Will the marriage of tech and behavior help us kick our bad habits? There are plenty gadgets, apps, and start ups that are indicating that the answer would be yes. Check out these gadgets and apps to help your kick your bad habit.
Stop smoking apps
Take practical support, encouragement and advice with you wherever you go. The Quit Smoking Apps is always in your pocket, helping you through each stage of the quitting process.
Worn on a area of the arm for 24 hours, a thin band with four sensor tracks 5000 data points per minute.
Aiming to a more mainstream audience, polar introduced the ft60 which records heart rate, distance, and pace in a watch like device. Now you can find and stay in your heart rate zone.
A clip on device that encourages weight lost by moving more while eating less. Clip on the FitBit to record your steps to reach a goal of a least 10000 steps a day. Check out our review of FitBit
This new gadget will seamlessly track your sleeping behaviors to include all phases of sleep through a wireless headband that reports data back to your smartphone.
Sitting too long at your desk while at work? Download this app and receive reminders on your phone about sitting too long. This app will remind you to move at regular times with videos of exercises that can be done at work in your work attire. Laughing coworkers not included.
Each spring, as the weather gets nicer, I spend less time watching TV. I guess this is a good thing except for the fact that I’m paying for cable and DVR that I’m not using. I’m not a fan of paying for something I’m not using. When May rolls around and my DVR gets 90% full and the weather is too nice to spend that much time playing catch up on the DVR, I unplug my DVR and head to the cable office to alter my service. I will drop down from digital service with DVR to a basic cable with 60 channels or so. Since I know I have this love/hate relationship with my DVR, I don’t enter into a two year contract with the cable company. You might be thinking, I don’t want to watch the shows on a tiny computer screen. I know the feeling, so I have a few options when it comes to connecting to the TV and finding your favorite shows.
Where can I find the shows?
Almost all the major networks carry their primetime shows online and will post the new episodes usually the day after it airs. I create a folder under my browser bookmarks to favorite the networks for quick access. Some websites, like the paid version Hulu will create a playlist based on your favorites and add new shows as they are added to Hulu.
Free Options
Paid Options
The Downside to watching TV Online
The Pros to going streaming
How to connect to your TV
I was buying a new gift card today for my iTunes account and remembered why I started loading the pre-paid cards onto my account. A few years back I was checking my bank account online and notice that there were three charges of $100 each to my debit card from iTunes. At that time, I thought it was strange since I had been using Amazon for downloading my music. I quickly grabbed my cell phone and called the bank while at the same time logging into iTunes and changed my password. The bank disputed the charges and restored the charged amounts to my account. Apple locked the account from any future purchases while I merged to a new Apple account.
Luckily I caught the mistake before more damage was done to my checking account.
Since then I load iTunes pre-paid gift cards to my account without linking a credit card. This way if someone hacks into my account I am only out the amount of the gift card and I don’t have to mess with restoring my credit with the banks. (Under my Apple ID, I have "none" selected as the payment option.)
The iconic thing about this whole thing is that all the songs the hacker purchased can be found under the purchased tab on my old account.
Let’s Break it Down Barney Style: What do to if you are hacked.
- Call the bank/credit card company to report the theft
- Change your password immediately. The password should have 1 capital letter, 1 lowercase letter, and at least one number. To make a more difficult password, consider using a pattern on your keyboard. For example you could use the pattern !@34QWer on your keyboard.
Sometimes going to the gym is a production in itself. I need the heart rate monitor, e-reader, the smartphone, the iPod, my gym only sneakers and water bottle, oh my! I’m just exhausted by thinking of having to make sure everything is charged and packed. Once I get to the elliptical I set up my “command center” so that I can be entertained for the next hour or so jumping from the reading an e-book, to watching a video, to texting, to listening to music, then back to an e- book. I figure that if I entertain my mind, I can trick my body into exercising. But then I realize that I forgot my ear phones. I packed up the “command center” and head to a step class. Oh joy…
See how I really feel about step class in this video I made with the Action Movie iPhone app.
A huge hello and how are you to our new readers in Nebraska City (home of the Arbor Foundation), Sycamore Journal Democrat (just a few miles from Nebraska City) and the Hamburg (Iowa) Reporter!
Check out the Top Ten Reason to Read Gadget Girl Tips!
