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…
Here are two of my latest stories on GadgetGoddess.com that you might enjoy. If you are a Vine addict or want to keep a visual diary of your everyday life, these two stories are for you!
Store & Remember Your Days with Days Photo & GIF Diary App
Days is a diary app that lets you capture and share your days through photos and animated GIFs. The app encourages users to capture and share how their day was at once, not multiple times for random individual moments, with each day starting at 5 a.m. and lasting 24 hours. […Read more]
The Pivot Power Genius is a smart power strip outlet. Anything that’s plugged into two of the four outlets can be controlled through an app on your mobile device called Wink. If you forgot to turn off the light in the bedroom, it can be done remotely from anywhere. You can even schedule when the light comes back on.
The Pivot Power Genius is a flexible device. Unlike the average power strip, the outlets on the Pivot are adjustable. Each outlet can be bent and pivoted, meaning it can be fit into pretty much any space without concern. You can also adjust, bend or curve each outlet to make room for those huge AC adapters that normally won’t fit alongside any other plug in a strip.
I use my Pivot Power Genius to turn our humidifier on and off in our bedroom each morning and night. Before having the Pivot Power Genius I struggled to get out of bed because the humidifier provided such a relaxing sound, it was difficult to get out of bed. Now, I open the Wink app on my iPhone and turn off the humidifier right from bed!
With the Wink app on your mobile device, you will have the capability to control two of the Pivot outlets remotely. You can make your television or lamp a smart device when it’s plugged into the Pivot Power Genius. You can save energy and worry knowing you can shut items off even if you’re out to dinner with friends. Or turn the lights on in the front room before you get out of the car.
The Pivot Power Genius has four adjustable AC outlets.
Utilizing the mobile app, it can control two devices plugged into the Power Genius.
You can program when those devices should shut off or on, either manually or by schedule.
The Pivot Power Genius will connect instantly to your phone over a Wi-Fi network.
The Pivot Power Genius is a product of Quirky, a company that designs products based on ideas submitted by their community of inventors. It’s a novel approach to innovation. The Pivot Power Genius was the brainchild of Jake Zien of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His idea for what would become the Power Genius had been gestating since high school. When he learned about Quirky, he submitted his proposal and the company accepted the idea, manufactured it and it has gone on to become the company’s best seller.
A great idea for a holiday gift, the Pivot Power Genius will change how families go about powering their lives!
For a superior luxury crossover, the 2014 GMC Acadia Denali is well defined crossover SUV that carries all the creature features you look for and more. With impressive styling, solid performance and handling, as well as incredible safety innovations, the 2014 Acadia Denali will easily win over your heart and the hearts of your husband and kids too.
The 2014 Acadia’s Superb Body Styling
Sporting a bold, sleek exterior and eye-catching curves and lines, the 2014 GMC Acadia Denali will definitely turn heads. Plus, she’s looking even better with some great updates such as a newly designed front chrome grille, 20” aluminum wheels and stylish front and back lighting featuring HED xenon high-intensity discharge headlamps and projector halogen fog lamps. Brilliant chrome accents, bold front and rear fascias and nicely-designed exhaust outlets add contemporary touches, creating a distinct and classic crossover.
You’ll really appreciate the dual heated mirrors that tilt and reverse to give you excellent curb view when backing up. During our recent trip to Tybee Island and Savannah, we had to squeeze into some tight parallel parking spaces and the finely adjustable side mirrors came in very handy.
The 2014 Acadia Denali SUV also comes with a tilt-sliding dual SkyScape 2-panel power sunroof for an inspiring view of the sky while you drive and privacy glass to keep your little world private. The kids loved looking out the sunroofs during our road trip whether it was daylight or dark.
The Well-Designed Cabin
Along with the newest technologies, such as the smart slide seating system and Color Touch radio, there are so many goodies that make every driving experience so pleasurable. I particularly enjoyed the stunning leather-wrapped steering wheel with Mahogany wood trim along with remote keyless entry and climate control. The kids kept comfortable at their desired temperature in the middle row while my husband kept his side of the front around 77 degrees and I, at a cool 68 degrees.
The cabin of the 2014 GMC Acadia Denali SUV is, needless to say, comfortable, quiet and filled with so many conveniences. Better than ever, you’ll love the beautiful leather seating that easily allows you to stretch your legs. Enjoy the multi-power front seats that are heated or cooled to your liking. I kept my seat heated for the majority of our drive to and from Tybee Island while my husband kept his seat cooled. The heated seat helps tense muscles on long drives, especially those during which children are involved. 🙂
With a total of three rows of seats, you can still fit your cargo with 24 cu. feet left over, or use the handy rear cargo area storage system to keep organized. For those times when you need even more room for your stuff, GMC already figured that out: just fold down both rear seats and, presto, you have an incredible 116 cu. feet of storage room.
Color Touch Radio and IntelliLink
The Acadia Denali carries an impressive high resolution, customizable color touchscreen with responsive touch controls and features infotainment and the optional IntelliLink. With IntelliLink, you can enjoy Bluetooth connectivity, SmartPhone integration, Stream Pandora, Stitcher Internet Radio and HD Radio. You also get a 3 month, free trial of SiriusXM 7 satellite radio that features voice command, navigation with multiple map views, complete traffic updates and more. Enjoy the premium Bose 10-speaker audio system that will keep everyone entertained for hours.
