Thank you to Kingston for sponsoring this review. Please click here to learn more about Kingston. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

As a professional blogger that attends several events and conferences, there is no shortage of USB drives in my home.  Most PR companies will place their information and pictures of their products on an easy to transport USB drive.  It’s definitely genius for them, as it gives me easy access to their product information.  Really though, we are swimming in USB drives.  So I was definitely skeptical about yet another USB drive, this one promoting the ACTUAL USB drive.

First, the USB drive itself (the DataTraveler 109) is SUPER teeny tiny.  I love that it’s the perfect size to keep right on your keychain and not take over the whole thing.  It’s got a convenient circle that is big enough to get it onto your key ring without much trouble.  The concern I have when I decide to store a USB drive with my keys is damage to the USB drive.  This drive doesn’t have moving parts that break easily, and feels sturdy enough to withstand a beating.  It also doesn’t stick out too far from my laptop, so it won’t get in the way as I bring my laptop to each room of the house trying to work and watch the kids at the same time!

The second part of this review is about the software that comes preloaded on the Kingston USB Drives called urDrive.  There are 2 main purposes for carrying around a USB drive.  First, it is used to transport files from one computer to another.  The second reason is so that you can access your important files no matter where you are, or what computer you are using.  Having access to these files in any location is one reason cloud computing is gaining such popularity.  People are no longer tied to using one computer to accomplish their tasks.

With urDrive you have access to your own little mini computer.  There are applications stored within the drive for you to access no matter what applications are already loaded on the computer you plug it into.  For example, say we head over to Grandma’s house with the kids.  The adults are cleaning up dinner, and the kids are starting to get bored (sometimes Grandma’s don’t have toys readily available).  I could pop my Kingston DataTraveler into Grandma’s computer and have my kids sign into our FoozKids account to allow them to play games and browse the web safely (protecting both Grandma’s computer from the kids, and protecting the kids from the internet at Grandma’s house).

There is also a browser so you can sign into your Facebook account without entering your login information into a strange computer.  This is perfect for if you take the kids to the library for story time, and you want to either get a little bit of work done, or you want to check your friends Facebook updates.

There are several more apps and games available on urDrive, including free online backup, it’s own picture viewer and music and video player.  My only issue with trying to use the programs on urDrive was that either they took a while to load or it kept changing what it wanted from me.  I’d double click and nothing would happen, but then I’d right click and it would pull up.  Other than that it’s a great little program!  You don’t have to be tied to having all of your files and personal information on one computer, you can carry them around wherever you go.  For a busy mom, student, or business person, this is definitely a great solution.

Want to win a 5-pack of USB drives from Kingston, with urDrive installed?  Simply leave a comment on this post.  Only one entry allowed per person.  Giveaway will be open until 11/15/2011 at 8 PM MST.  Thanks!

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

Looks like the latest cell phone doesn’t it?

Nope. It’s actually the coolest new way to tote around storage my friends.

This is the Kingston Wi-Drive.

It’s a portable hard drive, with w-fi capabilities.

It’s works with the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. The Wi-Drive  has 16 or 32 GB of storage, which means it can hold tons of extra photos, videos, music, and more.

The Wi-Drive works with just downloading a simple free app from the App Store, plug it into your computer to add your files, and your good to go.

The Wi-Drive can be used simultaneously with up to three devices, and can work within a 30 foot range of devices.

Still wondering what the heck you would use this for? Let me tell you friends. Ever heard of Air Video? Air video is what we use in our home to stream movies from our computer hard drive to all of our Apple devices. We have an entire  hard drive full of movies for kids and adults. With the Air Video app, we can wirelessly stream all of our stored movies on any Apple device in our home. This has come in handy on multiple occasions. For example, when my kids crawl in bed with me before dawn I just pick one of their favorite movies and stream it to my iPhone.

So here’s what that has to do with the W-Drive. The Kingston Wi-Drive is just like Air Video on the go. In the past when we travel I throw on about half a dozen movies on my iPad for the kids, and then my iPad is full. Now I can load up the Wi-Drive with tons more videos and music, and actually have room for a few movies and TV shows for me as well. All I have to do is use the Wi-Drive App, make sure the Kingston Wi-Drive device is within 30 feet, and then the magic happens! My iPad, iPod  Touch, or iPhone can stream the files where ever  I am.

Cool, no?

I tried out the Wi-Drive with 3 different movies on 3 different devices, and it ran perfectly without a single buffer problem. Nice Kingston!

Here’s the downers:

-There are no security settings by default so anyone nearby can connect to the drive. Not a big deal if you are in the car or visiting family away from home. Also not a big deal in public if your kids are watching movies. If you have photo files or music that you want to keep private, it’s something to think about.

-The device is finicky if you want to use it and charge at the same time. Just make sure you turn it on first, let it establish a signal, then plug it in to charge and continue using.

-3 hours was about the max I got out of the Wi-Drive while streaming to multiple devices. I would love to see it make it to at least 6. I do however love that the LED light changes color letting you know how much battery life is left. Green, fully charged. Orange, half way. Red, it’s time to plug in.

-This device does create an unauthorized WiFi access on an airplane. Check with your stewardess before using it in the air.

Overall, we have been very happy with the Wi-Drive and I really look forward to future  traveling with it.

The 16 GB Wi-Drive retails for $100 , and the 32 GB retails for $177 here. Check Amazon though, prices seem to be much better there.

Thanks Kingston for letting me try out the 16GB Wi-Drive! Though the device was given to me to try out, I was not financially compensated for this post, and the opinions are all mine. I was also not financially compensated for traveling with my children, an act that in itself is often not worth any form of financial compensation.

Natalie Wright

Natalie Wright is a contributing writer at Organized Mom and Tech4Moms. You can also find her DIY blog online at natalme.com.

http://www.natalme.com/

A few weeks back, my awesome friends at Dell asked me if I had gotten myself a Dell XPS13 Ultrabook yet, and if not, was I interested in getting one?  I of course responded with the fact that they must not know me as well as I thought they did, as I am ALWAYS down for some new tech toys!  Shortly thereafter it was sent and I was basking in Ultrabook glory!  Although Dell approached me first with this device, it does not mean that I wasn’t already chomping at the bit to get my hands on one.  Because I was.  It did not disappoint!  As full disclosure, they did provide me the ultrabook, but I was under no obligation to write/video or talk about it in any way.  Dell just loves me, and that’s that.    The feeling is totally mutal, cause I mean really… have you SEEN this picture of me sitting with Michael Dell!?!

So, on to the actual computer!  You can see my full review in the video located above, but I’m also going to type out my thoughts for those that don’t really feel like watching me.

First impressions:  This computer is LIGHT and SMALL.  When I opened up the box, I don’t know what I was really expecting from at 13 inch computer, but I am so used to working on my 15 inch computer that this felt extremely tiny, and super light.

First, I took in the outside of the machine.  I noticed 2 USB ports, one on either side of the ultrabook.  Accompanying these ports was a headset jack (both for headphones and a microphone) on one side and a mini DisplayPort on the other.  This means that the device does NOT have an HDMI connection.  I also noticed a lack of an ethernet port.  I know that in order to accommodate the size of the machine you have to leave some things out.  I’m ok with having wifi only on the laptop (but would have liked to see included in the package a USB to ethernet adapter).  Something else I would have liked to see in the package is an external DVD drive.  If you are purchasing this from Dell’s website, these are all options though.  You can buy the adapter for the ethernet port, the mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter, and an external DVD drive.  Again, I’m ok with these items NOT being integrated into the main build of the ultrabook if it means that it’s going to be ultra portable.  I RARELY use my DVD drive in my main laptop.  The other thing I noticed it was lacking was an SD Card reader (again you can purchase this as an attachment), but I almost always take images from my camera by just popping out the card and putting in my laptop.  I use this constantly, and would have liked to have seen it in the main chassis of the ultrabook.

There is a vent along the bottom of the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook, and when I had read about that, I was concerned that there wouldn’t be enough room for the air to really move away from the machine.  There are long rubber feet along the bottom that make the computer feel sturdy when placed on a desk, and raises it up a bit so the air can escape from the bottom vent.  I am still a bit concerned that it is on the bottom, and the machine does get a bit warm, but upon examining the computer, I really don’t see another place it could go.  The sides are so thin that a vent on the side would almost have no room.  Definitely something for the designers to think about.  Maybe more of a wrap around vent would be better, where it starts on the bottom and then moves around and takes some of the side as well?

When you open the device there is a nice magnetic “tug” you feel.  I really liked this, because it felt very secure.  I didn’t feel like the laptop would just open if I turned it the wrong way, or if it was bouncing around in my bag.  (not that I make my laptops bounce… I’m actually quite a stickler about protecting my devices)  I did have issues opening it with one hand though, but that may be more of a testament to how much of a weakling I am.   The bottom also has this nice looking checkerboard pattern to it that makes it easy to grip.

Once opened the computer has a sleek black wrist rest, keyboard and touch pad.  The touch pad is very large, and is not separated by buttons at the bottom.  Although you can still right and left click as though they were different buttons.  They keyboard isn’t “clacky” and has a back light so you can see the keys when you are working in the dark.  I especially like this when I’m tweeting away during The Voice.

I installed Windows 8 on the ultrabook, cause I’ve been dying to check it out, and haven’t felt like setting my computer up for dual boot, and was DEFINITELY not going to just full on upgrade my own system.  I’ll be doing a full video review/written review of the Windows 8 on the XPS13 Ultrabook next week.

Boot time was extremely fast.  In the video above I count it out at just about 14 seconds.  I did not time boot up when it had Windows 7 on it, but it is possibly even less than that.  From down to login in 14 seconds is pretty amazing.  It has a solid state hard drive, which definitely helps with that boot time.  The machine I was sent has 4 GB RAM, and an Intel Core i5 Processor.  On Dell’s website you can select a Core i7 if you want a faster processor.

PROS:  Super light and small, but not too small that it loses usefulness.  Sturdy build.  Fast boot and general speed.  Great battery life.

CONS: No SD Card slot, ethernet jack or HDMI port.  Vent probably doesn’t allow for optimal heat release.

OVERALL: So, do I think I will use this as my main machine?  Probably not.  Mainly because the specs on my Dell XPS 15z are better (namely the Core i7 and 8 GB RAM I’m currently rockin), and I’m a total specs fanatic (even if I don’t need them all to be top of the line).  So what WILL I use this machine for?  Definitely it will be my main machine when I’m traveling.  So much more convenient then my honkin 15 inch.  When I’m on the road I’m not using the computer to get a ton of work done, which usually consists of a lot of coding, and signing into servers and workstations.  So when I’m on the road I’m heavily using social media, keeping notes, and writing.  This ultrabook will serve that purpose immensely.   I am also planning to use it as my “down time” computer.  Meaning, if I bust out my main computer during my TV shows, I may end up working.  Using the Ultrabook while I’m watching TV and other things like that somewhat disconnects me from work and allows me to just enjoy the other things (again, such as tweeting during The Voice).

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

I have made the joke often that there are more computers in the house than people.  It’s kinda easy to do when there are only 4 people in the house, and I personally use 3 computers.  I have my work desktop, because I work from home full time, and I have my main personal laptop where I do all my personal work, and last I have my XPS 13 Ultrabook, that I use when I travel or when I’m downstairs and I just want to keep up with my emails and what not.  We also have a Dell Inspiron 23 that is the main family computer and sits in our kitchen.

When I was given a new Dell Inspiron 14z as part of the #DellDozen program I’m a member of (a group of 12 social media savvy women brought together to help get the word out about Dell products), I was curious if I REALLY needed another computer.  The answer has become a resounding YES!  Especially now that school has started, I had no idea that even in 1st grade, my daughter would benefit greatly from having a laptop.

We went to the “meet your teacher” the day before school started for my daughter, and to my pleasant surprise the top of one of the sheets we took home said “We are excited to tell you that as a First Grade team, we are going paperless (as much as possible) this year!!!”  My daughter’s math homework will be done online, there is a reading program online, and they have even set up a blog to send out announcements!   So now that my daughter was going to be spending a good portion of homework time on the computer, in addition to the typing software I got so she can start learning how to “touch type”, it was time to set up the laptop to be strictly for the kids.  Daddy ends up taking a lot of the computer time on the Inspiron One 23 playing Diablo anyway.

So, now I need to set up this new Inspiron 14z as the main computer for the kids!  What steps do I usually take?

Step One, setup my own account as the administrator account and create accounts for each kid.  I do this by going to the start button, then click on Control Panel.  From here you want to access the computer’s User accounts. If there isn’t already a password on your account (which should say “administrator” underneath it) then create a password by clicking “create password”.  Now add accounts for each of your children.  I like to make their profile picture be a picture of them, but you can have them select their own picture if you want.

Step Two.  Now that they have their own accounts, set up the Windows Parental Controls on their accounts.  This is where you can lock them out of specific programs, such as Quicken, or even lock their account entirely during certain time frames.

Step Three.  Install programs from your administrator account.  Next thing you will want to do is go find the programs they use, and install them from your account.  So if you need to install KidZui, or FoozKids now is a good time to install those while you are signed in with administrator access.

Step Four.  Now that all the programs are set up and installed, switch over to their account and enlist their help setting it up.  I like to create bookmarks to their favorite websites on the task bar of the computer.  This is easy to do in Internet Explorer.  You just visit the site (such as www.starfall.com) and then click the tab that has starfall listed on it and drag it to the task bar.  Now they have an easy way to access their favorite websites, and won’t have to go searching around Bing for them.  Make sure to include shortcuts to the sites they will need to get their homework done!

Step Five.  Education!  Teach them how to take care of the computer.  Tell them where it is acceptable to use the computer (such as not in your room with the door shut).  Explain to them your families technology contract* and make them sign it before you hand over the reigns to the computer.

My kids are really excited about their Inspiron 14z from Dell!  My husband is excited to not have to share his computer anymore, and I’m excited that the kids are learning more about technology!

I was given an XPS 13 and an Inspiron 14z in conjunction with my participation in the DellDozen campaign. I was not told what to write, and all thoughts an opinions are my own.

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

I spend a great deal of time in my home office.  I work from it full time from 8-5, Monday – Friday.  Then after I get off work, I spend time with my family, until I am right back up in my office after bed time, working on my blogs and setting up my social media for the next day.  I also check out my schedule and get organized for the following day.  So my office not only needs to be super functional, but it also needs to have some personality.  If I’m going to be spending most of my days there, it need some stuff to make it feel like “home”.

The first thing I set up is spots for everything to go.  This not only means physical things, but digital things as well.  The icons in my taskbar need to be arranged just so, my computers and monitors need to be in locations that feel most comfortable to me, etc.  I have my desk set up in 2 “sections”.  The left section is where I do my day job.  The right section is for my “other” jobs (including www.BloggersHelpDesk.com, this blog, and my other blog www.OrganizedMom.net).  Basically I’m surrounded by screens.  There are two monitors connected to my work computer, a monitor connected to my main laptop, plus the laptop screen, and then the other more portable XPS13 Ultrabook running Windows 8.  I’ve been doing a lot of playing around on the XPS13 to get a better feel for Windows 8, and the latest version of Office.  When I’m going to go downstairs I will sometimes take the XPS13 to write posts away from my office (such as downstairs, so I can hang out with my husband instead of up in my office all night).  So, what needs a home?

• Computer
• Monitor
• Supplies
• Inbox
• Processing location (when paper goes from inbox to bills to be paid, phone numbers to enter, permission slips to sign..)
• Decorations
• Printer
• Keyboard and Mouse
• etc

So check out my Pinterest board on Home Office Essentials to see exactly what I use to #DoMore in my home office, then check out the video to see how it all lays out in my office and how my kids get more work done in their homework stations.

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

I’ve gotten this question so many times in the last little while, that I finally just decided to write a post about it.  “What kind of laptop should I buy?”  The problem with the question is that it will be different for everyone.  So here are the questions you need to ask yourself when picking out a brand new laptop for yourself!

1. What is the screen size I’m most comfortable with?

In this case size really does matter.  If you get something too small for your needs then you may get frustrated with trying to work on such a small screen, but if you go with too big of a screen you may curse yourself when trying to travel or be “on the go” with it.  Personally I use a 15″ screen.  I don’t travel with it a ton, and do most of my work from a desk.  The extra space really helps.  When I AM traveling though, I prefer about a 13″ screen size.  The 2 inches makes a huge difference in portability.  When I’m on an airplane, the 15″ laptop feels HUGE, but the 13″ feels just right.  Screen size is measured diagonally across the screen, so do some measurements on what you currently use and ask yourself if you want to go smaller and more portable or bigger and more productive/functional.  Also keep in mind your own size.  I used to have a 17″ laptop, and while it was nice on my desk, any sort of travel with it became a huge pain in the rear since I’m such a small person.  For my size a 17″ screen would just be too big to work for my lifestyle, it would end up acting like a desktop more than a laptop, because I’d never want to take it anywhere.