In preparing for Valentine’s Day, or what I like to call "Single Awareness Day", I was playing with my cell phone. I asked Siri, the interactive personal assistant on my iPhone4s, "Where to find the perfect man?" She responded with what I think was a slight hint of attitude – “I don’t see the perfect man on your calendar.” Great! Now my phone is telling me that I can’t find the perfect man! So what do I do? I dip my toes into the pond of online dating to find the perfect frog to kiss and turn into a prince. Whoopee! We all wish that online dating was as easy as the commercials make it look and secretly wish that all the people look like our favorite celebrity but let’s join reality. Although it may not be like the commercials, online dating can be an interesting experience and will hopefully keep the parents at bay about “finding someone special” for a couple of months. Here are several types of online dating “ponds” that you might want to check into as you look for your frog.
I’ll admit it; I once met a long term boyfriend through online dating service. Unfortunately, the relationship came to a screeching end when I discovered he wasn't being very truthful. It probably worked out for the best though; he was too much like my ex-husband. Keep in mind these tips when looking for your fog in the ponds on online dating.
Use a different email address. Have one email account that does not list your full name in the email address or in the display. I use a childhood nickname that is common as the display name since I have such an unusual first name. Check to make sure your phone number is private. It’s unbelievable how much information you can find on a reverse look up on a cell number. You can check with your phone company on disabling the caller id for your phone number. Dating sites have now start adding calling features where you can use their site as the middle man to protect your phone number.
Backgrounds checks are your friend. Getting serious about someone? Spend the $20-30 on a background check. This will quickly tell you if you have a toad and not a frog. My thought is that it’s worth the money for my own security to know if I’m dating someone who is a serial killer. This is what tipped me off that something wasn’t quite right with the long-term boyfriend after I discovered he had an apartment in Miami for three years but didn’t really live there.
Schedule a Meet’n Greet. A meet’n greet is an excellent way to meet someone for a cup of coffee and skip out easily if it doesn’t work out. After spending four hours on a date with a guy who didn’t look anything like his photo and admitted he still lived with his mother, I learned this tip the hard way. Sometimes I like to take my dog on meet’n greets, because let’s be honest; if my dog doesn’t like you I probably won’t like you either. Lock Down Social Networking Sites. You don't want a crazy cyber stalker you met on an online dating site knowing where you work, who your friends are, and other personal information about you. Just remember if you don’t find your soul mate in one pond there are a lot of other ponds.
Have you notice your pictures are gathering digital dust from not being used? Take a few minutes to personalize gifts from all those snapshots for an upcoming graduation, birthday, wedding, promotion or retirement.
Photo books – Start your own library of family trips and life events with photo books. If you are just starting your first book mixbox.com or Shutterfly are good places to start. Both offer simple drop and drag formats. If you want more freedom in customizing your books, Picaboo is a wonderful option. Picaboo offer the most freedom when it comes to digital scrapbooking.
Mugs – Custom photo mugs are great for coffee or tea. There are also travel mugs for the morning commute. Capture a specific moment or time when creating your mug. Shutterfly has awesome layouts and different options for mugs.
Calendars – Personalized calendars make great gifts or make a work cubicle homey. Mpix and Shutterfly offer multiple options for calendar sizes, types, and layout. If you’re looking for something different in a calendar try making a dry erase calendar.
Growth Chart – A wall clinging growth chart from mpix.com won’t mess up your walls and stays intact if you move or redecorate. This would be a great idea for military families or other families who move often.
Canvas Art- Looking to turn your pictures into master pieces? Digipix.us offers a variety of photo effects from silhouettes, brush strokes, wood cut, charcoal sketches and sign-in boards. The sign-in boards would be a great gift for graduation, wedding, birthdays or retirement parties. If you don’t want to invest a lot of money, you can also check out Staples’s engineering prints which are roughly 36" x 90" prints. The only down side is that the prints will only be printed in black and white, but for about $5.00 who cares!
Gel Skins – Show your personal style on your Smartphone, laptop, tablet or other gadgets with graphical gel skins that stick to your gadget. They protect your device from scratches, will not harm your gadget and can be removed. I have a gel skin on my iPad from GelSkins, but uniqueskins also offers gel skin products. If you are looking for something really cool for a wall, check out the life-sized custom Wall Skins from Unique Skin.
Collages -- Scrapwalls.com offers a large selection of options for collages for cards, posters, canvases and blankets. Upload your photos, choose a shape and photos and you are on your way to making a unique gift.
I know it's early but you could always get a jump on Holiday Gifts!
When my sister got married in 2001, she carried around a large three ring binder filled to the brim with fabric samples, ideas, and other random thoughts.
Fast forward ten years and the three ring wedding binder has been replaced with Pinterest, a social media outlet for pinning your collection of ideas to virtual pinboards. A virtual pinboard for bridesmaid dresses, flowers, dresses, and food become the new standard for brides to be. The wedding party can leave comments about the dresses, flowers, and ties brides pin up on their virtual pinboards. Don’t forget to keep tabs on what the wedding experts of the world are pinning to their boards. The Knot and Style Me Pretty are getting in on the Pinterest trend, pinning hundreds of creative and artistic ideas.
Not getting married, not a problem! People use pinboards to share their personal style, decorate their homes, and manage their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can view pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards are a fun way to learn new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. Not sure what to get your sister for her Birthday? Check out her board for ideas!
Pinterest can be used to pull your thoughts into one place. From the wedding planning to the new home owner collecting decorating ideas, it’s up to you how you manage your pinboards and what you pin.
I have pinboards in these categories:
Pinterest is currently requesting invitations to become a member. If you would like an invitation, send me an email at gadgetgirl@gadgetgirltips.com. You will need a Facebook or Twitter account to log in once you receive an invitation.
Organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web with Pinterest.
Follow me on pinterest! As Martha Stewart would say – “It’s a good thing!”
I'm kicking off the month of May with 66 Smartphone (iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps). Did you have a favorite app that didn't make the list? Leave a comment with the app name and I'll check it out! Download and print all 66 Smartphone Apps as a PDF.
I’m not a big running fan. Ok, I’ll confess. I despise running, but I found that the Zombie Run app makes running more tolerable. The Zombie Run app is an interactive game that reacts to the movement of your iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android gadgets as you run. You can take the game to a track, treadmill, or outside. It doesn’t matter where you run as long as you keep running and don’t get caught by the zombies.
You are designated as Runner Number 5 in the beginning as you go on a missions to collect items like medicine, batteries, and ammo while avoiding the zombie mobs. Dynamic radio messages and voice recordings, along with your own playlist, gives you directions on where to find the supplies, the locations of the zombies, and encouragement if you are running too slow. When you're back in the township, you build up your defenses to earn more missions. As you complete more missions you learn there’s a deeper mystery to be uncovered, puzzles to be solved, websites to be discovered, and documents to be viewed. You will discover the truth of what’s happened to the world.
So if I decide to go for a run, I’m going to run from Zombies!
Check out the Zombie Run!
Sometimes I wish the job search was like playing a game of monopoly. You roll dice and BAM! You have a new occupation; pass go and collect $200. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way, and it’s a painful, time consuming processing.
The cycle of searching online job posting, networking, customizing resumes and cover letters continues until you find that perfect position. Below are several tips that can save time and ease the pain during the job search.
1. Google Yourself. Before you start your job search, Google your name and see what comes up for your name. Companies are now checking social media websites to find more information about their potential employees. Your Facebook profile should be at the highest privacy setting and uncheck the “make searchable” option. Do you have a common name like John Smith? Add the city where you live or work behind the name in the search box. Ask yourself, “Would I hire myself based on the information I found online?”
2. Set up Automatic Email Notices of New Job Postings: Websites such as USAJobs.gov, Monster.com, and Indeed.com offer email notices on saved searches. I’ve also seen many company websites that now offered the same feature on their company positions. Let the website do the work for you alerting you by email on new job openings based on your search criteria.
3. Network on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a social networking website designed for business professionals. It allows you to share work-related information with other users and keep an online list of professional contacts. Similar to Facebook, users can create profiles within LinkedIn that are business-oriented rather than personal. For example, a LinkedIn profile highlights education and past work experience, which makes it appear similar to a resume. I have found this to be an excellent resource for networking with recruiters and land the interview.
4. Find the Niche sites. Does your profession have a dedicated website for job postings? To find these niche sites, type your profession then job posting (nursing job posting).
5. Hire a Professional Resume Writer. Not getting any hits on your resume? You might want to check into having your resume professional re-written. There are several companies out there, and they are not cheap, but utilizing the service might speed up the job search.
Good luck on your search for the perfect position.
Cameras, Cameras, Cameras! I can’t get enough of them. Each one has its time and place for capturing that single snapshot of that once in a life time trip. Although I tend to get teased by family members for sometimes carrying so many cameras on a vacation, I think it’s worth it when you see my reasons for each camera and the pictures they take.
