Last Minute Holiday Gift Idea: Kaspersky Internet Security 2012

December 21, 2011 By Robin Leave a Comment

I’ve been using Kaspersky Internet Security to protect my computers for a few years now, and have been very pleased with the performance. Considering that I am online far more than the average person, I need strong protection. I have not had any major issues since making the switch to Kaspersky.

Kaspersky has a whole suite of products to handle your various protection needs. Internet Security is the one I’ve used these past few years. It is perfect for families, since it provides protection for up to 3 PCs.

Some key features:

Real-time antivirus protection.
Safe online banking & shopping, with identity theft protection.
Easy to use parental controls.
Two-way firewall, for addition protection from hackers.

Kaspersky current has some nice discounts running for the holiday season. Whatever you do, DO NOT START SURFING ON THAT NEW CHRISTMAS COMPUTER WITHOUT PROTECTION. Either purchase protection beforehand or go directly to Kaspersky for immediate download. http://usa.kaspersky.com/store/kaspersky-store

Product sample provided.

Filed Under: Electronics, Shopping

Get Your Kids Outside Again with GeoMate Jr.

December 15, 2011 By Robin Leave a Comment

Want to get your kids outdoors more, and away from the video games, then why not have technology help rather than hinder you in this endeavor. Geomate JR. feeds kids desire for technology and gadgets, but also makes it a fun adventure to be outside and active. This handheld GPS device is specifically created for geocaching, and come preloaded with 250,000 Geocaches. With the help of an update kit, even more geocaches are available. What an exciting way to get your kids interested in the outdoors.

The Internet and television may be dominating leisure activities and zapping outdoor time for kids, but that won’t slow down the fast growing trend millions enjoy: GPS treasure hunting called, geocaching. Thanks to Apisphere, Inc., the company behind Geomate.jr (www.mygeomate.com), children, their families and adventure seekers from all walks of life can get hip with the increasingly popular and fun geocaching phenomenon, a great group activity for scouting, summer camps and schools. Geomate.jr, the first and only device of its kind, combines technology and outdoor play while providing hours of geocaching entertainment; it is preloaded with 250,000 geocache locations.
Sadly, according to the Outdoor Foundation, outdoor activity among children ages 6 to 17 declined 11 percent in 2008. “Geomate.jr offers a way to reconnect our children with family time and nature while encouraging them to be active, get outdoors and explore the environment,” says Warren Hewerdine, co-inventor of Geomate.jr and Apisphere’s vice president of marketing. He says, “Savvy kids will get their technology fix from the easy-to-use device, and it eliminates the traditional fuss of Internet connections, downloads, coordinates and preplanning to provide a spontaneous geocaching experience families can enjoy anytime, anywhere.” Geomate.jr acts as an electronic compass, guiding you to within yards of a geocache.
People all over the world have enjoyed geocaching but up until now, the GPS receivers required were expensive and difficult to use. “Geomate.jr is about the size of a granola bar and built tough so it can take a beating. The contoured grip fits comfortably in the hands of kids and adults,” says Hewerdine. “Then all you have to do is head out to a local park, the back country or just down the street to get started on creating lifelong memories and a new found appreciation for the outdoors.” The Geomate.jr makes a great gift idea any time of year, and thanks to its size, it is a perfect stocking stuffer around the holiday season.
Products available include:
Geomate.jr – Geocaching GPS
Retail: $69.95
Pre-loaded with 250,000 geocaches covering all 50 U.S. states, just switch it on and be directed to your closest geocache. European, Canadian, Australian & New Zealand versions are also available.
Geomate.jr – Update Kit
Retail: $24.95
The key to update any Geomate.Jr with the latest and greatest geocaches for the U.S. or for around the world. Other features such as being able to create a private geocache list and Pocket Query support are also accessible with an Update Kit.
Geomate.jr – Combo Pack
Retail: $94.95
Everything you will ever need in one box including a Geomate.jr, an Update Kit, a Geomate.jr Travel Tag, batteries, lanyard, and documentation.
Geomate.jr is available for purchase at major outdoor retailers including REI, L.L. Bean, Gander Mountain and Eastern Mountain Sports. It is also available through Target, Amazon.com and Geocaching.com. For more information about the Geomate.jr, including demo videos, please visit www.mygeomate.com. Follow on Twitter: @geomatejr and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/geomatejr.

