


The AutoAir™ Bosch 500 Series dishwasher looks like the perfect dishwasher that would work well for my home. I love the new technology and I know that so many of you would love this as well!
One Dad's Quest to Regain Control of his Kingdom
The AutoAir™ Bosch 500 Series dishwasher looks like the perfect dishwasher that would work well for my home. I love the new technology and I know that so many of you would love this as well!
The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.
On Saturday, January, 19th, head over to select Best Buy locations from 11 am – 3 pm and check out all of the technology that they have at their Open House Event. For me, I love to go and pick the brains of their knowledgeable Best Buy Blue Shirt experts. I am always so impressed by the training that they get as their customer service skills are amazing and their knowledge is superb. While you are at the Open House you will get to see some demonstrations with some of the best in appliances from Samsung, Whirlpool, Café, and GE. You can chill out and dream of your next home theater or even get your phone analyzed for possible updates that might be needed with the staff of Best Buy Mobile.
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About Creation Crate
Know a parent that is still trying to figure out how to keep their children’s brains engaged over the summer? Look no further. My name is Chris Gatbonton, Founder & CEO of Creation Crate, a subscription box service aimed at ages 12 and up, that helps kids learn to build real-world electronics.
The Creation Crate curriculum focuses on introducing new concepts every month that build on the concepts learned from the months before. The projects are designed to increase in difficulty each month in order to be fluent in the language of technology by the end of the 24 month curriculum. Projects range from building a mood lamp, to a memory game focused on programming, to learning how to input a distance reading from an ultrasonic sensor.
Unlike other technology subscription boxes, Creation Crate uses raw electronic components, offering real-world skills. These boxes are also truly beginner friendly with no previous experience needed. While other boxes teach using intimidating technical lingo, Creation Crate doesn’t. Creation Crate subscriptions start at $30 a month, with available 3, 6 or 12 month packages to choose from.
My Take on Creation Crate
As a father I want my children to be able to learn in new and creative ways. Especially as a father of daughters I am extremely sensitive to the lack of opportunities four girls in science, math and Technology fields. Lately I have been seeing a number of new kits that are available that will engage kids in maker activities. These kids are definitely ones that I am very interested in to be able to engage my kids in stem type activities to broaden their perspectives on science, math and Technology as well. I was just recently sent one of these Creation Crate kits and this monthly kit is one that is sent to you and you can work with your child to be able to build some amazing things.
The Creation Crate kits that was sent to me was for creating a mood lamp. I really needed two of the kits, as my kids were fighting over who got to build the mood lamp. I loved seeing my kids fighting over this because it showed me that what I was doing with them with making a difference. While I know that I cannot always have these opportunities to expand their horizons with kids like these, having a monthly kit he is definitely something that it’s exciting and fun at the same time. Best of all is that each month is different and you get to try many different things.
The instructions in the Creation Crate kit are very self-explanatory and for the most part my girls could do the kids by themselves. I definitely wanted to do this with them so they did not have to do it alone, however, it is nice that they could if they so chose. If you want to expand your own kids’ horizons in science, math and Technology this kid is definitely one that I would highly recommend.
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As someone who loves technology I am always interested in working to make my home the most connected home that I can. There are so many products on the market these days that allow you to have fun with technology and one of the ones I have been very interested in lately was the Nest. If you have never heard of Nest, you should. It is a WIFI enabled Smart thermostat that helps you save energy and money and best of all never come home to a cold house. The Nest balances the temperature in your home as it senses your activity, learns your preferences and can be adjusted from your smartphone, tablet or laptop (talk about cool!). The Nest WIFI ebabled Smart thermostat also allows you to connect to your existing router / network and develop a secure and reliable connection.
I was able to try out the Nest thermostat in my own home and I am so glad that I did as my existing one was about to kick the bucket. When the Nest arrived, as you can see in the pictures, it came packaged very professionally. Everything that you needed was included and it stated it would only take abut 30 minutes to install. I put the instructions to the test and started to do the install myself. Now, many of you know that I am not the most handy person, so taking on projects like this can sometimes go poorly but the instructions for the Nest were easy to follow and understand and within les than 30 minutes I had the Nest installed.
Once installed it did take a little more time as I also installed a new Netgear Router while I was at it as the router that we had was old and giving us issues and I did not want to have any problems down the road with our overall network. I chose the NETGEAR – Nighthawk DST AC1900 Wireless-AC Gigabit Router with DST Adapter as I knew that it would give me and my family everything that we needed to create a strong home network that could support connections across all of our devices. Also, one of the things I loved was that it came with set up and support via phone & web and 1 year of Geek Squad support. As I am not an expert on Geek related issues, having an expert in my corner is always a good thing! The Netgear Nighthawk also offered AC1900 with Dead Spot Terminator which will help to eliminate my Wi-Fi dead zones and in the end will supports 10+ connected devices which helps in an uber-connected home like mine!
Once I had the router setup I went to download the free app from GooglePlay (It is available in iTunes too) and once installed and connected I was able to easily adjust my thermostat from your smartphone, tablet or laptop. I even tried this from work, which is about 25 minutes away from home and it worked like a charm!
I feel so much more at ease with the additional alerts and reminders that I am getting now and as it monitors my equipment, sends service reminders and tells me if anything is not working correctly, I now will know right away is something like my home’s temperature goes above or below limits that I set.
While I have not yet been using this for a week, I know that from everything that I have read that after about a week the Nest thermostat starts programming itself to the temperatures you like and when you’re not at home, it will automatically switch to an energy-efficient temperature.
I am looking forward to tracking my own energy usage and see the tips that are provided to me about how I can conserve even more in the future!
As a part of trying this out I also was able to try out a month of Sling TV too. I did not know a lot about Sling, but in reading more about it I found that it really is everything you love about TV for a fraction of the price you’d expect. With Sling TV, you can enjoy live TV from popular channels — ESPN, AMC, A&E, TNT, HGTV and more — for just $20 per month. Plus, watch the latest episodes of your favorite shows and new movies on demand. You can get extra entertainment with add-on packages starting at $5 a month and HBO® for an additional $15 per month. This is a lot more savings than I get with my own local cable company!
You are able to watch at home or on the go and sling TV is available on multiple devices:
• TV and video players, including Amazon FireTV and Roku
• Xbox One
• Smartphones and tablets (select operating systems)
• Laptops and computers (select operating systems)
With Sling TV, you don’t have to worry about equipment and set-up fees, and there’s no annual contract. Simply sign up online, download the app and start watching. Try it for free for seven days.
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The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free
I am the type of person that is always looking for a lightweight laptop that will be a powerhouse and allow me to be the most productive that I can be. With that being said I have heard a ton of great things about the AMD FX APU – HP Envy Touchsmart Laptop. While I have yet to own one of these I have been looking into laptops and the reason that this one looks interesting is that it stands out as innovative, lightweight and powerful. On top of this it also takes your gaming to a whole new level, as the new AMD FX Special Edition APU is supposed to offer you unbelievable performance, gaming and productivity. Plus, if you move into purchasing the new FX APU powered notebook, be unbeatable and experience the processing power of 10 computer cores (4 CPU + 6 GPU).
In the store when I watched the demo for this, I was floored to see the of the computer itself. This, on top of a great graphics that cannot be beat, I could not ask for a more versitile computer for the needs that I have. I also have to put in a plug for the touch screen that this computer had. I tried this out and loved the interactivity of the screen and could easily see how well this would work to help me get more done so that I could spend more time with my family overall.
I have to say that the AMD FX APU – HP Envy Touchsmart Laptop has amazing performance, speed and so much more and it is definitely one that I would love to have one for myself. I can see so many benefits to having this personally and professionally and I think if you try this out you will find the same to be be true as well!
In looking into the AMD FX APU – HP Envy Touchsmart Laptop, I found that if I wanted to purchase this I could also get free shipping on orders $35 and up as well as free store pickup in as little as 45 minutes – talk about fast!
So go and check out the AMD FX APU – HP Envy Touchsmart Laptop today, you will definitely not be disappointed!
We’re getting close to the holidays and that means that it is time to celebrate with the Blog Pop Team’s Christmas Wishes Event! Between November 14-16 the 11 bloggers from Blog Pop are working together to bring you some awesome giveaways! So go and check out the following blogs for some other great prizes, and remember to come back here a lot over the next few days to enter for some great prizes! The seven blogs that are a part of the Christmas Wishes event include:
Daddy Mojo | Still Blonde After all These years | Dad of Divas | Being MVP | Makobi Scribe | |
Momma Told Me | My Life with Rats | Keenly Kristen | Blessed Elements | Modly Chic | Andrea’s World |
My next giveaway is Below! InnoTab® 3S Learning Tablet:
VTech Kid Connect is a unique, ground-breaking family communication app for the InnoTab 3S that brings families together and helps parents stay connected to their kids when apart – anytime, anywhere!
The InnoTab 3S comes with a one year subscription of Basic Kid Connect, which allows kids and parents to send text messages and stickers. In addition, the Premium Kid Connect app offers enhanced features that allow kids and parents to send not only text messages and stickers, but voice messages, photos and drawings to each other. 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 and exciting stop-motion animation app that lets kids become movie directors. Once the two week promotional period is over, Premium Kid Connect can be purchased separately for $14.99. Did you know?
My Take on Kids Connect
Over the past few weeks I have been using the VTech InnoTab 3S with my daughter and we are definitely still loving using it. I have in the past provided a Review of the overall device but today I wanted to talk a bit further about the Kids Connect capabilities that this device provides. As all parents know, especially as your children get into elementary school, they get uber-busy! With that along with the schedule that you have yourself, sometimes it is hard to stay connected.
While many kids want to stay connected through getting their own phone or some other way, this learning device offers a great way to stay connected while still promoting learning as well! With Kids Connect you can easily stay connected. By downloading the app onto your phone you can send text messages between you and your child. My daughter thought this was SO cool, as she sees her mom and I texting and she never could do the same, so this was a great way to be able to be a part of the fun. On top of this Kids Connect also allows my daughter to send me more than just text. She has made some very cool pictures by drawing on her device and simply sent them to me after she was done. While this capability is a part of the premium package, we love it, and hope to stay using it far into the future! My daughter has also loved the movie maker app included in the premium package and she has been making some fun movies that really show her personality and how she sees the world.
All-in-all I have really been impressed with the new Kids COnnect features included in this device and think that you will be too! It will definitely change the way in which you can stay connected no matter where you are!
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Want another chance to win this prize? I have another blogging friend that is giving away this same prize pack – http://www.blessedelements.com/create/vtech-inno-tab-3s-christmas-wishes-bpopevent
Winner must be a resident of the U.S.
Winners are chosen at random, if you want all your chances counted, make sure you leave individual comments, not all of them in one! Winner has 48 hours to contact me or another name will be chosen.
As required by the FTC: Blog POP! received no monetary compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are those of the writer’s alone. THE FINE PRINT: All entrants must be 18 years of age or older. Please read each giveaway’s directions carefully as entry methods may differ, and giveaways may be open to different world areas. Please make sure you leave a way (valid email address) with your entries to be contacted if you win. Please note that Dad of Divas, Blog POP! or the Blog POP! bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. We will make every effort to assist you obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor please notify the blog you won a prize from within 30 days for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you. Good luck!
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The Expression XP-810 and XP-610 are designed as complete wireless solutions, featuring built-in Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ n3 and Wi-Fi Direct™ for network-free printing. Both models are always ready to print, offering built-in memory card slots for PC-free printing, automatic two-sided printing to save paper4, easy-to-use creative tools such as a dedicated photo tray and direct CD/DVD printing, as well as built-in auto photo correction tools.
“Expression Premium Small-in-Ones are designed to provide busy households and photo enthusiasts with a powerful creativity tool, packing a robust feature set and unbeatable photo quality into an ultra slim design,” said Joe Keller, product manager, Consumer Ink Jets, Epson America, Inc. “With comprehensive wireless capabilities and Epson Connect mobile printing solutions, it’s now easier than ever for consumers to print from the home or anywhere in the world.”
The flagship Expression XP-810 adds a 30-page Auto Document Feeder for automatic two-sided copying, scanning and faxing, a 3.5-inch touchscreen with gesture navigation for easy setup and operation, specialty paper support through its rear paper feed5, and an auto-extend paper output tray. Plus, time-saving, bonus templates are also available for printing lined school paper, graph paper, calendar pages, and custom note paper with personal photos – all without a computer.
Additional Expression Premium Small-in-One Features:
Pricing and Availability
The Epson Expression Premium XP-610 ($149.99*) and Epson Expression XP-810 ($229.99*) will be available in mid-September through major retailer stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.epson.com.
My Take on the Printer
I have been using the Epson XP-810 printer over the last few weeks and thus far I have been very impressed with the overall quality of the printer itself as well as the quality of the prints that I am getting from the printer.
This printer for me is one that has given me amazing photo quality prints, and seeing that I take a ton of photos, this is definitely a plus.
Even though I mentioned photos, I would definitely be remiss to not mention that I also have printed many other documents, papers, etc. With all of these I have been impressed with the speed of the printing.
I will remind all of you, this is a smaller printer, so you will not be able to hold large volumes of paper in the printer itself. Instead, you will have to allow yourself to use this for smaller jobs or place additional paper in it when needed. There is also a manual feed option which is nice when printing on paper that is different than what you have loaded. On top of this there is even a special tray for printing labels on CD’s (I found this to be very unique).
The printing of graphics or full color slides have provided me with quality output. You do get some small distortion, but none that would be noticeable by most. For me one of the best components with this printer had to be the quality you get when printing photos. Many times you do not get fully saturated images when printing yourself, but in all instances here I found that the images were fully saturated and some great contrast. To be honest, some of the prints I printed with this are even better than those I get from printing them at local stores which says a lot about quality in general.
Finally, this printer is small which for many will be a great selling point as you will not need the space that many multi function printers require. I had no problem fitting this into a smaller section under my computer and it fit perfectly!
All-in-all, I am very impressed with the overall quality of the Epson XP-810 printer and look forward to continuing to try it out over the days and weeks to come!
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The Expression XP-810 and XP-610 are designed as complete wireless solutions, featuring built-in Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ n3 and Wi-Fi Direct™ for network-free printing. Both models are always ready to print, offering built-in memory card slots for PC-free printing, automatic two-sided printing to save paper4, easy-to-use creative tools such as a dedicated photo tray and direct CD/DVD printing, as well as built-in auto photo correction tools.
“Expression Premium Small-in-Ones are designed to provide busy households and photo enthusiasts with a powerful creativity tool, packing a robust feature set and unbeatable photo quality into an ultra slim design,” said Joe Keller, product manager, Consumer Ink Jets, Epson America, Inc. “With comprehensive wireless capabilities and Epson Connect mobile printing solutions, it’s now easier than ever for consumers to print from the home or anywhere in the world.”
The flagship Expression XP-810 adds a 30-page Auto Document Feeder for automatic two-sided copying, scanning and faxing, a 3.5-inch touchscreen with gesture navigation for easy setup and operation, specialty paper support through its rear paper feed5, and an auto-extend paper output tray. Plus, time-saving, bonus templates are also available for printing lined school paper, graph paper, calendar pages, and custom note paper with personal photos – all without a computer.
Additional Expression Premium Small-in-One Features:
Pricing and Availability
The Epson Expression Premium XP-610 ($149.99*) and Epson Expression XP-810 ($229.99*) will be available in mid-September through major retailer stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.epson.com.
My Take on the Printer
I have been using the Epson XP-810 printer over the last few weeks and thus far I have been very impressed with the overall quality of the printer itself as well as the quality of the prints that I am getting from the printer. This printer for me is one that has given me amazing photo quality prints, and seeing that I take a ton of photos, this is definitely a plus.
Even though I mentioned photos, I would definitely be remiss to not mention that I also have printed many other documents, papers, etc. With all of these I have been impressed with the speed of the printing.
I will remind all of you, this is a smaller printer, so you will not be able to hold large volumes of paper in the printer itself. Instead, you will have to allow yourself to use this for smaller jobs or place additional paper in it when needed.
There is also a manual feed option which is nice when printing on paper that is different than what you have loaded. On top of this there is even a special tray for printing labels on CD’s (I found this to be very unique).
The printing of graphics or full color slides have provided me with quality output. You do get some small distortion, but none that would be noticeable by most.
For me one of the best components with this printer had to be the quality you get when printing photos. Many times you do not get fully saturated images when printing yourself, but in all instances here I found that the images were fully saturated and some great contrast. To be honest, some of the prints I printed with this are even better than those I get from printing them at local stores which says a lot about quality in general.
Finally, this printer is small which for many will be a great selling point as you will not need the space that many multi function printers require. I had no problem fitting this into a smaller section under my computer and it fit perfectly!
All-in-all, I am very impressed with the overall quality of the Epson XP-810 printer and look forward to continuing to try it out over the days and weeks to come!
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I have both carpel tunnel and if you have been keeping up with my blog lately, I recently severely burned my hand. One of these is enough, but with both, you can bet that this can make typing a bit painful. With that in mind I was excited to be given the chance to try out Dragon Naturally Speaking Software. I had heard of this software in the past and wanted to see for myself whether this would help me to be more productive and lessen the pain that I have when typing.
First off, I was happy to see that for what you pay you get everything in one box. This includes not only the software but also the headset that you will wear to dictate into the computer. The software was easy and fast to install too. Once installed, you do have to take some time to allow the software to acclimate to your voice. You not only have to calibrate the headset, but the overall software. This can take some time, but from what I can tell, the more that you train the software, the better the overall results will be when you are dictating.
After about 30-40 minutes of training the computer, I was ready to start using the software. I came to find that you have to get used to the commands that are programmed into the software to be able to use the entire capacity of the software itself, but once you do, you can really move. You do need to watch what you dictate as there will be times when the wrong word or words will come up, and while they are easily fixed, you definitely want to catch them so that you are not embarrassed by what you present in the end.
You can use this software in pretty much any other software package that you want, including in your email client. I have found that this really save me a ton of time overall, and I am definitely more productive in the end.
I feel as though I have just cracked the surface when it comes to this program, and that being said I am very excited to keep trying to learn more and more and to use this in more innovative ways.
This program would be a great gift for anyone that types a lot, as it will provide them with the ability to get more accomplished, while saving wear and tear on their bodies from the repetitive motion of typing. This software is not only for people that may have injuries affecting their mobility, but instead it is for anyone that wishes to change the way that they do things to a more tech-savvy way of living.
Dragon starts at $99 for PC and $199 Mac.
All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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