Even MORE Fun Things Kids Can Say to Alexa (Amazon Echo)

Two and half years later, we still love our Amazon Echo.  In fact, we ended up purchasing an Echo Dot for the upstairs and another for my husband's office at work.  We love discovering new things to say to Alexa.  Check out some kid-friendly things we've tried asking or saying to Alexa recently.

50 More Things Kids Can Say to Alexa:

1. "Alexa, be a superhero!"
2. "Alexa, who is your favorite cartoon character?"
3. "Alexa, what is your favorite kind of pizza?"
4. "Alexa, be a super villain!"
5. "Alexa, who is Darth Vader?"
6. "Alexa, do you fart?'
7. "Alexa, what is your favorite flower?"
8. "Alexa, kiss me!"
9. "Alexa, do you sleep?"
10. "Alexa, who is your favorite DC Comics character?"
11. "Alexa, do you cry?"
12. "Alexa, how high can you count?"
13. "Alexa, who is your favorite Disney character?"
14. "Alexa, tell me a limerick." (Ask her more than once)
15. "Alexa, what does a monkey sound like?" (Also try chicken, ferret, blue whale, wolf and bunny)
16. "Alexa, who is your favorite Disney villain?"
17. "Alexa, tell me a Star Wars joke?" (Ask her more than once)
18. "Alexa, do you like cats or dogs?"
19. "Alexa, do you have children?" 
20. "Alexa, who is your favorite Marvel character?"
21. "Alexa, help! I've fallen and I can't get up."
22. "Alexa, what is your favorite kind of pie?"
23. "Alexa, are you ticklish?"
24. "Alexa, do you like my haircut?"
25. "Alexa, sing!" (Ask her more than once)
26. "Alexa, tell me an animal joke." (Ask her more than once)
27. "Alexa, who is your favorite celebrity?"
28. "Alexa, what is your favorite thing to collect?"
29. "Alexa, do you burp?"
30. "Alexa, high five!"
31. "Alexa, what is your favorite flavor of ice cream?"
32. "Alexa, what kind of mammal weighs the most?"
33. "Alexa, can you whistle?"
34. "Alexa, will I need an umbrella today?"
35. "Alexa, what is your favorite song to dance to?"
36. "Alexa, did the Ground Hog see his shadow?"
37. "Alexa, what is your favorite kind of movie?"
38. "Alexa, who is Clark Kent?"
39. "Alexa, what is your favorite Nursery Rhyme?"
40. "Alexa, tell me a Dad joke." (Ask her more than once)
41. "Alexa, roll two dice!" (Can also ask her to roll one die)
42. "Alexa, are you a Jedi or Sith?" (From the Star Wars saga)
43. "Alexa, who is your favorite Disney Princess?"
44. "Alexa, do you know how to swim?"
45. "Alexa, can you fly?"
46. "Alexa, what is your favorite Disney song?"
47. "Alexa, can you whisper?"
48. "Alexa, drumroll please . . . "
49. "Alexa, who made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs?"
50. "Alexa, what is your favorite Disney movie?"

You can learn all about the Echo & Alexa devices here.  Bookmark this link so you can check to see what new skills Alexa has learned anytime you want.

What new things have you discovered to say to Alexa?

Share them with us in a comment here.

Did you miss these lists?

50 More Fun Things Kids Can Say to Alexa (Amazon Echo)

About a year ago, I published 50 Fun Things Kids Can Say to Alexa.  It was a challenging list to put together, although the process was quite fun.  Since a year has gone by, I decided to see how many new things I could add to this list.  I can't imagine what Alexa is thinking when I tried asking her some of the silly things that popped into my head.  Here's what I came up with . . .

50 More Fun Things Kids Can Say to the Amazon Echo:

1.  "Alexa, why is six afraid of seven?"

2.  "Alexa, how many more days until Christmas?"

3.  "Alexa, what do you want for Christmas?" (Ask her multiple times.)

4.  "Alexa, who let the dogs out?" (Ask her multiple times.)

5.  "Alexa, help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi" (from Star Wars)

6.  "Alexa, every time a bell rings . . ." (from It's a Wonderful Life)

7.  "Alexa, Hey, diddle, diddle." (from Mother Goose)

8.  "Alexa, twinkle twinkle little star." (From classic nursery rhyme/ song)

9.  "Alexa, how tall are you?"

10.  "Alexa, how old are you?"

11.  "Alexa, how much do you weigh?"

12.  "Alexa, who is your best friend?"

13.  "Alexa, what is your favorite color?" (Ask her multiple times.)

14.  "Alexa, what is your favorite ice cream?"

15.  "Alexa, do you like to dance?"

16.  "Alexa, who did you vote for?"

17.  "Alexa, what is black, white, and red all over?"

18.  "Alexa, who are the seven dwarfs?"

19.  "Alexa, do you like flowers?"

20.   "Alexa, do you like chocolate?"

21.   "Alexa, who are Santa's reindeer?"

22.   "Alexa, do you fly?"

23.   "Alexa, do you sing?" (Ask her multiple times.)

24.   "Alexa, do you sleep?"

25.   "Alexa, do you like Star Trek?"

26.   "Alexa, who is your favorite super hero?"

27.   "Alexa, who stole a cookie from the cookie jar?"

28.   "Alexa, do you speak French?" (Works with any language.)

29.   "Alexa, what are your New Year's resolutions?"

30.   "Alexa, what is on your bucket list?"

31.  "Alexa, who you gonna call?" (from Ghostbusters)

32.  "Alexa, do you have any pets?"

33.  "Alexa, will you marry me?"

34.  "Alexa, who is man's best friend?"

35.  "Alexa, where do you come from?"

36.  "Alexa, what is your favorite Star Wars movie?"

37.  "Alexa, it's nice to meet you."

38.  "Alexa, I am one with the force." (From Rogue One: A Star Wars Story)

39.  "Alexa, will you be my Valentine?"

40.  "Alexa, who sings _______?" (Fill-in the blank with a song title to test Alexa's knowledge)

41.  "Alexa, who wrote _______?" (Fill-in the blank with a book title to test Alexa's knowledge)

42.  "Alexa, who was _______?" (Fill-in the blank with a famous person from history)

43.  "Alexa, where does Santa live?"

44.  "Alexa, who is your hero?"

45.  "Alexa, what is the longest word in the English language?"

46.  "Alexa, do you rap?"

47.  "Alexa, good morning!" (Also try afternoon, evening, and night)

48.  "Alexa, what's for dinner?" (Also try breakfast and lunch)

49.  "Alexa, who is your favorite Star Wars character?"

50.  "Alexa, what is your dream job?"


You can learn more about the Amazon Echo here.  Also, find out what new things have been added to the Echo here.

If you've discovered even more fun things kids can say to Alexa, please share them with us in a comment here.

50 Fun Things Kids Can Say to Alexa (Amazon Echo)

The company I work for surprised every employee with an Amazon Echo for the holidays.  (I know, how cool is that, right?)  My children have been having all sorts of fun asking Alexa questions, but after two months, they are starting to run out of ideas.  Although new content is added to the Echo every week, I made it my mission to come up a list of interesting and fun things kinds can ask Alexa that they might not necessarily think of on their own.  It took me well-over a week to come up with fifty.  I hope your kids find something new on this list to ask their Echo!


One thing I want to mention is that Alexa is fickle.  She might give you different answers to the same question asked at different times.  Sometimes she might say she doesn't understand a question that she successfully answered in the past.  Just tell your children to try again later.  That always works for me.


50 Fun Things Kids Can Say to the Amazon Echo . . .

1.  "Alexa, how much wood can a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" (From the classic tongue twister)

2.  "Alex, tell me a knock-knock joke."

3.  "Alexa, to be or not to be?"  (From William Shakespeare)

4.  "Alexa, may the force be with you."  (From Star Wars)

5.  "Alexa, why did the chicken cross the road?"  (From the classic riddle)

6.  "Alexa, do or do not."  (From Star Wars)

7.  "Alexa, to infinity."  (From Toy Story)

8.  "Alexa, what time is it in __________?"  (Fill-in the blank with the country of your choice. Depending on the country, she might request that you specify a city.)

9.  "Alexa, which came first . . . the chicken or the egg?"

10.  "Alexa, it's a bird!  It's a plane!"  (From Superman)

11.  "Alexa, beam me up."  (From Star Trek)

12.  "Alexa, see ya later alligator."

13.  "Alexa, what's the weather in ______?" (Fill-in the blank with the U.S. state or country and city.)

14.  "Alexa, who lives in a pineapple under the sea?  (From SpongeBob)

15.  "Alexa, do you want to build a snowman?"  (From Frozen)

16.  "Alexa, mirror mirror on the wall."  (From Snow White)

17.  "Alexa, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?" (From the classic Tootsie Pop commercial)

18.  "Alexa, what's the capitol of _______?" (Fill-in the blank with a U.S. state or world country.)

19.  "Alexa, Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." (From the classic tongue twister)

20.  "Alexa, what would you do for a Klondike bar?"  (From the classic commercial)

21.  "Alexa, guess what!"

22.  "Alexa, what does the fox say?"  (From the song What Does the Fox Say)

23.  "Alexa, self-destruct."

24.  "Alexa, what is your favorite song?"

25.  "Alexa, what is the population of ______?"  (Fill-in the blank with a city, state, country, or continent.)

26.  "Alexa, what colors make up ______?"  (Fill-in the blank with a common color.)

27.  "Alexa, who was that masked man?"  (From The Lone Ranger)

28.  "Alexa, what is your favorite movie?

