GIVEAWAY: Hexbugs are creepy, cool micro robots that are perfect for Halloween - ENDS 10/27 (CLOSED)

It's technology, it's a toy, it's a Hexbug...

Is your child into robots?  My kid loves everything related to technology and during my recent trip to BlogHer in San Diego, I was introduced to an interesting tech toy called Hexbug.

The Hexbug brand was designed to give children a positive experience with robotics at an early age. If your kids have been introduced robotics then they will love and appreciate the technology that goes into how the bugs move like the real creepy crawlies.  According to the Hexbug website "Some of the products are so animated, they even fool cats, dogs and some humans into thinking they are alive!"

My Hexbug Experience...
I was given the Hexbug Inchworm for review.  The bug is very secure in the packaging and you will need some scissors and a little patience to remove the bug from the package.  The package contains a bug and a tiny remote control.  When I first removed the Hexbug Inchworm I was worried that the package did not contain batteries, but then I realized that the batteries were already installed in both the bug and the remote and all I had to do was pull out the protective battery tabs for the units to start functioning.

The Hexbug Inchworm really is a micro version of a robot.  The body is slightly transparent so you can see some of the inter-workings of the bug.  The bug is around 2 1/2 inches tall and stands on a base that rotates in a circle.  The remote is only 2x1 inches and has a toggle that works the legs of the bug and another toggle that works the rotating base. The base combined with the legs enable the bug to not only walk like an inchworm but also to spin so that it can move in any direction. The bug has an on/off switch to save the battery, but the remote does not.

The Hexbug Inchworm is made to walk on flat surfaces and does best on hardwood floors, tile floors and low pile carpeting. The Hexbug Inchworm comes in lots of fun colors including indigo, red, orange, yellow, green and pink.

NOT for small children...
As cute as these robot bugs are, they are delicate pieces of technology that contain very small parts (and small round button batteries) so they are not for small children nor should they be used around animals that like to chew on small toys.

Click here if video review is not shown


If you are looking for a cool toy for your child for Halloween that will also introduce them to the world of robotics, then a Hexbug makes the perfect toy. The Hexbug Inchworm retails for $19.99 on the Hexbug website.  Hexbug products are also available on Amazon.com.  I won't tell if you get one for yourself too :)

GIVEAWAY
One FREEISMYLIFE reader will win a creepy little Hexbug Nano which acts like a real bug including flipping over on itself and reacting to touch and sound - too cool!  


TO ENTER

 -  Fill out the information in the form below.

 - One entry per person please.  Duplicate entries will be removed.

 - USA addresses only.

 - The contest ends on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 11:59am EST.

 - The winner will be selected by random number generation.

 - Prize will be fulfilled by Hexbug or their PR company.

(4) EXTRA GIVEAWAY ENTRIES

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following Hexbug on Twitter.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Twitter.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for tweeting the following message on Twitter "I entered the @freeismylife giveaway to win a cool @Hexbug Nano for Halloween http://bit.ly/qPHSO9"

Enjoy!


Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links.

Random.org has spoken! Out of 181 enteries, Random.org has picked #64. Congratulations to the winner of the Hexbug Nano - Michelle of Lynchburg, TN !!!




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GIVEAWAY: Modify Watches are Cool, Fashionable & Charitable ENDS 10/14 (CLOSED)

Me wearing my new watch from Modify Watches

Modify Watches appeal to both parents and kids

While at the BlogHer conference in San Diego, I attended the Clever Girls Collective "I'm With the Brand" Rock Star Party where bloggers were introduced to some cool and hip brands and their products. Since I really don't consider myself to be cool nor hip, I really was not expecting to find any products that would catch my eye.  Laura (from LauraInTheMotorCity.com) and I were mainly just walking around the rooftop party trying not to accidentally fall in to the pool.

I guess I have a cool gene after all...
And then we happened upon a table hosted by Juice in the City of very cool watches manufactured by a young start up company called Modify Watches. I am naturally drawn to designs that are very minimum and clean and that is how modify designs are designed. And the cool factor for the watches is that the watch faces and bands are interchangeable so that you can mix and match colors and styles to design your watch anyway that you desire.

