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Archive for Techie Stuff

ROBOTS-4-U

Posted by html404 on March 26, 2015
in Education, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Kids Stuff, Parenting, School, Seasonal Stuff, Techie Stuff, Technology/Electronics, Things to Do in Chicago, Uncategorized

Are you looking for educational activities for your children this summer? Look no further. See what ROBOTS-4-U and Dynamic Art Design have to offer:

S.T.E.A.M. Education: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math!

Campers having a BLAST, while learning and playing in a dynamic environment. Learning about Robotics and Science, in an independent and exciting way!

– Robot / Science / Engineering / Day Camp / Challenges

– Camps Girls and Boys – Aged 7 to 14

– Robot Camps and Dynamic Art Camps offered during June, July and August

– Hands on Learning, Self-Paced. Beginners to Expert!

KEY INFORMATION

– 1 week (5 days) long

– Days: Monday to Friday Times: 9:00-11:30a.m. and 12:30-3:00 p.m.

– CAMPERS RATIO: 1 Instructor to 16 participants

-Register early as camps do fill up quickly!

– Each Camper Individually uses a ROBOTICS or DYNAMIC ART Kit. Robot kits do not go home with campers but are available for purchase!

Visit www.ROBOTS-4-U.com and www.dynamic-art-design.com to see dates and locations for these day camps.

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Alexa Cafe an iD Tech Camp for Girls in Lake Forest, Illinois

Posted by html404 on February 11, 2015
in Education, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Girl Stuff, Kids Stuff, Parenting, Techie Stuff, Technology/Electronics, Things to Do in Chicago, Uncategorized

This post is in partnership with iD Tech Camp and US Family Guide.

Do you have daughters, nieces or granddaughters? Do you like to gift them with fun, educational camps? Then this opportunity is for you! Alexa Cafe for Girls in Lake Forest, Illinois is a unique all-girls program. At Camp girls ages 10-15 will develop a passion for technology, design, and innovation – all while collaborating in a chic environment that emphasizes entrepreneurship, leadership, brand identity, and philanthropy. While all iD Tech summer programs are great for girls, at Alexa Cafe, BIG ideas come to life in a uniquely cozy setting filled with cafe tables and beanbags. Courses include: Sugar Coded, Electric Latte, Game Swirl, Design Barista, Cinema Twist, Javaccino, Cafe Electric, Game Pop, and Cinemocha. Whether designing a sleek webpage, producing a film, coding creatively, or developing wearable electronics with lights and sensors, technology shouldn’t be intimidating or uninspired. In the right environment, it’s cool. Meaningful. Life changing. Alexa Cafe isn’t just an all-girls summer tech camp. It’s a movement.

Weeklong day and overnight programs are held at Lake Forest College, Georgia Tech, Bryn Mawr, and select campuses nationwide .

For help selecting the right course, please contact a Program Advisor at 1-888-709-TECH (8324) or 1-408-871-2227. You may also visit www.AlexaCafe.com or email info@iDTech.com.

Save $60 with promo code LAKEFORESTAC2015 when you pay in full during registration by Feb 28th.

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Sharkk Car Charger Review

Posted by Professor on April 20, 2014
in Reviews, Techie Stuff, Technology/Electronics, Travel, Uncategorized

Sharkk Car Charger

I found a great product!!! Love it … Love it!!

This is a great car charge that charges up to two USB devices in the cigarette lighter of your car. This is a great for charging any technology device. I use it to charge both my phone and my Bluetooth. I am never scurrying to find an outlet… I can just charge both from the car! The best part is that I can drive, use my devices, and charge at the same time!

The other great attributes are the changeable non-slip grip area of the charger. You can interchange the grip from white to black, kind of fun… but having that extra grippage while driving if needing to plug or unplug can come in handy!

Here are the specs of the device!

Charge status indicating 2 color light. Use with your own device charging cable. Good for all portable devices like cameras, cell phones, mp3 players, tablets. Input: DC 12–24 V

One Output (iPad port) : DC Max 5.0V 2100mA for iPads, Tablets and GOS

Second Output (iPhone Port) : DC Max 5.0V 500mA for Phone, MP3 players and iPods.

