Technology | The Angel Forever

Category Archives Technology

Capture A Day and Instagram Photography Fun

Posted on February 24, 2014 1:40 pm by TheAngelForever

It is hard to believe that at one time I did not have a smartphone. Now, as a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I have been able to try several different phones over the last year and share how they work in my life. In October, I was sent the Droid Mini to use and wrote about the lack of screen glare, how it helped with parent advocacy on the go, saving with the Isis Mobile Wallet, and more. I have to admit, I was planning on going back to another phone for a larger screen, but the smaller size in the winter months has been nice. The bone chilling cold means not being able use my phone while outside of school waiting for the boys, or in other locations. Still, if I want to take it out of my pocket I can snap a quick picture to use later.

Minnie, yes I named her, has been a wonderful asset when keeping up with social media channels like Instagram. I love to see what other people in my Instagram feed are doing. It really is a great community where you can get to know people and see how friends and family are doing. One items that I adore participating in is the #CaptureADay Instagram Photo Challenge from A Frugal Friend and Simple Sojourns. Just before the start of the month, Debra, Cathi, and David post the photo prompts. This was the one for February.

Some days are more difficult, but it is fun to think outside of the box. The boys have also joined in and often ask me what the word is and try to help me to coordinate the photo. Here are a few example of my February #CapureADay photos.

Having fun with mini figures and ‘outfit’ options. Feb 11 #CaptureADay #PhotoChallenge
Not in ‘love’ with this mess. Feb 14 #CaptureADay #PhotoChallenge
Trying to ‘pack’ some fun into the last day of winter break. Feb 23 #CaptureADay #PhotoChallenge
It really is a lot of fun and thanks to Minnie, I can use my smartphone camera, apps to make collages, apps to watermark, and Instagram to share within that community, Twitter, and Facebook. So do you particpate in any online photo challenges? I would love to hear about them and please consider joining in the fun from my blogging friends.

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I received the Motorola Droid Mini to test out and share ways that I use it in my life. There was no other compensation. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.

Categories:
bloggy friends me moments social media Technology

The No Resolution Zone

Posted on January 31, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Almost a month of 2014 has come and gone and I have not broken a single New Years resolution. Of course, I should probably mention that I do not make resolutions. Back in 2009, I actually wrote about the Anti-Resolution Craze. To me resolutions set a lot of people up to fail. Personally, I tend to do better with goals. Making smaller goals that work toward a bigger ones help me to be successful and keep these items in check. This holds true for work items, as well as health and wellness. Last year as part of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I received a Jawbone UP. At the time, the UP helped me to realize that I needed some new sleep goals.

Moving forward, I want to use my UP as an even more powerful resource. I know it can track my steps and help me to get toward the 10,000 steps that I would love to meet each and every day. Of course, writing and crafting a lot means that I am often sitting for long periods of time. My new goal is to make sure I am not inactive at home for more than 45 minutes to an hour. I am able to set the UP to alert me with a buzz of my wrist so I can get myself moving. It could mean taking a quick walk outside (if it isn’t too cold), walking in place while watching the news, or popping in a workout DVD. I know I need to get more active and I am hoping my UP will help me to track this more.

I now have set up one of the Alarms on my UP. Thanks to the UP Idle Alert it will now let me know if I have been sitting still for more than 45 minutes from 8 in the morning until 7 at night. So, we will see how this goes. I figure this is one step toward the process of healthier living. Then, I will work on adding the MyFitnessPal integration in. I know TechyDad loves that app and it can work with my UP, so I should try it out.

So what technology tools and apps do you use to work toward health and fitness goals in your life?

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I received an UP by Jawbone (link to information page). The UP allows me to track my activity, sleep, and other items with the app that go along with the device. In addition to this, I receive other devices from Verizon to use in my life. There was no other compensation. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.

Categories:
me moments Technology

Making Music on Android Devices

Posted on January 13, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Music is a big part of our world. We will often have music playing in the house and in the car when we travel near and far. NHL is now in his third year of band at school where he plays percussion instruments. It has been an amazing process to watch his knowledge of music grow thanks to classes in school and his phenomenal band teacher. JSL is six and really wants to play an instrument, but a few things have stopped us at this point. I am not sure he knows what he really want to try and trying/renting/buying instruments is not exactly cheap.

