Category Archives: Gadgets

Take Your Music With You With The Memorex TagAlong Portable Boombox for iPod & iPhone

Electronics, Gadgets, New posts, , , ,

I love music and all of my favorite music is on my iPhone which is fine when I’m in the car because I can use the FM Transmitter but at home, it wasn’t very easy to listen to music from my iPhone.. that is until I got a Memorex TagAlong™ Portable Boombox.  The TagAlong Portable Boombox moves with me from room to room so I can bring my tunes with me.  Naturally I have the fun, kids music playing on it when I’m downstairs with them, the relaxing music plays when I’m in the office, and I have a ‘sleepy time’ music playlist and I play via the TagAlong when I’m in bed.

The Memorex TagAlong Portable Boombox is small, lightweight, and easy to carry (note the convenient handle) and is available in black and white.

Memorex TagAlong Features:

  • The TagAlong Powers and charges your iPhone & iPod devices.
  • Line-in jack to connect other audio devices
  • Digital FM radio with station presets, includes FM antenna
  • Option to use with 4 AAA batteries (sold separately)
  • Includes AC adapter

Memorex TagAlong Boombox

Learn more and buy the Memorex TagAlong at Amazon.com.

The Memorex TagAlong has an MSRP of $59 but can be bought at Amazon.com (link above) for $49 now.

Disclosure: I received a Memorex TagAlong Portable Boombox to try out for this review.  My opinions are 100% my own. You can read my full Disclosure Policy here.

Give the Gift of Getting There Safely and Efficiently with a Map Update from NAVTEQ

Gadgets, New posts, Travel, , ,

Do you want to give friends and family a gift that you know they won’t return or re-gift this year?  Look no further than a NAVTEQ in-dash navigation system map update.   Did you know that NAVTEQ is the company whose technology and maps power most of the in-dash navigation systems and GPS-powered devices in the US?

NAVTEQ in-dash map updates

Unfortunately my 2006 Nissan Quest is not equipped with in-dash navigation but chances are that if you, your friends, or family have an in-dash navigation system, it’s powered by NAVTEQ so giving them a NAVTEQ Map Update is a no-brainer.

Holidays = Travel, right?
Well, that doesn’t apply just to you or me.. It applies to millions of people who like to share the highways with us.  If you have kids and will be travelling.. between traffic, accidents, construction, and much needed ‘pit-stops’, you’ll be very grateful for your GPS system this year.  However, if your navigation maps aren’t updated your GPS system isn’t going to help you as much as it could if it was updated.

The world changes, so should your maps. You don’t want your family, your parents, or teenage kids to be stuck somewhere that you aren’t familiar with so it’s really important to have a GPS navigation system and NAVTEQ’s map updates make the perfect gift!

The holiday season is in full swing, which means a lot of running around and a lot of trying to figure what to get for that hard-to-shop-for loved one. A nav system map update from NAVTEQ can help save time when it comes to both of these issues. Whether store hopping to find that sold-out toy, or need to find a place to pick up a hostess gift on the way to the holiday party, an updated map will get you there.

NAVTEQ websiteNAVTEQ website

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This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of NAVTEQ.  All opinions are 100% mine.

HTC Aria review and why it’s great for social moms

Electronics, Gadgets, New posts,

HTC has introduced another phone, the Aria that brings superb functionality, quality, productivity, and social networking features to moms and teens, without a huge price.  The phone casing has a ‘sure-grip’ texture which is great for busy moms as we as we don’t always have the best grip on things, right?  The 3.2-inch display makes viewing web pages, photographs, emails, and videos, a pleasure.   On the back side of the Aria is a 5-megapixel camera that doubles as a VGA video recorder and speaker. On top of the phone is the power button and a 3.5mm headphone jack and on the bottom is a microUSB jack.

With Android you get seven home screens which enables moms to have a different screen for each child.   For example, you can have a screen just for your toddler’s apps while your older child can have a screen of her own with apps she’ll enjoy.  Now if only you could clone the Aria when you’re at a restaurant and your kids are cranky and you want them both to be occupied. Maybe next time.

Social moms will appreciate the included FriendStream app, which is an app that aggregates your Facebook, Twitter and Flickr updates.  If that doesn’t sound exciting to you, just wait until you try it out.  Having all of your social networks mashed up in one place is a huge time saver.. and great when you’re in the carpool line.

HTC Aria - seven homescreens

Music and Multimedia Entertainment

  • Aria users can watch YouTube or MMS videos and have the option of subscribing to MobiTV and AT&T’s Mobile Video app giving users plenty of video entertainment choices.
  • The Aria includes an FM radio app and Android’s music playing app.  Plug in your headphones, play your favorite music, and go for a walk – or simply turn up the tunes and tune out the kids for a few minutes.
  • Check the weather, email, and see what your Facebook and Twitter friends are up to with the free and included apps.
  • Inside the Aria is a pre-installed 2GB microSD card that can be swapped out as needed.  Take lots of photographs & videos?  No worries.
The Mommy Insider website on the HTC Aria

Phone Functionality

  • Watch out moms.. even tiny toddler fingers can navigate the small icons on the Aria.
  • When you’re in the car you can use Aria’s speaker phone or bluetooth capabilities.

Camera & Video

  • The Aria takes great photos making it a good alternative to searching for your digital camera every time you want to take a quick snapshot.
  • The Aria has a VGA recorder instead of an HD recorder but that shouldn’t be a big deal to most users as the quality is still great and serves the purpose which is most likely shooting a 30 second video of your child singing a silly song or your kids running around the yard shooting Nerf guns.

Web

  • What else is there to do when you’re waiting in the carpool line at 1:00 but surf the Web?
    The Aria allows users to easily find websites and look up search terms such as “find a mommy’s helper now!” and you’ll get quick, easy to read, results.   Some image-rich web pages may take a few seconds to come up but mobile versions load fast.
The HTC Aria is slim

Battery Life

  • Despite the fact that the Aria is a small phone, the battery offers up to six hours of talk time. In actual full-day usage (phone calls, emails, Web surfing, social networking, taking photographs, etc), I usually had more than 35% of battery life left by bedtime whereas with my iPhone  I am down to about 20% by day’s end.

Other useful features

  • Calendar
  • Google maps
  • Voice guided GPS
  • Memory expandable up to 32GB
  • Contacts can including social network status, pictures, and auto-populate from social networks
  • Create music playlists
  • Talk on the phone and access data simultaneously

Conclusion

The HTC Aria is a great phone for busy, connected, social moms as well as for teens.   The Android platform offers users lots of productivity, social, and entertainment features.  The Aria’s compact design allows the phone to fit in any diaper bag pocket or your favorite clutch for those rate and muh needed date nights.   As tempted as you might be though, don’t text the babysitter 10 times during your dinner date!  Oh, and speaking of.. I found that I had less typos on the HTC Aria than I do on my iPhone.  I’m not sure if that’s due to the size of the letters or the way the phone reads the touches/taps but I appreciate not having to go back and correct tons of spelling errors.

You can buy the HTC Aria at the HTC website or at your local AT&T store.

Disclosure:  The Mommy Insider was provided with an HTC Aria from Waggener Edstrom Worldwide on behalf of HTC for review purposes.  The opinions in this review are my honest opinions and you may experience different results.

Pop Art 5-in-1 Toy Story Tasty Baker review

Food and Drink, Gadgets, New posts, , , , ,

We LOVE pancakes.. OK, I LOVE pancakes.
Tim and Sebastian like chocolate chip pancakes and Madelyn doesn’t like pancakes, but loves eggs.
So, you can imagine that weekend mornings are fun around here.  I usually have the pancake griddle and a skillet out for the eggs, but this week I made regular pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, AND eggs in our new Pop Art Toy Story 5-in-1 Tasty Baker.

How cute are these little Toy Story pancakes?

We recently went on a trip to a lodge in Kentucky for a few days and nights and I brought the Pop Art Toy Story 5-in-1 Tasty Baker with us.   With 3 kids under 4 years old and my  10 year old, the Tasty Baker was a huge hit!   I thought I would use it once or twice during our vacation but I used it every day.

