Mom Central Technology

Win prizes by checking in with your phone using Whrrl

Do you Whrrl? If so, then what would you say if I told you that whenever you check-in, you have the chance to win big! Sounds too good to be true right? It is actually a fact. Whrrl has now launched Whrrl Societies. Whrrl Societies are the first loyalty program that rewards loyal customers for positive word of mouth and influence among their favorite businesses.

Here's the idea: when you check in on Whrrl, you have the chance to win a real-world prize from participating merchants. You will start out at level one when you join a society but you are able to move up in the ranks with the levels with different opportunities.

1. Make a recommendation - Tell your friends on Whrrl what you love about a specific place or product.
2. Earn additional points each time someone "Wants To" try your rec, "Did It" or passes your recommendation on to their friends.
3. Invite your friends to join societies with you.

Whrrl has released their first Society being Murphy USA. Murphy USA has been gaining popularity throughout the United States very rapidly has  top pick for gasoline and convenience store. If you become a member of the Murphy USA society on Whrrl, then every time you check in, you will be entered to win $50.00 in gas. We could all use free gas these days considering the prices right?

So many new societies are being added everyday! Even charitable societies such as the Help A Mother Out Society. Go ahead and join in the fun today. What do you have to lose? You can actually gain big!

Jen Houck, also known as @OneMomsWorld, can be found blogging over at One Moms World when she is not here discussing technology. She is the mother of two beautiful girls who are tech divas themselves and is currently trying to rope her husband into being a tech geek as well!

Top 10 Android apps for moms

I have had my Droid since December and I seriously do not know how I lived without it! I know I am such a geek, but I cringe on the craziest days that I happen to leave my Droid at home. I feel so lost without it. Please tell me that I am not the only one like this? Wait, maybe I have gone crazy... HA HA!

Over the last few months, I have found some apps that I use on a daily basis and wanted the chance to share them here with you in case you were looking for some great apps to install on your Droid.

In no particular order... here we go!

1. AroundMe - Now this is one of the coolest apps ever. Another mom blogger let me in on this cool savvy app. By using the Droid's GPS, it will locate the nearest Bank, Gas Station, Hospital, Hotel, Movie Theater, Restaurant, Supermarket and Taxi around you. Select which one you want and it will use the GPS to take you right to the destination. I use this app A LOT every time we go out of town.
2. Calorie Counter - Tool to find all the calorie and nutrition facts for the foods you eat. The app has ever restaurant listed you can think of and all their menu items. Also, it comes with a barcode scanner to where you can scan the barcode on a certain item and automatically receive the nutrition info on the item.
3. Cardio Trainer - This app is listed as the training partner for running, cycling and other cardio fitness activities. I use this app while I am walking and it tracks my distance and my route. At the end of the exercise it will tell me how many calories are burned. Super cool!
4. Compass - Have you ever been camping and tried to figure out what direction you are in? Now, all you have to do is hold your Droid in the air with this app and you will automatically know. Sweet!
5. First Aid - As a mom, I panic at the least very things that happen to my girls. This app is a dream come true for this mom. As told on the app, First Aid is designed to help follow the right procedures in a stressful situation or if you need to help out someone else. The tool uses illustrations, videos and short texts that show you how to take the necessary action step by step.
6. Color Flashlight - Have you ever tried to unlock your door at night or tried to walk down a dark hallway and not wanted to turn on any lights to wake up your children? Say hello to the Flashlight app. I love this app and use it pretty frequently. It literally turns your Droid into a flashlight. Pretty nifty tool also if you would like to read in the car while your husband is driving on the ever so long night road trip.
7. HootSuite - Attention all the Twitterholic Moms out there, you have to install this Twitter App that you will love! You can manage multiple twitter accounts, upload photos, receive notifications, view click stats and even shorten URLs. It also lets you schedule your tweets in case you will be out of touch for a bit and want to still keep your twitter stream live.
8. Facebook - Definitely a must have app, right moms? I think this explains itself. It really is much better than the mobile web version.
9. Kindle for Android - You don't want to throw down the bucks for a Kindle, but you really really want the Kindle... well you need this app! Read more than 620,000 Kindle books on your Droid including thousands of free books. No Kindle required!
10. OI Shopping List - Have you ever got to the store and then forgot what you were actually there for? This neat app lets you keep track of your shopping items with quantity and price. Shh, I use it for my to-do list as well!

There are so many more apps out there, but these are the ones that I use on a daily basis! Now do you see why I love my Droid and it is totally a part of me now? :)

What apps do you use on your Droid phone? Leave us a comment and share with us.

Jen Houck, also known as @OneMomsWorld, can be found blogging over at One Moms World when she is not here discussing technology. She is the mother of two beautiful girls who are tech divas themselves and is currently trying to rope her husband into being a tech geek as well!

Review video games online at MyKmart to help in-store shoppers

Are you a gaming family? Do you regularly buy and play the newest video games? Then you might be interested in something that Kmart just unveiled. Your video game review could be featured on shelves in stores, helping other gaming families pick quality games!

The details are on Kmart’s blog right now, but, in short:

• Register for the MyKmart community. (Your MyKmart username will be included on the review shelf card, so think wisely about picking one. If you’re a blogger, you may want to use your blog’s name or your Twitter handle.)
• Find the game you’d like to review on their site.
• Rate the game (1-5 stars) and write your review.
• Click publish. Voila!

Yes, your qualifying reviews could be posted on store shelves. Kmart is looking for well-written, concise (read: short) reviews that help others learn a little bit more about the game while they’re browsing in the store.

Is this video game child-friendly?

Think about it: as a gaming family, I’m sure you’ve wondered, “Is this game right for my family?” If you’re like me, you’ve probably researched the game online, either via store-site or blog reviews. You probably also like to let others know when you like a certain game (or when you don’t).

Now imagine a less tech savvy mom looking for a game for her child. Or, maybe even a tech savvy mom who has left her smart phone at home and can’t search reviews in store. Wouldn’t this be a great help?

I think that this idea could be big in more areas than just video games. Kmart might very well be on the edge of redefining what online reviews mean. Those of us from tech-loving, gaming families can jump in while this program is new and help create those definitions.

I encourage you to review any of the newer video games that you’ve recently added to your library. Then watch the Kmart blog to see where this goes. Who knows? I might see your name on the shelf the next time I stop in to pick up a game!

Will you be participating in the MyKmart video games review program? Do you think it will be helpful for you or other parents?

Jenna Hatfield, aka @FireMom on Twitter, also writes at Stop, Drop & Blog and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land. She works as a freelance writer and newspaper photographer.

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Photo credit: robertstinnett.

Be skin smart with your iPhone and MyUV Alert!

A new iPhone app can help you keep your kids (and yourself) safe from the sun's intense ultra-violet rays this summer. MyUV Alert from Coppertone is a great interactive app that provides you with a wealth of information designed to keep you from getting sunburn.

On the main loading page, the app provides you with the current UV Index. The UV Index is a measurement of how high the ultraviolet (UV) rays are in any given area. The higher the number, the worse the sun will be for your skin. A UV Index reading of 8 to 10 means very high risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure.

The best part about the MyUV Alert app is that instead of providing you with the UV Index for the entire day like a news channel would during their broadcast, it tells you what the current reading is wherever you happen to be spending time in the sun.

Not sure if the index is going to raise or what times you should be outside? The app also has an extended forecast to tell you the predicted highest UV Index for the day. When I first checked my app at 8:00 this morning, it was only reading a 1. Today's high will be a 10. Good to know!

The best thing about the app is the sunscreen reminders. Simply set a reminder after you have applied sunscreen, set a time that you want to be reminded to reapply and, bam your iPhone will chime with a reminder when it's time. The times range from 80 minutes (if you'll be sweating or swimming) to 120 minutes (if you're just out in the sun). The app also reminds you that you should reapply after toweling off, swimming, sweating or vigorous activity. Now you can't say that you lost track of time when you were at the beach!

The app also has other great features. It is connected to Weather.com, which means you can check the hourly forecast, the 10 day forecast and even the radar! These are great things to have all in one little app. Additionally, you can create suncare profiles for your family and the app will suggest what sunscreen to use. In addition, the app even has the ability to email you a $1 coupon for your next Coppertone purchase.

An app that saves our skin and our money? I love it. The app is available for free in the iTunes store.

Will you be downloading the app? How do you remember to reapply sunscreen?

Jenna Hatfield, aka @FireMom on Twitter, also writes at Stop, Drop & Blog and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land. She works as a freelance writer and newspaper photographer.

Zoodles - fun, safe and educational gaming for kids

For parents concerned about everything from violence to educational content of your child's online games, you might want to check out Zoodles. When you decide that your child is ready for the computer, Zoodles makes things like time limits and ad blocking a breeze in addition to pulling all of the best kids' games from all over the web and placing them in an easy to access and utilize browse for your kids.

Zoodles provides a safe place to play and learn online

The goal of Zoodles is to provide a safe place to play and learn online. They have created a kid-friendly browser that strips out things like URL bars and back buttons as well as the (accidental) ability to visit sites that aren't exactly kid appropriate. The browser then uses your parental settings and child's age information to pull interesting, educational and fun games from all over the net into what Zoodles calls a “playground” for your child. The games that are incorporated are based on your child's ability, whether they're advanced or behind for their age.

Zoodles’ parental controls

The best thing about Zoodles is the parental controls. Don't like violence in your kids' games? Restrict them. No ads? Okay. Want your child to spend a little more time on math based games than reading this week? Set it. Want to block addicting games? No problem. Want to block certain character based games, like, say, Barney? Go for it! Want to block individual games? You can! In fact, Zoodles believes that parents know best when it comes to their kids' learning. I can get behind that idea.

Zoodles has a free account as well as a paid option. The free account gives you access to the kids browser, age-appropriate games and safe-browsing. The paid account provides all of the extra parental controls including reports as to how your child is doing and spending his time. The premium account has a 14 day free trial. The playground browser feature is always free.

Test driving Zoodles

I recently made an account for my oldest son. I am pleased with the browser in a way I can't adequately describe. Previously I had installed bookmarks to his favorite (me-approved) sites on the top of his browser. The problem was that he could still go wherever he wanted, click on ads and occasionally mess up his own settings. I love that he can't do that with Zoodles. Furthermore, I'm enjoying the fact that I can make sure he's spending the majority of his time on reading-based games right now. We're working on reading skills right now and I love that we can use games to help us along.

We're still in our 14-day premium trial. I am thinking that I might go ahead and pay for the premium service for at least a month after our trial is up to give it a slightly longer go. Considering I have two children who will soon both be using the Internet, I might really invest in a full year. We'll just have to see.

I wanted to tell you about this educational, fun and safe way for your children to learn and play. What do you do to ensure safety and fun for your kids online?

Jenna Hatfield, aka @FireMom on Twitter, also writes at Stop, Drop & Blog and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land. She works as a freelance writer and newspaper photographer.

When should kids use the computer?

Our older son, nearly five, gets an allotted amount of computer time per day. He is required to play on of his learning games (like the ones at Starfall or JumpStart) before playing on of his fun games (like Where's Waldo? or the Toy Story 3 games at Disney). If he gives up his television time that day, he can play a little longer. It works quite well. Or, rather, it has worked quite well until just recently.

Our youngest son, not quite three, is begging for some computer time. While our older son started on the computer at the same age, I have some misgivings about starting down this path with my youngest. And no, it's not because I want to keep him a baby. I am conflicted about whether or not he is developmentally ready.

And articles like this don't particularly help me make any decisions.

The article discusses whether or not young children should be exposed to technology. In fact, Dr. Aric Sigman wants children under nine banned from the computer. Nine? The claim is that younger children who are still developing the ability to pay attention for extended period of times can lose the ability before they form it. Apparently children need to first develop the ability to pay attention for a sustained period of time before they begin doing things that require multitasking, like using a computer.
So, I'm swayed a little to the left, until the article goes on.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) claims that we need to be exposing children to computers at age two. They go on to say that by 40 months children should be able to perform simple computer tasks by themselves like using the mouse and operating age appropriate software. Our older son can do those things, so I'm swayed back to the right.

Except that I don't really know the answer. I think that since our younger son is showing an interest and actually asking for the privilege, I might consider a slow introduction to the computer. It's hard, of course, as his older brother will be awarded more time because of his age, his responsibility and his awareness of limits. I may need to make a visual chart so that they can both see their times on any given day. Quite honestly, the best advice in that article might be contained in the comments. “Everything in moderation.”

I'm going to try and trust my gut on this one. When did you let your children start using the computer? How has your experience been?

Jenna Hatfield, aka @FireMom on Twitter, also writes at Stop, Drop & Blog and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land. She works as a freelance writer and newspaper photographer.

Photo Credit.

Finally Starbucks offers free wi-fi

Coffee drinkers we can shout from the rooftops, WOOT! This has been a long time in the making but Starbucks just increased their likeability way up high on the radar. Since I am an AT&T customer, I have always been able to receive free wi-fi from Starbucks, but it was always a pain having to sit down and log in with my account information. Now, as of July 1, I will be able to sit down and get on the world wide web with ease.

Starbucks has finally realized how powerful the social media world is and are implementing this welcome change all across the board. They truly were pushing customers out the door by charging for wi-fi. It took a while for the CEO to realize, but as he has stated his lesson has been learned. July 1 will bring about the all powerful one-click free internet service at all Starbucks in the US.

Starbucks partnership with Yahoo!

Guess what though? Starbucks is not stopping there with their progress into the social media world. A new network is being formed in partnership with Yahoo! which will make its grand entrance this fall. The new Starbucks network will allow customers to surf unrestricted to various paid sites. Some of the sites that will be on the network are WSJ.com, free various downloads, local news and the list will go on. This network will be able to be used on laptops, tablets and even your smart phones.

Now, everyone knows I love me some Starbucks. I have to drive a hour and half to purchase my non-fat chai tea, but I did think they were lacking a bit on the wi-fi. Their respect from me just went way up the tally poll. Great job Starbucks to listening to your customers and moving in the right direct! I believe they just sealed their fate of having a successful business well into the future.

Jen Houck, also known as @OneMomsWorld, can be found blogging over at One Moms World when she is not here discussing technology. She is the mother of two beautiful girls who are tech divas themselves and is currently trying to rope her husband into being a tech geek as well!

Should we blame technology for distracted parenting?

The topic of plugged in parents was all the rage last week. Amusingly - not, depending on which side you are on – it coincided with a lot of tech news. We had the release date of iPhone 4, the new Leap Frog Explorer was officially revealed and websites everywhere have tech-gift ideas for dads since Father's Day is this coming Sunday.

Technology is all around us. Like the New York Times article that spawned all of the debate pointed out, we mostly focus on how technology affects the forming minds of our children. This article chose to focus on how parents' absorption in all things tech could be harmful to our kids.

As a person who was a tech-lover before I became a mom, my knee-jerk reaction to the piece was a slightly miffed and defensive one. The truth is that any hobby or interest that a parent undertakes can result in children feeling ignored. Even if the hobby isn't taken to the extreme, children are inherently selfish and focused on themselves. They're supposed to be! I know that I have been taking five minutes to read by myself in the bathroom only to find that one of my sons barges in and demands that I “pay attention to him.” Immediately.

On the other hand, after I read through the entire article, I tried to sit back and see how my kids might view my tech usage. My children have never had to bite me in order to gain my attention. I have asked them to wait five minutes until I finish an article and while they've sighed at me, I've made good on my promises. I've set time limits for myself during the day though I occasionally exceed them when a deadline is looming. I learned the hard way that the hours after their early afternoon nap through dinner and bedtime are best spent with them, not with the computer. I have been guilty of taking my smartphone with me to places like the park. On the other hand, I see moms with books, which I also have sometimes. I thought about all of the areas of our collective family life that technology either affects or interferes with and I came up with this conclusion: it's not always good and it's not always bad.

Ellen Galinsky from The Huffington Post put it best:

“Second, using social media is not good/bad. We tend to frame new issues as either/or--this is good or this is bad. Studies make it very clear that it isn't bad for children to see that their parents care about their work. And social media isn't bad or good either. We just need to figure out how we use it so that we can also ‘be with our kids.’ And we need to create social media for kids that help them learn positive skills--not violence.” (Source.)

It's not a black and white issue. Distractions have always existed. As we continue down the path to whatever the future holds, which is most likely something involving more technology, keeping these issues in mind while we make our parenting decisions is key. Finger-pointing and point-blank blaming of technology for all of our woes isn't the answer. Encouraging parents to be aware of their own personal distractions, from golf to knitting to running to technology to gardening to reading, will make us all better parents.

More over, technology isn't going away. Our children are going to need to know how to find a balance between their school, family, social and technology lives as well. If we can model a good example for them now, chances are they're going to have a better chance than if we shun it all together.