The Cameras
Digital-SLR, aka the wannabe professional photography. Also known as a D-SLR, these cameras have been widely adapted by the main stream camera market as high quality cameras at a reasonable price. The typical D-SLR will start at an introductory level for around $800. Lenses are normally sold separately unless you can find a package deal that includes the camera body and lens. I keep two lens in my camera bag, a short and long distance. D-SLRs are good for high action events like sporting events, active kids, and pets because of their fast shutter speed. Like buying a new car, you should try out all the features and handle the camera body before deciding on which brand and model. I have a Canon Rebel but some people prefer Nikon D-SLRs.The Bag
When the new iPad came out last month, I considered selling my iPad2 to upgrade to the new iPad. With my search hat on and armed with my laptop, I went off in search of a website to sell my old iPad2. After a few moments, I stumbled upon Gazelle.com, a reCommerce service helps you sell and recycle your used electronics. I answered a few questions regarding the condition and hit the magic calculate button. I was offered $300 for my iPad2. SCORE! But wait, I then when over to Buytronics, answered the similar questions, and go an offer for $350! It didn't take long for me commit to the offer from Buytronics. Apple, Best Buy, and other stores offer similiar trade in services for store credit so if you are looking for cash, make sure you check the full offer before committing.
After confirming the sell, I printed off my prepaid UPS slip and then restored the iPad2 to factory setting to erase my data. Next I packed my iPad2 in a box and dropped the package of at the Post Office. A few days later, I received an email confirming the condition of the iPad2 and my money was on its way!
Interested in selling you used iPhone3 when the iPhone 5 comes out? You will get more money for your used iPhone3 if you answer the product condition questions and confirmed your order before the Apple press conference is over. The longer you wait, the less money you will be offered for your iPhone3. The offer from Gazelle is valid for 30 days from the day you confirm the buy back amount in case you change your mind on selling the item.
Occasionally Gazelle will run a bonus code worth between 5-10% of the buy back amount. You can also get paid in an Amazon Gift Card and get another 5-10% of the buy back amount. These two offers can typically be used together. Gazelle will also buy back DVDs, gaming systems, games, phones, e-readers, and mp3 players. If you gadget is too old or they no longer offer a buy back on that product, Gazelle will offer to recycle the product for free. During the Haiti earthquark, Gazelle was accepting electronic donations to help raise money for the relife efforts.
Why have old gadgets gather dust when you can make money or help a good by recycling them?
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The QR Code is the little square in the bottom left corner. |
How did QR Codes start?
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| The back of my Gadget Girl Tips Business Cards. |
If you are like me and take a ton of pictures, it’s a good idea to take a few minutes to spring clean your photographs and memory disk.
Recently, I was unfriended on Facebook. I know, what a travesty. Why would someone want to unfriend me? That’s what a lot of people think when trying to figure out why they were dropped.
In today’s social media,when someone unfriends you, it's a shock, and and you might feel an explanation is needed. There are many
reasons someone might unfriend you on Facebook and don’t take it personally if you fall into one of these categories.
The High School Friend: It’s now 20 years later and you discovered you actually have nothing in common with each other and honestly don't care either.
The Double Poster: These are the people who post everything on their business fan page and then the same post on the personal page. Do I need to be a friend and a fan of your business?
The Oversharing Parent: These people have to share every little thing about their growing family including what color their poop is ...really, TMI (too much information).
The Serial Poster: These people share every moment of their day like we all want to hear what they had for breakfast, followed by a trip to Wal-Mart, etc. Honestly, I don’t care what you did every second of your day just give us the highlight reel.
If you do get unfriend don’t forget it’s not the end of the world, it’s just Facebook.
Let’s break it down: How to Unfriend Someone
1. Click the name of the friend you want to unfriend.
2. In the top right corner under your name, there will be a friends button. Move your mouse of the button
3. At the bottom of the list is an unfriend button. Click the button and confirm.
In high school, you may have heard the saying “You never know when you will need algebra.” Fast forward 20 years or so and you now know why the teachers were right. You will need to know algebra to help your child with their homework. To make things more interesting, the teachers are now using a new method to find the value of x.
Before you start sweating the small stuff, just remember there are several online resources that will still make you look like a rock star parent.
Just like your home desk, your computer desk quickly becomes cluttered with unnecessary shortcuts, files, images, and other randomness. Take five minutes and quickly scan your desktop and files then delete any files you don’t need any more. I use Window’s start program to pin my most used programs to the program bar to keep shortcuts off my desktop. 
Holan, aka Gadget Girl, has worn out many kindles, phones, and anything with an off/on switch while
trying to find tips and tricks of technology. She’s the go to person for family and friends on how to
get the thingy-a-bob to work or an opinion of the next great thing. Holan’s formal training includes
a Bachelor’s in Technology with an emphasis in Graphic Design and a Masters in Technology. With
an energetic spirit Holan knows how to turn techie speak into plain English, she’s hoping you’ll enjoy
reading her experiences with technology.
