Mom Central Technology

Power A LEGO Play & Build Remote

Do you have this child on your list? He has everything. He loves LEGOs, video games, devices, and technology. He's easy to buy for if you are willing to pay the price for the expensive items he loves.

If you want to get a gift that ranks in the “cool” category without breaking your budget, this Power A LEGO Play & Build Remote could be just what you are looking for!

For the reasonable $39.99 price tag, you get LEGO creativity and personalization to use with your Wii gaming system.

LEGO-fy your Wii remote

This remote works like the other remotes, it just looks a lot more interesting than the plain, white remotes you ordinarily get with the Wii system. With the 31 bonus LEGO pieces it comes with, you can personalize your remote around the edges and change the look as often as you want. You can also use your own LEGO bricks if you choose.

I thought it would be really cool to put a LEGO mini-figure on the top of the remote, but decided against it. The way I get so enthusiastic about bowling, I would swing the controller and the mini-figure would be launched across the room into the television. This wouldn't hurt anything, but I'm not willing to risk it.

Build a LEGO stand

However, if you want to build a really cool stand for your remote with mini-figures all over it, you can. The remote comes with two different back panels for the battery compartment. One panel has a built in LEGO brick so the remote can be mounted onto a stand created by you. Unfortunately, this back panel is not as comfortable to use as the plain one when you are playing, but it is a fun feature.

It is compatible with your Wii gaming system and with Wii Motion Plus. The set includes the remote, wrist strap, 2 battery covers, thirty-one miniLEGO tiles, and a LEGO separator tool. It requires two AA batteries, but if you have a charging station, you can swap out your rechargeable back from your other Wii remotes and recharge the remote.

Power A does a nice job of designing the buttons on their remotes. The buttons are a bit larger than standard Wii remotes, making game play easier for little hands.

No end to fighting over the remote

The only problem we have with the Power A LEGO Play & Build Remote is deciding who gets to use it. For now, a simple question of who used it last keeps it in rotation. Lucky for me, I can use it whenever I want - after the kids have all gone to bed!

 

When Eileen Calandro isn't striving to beat her personal record on Wii bowing or avoiding vaccuuming up LEGOs, she is the Chief Mom Connector of Mom Central. Learn about her other free-time activities at her personal blog: calandroclan.com. You can also connect with her as @MomCentralChat and @calandro5.

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Disclosure; Mom Central received one free Power A Play & Build Remote to facilitate this review.

A review of Art Academy for the Nintendo DS

The product review team at Mom Central knows my nephews love reviewing games for the Nintendo DS and, quite honestly, no one here in the office admits to having expert DS gaming skills. So I gladly passed along the copy of Art Academy to Alex and Thomas, ages 9 and 7 ½ respectively, to further ensure my “favorite aunt” status.

To set their expectations, I first told them that Art Academy was not so much a game, like Dragon Quest, as an educational experience. But, they like to draw and do crafts. And they have participated in programs at the local art museum, so I figured they would not disregard it immediately due to the lack of weapons and wizards.

Alex’s and Thomas’ review – too hard?

My younger nephew tried it first. He declared it “too hard” but that he “didn’t read any directions.” My older nephew gave it a more spirited effort, but didn’t understand the nuances of the different drawing tools, like a flat and round paintbrush, or why he needed to know. He said he’s played it a couple of times but it’s not the type of game he will play regularly.

A grownup’s view – better for teens and adults

I researched Art Academy on the Nintendo website to help me understand why it missed the mark with my nephews. After reading the description and the features, as well as combing through some reviews, I deduced that it’s not really an art lesson for kids.

My impression is that a basic knowledge of drawing and materials (e.g., the difference in the effect of a round or flat brush) and even better, a real interest in the experience of taking an art lesson, goes a long way in enjoying Art Academy. The complexity of the game my not be the best match for the attention span and patience of pre-tween boy. In fact, it may prove a better fit for their mom (if she has time!) or for me during my next visit.

Let’s Draw looks to be a great choice for a game that will encourage their creative side. I plan to put it on my holiday shopping list for the boys.

Art Academy is rated E for Everyone.

Maria Guerra is the Senior Vice President of Mom Central Consulting, ‘mom’ to her dog, Farley, and proud aunt of Alex and Thomas—who will gladly review any Nintendo DS games.

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Mom Central received one free copy of Art Academy to facilitate this review.

Tech tips for Black Friday shoppers

I understand that trying to wake up after a day full of gorging yourself on turkey, carbs, and a bit more turkey is a difficult. The deep tryptophan sleep is hard enough to shake off so you can watch a football game or maybe one of those holiday specials that they started airing far too early this year.