Dual Output: DC Max 5.0V 1600mA (iPad port), DC Max 5.0V 500mA (iPhone port)

Sophisticated circuit design with over-heated, over-current, over-charging protection

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There is also a lifetime warranty on the product!

Visit Amazon.com to buy now …it is really a great price 5.99… I have seen cheaper versions selling at the local drugstore for 10.00

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AIELQG0

Please visit sharkk.com for more information on this product and may more techie gadgets! You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter!

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VTech Alternative Easter Basket Ideas and Giveaway

Posted by html404 on April 15, 2014
in Fun Stuff, Giveaways, Holidays, Kids Stuff, Kids Toys, Reviews, Techie Stuff, Technology/Electronics, Uncategorized

“The VTech product, gift card, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by VTech.”

Easter is only days away, are you ready? VTech has some alternative Easter basket ideas and a giveaway to help you celebrate this spring holiday!

Did you know that VTech consults with a panel of experts on the development of its learning products? VTech supports you as your child continues to grow and reach new developmental milestones by offering a variety of age-appropriate toys. Here are the VTech products we reviewed:

InnoTab®Doc McStuffins Software Cartridge (Ages 4-7 years; MSRP: $24.99)

- Learn reading, vocabulary, observation, logic, memory, math, visual skills, creativity, healthy living and more! The Doc is in!

– Read a story about Lambie and Doc in an e-book, color in Doc’s Big Book of Boo-Boos and play games with Doc and her friends.

Our Review: This was great for all three of our younger children. Considering the fact they all love animals and we just got our own lamb, it was very cute and timely! Our children love their InnoTab 3S so I don’t think we could go wrong in any cartridge at this point!

InnoTab Sofia the First Software Cartridge (Ages 3-6 years; MSRP: $24.99)

- Seven learning games and two creative activities teach counting, colors, patterns, problem solving and more! Join Sofia on this wild and thrilling day!

– Learn how Sofia becomes a princess in Story Mode with the interactive e-book. Take pictures with favorite characters and scenes (camera activity compatible with any InnoTab® system with a camera).

Our Review: Our eight year old daughter loves princesses so Princess Sofia was perfect for her. Even though it is geared towards younger children she enjoyed playing the activities. Our younger boys benefited from the educational activities as well as had fun in the process.

Go! Go! Smart Wheels® Vehicles (Ages 1-5 years; MSRP: $7.99)

- These electronic play vehicles are perfectly sized for little hands and entertain children with a light-up button that activates music and sounds.

– Little ones will also learn about different letters and vehicle names through pretend play.

Our Review: Our three year old loved his VTech bulldozer. Everything about it. If he couldn’t find it, he was asking where it was and the hunt was on! We’ll see how long it lasts. Parents may not like the sounds it makes though!

Switch & Go Dinos®Turbo Assortment (Ages 3-8 years; MSRP: $9.99)

- Kids can rev up the action with flywheels that let the dinos race and roar across the floor. Each dino also emits realistic vehicle and dinosaur sounds and phrases that teach fun facts about each dino.

– The range features six new dinos, including Dart the Triceratops, Zipp the T-Rex, Spur the Stegosaurus, Fray the Ankylosaurus, Cruz the Spinosaurus and Spinner the Stygimoloch.

Our Review: Our six year old really liked this product. I am not sure if he took it apart at all yet but he has been playing with it and taking really good care of it, as is characteristic of him and his belongings. We haven’t had it long enough to see how long it will last long term but so far so good.

You can stay up to date with VTech at the links below:

· VTech website

· VTech Twitter

· VTech Facebook

VTech Easter Basket and Giveaway

Wanna win? Enter to win your own VTech products in the giveaway below! Ends 4/30. Happy Easter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Lola’s Math Train 2 App Review

Posted by Brande on February 18, 2014
in Apps, Education, Fun Stuff, Reviews, School, Techie Stuff, Uncategorized

$math Train$ Choo Choo Coming through with a new app just for you!

Lola the panda bear greats you at the train. All Aboard!

There are 3 difficulty levels – Easy, 2 (Medium), and 3 (Hard). With 15 different math games!

