the White House Holiday Gift Guide a full color catalog with gift ideas for everyone on your list!
• Fair Trade Federation has an online directory, which will list Fair Trade vendors in your town.
• Free2Work Watch List is the leading community of citizen investigators that monitors, reports and investigates companies around the world the use slave labor in producing their products.
• Global Exchange - a membership-based international human rights organization dedicated to promoting social, economic and environmental justice around the world.  Purchase clothing, jewelry, handbags, coffee, chocolate, and bath & beauty.
• Sweatfree Communities provides a great shopping guide on where to buy sweatshop-free apparel for men, women, and children.
• Nightlight International offers intervention to sexually exploited women and children, to provide a program of holistic transformation, empowering them to live and make jewelry in their community.
• Wonderfully Made Jewelry is designed to create hope for the victims of sex trafficking by providing sustainable jobs producing high quality handicrafts and jewelry.
• Ten Thousand Villages is one of the world’s oldest and largest fair trade organizations representing the diverse cultures of artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.  Buy jewelry, home decor, baskets, stationary, toys & games, and musical instruments.
• Free the Slaves liberates slaves around the world, helps them rebuild their lives and researches real world solutions to eradicate slavery forever.  Buy  clothing, jewelry, handbags, books, and paper.
• Made by Survivors/The Emancipation Network offers handicraft programs to survivors and provides a job that enables them to support themselves and live a meaningful, independent life. Purchase jewelry, bags and wallets,  handmade paper, holiday,  home & gifts, clothing, and scarves
• Stop Traffick Fashion is a boutique about restoration and change. Each purchase from Stop Traffick Fashion directly helps the survivors and organizations rescuing and providing rehabilitation to survivors.  Buy handbags, jewelry, and body & bath
• Equal Exchange Organic’s mission is to build long-term trade partnerships between farmers and consumers and to demonstrate the contribution of worker co-operatives and Fair Trade to a more equitable, democratic and sustainable world.  Purchase coffee,  tea, chocolate,  and snacks
• Rishi -Tea sets the standard for quality & expands the awareness of tea and its rich, inspirational tradition. Buy  tea, tea sets, tokonami, and clothing
• RIJI Green provides economic opportunities for survivors and at risk people of trafficking. Your purchases offer hope for people who were once oppressed and abused for profit.  Purchase purses, felt products,  journals, jute bags
• Goodweave works to end illegal child labor in the carpet industry and to offer educational opportunities to children in South Asia.  Buy your next rug today!
• Nomi Network is a non-profit organization bridging the private, public, and non-profit sectors through enterprise and education to end human trafficking. ‘Buy Her Bag Not Her Body” survivor made tote bag
• *Please note this is only a small list of organizations and retailers.

By supporting companies who do not profit from labor servitude, you not only ensure that you are purchasing free and fair goods, but are one step closer to helping end modern slavery. By purchasing Fair Trade, slavery free and survivor made products you are not only doing the ‘right thing’, but you can also use it as an opportunity to educate others, especially children, about human rights issues, such as child labor and modern slavery.  You can also increase your knowledge by checking out some of the following resources:

• Fair Trade and Slave Free Links
• Fair Trade Book List
• Slavery and Trafficking Related Books
• Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Links
• Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Reports and Publications
• Human Trafficking and Slavery Related Movies and Documentaries
• Human Trafficking Conventions and Laws

Shopping consciously is also a bit about thinking outside the box, so to speak.  There are a number of other ways you can seek to shop slave free, fair trade, green, etc.

1. Make your own gifts or support local artisans, you can also search online for handmade items; Artfire.com has artists from around the globe selling their crafts and art supplies, Etsy features handmade and vintage items, Ebay has a number of used, one of a kind and vintage items and even has a specifically designed sight World of Good, as does Craigslist.
2. Remember to recycle and reuse as much as possible, for not only does it help us reduce waste and maintain fight global warming, you can also help reduce the consumption of slavery tainted goods.  Shop your local vintage and charity shops.  See How to Go Green: Gift Giving
3. Before running off to the store for holiday shopping this year, take a minute to download the free GoodGuide™ application. The GoodGuide™ app is a simple and credible way to get information on a products environmental, health and social impacts by merely scanning the item’s barcode with your smart phone.