2. What will you be using the laptop for?

Is it going to be a family laptop?  Are you just going to browse the internet, edit photos and post to your blog with it?  Are you going to work it till it cries out in mercy day in and day out (the last one would definitely be me).  I’m on my laptop at least 9+ hours a day.  I am often switching between several different applications, while listening to music and remote controlling computers and servers.  My laptop needs to be able to handle all that I will put it through.  The more tasks you expect your laptop to do at the same time, the more RAM you should have.

3. How important is the laptop?

This question may sound a little strange, but it’s definitely an important one.  If the laptop is going to be used just as an internet browser, and some basic tasks, if the device crashes or is out of commission for a few days, it’s not going to be the end of the world.  If a piece of hardware fails on MY laptop even for a day I would be losing money.  I need to purchase a laptop with the absolute best hardware components.  I typically purchase Dell’s XPS line of products.  Yes, they are more expensive, but the support and the hardware that comes inside reflects that high price.  Dell also has an Inspiron line of products that are less expensive, has less expensive hardware inside which reflects the lower price.  What it boils down to, is that if you will lose money if your hardware fails, you want to purchase something more expensive that is less likely to fail.  If you could do without your computer for a couple days here and there, then you can probably find something around 500-900 that would meet your needs.

4. Do you want to use it like a tablet?

There are several convertible models out these days, so this is a brand new type of question.  There are really 2 types of “convertible” devices.  One is a Tablet running Windows 8 RT, and snaps into a keyboard of some sort, but can completely detach from it’s keyboard and be used as a tablet.  The other is a Laptop that can flip over on it’s keyboard to hide it so you can use the touch screen on the laptop just as you would a tablet.  These models are usually running the full version of Windows 8 and offer  you more robust options such as being able to install programs you used in your Windows 7 devices.

So, once you figure out the screen size, how much RAM you need, and your price range, it’s time to get shopping!  Argos are offering competitive laptop deals or you can go into your local Best Buy and play around with the laptops on display to really get a feel for which brand/model you want to purchase.

As always feel free to ask me which brand/model I would purchase, but make sure you clarify those 4 questions before you ask.  

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

Alright ladies. Let’s talk hardware.

Sometimes with our laptops, and netbooks, and notebooks we fill up our hard drives and need a little extra room, am I right?

Here’s where Kingston comes in.

Kingston makes multiple products that give your tech devices more space. Some are installed internally (which means they go inside your computer or laptop), and some externally (which means they just plug in via a USB cable to the outside of your computer or laptop). The thing I love about the Kingston SSDNow V300 is it can actually do BOTH.

The Kingston SSDNow V300 is an SSD or Solid State Drive. (This can be confusing because SSD’s are still hard drives.) SSD’s are a fabulous new form of storage for computers that work very fast. They typically cost more than standard hard drives because they take so much less time to access the data they store. Trust me, they are worth it.

The way a regular hard drive works is that there are discs that spin inside the hard drive.  A computer has to search through the disc to find exactly the right spot for your data.  The speed of the hard drive depends on how fast it can spin the discs.  With a solid state drive the data is all just right there on the chip.  No spinning required.  It’s has internal parts similar to a USB thumb drive.  This makes it extremely reliable because it takes the spinning discs out of the equation.  Have you ever had a hard drive fail, and all you hear coming from it is clicks?  That’s the hard drive trying to get the disc to spin and being unable to do so.  The less moving parts there are, the less likely your drive will fail.

The Kingston SSDNow V300 is an SSD drive, and the reason I love it is that it actually comes as an external drive case.  I have always preferred purchasing  external drives. If you are like me, and taking your computer apart and installing a new internal drive scares the crap out of you, then this is a fabulous device for you!

I tried out the Kingston SSDNow V300 that is intended for a notebook, and it has 120 GB of storage space. This particular drive retails for around $195 directly from Kinston here. (You can also purchase is for much less on Amazon or at Best Buy.)

Everyone uses hard drives differently. For myself I tend to have two different purposes: Movies and photos. I love having a portable hard drive for when I travel and want to take extra movies for the kiddos. Like, lots of extra movies. I also love having a portable hard drive for when I take professional photos and want to transport them without filling up the hard drive on my notebook. I am a firm believer in backing up, so an external hard drive is a fabulous way to place store your important files and documents too.

I love that the SSDNow V300 is so thin and sleek-looking. I can personally testify that it fits perfectly in your purse too. It really is a powerful upgrade solution for cost-conscious consumers. If you are  looking to upgrade your existing desktop or notebook PC it’s a really great fit!

Here’s some specs on the new SSDNow V300:

Fast – 10x faster than a 7200RPM hard drive.

High Quality – features a LSI SandForce controller customized for Kingston.

Reliable – with no moving parts, solid-state drives are less likely to fail than standard hard drives.

Economical design optimized to make migrating to an SSD more affordable.

Convenient – all-in-one kits with all the components for easy installation.

Multiple capacities – to fit your workload.

Comes with Installation Kit for Notebooks.

If you are interested in learning more about the Kingston SSDNow V300, or other fabulous Kingston products, go here.

Disclaimer: I was not financially compensated for this post, however  I was provided with a Kingston SSDNow V300 for review purposes. All opinions and hard drives filled with an insane amount of Barbie movies are my own.

Natalie Wright

Natalie Wright is a contributing writer at Organized Mom and Tech4Moms. You can also find her DIY blog online at natalme.com.

http://www.natalme.com/

I have 3 computers. I use them all. My kids share a laptop (I have 2 kids) and then my husband uses the downstairs computer.  That’s 5 computers, for a 4 person household.  Not to mention phones (I currently have 2 that I use regularly), tablets, the Roku, Playstation, xbox, you are getting the idea, right?  So I need solutions that not only go to my phone, but my PC, and my other PC, and my tablet, etc.  So I’ve been thinking about what are the tools that I use that can span multiple platforms.  Cause once I go all in with a tool, I need to be able to access it anywhere.

To Do Lists

I use ToodleDo.com for my to do lists.  Not only can I access the list from my PC, from Chrome, from my Android device (with an app called Due Today) and from my Windows Phone (with an app called Viperal Tasks) device (I’ve heard they have an iOS app too, but who can be bothered with those sorts of things).  My To Do list is robust with recurring tasks, categories, etc.  This is the best solution I have found, and of course it spans all platforms.

Calendar

All praise to the Google Gods for these calendars.  I seriously have at least 20 calendars associated with my Google account.  The day I figured out how to sync my Windows 8 calendar with all my Google Calendars was such a blessed and happy day.  Not only can I access it (with a little hacking trick) from my Windows 8 PC and my Windows Phone 8, it syncs BEAUTIFULLY with my Android devices.  Obviously it would, considering the source.

Notes

Evernote.  There is really nothing more to say about this.  It is available on EVERY SINGLE PLATFORM known to man.  Plus it’s an incredible way to store your notes. It’s searchable, and extremely easy to find things you have added. I can store everything in there from recipes to articles I want to reference for future posts, even to voice memos from my phone. It really is the ultimate place for a paperless person.

Music

Here’s where I’m not quite where I want to be yet, but it’s getting there.  I tried to like xbox music.  I really did.  I put ALL of my thousands of songs on my Windows 8 computer.  I created playlists (as difficult as it was to do so) in the xbox music app on Windows 8.  It’s just not there yet.  The Zune software was fantastic.  THIS?  Not so much.  I’m planning on a whole post about what a fail it is (and this coming from ME… diehard Microsoft fangirl!)  While I am loyal… I’m not going to promote something terrible, or have the blinders that Apple fans seem to wear.  I’ll call it what it is… an impressive fail.  So, what I’ve done is upload everything to Google Play.  It’s fantabulous!!  I mean it.  I could not ask for a better system.  My songs uploaded perfectly, playlist creation was a breeze, I can pin various playlists to my phone so I don’t have to stream them when I’m in the car, it’s seriously great.  Plus with the desktop application in Windows 8, I can listen to the music on my Windows 8 PC.  The only place I can’t access the music is my Windows Phone 8.  It’s not a super big deal to me though for 2 reasons, 1) my xbox music playlists weren’t syncing properly ANYWAY, so it’s not a huge deal that I can’t get my Google Music either. 2) I wasn’t able to “pin” my playlist from xbox music to the phone so that I wouldn’t have to stream it, so trying to listen to it on the road was near to impossible (since it’s been super stormy here in Utah and the cell service has been extremely spotty).  So as soon as Google creates an app on Windows Phone 8 I’m kinda stuck on that one (for the record, I don’t see them creating an app for a while, if ever)

Exercise/Diet Tracking

Currently I’m using MyFitnessPal.  I love it for many reasons… first it syncs with my fitbit (which I’m totally going to write another post about, because I LOVES it!), it also syncs with Runtastic Pro, which I use to track my running.  There is a Windows Phone 8 app, and android app, and I can hop online to track it too.

File Storage/Sharing

I am a huge fan of Dropbox.  When I take a picture from either my Samsung Galaxy Camera, or my HTC EVO 4G LTE, it automatically gets uploaded to Dropbox!  I love that i don’t even have to plug my phone or my camera in to be able to put a picture into a post.  It automatically syncs up with my Dropbox folder on my desktop, even on ALL of my desktops.  Skydrive is coming up there too.  I like that Skydrive is available on both Android and Windows devices, and if you are exclusively using a Windows Phone, Skydrive is going to be your best option, as it automatically uploads the photos to skydrive from your phone.

So basically there it is.  All of the applications you need to live a cross platform life!  I love competition in the tech space, and when these companies allow YOU the choice of what platform you prefer, everybody wins (except of course for those people who make junky products )

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

First I want to say… pardon my dust around here.  You may see the design of my website change from day to day as I try to perfect my new design.  I had a great one, but it started crashing my site, so I’m back to the drawing board.  While it’s not perfect yet, it’s kinda getting there.  I don’t expect to  have it all complete until the end of January, so just bear with me.

Today I will be on Studio 5 talking about the gadgets and apps that can help you keep your New Year’s resolutions.  I researched what some of the most common resolutions were, and came up with…

1. Spend more time with family

2. Get fit

3. Maintain a budget

4. Organize your home

5. Learn something new

So I am going to talk about each of these in the next few posts.

First up is to spend more time with your family.  You may be thinking that technology is the thing that is driving your family apart!  I am definitely here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way!  I have found the ultimate family computer! (and I’ll even explain how it can actually hit all FIVE of the top New Year’s resolutions.

The Lenovo Horizon and the Lenovo Flex (Horizon having a 27″ screen and the Flex using a 20″ screen, but both have the same features).  I really love an all-in-one for a family computer because the footprint is small.  You can put it on a kitchen counter or on a desk in the family room, and it’s not going to require a lot of cords or space.  Especially now, with Windows 8, it’s essential to have a touchscreen to get the most out of the operating system.  You CAN use Windows 8 with a mouse, but it’s designed for touch, so that’s what works best with it.

So not only is this a family computer that can allow the kids to do homework, you to pay bills (and maybe browse a little Pinterest), and do everything else you need a computer for these days (which almost feels like EVERYTHING), but drumroll please………..

It lays down flat and becomes a gaming device that the whole family can come together to play.  It comes with a few pieces that work with the device like a die, and There are board games like Monopoly with an actual dice that registers on the screen when you roll it in real life, or my kids favorite… Air Hockey…

There are also coloring pages and educational apps in the Lenovo Aura interface, but one of my favorite things to do is to pull up pictures from the computer and “pass” them around on the table.  It’s just like when you sit down with your family with a big box of pictures and pass them around and start telling stories about the photos and reminiscing.  I would say that most people don’t print out a lot of their pictures anymore (myself VERY much included) so this is the best way for everyone to enjoy looking through all of these pictures together.

Like I mentioned though, it’s not only a gaming device, here are some other ways you can hit the rest of your Resolutions.

Get Fit – There are several apps in the Windows Marketplace that can help you with your fitness goals.  Some of my favorites are Bing Health and Fitness, FitBit’s app, and Bodee Fit.  With Bing Health and Fitness you have fitness and health trackers, PLUS it’s got various videos on exercises you can do, and a symptom checker (kinda like webmd, but better).  Plus it’s a great way to learn all about the anatomy, since it’s got information on all of that.

Maintain a budget – Since this computer has full Windows on it, really, any program you use for budgeting will work like Quicken or even if you just use an Excel sheet.  There are also a couple apps in the Windows marketplace such as Mint and MoBu.

Organize Your Home – Like I mentioned earlier, having an all-in-one PC for your family computer really eliminates the clutter that usually surrounds a family computer.  Cords, and various pieces that plug into a full computer tower with a monitor can really clutter up a counter or a desk.  With an all-in-one, it can look a lot cleaner and definitely more organized.

Learn Something New – With apps like Bing Health and Fitness, and Bing Food and Drink, there is definitely a lot to learn.  I have also started to re-learn French (I took several years of French when I was in school, but heck if I can speak it now), so I’m using a website called Duolingo.  I can access it from the Lenovo and do my lessons right there.  There are typing programs you can install, and everyone knows how much I need to learn how to cook better, so Bing Food and Drink and All Recipes Video Cookbook are definitely helping with that.

As I dig into the other devices, I’ll also point out how most of them can be used for the other areas as well.  There are so many tools available to us now, that we should be able to keep our resolutions this year!

Disclosure: I was given a Lenovo Horizon as part of my participation in the “Lenovo Moms” campaign.  I am also being compensated as part of this program.  I was not told what to write about or even the features of the computer to highlight.  All thoughts and Air Hockey losses are my own.

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

When I went to CES last month, I didn’t actually have a chance to do everything I wanted to do.  There were some thing I was not going to miss though, and hanging out in a hotel room with all the latest products was definitely something I made sure to include in my schedule.

As soon as I walked in, I went straight for the Horizon 2.  I love the current Horizon, which is my favorite family computer right now.  It’s a great size, perfect for gathering around the computer to play games or just to browse through pictures as a family.  The Horizon is the perfect device for this.  With the Horizon 2, not only have they made some great improvements in the Aura interface, but they have also made this new version thinner and lighter than it’s predecessor.  This is a big improvement for me, since I’m usually the one that has to lug the current Horizon around.  As the Lenovo rep was demonstrating the new interface for the Horizon, she displayed a feature where she would just shake her cell phone and essentially “throw” pictures from the phone to the computer.  This device just keeps getting better and better.  I can’t wait until it comes out later this year.

Now, when I think about Lenovo, I don’t automatically think external hard drives, since they are the #1 PC vendor in the world.  They have something new up their sleeves this year, though, with the Lenovo Beacon.  Think about Dropbox.  With Dropbox I can take a picture with my phone and have it automatically upload to the service.  The downside is that what happens to you if Dropbox ever goes out of business?  The other problem is that with Dropbox, depending on how much space you are taking up, you are going to have to start having a monthly fee to store your precious files and photos.  Lenovo Beacon acts just like Dropbox, but it’s a device that lives inside your home.  You have full control over the data on the device, and you won’t have a monthly fee to store it there.  The other awesome thing, is that not only can it act like a personal cloud storage, but it can also act as a local media server.  What this means is that as you start having more and more digital media, when you are in your home, you need a centralized location to access that media.  Whether it’s streaming your UltraViolet movies, or streaming your music to your web enabled TV, you can access it all from the local device.

I’ve always had a problem with just keeping my data in one location.  External hard drives fail, cloud storage companies can go out of business, and I’m a huge stickler for backups.  One thing I love about the Beacon is that you can set it up with a RAID configuration which can mirror multiple hard drives to each other.  So if one hard drive fails inside the device, the other hard drive still has all of your data in tact.  You then have some time to replace the failed hard drive and mirror the data back.  It happens automatically in a RAID configuration, and automatic is the best way to go.

One of the most exciting devices I saw at the Lenovo suite (while of course not quite as exciting as my fav, the Horizon 2) was the ThinkVision 28 (image at top) It’s the first full blank monitor, and can act as a touch screen monitor for your new computer, or an external monitor for your laptop.  The added bonus on this device is you can switch it’s mode, and access a full Android interface.  All the apps you love on your tablet, on a huge interface, with the option to switch to a plugged in PC.  It’s literally the best of both worlds.  The screen resolution on this thing was out of this world amazing.  We watched a full HD video, that made me feel like I was right there inside the screen.

The last device that really got my attention was this new Miix 2.  Some devices that are built to be tablets (that just happen to have a keyboard to double as a laptop) focus too much on the tablet part, and don’t put the specs to make it a great laptop.  Other devices that are built to be laptops but can remove the keyboard to double as a tablet fail a little bit on the tablet part as far as battery life and weight.  This is the device that gets the mix exactly right.  First, it closes just like a regular clamshell laptop with some magnetic help, for easy portability.  It clicks into the keyboard dock extremely fast and easily.  Then you can flip it around to be more of a stand mode, and the speakers for the device are right there in the bottom bar.  I have definitely given Lenovo credit lately for turning space in devices into something functional.  Like in their Yoga Tablets, the large battery becomes a great handle for the tablet, which makes it feel really great to hold.  I just love the way they take something that could be a great design element, and then make it totally functional, like this speaker.