Of course, an article calling out tech-loving parents has the blogosphere talking. These parenting blogs discussed various points of view on the issue.

• Sharon Cindrich gives us some tips for balance at Banana Moments.
• Eric Steinman prods us to parent un-plugged at healthy & green living.
• KJ Dell'Antonia defends her iPhone at Strollerderby.
• The Online Mom reminds us to look for signs that our kids want our attention.

Perhaps the last thing that should be said about this topic, in addition to evaluating your own time, is to listen to your children.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Have you ever felt guilty for your tech usage? How do you find a balance?

Jenna Hatfield, aka @FireMom on twitter, also writes at Stop, Drop & Blog and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land. She works as a freelance writer and newspaper photographer.

Photo Credit: channah.

Coupons, coupons, get your coupons at My Coupon Database

As I have become such a tech geek mom, I am always searching online to see what kind of deal I can find so I will not have to pay full price for a particular item that I am needing/wanting.

My husband always tells everyone that Jen's motto is “Never pay full price.” Just how big of a discount can one get? It is totally up to the person on how much searching and time you want to spend. Lucky for us, there is a new website that you all are going to love and it will help go along with my motto.

A group of bloggers are collaborating on a new project to help us moms spend less time searching for coupons. My Coupon Database allows you to search for a particular grocery coupon. As stated on their website it is a “searchable database of all printable, newspaper insert, magazine coupons and e-coupons available.”

So now I’m writing out my grocery list each week and then checking the coupon database on MommySnacks.net to see if there is a coupon that I can print out. You might say, “well I would rather not sit there and search for each grocery item individually.” No problem at all. The coupon database allows you input multiple keywords separated by a comma with their multiple search functionality.

Another cool feature of the database is that bloggers can input this coupon database directly on their blog/website to allow their readers to use the database at their leisure. Bloggers will earn money for every reader that searches a coupon and prints it out from the database. You can view the prices to input the coupon database on your blog here.

This database has saved me so much time each week and allowed me to actually save more money. Go give it a try and see how you fare!

Full disclosure: I was in no way told or even asked to write this blog post by My Coupon Database. It is just a neat tool that I wanted to share with all of you!

Jen Houck, also known as @OneMomsWorld, can be found blogging over at One Moms World when she is not here discussing technology. She is the mother of two beautiful girls who are tech divas themselves and is currently trying to rope her husband into being a tech geek as well!

New Droid update comes with a GPS navigator

Throughout the social media scene, I had been hearing talks about the new update to the Android operating system. There is no rhyme or reason when Droid users will get the update, it just seems to be random at the moment. I kept sitting patiently and would stalk my phone everyday to see if I had the update notice. Finally, two weeks ago I was pretty stoked to see the update notice pop up on my phone.

Now, I am a huge Droid lover, but I knew there were some updates that I was hoping for. One of those updates was the Google Maps feature. Google Maps tool on the Droid was such a cool feature, but the biggest complaint was you had to advance the tool yourself to see where your next turn is. This was worthless to me when I was the one driving. Guess what came out with the new upgrade? A GPS navigation system! Oh I totally did scream as we have been wanting a GPS system for so long. Now, I do not have to drop the extra bucks on a GPS system. This new feature works just like a traditional GPS system. I have been trying it out over the past week to see if the directions are correct and so far each time the new feature has took us right where we need to be.

I knew if we were going to use my Droid on a long road trip though, that we would need a holder to put on the dashboard or window. I researched for a good week now and read review after review to see what our best options were for the Droid Eris. I ordered the SecureHOLD Auto Dash Mount for Google Android Smartphones from Amazon and I am awaiting for it's arrival. I love how it does not have to stick to a window as sometimes the window attachment can fail after just a few short months. The bean bags are new to me so I will have to keep you posted on how this cooperates with my Droid.

My Droid is literally my lifeline and is totally my mom geek toy. All in all, I am pretty happy with the new system update. If you have a Droid, have you received the latest update? If so, what are your comments or complaints?

Jen Houck, also known as @OneMomsWorld, can be found blogging over at One Moms World when she is not here discussing technology. She is the mother of two beautiful girls who are tech divas themselves and is currently trying to rope her husband into being a tech geek as well!