HiTechMommy

Geek Dads It's Your Time To Shine!

Today’s geek = A cool geek dad who is the definition of cool.  He's a confident, tech-savvy, engaged father who shares his passion for tech with his kids, creating new family traditions in his own way.  Personally it's one the most attractive aspects to my man.  He's into making sure we have all the right tech, that it works properly and that we ENJOY using it!

I found this really interesting - The Confessions of a Geek Dad survey conducted by Cisco Linksys sought to shed light on the emerging generation of guys fed on technology as children, and is now passing on this passion to their kids. The survey conducted in December found that a lot of dads are straight up  Proud to be geeks!  Nearly 70% of geek dads consider themselves to be cooler than other dads, with 75% of them attributing it to creating a home their kids’ friends enjoy hanging out at.  I just LOVE this! Also,   70% of geek dads say their kids think they’re cool because they’re tech-savvy, and that makes 87% of geek dads proud or humored. 

The Survey also pointed out that being savvy still comes with some trade-offs.  They found that 35% of geek dads say their partners get annoyed when they spend time alone playing with technology, yet 92% say their partners expect them to be the ones to maintain the home tech.  One in five geek dads admit to using technology in secret to avoid being discovered by their wives.  This cracks me up because I know this happens in my house but I don't care.  

 The last stat I found interesting shows an interesting redefinition in what's considered "quality time" with the kids. The numbers show that  71% of geek dads spend more time doing activities with their kids than their fathers did with them. 72% are more excited about teaching kids how to use tech tools than traditional tools, like a hammer or power drill.

 The survey showed that slow Internet (25 percent) and Wi-Fi connectivity issues (19 percent) are the top frustrations geek dads face when it comes to home technologies. Cisco says its  new Linksys E4200V2 Maximum Performance Wireless-N Dual Band Router, might be the answer to that,  geek dad or not, users get maximum streaming speed for HD/3D quality video streaming, superior wireless coverage, and faster USB hard drive disk performance for streaming media.

Also Geek Dads, check this out.  Cisco is giving away $10,000 in cool geeky tools to a lucky winner on their Facebook page!  Go to their Facebook page and tell them "What kind of new family tradition you or the Geek Dad

in your life is creating that demonstrates geek cool and helps develop your kids love and fascination of technology."

My question is - What's it like in your home? 

 

CES 2012

CES

I've here at CES 2012 and am very impressed with, well, everything!  It's exciting to see tech getting smaller, cooler looking and able to do even more. I'm working with the following companies to keep you informed on which tech coming out of the show is mom approved. 

Samsung DV300F Digital Camera

Portability, ease of use and smart design come to mind with this digital camera. I've loved digital cameras since they first came on the market and have fallen for this new one - The Samsung DV300F DualView 16 Megapixel camera. There are 3 bad-ass features about this one that I really love 1- It solves that problem of not being able to bend my wrist in just the right position to get myself to look hot in an image. This camera actually has a second viewing area on the FRONT!  2- It's wi-fi capabilities allow me to instantly post pics to Facebook, email them out and post video on YouTube. 3- It has "Child" mode where the screen on the front plays funny animations that will get your kids to smile in your shots!

The Slimport by Analogix 

2012 is the year of bringing sharing back to the family TV screen and thanks to some very cool tech, The Slimport by Analogix , it's easier than ever to share the images and video you take or store on your devices with people via TV or monitor. Literally it connects your smart phone and tablets with uncompressed theater quality video to your television!  It’s so simple- you just plug and play and enjoy all the great content from your phone or tablet at home!

SanDisk Memory Vault

Parents have hundreds of great photos and memories - how do we ensure they’re still going to be around in 100 years? The moments we've captured are so valuable and irreplaceable that we need to take care of them, and doing it on the right device is crucial so they will last until your children are old enough to appreciate them. The new SanDisk Memory Vault is the way to go.  It's a tiny device which holds thousands of photos and truly is the photo album for the digital age.  It's designed with proprietary technology that is designed with long-term preservation and convenience and will keep your digital photos for 100 years. Definitely something every mom will want.

MOTOACTV

Many of us have made the “get healthier resolution” and the new MOTOACTV truly takes your workout routine to the next level. This thing is rad! It's a wearable GPS fitness tracker AND smart music player all packed into one gadget making this your ultimate fitness device. Along with tracking your exercise progress ( time, distance, speed)  it's actually smart enough to play the music that gets you working harder by detecting what tunes make you move faster!  How cool is that? 

Cisco LinksysE4200v2 Wi-Fi Router

One of the most crucial devices to families is a wi-fi router.  Think about it. This is the gadget that assures that no matter how many pieces of tech you have trying to connect to the Internet at once, no one is getting buffering issues or interruption while trying to access the web.  Take a sec and think about how many gadgets try to connect at once... phones, computers, TVs, gaming devices, tablets...all trying to get online.  To assure my home's wi-fi signal is always rocking I use the the Cisco Linksys E4200v2 Wireless Router.  It's one of the fastest on the market and was super easy to set up. And check this out, Linksys is holding a $10,000 tech makeover giveaway on their Facebook page at Facebook.com/CiscoLinksys and you can also win a E4200v2 router!

Last Minute Holiday Gift Ideas

Cat Schwartz on WhoSay

 

OK boys and girls - we're getting down to the wire here. Here's what I'm thinking about as we approach the end of the year.

 

Everybody Dance is the ultimate PlayStation Move party game for
PlayStation 3. This game gets everyone in the family up and moving,
using the PlayStation Move motion controller and PlayStation Eye
camera to dance alongside 40 hit tracks from top-selling artists
including Rihanna, LMFAO, Duck Sauce and more. There is even
a Party Play mode that lets up to 20 players create profiles and go
head to head in an epic dance off. With the PlayStation Eye camera,
players can record and playback their performances and then share
them with their friends on Facebook and Twitter.

This next gift is great for anyone on your list and is REALLY cool.

Check out The Echo smartpen from Livescribe. Starting at $99, this
pen records everything you hear and write, so you never miss a
word. You simply tap on your handwritten notes with the smartpen to
playback what was said at the exact moment in time. What makes this
gift even cooler is that you can transfer your notes and audio to your
computer and review an interactive digital version of your notes and

audio in what’s called a Pencast! The pencast is easy to share with
friends, colleagues and peers via email, Facebook, Evernote, Google
Docs and more. Perfect for students and business professionals who
need to access their important information quickly.

How about giving the gift of language!

Living Language Platinum is a comprehensive language learning
course that makes learning a language fun, interactive and flexible.
It’s fully integrated among multiple digital platforms (any browsers,
tablet, smartphone) making it easy for users to access the online
course, e- tutoring and social community on the go. At $179 this is the
best combo of features and value on the market and is just as
effective as ones you have seen in the past.
Perfect for the
students, travelers, international business people or anyone looking to
learn a language in 2012!

If you are looking to give a Windows 7 PC for the student on your list
this season, but not sure which PC is the right one. Check out PC
Scout.com
There you will find high -end entertainment machines to small portable
notebooks in so many styles, colors and features and prices. Like this
one.
The HP Pavilion DM1 is an affordable yet highly functional Windows 7
PC and it weighs less than 3 lbs making it a great gift for your student
or anyone who needs a super portable PC on your list. Go check out
PCScout.com

We all know toys are often the Center piece of holiday gift giving and
The Duracell Holiday Program helps parents prepare with what they
need to create a magical Christmas morning for their kids and kids
in need. If your toy doesn’t work due to a Duracell battery defect,

Duracell will repair or replace it. For those who are less fortunate, they
will donate up to 30,000 batteries to the Toy Industry Foundation. Also
to celebrate the holiday season with its fans, Duracell is hosting a
special concert on Facebook with Chris Daughtry and holding hourly
toy giveaways with the season’s most wanted toys.

Video Game Gift Ideas

Video Games are hot on the holiday gift list and not just on the kids gift list, but on millions of Americans of all ages. The latest and greatest games are bringing families together and interacting like never before making family time fun time! Here are the games I'm into this holiday.

Wappy Dog is a physical toy dog with a virtual world to play in. Players care for and play with their very own interactive puppy by communicating through the Nintendo DS. Customizing their pet is a snap; with stickers for the toy and in-game accessories and environments. In HOME mode, players communicate and play games with the physical toy dog and see Wappy respond and do special tricks! In Travel mode, players continue to interact with the virtual Wappy inside the Nintendo DS – with the physical dog safe at home!

Even cooler, the relationship determines the dog’s mood and evolving personality – lots of love and kindness builds a lasting friendship! Wappy Dog is available for $49.99 at Toys’R’Us and all major retailers where videogames are sold. See him in action here. 

You can get the whole family  up and moving  to one of the most anticipated games this season that has revolutionized the way we work out! 

Zumba Fitness 2 builds on the success of the world wide best selling original which has sold more than 4 million copies to date. It features more than 30 hot new music tracks with hits from today’s top artists, electrifying choreography with twice as many dance styles and direct interaction with celebrity  Zumba  instructors. It even has a new progress tracker that lets players monitor their success and track calories burned as they party themselves into shape.  Learn more here: www.ZumbaFitnessGame.com

The beloved Lego Star Wars is back with over 21 million copies sold to date! 

Lego Star Wars III lets you play as your favorite star wars characters in the tongue and cheek humor fans know and love . With all new graphics and enhanced animations players will explore a vast universe like never before. Whether you are a Padawan or Jedi master from this Galaxy or the next, players of all skill levels will have a brick smashing good time in single player mode or with friends and family through jump-in jump out co-operative play. Available on all platforms for $19.99! Learn more here: www.LegoStarWars.com

 

This next game fits into the mom approved top games for the holiday. 

The Adventures of  Tintin is an action packed adventure game that parents can enjoy with their kids. It allows fans of the original comic book hero to fully immerse themselves into the world of Tintin and relive key moments from the movie and comic book adventure series.

The whole family can get in on the Cooperative Mode as it introduces classic characters from the Tintin universe. Each character will have to combine their skills to solve new mysteries - collect treasure and unlock exciting levels. 

Transform your living room into the ultimate playground with Rabbids Alive & Kicking for the Xbox 360. 

This game will have you and your family physically swimming, jumping and stomping as you try to square off with the Rabbids in more than 40 crazy mini games and the most hilarious situations imaginable. With the Augmented reality the Rabbids mess with your life in front of your very eyes. To add to the fun, you can capture and share your silliest moments with photos and share them with your friends. 

 

Holidays Are Coming!

OK, let's get to it!

Mint and Mint Plus

For pretty much anyone on your list that has floors that need to be cleaned this will make them jump for joy!  I'm talking moms, grandparents, pet owners... Mint and the Mint Plus are for you to give. These automatic floor cleaners have gone way hi-tech with the use of something called North Star Navigation Technology.  The cleaner comes with a cube that you place in the center of the room and it draws an invisible map of the room that directs the gadget meticulously clean every exposed inch of floor without touching your furniture!  Amazing. It actually mops and sweeps the floors! Although the Mint is incredible they actually made improvements and now the Mint Plus includes the ProClean System with self-dispensing fluid reservoir, faster recharge and a battery life of up to 4 hours. SO COOL!

Ohhhh how the family will love this one! It's the HP TouchSmart 320 with AMD technology all-in-one computer.  I have one in my kitchen and it has become a fantastic learning tool as well as an entertainment system that we all use. You can watch movies on the large 20" display and they look great thanks to optional AMD steady video, which smooths out shaky home movies.  All Jack wants to do though is create holiday themed photos and videos or connect with his grandparents and friends on the web cam.  It's really cute and I'm loving this HP especially with a less than $600 price tag!

OK guys, Black Friday is coming and that means it's time to get online and find the right gifts- but before you buy anything do as the mommy blogger do and get yourself some online coupons and promo codes!  They save you time and money and it's truly amazing what you find if you know where to look. CheapSally.com is THE best place to score these codes because she scours the web collecting and posting the best of the best. Even exclusive offers appear on CheapSally like this one for $15 off $100 at Mattel! To stay up to date on all her great finds make sure to check her blog regularly and sign up for her newsletter!