29.  " Alexa, with great power . . . "  (From Spider-man)

30.  "Alexa, what is your favorite color?"

31.  "Alexa, roses are red . . . "

32.  "Alexa, tell me a joke about ______."  (Fill-in the blank with a subject.)

33.  "Alexa, who's on first?" (From Abbott & Castello, The Naughty Nineties)

34.  "Alexa, peek-a-boo!"

35.  "Alexa, who are the members of the Avengers?"

36.  "Alexa, who is Han Solo?  (From Star Wars. Also try other major characters, such as Yoda, Obi Wan Kenobi, etc . . . )

37.  "Alexa, who is the president of the United States?" (Also try other political office positions.)

38.  "Alexa, who was the _____ president of the United States?"  (Fill-in the blank with a number, such as 2nd, 16th, 40th, etc . . . )

39.  "Alexa, who is _____?" (Fill-in the blank with the name of a superhero that has a known true identity, such as Superman, Spider-man, Iron Man, Hulk, Batman, etc...)

40.  "Alexa, who invented ______?"  (Fill-in the blank with any invention.)

41.  "Alexa, when was ______ invented?  (Fill-in the blank with any major invention.)

42.  "Alexa, when is your birthday?"

43.  "Alexa, happy birthday!"

44.  "Alexa, what does a cow say?"

45.  "Alexa, why are there so many songs about rainbows?" (From The Muppets song 'Rainbow Connection')

46.  "Alexa, how do you spell ______?"  (Fill-in the blank with a word.)

47.  "Alexa, what states border ______?"  (Fill-in the blank with a U.S. state.)

48.  "Alexa, what languages are spoken in ______?" (Fill-in the blank with a country or continent.)

49.  "Alexa, sing 'Happy Birthday'."

50.  "Alexa, how much is that doggie in the window?" (From song 'How Much is That Doggie in the Window' sung by Patti Page)


You can learn more about the Amazon Echo here.  Also, find out what new things have been added to the Echo here.

If you've discovered more fun things kids can say to Alexa, please share them with us in a comment here.

The New Rechargeable VTech Kidizoom® Smartwatch is Built for Much More Than Telling Time!

The VTech product, gift card, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by VTech.  All opinions expressed are my own.

It’s camera time! With the exciting interactive Kidizoom Smartwatch, kids can capture photos, add photo effects, record videos, and play built-in games for learning fun on the go. Complete with an easy-to-use 1.4” color touch screen, as well as more than 50 digital and analog clock displays, the multi-functional Kidizoom Smartwatch is perfect for kids learning to tell time. It also boasts a rechargeable battery, alarm clock, timer, stopwatch, voice recorder with funny voice changing effects, and parental game controls.

Kidizoom® Smartwatch features include:

• 1.4 inch color touch screen
• Camera for taking photos and recording videos
• Voice recorder with 5 voice changing effects
• Special effects including customized photo frames, color filters and distortion effects; fun video frames
• 4 fun games, included
• Kid-durable design to withstand drops and bumps
• Splash proof and sweat proof
• Alarm clock with fun tones and animation
• Timer and stopwatch in kid-friendly themes
• 50+ digital and traditional analog displays
• Rechargeable battery
• 4 vibrant colors: blue, pink, white and green
• Micro USB cable for data transfer and battery recharging
• Access to Learning Lodge app store to download more games and watch displays
• Recommended for ages 4 years and up
• MSRP: $59.99

We were sent a VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch to try out and we were instantly impressed. It’s made of high-quality rubber and plastic that is sure to stand up to use by any kid. It is very well laid out so it’s easy to use but still has many great features, and it’s small enough to fit even my tiny 7 ½ year old’s wrist. In addition to the touch screen, it has only 2 buttons so that even younger kids can navigate it easily. The choice between watch displays is a nice touch and Quinn has loved personalizing his clock daily. We also really like the camera feature plus the filters and frames you can use. The included four games are fun and engaging, though a little simple for Quinn. He still likes playing them though.

Quinn loves his unique Kidizoom Smartwatch. It’s great for the car, shopping, restaurants, or anywhere else. It’s small and simple and is no problem to wear around wherever kids like to go. I love that it is rechargeable too, so there’s no wasting of batteries. We love this watch and are happy to have it.


More about the VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch . . .


You can learn more about VTech on their website, VTechKids.com. You can also follow them on Twitter and on Facebook.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

An Android Learning Tablet That's Powerful Enough to Hold Our Son's Interest with Reading & Visual Tracking Apps

Thank you to ClickN KIDS for providing a sample children's tablet for us to base this review upon.  All opinions expressed are our own.

If it is not painfully obvious by now, we are a family that embraces technology. Sometimes I feel we even take our technology use too far (impossible!). One aspect of new technology that will never be unwelcome in my home is any tech that helps my children learn.