$Math train 2$
The Easy & Level 2 I found to be very similar, the numbers math problems are a little harder. This level has adding, arrange numbers smallest to biggest, how many more apples are in this box than the other.
Level 3 takes you to subtraction and harder problems like which number is missing, and the start of multiplication. $Math Train 3$
Once you finish a few problems you can pick out an outfit for one of your riders on Lola’s Math Train. Lola’s train will then give you a score at the end.

$Math train 4$

I love the progress tracker! It’s on the welcome page in the lower left corner. Once there you can enter your email address and it will email you the progress of your child.
This app is available for Apple products as well as Android!

Lola’s Math Train is recommended for ages 3 to 6.

I did find that the easy level was a little hard for my daughter. She is 5, I expected it to be 5 + 1 type of games, but it was more like 10 + 20 which I found to be a bit advanced for her. Otherwise, this will be a great app in future.

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Does Registry PC Cleaning Software Really Work?

Posted by html404 on February 17, 2014
in Downloads, Reviews, Techie Stuff, Technology/Electronics, Uncategorized

Have you ever questioned does registry PC cleaning software really work? We have. That’s why when we recently had the opportunity to try PC Health Boost, a registry PC cleaning software we jumped on it. We immediately experienced a difference in the performance of our old laptop, which has been sluggish and temperamental. Now it is faster and issues with Netflix pausing at 33% while loading is no longer an issue.

PC Health Boost is a PC cleaning software that gives your PC that extra boost it needs to perform better by fixing tiny issues. When we ran the software, it literally fixed over 200 issues. Who knew a computer could have that many issues?

This software is only for the Windows OS.

Boost Software, INC is a Microsoft Gold Partner and has won tons of awards for their software, which eased my mind concerning the risks involved with downloading software from the internet to our computer. PC Health Boost is very user friendly. Our 14 year old daughter was the one to download it onto the computer and she had no issues doing so. It just took her a little while to find out where to enter our complimentary license key.

For all my skepticism about registry cleaners, I have to say I am pleased the old laptop is working better than it was before. Here’s to hoping we get a few more months out of it!

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Sears Shop Your Way App

Posted by html404 on December 20, 2013
in Apps, Free Stuff, Shopping, Techie Stuff, Technology/Electronics, Uncategorized

“This is a sponsored post. I am a Sears blogger, though all opinions are my own.”

Sears Shop Your Way App

Admit it, if your smart phone is glued to your body the majority of the time (we’re all guilty of this, right?), you likely have a favorite app. I’m not talking a boring necessity app like a map guide or weather forecast. I’m talking about apps that you can’t quit and perhaps may be slightly addictive. Prepare yourself, because there’s a new app in town that is destined to be your next go to shopping app (and it does more than just crush candies!). The Shop Your Way mobile app is a member’s dream. The app stores up to 20% in coupons or points on a regular basis that you can redeem directly from your smart phone. Say goodbye to carrying around that coupon pouch! The fun doesn’t end at saving money. You can use the app to go behind the scenes of our celebrity brands like Adam Levine, Nicki Minaj and much more. Download the Shop Your Way app today: http://syw.co/1cAxOa5

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Kidoodle.tv – Dad Central

Posted by Brande on December 16, 2013
in Apps, Contests, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Guest Post, Holidays, Movies, Parenting, Reviews, Shopping, Techie Stuff, Technology/Electronics, Travel, TV Shows, Uncategorized

I participated in a Blog Blast Program on behalf of Dad Central Consulting for Kidoodle.TV. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

By Guest Dad Blogger Scott –

This is best thing next to sliced bread! I love it! My daughter loves it! BONUS! She loves watching Mario Brothers (I didn’t even know there was such a thing.)

Kidoodle.TV is age appropriate television viewing for your children, that you control. When first setting it up you choose the age of your child/children. The next screen will ask if you want to remove or add any addition programs. Easy Right?

Ok your child is ready to watch Kidoodle.TV. You the parent will log on by entering your email address and password. Then move onto the next screen, choose the child. It asks how long you’d like to child to watch. Once that time is up,Kidoodle.TV stops and says…

Kidoodle.TV is on Facebook and Twitter click here to follow them!

Even better there’s a free trial going on for December! Try it today! Did I mention if you sign up for a free trial by December 31, you have a chance to win 1 in 10 tablets or 1 in 10 Kidoodle.TV for a year!

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Zact Mobile – Great Gift for your Teens!

Posted by Brande on December 9, 2013
in Family Stuff, Gift Ideas, Holidays, Parenting, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Techie Stuff, Technology/Electronics, Uncategorized

I participated in a campaign for Dad Central Consulting on behalf of Zact. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating”

By: Scott – Dad Guest Blogger – #MC

So, your teen has asked for a phone with all the bells and whistles. However, you are not sure they are ready for that responsibility. There’s a new mobile program called Zact – no contracts and a minimal average payment of $22.00 a month. Zact Mobile has gotten the seal of approval from The National Parenting Center. Zact has parental controls! You can set the amount of data and texting they use as well as set curfews. You customize your plan to you or your families needs. Zact is currently available online at Zact.com or Best Buy.

Check out this Video about Zact Parental Controls:

Parental Controls with Zact from Zact Mobile on Vimeo.

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Vtech InnoTab 3S Kid Connect App and Giveaway

Posted by html404 on November 22, 2013
in Apps, Downloads, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Giveaways, Kids Stuff, Reviews, Techie Stuff, Technology/Electronics, Uncategorized

In October we reviewed the Vtech InnoTab 3S tablet for kids, which they continue to use and have fun with every day. So we were thrilled when we were offered Vtech InnoTab 3S Premium Kid Connect App. The InnoTab 3S comes with a one year subscription of Basic Kid Connect, which allows kids and parents to send just text messages and stickers.

Premium Vtech Kid Connect App

The unique thing about the Premium Kid Connect App is it helps kids stay connected to parents at home or on the go. As with the Vtech InnoTab 3S internet connection, the Kid Connect app provides a secure and easy-to-use tablet-to-mobile communication. Parents and children can exchange voice and text messages, as well as photos, drawings and stickers! In addition, children can stay connected to their friends and siblings who also have InnoTab 3S tablets and do so from anywhere in the world (with Wi-Fi).

Premium Kid Connect subscription does cost money. For the first two weeks after registration of the InnoTab 3S, a Deluxe Apps package with Premium Kid Connect is available for $14.99. The package also includes Movie Maker (a $7.99 value), a fun stop-motion animation app that lets kids become movie directors – our kids love to make videos! Once the two week promotional period is over, Premium Kid Connect can be purchased separately for $14.99. Kid Connect is only available on the InnoTab 3S, so if you have other versions of the InnoTab you are unfortunately out of luck until you upgrade to the InnoTab 3S.

Kid Connect App Review

My youngest daughter is having a field day with the Kid Connect App! I have been trying to get this post written today and she keeps interrupting me to tell me she sent me a new message. I have been focused on my laptop screen not my iPhone!

I completely missed the instructions to set up the Kid Connect App subscription so I spent more time than I should have figuring out how to work the app. Once I did though it’s a breeze to use!

Once you have added the Premium Kid Connect app subscription to your account it will show up under downloads in the Vtech Lodge. From there you will have to transfer it to your child’s Vtech InnoTab 3S tablet and for that you have to have the tablet connected to your computer. Then it’s easy for your child to click on the Premium Kids Connect icon to start sending texts and voice messages, stickers and photos or drawings.

I had trouble finding out how to send from the app on my iPhone until I discovered you have to click the icon of your child in your contacts. I am not usually technologically challenged but I just could not find my way out of the contacts or my profile for some reason. By the way it’s fun choosing a profile icon as you can see from mine in the above image.

The contacts are listed in the above photo. The blacked out part is the child’s name, the names shown are just made up screen names.

The stickers are fun for kids to send. I sent this kiss to my daughter – it actually makes a cute smooching sound when you click it to send!

This is a heart I made and sent to Blondie.

Once it’s sent it looks very much like our text messages we send from our phones.

Blondie had fun drawing, texting, sending stickers, lots and lots of stickers and voice messages. She’s been playing my voice message over and over again. Guess she loves hearing my voice!

The Kid Connect App has been a great addition to our children’s Vtech InnoTab 3S tablet. Now when we go out or I am away my children do not have to ask my husband or their older siblings to message me. They can do it themselves. As long as someone logs them onto our Wi-Fi, since the Innotab 3S does not save our home Wi-Fi’s password.