The man behind Modify Watches is Aaron Schwartz who is the embodiment of young, hip and cool. When I met Aaron at the Clever Girls Party, I kind of put my foot in my mouth by saying out loud that I did not care for the color of the watch that we were being given - I don't do pink and I didn't know that Aaron was listening to my conversation. Aaron graciously introduced himself and told me that with Modify Watches, I could have a watch in any band and face combination that I wanted - and that he would ship me a replacement face and band in a non pink color. He had me at Hello :)

A watch that both a mom and a kid can love...
When my new watch face and bands arrived at my home, I fell in love with the clean style and the color combination of melon and white and have been wearing it ever since. I also took the watch that I was given at the Clever Girls party and changed out the band from pink to yellow and gave it my son. He also loves his watch because it is so cool. And these watches are not made from some cheap plastic and rubber that will fall apart in no time flat. These are very well made comfortable watches that will last.  Aaron must be doing something right with Modify Watches because it is hard for me to believe that both my son and I have found watches from the same company that we both love.

Aaron agreed to the following interview so that I could find out more about the man and his watch company:

======================================

Aaron Schwartz

How did Modify Watches get started?
My friend, Gary Coover, and I have always appreciated watches – there's a nod to tradition when you wear a watch, even if it's only for style. So after Gary and I finished business school in May 2010 we started Modify. We loved having the ability to mix-and-match styles, and it was important to us to build a highly "personal" company, both from the standpoint of the product itself and our philosophy around good service.

I love the fact that the watches can be modified with a simple click of the watchband. How did you perfect the design in order for the band to be changed out so easily?
Thanks for the compliment! Being able to swap out styles and colors has always been our focus. The design came through good old fashioned trial and error, making sure everything was easy to use and gave people all kinds of options and inspiration. We're always working on enhancing the product; most recently we changed the buckles to make them a bit sturdier.

I am getting lots of compliments on my "Sunshine & Lollipops" watch and my son thinks his "Knitty Gritty" watch is very cool. How do you come up with these cool names and design choices?
I'm not embarrassed to tell you that we spend a ton of time on the names. It's like a pitch meeting at The Onion: the entire team comes to the table with ideas to present- some are fresh and tasty, others need to bake a little longer. Modify is home to some mad creative minds, but we're not afraid to bring down the hammer when the good juices stop flowing. I mean, "Harold and Mod"? That's not something you want coming up at your employee review.

According to the ModifyWatches.com website, you have an interesting role in the company. So what are your duties as "Director of Player Personnel" ?
I have always been a little obsessed with that job title, but was never actually driven to work in the sports industry. The reality is that all of us at any given time have our hands in 1,000 different projects, so a proper job title wouldn't do justice to anyone at Modify.

You donate a portion of your sales to charity. Why is giving back important to Modify Watches?
I think giving back is important to everyone. When you feel grateful, you want to share with others, so we work with charities that have personal meaning to each of us. Ashil, our designer, is on the Board at Wonderroot in Atlanta, which helps local artists teach and serve their communities. The rest of the team lives in Berkeley and San Francisco, so we feel passionate about SVdP and Larkin Street Youth Services, both of which help teens and adults who are down on their luck find stability and hope.

What's next on the horizon for the company?
Something big. You'll find out in about 6 weeks. But we're hinting about it on our website (http://www.modifywatches.com), on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/modifywatches) and on our Twitter feed (http://www.twitter.com/modifywatches)

GIVEAWAY
One FREEISMYLIFE reader will WIN a 3 strap / 2-face combination of the winner's choice from Modify Watches. This giveaway has a value of $85. HOLLA to the FREE!



TO ENTER:

 - Fill out the information in the form below.

 - One entry per person please.  Duplicate entries will be removed.

 - USA addresses only.

 - The contest ends on Friday, October 14, 2011  at 11:59am EST.

 - The winner will be selected by random number generation.

 - Prize will be fulfilled by Modify Watches.

(4) EXTRA GIVEAWAY ENTRIES

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following Modify Watches on Facebook.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following Modify Watches on Twitter.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for tweeting the following message on Twitter "I entered the @freeismylife giveaway to win $85 in watches from @ModifyWatches http://bit.ly/pKHDI0 "

Enjoy!

Disclosure: I received two complementary watches from Modify Watches. All opinions are my own.



Random.org has spoken. Out of 234 entries, Random.org has picked #121. Congratulations to the winner of the $85 in modular watch faces and bands from Modify Watches: Andrea of Sterling Heights, MI. 


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GIVEAWAY: Naturalizer Shoes combine Style and Comfort - ENDS 10/11 (CLOSED)

I was sent these Naturalizer Valya Shoes in Charcoal

Comfort + Style = Naturalizer

Back in July, I entered the Naturalizer "Shoe to the Rescue" Contest where Naturalizer was looking for a blogger to give away their shoes at the BlogHer Conference in San Diego.  Although I was not picked as the winner in that contest, Naturalizer did select me to try out a pair of their shoes and also giveaway a pair to one of my readers.

Naturalizer shoes are known for their comfort, but probably not for their style. Well that has changed of late with a whole new collection of shoes and boots that are both comfortable and fashionable. Exclusive to Naturalizer is N5 Comfort -five distinctive features that provide flexibility, lightness, balance, softness and breathability in every step-so Naturalizer shoes are designed feel as good at the end of the day as they do at the beginning.

I used to wear a lot of high heel shoes, but these days I like to wear flat shoes since I do a lot of walking to stay in shape.  So I was glad that Naturalizer sent me the Valya ballet flat which is part of their new Fall Shoe Collection.  The Valya has a square toe and an oversized buckle with side panels in a charcoal fabric and patent leather on the toe and back.

The Naturalizer Valya: front and back views

The Valya is very comfortable and goes with all my dress pants that I like to wear for work and pleasure.  The shoe has elasticized piping in the front to enable it to fit to my foot and the sole is rubber which makes them very sturdy for walking.  The shoes are very lightweight and include a very cushy insole insert that feels like a pillow.

The Valya is a great shoe for everyday wear and comes in whole and half sizes at a retail price of $59.99.

More shoes from the fall collection

Click on these links to see the Naturalizer Fall Shoe Collection:

• Collette
• Irma
• Lennox
• Valya
• June
• Kendall
• Illy
• Tyla
• Arness
• Dinka

To learn more about Naturalizer Shoes, follow Naturalizer on Twitter and Like Naturalizer on Facebook!

Click here if video is not shown

GIVEAWAY
One FREEISMYLIFE reader will win a gift card for a FREE pair of shoes from Naturalizer.com.  HOLLA to the FREE!


TO ENTER:

 - Fill out the information in the form below.

 - One entry per person please.  Duplicate entries will be removed.

 - USA addresses only.

 - The giveaway ends on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 11:59am EST.

 - The winner will be selected by random number generation.

 - Prize will be fulfilled to the winner by Naturalizer through MyBlogSpark.

(4) EXTRA GIVEAWAY ENTRIES

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for answering the Naturalizer Shoe question at this link.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Twitter.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for tweeting the following message on Twitter "I entered the @freeismylife giveaway to win a FREE pair of @NaturalizerShoe from #MyBlogSpark http://bit.ly/owvPoD"


Enjoy!


Random.org has spoken! Out of 387 entries, Random.org has picked #187. Congratulations to the winner of the Naturalizer Shoe Gift Card - Ajene of Shelby Township, MI !!!

Disclosure: I was provided with information and a pair Naturalizer shoes to give away from Naturalizer and Brown Shoe Company through MyBlogSpark. All opinions are my own.”


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Blogging by the Bay: #BlogHer11 (Part 7) - FREE BlogHer11 Virtual Conference

All The BlogHer Sessions Available for FREE

I just got back from the BlogHer11 conference in San Diego, which was my second time attending the conference.  But there is no way that I can afford to attend blogging conferences more than every so often. But the good thing about conferences sponsored by BlogHer is that they live blog all the sessions and post them online. So even though you were not there, you can still get all the information that was presented - for FREE!

Below are the sessions that BlogHer currently has on their website.  More will be added over the next few weeks and podcasts of the sessions will also be added so check this post often for updates....


