Family on the Phone » Family Cell Phones

Mobile Banking Apps for iPhones

Natalie Akpele — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:46:02 +0000

Yesterday, I entered the world of mobile banking on my iPod Touch. I honestly never thought I would bank on the go but I provide myself wrong yesterday morning.

I have been reading Rosalind Gardner’s ” Super Affiliate Handbook“. I had had it bound at one of our local stores when I first got it. It had be tossed around like a little rag doll for a few months, so it was in need of a new cover.

I headed over to the office supply store to have it fixed but realized on the way there that my funds were low. I needed to transfer some money over from another account. Initially thought I could transfer the funds via my banks automated phone service - but I was wrong. I decided while I was on the phone to go ahead and speak with a representative to complete the transaction.

We now have an iPhone App

As the agent ended the call, she mentioned to me that they now had an app for the iPhone. I said that was great but when would they be getting for one for the Android phone. She apologized for them not offering the Android app at this time but she felt it would be available soon.

An Android App would be better

I would prefer to have the app for my Android but I didn’t pass up the chance to download it to my iPod Touch. I figured I could learn how to use it – so when the Android app does make its way down the pipe, I’d be ready!

How many of your use mobile banking apps? Have you found them to be useful? I would love to hear how mobile banking apps have helped you.

Android App of the Week: Tweetcaster

Natalie Akpele — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:12:01 +0000

I thought it would be nice to feature one of my favorite and most used Android and Iphone apps each week. They help me out daily, so I hope they are useful to you as well.

This weeks Android app is Tweetcaster. I think I use this app more than any other application on my phone right now. I don’t have to option to be on my PC during the day. Tweetcaster allows me to stay connected to twitter while being away from home.

What stands out to me the most about Tweetcaster is how easy it is to use. I was able to use this app start out of the “box” so to speak without having to fumble around for days trying to figure out how to use it.

With the good, always come a bit of bad.

There are just one things I wish did not came with this app: Ads

There is an ad that displays at the bottom of my twitter stream. I can close out the ad but it comes back whenever I send a message, or use some other function of the app.

So, what’s your favorite Andriod app this week?

Handheld Garmin: How to Use for Geocaching

Natalie Akpele — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:31:11 +0000

Continuing with our Camping theme across Mom’s Talk Network, I thought it would be nice to see an actual geocache.

Since I have not been able to do one of my own, I found this video below for your instead. The guys in the video walks you through how to set up a handheld Garmin. He recommends using a Garmin eTrex Vista HCx for geocaching. Then he is off to geocache with his boys.

Go check him out!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuASWCZ040M

Geocaching: Are You Up for the Hunt?

Natalie Akpele — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:30:14 +0000

This week on Mom’s Talk Network, we are talking all things related to camping. And what better thing to do while camping than hunt.

No, I’m not talking hunting bears, deer or any other furry little creature. I talking Geocaching!

Now, I have to say up front that I have never in my life Geocached. I actually had to go look up what it was. I have tons of friends that do it (I asked on Facebook if anyone knew what it was and all my friends seems to chime in) but never knew it.

Geocaching is basically a nationwide treasure hunt. From my understanding that are caches (boxes) placed all over the world that have goodies in them. When you find one, you can take something out but your must put something back in it. Then put the cache back where you had found it.

Sounds like fun, right?!

How do you find this caches you ask? Well, there are sites like Geocaching that help you get started. Many of my friends said that you would need a GPS device of some sort. They all seems to recommend the handheld Garmin as the best option.

So, I will give geocaching a try this weekend to see how my fiancee and I make out at this. I have HIGH hopes that we will find something very special our first time out.

I would love to hear about your geocaching experiences. How did you get started? And how?

photo credit: aaronparecki

Handheld Garmin: How to Use for Geocaching

Droid X: It’s Here, It’s Here… It’s Going Back

Natalie Akpele — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:41:24 +0000

My Droid was scheduled to arrive at my door Friday, July 16^th before 3 pm. I cannot tell you how excited I was that it was finally going to be in my hands. My fiancée had gotten up early (6:30 am , 3 hours before he was suppose to get up for the day) that morning to buy it for me.

By 2 pm on Thursday, the Droid X was on back order. I was a bit worried that we had not made the cut off mark. It was not until late Thursday evening that we found out it had been shipped out and was on its way. YAY! I could taste it! Well, not really but I could feel it in my hands.

I woke up Friday, ready for the Fedex man to show up at my door.

I had a few errands to run that morning, so I woke my sister up so that she KNEW not to miss the Fedex man! She moaned and groaned at me but promised not to miss him.

I arrived home to no package. I had beaten my Droid to the house. So you can only imagine my excitement when I heard the Fedex man pulled up to my house. When I opened the door, I told him how happy I was to see him. He laughed, thanked me for being so happy that he was at my door.

I had the Droid X in hand.

I had planned on doing an un-boxing video for your all but my camera had other ideas. I did take picture for you though.

I’ve now had a few days to play with it. I bet you are wondering how I like it. Well, let’s just say I miss my blackberry. I have had a very hard time with making the switch over to a virtual keyboard. I have also had a problem with getting my email accounts added. It doesn’t seem to want to accept my Cuddlebuggs.com email accounts. We did get it to receive message but we still have not be able to send from the device. It’s also way too big for my little hands. It’s almost like holding a mini computer. It’s very uncomfortable for me.

I was really hoping that I would love this phone but I don’t. I SO wanted to be that high tech girl that loved all gadgets but alas, I’m not. So, I will be sending my Droid X back this week in exchange for the HTC Incredible.

The HTC Incredible was the phone I wanted originally but sent it back because I thought the Droid X was better. You live and learn huh…

Baby ESP App for Android

Natalie Akpele — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 20:49:30 +0000

I’m always trying to keep up with the schedules of the children in my life. I am forever looking for apps on my blackberry or my fiancee’s phone ( a Motorola Droid) that might help me do that. So, this weekend while waiting for that great 4th of July bbq, I found myself searching my fiancee’s phone for the perfect app. That’s when I stumbled on to Baby ESP.

I just about jumped of the couch when I found it. It seemed perfect for my needs.

Now, this is not an app that will function for older children – say over the age of two. But it IS great for new mommies who are trying to learn or implement a schedule for their newborn babes.

The first thing that I noticed while playing around with this application is that you can track anything from naps, bottles, the last time you breast feed and their last dirty diaper. You also can add other events that normally might happen during your little ones day – like play dates or tummy time.

With each event, you have to option to set a timer to notify you of the next feeding or cleaning – which ever comes first. And oh yes, you can set more than one timer at a time.

I can’t wait to be able to test this app out on the next newborn that comes into my life. I believe that the Baby ESP app for the Android will save me a great deal of paper, worry and time.

photo credit: Markus Rödder

VOIP: A Closer Look at Hostgator VOIP

Natalie Akpele — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:46:01 +0000

After the disappointing news on Tuesday of not being able to keep my T-mobile @home service, I headed over to Hostgator’s Voip website. I had heard about it a few months ago from Nicole Dean, but never took the time to check it out.

Today, I got my chance.

I have to admit that I was not expecting a whole lot of Hostgator in the VOIP department. I mean I know their hosting service is second to none – but what could they really do outside of that.

I have to say that a bit of joy hit me when I arrived on their website. The first thing I saw was that I could have service with them for as low as $8.25 per month. Which mean they have already beat T-mobile @home . But I need more than just price to make me switch – so I continued on to see what other features that offered.

Man, was I surprised when I looked over the list of features.

Not only do you get the standard features that are offered with any line:

7, 10, and 11 Digit Dialing
Caller ID w/ Name
Call Waiting
Call Waiting ID
Three Way Calling
Call Forwarding
Call Blocking
Do Not Disturb
*67 Outbound Caller ID Blocking
*69 Call Return

You can also receive some advanced features:

Custom Incoming Caller ID
Contacts List
Online Call Logs
Unlimited Speed Dial
Advanced Voicemail
View Voicemail Online
Voicemails E-Mailed
Voicemail SMS Notifications
Distinctive Ringtones
Virtual Numbers
Virtual Number Voicemail Boxes

I went from really not expecting anything to finding what I think is one of the nicer VOIP services out there. I decide the next step would be for me to test out their customer services. So, I picked up the phone and called. I was a little put off by their initial message but that was soon forgotten after speaking to James. He was very helpful in answering my questions. I even had to call back because I forgot to ask him about something, and he remembered exactly who I was.

That was another thing that was in their favor. I was able to speak with the exact same person I had spoken to earlier.

Once I had all my questions answered, I decided to take the plunge and sign up for Hostgator’s Voip service for a month. I figured if I didn’t like it after that, I could send it back. Oh yeah, they have a 30 day money back guarantee. If you aren’t happy, just send it back.

So, we will see how it goes in a few days. But until then, let me know if you’ve had a chance to use Hostgator’s voip service. I would love to hear what you think about it.

photo credit: comedy_nose

My Big Switch from T-mobile to Verzion

Natalie Akpele — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:58:24 +0000

For the last 10 years, my cell phone provider of choice has been T-Mobile. I loved them. I have found their customer service to be top notch (customer services is VERY important to me) and that I always had a clear connection.

But a few months ago, things changed for me.

My fiancee got a job working in one of the local call centers here for Verizon. As employees, they received discounts on their service. So it only made sense for me to switch over. But the decision to switch has been an agonizing one because until now, I never thought even twice about switching carrier.

Then the Motorola Droid walked into my life (this happened to be the phone my fiancee chose).

What is a Droid you say?

An Android based phone is a Google based phone that runs more like a computer. These phones allow you more freedom, in my opinion, to become more mobile with documents, email and other business/family related projects.

I had always been a blackberry girl but realized after playing with the Motorola Droid, that the RIM system is a bit outdated. This realization made the choice to switch even easier. But wait, there’s more.

Verizon announced about a week and a half ago the arrival of the Motorola Droid X. I really didn’t think it could be any different than the one my hubby had but I thought I would take a look at it to see what upgrades they had made to the phone. Boy was I wrong. This phone is amazing. It surpassed my expectations of what a phone could do.

Here are just a few of the cool things the Droid X offers:

HDMI out to your TV
Adobe Flash 10.1 Player
8MP camera and dual LED flash
3G Wifi Mobile Hotspot
3 microphones
Aggregated Social Networking
4.3 inch, 16:9 screen

I know this might be a bit much for some, but for me (my gadget loving self) it’s just right.

iPad Bags With An Adorable Feminine Bent

Kelly — Sun, 02 May 2010 23:18:55 +0000

Dumping your iPad in your handbag really isn’t a good idea as the screen will (as has happened with many iPods over the years) get scratched. Handbags are designed for all those girly things you need to carry with you, and not an iPad. However, an eBay seller has managed to get hold of an iPad cover that was modified to be a handbag. This gets around the scratching problem as it was first designed to keep your expensive device safe, not for throwing makeup in.

The bags are made out of durable, water-resistant neoprene (as is standard on most regular iPad cases) and zips across the top to protect you having your iPad swiped straight out of your bag. The designs on the cases are completely unique and are limited edition; buying these cases will not only make you look unique, but they are also an investment.

You have the choice of 16 designs ranging from Mickey Mouse to beautiful pastels to bold abstract colours and swirls. There is a nice bit of detail in the stitching around the edges of the case that on some of the designs provides a really nice contrast and draws focus slightly from the main design. However, the best bit about the case is the presence of handles – they turn the otherwise unique, but regular, iPad case into a very practical one that would not look out of place in any city in the world.

The price to pay for this luxury is a mere $15, but you will have to get in there fast – at the time of writing, a few of the designs are out of stock and the iPad hasn’t even been released yet.

To see more iPad cases and covers, visit the iPad Covers Blog.

Bling Bling Your Cell Phone At A Great Price Too!

Tweet: 17 Month Old Can Use IPhone

Kelly — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:09:44 +0000

Overheard on Twitter: