GRADUATION GIFT GUIDE: @BestBuy has the Perfect Graduation Gifts for your #GreatestGrad

Disclosure: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Find out which cool gadgets my tech loving son wants for graduation...

At the end of this week, my son will graduate from middle school - and I am trying to figure out where all the time has gone. It feels like one day he was just a preschooler and now he will be starting high school in the fall.  Just two years ago, I could look over the top of his head and now he can look over the top of my head :)

Where has all the time gone? I so treasure this photo of my son from Kindergarten..

My son may not a little kid any longer, but one thing that has not changed since he was a small child is his love of technology and tech gadgets. My son loves his gadgets and he has a long list of tech items that he would love to get for graduation that will help him with his school work while at home and on the go...

Microsoft Surface 2 64GB AT&T 4G LTE ($599 with a 2 year contract)
My son already owns a Mircosoft Surface RT Tablet, but he would love to upgrade to the new Surface 2 64GB AT&T 4G LTE model.

This Microsoft Surface tablet weighs in at only 1.5 lbs., but allows my son to replace many functions he would normally do with a heavier PC since it is preloaded with Office 2013 RT. And with the added 4G LTE mobile broadband and AT&T network capability of the newer model, my son can be productive with his school work, whether at home or on the go.

Microsoft Surface Touch Keyboard Cover ($129.99)
One of the best things about the Microsoft Surface tablet is that it is designed to work seamlessly with a touch keyboard cover that turns the tablet into a PC.  The Surface Touch Keyboard Cover attaches to the Surface Tablet via magnets and is a keyboard, mouse, and cover all in one.

The Surface Touch Keyboard Cover helps minimize bulk and helps protect the Microsoft Surface against scratches and damage due to accidental bumps. And when you live with a teenage, accidents seem to happen all the time.

SanDisk Connect 32GB USB 2.0 Wireless Flash Drive ($59.99)
My son is the king of elaborate Microsoft Powerpoint presentations for school.  His teachers are highly impressed with his creativity and use of transitions and artwork to visualize whatever subject he is presenting. With the huge size of some of these presentations that my son is creating, he needs the largest size flash drive he can get to hold his important files.

The SanDisk Connect USB 2.0 Wireless Flash Drive comes in sizes starting at 16GB up to 64GB and supports wireless streaming, so my son can share his files and other media with up to 8 compatible devices (PC, Mac, iOS, Android).

Roku Streaming Stick (gifts under $50)
All work and no play makes for a dull life, or so my son says. So after all the school work is done, my son loves to watch Netflix and Hulu Plus on his tablet. But now he would love to upgrade the experience to watch his favorite Netflix and Hulu Plus shows on the TV in the family room with a new Roku Streaming Stick.

My son can enjoy more than 1,000 channels of streaming content with the Roku Streaming Stick, which is compatible with most TVs with an HDMI input and supports 1080p signals for crystal clarity. And I can enjoy the price since this tech gift is under $50 at $49.99.

My son graduated with a 4.0 GPA and recieved the President's Award - I'm so proud :)

Best Buy has you covered for all types of Graduates...

Whether you are buying for a Networker like my son who loves to stay productive while on the go, or a Fitness Fan who loves using tech and small appliances that play to their healthy, on the go, athletic nature, or for a college grad who is Moving Out on their own and needs tech items to help them get all setup, be sure to check the Best Buy Grad Gift Center to find the perfect graduation gifts.

WIN BEST BUY GIFT CARDS AT THE BEST BUY GRADUATION TWITTER PARTIES ON 6/19 AND 6/24

Do you love twitter parties? Best Buy is hosting two Graduation Twitter Parties on Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 7pm CST and Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at 7pm CST .

Join one or both of these parties for a chance to WIN Best Buy gift cards and other great products. Tweet #GreatestGrad with your favorite Graduation Gift ideas from Best Buy.

Part of the 2014 Graduation Gift Guide

Enjoy!


Follow FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook

TECH REVIEW: 7 Reasons to L-O-V-E the HTC One M8 smartphone powered by Verizon Wireless

Special thanks to Verizon Wireless for loaning me the HTC One M8 for review. All opinions are my own...

The HTC One M8 is one high-end smartphone that is perfect for the graduate, audio lover, and beyond...

Quality. Monied. Refined. Those are the words that came to mind when I took the Verizon Wireless HTC One M8 smartphone out of the packaging and first held it in my hand.

As a lover of quality things, I found the HTC One M8 to be a smartphone that checks all the boxes when you think of a high-end tech device.

The body of the HTC One M8 is made from a beautiful brushed aluminum metal that gives the phone a very refined look. The phone has stereo speakers that can out gun any boom box.

And the phone's overall features are outstanding and include an IR blaster to control your TV, a beautiful 1080 display for watching HD movies, a superior camera with interesting special affects, BlinkFeed for aggregating your news feeds right onto a screen on the phone, and a SD card slot for extra storage of music, photos and more.

There are so many great features on this phone, that I decided to just focus on telling you about my 7 top favorites that I feel make the HTC One M8 an awesome smartphone -

1. Superior Build Quality
The body of the HTC One M8 is made from 90% brushed aluminum metal.  Now this really did not hit me as much of a great feature at first. After all, most smartphones (both high-end and not) are made from plastic and they are perfectly fine to use.

But after carrying the HTC One M8 around with me for a few weeks, I found myself running my hands over the brushed metal finish and just enjoying the high-end quality feel of the phone. I also found myself laying the phone down with the back facing up because the phone is just so darn beautiful to look at.

One con of using a phone that is all aluminum is that it can get slippery. But if you love for your possessions to be high-end and beautiful to the touch and eye, the HTC One M8 is definitely worth checking out.

2. Awesome sounding Stereo Speakers
The HTC One M8 is the only smartphone that I haver ever reviewed that has stereo speakers. And it is a feature that I hope other smartphone manufactures will copy.

I had no idea how bad the mono speaker of my smartphone sounded until I started playing music on the HTC One M8.  Everything I played sounded not only louder, but also richer in bass and overall quality. These speakers are really amazing.

3. Big Beautiful 1080p HD Display
If you are into watching movies on your smartphone while on the go, then you will love the 5" HD display on the HTC One M8. The colors are beautiful and the screen can also be used to turn the phone on and off.

Just tap twice anywhere on the screen, and phone turns off and on without using the physical on/off button - LOVE IT!!!

4. HTC Advantage Guarantee for OS Updates, FREE Screen Replacement and more...
Years ago, I cracked the screen on my smartphone and had to live with it in that horrid state for 7 months.  One of the great things about the HTC One M8 is that comes with the HTC Advance Guarantee which gets you -

• Free one-time, cracked-screen replacement for the first 6 months
• A commitment to getting the latest Android OS updates
• Free additional Google Drive online storage for two years

This is the first time that I have ever heard of a smartphone manufacturer including free cracked-screen replacement.   Way to go HTC!

I am also glad to see HTC committing to updating their smartphones to the latest Android OS since in the past HTC has been very bad at updating their devices.  Having the latest Android OS means you are guaranteed to have a smartphone with all the latest Android features and one that will not become obsolete within a year of purchase.

5. Great Battery Life
The HTC One M8 that I was sent from Verizon Wireless for review included a hotspot feature that allowed me to share the smartphone's data connection with my laptop and other wireless devices.  Now anyone that has ever used the hotspot on your smartphone knows that this feature will drain your battery faster than any other feature on the phone.

I kept the hotspot live all day from morning to night on the HTC One M8 and the battery level never dropped lower than 30%.  That is just amazing since I have to keep my own personal smartphone pulled in to a power outlet when I use the hotspot to keep the battery from completely draining to zero.

6. IR Blaster to control your TV
I am a big fan of IR blasters on smartphones and tablets.  The newest Samsung smartphones and tablets all have IR blasters and so does the HTC One M8.  Setup is super easy and in less than 3 minutes, I was sitting in my comfy chair using the HTC One M8 to see what's on TV and control the functions of my TV and cable box.  I love features like this that enable a smartphone to be truly smart for the consumer.

7. Great Verizon Wireless Data Quality
Lastly, I love any smartphone powered by Verizon Wireless because of the superior Internet data quality.  While I was reviewing the HTC One M8, I had some horrid issues with my home cable service and had to use the hotspot on my HTC One M8 to temporarily power the wireless devices in my home to prove to my cable provider that the issues were with the cable modem and not with my home. Thanks Verizon Wireless for coming to the rescue.

With all the great features on the HTC One M8, this is a smartphone that is not only easy on the eye, but also easy to use everyday.  And this phone would be great as a graduation gift!

The HTC One M8 powered by Verizon Wireless is available for $99 with a 2 year contact.

Check out the HTC One M8 along with accessories like the Dot View Case on the Verizon Wireless website

Part of the 2014 Graduation Gift Guide

Enjoy!


Follow FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook