Tag Archives: gadgets

Best Buy holiday gift guide

Gift Guide: Holiday Gift Ideas From Best Buy

Best Buy disclosure

I’ve employed what my husband says is a sneaky technique the last couple of years come holiday wish list time.  I don’t ask my kids to provide me with a wish list but instead I pay attention to what my kids have said they want from starting in September.  If they mention something several times, I consider getting the item as a Christmas gift.  Otherwise, I get a circular with stars and circled products throughout from my daughter and a long list of gadgets from my son.   A few things that have stuck in my son’s and husband’s minds and thus made it to my final list of what they really want for Christmas are the XBOX One, a wireless speaker, headphones, and a GPS unit.  You know what store sells all of these products, right?  Best Buy!  If you want to skip the traffic and parking space wars, click over to Best Buy online and get your shopping done without leaving the house!

Best Buy holiday gift guide

 

holiday gift guide

 Xbox One offers gaming at its best with access to tv shows and apps

XBOX one game console

 

Xbox One was built by gamers, for gamers. With the best exclusive titles (Halo, Sunset Overdrive), the biggest blockbusters (Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty) the hottest sports franchises (Madden 15, FIFA 15, NBA 2K15) and top family titles (Fantasia: Music Evolved, Just Dance 15, Skylanders) Xbox One takes gaming to a whole new level.

Learn more about XBOX One at Best Buy

In addition to being a great gaming console, Xbox one connects consumers unlike any other device.  Xbox One gives consumers access to the latest TV shows and movies through your favorite apps like Netflix, HBO Go and Amazon Instant Video.  With Xbox One all of your media is at your fingertips when you want it.

holiday gift guideJBL offers superb sound in small packages

 

JBL offers consumers superb sound at affordable prices with products ranging from headphones to wireless speakers.  When Sebastian, my 15 year old, wears headphones while working in the yard and doing his chores he stays more motivated and usually gets finished quicker.  Good trade off if you ask me!

JBL Holiday gifts

JBL Charge 2 – Between the twin passive radiators for deep bass, the massive 6000mAh battery and the hands-free conference speakerphone the key benefit is the Bluetooth Social Mode which allows up to three different users to take their turns to play their own playlists on a single speaker.

Learn more about these and other JBL audio products at Best Buy

JBL Flip 2 – Aside from the dual performance-tuned JBL drivers and a built-in bass port, the key benefit of the JBL Flip 2 is the SoundClear echo and noise cancellation combined with the state-of the art microphone system to pick up calls on the speaker.

JBL Reflect Earbud headphones –  Sweat proof ergonomic design.  With a 5 hour rechargeable battery and a reach of about 40 feet, the JBL Reflect BT’s key benefit is the design of the ergonomic eartips along with the built-in magnets which keep your buds on standby without loose cables.

holiday gift guide

Garmin and TomTom offer peace-of-mind with portable navigation units

 

Fusion TIFF File

For those who don’t want to use their smartphone’s battery life or data, a portable navigation device is a great gift.  The units below feature bluetooth connectivity for hands-free calling, traffic and weather updates, lane assist, lifetime traffic and map updates as well as  Voice Recognition Technology.

Learn more about these GPS units at Best Buy

Garmin 52LM

  • 5.0” display
  • Maps of 49 U.S. states, plus lifetime map updates1
  • Lane assist with junction view
  • Displays speed limit and accurate arrival time
  • Easily find addresses and millions of points of interest
  • Spoken turn-by-turn directions
Learn more about these GPS units at Best Buy

Garmin 2597LMT

  • 5.0” display
  • Maps of 49 U.S. states, plus lifetime map updates
  • Lane assist with junction view
  • Displays speed limit and accurate arrival time
  • Easily find addresses and millions of points of interest
  • Spoken turn-by-turn directions
Learn more about these GPS units at Best Buy

TomTom Go 50s

  • Lifetime TomTom Traffic: Drive with TomTom Traffic for the lifetime of your device
  • Lifetime Maps (US, Canada, Mexico): Always drive with the latest map
  • 3D Maps. See buildings and landmarks in stunning 3D
  • 5″ touchscreen with advanced lane guidance

With Best Buy’s expert service and unbeatable prices these gifts can be a reality for your family this Holiday season!

20 unique gifts for techie parents

20 Unique Gadget Products For Techie Parents

Kids aren’t the only ones who love gadgets.  Parents enjoy a good gadget too.   I want the newest gadget as soon as it’s announced but I, unfortunately, learned that money doesn’t grow on trees and I can’t buy ALL the gadgets I want.  Bummer.  In this gift guide, I compiled a list of gadgets that every parent could use and will probably love having including one of my favorite products EVER, the iRobot Roomba 880 vacuum cleaning robot, a foot massager, wireless activity wristbands, and smartphone battery case.

I suppose these gadgets would be great gifts for teens too but I was feeling a little selfish when I put this list together and want everything for me, not my 15 year old son.  🙂

Most of these items are avialable on Amazon.com and Brookstone.com.  I highly recommend signing up for Amazon Prime NOW if you aren’t already a Prime member.  You’ll get free 2-day shipping as well as access to instant videos on Amazon Prime, something you might appreciate as you’re cooking that holiday ham and don’t want to be interrupted.

My Dream Vacation and Must-Have Travel Gadgets | #HTCOne #TroopOneX

If I am without my smartphone for just an hour I get a little anxious.  Don’t you?  I suppose that’s considered an addiction but I could be addicted to far worse things than my favorite gadgets.   That being said, I make sure that I have all of my gadget gear including my phone on my “tech packing list” well before packing for a trip.

blogger travel gadgetsWhat’s on my tech packing list?

1. HTC OneX+
2. External battery charger
3. A/C Charger
4. Regular length USB Cable
5. 10 foot USB Cable (like this one, for times when an outlet is not close)
6. Earphones
7. iPad – for watching movies on flight
8. MacBook
9. Charging Station

Before a trip, especially a blogger trip, I make sure that I move my most frequently used travel related apps to my HTC One X+ homescreen.  Some of my most used apps during travel are Delta for checking flight status, Foursquare for checking in, Pandora for music, Yelp for local restaurant reviews, Hootsuite for Twitter & Facebook updates, Instagram for fun photos, Google Maps for directions, Camera for taking photos, Skype for video chatting with family, and WordPress for blogging.

I mostly use my phone as my camera when I’m on trips.  I take a camera but chances are I’m going to snap the best and most candid photos with my smartphone, not my camera, because my phone is easier to get to.  And, it’s easy to share photos I’ve taken with my HTC One X+ with friends and family, and my social networks, in a snap!

On to my dream vacation

I stayed at Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa in San Diego California a couple of years ago for a media trip with Honda and have wanted to go back, with my husband, since.  While I have a few favorite places right here in Georgia that we travel to often for vacation, I would love for my husband and I to go on a vacation.. sans kids, sometime.  In the 14 years that we’ve been married, we have been on one (mini) vacation without the kids and that was a media trip for a cruise line about 5 years ago.  Hardly a vacation.

If I plan an amazing vacation my husband can’t say no, right?  Did you know that you can plan a vacation right from your smartphone?  There are tons of Android apps that will help you plan your dream vacation from flights, to hotels, to restaurants, and playgrounds!

The 2 top apps I used to plan my dream vacation

First, I checked the Delta app on my phone to see how much a flight to San Diego would cost.

Delta Android App

Then I searched for Estancia La Jolla using Expedia, Yelp, Kayak, and YP apps where I read reviews and got details about the hotel & spa and even checked room availability.  I was very happy to find that Estancia La Jolla gets rave reviews!

Estancia La Jolla

It looks amazing, doesn’t it?

I don’t think my husband will argue about my dream vacation destination.  I would love for the 4 of us to travel overseas to Italy, France, and Ireland but I can’t imagine finding the time anytime soon. I’ll keep you updated if that changes.

You can plan your dream vacation from just about any smartphone but I used my HTC OneX+ to plan mine.  Learn more about the HTC OneX+ and follow @HTC on Twitter.

Share your thoughts..

What is your dream vacation? What are your must-have travel gadgets?  Do you use your phone or camera to take photos while on vacation? Share with us in the comments below. 

Read more posts about my experiences with the HTC One X+:

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, HTC.

I received an HTC OneX+ as part of being a member of the TroopOneX review team.  All opinions in this post are 100% my own.

Cyber Monday Deal: ZAGG.com 50% off!

GET 50% off at one of my favorite gadget protection & accessories stores, ZAGG.com, today only.  40% off the ZAGGsparq 2.0.

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What’s on my ZAGG.com wish list?

1. ZAGGsparq 2.0 – regularly $99, today 40% off –  just $59!

2. ZAGGsmartbuds – regularly $49, today 50% off –  just $25!

Have an iPad.. check out the new ZAGGmate for the iPad.

Happy Cyber Monday!