Coming out of your food coma before the break of dawn to stand in line with overly caffeinated shoppers is pushing it. However, there are ways to make it so the shopping time between waking up and going home to take a nap goes a lot more smoothly.

Here are some key tips on how to stay sane, safe, and swift during your Black Friday expedition:

1. There’s an app for that – Have an iPhone or an Android? Track your favorite stores and their Black Friday deals with the Black Friday app. Scroll through deals and create a shopping list so you are organized and not trying to remember which stores had the best deals in your 4 a.m. haze.

2. No wandering aimlessly – Plan ahead! There are plenty of websites which list Black Friday deals as soon as they are leaked to the public. Black Friday is not a time for browsing. If you have something specific you want to get a good deal on, do some research and find where it is being sold for the best deal and go quickly! A great website that I came across is blackfriday2010.com. This guy doesn’t mess around when it comes to Black Friday; find ads, store hours, and Black Friday tips all here.

3. Stay Social – Keep an eye on popular Social Media networks. Conversations on Black Friday will give you insight on where great deals are happening and possibly if some deals are not worth checking out. The website: gershoni.com/black-friday gives live feeds of 12 different popular companies so you can follow the trends all in one place!

If you do brave the darkness of the morning and are able to stay awake long enough to cart yourself to the mall, have fun! Black Friday can actually be an enjoyable experience when shared with friends and family. Plus, it’s a great feeling when you finish all of your shopping in one day!

 

Matt Schuierer (@mschuierer) is part of the Project Management team at Mom Central.

Technology connections for military families

When my husband can't be home for dinner my boys and I miss him. Our family has a lost piece without him there. Some weeks we don't have dinner for several nights in a row due to various commitments, but at least I get to kiss him good night when he comes home late.

Military families go months without having their spouse sit around the dinner table with their family. They know what it feels like when all their pieces aren't there.

Technology has changed how these families can connect with each other when deployed overseas. Skype and Facebook give families the opportunity to communicate in ways that weren't available just a short time ago.

Skype use by military families

Skype, a network that offers free video messaging along with other ways to communicate, allows users to talk using real-time video. All you need is a computer, a Skype user ID, and a web camera hooked to your computer. When both users log on to chat, you get a full screen view of the person you are speaking with, and a picture-in-picture view of yourself. You talk back and forth as if the person were sitting across the table from you, rather than having that person sit halfway around the world.

Baby's births have been witnessed using Skype, as well as first steps, milestones, and kisses goodnight. Libraries received grants for computers so military families without home computers could Skype with their families. Recently, a teacher whose classroom has a military pen pal and writes traditional letters, used a Skype call to talk in real-time. Skype allows individuals to get face-time, helping families and friends stay in touch with each other.

Facebook use by military families

Any technology that connects groups of people as well as individuals is a plus for military families. Therefore, Facebook is a natural choice for families to be a part of each others lives, even when continents separate them. People can connect to each other, of course, but groups are created by extended family members and units as well to keep everyone talking to each other and informed. If a military family doesn’t live near any other deployed families from their same unit, they can still easily be in contact with each other, no matter where they live.

Facebook is a natural technology choice for thousands of families in the military community. Spouses can share what they experience and offer support for other families in the same situation. By using the built-in ways to communicate within Facebook, families share photos, videos, and chat online to help get through the long months of deployment.

Social media is all about  sharing and connection. Using these tools and technology helps the military families bravely fill in the missing pieces every day. This Veteran's Day, as you we honor the men and women who bravely serve in the military and those who lost their lives for our country, I am thankful for the ways these families can communicate.

Want to do something to make a difference this Veterans Day? Go to Operation Gratitude to learn what puts a smile on our soldiers' faces and how you can help put them there.

 

Eileen Calandro feels grateful for our servicemen and women serving our country on this Veteran's Day and every day. You can read about other things she is thankful for on her personal blog  at calandroclan.com. You can also connect with her on twitter as @MomCentralChat and @calandro5.

Catch some powder with EpicMix's app for snowboarders and skiers

Social media surrounds us now and it seems there is an application for absolutely everything. From turning on a light switch to tracking a bus schedule, the possibilities for applications are endless. To stand out among the many different applications available, new apps have to draw in the attention of numerous users, and beat out their competition with fun and interesting features. I’ve found just this in a new application called EpicMix.

EpicMix is a mobile application that digitally captures the rides of snowboarders and skiers, including the vertical height, trail runs, and location. Users can track their progress and statistics after each run, or at the end of the day. The app also allows riders to automatically share their runs and achievements with their friends on Facebook or Twitter. Various milestones are tracked and shared with the ability to unlock digital pins earned based on runs or slopes conquered, or what I like to call “bragging rights.”

