Category Archives: Gadgets

Digital Voice Recorder: $149

January 26, 2008Electronics, Fun stuff for parents, Gadgets, OrganizationAlicia

Digitalrecorder
When I received this Sony Digital Voice Recorder to review, I knew right away that it isn’t an ordinary recorder.. and is definitely not like the recorder I had when I was young which is the last time I used one.

Dory from Finding Nemo is a distant cousin of mine and we share the same short term memory loss problem. My mother will call to remind me to register Sebastian for baseball and she will ask me how I am going to remember what she just told me. Pretty bad. Now I can record a remind while we are on the phone.. she is finally convinced I will remember. Being small enough to fit in a pocket, enables me to carry the digital recorder with me anywhere, anytime. Once a day I download my recordings using the USB cord and cradle.

Great for when you think of something important while driving.
Record your child singing her favorite song.
Dad can take it to the PTA meeting so you can listen to everything later.
Record your parent teacher conference so you can listen to it again later.
Note important dates such as doctor’s appointments without having to write them down while standing at the receptionists desk.
You can file messages/recordings in folders directly on the recorder. I have one folder for personal reminders, one for work, and one for the kids.

Another really fun feature of this digital voice recorder is the alarm. I recorded ‘Wake up Sebastian!’ and set the alarm for 6:20a.m. and he was awakened by me without me in the room. He thought he was hearing things. Why not record a romantic message for your husband to hear when he walks in the door in the evening. What a great Valentine’s Day idea! You just have to know when he will be home so you can set the alarm feature.

This is a great tool for the tech savvy parent. I have to admit I was a bit intimidated by all of the buttons and functions at first but I learned to use and appreciate them in no time.

Icon_website2_2 Sony Style

Spy Video Car: $79+

January 26, 2008Age 5-7, Age 7-10, Ages 10-13, Electronics, Gadgets, ToysAlicia

Spycar All children wish they could spy on their sibling at some point or another. While I don’t condone spying, I will tell you that the Spy Video Car is a great spy tool because it is surprisingly quiet and drives very smooth on both carpet and hardwood floors. Our testers, ages 8-9, agreed that the Spy Car is ‘perfect in every way’. We found that as long as there are no obstructions in the path of the car the video reception is good up to 75 feet. When the driver was in a closet or tried to steer the car through a few rooms further and further away, the video reception would be good up to about 60 feet which is fine for most homes.
The components are well made and were put to the test with several ‘accidental’ falls down stairs, the antennas were tugged on, and unfortunately the Spy Car had the opportunity to ‘drink’ some juice at least once.

The Spy Video Car includes a headset, screen and hand-held controller. The Spy Video Car requires 12 AA batteries so I recommend purchasing a battery charger and rechargeable batteries.

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Wild Planet or Amazon.com

HP Photosmart A626 Compact Photo Printer & Photo Books

January 11, 2008Electronics, Fun stuff for parents, GadgetsAlicia

Compact photo printers are a wonderful thing. I don’t go on vacation without mine and now I have this great HP Photosmart compact printer that I want to tell you about. Unlike any photo printer I have used, the A626 gives me the ability to add frames, clip art, captions and more. This means no more trips to the scrapbook store for die cuts, embellisments, etc.! It’s all on printed directly on photograph. Then I simply add the photograph to Madelyn’s scrapbook and I’m done! Times sure have changed.

With the A626, I can print pictures directly from my camera, memory card or computer. I took the photo printer to my mother’s house once and she asked me how I know what a photograph looks like before printing it if I am using the memory card. The 4.8" color screen of course! I can scroll through and view any image directly on the screen. Then, using the stylus, I can crop photographs, edit the brightness, work with the color, add captions, and more. Sebastian (8 years old) had fun drawing mustaches on everyone’s faces. Then I choose how many copies of a photograph I want to print and use my stylus to click the printer icon and wahlah, I’ve got pictures!

The A626 has a carry handle, and the extendable parts fold in too make it easy to take with you anywhere. The A626 works off one ink cartridge and can accommodate most if not all size memory cards. You can print 4×6 and 5×7 photographs in as little as 39 seconds.

Want an easy way to share and give your photographs with family and friends? HP Photo Books available in 5×7 and 8.5×11 sizes come with everything you need to create a one of a kind gift.

The HP Photo Book includes all the things you need: a professional looking hardcover photo book, easy to use
layout and design software, and HP Advanced Photo Paper (12 sheets). Simply add your photos and creative touch,
and you’re ready to go. The included software gives you a variety of designs and styles for personalizing and creating unique photo pages.

After I installed the included software on my computer, I chose the design, size, layout and photographs I wanted and printed my pages. Then I slipped the photographs into the pop-open spine of my Photo Book and was done. The entire process took about one hour but will vary depending on how much time you spend creating your pages.

We’ve got three Photo Books to give away to lucky readers!
Simply click here to email me, enter "I want to win a Photo Book!" in the subject line and I will randomly choose three winners by Jan.14, 08. I will email the winners using the email address provided so please use the email address you check most often when sending the email.

Learn more about the HP A626 Compact Photo Printer at the HP.com website or click on the large picture below.
Learn more about HP Photo Books here.

SmartShopper: Easy grocery shopping at last!

January 10, 2008Electronics, Feeding - baby & kids, Food and Drink, Fun stuff for parents, Gadgets, OrganizationsmartshopperAlicia

The SmartShopper has changed my life. Really. Before I had the SmartShopper, I dreaded going to the grocery store because I knew that I would be going up and down and all around each aisle more than once to find everything I needed even with a list. If you saw one of my ‘to do’ or grocery lists you would probably think I have some kind of organizational (lack thereof) disorder. The first ten or so items are listed nicely, but then I start going diagonally, upside down, and items end up all over the page going all different directions and when I’m done about two hours later (cooking dinner, folding laundry, helping with homework) it is complete chaos.

That is where SmartShopper comes in handy. With SmartShopper, I can have a complete grocery and/or errand list done within 10 minutes and it will even show quantities for each item and whether or not I have a coupon for a specific item. Now that the grocery list is organized into categories/aisles, my husband can do the grocery shopping for me! He can’t complain that he has to run all over the store ten times to find everything on the list anymore and I can get some work done while he is shopping. I am so relieved.

SmartShopper works by voice recognition. You simply push the ‘Record’ button and say the name of the item to be added to the list. I have found that 80% of the time, SmartShopper gets the item right the first time. If SmartShopper doesn’t recognize the item you are saying, it will allow you to add a new item yourself. This has come in very handy for things like ‘green popsicles’.. I don’t like purple popsicles in my house and I have to remind Tim that we want only green popsicles. For each item you add, you can enter the quantity you need. Quantities are available in several formats including boxes, bags, and lbs. Adding coupons is easy too. Simply click on the item you want to indicate that you have a coupon for and click on ‘add/delete coupon’. When your list is printed you will see a coupon icon next to items you indicated you have a coupon for.

SmartShopper recognizes 2,500 items so chances are you will have a perfect grocery list the first time you use it. The SmartShopper unit is a compact 7 1/2" x 4" and is only 1 1/4" thick and can be mounted on your kitchen wall, kept on the counter or adhered to your refrigerator with its strong magnet. I keep ours on the refrigerator so I can quickly add items that I find we are running low on and the items I have already added are listed in alphabetical order so I can easily see if I’ve already added an item by scrolling up or down.

SmartShopper is perfect for families with a nanny who does their grocery shopping, grandparents, and DADS!!

SmartShopper can be purchased at Amazon.com and you can visit SmartShopperUSA.com to learn more.

Dyson Stowaway

December 26, 2007Cleaning & Cleaners, Electronics, GadgetsAlicia

If you ever said you don’t want small appliances or something ‘practical’ for your birthday, you will take it back after you learn about the Dyson Stowaway. This is one gift I would gladly accept.

The Dyson Stowaway has all the features of an upright but lacks the inconvenient height, and sports features most uprights don’t. Weighing in at a hefty 23lbs. this isn’t a vacuum to be made light of. The Stowaway’s sturdy, well sized body features everything you need to clean both your carpet and hardwood floors. The first time we tested the vacuum was one day after our carpets were vacuumed. I wish I would have taken a photograph of the amount of dirt the Stowaway picked up from the recently vacuumed carpet! I was amazed.. and a little grossed out that all of that dirt was in our carpet.

The Stowaway can replace your upright. With it, you can reach under your furniture, clean your bare floors, stairs, and dust.

I am impressed with the small amount of storage space the Stowaway takes up as well as the ease of use. I feel confident that you will love it too.