Product sample provided.

Filed Under: Children, Electronics, Holiday Gift Guide 2011 Tagged With: kids, Shopping, toys

Literati eReader Review | Sharper Image Literati Color eReader

December 21, 2010 By Robin

I was sent a Literati eReader, from Sharper Image, as a last minute review, for the holiday season. I have been dying to try an eReader & never have so this was an entirely new experience for me.

The Literati is one of the few wireless eReaders with color screens. The color screen is also an ample 7″ tall vs. the standard 6″ and measures just 1/2 an inch thick. This eReader is light weight and comes in the color options of black or white. If you are an avid reader and find yourself building up an extensive eLibrary, the memory can be expanded up to 8GB with an SD card.

What can I read on a Literati eReader?

The Literati eReader comes with a few free ebooks already installed, and at the time I am writing this post there are 300 more free books which can be downloaded off the Kobo bookstore. With the Literati you can download ebooks from the over 2 million options offered at Kobo, as well as, the newly added option of magazines and newspapers. You can also download files and images from your own computer, right into the Literati eReader if you like.

Using the Sharper Image Literati eReader, a noobie’s experience

As I have already mentioned this is the first time I ever used an eReader, and there was a bit of a learning curve for me… and perhaps I was a man in a former life, because I am not one to read the directions. Charging the reader and getting the pre-installed books to come up was very simple. After fiddling around for a few minutes I got the Wi-Fi ready to roll, it just took a few minutes to find the network password, since I didn’t have it readily available.

I started to browse the bookstore and found something that appealed to me. You need to create a free account at Kobo in order to download, so I started sign-up. This can be done either on the Literati itself, or on your computer. I ran into a small snag, when it asked for my email. There was no visible key for the @ symbol. I flipped through the instruction booklet, and found out that you click the symbol key, which pulls up a menu of symbols to select from, including the @ symbol. This may be a common place thing in similar devices, but I’m middle age, it takes me a few minutes to catch on.

Once the account was all set up, I downloaded a few books, the books loaded quickly, and were neatly arranged on a virtual bookshelf for me. The pages are flipped through by touch sensitive buttons on the sidebars of the reader. While other navigation is done with the small toggle buttons in the keypad area.

So, should I buy a Literati eReader?

If you frequently read books and magazines, for which color pictures add significantly to your reading experience, this is a good reader for you. The Literati color eReader is also a good choice for those preferring the larger 7″ screen size. I did find navigation of this device to be a little clumsy, and as I was quickly flipping through intro pages of one book, to get to the actual story, the unit froze up on me and had to be reset. Of course the majority of the time spent using the device will be for actual reading, so probably not much of an issue really.

I like that the wireless ability of the Literati allows me bring this along with me, while I have to wait for appointments or for my daughter to finish class. When I click on the book I have been reading the eReader takes me right were I left off. I also like that the screen can easily be read in a dark room, without creating enough light itself to disturb anyone else.

Where can I buy the Literati eReader?

The Literati wireless color eReader can be picked up in-store at Macy’s, Bed Bath & Beyond and JCPenney, as well as several other retailer both in-store or online.

Disclosure: A product sample was provided for the purpose of this review. All opinions presented in this review are entirely my own.

Literati Giveaway

One lucky Blommi reader will will a Literati eReader of their very own, courtesy of The Sharper Image.

Giveaway is now closed, and winner has confirmed receipt of his Literati eReader.

Congratulations to Jeff L.

Filed Under: Electronics Tagged With: giveaway, holiday gifts, review, reviews

Wi-Fire Review and Giveaway

December 14, 2010 By Robin

The Wi-Fire, from hField Technologies, is a compact adapter, which boosts long range wi-fi signals, giving you more and stronger network options to connect to. This powerful antenna will allow you to pick up signals up to 1,000 feet away, and is compatible with Mac, Linux and Windows.