We own, have owned, or at least tried, about every tablet type device made specifically for children. Most were merely OK, some weren't good at all, and a few were surprisingly good. We even reviewed a few here on this site. But mostly tablets made for kids are just that: Made for kids. I dont know about your kids, but my kids are very tech-savvy and a device that is too “toy-like” just doesn't cut it for very long, even if done very well, especially when they see mom and dad using tablets that can do everything a computer can do.

My amazing son Luke, the future DNA scientist, astrophysicist, or restaurant owner (depending on what day you ask him), who hates to read, has a visual tracking problem that bottlenecks information before it gets to his brain. His eyes skip around and jumbles the information as he scans the page. It has been quite a challenge and can be extremely frustrating for him. The issue is compounded as his thirst for knowledge is so high. You can imagine that any tool we can use to help him improve his tracking is very welcome. There are a host of applications available designed specifically to improve visual tracking and coordination and a tablet is the perfect delivery device. Luke is just smitten with tablets anyways, so getting him to spend time using one is easy.

The problem, before now, is that most tablets made for kids do not provide the ability to install special or custom apps on them. The kid tablets we own, even the good ones, almost all have proprietary apps you can only download from their sites. Many of the apps are superb and fun and all offer various learning levels, but none of the tablets can be pointed to any site on the web and download an app outside of the proprietary app service. For this you normally need a real full featured adult tablet. But at $300 and up, I hesitate to buy one for a 7 year old and frankly my personal tablet is too important to lend out to a child.

Fortunately, there is a solution to our problem: The ClickN Kids Family Tablet.

The ClickN Kids Family Tablet is a real full featured tablet with an Android operating system that can do anything you would expect from an adult level tablet, but it is very much a kids tablet with an interface and loads of content designed just for kids. I can hand the ClickN Kids tablet to Luke and know that 100% of his experience is designed for him and controlled by me. But I can grab it back, log out of the kids interface and have regular adult oriented experience. The best part? It costs just $99. I can install custom apps designed to help Luke with his tracking without limitations and present it to him in a kid friendly interface. To my knowledge there isn't another kids tablet on the market that has such flexibility, as well as preloaded educational apps. And, amazingly, it costs under $100!

The ClickN Kids tablet is full of great apps right out of the box, including the award winning Looney Tunes Phonics (an amazing value by itself). One of my kids favorite apps is Talking Tom 2, a funny cat you can pet, feed, tickle, and make do silly things. But the apps that are most important to me are the custom apps I installed from outside of the ClickN Kids tablet pre installed apps designed to help Luke with his visual tracking issues. One of those apps is called Falldown, an addictive game where you guide a ball down a series of lines with holes in them by moving the tablet from side to side, if you go too slow the ball gets stuck and you lose. This game is deceptively simple yet entertaining, but most importantly, Luke likes to play and as a result improves his visual tracking without even knowing he is learning.

This tablet offers everything you would expect in a full featured tablet. In the kids interface there is a kids safe browser and a camera in addition to the plethora of installed apps. Switch over to the adult interface and you see a home screen that is very familiar to anyone who uses an Android based device. You can install any app you can find on the web designed for Android operating systems.

Parents have complete control over their kids experience with the ClickN Kids tablet. Time and content can be controlled easily through the adult interface as well as available apps.

So, the big question: Has the ClickN Kids Family Tablet improved Luke's visual tracking? It is hard to say as the problem is dynamic and hard to measure.  However, I can answer the question another way: The ClickN Kids tablet is the only kids tablet that we own Luke asks me to use. Additionally, when Luke uses the ClickN Kids tablet he spends time using the custom apps designed to help his tracking . . . on his own. So, although I cannot measure the results easily, Luke is using a tool that improves his tracking in lieu of all the other available tools we own. I would say that is a big win.

For $99 the ClickN Kids tablet gets a no brainer recommendation from me. It is powerful for the price, offers the flexibility I need for Luke, and comes in fun colors with a protective gel case, and all for a fraction of the price of an adult tablet. Honestly? This tablet would be good for anybody, even an adult, that doesn't want to spend a ton of money. Being a technology snob, that is an enormous endorsement from me!

NOTE:  I have read on retail site reviews that some people have had problems with their tablet freezing, so I wanted to share that we have been using ours for over 5 months and have not had any issues with freezing so far.

To learn more about the ClickN Kids 7" tablet, visit www.clicknkids.com.  You can purchase this android learning tablet at Walmart.com and Amazon.com.

Our Neighborhood Radio Shack Store is Packed with Options to Bring Our DIY Tech Projects to Life #LetsDIT #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a #LetsDIT - Do It Together social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser Radio Shack.

It's no secret how much every member of our family embraces technology.  With my husband working in IT, we are pretty well-versed in where to shop for our various tech needs.  Those needs can range anywhere from shopping for a new mobile phone to building a custom charging station to accommodate multiple devices per person for five people.  This DIY tech project was just one of the reasons we headed to Radio Shack last week.  We also wanted to checkout the Boogie Board eWriters we recently heard about (to replace those old magnetic doodling boards we finally had to get rid of) and to find out what options there were for robotics components and kits for our 10 year old son.  The latter is not something I think a big box store would carry, but I knew that Radio Shack, who caters to DIYers and hobbyists, would.

Our local Radio Shack store is not a big one, but it is conveniently located in the largest mall in New England.  You will be amazed when you walk in the store to see how organized the store looks, while still being packed full of product.  After the courteous associate showed us where the Boogie Boards were located and we made our color choices, we noticed that there were robotics kits for children on the shelves right above them.  Then we looked to our right and saw the colored SOL Republic headphone bands our son had been hinting about.  I can't think of any other store where I can see three things I would be interested purchasing without wandering through aisle after aisle.

A small store definitely does not mean a small selection at Radio Shack.  I think their secret is that they display only a small handful of each item and replenish them as they sell out, rather than giving each sku multiple spots.  As a customer, this is fine with me.  I never need to purchase 20 of the same thing . . . just one or two.  I also appreciate being able to see everything available without needing to conduct an extensive search.

Ultimately, we purchased two Boogie Boards and an HDTV antenna.  My husband has missed watching some games on TV since we switched to strictly streaming video.  We did look at components for building a custom charging station, but decided we weren't ready to move forward with it just yet.  We still need to figure out a few other aspects of the charging station to make it look organized and user-friendly.  The associate suggested we look for more ideas on RadioShack.com since their site offers free shipping to our local Radio Shack store or to our home on orders over $25.  We also checked out the robotics components where our son could build robots from scratch, but we decided against it for now since I'm not ready to trust our 10 year old with a soldering iron.  The great thing is that we can stop back for any of the items we didn't purchase that day the next time we're in the mall!

I remember shopping at Radio Shack with my dad when I was younger than my children are now.  It's almost like going to the corner hardware store . . . you can find everything you need for your latest project and get personalized and friendly service.

It is on my to-do list to return to Radio Shack to pick an associate's brain about getting our son started on DIY robotics projects before summer arrives.  I also need to check the trade-in values of all our old mobile phones, tablets, headphones, cameras, video games, and more online, so we can come back to take advantage of Radio Shack's Trade & Save Program (not available at franchise locations).  What better way to reduce our clutter and to pay for new gadgets on our family's wishlist?

Looking for a New iOS or Android Game App? How About 'Fairway Solitaire Blast' by #BigFishGames?

This Fairway Solitaire Blast game post was written as part of a compensated campaign for Big Fish Games.  All opinions expressed are my own.

I love playing games on my smartphone during my precious few minutes of downtime here and there. I think it is amazing how much diversion can be packed into a device we carry with us everywhere. Whether I am waiting in a lobby or in line at a bank, I am moments away from some reality-escaping fun.

I installed Big Fish Games' Fairway Solitaire Blast recently and have been fighting addiction to the game app ever since. Fairway Solitaire Blast is the followup to Fairway Solitaire, but with some added power ups to help you clear levels fast and in a thrilling way.

Fairway Solitaire Blast is a cross between solitaire and golf . . . sort of. The game is essentially a streamlined solitaire that progresses through a golf-like structure of advancement, gophers and all!

The game is fast paced and easy to understand, I hate games with a high learning curve, especially on my mobile device. I want fast and simple fun on my phone and Fairway Solitaire Blast delivers nicely.


Like many current games for your mobile device, Fairway Solitaire Blast offers social connections through Facebook and Google+ with rewards for sharing with your friends. There is a host of power-ups available as well to keep the game moving along.

If you like Solitaire but want something faster and a little different, you will love Fairway Solitaire Blast by Big Fish Games. The game is available free to try for Android, iOS, and Kindle Fire devices.

Visit www.BigFishGames.com to view the vast selection of games currently available for PC, Mac, mobile devices, and online gaming.

Protect Your Phone, Tablet, or Other Mobile Device with Gumdrop and HardCandy Cases

Thank you to Gumdrop Cases for providing a Drop Tech Series Sleeve sample for us to base this review upon and for providing an additional product for our contest prize. All opinions expressed are my own.

We recently protected our Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 with a ShockDrop Rugged Case by HardCandy Cases. The ShockDrop was just what the doctor ordered for that tablet, but the Galaxy Tab is not the only tablet in the house. I, myself, use a Microsoft Surface that travels with me everywhere I go. My Surface easily needs as much protection as the Galaxy Tab does, possibly even more. The challenge with the Surface is that it uses an attached keyboard and a collapsible kickstand, two features that don't work very well with a traditional tablet case.