Once the free application is downloaded, users can track where their friends are on each slope, along with changing weather conditions for the mountain.

The application can also be used by families, especially for families with younger kids. EpicMix Kids, created for children under 13, allows kids to be “friends” with their family members as they track and share their progress of runs skied and pins earned.

One of the cool features of EpicMix is the use of a chip technology on season passes and lift tickets. The application incorporate a Foursquare-like feature that allows for passive “check-ins” to the different slopes- without the worry of carrying around a cell phone.

You can find more about Epic Mix on their FAQ page.

I can’t wait to try out this new EpicMix experience when I hit the slopes this season. This application will be available to use at all Vail Resorts mountains: Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail, Beaver Creek and Heavenly (in California).

 

Haley Brennan is an intern at Mom Central. She's currently a student at Suffolk University and will be graduating in May with a BS degree in PR.

Apps that can save busy moms time, money and peace of mind

I must admit, I’m addicted. Addicted to apps that is! As a busy full-time working mom with three kids, I am constantly looking for ways to help me SAVE. Save money, save my mind, save me time, save my memory and save my children from the threats and consistent repeating. I would like to share some of the fabulous apps I’ve found super helpful enabling me to “save.”

GeoQpons

• Saves money
• FREE!
• Available for Blackberry, Droid, iPhone, iPad

This is an amazing local based mobile coupon and discount app. You can search the largest database of relevant coupons from local businesses AND national brand retailers. It’s super simple and easy to use. The search for coupons and stores is fast. You can set favorites to redeem and view offers from your preferred stores AND you can share coupons with your friends via email, Facebook and/or twitter.

Find out more at:

• The GeoQpons website Web:
• Facebook
• Twitter

Inspire Me Today

• Saves my mind
• FREE!
• Available for iPhone, iPad

We could all use a little inspiration in our harried days. Something that puts the peace and perspective back into the day. A simple and basic but perfect little positive app.

Find out more at:

• The Inspire Me Today website
• Twitter

MTV combats bullying with A Thin Line initiative

Earlier this month, we featured an article about social media’s powerful impact in a few great causes – breast cancer awareness and clean water to name a few. One important movement that has perhaps gained the most visibility in recent weeks focuses on raising awareness around bullying, both in schools and online.

With the A Thin Line project, MTV is doing their part to reach teens and provide them with a resource to combat harassment from their peers.

Launched in December of 2009, A Thin Line is MTV’s initiative designed to “empower America's youth to identify, respond to and stop the spread of digital abuse.” The ongoing project aims to reach teens on a range of platforms – TV specials, an interactive website, an online contest, and an iPhone ap to name a few.

Just this month, MTV unveiled Draw Your Line, an online component to the project that allows teens to share what they’re doing to take action against bullying, in categories such as Protect Yourself, Help Others, and Join the Movement. Stories are linked to an interactive map that lets teens view actions by region and even school districts – giving them a unique snapshot of what others in their area are doing to join the cause.

The similar Over the Line iPhone Ap, allows teens to share personal stories of bullying or being bullied so that others can rate whether or not the actions are acceptable. As an adult, reading the user submissions – which range from “My girlfriend sent naked pictures of me to our friends after we broke up,” to “My mother has cancer and my friends say it’s my fault,” — is heartbreaking. At the same time, it’s great to see teens using the forum to vent their frustrations and fears, and to see others giving great feedback in return.

While A Thin Line won’t solve the bullying problem, I’m happy to see MTV using their resources to reach teens in a positive way. And, if the project gives even just a few tweens and teens the information and peer support they need to stand up for themselves against bullies, then that’s a step in the right direction.

Megan Maguire (@megan_maguire) is an Account Manager at Mom Central.

Tony Hawk SHRED: snow awesome!

Thump. Thump. Thumpthumpthump. THUMP!

It's Saturday morning and it sounds like my kids invited an elephant over for breakfast. The thumping upstairs - as well as the cheering - gives me the clue to their video game choice of the morning; they must be playing Tony Hawk SHRED, the latest game created by Activision.

Activision releases Tony Hawk Shred

Last year, Activision launched the revolutionary game Tony Hawk RIDE. Players “ride” a fabricated skateboard with sensors on all sides through a course that is displayed on your video screen. This game used technology and coding that pushed the limits of video game design with its level of interactivity and variation.

Now Activision has done it again. They created another video game using this same innovative technology: Tony Hawk SHRED. This time, not only can you skateboard in the game, players can ride a snowboard as well. How awesome and fun is that?

Tony Hawk Foundation’s Stand Up for Skateparks

My family got the chance to play this game recently when we attended the Stand Up for Skateparks Event benefitting the Tony Hawk Foundation which raises money to build skateparks in low-income communities all over the nation. We all loved the game, and once again, my youngest son, the five-year-old set records all afternoon. The folks who helped us play the game were amazed at how well he performed some difficult moves.

Jumping the shark – not what you think!

One of the most unexpected, fun stunts we found in the game involved jumping a shark. You time your moves perfectly to soar over a huge great white shark that jumps up to grab you. My middle son conquered this part of the game and the crowd gathered around us cheered for him. Hooray! I loved snowboarding through the lobby of a ski lodge and making snowmen jump out of my way as I swished past them. My oldest son did a handstand on his skateboard. We all played the game repeatedly throughout the afternoon.

Own Tony Hawk RIDE?

While the game is similar to the predecessor Tony Hawk RIDE, the improvements, make the gaming experience even more enriched. The environments are more detailed, varied, and exciting. Players have greater options and higher levels of stunts, making it worth the investment.

If you already have Tony Hawk RIDE, you can purchase the Tony Hawk SHRED Stand-Alone Software. Your motion-sensing board is compatible with the new game. Purchasing the Tony Hawk SHRED Bundle gives you the software as well as the board so you are ready to play. The game is available for all the major gaming platforms.

Even though the game gets noisy, I smile every time my boys choose to play Tony Hawk SHRED. They are not sitting on the couch playing a passive game, they are standing up on the board moving around. This moving around causes the thumping, but, it's my own fault for putting our media area upstairs!

EIleen loves watching her boys shred virtually as well as in real life. You can read about her family's antics at calandroclan.com. She is the Chief Mom Connector for Mom Central. You can connect with her on twitter as @MomCentralChat and @calandro5.

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Disclosure: All expenses were paid for Eileen and her family to attend the Stand Up for Skateparks event to play Tony Hawk SHRED.

The eReader, a device even a casual reader can learn to love

Before I start, I must confess that I don’t consider myself in the know when it comes to the latest technology, and by “technology” I mean anything more sophisticated than my Blackberry. So when I received an Amazon Kindle last Christmas, I wasn’t sure how it was going to fit into my stubbornly device-free lifestyle.

I felt that reading a book required the actual book, dustcover and all. A tangible book represented a commitment to reading and a trophy to an intellectual pursuit when it was finally added to the bookshelf. Inevitably, I’d carry the same one around for at least six months of business trips and vacations or leave it on my nightstand for an occasional dusting before I finally finished it.

I’ve grown to truly appreciate my Kindle. It’s easy to transport. The quality of the “ink” on the screen actually feels easier on my eyes. I can download books any time. And I can highlight an unfamiliar word and see the definition right on the screen.

Over the past year I’ve read five or six books, putting me way ahead of my usual pace. I feel the same sense of accomplishment seeing the titles on my virtual bookshelf.

Mom Central Consulting will be helping to launch a new eReader in the coming months and I’m excited to read our bloggers’ reviews. Plus, with the holidays around the corner, the competition will be fun to watch.

Who will be the winners? What features and pricing will prove most compelling to consumers?

Is an eReader on your wish list and which one?

 

Maria Guerra is the Senior Vice President of Mom Central Consulting, “mom” to her dog, Farley, and proud aunt of Alex and Thomas. She wishes she had more time to read.

Amazon's Audible makes audio book buying easy and affordable

In a perfect world I would end every day with a good book, accompanied by a hot cup of Sleepytime tea. I wish I could read more, but I have the same excuse as most – I just don’t have the time.

Audio books have been a lingering option for a while, but until recently, I stayed away. A few months ago I gave in and listened to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson on my trip back from visiting family in New York. Now every morning on my commute to work, I refrain from listening to the same five songs on the radio, and now focus on my book.

My biggest problem with audio books is how expensive they are – with some being upwards of $40! Of course there is the library, but sometimes they don’t have the current best sellers. That’s where Audible by Amazon comes into play.

You can choose from a variety of subscription plans, depending on how many books you want a month. After choosing your book you have the ability to download your selections to a portable player, CD or listen to it on your computer. As an added incentive you can now try Audible free for one month, which includes two free audio books!

Currently, the cheapest Audible subscription is $7.95 per month for the first three months. After that it’s $14.95 and you can cancel anytime. Check out their website for more information on pricing.

Audible has not replaced my traditional reading time, but now I have more opportunities to check out books that have been on my “wish list” for months!

Do you have any suggestions for my next audible book pick?

Lauren Bocskocsky is an avid listener of audio books. So if you see her laughing on her way to work at Mom Central, you’ll know why!