As my laptop is currently out of commission, I tried this out on a friends laptop. Luckily, the Wi-Fire antenna and software was quick to set-up, and we quickly saw a difference in her connectivity. From three connections besides her own network, only one was strong enough to have used if it wasn’t locked, after setting up the Wi-Fire all three were strong connections, and one wasn’t even locked, so in an emergency she could use it as a back up. Two other networks also showed up, one of which was probably strong enough to use, but was locked. The results showed me this would be of considerable help to those who travel frequently, like to go outside and use their home network, pretty much anyone who likes to sue wi-fi on the move.

Disclosure: A sample was provided for the purpose of this review. All opinions presented here are my own.

Giveaway

One lucky Blommi reader will win a Wi-Fire of their own, courtesy of hField Technologies.

Enter any or all ways below:

Tell me how the Wi-Fire would enhance your life.
Follow this blog via email or RSS
Follow me through Google Friend Connect
Follow both @hFieldTech and @TwiMommi on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway up to 3x per day (account must be public and have at least 50 followers).
“Like” Blommi on Facebook
“Like” WiFirebyhField on Facebook
For 2 entries! Grab my button and post it on your blog, or add Blommi.com to your blogroll -> blog must be public with minimum 25 followers. Leave a link where it can be found, in your comment. (remember to leave 2 separate comments)
For 2 Entries! Blog about this giveaway with a live link back to this post -> blog must be public with minimum 25 followers. (be sure to leave 2 separate comments)

One winner will be randomly selected from all valid entries, and will have 48 hours to respond to their prize winner email notification. If winner fails to respond, within that time period, a new winner will be drawn. Giveaways hosted on Blommi are sponsored by third parties. Site owner will of course endeavor to see all prizes are fulfilled, but is not responsible for fulfillment, nor for missing or damaged prizes. Contest ends December 28, 2010 at 11:59 pm CT. Open to US residents , age 18+.

Confirmed winner Jill. L.

Filed Under: Electronics Tagged With: giveaway, review

Roku XD: Review and Giveaway

December 1, 2010 By Robin

Until I had the opportunity to review a Roku box, I only had a very vague idea of what one was. Overall, I am much more computer oriented, than TV. If you are like I was, and not quite aware of what a Roku box is let me fill you in. Roku is a small black box that allows you to instantly stream entertainment on your television. It literally takes 5 minutes to hook up and activate, and the box is quite small and unobtrusive.

What can you watch on a Roku?

You can watch Netflix, Amazon video on demand, the newly launched Hulu Plus, as well as, podcasts from the web. For baseball fans, a subscription to MLB.com will allow them to watch games live on demand. There is also a large and growing selection of channels related to a wide array of subjects, one of our favorites is the free old movies channel called Pub-Hub, which has a wonderful selection of vintage public domain films.

The weekend we hooked this up, I swear my husband was glued to the couch all weekend. He loves it. An inexpensive $7.99 Netflix membership will allow you to stream movies right through your player, perfect for those of us who don’t have gaming systems or Blu-rays, with this capability. If you have younger children, there is a big selection of kids shows available through the service. It is parent friendly in that multi-episode selections stop between episodes and require you select continue. I also like having such a wide selection available, without having to worry about my daughter damaging DVDs.

Just a couple weeks ago Hulu Plus launched, and now you can stream episodes of popular TV shows like Glee, House, Family Guy, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, and many more. The channel also has a great selection of older series like Adam-12, Buffy, Lost in Space, as well as, some that only survived one season, but might be fun to watch. This service is also available for the reasonable cost of just $7.99 per month.