Although a traditional case was out, that did not mean I was out of luck. Fortunately, Gumdrop Cases also makes protection for my Surface in the form of a semi-rigid sleeve. The Gumdrop Cases Drop Tech Series Sleeve was the perfect choice for my Microsoft Surface tablet. The Drop Tech Sleeve is made specifically for my Surface, but any thin similarly sized tablet would fit just fine.

The Drop Tech tablet sleeve is just a sleeve and does not permanently surround my Surface, but it protects it when I need it the very most . . . when I am carrying it around. Like other HardCandy cases, the sleeve is made from a thick rubbery material that looks like a truck tire. The corrugated tire pattern helps provide a good grip, keeping your tablet firmly in your hands when inside the sleeve.

The Velcro fastener, which keeps the flap closed, is very industrial and requires a good pull to open. There is no way the flap will open by itself. Inside the Drop Tech sleeve is a micro fiber-like lining that keeps your tablet scratch-free.

The corners and edges of the sleeve have a bit of extra material for additional shock protection should you ever drop it. I suspect a drop from armpit height would be very survivable for your tablet, although I am fortunate enough to not have needed to test out this theory. I also would feel comfortable throwing the sleeve in another pack with keys and other hard objects without any worry for my tablet, as the sleeve is semi rigid and offers plenty of protection.

I can’t find anything negative about my Gumdrop Cases Drop Tech Sleeve to report. The sleeve does exactly what it should do and it does it very well. Whether I am carrying it by itself or throwing it into another bag I know my device is safe in case of a mishap.

At $59.95 the Drop Tech sleeve is not inexpensive, but neither is my tablet, so I feel it is well worth the cost. What price do you put on your data? I easily recommend this product.  You can find Drop Tech Series cases for the iPhone, iPad, as well as Samsung, Kindle Fire, Google Nexus, Asus tablets, and more on www.gumdropcases.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Our Samsung Galaxy Tablet is Now Child-Friendly Thanks to This Heavy Duty ShockDrop Rugged Case

Thank you to HardCandy Cases for providing a complimentary tablet case sample for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own.

We are an electronic and mobile family. We have pretty much every type of mobile device represented in our household….. multiple times over. Our kids are increasingly interested in mobile devices but very much handle our devices like they are toys . . . certainly an issue for a small and fragile device that may cost a few hundred dollars.  Coming to our rescue is the ShockDrop Rugged Case by HardCandy Cases for our Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10”. The Galaxy Tab is in high demand by the kids and really needs good protection.

The ShockDrop Rugged Case looks and feels like a big black offroad tire. Big thick silicon rubber “treads” all over with lots of grip. Not only does the ShockDrop offer significant drop protection, it is really easy to hold and helps prevent dropping in the first place, which is the ultimate protection. The kids have a sure grip on the tablet when it’s in the ShockDrop case.

The case has 10mm of padding on the corners for maximum shock absorption if dropped. The material composition is mixed to provide varying densities for a complete range of shock protection.

The ShockDrop case comes in multiple pieces and needs to be assembled around your tablet. Although there weren’t any instructions for assembly, it really was obvious and easy to put together. There are holes and cutouts for cameras and everything that needs it. The case has thick flaps to cover the ports to keep debris out.

The case even has a cover for the screen that does not inhibit touch sensitivity one bit. I must admit I was very concerned about this feature and it ultimately was not an issue. The ShockDrop case covers 100% of your device, everything is protected.

I have no complaints about the ShockDrop Rugged Case at all.  HardCandy Cases did an excellent job with this case. It is a great deal easier to hand my kids an expensive device to play with now. The only “warning” I will issue is to invest in a good microfiber cloth and clean your screen very well before putting your device in the case. Debris sandwiched between the screen and cover will drive you nuts!

I highly recommend the ShockDrop Rugged Case, it really is a no-brainer for any device your kids want to handle. It would also make a great case for mobile devices used in tough environments like camping or travelling. This ShockDrop Case retails for $49.95 from HardCandy Cases, easily worth it to keep your expensive device safe.  This case is available for a variety of smartphones and other tablets, including the iPad, Kindle Fire, Google Nexus, and more.  Visit www.HardCandyCases.com to learn more.

Start off the New Year with the High Quality Sound of SOL Republic's Deck Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

Thank you to SOL Republic for providing a complimentary Deck Speaker sample for us to base this review upon and for providing an additional product for our contest prize. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sometimes we fall in love with a brand and our opinions about it are always biased. For me, one of those brands is SOL Republic, I just love their products. This year SOL Republic sent me two more items to try out and review, and as always I was very excited to do so. As biased as I am towards SOL Republic, I still do my best to point out the flaws as I see them, even for products I otherwise love and recommend.

One of the products I was sent this year was the Deck Wireless Bluetooth Speaker. I was dying to get my hands on one the moment they were announced. With the prior SOL Republic products I have reviewed, I always found one or two things that were less than perfect to mention in my otherwise glowing reviews . I can tell you I have yet to find a single negative thing to say about my Deck. Sort of.

The Deck is handsome and has an asymmetric pattern of lines across its surface. As always with SOL Republic products, the Deck is offered in an assortment of fun colors . . . Electro Blue, Gunmetal, Lemon Lime, and Vivid Red. The unit feels heavy and solid when held, an important feature for a speaker with a subwoofer. The heft of the unit combined with a rubbery base keeps the unit from vibrating when reproducing SOL Republic's signature deep bass. The Deck is about the size of a small paperback novel. The unit could easily fit into a jacket pocket, but not comfortably in a pants pocket unless they are cargo pants. Mine sits perfectly next to my tablet in my bag inside the included soft case.

I feel like a broken record talking about SOL Republic's sound quality, but consistency is consistency: The Deck sounds wonderful. It generates decent bass from its subwoofer, a real treat for such a small speaker. And as always with SOL Republic, the range is not sacrificed for the bass. My tastes in music include everything from opera to death metal and the Deck keeps pace nicely.

The Deck manages to broadcast its sound 360 degrees from the unit, an excellent feature allowing you to place the unit anywhere and still hear the quality sound. Another feature that really stood out to me was the volume, the Deck is LOUD. Trust me when I tell you my office co workers have been enjoying the Deck as well…… whether they liked it or not (When it’s time to rock out, it’s time to rock out!). The Deck is an excellent choice for listening to music outdoors where a bit of volume is required.

SOL Republic claims the Deck has a 300 foot range with its Superpower Wireless feature. Although I was not able to prove or disprove that, it did start to get choppy about 60 feet away in my office. But I hardly take issue with that, Bluetooth is only advertised to work up to 30 feet and my office is made of concrete and steel, the bane of wireless devices.

Pairing to the Deck was as easy as can be, just point your device to the Deck and pair, no password required. Another unique feature is Heist Mode that allows up to 5 devices to send music to the speaker. What a great idea for parties, anybody can be a DJ with the Deck! As cool as Heist mode is, I can see it being equally annoying and fortunately you can turn it off.

The Deck comes with all the accessories required to charge its 10 hour battery (tested and verified by the way) and hook directly up to your device when wireless isn't an option.

The closest thing to a fault I can come up with for the Deck really isn't a fault. As amazing as the Deck sounds, it is still a compact speaker. Big speakers will almost always sound better than little ones. Now of course technology and quality play a big part in this, but assuming those are equal, bigger is always better. Having said that, the Deck sounds every bit as good as a speaker of its size should, MUCH better in fact. If you compare its sound to a larger and equally quality speaker you will be disappointed. But for me, if its too big I won’t bring it with me unless I know I need it. The Deck goes with me everywhere, even if I don't plan on using it. I LOVE that. Can you buy a better sounding speaker? Yes, but it’s going to be much larger and certainly more expensive.

If you want to bring high quality sound with you, in my opinion, there is no better option than the SOL Republic Deck. There are lots of great wireless speakers out there, but SOL Republic gets it right... Again. Great sound, fantastic quality, compact, and at $199.99 priced similarly or better than its competition. Yet again SOL Republic wins my heart through my ears.

If you haven't guessed by now, I recommend the Deck wholeheartedly. The Deck would make an excellent gift for yourself or any travelling audiofile.  Visit www.solrepublic.com to learn more.

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This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Tech Tip: Mobile Security for Your Tablets & Smartphones Is As Important As on Your Laptop #SmartSecurity #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This mobile security shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its client Norton.

Mobile computing is the future. Sometimes I feel like we are already there, our tablets and phones have replaced our computers for so much of our online needs, including online shopping, online banking, and much more. I can say that 80% of my online consumption is done through a phone or a tablet. One aspect that that has been covered at length is protection for our computers, but how much has mobile security been considered? And for that matter, how about Wifi security while surfing on a public or shared hotspot? I would be willing to bet that very few people are considering how their mobile devices and connections are being protected. When you connect to the Wifi at your favorite coffee shop, are you asking yourself if you are safe? The fact of the matter is that a third of mobile devices have been subjected to some form of mobile cybercrime, making tablet and smartphone security and laptop security a prevalent topic.

Norton has been protecting home and business computers for years and is one of the most well-known malware protection companies in the world. It was no surprise to me when I learned about their suite of mobile protection products. I recently installed Norton Mobile Security on my Android tablet and phone as well as Norton Hotspot Privacy on my Windows laptop. I was relieved to finally install some protection on my most used devices.

The Norton Mobile Security installed much like any other app and required very little configuration. I found the default settings to be pretty much what I would have selected on my own. I have always been a stickler for my devices running as lean as possible and I simply hate applications that affect everything on your device and slow things down. Norton installed clean and seems to run silently in the background.

Norton Mobile Security is on by default, you really only need to open the app to change configuration settings or to run an extra manual scan of your device. When you open the application, the default page shows you the security status of your device and allows you to run a manual scan if desired. There are 4 more tabs including Anti-Theft, Backup, Web Protection, and a tab where you can buy and download additional apps to protect your devices. All the services are on by default and each tab houses settings for configuration settings. I ended up changing nothing, the default settings were just fine for my needs.

The last tab is a direct link to a host of other Norton products you can install directly to your device Including a Parental Control app and an Identity Theft app. You can really fine tune your protection right from your device.

I installed the Norton Hotspot Privacy app on my Windows laptop as I use shared Wifi the most on that device. The Hotspot app is incredibly simple to use. In fact, all you really need to do is install it, the application works in the background and loads when you start your device. It is nice to know you do not need to remember to turn it on as it is always on. Norton Hotspot Privacy creates a secure tunnel through the connection out to the web without any work on your part.

I am glad that my mobile devices are protected as well as my desktop computers are now. I really have been ignoring that part of my electronic security and it feels good to address it. The Norton Mobile Security app is available for Android and Apple devices and the Norton Hotspot Privacy is available for Apple or Windows (desktop OS) operating systems. I was not able to install either on my Windows phone or my Windows Surface RT tablet, but it should work for a Surface Pro or a similar desktop OS tablet.

To help bring awareness to mobile security and promote its line of mobile security products, Norton embarked on a truck tour visiting all over the country. The tour will next visit the CES Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada from January 7th through the 10th.

The Shark Rocket Ultra-Lightweight Upright Vacuum Offers Power and Versatility

Thank you to Shark for providing a complimentary vacuum sample for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own.

We have a messy house (a very messy house). Cleaning up after 3 kids, 3 cats, 3 hermit crabs, and 3 fish is not easy, especially with our schedule. It seems like by the time we get done with everything at the end of each day, cleaning is the very last thing we have the time and energy for. And as result, we welcome anything that can make those tasks easier.

Over the years we have tried many different vacuum cleaners, all with varying degrees of success (or failure). My basic theory now is that big and expensive vacuums are better than small and “gimmicky” vacuums. We must have tried 4-5 lightweight and compact vacuums over the years in the hopes of making the task easier. I would say all have failed as we stopped using all of them. It is really a shame too, because lugging my full sized vacuums up and down the stairs is not a joy.

When I learned of the opportunity to try the Shark Rocket Ultra-Lightweight Upright Vacuum, another compact vacuum, I was equally weary and excited. Weary because of our history with small vacuums, but also excited because it was a Shark, a brand I have always had some luck with.

The Shark Rocket Ultra-Lightweight Vacuum is very compact and sleek in appearance. It looks a great deal like a ultra high end competitor’s vacuum I see for $400. It has a pistol style grip, bagless canister, and a long tube leading to the powered vacuum head.

This Rocket comes with all of the accessories you would expect with a full sized vacuum, let alone a compact machine.  In addition to the standard assortment of accessories, this Rocket comes with a “Pet Glide Tool” (hard floor head) that can also do furniture and a telescoping crevice tool.. Both the standard powered head and the hard floor head pivot for maximum control. Just flip your wrist and the head turns. It required very little effort to pivot both heads.

Two items that came with the Rocket Ultra-Lightweight Upright that really made me happy was a wall hook for storage and a giant bag to keep all of the parts together. Can you imagine that? After all of the years I have owned vacuum cleaners this is the first one that did anything at all to account for all of the extra parts. I wonder why such a simple and inexpensive solution to an issue we all have took so long to fix, and so simply? Kudos Shark.

How did the Shark Rocket Ultra-Lightweight Upright Vacuum clean? Pretty darn good. For a compact and lightweight vacuum it is fairly powerful. I was easily able to clean out the crevices in my laminate wood floor. This Rocket was a joy to use on the stairs with the super long cord. The unit is so light and easy to control and it made short work of piles of cat hair and dust.

Emptying the unit is as easy as standing over your trash bin and pressing one button, gravity did the rest. I didn't have to reach in and pull anything out manually, all the dirt, cat hair, and dust just fell out. To change or clean the filter is as easy as flipping a tab on the top of the unit. Shark did a great job of making this Rocket easy to maintain, a feature easily as important as being lightweight.

The Rocket Ultra-Lightweight Upright does what it is supposed to do. It is light and easy to use, has great suction, and comes with all of the accessories I need to keep my house clean. The Shark Rocket Vacuum is likely the nicest compact vacuum we have owned to date. It is so light and user-friendly, my 9 year old son just lost any excuse to not vacuum the floors….

You can buy the Shark Rocket Ultra-Lightweight Upright Vacuum most places vacuums are sold for the retail price of $179.99, but Shark sells this Rocket directly for just $159.80.