Here’s what I’ve made with the Pop Art Toy Story 5-in-1 Tasty Baker:

  • regular pancakes
  • chocolate chip pancakes – Sebastian’s favorite
  • blueberry pancakes – my favorite
  • eggs – Madelyn’s favorite

My cousin’s kids might have loved the Toy Story shapes as much as or more than the actual pancakes.   I use soy milk in my pancake recipe and some people are turned off by that.. I have to remind myself that most kids don’t know the difference though and assume that they loved them.  They sure gobbled them up!

The Tasty Baker can be wiped clean and includes a cleaning tool/brush to use on areas where the batter might stick.  It also comes with a batter scoop and an instruction manual.  It would be nice if the Tasty Baker came with removable nonstick plates so they could be handled and washed easier.

Pop Art Toy Story Tasty Baker

The 5-in-1 Tasty Baker is available in a Disney Princess version as well as a Mickey Mouse version.. and of course a standard version.

Toy Story 5-in-1 Tasty Baker bakes cakes, muffins, quickbreads, and more…it can even cook eggs (Madelyn loves ‘Alien eggs’) into 5 delicious, kid-friendly shapes: Buzz, Woody, Rex, Alien and Lotso.

You can buy the Pop Art Toy Story 5-in-1 Tasty Baker here at Amazon.com

Read about mom-entrepreneur Linda Carlish, creator of The Pop Art Toaster here.

Follow Pop Art Toaster on Twitter

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Disclosure: I received a Disney 5-in-1 Toy Story Tasty Baker from PopArtToasterStore.com for review. I did not receive any other compensation. This product review is based on my own personal experiences and is completely honest and objective.  Your experiences might not be the same.

Motorola MJ270R Two-Way Radio review and free designer faceplate offer

Gadgets, New posts, Safety, Travel,

Two-way radios have been around for years but up until a few years ago I didn’t feel the need to own a two-way radio.  HOWEVER now, I can imagine not having two pairs of two-way radios.  I know what you’re thinking.. don’t you all have cell phones?   Yes, my husband and I have iPhones and my son (spoiled) has a Palm.  Oh, and my 4 year old has a very cute Barbie cell phone that she uses often.  But, I don’t want to use our phone minutes just to tell my son that it’s time to come inside for dinner or to call him home from a nearby friend’s house.  That’s when our Motorola two-way radios come in handy.

My dad bought my family our first pair of Motorola two-way radios about 5 years ago and now we take those and our new Motorola MJ270R two-way radios with us on camping trips, hikes, and most vacations.  We have two two-way radio charger stations in our front hallway.. that tells you how often we use them.   Motorola’s  MJ270R two-way radios are great to take to places like Disney World, Busch Gardens, the Zoo, and Great Wolf Lodge, where older kids are likely to want to go to a different area than the younger kids.

Motorola’s MJ270R two-way radios are the perfect emergency preparedness communication tool for outdoor enthusiasts and active families and include features like an emergency alert button, 11 weather channels with an alert feature and a built in flashlight.
Want to keep in touch with changing weather conditions during your family camping adventure? There’s no need to stop the fun.  Weather alerts will provide you with warnings of incoming storms or dangerous conditions. And, by tuning in to one of 7 NOAA channels (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) on your MJ270, you will always know what to pack with continuous local and regional weather broadcasting. When you are hiking up a steep mountain trail, you really need to keep your hands free to brace the rocky terrain.  With iVOX acting like a speakerphone and allowing hands-free communication, you can keep on moving without stopping to answer a call.

For just about $50 you are giving yourself the opportunity to save money on your cell phone bill, be prepared in the case of an emergency, and have quick access to your child’s whereabouts whether they’re in the backyard or at a nearby friends house.

Buy your family a pair of Motorola TalkAbout MJ270R 27-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radios here.

Take a look at Motorola’s full line of Two-Way Radios here on Motorola’s website.

Bonus.. get free designer faceplates for your two-way radios!

Purchase a pair of Motorola MR350, MR355R, MR356R and MJ270R Talkabout 2-way radios from a participating retailer by December 31, 2010 then go to www.talkaboutpromo.com and follow the instructions on the website. You will be asked to fill out the promo code provided on the pack to receive your choice of free designer faceplates (includes two faceplates).