Roku boxes are currently available in 3 models:

HD – The HD is Roku’s base model. It plays HD up to 720p, has built-in Wi-Fi, and an ethernet connector ($59.99)
XD - The XD offers 1080p HD. It also has an enhanced remote, with instant replay and extended wireless range. ($79.99)
XD-S - The XD-S has all that the XD does, plus dual-band wireless, component video & optical outputs, and a USB port for playing music, photos and videos. ($99.99)

The Roku XD would make a wonderful gift for many people on your list: parents who want to watch movies in the privacy of their own room, rather than through the kid’s game system, those like myself who don’t have other Netflix enabled devices, lovers of old films, those who want to watch the offerings from Hulu Plus, and anyone who has expressed an interest in either cutting back on cable service or omitting it altogether. Now that local channels are broadcast in HD, I could see some people being able to omit cable by putting up an antenna and subscribing to a few of the low cost channels on Roku.

Disclosure: I was provided with a product sample for the purpose of this review. All opinions presented here are my own.

Free shipping on Roku XD & XD-S boxes this weekend! (12/3-12/5)

Giveaway

One lucky Blommi reader will win a Roku XD of their very own, courtesy of Roku.

Mandatory Entry (must be done for all other entries to count): Stop in and visit the Roku website, either tell me something you learned there or a channel I didn’t mention, that would interest you.

For additional entries:

Follow this blog via email
Follow this blog via RSS
Follow me through Google Friend Connect
Follow both @RokuPlayer and @TwiMommi on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway up to 3x per day (account must be public and have at least 50 followers/tweets must be at least an hour apart).
For 2 entries! “Like” Blommi on Facebook (remember to leave 2 separate comments)
For 2 entries! Grab my button and post it on your blog, or add Blommi.com to your blogroll -> blog must be public with minimum 25 followers. Leave a link where it can be found, in your comment. (remember to leave 2 separate comments)
For 3 Entries! Blog about this giveaway with a live link back to this post -> blog must be public with minimum 25 followers. (be sure to leave 3 separate comments)

One winner will be randomly selected from all valid entries, and will have 48 hours to respond to their prize winner email notification. If winner fails to respond, within that time period, a new winner will be drawn. Giveaways hosted on Blommi are sponsored by third parties. Site owner will of course endeavor to see all prizes are fulfilled, but is not responsible for fulfillment, nor for missing or damaged prizes. Contest ends December 17, 2010 at 11:59 pm CT. Open to US residents , age 18+.

Confirmed winner was Mari

Filed Under: Electronics Tagged With: giveaway, movies, review, reviews

Things Remembered Digital Keychain Review and Giveaway

November 9, 2010 By Robin

Things Remembered offers quality personalized gifts for every personality. The special message you add will make for a holiday present that will be remembered long after the season ends. While there are many places you can get personalized items, with Things Remembered you know that you are getting quality that will last.

When Things Remembered contacted me to do a holiday season review, I was happy to see they had a digital keychain option. My husband had one that was only a few months old, and it quit on hime. The new digital photo key chain houses 100 photos, that can be easily uploaded by plugging it into either a PC or a Mac with the included USB cord. My favorite thing about the new keychain is the silver plated metal casing, which can hold up to the wear and tear of daily use, and well it just plain looks better. It also provides a surface for real engraving, rather than what some other companies are trying to pass off as engraving.

The photo software is built right into the keychain. It auto loads and is very easy to use. At only $19.99, this quaility metal cased digital keychain is only a couple dollars more than getting a cheap plastic one. I have to say it would be a few dollars well spent.

Disclosure: While I was sent a sample for the purpose of review, all opinions presented here are entirely my own.

Giveaway

One lucky Blommi reader will win a digital keychain just like the one discussed above.

Mandatory Entry (must be done for all other entries to count): Visit Things Remembered and tell me your favorite item to give or receive.