TRACK: THE WRITE BRAIN
BlogHers are always interested in intensive programming about the craft of writing. So, for the second year the BlogHer conference has an entire track focused just on writing....READ MORE

The Write Brain | Uncharted Territory: Video Storyboarding and Scripting for the Writer

The Write Brain | How to Pitch a Book

The Write Brain - How to Pitch Freelance Editorial Work from Some Busy Editorial People

The Write Brain - Essential Blog Content Development Workshop

The Write Brain - Essential Writing and Editing Skills


TRACK: SPONSORED
This year, BlogHer added a new track of programming to the schedule, comprised of sessions brought to you by the conference sponsors....because top companies often are doing top research and can share top insights....READ MORE

Sponsored: Being a Mobile Role Model, Brought to You by LG and Their Text Ed Council

Sponsored: Being the CTO of Your Life, brought to you by Samsung

Sponsored: The Path to Healthy Financial Balance, brought to you by Chase Blueprint

Sponsored: The Tie that Binds Parent and Child, brought to you by Verizon, Parenting Magazine and BlogHer

Sponsored: Success on Our Own Terms: A Discussion with Huffington Post Women, brought to you by AOL


TRACK: SOCIAL MEDIA GEEK
Every year BlogHer gets its Geek on good, with programming to scratch the itch of those looking to learn -- or fine-tune -- what is needed to know about what's "under the hood" of your blogs....

Social Media Geek - Video Blogging U

Social Media Geek | Implementing Community Features on Your Blog


TRACK: MINDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS

Minding Your Own Business - Your Blog Can Make You a Social Media Marketer

Minding Your Own Business - Peer Networking: Working Together to Help All Boats Rise

Minding Your Own Business - Connecting with Brands from the Inside Out

Minding Your Own Business | When Diversity is Simply Good Business

Minding Your Own Business | Your Blog Can Make You a Local Hero


TRACK: CHANGE YOURSELF
Blogs can be tremendous vehicles for life change -– whether we're trying to effect it, document it, or heal from its aftermath. This Change Yourself track explores how our blogs can trigger or support personal transformation. Want to grow?... READ MORE

Change Yourself | Your Perfect Imperfections: Blogging Your Way

Change Yourself - Old-School Bloggers: Beginner to Big-Time to Burnout and Everywhere in Between

Change Yourself - Food Photography That Will Feed Your Soul

Change Yourself - 'Til Blog Do Us Part?

Change Yourself | Unplug, Unfriend, Unfollow, Unwind: Is That Sacrilege?

Change Yourself | How Do You Sustain an Online Community and Keep Your Sanity


TRACK: CHANGE THE WORLD
This conference track is designed to explore the power social media gives us to change our communities, society, the culture, the political landscape and more...READ MORE

Change the World | Owning Your Beauty: If We Change the Conversation, Can We Change the Culture?

Change the World | BlogHer '11 International Activist Scholarship

Change the World | Our Food Future: Kids, Cooking, and Health
Change the World | BlogHer '11 International Activist Scholarship Winners

Change the World | Malcolm Gladwell is Missing the Point: Revolutions are Happening Online


CONFERENCE KEYNOTES:

Welcome and Speed Dating, Featuring BlogHer Co-Founders Elisa

Lunch Keynote: Exploring Inspiration and Leadership with Indra Nooyi

Community Keynote: Voices of the Year

Closing Keynote: Women in the Media. Women Making Media.


EXPERIENCE TRACK:
BlogHers are a creative, generous bunch, so it’s no wonder that when the conference put out the call for Room of Your Own ideas, they received an arsenal of great ideas… which were the catalyst for creating an entirely new track: Experience....READ MORE

Lunch and Room of Your Own | Special Needs Mini-Conference

That's it folks...
So I have come to the end of my series "BlogHer11: Blogging by the Bay". I hope everyone enjoyed it. And if you missed anything, just click on the series link to see all the posts.

Enjoy!

The Embassy Suites sponsored 3 nights of my hotel stay for BlogHer11 at the Embassy Suites Hotel San Diego Bay.

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Blogging by the Bay: #BlogHer11 (Part 6) - Lunch with Verizon Wireless + Review of LG Revolution

Diana Zaccardi

It's important to stay connected with family while on the go...

If you have been reading my blog for a while, then you know that I have been reviewing Verizon Wireless products for just over a year.  So I was very happy to find out that Verizon Wireless was a sponsor of BlogHer11 and that they were having a luncheon for bloggers at the conference.

Laura from LauraInTheMotorCity.com and I made the short walk over from our hotel room at the Embassy Suites to the San Diego Marriott Marquis/Marina for the private luncheon for fifty bloggers.  There were Verizon products available to demo before the lunch started including the new Samsung Galaxy 10.1" tab.

The speaker for the luncheon was Verizon Wireless executive Diana Zaccardi.  Like most moms with careers, Diana spoke about the struggles of work life balance.  Diana told amusing stories of her life including the fact that she has a very large extended family who really did not understand why she would want to move clear across country for her career.  With busy schedules and time zone differences, she told of her struggles to stay connected with her family.  She also shared how wireless technology like Facetime has allowed her to read her kids bedtime stories every night even when she is traveling for business.

Diana's speech received a lot of affirmative head nobs from all the women at the luncheon.  We are all struggling with staying connected, but wireless technology is enabling us to reach out to others via phone, text, tweet, email, Facebook, Google+, Skpe and Facetime.

Verizon LG Revolution 4G Smartphone
When I found out I was going to BlogHer, I was very happy that Verizon Wireless loaned me a LG Revolution smarphone to use for my trip in order to stay connected.  The LG Revolution is one of the newest smartphones on the Verizon 4G LTE network.

Back in June, I wrote a review of the evolution of Verizon 4G LTE and said that the Verizon 4G network combined with a 4G enabled smartphone makes for a blazing fast data connection.  And I can tell you from doing some side-by-side comparisons with my own 3G smartphone that Verizon 4G is noticeably faster than 3G.

The Verizon LG Revolution is a 4G Android 2.2 OS smartphone with a 1GHz processor, a 4.3" diagonal touch screen, a 5MP rear camera that can also record 720p video and a 1.3MP front camera. The LG Revolution can also be used as a 4G hotspot, although that feature was disabled on the demo unit that I reviewed. When I unpacked it from the box, the phone visually reminded me of the Verizon Thunderbolt, which is also a 4G smartphone.  But there are differences.

A New Interface
I am used to Android 2.2 OS smartphones having the same user interface, but the LG Revolution user interface is setup differently.

When the apps button is pressed, the apps are organized into categories that include Communications, News/Search, Media, Tools. Applications, and Downloads.  Phone contacts are also organized by Google groups and each contact has a History tab that shows gmail  interaction with that contact.  If you are a heavy Gmail user, you will love this phone setup.

I can stream an entire Netflix Movie?  Really?
After I became more familiar with the interface, there was one thing about this smartphone that I had to check out. On The LG Revolution, Netflix comes preloaded in the Media app category. Now I knew that the Verizon Wireless 4G network is fast, but I would never have thought to try to stream an entire 90 minute movie over 4G.  A short YouTube video? Yes. An entire Netflix movie? No. So I used the smartphone to sign on to my Netflix account and started watching "Maid in Manhattan" and sure enough, the movie played great on the LG Revolution over the Verizon Wireless 4G network. And it looked great on the smartphone's HD screen.  I do wish the LG Revolution had a kick stand (like on the Thunderbolt) so that I could have sat the phone on a table and watched the movie at the correct viewing angle.

There are a few things about the LG Revolution phone design that I didn't care for like having to remove the chrome side panel to charge the phone and having to remove the back cover and the battery in order to insert the SD card.  Also the battery runs down faster than I would have expected and needs to be recharged before the end of the day.

The LG Revolution is priced at $560 retail and $199 with a 2 year Verizon contract.  Smartphones like the LG Revolution linked with the Verizon 4G LTE network make it easy to stay connected while on the go.

Next up... 
Stay tuned as I tell you about our other adventures in San Diego in the next installment in my series "BlogHer11: Blogging by the Bay".

NEXT IN THE SERIES: Blogging by the Bay: #BlogHer11 (Part 7) - FREE BlogHer11 Virtual Conference


Enjoy!

Disclosure: Complementary lunch was provided by Verizon. I was loaned a LG Revolution Smartphone for review during my trip to BlogHer for the purpose of writing this review and stating my unbiased opinion. I was not compensated for this review.
  
The Embassy Suites sponsored 3 nights of Laura's and my hotel stay for BlogHer11 at the Embassy Suites Hotel San Diego Bay.

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Blogging by the Bay: #BlogHer11 (Part 5) - Bringing Home the Bacon at the #CheapSallyParty

Me in front of the Cheap Sally signage at the Cheap Sally Dance Party at BlogHer11

Who Wants $100,000 courtesy of Cheap Sally? 

On Friday night during the BlogHer11 conference, I attended the Cheap Sally Dance Party on the roof of Club Stingaree in the historic Gaslamp District of downtown San Diego.