Over winter break, JSL saw a keyboard in a store. He quickly became fixated on getting on and learning to play the piano. We are mean parents because we refused to buy it. Quite honestly, I didn’t want a toy and thought we should investigate things a bit more. Try explaining that to a stubborn six year old. While we got him out of that store, we have heard about his NEED for a keyboard to almost every single day since. I have asked multiple people for recommendations, but need to investigate before we invest money into this. Sunday afternoon we were in the house and while NHL was practicing drums, the little kid started pouting about the keyboard again. I decided to look for something to pacify the situation. Enter Learn Piano by rubycell for Android devices.

Within a few minutes TechyDad had installed this app onto JSL’s Galaxy Tab 2. Then I heard something else playing. Why yes, TechyDad installed it onto his Android smartphone and was playing Katy Perry’s Roar. JSL wanted to check it out right away. The Song Book on this app is fantastic. There are songs that I grew up with, items for the kids, and family favorites like Do You Want to Build a Snowman? from Frozen.

As you can see there are ads on the free version, but it really did not seem to bother the kids. You can pay $1.99 to remove the ads and this also allows you to load midi files. For $2.99 you can get the previous items, as well as all instruments and song packages via the Diamond Package. We will see how the kids continue to use this over the next week or so. Why yes, once NHL was done with band practice he wanted to use it on his Galaxy Tab 2. At one point, I was listening to JSL play In Summer, NHL play For the First Time in Forever, and TechyDad playing The Imperial March. Curious what it looks like when you play? Here’s the screen when I put it on my Droid Mini and tried the song Pure Imagination.

While this is not a substitute for music lessons and a real keyboard, it is keeping my little guy happy. I am watching to see how his patience are with trying to follow along and it is keeping him actively engaged. Want to see the app in action? Here’s an Instagram video that I made of TechyDad playing a song.

I have to admit I am curious, what song would you look for first when trying out this app?

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I received one of our Galaxy Tab 2 and the Motorola Droid Mini to test out and share ways that I use them with my family. There was no other compensation. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.

Categories:
Phone Apps Technology

DIY Stop Animation with Vine #VZWBuzz

Posted on December 6, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I have a confession, I have been slacking when it comes to using the Vine app. For one reason or another, I keep forgetting it is there and have not used it much since the summer months. This is going to change over winter break because I really enjoy it and wish that more people would use it for the community that could be there. In addition to that, I have a project that I want to try with the boys. I want to teach my six and ten year old boys how to use Vine to make some fun stop animation videos. We can tell a new part of the story each day and plan it out and then make it come to life.

Are you new to Vine? If you are and want to join in the fun, here are some basics on how to make a Vine stop animation video.

Step 1 – Make sure you have the Vine app on your smartphone. You can get this from vine.co or from the app store on your phone. Please note the official Vine app is now available for Windows Phone users, along with people on Team Android and iPhones. Once Vine is installed on your smartphone, take some time to link it up to your Twitter and Facebook accounts for easy sharing.

Step 2 – Grab some toys from around the house that you think would make a fun animation. I know when my boys test this out, we will likely have Disney characters, LEGO items, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Angry Birds telling some kind of tale. A tip, use items that are smaller and easier to move around that are able to stand on their own. (I learned this the hard way in some of my first Vines.)

Step 3 – Stop animation means simply filming with your smartphone may not work. You need a very steady video capture. You can make your own with a business card holder that will keep the phone steadied and a box to get an overhead view of the scene. More specific DIY instructions for making your own tripod are out there, just search online and on Pinterest to see what others with your Smartphone may have made. TechyDad heard about my project and actually purchased a small smartphone tripod for us to use that cost well under twenty dollars.

Step 4 – Now it is time to make your stop animation video using Vine. Once you launch the app, gently tap the screen on your phone to take a single frame. When using Vine, it is important to remember that the longer you hold your finger on the screen, the longer it records. The green progress bar at the top of the Vine app will help you to keep track of how much time you have left. Vine limits you to six seconds to create your animation.