So, there are a lot of exciting things coming out from Lenovo, and I couldn’t be more excited about this year!  What would have been your favorite device of the above?

Disclosure:  This post was written while part of the Techlicious Lenovo Moms program, for which I was compensated, but was not told what to write about or what to covet, which was pretty much everything in the suite.

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

It’s the conundrum we all face. Tablet or Laptop or both? Buying a tablet will set you back $500 on average. Now a days the really nice ones run closer to $850—plus you’ll want a keyboard, and case and everything. A decent laptop (Not talking about a chromebook. I’m talking about one with a usable amount of RAM and a processor with a decent amount of power) will be an additional $1000. At least. This is why a couple years ago I opted to buy the biggest, nicest, most powerful tablet I could find and add a docking keyboard so that I could use it as a tablet and a laptop.

So, I recently destroyed that tablet.

Don’t ask.

But, because I used it as both a tablet and a laptop, I was doubly devastated when I had to start speaking of it in the past tense. I may or may not have cried, and been a moody wreck for two days, until I passed into the giving-up-on-life stage for a week. Or two.

But in this dark period in my life, there came opportunity. I wasn’t completely happy with my previous set up. The docking keyboard wasn’t staying docked very well after a year of heavy use, and the screen was cracked and a little smaller than was enjoyable for productivity (10.1 inch). Plus, because it was only a tablet, I couldn’t use it for any “real” programs—like Photoshop Elements and Word, which I use. A lot.

So it was time to start the shopping process all over again. Tip: I love www.CNET.com. I will not buy any major tech without consulting CNET editor’s review on the product first. In fact that’s usually where I start my search. I look at their editor’s picks for the type of item I’m looking for. I totally geek out over the advances in technology and fantasize about the stuff that I’ll be able to do with my new tech, once I have it in my hot little hand.

This time I discovered that there is actually a class of machines that are built to be used as both a laptop and a tablet. I had no idea. They are called “convertibles”. Fitting, right?  I determined which one made me salivate the most after my long process of due diligence. It was the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro.

Why the Lenovo Yoga 2? Because look at this commercial for it.

Did that not make you wild to have one of your very own? I’ll admit I was a little surprised that it was Lenovo that made me drool. They are very well known in the business world for solid heavy-duty machines and secure servers. But in the consumer world? They are slightly less well known. Turns out they win all sorts of awards for innovation and quality and whatnot on a regular basis. The Yoga 2 Pro really is the best of both worlds, laptop and tablet alike.

Properties that made me drool:

• It has the resolution and touch capability of a high end tablet screen, but it’s the size of a laptop screen.
• It runs on Windows 8.1—so that you can install and run real software, like the Office suite and Photoshop Elements. It’s so important for me to not have to run off only mobile apps, which are fantastic for squeezing in a little time with Word while you wait at the doctor’s office, but not ideal for productivity time when you happen to be away from home. And you can still install your favorite apps from the Windows Store to play when you aren’t being as productive.
• Nice processor. It would be overkill for just surfing the web, or running small games or apps, but it’s perfect for doing actual computing. 4^th Generation Intel processors automatically overclock when the processor is backed up and the core temperature is okay. This translates to faster processing times for your heavy duty processes. Ahem. Like high resolution photo and video rendering. Which would be difficult on a regular tablet. Especially since you can’t even install the real photo editing software on Android or iOS.
• Solid State Drive. Most tablets and phones have small solid state hard drives, which is why they work silently, and quickly. SSD’s are less common in laptops and computers, mostly because they are more expensive than regular hard drives and don’t have as much storage space. But, solid state drives are sooooooo much faster than regular hard drives. So I loved that they went with the SSD and it’s a decent size. I save most of my stuff to the cloud so that I can access it on all my devices, so really, all I need room for is my software and apps.
• 9 hour battery life. Have you ever heard of a laptop with that much battery life? Or seen it in real life? A tablet, maybe. But definitely not a laptop.
• With the versatility of the keyboard folding options, I can use it for everything.

These were some of the main reasons I began pestering Lenovo to send me one to try. You know. Just to make sure this wasn’t false advertising. I had no ulterior motives whatsoever. Or maybe just one. It took a few months and a lot of begging, but they did send me one for free. And after a few more weeks of convincing they let me keep it.

Can I just say the Yoga 2 Pro is so very, very worth those weeks of begging? Holy smokes. My favorite thing (besides the keyboard being firmly attached) is that it takes a whopping 8 seconds to boot up—thanks to the solid state drive. I actually count when it starts booting, because it’s so thrilling, and I’m cool like that. Anyway, it’s way faster than my phone, and it really puts my desktop to shame.

My second favorite feature is the hands free operation capability. When I’m using it in the kitchen to show me recipes while I cook (in stand mode or tent mode), my hands are constantly slimy and coated with whatever I’m cooking.  I don’t want to transfer the mess onto my screen. I just motion with my hands in front of the screen and it changes pages, or pauses the video, or increases the volume.  Yay! Problem solved.

After spending about a month with the Yoga 2 Pro I’ve been very pleased with how quickly it opens my software applications, and with the quick processing time for photo and video rendering. It’s faster than my now ageing PC, so I prefer using this baby for those heavy duty needs, even when I’m near the desktop. Especially because my PC monitor has nowhere near the same resolution, and I really need high resolution to edit my high resolution photos. There are very few things in the world that are more frustrating than editing a masterpiece on the computer, only to print it out and discover it wasn’t quite the masterpiece I thought it was on my low resolution screen.

The other thing I love, and this might sound a little strange, is the typing texture of the keyboard. What in the world is that? It’s the feel of the keys when you type. It just feels high quality. The keys are perfectly sized and spaced, and just firm enough to feel stable but not stiff. And it has a back-lit keyboard. I just love typing on this thing.

In fact, everything about it feels high quality. It is super thin, sleek and lightweight. I just love the overall design. Yummy! It’s everything I hoped it would be.

And, the Yoga 2 Pro runs from $1400 to $1750 (depending on the amount of RAM, hard drive space, and Processor). That’s less or equal to what you would pay for a tablet and a laptop both. I’m all about saving the space and the money to have one really nice piece of tech that does all of the above.

Cecilia Harvey

I’m a technological enthusiast with a completely unrelated degree in English Literature. I’ve also been known to dabble in photography and DIY furniture refinishing, with occasional stints of fitness sprinkled among all of the above.

My blog post was written as part of my collaboration with eBay.

We all know that Father’s Day is just around the corner, and we all know that what Dad’s REALLY want for Father’s Day is another tie, right?  Well, today we are going beyond the tie, and letting you know what Dad really wants for Father’s Day is an upgrade in technology.  This isn’t going to be your typical Father’s Day gift guide, this gift guide isn’t for the faint of pocketbook.  Most of the Dad’s I know, would love to have the latest and greatest technology has to offer, and this is the guide that will help you get them there.

Even though this stuff won’t come on the cheap, you can actually find super great deals right on eBay!  They have even put together a great gift guide of their own located at http://www.ebay.com/rpp/gifts-for-dads.  Right now you can also enter to win $500 to shop on eBay by creating your very own #eBayDad collection (hurry though sweepstakes ends on June 1st http://www.ebay.com/celebratecollections).  You can easily purchase these items by checking out my own Tech Dad Makeover collection on eBay.   So let’s see what kind of technology needs upgrading in Dad’s life?

PHONE – One of the pieces of technology that Dad uses constantly.  The latest and, in my opinion, greatest smartphone on the market right now is the Samsung Galaxy S5.  This phone is SPEE-DY!  My Husband was recently playing with mine and kept commenting on just how darn fast the phone is compared to his old phone (and his old phone is only a year old).  The S5 has a great back to it that won’t show every single fingerprint and smudge that comes it’s way, and the screen just can’t be beat.  Plus it’s water resistant, so it’s going to survive if Dad is testing out the sprinklers getting ready for spring.  It can also connect with other super cool tech items like the Galaxy Gear watch and the Gear Fit to round out the whole tech package.

LAPTOP – Aside from the phone, the laptop is probably what gets used more than any other technology item that Dad has among his technology products.  Whether Dad travels often, or just moves around the house a lot, the Lenovo Ideapad 11s is the perfect device.  It’s actually the device I’m using to type up this list right now!  The screen can flip all the way around so that the laptop can become a tablet to use to browse through magazines with Next Issue, or just watch videos through Netflix.  Windows 8 devices work best on a touch screen and the 11s delivers!  Although it is a teeny device, it packs some serious power into it’s tiny body, making it great for productivity AND for playing around on the internet.  Is there a Pinterest for guys?

TABLET – If Dad needs a tablet that can be a productivity workhorse, and his company uses several Microsoft products (including Outlook for email) a windows based tablet is going to be your best bet.  Some office places need to have a Windows machine to run certain applications as well.  A Dell Venue Pro will definitely fit the bill for this type of Dad.  Others could want the benefit of the Google Play store with it’s plethora of apps to choose from.  A new Samsung Galaxy Pro is going to be what you should go with in that situation.  Either way, a brand new tablet is sure to put a smile on Dad’s face!

TV – 3D is the wave of the future, and more and more TV’s are going to be 3D capable.  Dad wants to see all of the action from the Avengers in glorious 3D!  If you’ve got the wall space I recommend an Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 2000

Seriously, who needs to go to the movie theater with one of these at the house!  With the ever increasing cost of going to the movies as a family, this is such an awesome solution!  Plus, there is nothing like an outdoor movie night in the summer!

If you want to go with a standard TV though, the rule to follow is “there is no such thing as too big”  A 64″ Samsung Smart 3D TV will guarantee access to Hulu, Netflix, Vudu and all of the other great streaming services without the need to plug it into anything else.

GAMING SYSTEM – Much can be said about PS4 vs. XBOX One, but seriously what can I say that hasn’t already been said better by Sheldon Cooper…

The truth is, if the Dad in your life is a hard core gamer, go with the PS4, if he is a casual gamer and likes several other forms of entertainment, it’s probably best to go with the xbox.  We have a PS4, but my hubby is a total gamer.

PRINTER – While often it can be cheaper to just go out and buy a new printer than it is to purchase ink for your old printer, everyone could use a little upgrade to their printing capabilities.  A nice photo quality printer will help Dad whether he’s printing off March Madness brackets, or his favorite picture of him and his dog.  Also, it’s best to get a printer/scanner/copier all in one unit like the Canon PIXMA MG6320, so there should be no need to stop at the FedEx store to make a few copies.

CAMERA – GoPro is to Dad’s what DSLR’s are to Mom’s.  If you don’t believe me, head to any preschool graduation/elementary school event/dance recital, an count just how many moms are sporting a DSLR camera.  Dad’s on the other hand don’t want to be bogged down with a large camera, they want to capture the action as it happens, and therefore they need a GoPro.  This small, light weight camera can go down the river, on the ski lift, camping, etc and with it’s protective covering there is no worry about the camera getting damaged.  Plus the picture quality is truly no joke.  This thing takes FABULOUS videos!

We’ve hit just about every area of tech where Dad could use an upgrade, so hopefully you can see where his tech is lacking and get him the latest and the greatest this Father’s day.  If you want to go a little more traditional (and maybe just a bit cheaper) check out my other eBay Collection featuring all the things that the guys in my life would love to get (maybe I’d love to get them too, but SHHHHHHH)

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

It’s August, and while I’d say a good deal of people actually go back to school in September, our school district only starts a couple weeks from now!  So with all the school supply lists making their way to your shopping list, I’m going to let you know the things that won’t exactly be on the list, but could definitely be beneficial for your back to school needs.

High School and College Age

A Tablet/Laptop Hybrid – Something like the Lenovo ThinkPad 10 (which is very similar to the Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet 2 that we are giving away right now!)  is a perfect device for students.  It’s more like a tablet making it super light and portable, but you can purchase an additional keyboard to make it just as functional as a laptop for all those papers you need to write.  The best part for a student about the Lenovo is that it comes with a digital pen, which will make taking notes of diagrams from teachers and professors so much easier!

High Tech Calculator – You know at some point in your children’s educational career a graphing calculator will end up on the list.  The good news it’s a great investment.  Heck…. I STILL have my TI-82 from when I was in high school (almost 20 years ago), and it STILL works!  There is a great little comparison chart on the Texas Instruments webpage to help you decide which calculator is right for your student’s needs.

A Student Planner App – I’m sure your high school bound or even college bound student already has a phone, which is why it’s not included here as a “new purchase” need.  What they may NOT have though, is a killer student planner app.  The My Homework app is the BEST student planner available.  One of my favorite things about it, is that it’s available cross platform (meaning they have Apple, Android, Windows and even web based ways to access your information)

Portable Power – With all these high tech devices, power is something we are always trying to get more of.  A portable charger is basically an essential now.  You could chose something super functional and powerful like the myCharge, or something stylish and fun like the Halo Pocket Charger.

For All Ages

Storage – As you create papers, and do research projects, you are going to start amassing files.  Lots and lots of files.  I carry a USB drive on my keychain to have my important files available to me at all times.  Even if you use a service like Dropbox or OneDrive, it’s nice to have physical copies, just in case there ever is a reason you can’t access the files from the web.  USB drives are very in-expensive now, and you can get 16 GB for around $20 or less!  Once you get into college though, and you need more storage (maybe your entire ripped DVD collection, or your vast array of music?) something like NetGear’s ReadyNAS might be just the ticket.  NAS stands for Network Attached Storage, meaning exactly what it sounds like.

For the Younger Folks

A Computer – Now you don’t have to go out and get your child their very own computer, BUT I do recommend having a computer that is mainly for the children’s use.  Many schools have homework that is online.  For example my daughter’s math assignments are located on a website and she does all the problems through the web.  When you have several children, and they all need to get online to get their homework done… one family computer just isn’t going to cut it.  I recommend something smaller, so in case they need to spread all their books out on the kitchen table, the computer is able to come with them.  My favorite right now is the Lenovo Yoga 11s.  You can stand it up in “tent mode” while you are looking through books, use it as a tablet, or just use it as a regular laptop go write a paper.  It’s a great little device that will be powerful enough to handle all of your kids’ needs.

A Form of Communication – Parents these days get really nervous about when their child isn’t in their care.  I guess parents were probably ALWAYS nervous, but now with constant access to technology, we want to know their every move… because we CAN.  If sending your child off to school all day, or to sports practice, or to any other extra curricular activities (even just going to a friends house after school) makes you break out in hives, then maybe it’s time to get them a way to communicate with you.  Sprint offers a great little device called WeGo that will definitely help ease your mind.  Gone are the days of carrying a quarter with you “just in case” (do payphones even still exist??)

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

I don’t know about you, but I paid my own way through college.  As a college student, you learn fast that money certainly doesn’t grow on trees, and hopefully start looking for ways to utilize technology on the cheap.  Well, look no further cause I’ve got the roundup you are looking for to get your frugal tech on!

Cell Phone – So I’m sure you’ve had a cell phone for a while, but you may be branching out and paying for your own service now.  It can get pretty pricey!  Luckily there is a phone service I think is just exactly right for you.  It’s called Scratch Wireless.

You purchase your phone through them (like you would on any other carrier), but the trick is that the service is absolutely FREE!  How it works is that when you are connected to a wifi network, you may receive phone calls, and do all the wonderful things a data plan can do.  When you are away from a wifi network, the data and the phone stop working, but you are still able to text.  If you really need data for some reason for a day or even for a weekend, you can pay for a “day pass” to get access to the data network.

Entertainment – You don’t have to spend a fortune on a smart TV.  You can give any TV the ability to stream all of your favorite shows and movies… and even more with a Roku streaming stick.

It will plug into the back of any HDMI capable TV (so you could definitely find a TV in your price range that should work with it).  Since dorm rooms are pretty small, and likely lacking in a ton of outlets, the stick doesn’t need to be plugged into anything else but the TV.  You wouldn’t need a cable subscription or even a DVD player to enjoy a ton of entertainment.  Perfect solution for dorm room movie night!

Power – speaking of lack of power outlets, the Pivot Power Jr. is the perfect surge protector for tight quarters like a dorm room.

The flexible nature of the power strip lets you put it wherever you need it, instead of just where it will fit best.

Laptop – When I was in college many moons ago, I did have a computer.  It was a beast of a tower that took up my entire desk, but I was definitely one of the few people in the dorms that had one.  Now it seems like a requirement to have some sort of laptop when attending college (side question… do people even still go to the computer labs?  Do they still HAVE computer labs?)  A GREAT laptop, that isn’t going to break the bank too much, and can double as a tablet and much more is the Lenovo Yoga 2.

The size of this laptop is perfect for toting around in a backpack all day long, awesome for reading books in tablet mode, and of course it’s main purpose, to help you write those papers!

Sound – Last but not least, you’ll definitely want a way to blast that music while you are working on a project.  For this you will need a portable Bluetooth speaker.  You can stream the music right from your phone or your laptop so there is no need for another device to play all your favorite “study songs”.  The Oontz is the absolute perfect device for you!  Not only is it inexpensive (some models are only $30), but they have great reviews on Amazon and elsewhere!

They come in a variety of styles and colors, so it’s sure to match your dorm room no matter how you’ve chosen to decorate it.

I must warn you though.  Nothing you buy will ever top what I had in MY dorm room…

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

How many times have you attempted to connect to a WiFi network only to be presented with a list of random router makes and numbers? How in the world can you know which router your friends and family members have? And when you ask which one is theirs, they don’t even know.

Well, you can’t name your friends’ networks for them, but you can be courteous and name your own network something distinguishable. Some people have lots of fun with this. At the very least you can change the network name from Netgear51 or CenturyLink22 to your surname—just to mark your territory.

How do you change your network name?

As with all your other router settings, these are accessed through your router admin page. Most routers have a sticker somewhere on its body that will tell you all the pertinent information you need to access the admin page. If you removed that sticker for some reason, try Google. Google knows everything.

• Type your LAN IP into your browser’s address field like you would any other web address. It starts with http://, and is followed by numbers separated by periods, something like http://192.168.0.1
• You will be prompted to input the default admin ID and password, which should also be listed on the sticker on your router. If you’ve set up your own password and ID to get into the router admin page…hopefully you remember what it is or have it written down somewhere.
• Once you type in the correct credentials, you should have complete access to all your router settings.

Every router make has a different page, but all you need to know is that you need to change the SSID (service set identifier) or Wireless Network ID. The SSID is the name of your network, and what will be broadcast when people are in range to see your wireless network.  You can choose not to broadcast your SSID, and it won’t show up at all, but that definitely makes connecting new gadgets to your network a little bit more of a pain.  I can change this in several places, but if you’re having trouble finding it, look under Advanced Settings> Wireless.

What should you name your network?

Some people like to use their network name as an indicator of their personality, to hint at their sense of humor or make pop culture references. Others use their network ID to discourage interlopers and freeloaders. There is no limit to what you can name your network, although I would definitely refrain from using expletives if your have your network set as visible. Some of my favorite network names I’ve seen out there are:

Wutang Lan

Mordor

This Lan is my Lan

This Lan is your Lan (to distinguish the guest network from your home network)

The Promised LAN

The LAN Before Time

The router Gotham deserves (this MUST belong to Bruce Wayne. Who else could it be?)

Tell my wifi love her

Pretty fly for a wifi

Hide Yo Kids Hide Yo Wifi

It hurts when IP (hee hee, a little geek pun for you)

Drop it like it’s hotspot

Mom use this one (this one was no doubt lovingly named by her helpful offspring)

My son is smarter than me (ditto)

Abraham Linksys

Nacho WiFi

You’re music is annoying (not a recommended way to make friends with the neighbors)

Your grammar is annoying (if you go the insult route, you can expect a rebuttal)

404 Network Failure (not going to deter an actual hacker, who would know this is a ruse, but it just might prevent freeloaders or annoying relatives from trying to connect)

Also, there are a bunch of FBI Surveilance, SWAT type names out there but they are getting way overused. Try to come up with something else.

Anyway, have fun with it because every time anyone within a one block radius connects to a WiFi network they will bear witness to your creativity and awesomeness via your Network name. Just another way to win friends and influence people.

Cecilia Harvey

I’m a technological enthusiast with a completely unrelated degree in English Literature. I’ve also been known to dabble in photography and DIY furniture refinishing, with occasional stints of fitness sprinkled among all of the above.

Back in January, during CES, a nice lady from Lenovo and I were chatting over lunch.  She says to me, “we have this huge collection of Baby Einstein DVD’s, but we have no way to play them on the go!”  I thought about it for a second, and instantly knew the answer to her question.  I told her I’d write about it (I gave her the solution right then and there too), and now, ummmm 10 months later, I’m making good on my promise.

The answer is a Plex server.  A Plex server is basically a personal cloud storage for all of the DVD’s and other media that you own.  Back when I was younger, and was trying to imagine the future of media, I thought what we would have is a large jukebox type thing where you just select which movie you want to play.  It would grab the disc and play it in the DVD player without you having to touch it.  Mainly I just didn’t want my kids to touch my DVD discs.  I didn’t imagine how wonderful having ALL of your movies right there and easily selectable with a remote control could be.

So, how do you set up a Plex server?  I’m so glad you asked.

The first thing I did, was I set it up on one of the computers in my house.  I was not happy with the performance of this setup.  The computer was on the wifi, the playback device (typically my Roku) was on the wifi, and playback was spotty at best.  So, I knew I wanted a device that was a computer that we wouldn’t use on a regular basis, that I could plug directly into the wifi router.  It needed to be small, so it would fit on top of the cabinet where my wifi router was, and it needed to have plenty of space.  I researched, and finally settled on a Lenovo Tiny.  It had everything I needed.  I did make sure to get the 2TB model, so I could have enough space for the movies I’d put on it.

Once I got the computer, I went to the Plex website and downloaded the free software.  When you are putting it on a Windows machine, it’s really just as simple as an install to get it running.  If you are going to put it on something like a NAS device though (stands for Network Attached Storage, which just means a whole lot of digital space that is attached to your home network) the setup could get a little tricky.  Luckily they have tutorials for you for each type of device.

They also have this great get started video.

As mentioned in the video, you can choose your media library, but if you are sitting on a mountain of DVD’s, how do you get those into files for importing into Plex?  I’ve used DVDFab, Freemake, and MakeMKV.  I like them all for various reasons, but my favorite one to use is DVDFab.

If you are going to be ripping a Blu-Ray, you will need to have a Blu-Ray drive for your computer, otherwise a regular DVD drive will be just fine.  You simply put the disc in the drive and tell the software what kind of compression you want.  Since I’m a total snob when it comes to video quality, I usually select “Passthrough” which means it’s not going to compress the file at all.  It definitely takes up more space, but the quality is fantastic.

***Please note I DO NOT ADVOCATE STEALING!  I only approve of making digital copies of DVD’s and media that you OWN.***

Plex is absolutely free if you are going to use it just on your home network.  If you want access to your media remotely, you can purchase a monthly Plex Pass, which will also allow you to share your library with other people.  I recently got my entire collection of Boy Meets World episodes up on my Plex server so a friend of mine could check them out!  It’s awesome!

I still love my Vudu account for any movies I buy now, which is where I store all of my Ultraviolet movies.  I love Plex though, especially for those movies that are not yet available digitally through vudu or Netflix, especially my vast collection of exercise DVD’s.

Please feel free to ask me any questions about getting your own Plex server set up!

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

CES is an insane place to be.  There is SO much to see.  So much innovation, so much technology, so much of everything I want and need in my life.  It’s insane, but it’s super fun!  This month I had grand plans to feature a new product every day, and here we are halfway through the month.  Catching up from being away for the week has really taken it’s toll.  BUT I’m now ready to feature all of the fantastic things I saw at CES.  So get ready!

We are starting out with the awesome things I saw from Lenovo.  First up is probably one of my favorite innovations of the show.  That is the AnyPen technology from Lenovo.  I want NEED this technology in my life.  I’m a stylus girl at heart.  I’ve mentioned it before.  It must be due to the fact that I’ve been using a digital planner since the invention of the Palm V (I actually worked for Palm during the Palm 3 days, but I didn’t actually get one of my own until Palm V).  Those early Palm Pilots came with a stylus, and I was hooked.  Since I was coming from a paper planner obsession, the stylus was essential for me, and I find that I still prefer using a stylus with my tablets (which is why I currently carry the Lenovo ThinkPad 10).  So picture this, a tablet that you can use ANYTHING to write on it.  The pen from the bottom of my purse, the pencil in my daughter’s backpack, the knitting needle I have nearby (totally kidding…. I do NOT knit), anything can be used to write on this tablet!  Although, I probably wouldn’t recommend writing on it with a sharpie, permanent ink is still permanent ink.

Here’s a video of me testing it out…

Check out the Any Pen technology from @lenovo use any pen, pencil, knitting needle, etc on the tablet! #lenovoIN #ces2015 #lenovoCES

A video posted by Sarah Kimmel (@tech4moms) on Jan 7, 2015 at 12:31pm PST

Then they went and took it a whole step further.  They introduced a program called WRITEit, which will take your handwriting and turn it into text in ANY field you are trying to type in.  So, for example, I’m using my tablet with AnyPen technology, and I open up my web browser, I can tap in the search field and start writing like I normally would write on paper, and it will add the text to the search field.

These two things combined just opened the door for all of those people clinging to their paper notebooks and planners with their ninja like grip.  This can totally bridge that gap for them so they can see how much more useful carrying a tablet is than that pad of paper!  I literally can not wait to get my hands on this device.

Lenovo also announced the Lavie laptop.  It’s hard to tell from the photo, but this laptop is AMAZINGLY light weight.  I’m not even kidding.  When I picked it up it felt like it was a toy, or something like a display model that doesn’t actually turn on… but it DOES!

The other tablet that blew me away was the Yoga Tablet 2 (10 inch model) that has a projector INSIDE the tablet!

This is seriously one of the ultimate mom devices.  Throw on a movie for the kids from your tablet ANYWHERE!  Plus with the other modes (stand, hang, tilt, etc) there will not be a shortage of ways to utilize this device.

Of course there were also a great deal of things to see from Motorola (who is now owned by Lenovo), and I’m itching to get my hands on a Moto 360 SmartWatch, and the MotoX with it’s custom designs.  But the last device to blow me away from Lenovo was the ThinkPad Stack.

It’s hard to tell from this image, but the stack of accessories fits in your hand and pulls apart and connects with magnets to make it super easy to use.  The stack contains an external hard drive, a power bank to charge your devices, a mobile hotspot, and a Bluetooth speaker.  You can mix and match the accessories, and purchase as many or as few of them as you wish.  I love that they all work together and only need one connection to your laptop.

Needless to say I had SO much fun checking out the latest tech from Lenovo!  I am dying to get my hands on all of the above!

Disclaimer:  I am a member of Lenovo Insiders, and am not compensated for my participation in the program.  However, this post is also written as part of a campaign through Techlicious.  All drooling and opinions are my own though.

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

At the end of November I got a fun package in the mail courtesy of Lenovo….

I was SO excited about this new machine.  I had been using the older version of the Yoga, and was really excited to try out this thinner, sleeker device.

The first thing that will stick out to you when using looking at this computer is the awesome new “watchband hinge” they utilize.  Not only is it pretty cool to look at it feels super solid as it moves through the various modes the YOGA has made famous.  Here are my favorite uses in each mode…

In laptop mode, I’m a powerhouse of productivity.  I connect it to my external monitor, because once you go dual screens, you can’t go back.  I typically have web on the left screen, because most of the stuff I do is on the internet (my to do list, my blog, calendar, etc etc), on the right I have my email, so I can make sure to grab important messages as they come in.  No matter how great they make tablets, they can’t make them into the productivity powerhouse that a laptop can bring you.

In the kitchen is where I use tent mode almost exclusively.  I open up Pepperplate and find my favorite recipe, and I’m all set to start cooking.

I’m a total movie and TV junkie.  I LOVE my entertainment.  In stand mode is where I use Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, and Plex.  Each app fills a specific need, and yes, I pay for them all.

Then comes the times when I’m sitting and waiting for swim practice to finish, or just lounging around the house.  This is when I get to catch up on all my magazines in tablet mode.  Next Issue is my absolute favorite app.  I pay $16/month and have access to ALMOST all of the magazines I could ever want to read (they are still missing Women’s Running, and a couple others that I’d love to read, but all the important ones are already there.  The best part of the app is that I don’t have to get a whole bunch of paper copies in the mail, that I almost never read, that just end up as clutter.

Of course, last but not least, my favoritest thing to do with my YOGA is … Yoga!

What would be your favorite thing to do with a YOGA?

Disclaimer: I received the YOGA 3 from Lenovo, but was not compensated in any other way for this post.

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

We’re coming down to the wire on Christmas!  If you haven’t found that perfect gift for the people on your list yet, this week, I’ve got you covered.  Every day will be the top 5 tech gifts to give to the different people in your life!  Today we start out with the Babies/Toddlers!

Tiggly – There is a great deal of toys that are coming out that interact with devices.  The Tiggly is by far one of my favorites for Toddlers.  There are currently 3 packs you can purchase.  One for learning Math, one for Shapes, and the other for words.  I have always been such a sucker for educational electronics, and Tiggly does not disappoint.  One of the great things about the Tiggly sets, is that they aren’t limited to a single app.  Each set has several different apps to choose from, and they are continuing to develop more, so there is always something new on the horizon once you have the core set.  Tiggly works with both Android and iOS devices, which makes it awesome in my book.

Incredbooks – Again we are talking about virtually interacting with real objects.  Incredebooks are really very fun.  You have a real book, that you can read all on it’s own, but if you have your tablet handy, pages of the book can come to life!  My Son, who’s Mickey Mouse obsession truly knows no bounds, is seriously in LOVE with his “Mickey and Donald’s Rhyme Time” book.  They also have a Frozen book, but our house isn’t that into Frozen.

Tag Jr. – What I love about the entire LeapFrog line, is that it really doesn’t expect your child to just learn everything through the device.  It encourages parents to get involved with the systems.  I fully credit LeapFrog devices as what had my Son reading like a champ at age 3.  I’m not even kidding.

Nabi Jr. – If you are looking for a starter tablet for your children, the Nabi devices are by far the best suited for the job.  They have a ton of parental controls baked right in, and has an AMAZING educational system called Wings.

Osmo – My ONLY complaint about the Osmo is that it only works with iOS.  If that wasn’t the case I would be have the biggest crush on this product.  I already have such a crush on it, that I’ve lifted my “no talking about your product until it’s available for both Android and iOS” rule for it.  It’s a lot like the Tiggly, but definitely more for the older kids!  The Tangrams are probably my favorite because it teaches problem solving skills, but I really love all of the apps.  My kids use the drawing app the most, as you can take a picture of something in real life and then be able to “trace” the image onto real paper.  My daughter especially likes to use it to make mashups of Pokemon and How to Train Your Dragon characters.  She’s really very talented at it, and this is just helping her increase her skills.

Kano – I am SO excited about this product.  On my Son’s Christmas wish list he wrote “My Own Computer”.  Now, he’s 6… I’m not going out and buying him a brand new desktop or a laptop.  I DID think this was the perfect opportunity to give him a computer that he can MAKE himself!  Both of my children are very into coding… what can I say… they have me for a mom, it’s in their blood.  So, I’m super excited about teaching my Son all about the inner workings of a computer and how to create things with it!

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.

This post is sponsored by Lenovo

Lenovo is already well known as a company that makes amazing PC’s, but they also have some great accessories that I was completely blown away by!  What really made me fall in love with Lenovo to begin with was they way they make awesome enhancements to their products.  Such when they made a handle on a tablet, which secretly holds a larger battery to give the tablet amazing battery life!  It’s that little something extra that completely sets Lenovo apart from other companies.  This year at CES they continued to show that they are still thinking of ways to add innovation to every day products.  Check out my video of my favorites

The first product that blew me away was the Lenovo Link.

I currently use Push Bullet to get text messages and other phone alerts on my computer while I’m working.  I can respond to text messages from my computer, but any other alerts I need to pick up my phone to deal with.  Lenovo link is a device you plug your phone into, and then plug into your computer and it will bring your phone’s screen onto your computer screen.  The most awesome thing about this device is the price!  It’s only going to be about $40 and available in March.  You better believe I will be purchasing one on release day!

Next I was able to play with the Lenovo Yoga Mouse.

The mouse can flatten out for portability, like some other mouse models out there, BUT the Yoga mouse will display some controls on the flattened mouse so you can use it to control a presentation or your media files!

Lenovo released the ThinkPad Stack last year, but this year they have added a few more pieces!  In addition to the Bluetooth speaker, the wireless hotspot, the hard drive, and the mobile charger, they have added a projector to the mix, AND a wireless charger!  I love it!

I have spoken before about how much I love my Lenovo Tiny, which runs my Plex server, and our Minecraft server.  I have now met the upgrade I will be purchasing to replace it.  The ideacentre 610S is the perfect device to run your media components like a Plex server.  First the design is fantastic, and will integrate nicely with your entertainment center.  It doesn’t LOOK like there’s a computer sitting up there, it looks more like a speaker.  The other awesome thing, is you can purchase a projector that fits right on top of it!  If it’s running something like your Plex server, you won’t even need a TV to hook it up to!

Lenovo is seriously just hitting it out of the park with it’s attention to detail and constant innovation, that really makes me a Lenovo customer for LIFE!

Sarah Kimmel

I am a mom who can fix your blog, your computer, or your server. I have been in the IT industry supporting small businesses for over 15 years. As a diehard PC and Android user, I can usually be found sparring with Apple fanboys, or watching movies with my family.