For additional entries:

Follow this blog via email
Follow this blog via RSS
Follow me through Google Friend Connect
Follow both @TRemembered and @TwiMommi on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway up to one time per day (account must be public and have at least 50 followers).
Become a fan (now called like) Blommi on Facebook
Become a fan (now called like) Things Remembered on Facebook
For 2 entries! Grab my button and post it on your blog, or add Blommi.com to your blogroll. Leave a link where it can be found, in your comment. (remember to leave 2 separate comments)
For 2 Entries! Blog about this giveaway with a live link back to this post (be sure to leave 2 separate comments)

Confirmed winner Brooke C

Filed Under: Electronics Tagged With: giveaway, photography, review, reviews

Sesame Street Video USB: Review and Giveaway

October 17, 2010 By Robin

There is now a new solution for convenient portable children’s videos. ATP Electronics, recently released a new line of Sesame Street Video USBs. Each character USB, holds a full length movie featuring the character, and also has enough remaining room, to hold up to 400 photos or songs for your children to enjoy.

We were sent the Elmo video USB, to try, which has the movie Best of Elmo on it. The durable Elmo character is not only sturdy but waterproof too. Young kids love to carry there favorite shows around, but DVDs are not little kid friendly in that aspect. These USB videos are just the right size for little hands to tote around, and they are built to handle the wear and tear.

In addition to Elmo, six other video character USBs are currently available:

Abby : Abby in Wonderland

Big Bird: Do the Alphabet

Ernie: Bert & Ernie’s Word Play

Cookie Monster: Cookie Monster’s Best Bites

Grover: A Celebration of Me

The Sesame Street Sign: 25th Anniversary: A Musical Celebration

The Sesame Street Video USBs retail for $24.99 and are available at SesameStreet.org, atptogo, Amazon, Costco, QVC, Walmart and TRU.

Disclosure: While I received a sample for the purpose of review, all opinions presented here are entirely my own.

Giveaway

One lucky Blommi reader will win their own Sesame Street Video USB, courtesy of ATP.

Mandatory Entry (must be done for all others to count): Tell me which Sesame Street Video USB, your child would like the best.

For additional entries:

Follow this blog via email
Follow this blog via feed.
Follow me through Google Friend Connect
Follow both @SesameStreetUSB and @TwiMommi on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (can be done once daily)
For 2 entries! Become a fan (now called like) Blommi on Facebook (remember to leave 2 separate comments)
For 2 entries! Become a fan (now called like) Sesame Street USB on Facebook (remember to leave 2 separate comments)
For 2 entries! Grab my button and post it on your blog, or add Blommi.com to your blogroll. Leave a link where it can be found, in your comment. (remember to leave 2 separate comments)
For 3 Entries! Blog about this giveaway with a live link back to this post (blog must be public & have a minimum of 25 followers)

Confirmed winner Brooke C.

Filed Under: Children, Electronics Tagged With: giveaway, kids, review, reviews

Review and Giveaway: Avoid Computer Nightmares with Kaspersky Internet Security 2011

October 13, 2010 By Robin

We all have our computer horror stories, hard drives wiped out by viruses, getting hacked and spyware dragging our surf speed down to a crawl. This is exactly why we need strong security for our computers. Security which can protect us, while being light weight enough, to keep our computers still running fast.

When I was offered the chance to review Kaspersky Internet Security 2011, it came at a perfect time for me. I had recently had my primary PC wiped out by a virus and had lost both an expensive software program ( that I didn’t have a back up for), and more importantly, any pictures of my daughter that I didn’t have copies of online. When my husband called up to reinstall the security we had at the time, the tech support was horrendous. It was hard to get through, and when he did, the service was poor.

Kaspersky does not work the same way most anti-virus and security programs do, updates are small and frequent, rather than larger updates very couple days. This keeps your security settings fresher, and is much less of a hassle on the user end. With Kaspersky you get Real-time protection, which is what you need in today’s web environment.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much faster my computer runs now with Kaspersky over the bulky old software I was running. I also like that it can block 3rd party ads, speeding page loads, and avoiding the possibilty of a virus getting in that way. I have found the software to be effective, easy to use and stealthy. I’m 100% pleased with my experience with Kaspersky so far, and I like knowing, that should I ever have a problem, US based tech support will be available for me.

Disclosure: I received a sample copy of this software, for the purpose of this review, through the Family Review Network. All opinions presented here are my own.

Giveaway

One lucky Blommi reader will receive the premium protection of Kaspersky Internet Security 2011, for 3 PCs, courtesy of the nice folks at Kaspersky.

Since it’s that time of year, we decided to go with a Halloween theme for this one…

for the Mandatory Entry: Share your worst computer horror story, that resulted from not having effective security software.

For additional entries:

Follow this blog via email
Follow this blog via feed.
Follow me through Google Friend Connect
Follow both @Kaspersky and @TwiMommi on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (can be done once daily)
For 2 entries! Become a fan (now called like) Blommi on Facebook (remember to leave 2 separate comments)
For 2 entries! Become a fan (now called like) Kaspersky on Facebook (remember to leave 2 separate comments)
For 2 entries! Grab my button and post it on your blog, or add Blommi.com to your blogroll. Leave a link where it can be found, in your comment. (remember to leave 2 separate comments)
For 3 Entries! Blog about this giveaway with a live link back to this post (blog must be public & have a minimum of 25 followers)

Confirmed winner Anne!

Filed Under: Electronics, Reviews & Giveaways Tagged With: giveaway, review, reviews, Shopping

Digital Photo Keychain Review & Giveaway

August 11, 2010 By Robin

I recently received a Blue Digital Photo Key chain with Stand, from Wholesale Key Chain, for review. The key chain arrived nicely boxed, with a stand, usb connector and simple instructions. It is lightweight, so it won’t weigh down your purse or pocket.

Uploading pictures was incredibly easy. The software is built right into the key chain, and loads, as soon as, you plug the usb into your computer. This is very simple software to use, it will show a box outline of the section of your picture which will show on the screen, you can toggle the box around to get the best part of your pic, and can zoom in also. To delete a pick, just takes a click, and once you have just the right album set up, simply click download. The image files for this are small so they load very fast.

Once you have your treasured pictures downloaded, they will scroll through for a little while, then if you have auto shut off enabled, it will go to a blank screen to conserve energy. A two hour charge is supposed to last a month, but if you leave the slide show running constantly, I am sure the charge would not last that long.

I addition to the blue one I was sent, Wholesale has a large selection of other digital photo key chains for you to choose from. Prices range from $9.99 to $29.99.

Disclosure: While I received a sample for the purpose of review, all opinions presented here are my own and no monetary compensation was given.

Giveaway

The winner will be sent a digital photo keychain similar to the one above, courtesy of Wholesale Key Chain.

Mandatory Entry (must be done for all other entries to count): Visit WholeSaleKeyChain.com and tell me an item you like.

For additional entries:

For 2 entries! Follow this blog via email.
Follow this blog via RSS
Follow me through Google Friend Connect
Follow @TwiMommi and @MeadEarlyLearn on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (up to one time per day/leave a comment for each)
Become a fan (now called like) Mead on Facebook
Become a fan (now called like) Blommi on Facebook
For 2 entries! Grab my button and post it on your blog, or add Blommi.com to your blogroll. Leave a link where it can be found, in your comment. (remember to leave 2 separate comments)
For 3 Entries! Blog about this giveaway with a live link back to this post (be sure to leave 3 separate comments)

Confirmed winner Veronica G.

Filed Under: Electronics Tagged With: photography, review, reviews

Last Minute Holiday Gift Idea: Kaspersky Internet Security 2012

Get Your Kids Outside Again with GeoMate Jr.

Literati eReader Review | Sharper Image Literati Color eReader

What can I read on a Literati eReader?

Using the Sharper Image Literati eReader, a noobie’s experience

So, should I buy a Literati eReader?

Where can I buy the Literati eReader?

Literati Giveaway

Wi-Fire Review and Giveaway

Giveaway

Roku XD: Review and Giveaway

What can you watch on a Roku?

Giveaway

Things Remembered Digital Keychain Review and Giveaway

Giveaway

Sesame Street Video USB: Review and Giveaway

Giveaway

Review and Giveaway: Avoid Computer Nightmares with Kaspersky Internet Security 2011

Giveaway

Digital Photo Keychain Review & Giveaway

Giveaway

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