Step 5 – If you have ever seen stop animation cartoons, you are probably aware of the time spent making them. The process is made by slightly moving objects frame by frame. Every time you move the objects, you simply tap your smartphone screen and repeat. Vine helps to combine all of the frames into a short animation.

Step 6 – The best part about making a Vine and trying your hand at stop animation will be sharing it with your family and family. Vine makes it easy to email or post the finished video to places like Twitter and Facebook. The best part will be watching your child see what they helped to create.

Here is a stop animation Vine that was made by Monica Vila, aka The Online Mom while visiting the new Verizon Wireless Store at the Mall of America.

Here is another stop animation that Robyn from Robyn’s Online World made at the same event as Monica.

So will you be joining me on my stop animation adventure with your children? I would love to have you try it out with me. I will be posting more about this in the future when we have some videos to share. For now, let me know what you think you will use for your first stop animation attempt.

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I received different items to test out and share ways that I use them in my life. There was no other compensation. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.

If you are looking for a single image to use on Pinterest, here it is below. Happy filming and sharing.

Categories:
Phone Apps Technology Uncategorized

Shopping and Saving with Isis Mobile Wallet #VZWBuzz

Posted on December 2, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I was asked to participate in a trial shopping experience using the Isis Mobil Wallet and a Serve card with credit already on it. In my previous post, I wrote about setting up your Isis account and linking it to a Serve card. Once my account was set up, I was ready to explore thanks to coupons that were ready and waiting for me. The timing was perfect because this was the weekend before Chanukah and Black Friday. I was able to head out and beat some of the shopping frenzy and still get a good deal. Before I went out, I went into my Isis account to make sure my Toys R Us reward number was linked and that the coupons were ready.

Once you enter your pin to activate the Isis Mobile Wallet, be sure to check the “+” area to see if there are any new offers from participating retailers.

When I went out on that particular day, I knew that Toys R Us had a fantastic offer. The deal on that day has already repeated itself three times now. When I clicked on the browse offers area, I was able to see the following.

The boys and I went around Toys R Us. While I had no specific deal in mind, something caught my eye. The night before our shopping excursion, I purchased Disney Infinity for our Nintendo Wii as a surprise for the boys. We had been trying to avoid getting into this, but the deal caught my eye. So here we were at Toys R Us, with a fantastic coupon from Isis and a SALE on Disney Infinity characters. Needless to say, TechyDad and I opted to surprise the boys a little early and let them select their new figures in advance of Chanukah. When all was said and done, the three boys (hubby included), each picked out a character.

When we were finished shopping, we went to the registers. I have never used an NFC device like Isis Mobile Wallet in the past. This was something new and everyone was watching because it was new to them. I selected the Toys R Us offer, clicked on the green bar, and held up my phone to the credit card machine. The next thing I knew, my phone shook, and I was prompted to ask the cashier to check her end. Sure enough, it registered my Toys R Us loyalty card and took off the $15 from my purchase that was over $30. Next, it asked me to press a button on my phone and then scan to complete the sale by paying with Serve. Once again, the phone buzzed and just like that I was finished. Seconds later, the cashier gave me a high five for sharing something new and we were on our way.

While I was compensated to use Isis for my shopping experience, my opinions are my own. I am definitely a fan of this app and like how quick and easy the process was to use when in a busy store. Is it perfect? No, but my complaints are not with the app itself. I simply wish there were more retailers in my area that signed up with Isis to store their loyalty cards and offer deals. My first experience was so nice, that a few days later I noticed Toys R Us had the same deal back on Isis and I went back to get a surprise Chanukah present for the kids. Oh and another nice surprise when you use the American Express Serve Account with Isis, you get 20% back on every tap for up to $200 credit from now to January 31, 2014. I know I have already gotten this back quickly with my first two shopping trips.

Have you used Isis Mobile Wallet yet? If you have, I would love to hear how you have used it to save money while out and about.

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I received a complimentary Serve starter kit with some money loaded onto the card to share my experience using it with the newly revamped ISIS app. There was no other compensation. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.