Category Archives: Gadgets

Exclusive Coupon Code: 30% Off Laptop Carrying Padded Messenger Sleeve!

August 5, 2014Coupon codes, Gadgetscoupon code, Gadget Accessories, Polkaduck.comAlicia

Kids are increasingly required to take a laptop or tablet to school which can be a nerve wracking situation for parents. While most backpacks have a padded section for a laptop or tablet I don’t feel confident that my son’s MacBook would survive being stored in a backpack.

Do you remember how much stuff you carelessly crammed into your backpack when you were in high school? I shoved binders, spiral notebooks, textbooks, pens and pencils into my backpack without considering for even a second what else was in my backpack and what I could damage. Putting a laptop or tablet in a backpack could be an iffy situation.

I learned about an online store today called Polkaduck.com that sells laptop sleeves, phone cases, and other accessories for devices. When I saw their 13″ carrying padded messenger sleeve my first thought was that it is really cool because it has an adjustable shoulder strap then I thought that would be great for high school and college students who inevitably cram stuff into their backpack which is really not safe for a laptop or tablet.

This 13″ laptop sleeve has a large pocket with velcro on the front and two pockets on the back. Your teenager won’t (probably won’t) lose their mouse or charging cord if they use a laptop sleeve like this one! I absolutely love that it has a shoulder strap. Did I mention that already? I get excited about little things like shoulder straps. 🙂 Laptop sleeves like this one are lightweight and this one is water-resistant and durable. Even better.. it’s just about $19!

BUT, you will get 30% off the 13″ padded carrying sleeve when you use coupon code INSIDERMBP13 through September 30, 2014!

This laptop sleeve is also available in these colors:

Stay tuned to The Mommy Insider for a giveaway of (5) 13″ Laptop Carrying Padded Messenger Sleeves from Polkaduck.com!

If you can’t wait for the giveaway, you can buy one of these super laptop sleeves on Polkaduck.com here.

Kyocera Hydro VIBE Waterproof LGE Smartphone for Sprint – A Durable First (and beyond) Smartphone

July 5, 2014Gadgets, Smartphones, Technology#SprintMom, Kyocera, SprintAlicia

Parents who are looking for a great first smartphone for their kids should consider the Kyocera Hydro VIBE waterproof 4G LTE smartphone for Sprint. The Hydro VIBE is a great device that the tech-savvy parent can certainly appreciate and includes a slew of great features. It’s an Android smartphone that has a great design and is waterproof, making it a great first smartphone. A further look at its features which I’ll let into below, can be the deciding factor in whether it is the right phone for your child.

See also:

• HTC One M8 for Sprint review

• Other #SprintMom posts

One of the biggest reasons the Kyocera Hydro VIBE is such a great option for kids is that it is waterproof. Accidents happen, but with this smartphone, the user can spill a drink or accidentally splash water on it after washing their hands without fear of any damage. Kids can also feel free to take the phone to the pool and snap a few photos in or around the water. I have heard more than a handful of stories about losing a phone to water damage, including one friend who’s phone fell in the toilet. I have dropped a phone in the bathtub but luckily it had less than a half inch of water in it and I grabbed it quickly but I didn’t feel nearly as confident in its safety as I would with a waterproof phone.

The Kyocera Hydro VIBE has a 4.5 inch IPS qHD screen that has a resolution of 960 by 540 pixels. It is quite lightweight at only 139 grams. At the same time, it is fairly rugged at 0.43 inches in depth. It is submersible to 3.5 feet for up to 30 minutes! It includes a primary rear-facing 8mp camera that doubles as a video camcorder that takes quality images. It runs on Android’s 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system, which means there are plenty of great apps from Google Play that can be installed, including children’s educational apps that parents will love.

Sprint customers who have kids will find that the Sprint Framily Plan is the perfect package option to go along with this rugged waterproof phone. With it, everyone on the plan gets 1GB of data, unlimited talk and text for only $45 per month and bills can be separated by account so that each adult on the plan can pay their own way and for their own kids.

Wireless charging is also included in the Kyocera Hydro VIBE for Sprint. This technology is more and more becoming the norm in smartphones and makes it even more convenient to charge them without having to worry about connecting a cable wire. This device relies on PMA-enabled (Power Matters Alliance) wireless charging, which means the user can simply lay it down on a charging pad to recharge the battery. The wireless charger is sold separately and the phone will get the user through a good 14 hours of talk time.The importance of kids having their own smartphone these days cannot be under-stressed.

Cell phones are no longer considered luxury devices but necessities. Contacting parents during afterschool activities and being able to make calls during emergencies is a must. There are also other reasons for kids to own smartphones, such as being able to text when they are going to a friend’s house or need their parents to pick them up.The tech-savvy parent will also delight at the price of the Hydro VIBE. It is zero dollars down and only $9.59 per month for 24 months or $29.99 when signing up for a two year new contract or when renewing a current contract.

Unedited photos taken with the Kyocera Hydro VIBE

The photos below are photos that I took with the Kyocera Hydro VIBE. They are unedited with the exception of being resized and watermarked.

Don’t believe a smartphone can be waterproof? Watch this quick video to see the test I put the Kyocera Hydro VIBE to.. in a lake!

I hope this review of the Kyocera Hydro VIBE helps you, especially if you’re looking for a good, durable first-phone for your child.

Stay tuned (sign up for my daily rss/email updates in the box at the top of the right column) for more reviews of devices offered through Sprint as I enjoy being a #SprintMom Sprint Ambassador during which I will test various Sprint devices and service options over the course of the year.

Enjoy!

Alicia

The HTC One M8 harman/kardon for Sprint: Amazing Photographs & Incredible Sound!

May 15, 2014Brand Ambassador, Gadgets, Smartphones, Technology#SprintMom, Harman/Kardon, HTC One M8, mom central, Sprint AmbassadorAlicia

Perhaps the most exciting new Android smartphone on the market right now is the HTC One M8. It is truly something special and is available through all the major wireless carriers in the United States. However, the recently released Sprint edition, the HTC One M8 harman/kardon, offers users an even better overall experience. It delivers even better audio quality than the regular version making it not just a great smartphone but an awesome media device.

If you have kids, you know what I mean when I suggest that your smartphone is a media device. You know how your smartphone transforms into a gaming console with the switch from adult to child’s hands? Or a karaoke machine, a DJ, a mini movie theatre, and in our case, a bedtime story reader when I’m sick and can’t read to my daughter at night.**

HTC One M8 Size & Sound

The HTC One M8 harman/kardon is slightly taller than last year’s version and slightly larger at 71 millimeters wide. The screen is a full five inches with an HD display resolution of 1980 by 1080 pixels. Battery life is good with the 2600 mAh battery and should get most parents through a busy day. Of course, you have access to plenty of apps courtesy of Google Play whether you are looking for entertainment, finance, games, social networking and so much more. The Harman/Kardon Sprint HTC One M8 includes a special technology called Clari-Fi. It makes all types of digital music compressed to fit on your phone have a more natural sound when you are listening to music through headphones. This is what makes it unique to the general version of the smartphone that are available worldwide. The sound quality is amazing. I’m not kidding when I tell you this; I was laying in my daughter’s bed a few nights ago and we were watching and listening to one of the SAG Foundation stories being read by James Earl Jones. There was a point during the 7 minute video that I looked around my daughter’s room because I heard music coming from the left side of me and swore an iPod or her radio came on and I was going to have to get up to turn it off. In reality, it was the music from the story we were watching, transcending into a space I didn’t think sound from a phone could go. It was as if she had surround sound speakers in her room. It was really wild actually.

I can’t even compare the sound quality of the HTC One M8 harman/kardon and the iPhone 5s. The sound quality is that different. Like I said earlier, it’s like you’re holding a mini movie theatre in your hands or you’re at a live concert without the parking hassle and crowd. The sound is really that good. So, if you listen to music while you’re working, exercising, cleaning, cooking, putting the kids to bed (Enya is great for bedtime!), or enjoying a romantic dinner with your significant other, the HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon will immerse you in the music like never before. Really. I’m not exaggerating. Go to your Sprint store and check it out for yourself!

Take Professional Looking Photos With UltraPixels

If you are a busy mom or dad you will find that the HTC One M8 harman/kardon is the ultimate smartphone for you. It is made with a gorgeous all metal build that is highly durable and will be able to withstand a good deal of punishment, even when your kids get their hands on it. Like the original HTC One from last year, the camera of the M8 is 4 megapixels, or rather UltraPixels as HTC has dubbed them. The UltraPixels are meant to capture as much light as possible in your shots when you are in low-light situations.

One of my favorite ways to test a camera is by taking macro or close-up shots. Here are a few photographs I took with the HTC One M8 harman/kardon.

However, unlike the original HTC One, the One M8 has dual rear-facing cameras. The purpose of this is to offer more depth in your photos, which is great when you are chasing your kids around to snap the best possible pictures. There is also a feature called UFocus that allows you to capture a photo and then go back to it to edit it when you are ready. Blurring the background will make your images look even better as it more effectively emphasizes the object or person of your focus.

As a parent, I enjoy the Zoe feature, which is the ability to capture video clips that are three seconds long and made up of 20 still shots. The HTC One M8 captures this each time you snap a photo. Later, you can choose individual frames that you would like to use to make up a quick video for memorizing those special moments.

Keep Up With Your Social Media With BlinkFeed!

One of the biggest features of the phone is BlinkFeed. This appeared on last year’s HTC One and offers a refreshing look to your home screen that stands out in comparison to other Android smartphones. You can choose among news and social network feeds you want to appear on your home screen so that you do not have to go digging for it. It is a great way to keep up with current events and with family and friends with whom you are connected on Facebook or Twitter.

Is It Easy To Transition From Other Phone and/or OS?

Overall, the HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon has definitely replaced my iPhone. I have been anxious for a larger iPhone to be released and while it looks like that may happen sometime, I am very happy with the HTC One M8, even being the Apple girl I am. HTC makes the transition from an iPhone, or any phone for that matter, to an HTC easy with the HTC Sync Manager. I had my iTunes music on the HTC One M8 in no time and to top it off, I get to listen to the music from the phone OR from the amazing Harman Kardon Onyx Studio which connects to my HTC One M8 via Bluetooth and produces the most amazingly full and crisp sound. The Harman Kardon Onyz Studio is a definite addition to our vacations this summer as we love to listen to music wherever we are and it is so portable, there’s no reason not to bring it along.

Sprint Sound Sessions / Spotify 20 Million Songs = Super Fun Summer Road Trips!

As a part of Sprint’s new Sprint Sound Sessions, Sprint is giving customers access to Spotify’s catalogue of more than 20 million songs. I listen to music while I work, exercise, clean, and in the car. I have music on 80% of my waking hours. Sometimes even while I shower and definitely when my daughter bathes. Talk about belting out a song in the shower!

Spotify on the HTC One M8 allows users to play music on demand, create playlists, discover new music, share tracks with their friends, listen to songs offline, and listen to music without ads across multiple devices. Access to Spotify allows you to listen to millions of songs on the go. It has been really nice to be able to listen to songs I didn’t already have in my music library, from my HTC One M8 via Spotify. Think about how much easier your upcoming summer road trips will be with a service like Spotify on your phone. Sprint is offering Sprint Framily Members Spotify for FREE for 6 months with the purchase of a HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon, for a limited time. When is a better time to take advantage of a deal like that than right before summer road trips?

I hope this review helps you, especially if you’re wondering if the boost in sound quality and the transition from another smartphone operating system is easy or not. It is!

Enjoy!

Alicia

If you haven’t checked out SAG Foundation’s storybook website, bookmark it today and next time you lose your voice and can’t read bedtime stories to your kids, go to the website and choose from one of the many books for your child’s bedtime story. Actors including Annette Bening, Elijah Wood, and Betty White, read wonderful stories in a video so kids get that sense of being read to and get to see and experience the book as if it were in their hands. The HTC One M8 harman/kardon sound really helps the books come to life!

I Am A Sprint Ambassador! Let’s Celebrate With A HTC One max Giveaway!

April 22, 2014Brand Ambassador, Gadgets, Giveaways, Technology#SprintMom, giveaway, HTC, smartphone, Sprint, Sprint AmbassadorAlicia

If you are a regular reader of The Mommy Insider (and my gadget blog) you know how much I LOVE gadgets and technology. I can’t get enough of the geniusness that is smartphones, tablets, streaming devices, and ereaders. Many people point out that kids spend too much time on smartphones, tablets or watching tv but I know that it is a parent’s job to stay on top of how much time our kids spend on these devices and that they can be very beneficial to our children when used and monitored properly! That being said, I am thrilled to announce that I am a Sprint Ambassador! During that time I am going to share my experiences testing various Sprint devices and service options with you.

Everyday we rely on our cell carrier such as Sprint to get us information we need when we’re on the go.

Our cell carrier gives us, including our kids, access to educational information that you and I would have had to search a 10 pound hard-back encyclopedia for when we were kids, even when we’re at ball practice at a field in the middle of nowhere.
Our cell carrier gives our kids access to educational games during long summer vacation road trips.
Our cell carrier helps us find the closest rest area when we’re on an unfamiliar highway and the kids really need to “go” using map apps.
Our cell carrier lets parents send a photo of our child’s band performance, during the performance, to family hundreds of miles away without wi-fi.
Our cell carrier lets us text our teen when we’re running late and need him to put dinner in the oven.

Kids and parents lead busy lives. Our cell carrier provides us with data when wi-fi isn’t available such as when we’re on the road, at a ball game, or at our child’s school. Cell carriers such as Sprint give us or our child access to the dictionary when our child needs to study vocabulary in the parking lot of her brother’s ball game, or when you’re at a store and you want to compare the price of a TV to the same one at an online store. These are just a couple of times we count on the data our cell carrier provides.

While cell carriers give us access to important data services, there has still been the issue of having the ability to call family and friends without breaking the bank. Something that I and many consumers have had with cell carriers in the past has been that while customers can put their family on a family-plan, the carrier doesn’t extend family to those who the customer might call every day such as their mother, brother, friend, or co-worker. The Sprint Framily Plan has changed the family-plan game.

What does Framily mean?

Framily =

Friends. Family Members. Co-Workers. Soccer Team Coach. You get it.

With the Sprint Framily plan, you and up to 10 friends, family members, and even coworkers and parents from the soccer team can be a part of a Framily group with unlimited talk, text and 1GB of data each, while on the Sprint network. Did you know that 1GB could get you 52 hours on Facebook, 11 TV episodes, over 40,000 email views, 12 hours of Skype, or over 100 hours of web surfing? Nice, right? If 1GB of data isn’t enough for you, you can always upgrade to 3GB or unlimited data while on a Sprint Framily plan.

Each of the members on the Framily plan receives a separate bill with no annual service contracts or early termination fees, all for as little as $25 a month per line when you have 7 – 10 members in the Framily group.

There are several people that I talk to regularly who are not in my immediate family and would be a great fit for a Sprint Framily plan such as my sister, my dad, and a few of my closest friends.

You might be saying to yourself.. but my friends aren’t with Sprint.

Under contract with another carrier? No worries!

You love saving money and having the latest gadgets, right? You’re in luck because for a limited time, new Sprint customers can bring their current cell number to Sprint and sign up for a Sprint Framily plan, receive up to $300 in credit for their current phone AND a Visa Prepaid Card worth up to $350 to cover those switching fees. This exclusive offer is available at Sprint stores and online at Sprint.com now through May 8th 2014.

To kick-off my #SprintMom Brand Ambassadorship, Sprint is giving an HTC one Max to one of my readers!

About The HTC One max Smartphone:

The HTC One max smartphone offers users a massive screen with a 5.9-inch display and amped speakers for watching videos or viewing pictures on the go. The feature-rich camera offers users the ability to take photos with a fun, artistic flair, and gives users news recommendations based on likes on social media, for breaking news that matters most to them.

Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600 processor
Massive 5.9 inch display
Amped speakers for watching videos
Feature-rich camera offers users the ability to take photos with a fun, artistic flair.
Camera also gives users news recommendations based on likes on social media, for breaking news that matters most to them.
HTC BlinkFeed™: Create your own automatic updating home screen.
Up to 40% faster battery charging.
Backside sensor panel unlocks the phone with the swipe of a finger.

Giveaway Terms:

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents ages 18 and older. Giveaway closes on May 4th at 10am EST. The winner has 24 hrs to respond via email. Due to time sensitivity, if winner does not respond within allotted time, another random winner may be chosen. The Mommy Insider is not responsible for the shipping and/or fulfillment of the prize. Learn more about the HTC One max here.

Let’s get on with it!

You are not required to leave a comment to enter this contest, but it will get you 10 extra entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GE App A Game Changer For Busy Parents!

January 6, 2014Gadgets, TechnologyGE, GE Brillion appAlicia

I love the new app that GE offers its GE Profile wall oven users! Being a busy mom, I know how hectic evenings can be and how difficult it is to prepare and cook a meal between after school activities. GE makes life easier with their new GE Brillion™ mobile app.

How many times have you been at your child’s baseball practice and wondered how you were going to prepare dinner in time to get your other child to gymnastics class? Pre-heating an oven can take up to 20 minutes and if your schedule is anything like my family’s, you barely have 20 minutes at home…

Read the full article on our tech blog, GadgetGoddess.com