Safety Features
The 2014 GMC Acadia has an incredible amount of safety features to give and everyone with you the peace of mind you need in any weather condition. With high crash test scores by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the 2014 Acadia Denali will keep you and your loved ones safe and sound. Plenty of safety features you’ll appreciate include a rear vision camera to give you a clear view of what’s behind you. There’s also stabilitrak, which works alongside the vehicle’s braking system and traction control for safe driving in all weather conditions. Side Blind Zone Alert and Cross-Traffic Technology are intelligent engineering features that employ a radar to detect unseen cars or a possible collision and sound a warning.
Head-Up Display is another an exciting innovation included in the GMC Acadia Denali. This feature known as HUD projects information you select right up onto your windshield so you can keep a close eye on the road and stay informed while you drive. For road trips, this in an invaluable innovation you’ll really prize. At first I was concerned that the head-up display would be distracting but after being on the highway for an hour I depended on it and found it to be invaluable. I loved not having to take my eyes off the road to see how fast I was driving or what my next navigation step was.
I was given the opportunity by Toyota to test drive a 2013 Toyota Sienna for a few days, during Reviewers Retreat conference at Callaway Gardens in Georgia. The roads at Callaway Gardens are what I consider to be some of the best roads for test driving a vehicle, at legal speeds, of course. 🙂
Anytime I test drive a vehicle for review, the following 5 things are on the top of my list to check out:
Exterior (aesthetics)
Comfort
Handling
Technology & Entertainment
Safety features
Here is an overview of those 5 aspects of the Toyota Sienna, as well as a couple of extra bits of information about the popular minivan.
The 2013 Toyota Sienna is stylishly designed and strongly built. In addition, it is an incredibly spacious seven or eight-passenger vehicle that features a long list of appealing standard and safety features. Plus, there are many optional features that car buyers will find attractive. Toyota gave the exterior distinct modern styling that is not chunky like many other minivans in its class. Plus, the body of the Sienna is reinforced with side impact beams as well as front and rear impact absorbing crumple zones.
Under the Hood
Under the hood, Toyota equipped the Sienna with a powerful 3.5 liter V6 engine that churns out 266 horsepower with 245 pound feet of torque. Front wheel drive and an automatic six-speed transmission come standard on all trim levels. On upper trim levels, all-wheel drive is optional. The gas mileage is pretty good for a vehicle this size, which is estimated at 18 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.
What We Love
What I love:
– Triple-zone air conditioning so everyone stays cool or warm
– Heated front seats – great for my back!
– Easy steering and great handling on windy roads
– Satellite radio and easy connection with iPhone
– Natural sounding GPS voice!
– USB port and A/C charger in the front cabin
– The large empty space in front of the front center console where my purse fits perfectly! 🙂
What my 7-year-old loves: – Lots of leg room in the middle row
– Comfortable, adjustable arm rests
– “You can pack more stuff in the Sienna than in our car”
– The DVD/entertainment system
What my 13-year-old loves: – Finding new places using the GPS/navigation
– The 12 cup holders. There’s apparently never enough cup holders!
– The sunroof
– The USB port and A/C chargers so all iPhones and iPads stay charged
What dad loves: – Ample head & leg room – he’s tall
– Fluid design of the front cabin area
– Additional storage space above the glove compartment
There are five available trims of the 2013 Toyota Sienna, which are base, LE, SE, XLE and Limited. The base and Limited models seats seven passengers. The LE, SE and XLE seats 8 passengers.
Interior
Inside the Sienna, the driver and passengers will enjoy plenty of leg and head room and a large amount of cargo space. If more space is desired, the second and third row seats easily fold down. Some of the most impressive interior features include the available rear entertainment center and optional elegant wood-grain trim. Other interior features include 12 cupholders, a GPS system and an available touchscreen navigation system with phone and streaming audio connectivity.
Standard & Upgrade Features
Standard features include a telescoping steering wheel, a CD player, 17-inch alloy wheels, triple-zone air conditioning, cruise control and power windows, locks and doors. Upgrade features include 18 or 19-inch wheels, leather seats, heated seats, Bluetooth, a DVD player, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, foglights, a power liftgate, keyless ignition, satellite radio, privacy glass and an iPod/USB interface.
Safety
An eight-way power driver seat and an auto-dimming rearview mirror are also offered as upgrade options. Toyota builds some of the safest cars on the road today, and the Sienna comes outfitted with many safety features such as various airbags, active front head restraints, anti-lock disc brakes, child safety locks, brake assist, a tire pressure monitor, daytime running lights and stability and traction control.
Optional safety features include hill assist, front and rear parking sensors and a blind spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert. Toyota also offers an available Safety Connect system. In addition, the 2013 Toyota Sienna received five out of five stars during side collision testing as well four out of five stars for overall crash protection.
The 2013 Toyota Sienna is a safe, spacious and family friendly minivan that has lots to offer for everyone in the family. I think you’ll love it!
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.