Everyone knows how much I love a bargain and the principle sponsor of this event was CheapSally.com, a website where all the frugal lovers can go to to find coupons and promotional codes for hundreds of online shopping websites.  Cheap Sally says they want to be "Your Go To Girl For Online Savings".  CheapSally along with other brands including Lifetime Moms, Sears Style, Kmart and Big Fuel put on a fabulous event.

I was one of 10 Cheap Sally Ambassadors at the Cheap Sally Party

I was chosen to be a Cheap Sally Ambassador during the BlogHer11 conference along with nine other mom and frugal bloggers from all over the United States.  The one thing that all ten of us had in common is our love of a good bargain.

Shannon from the Detroit based blog Glamorous Moms was an ambassador for Kmart 

Audrey from the blog Mom Generations was an ambassador for Sears Style 

The food was wonderful and plentiful and there was a open bar with signature drinks and DJ to get the party rocking. The party was on three floors of the club and the roof level had seating under the stars and Brand Cabanas where guests could network with brands and sponsors of the party and get some swag.

Top Chef finalist Brian Malarkey talking to the crowd at the Cheap Sally Party

There were also celebs in the party including Chef Brian Malarkey, a Top Chef finalist and the head chef at restaurants Searsucker and Burlap.

Me with Yoly from the blog Cuponeando playfully fighting over the $100,000 check :)

Win $1000,000 a year job with Cheap Sally
So the moment that everyone at the party was waiting for was the announcement of the details surrounding the Cheap Sally "Bring Home the Bacon" Contest. If you are frugal and can prove it in a contest of skills then this is the contest for you.

The "Bring Home the Bacon" winner will earn a $100,000 salary for 2012.  And the best part is that the winner won’t have to quit their day job or relocate. Cheap Sally wants to increase awareness among consumers that everybody can get a deal and nobody should pay full retail. So the winner will earn $100,000 from guest blogging on the Cheap Sally website.

So, do you want to win the best blogger job in the world? 
Getting started is super easy. All you have to do is go to the contest page and create a profile for yourself. The more complete your profile, the better chance you have of earning votes, which determines the contest finalists!

After two phases of voting for top bloggers, finalists from each state will compete in a holiday bargain-hunting challenge in December. Later that month, Cheap Sally will announce the $100,000 guest blogging winner! Competition voting begins September 1. Check the contest page for the official rules and details.

Goodluck!

Next up... Stay tuned as I tell you about our other adventures in San Diego in the next installment in my series "BlogHer11: Blogging by the Bay".


NEXT IN THE SERIES: Blogging by the Bay: #BlogHer11 (Part 6) - Lunch with Verizon Wireless + Review of LG Revolution


 
Disclosure: I have been provided a stipend to participate as a Cheap Sally ambassador from Collective Bias.

The Embassy Suites sponsored 3 nights of Laura's and my hotel stay for BlogHer11 at the Embassy Suites Hotel San Diego Bay

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Blogging by the Bay: #BlogHer11 (Part 4) - HTC Insight Meetups + Review of HTC Flyer Tablet

Entrance to the HTC Suite at BlogHer11

What features make for a perfect smartphone?

I love technology. I wish I could play with gadgets all day. So when I found out that HTC would be at Blogher11, I signed up as soon as possible for their HTC Insight Meetups.

The HTC Insight Meetups were groups of women bloggers meeting with HTC managers to talk about what we love and hate about our phones. There is just something about moms and smartphones that go together. We are very dependent of our smartphones for email on the go, calendar scheduling and reminders, games for keeping our kids occupied and photos and video in a pinch, I also use my smartphone to listen to music for pleasure and when I exercise, read ebooks, access Twitter and Facebook, and to check prices on eBay and Amazon.com while I am shopping in stores.  I have reviewed a number of great HTC products including the HTC Thunderbolt and the HTC Incredible so I was really looking forward to telling HTC some of my thoughts in person.

HTC had a suite in the San Diego Convention Center that they transformed into a beautiful spa like environment with a conference area for the Insight Meetups and a lounge complete with comfy couches, device demos, free Wi-Fi, beverages and yummy snacks, and a massage area.  When I and Laura from LauraInTheMotorCity.com entered the suite, we knew we were in for a great experience.

At the HTC Insight Meetup

Women designing the perfect phone
The HTC Insight Meetup was great.  Each table of women were given the task to design the perfect smartphone and some really great ideas came out of the session. I would have never thought of some of the ideas, but really wanted some of the suggested phone features once I heard the ideas. Here is a list of the ideas I liked best:

- Second battery strategically attached to the back of the phone so that it is always accessible but takes up no additional space.

- Row of fully programmable buttons on the side of the phone so that the phone user can program which apps she needs direct access to.

- Standard screen size of  4.3" (diagonal) for easy viewing of information while allowing the phone to still fit comfortably in a woman's hand.

- Ability for a phone user to pick from a bundle of apps rooted to the phone. Suggested bundles were a Social Media Bundle and an Entertainment Bundle. This would keep the phone from having wasted storage space for apps that the owner will never use.

- Minimum 8 megapixel camera with a mandatory flash so that photos taken with the phone are sharp enough to be blown up to 8x12 size.

HTC Flyer Tablet- a 7" device with integrated pen techonlogy

In addition to talking about the perfect phone, HTC allowed me to demo one of their devices in advance of coming to BlogHer - the HTC Flyer Tablet.

The HTC Flyer is a 7" android tablet that is small enough to easily fit into my purse. Back in January, I demoed the Samsung Galaxy Tab during my trip to CES and both the HTC Flyer and the Samsung Galaxy Tab are similar in size, weight and function. The HTC Flyer does differ in appearance in that is it slightly longer than the Galaxy Tab and the back is stylishly white and silver in color with a solid aluminum unibody build. The device that I was loaned was Wifi only so I had to use it at home connected to my network or with a Verizon 4G Mifi for on the go.

Look Mom, I'm Writing on the Tablet!
The HTC Flyer differs from other tablets due to its HTC Scribe Technology. The HTC Flyer comes with a pen that allows the user to "write" on the screen. When I first saw the pen, I was very leery to use it because using a pen seemed to be a strange way to interact with a tablet. But after I tried it, I could understand how the pen technology could be useful to people who like to take notes in free hand. The HTC Flyer tablet integrates with Evernote thus allowing me to write in free hand on the tablet screen and then save my notes to my Evernote account.

Free hand note taking with the HTC Scribe Technology on the HTC Flyer

Another use of the HTC Scribe Technology is to make notes on top of whatever is pictured on the tablet screen and then save the screen shot to a file.  I tried this out in Twitter by making a few notes using the pen and then I emailed the screenshot to myself.  See the photo above.  One of the shortfalls with the pen technology is that you cannot store the pen on the device and if you loss the pen and you are out $80 for a replacement. Ouch!

Laura and me with Nicole Coddington (center), Senior Integration Designer at HTC

Meet the Designer...
Since Laura and I work in IT, one of the best things about the HTC Insight Meet-up was meeting Nicole Coddington, a Senior Integration Designer at HTC. Nicole was responsible for designing the pen technology integrated into the HTC Flyer Tablet. I cannot think of any other place but at a BlogHer conference where I would be able to demo a tech product and then meet the person who designed the technology. Sweet!

Laura was in heaven!

HTC Quietly Brilliant Lounge
After our 60 minute Insight Meet-up was over, Laura and I had a few yummy snacks as we waited for our massages to begin. The massages combined with the wonderful spa smells were perfect for relaxing and I almost fell asleep. HTC really hit the nail on the head for a perfect experience for women with their HTC Quietly Brilliant Lounge and Insight Meetings.  Well done HTC.

Next up... 
 Stay tuned as I tell you about our other adventures in San Diego in the next installment in my series "BlogHer11: Blogging by the Bay".

NEXT IN THE SERIES: Blogging by the Bay: #BlogHer11 (Part 5) - Bringing Home the Bacon at the #CheapSallyParty


Enjoy!

Disclosure: Complementary food and massages were provided by HTC. HTC loaned me a HTC Flyer to demo the product before the BlogHer11 conference.  I was not required to write about the product that I demoed. Each participant in the HTC Insight Meet-ups was given a complementary HTC device as a thank you for attending. All opinions stated are my own.

The Embassy Suites sponsored 3 nights of Laura's and my hotel stay for BlogHer11 at the Embassy Suites Hotel San Diego Bay

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Blogging by the Bay: #BlogHer11 (Part 3) - Meeting Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser + GIVEAWAY (CLOSED)

Bob Harper at the BlogHer11 Workout - Photo Credit - Jackie Harper

Bob Harper has no mercy....

So I found out on my trip to BlogHer11 in San Diego that my friend Laura from laurainthemotorcity.com is a big fan of the TV show "The Biggest Loser", and especially of trainer Bob Harper.  Quaker Oats sponsored a 7am workout on the roof of the Marriott for 50 BlogHer11 participants to do a yoga workout with Bob. I did not plan to be one of them.

I wanted to sleep in, but Laura was not having it. Forced out of my comfy bed at the Embassy Suites, I wishfully thought to myself, how hard could a yoga workout be with a famous trainer like Bob? I figured Bob would use the time as a nice photo opp and we would strike a few classic yoga poses for the cameras. Boy was I wrong...

Laura made sure we got to the roof well before 7am (thanks Laura). Since we were among the first bloggers in line, we checked in and were strategically sitting in the first row right in front of the stage on our special yoga mats provided by Quaker Oaks. At 7:03am, Bob Harper emerged on the roof with all the energy of a child at Disney World for the first time, cracking jokes, being charming and making all the lady bloggers swoon.  I was filming and he came right up to me and made a joke about how bloggers always have cameras in their hands when they meet him (see my video of the moment below).

Click here if video of Bob is not shown

And then came hell....
Someone must have not told Bob that we were doing yoga.  That man went into a full on exercise boot camp from hell, just like on "The Biggest Loser" (and I thought Jillian was the mean one of the show).  We did jumping jacks, and push-ups and sit-ups and squats and butt lifts and more sit-ups and more squats.  Bob said that he was going to work us until he could bounce a quarter off our butts.

Photo Credit - Jackie Harper

The workout was only suppose to last for 30 minutes, but Bob kept going and going and would not stop even when he was told it was time for him to go.  He was determined about bouncing that quarter.  The moment that I will never forget in the workout was when Bob had us doing butt lifts and he came over to me and straddled me with his legs and told me to push against him and try to open my knees.  Say what? Seriously Bob? Then he says and I quote "Forget what your momma taught you and open your legs".  I really hope no one captured that moment on video ;)

Bob Harper is a very gracious celeb ...
After the intense workout was over, of course everything was forgiven and we all wanted individual photos with Bob. Even though he was now running late for a breakfast with other bloggers, Bob Harper graciously posed for photo after photo and his smile was genuine in each picture.  He was so nice that I totally forgot how my legs felt like mush.

Bob Harper's latest DVD - Yoga for the Warrior
After Bob left for his BlogHer breakfast appointment, each of us was given a copy of Bob's latest workout DVD - Bob Harper Inside Out Method: Yoga for the Warrior (affiliate link).  The DVD description reads "High Intensity", "Powerful Yoga Weight Loss", "Sweat Making Workouts" and "Yoga at Its Extreme". Well based on those definitions, I guess Bob's workout with us was actually yoga after all :)

Next up... 
Stay tuned as I tell you about our other adventures in San Diego in the next installment in my series "BlogHer11: Blogging by the Bay".

NEXT IN THE SERIES: Blogging by the Bay: #BlogHer11 (Part 4) - HTC Insight Meetups + Review of HTC Flyer Tablet

GIVEAWAY
One FREEISMYLIFE reader will win Bob Harper's workout DVD "Bob Harper Inside Out Method: Yoga For the Warrior".

TO ENTER

 -  Fill out the information in the form below.

 - One entry per person please.  Duplicate entries will be removed.

 - USA addresses only.

 - The contest ends on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 11:59am EST.

 - The winner will be selected by random number generation.

 - Prize will be mailed to winner via US mail.

(4) EXTRA GIVEAWAY ENTRIES

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for answering the following workout question at this link.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Twitter.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for tweeting the following message on Twitter "I entered the @freeismylife giveaway to win @MyTrainerBob Yoga for Warrior DVD http://bit.ly/p29F2V #blogher11"

Random.org has spoken! Out of 75 entries, Random.org has chosen #5. Congratulations to the winner of the workout DVD "Bob Harper Inside Out Method: Yoga For the Warrior" - Judy of Plymouth, MI

Enjoy!

Disclosure: Quaker Oats supplied complimentary yoga mats, Gatorade and workout DVD's for the Bob Harper workout at BlogHer11. All opinions stated are my own.

The Embassy Suites sponsored 3 nights of Laura's and my hotel stay for BlogHer11 at the Embassy Suites Hotel San Diego Bay.

Follow FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook