The Well Connected Mom

Who Says You Can’t Be a Super Hero?

Lori Cunningham — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:20:22 PDT

by Lori Cunningham

Have you ever wanted to be a super hero? Well, if not you, how about your child? The new Kinect Rush for the XBOX 360 gives you and your child the chance to be a superhero…Disney style! As per the Kinect Rush website, you can…

Become a superspy in Cars,

Save the day as a robot in Toy Story,

Adventure through Paris as a clever rat in Ratatouille,

Stop the Omnidroid as a superhero in The Incredibles, and

Help Karl as an intrepid Wilderness Explorer in Up.

Phew, all in a day’s work! This is a fun and entertaining game that will challenge your kids, delight them, and…wear them out! Honestly, that’s my favorite part about the game! No couch potato video gamers in our house!

What’s In A Game?

Well, in Kinect Rush, there’s a lot! There’s something for everyone. XBOX Kinect makes you feel in the game as if you are running along with some of your favorite characters. The best way to tell you about the game is to show you, so I snapped a lot of pictures to give you an idea of the gameplay.

You start out in a park called Pixar Park where you can explore different areas and play games. As you run around the park, you find that there is a Cars, Toy Story, Ratatouille, Incredibles, and Up! area to check out. At each landing area, there is a kid to explain the game you’re about to embark upon and what your goal is. You can play solo or a friend can play along with you, in split-screen fashion.

Cars

In Cars, you put your hands out and drive as if you are holding a steering wheel. The concept is easy to understand, though steering can still be as difficult as with other driving games. You get the opportunity to drive in different environments, each with their own challenges.

credit: http://marketplace.xbox.com

Toy Story

My kids enjoyed playing the Toy Story game. Kinect does a good job at showing them what to do to get past certain obstacles, such as balancing, climbing rock walls, and throwing batteries.

Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a lot of fun. You start to see the world through the eyes of a rat. You can scamper by a lady sweeping her porch, collect coins along the rooftops, and journey in undergrounds most humans never see. Ratatouille was one of my favorite games in Kinect Rush.

The Incredibles

Now you feel like a true superhero. If only my legs were as long and slender as these heroes in real-life! The Incredibles challenges put you in some pretty tight spots and unique adventures.

Up!

Up! kept my son and his friend entertained for hours. They were constantly running as they went through a number of obstacles to try to save the Up! house from flying away. They literally fell on the floor with exhausting after one particularly trying episode. It was a crack up to watch them.

Pros: Kinect Rush provides a lot of challenges that keep you entertained. It’s a great way to play along with some of your favorite Disney characters and interact with them in ways you could never do before. I love the running activities and coordination Kinect Rush provides – this is terrific for kids. The adventures are fun and definitely challenging. Also, if an adventure is too challenging, Kinect Rush will give you the option to skip it and move on after it detects you are having difficulties.

Cons: Unfortunately, because of the running nature of some of the games, it is easy to get out of the view of the Kinect camera. Often times, it’s not a big deal, a message flashes and you move back. But there were several times where you’re off the screen completely and you have to hold your arm up to try to get back in the game. This is very frustrating, especially when you’re buddy is still going and getting way ahead of you. I’m afraid this happened far too many times, which vastly decreased my kids’ excitement for the game. Also, the Cars game was too difficult for my 6 and 9 year old’s. Fortunately, they enjoyed the other games.

Honestly, I think Kinect Rush delivers a great family, adventure-bound game. I’m just not sure Kinect is up for the challenge. Kinect Rush sells for $49.02 at Amazon.com with free super shipping.

* I was given a copy of Kinect Rush in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

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iPod Dropped in the Pool? iPhoneTook a Swim in the Toilet?

Lori Cunningham — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:28:46 PDT

by Lori Cunningham

If you’re reading this article after reading the title it’s because:

You have experienced one of these terrible misfortunes
You are scared to death that one of these things may happen to you
You’re a loyal reader and read everything we post (thank you!)

For me, my answers are yes on 1,2, and 3! Although I did not drop an iPhone or iPod in the pool or toilet, I did drop another prized possession in the toilet before…my Striiv pedometer. I wear my Striiv pedometer everywhere. It’s a great little gadget with a full color LED screen that keeps track of my steps, stairs, calories, and activity time. Every 18,000 steps equals a donation of a clean glass of water by Striiv to people in South America, so I am always well aware of my steps.

Anyways, one unfortunate day, I accidentally dropped my beloved Striiv in the toilet, it tumbled straight in from my pants waistband. Yikes! I was nearly paralyzed, realizing very quickly that I would never see the Striiv in it’s glory again. It was a sad day for me…there are always times in your life where you wish you were a second faster or a bit more careful. Being rather clumsy at times (it runs in my family), I’ve had more than my share of mishaps.

I rushed to get the Striiv out of the toilet to revive it. To my shock and surprise, the LED color screen was still on! I shook all the water out of it as much as I could. Wow, the Striiv may have survived the toilet after all! What a relief!

Thirty seconds later, the screen turned off, as it often did if it wasn’t being used. I rushed over to turn it on again. No light, no nothing. The Striiv had flatlined…it was dead. No more keeping track of my steps. No more earning glasses of waters for the poor South Americans in need. And the timing was terrible too. I would be leaving for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in a week and I had dreamed of tracking my steps during the week to see how far I actually walked.

Now, a Striiv costs $99. Obviously a iPhone or other smartphone costs 2 to 5 times more. A submerged device can happen so easily, even if you’re very careful, watch out for your kids!

About five months later, my friend Sarah at Tech4Moms, let me know about the Aqua Dry Bag from XO Skins. XO Skins claims that the Aqua Dry Bag is “the best way to dry out and save your wet electronic

source: XOSkins.com

devices.” Wow. What a dream come true! Sounds nearly miraculous, doesn’t?

To use the Aqua Dry Bag, you simply:

Dry off your phone/small gadget as best as possible
Take out your battery and SIM card and set aside
Place your smartphone in the Aqua Dry Bag
Wait 48-72 hours and check to see if all of the water has been dried out. If not, keep it in the bag for longer.

That’s it. When you no longer see any water inside your screen, put your battery back in the smartphone and turn it on. It should now work with no missing pixels or watermarks.

Now I’m sure you’re wondering if I did my due diligence and actually tested the product to ensure it can live up to it’s claim. Of course, I or someone on our team tests out every product we write about. However, not this time. I couldn’t bring myself to submerge my phone. Nonetheless, I am so thankful to have an Aqua Dry Bag around in case of a future emergency. If something happens to any of my devices or a friends/family member’s device, I will be ready to administer phone CPR.

I know this product is hard to believe. Can it really revive your smartphone? Take a look at this video below which shows how they brought their phone back to life:

Pretty remarkable, huh? And the icing on the cake is that the cost of the Aqua Dry Bag is relatively cheap, only $14.99 plus shipping at XOSkins.com. $14.99 is a lot cheaper than buying a whole new phone or device. My suggestion to you is to buy one and have it handy…just in case you or a friend ever needs it. The longer water sits in the devices circuitry, the less likely you can revive it. So if you have an Aqua Dry Bag on hand, the sooner you can dry out a submerged device, the better chances you have of saving it. Have an Aqua Dry Bag on hand, you’ll be glad you did. And if you ever have to use it, we want to hear from you and we’ll post your experience on our site.

* I was given an Aqua Dry Bag in exchange for my honest opinion. I’m saving it for a “rainy” day. :)

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The Last Smartphone Holdout – Why I Finally Broke Down and Got a Smartphone

jwiersma — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:27:32 PDT

By Jamie Wiersma

I admit it, I am one of the hold outs. I have a pay-as-you-go phone that really can’t do much more than make phone calls and text. And texting is NOT fun when you have to use the number keys!

I Resisted Getting a Smartphone for So Long for a Few Reasons:

First of all, I liked the cost of the pay-as-you go which for me, is very minimal because I don’t care to talk on the phone much.
I also don’t like being with people who are consumed by their phones to the point that they are being rude to the people that they are with. I didn’t want to become one of those people.

But, when I got the opportunity to try out HTC’s One S Smartphone for a month, I decided to give it a try. I was warned that I probably wouldn’t want to go back to my old phone and they were right – I’m hooked!

The HTC One S is a fantastic phone! Our family recently invested in a tablet and after getting accustomed to using it consistently during the day for little things like email, Facebook, Pinterest, and my Bible and book reading, my husband decided that he wanted to take it to work with him. I felt lost! We joked that we would need to get another tablet for the family. But, when I started using the HTC One S, I realized that it could do all the things that my tablet could do AND, I could easily take it with me and use it on the go.

Features that are Worth Talking About:

1. The Camera – This camera is wonderful! It is 8MP and takes great pictures. I used to carry a small camera in my purse to
capture everyday life with my kids. Now, I am able to have one less thing in my purse. This camera has fun features like a panoramic option and the ability to take pictures with fun effects. Another great feature is that the camera can also take HD video. Once you have the video, you can select specific spots of the video and turn it into a still picture which is great for things like sports so that you don’t miss that important shot! In addition, while you are shooting video, you can also take pictures at the same time! It is also super easy to upload pictures to Facebook, Dropbox, email them, etc.

Check out the vivid colors! The camera takes better

pictures than my point and shoot 8MP camera. The top picture

is the original. The others are adjustments that I made

on the camera. There are also other fun options that you can do

as you are taking pictures like Negative, Solarize and Distortion.

2. The Screen – The screen is big enough that I can read my Bible and books with ease. Sure you have to turn pages or scroll down more often than a tablet but it doesn’t hinder your reading. The screen is a 4.3″ qHD super AMOLEd Touch screen with a home screen that you can easily customize. I’ve sat outside several times and even in bright sun, the screen is very easy to see.

3. If you are using it as your MP3 player, you can’t beat the sound quality with Beats Audio technology. Even when you are just using the speaker, the sound is great!

Additional Pros:

1. Touch screen really responds well.

2. Loaded with a ton of useful apps like Flashlight, Navigation, Google Play, and Weather.

3. Very user friendly.

4. Great design – it is more durable than stainless steel and super thin.

Cons:

1. I’m not sold on the set up of the actual phone app. It is very sensitive and it is very easy to accidentally touch on a contact and call them. I worry about little fingers that might hit on the phone and call people without me knowing it.

2. Be careful when you first set up your phone that you know what you are syncing. I accidentally told the phone to sync all my Facebook friends to my phone book and now have all my friends who have their phone number posted on Facebook in my contacts whether or not I want it in there. So far, I have not figured out how to remove the ones that I don’t want there.

3. The battery life – I guess that’s just something to get used to! I hear that most smartphones have a short battery life.

From a Mom’s Perspective:

As a new smartphone user, I caught myself almost venturing into the world of rudeness and literally had to turn myself away from my phone and not get caught up in playing games while hanging out with my family. I’ve heard of some families who insist that everyone leave their phones at the door when they all get together and I’m thinking this might be a great thing to implement in my family. Learn more about mobile etiquette and teens and cellphone manners in our previous posts.

That being said, there have been a ton of times this month when it’s been fantastic to have the capabilities of a smartphone while out and about. From sitting in a busy parking lot and being able to call the restaurant and find out what the wait is, to recording a TV show via my phone, and pulling up coupons that I had forgotten to print (and now don’t have to print), having a smartphone definitely has its advantages. As far as the cost of plans, I’ve found that you need to shop around. There are plans out there that are affordable if you do your research. There are plenty of plans out there for any kind of user.

If you are looking for a phone that can serve multiple purposes, the HTC One S is the perfect phone for you! I am using it as an e-Reader, tablet, camera, GPS, MP3 player and my computer away from home. It is priced at $199 (suggested retail $599) with a 2-year contract with T-Mobile. Check out the features on the T-Mobile website for all the details of the phone. There are too many to write about. This phone is full of bells and whistles! Looking at the reviews, most people agree that this is a phone worth the investment.

* I was loaned the HTC One S smartphone in exchange for my honest opinions and review.

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