Listen up video game fans, the new Ben 10 Galactic Racing game is out and it's a fantastic gift choice for the young gamer in your life. Based on the popular self titled Cartoon Network cartoon, this first of its kind kart racing game is filled with the same fun and intensity as the show. You can play with up to 3 friends,  choose from 25 exciting tracks to race on and play as one of 13 different alien characters and heroes! We play ours on the Wii but it's available on all of the consoles.

Last but not least giving the gift of communication has never been easier thanks to Virgin Mobile and their amazingly easy-to-give, no contract Android phones!  It's great, you can actually give someone a phone that rocks and they can choose a plan that requires no contract which start at just $35 a month! With that you get the reliability of the Sprint Network and unlimited messaging, data and web usage.

 

TODAY Show - Halloween!!

I LOVE Halloween tech!  Here's a TODAY Show segemnt alll about it! Enjoy!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

How Steve Jobs Changed My Life

 

Starting in about  2001 I was part of the cast of a TV show on TechTV called The Screen Savers with the likes of @KevinRose and @MorganWebb. I had been on the show for a while and learned to love technology as well as the culture that was associated  with it. As I moved over to the show Call For Help, along with @LeoLaporte, I began to love working in television altogether and was approached by a producer to switch to celebrity reporting. I was excited by the offer and went to Palo Alto to discuss it with a good friend that worked at Apple. The campus was mind blowing and the place was a buzz because it was right around the time that dumb ass left a prototype of the iPhone in some bar because he was wasted. My friend and I sat in his office and he handed me a MacBook Pro.  He told me I should stick with the tech and learn to love computing even more.  That's when I fell in love with Apple as a company and the mind power of of Steve Jobs. 

Like the rest of my generation, I've learned to repeatedly bow down to the company and will always hold a special place in my heart for Apple products.  I've proudly shown the Apple logo literally hundreds of times on TV and  I rolled around with it on the back of my car for years.  I will put the sticker on my new car tomorrow. 

Steve Jobs was the man that made Apple, Apple. He will be missed and the part about the whole death that has me twisted is that he was so young.  I'm sad for Jack's generation that they aren't going to get to witness the man who would make up ideas in his head, then will the people around him to make them reality. And they would.  Out of thin air.  Who does that???

I will miss him but feel lucky to have been touched by him.  

This is a video I will watch for the rest of my life.  It is one of the most inspirational speeches I've ever heard and hope you enjoy it. 

RIP Steve Jobs. 

 

Party Supplies

                                 VS. 

Jack's 5th birthday is this weekend and I'm rushing to get everything together.  Yes -  it's Tuesday and the party is Sunday which means that I'm a major procrastinator. Anywho...I'm looking to outfit my house as well as the little people in it with some major pirate's booty by Sunday. So the questions I have for you all is - Amazon or Oriental Trading Company ? Which would you rather order from? 

Seems like the prices are better on OTC but I know Amazon will get the job done.  Thoughts? 

 

Bad Mom?

I know I'm a good mommy so don't let the fact that I posted a link to this book  steer ya wrong.  I think it's so funny and it hits the nail right on the head.  If you have a child that's under the age of one then this is a great book.  Jack, however, will not be listening to me read it.  

 

Jack Draws Anything

 

I received a very touching email this morning from a dad.  Take a look and ask the kid to draw something!

 

Hi Cat

Thanks for getting in touch. What can I say. Hopefully you have had alook at Jack's website - http://jackdrawsanything.com/. In his words -"Welcome to my website. I am drawing *anything* to raise funds for the Sick Kids, just ask me. My brother goes in a lot. My name is JACK and I am 6 years old."

Jack (6) is my oldest kid and we have a sick brother Noah (1),
breathing problems, oxygen, you name it, always in and out of hospital (11th time last week). Jack gets an idea to raise money for the hospital by drawing *anything* in exchange for donations.

We also have a middle brother Toby (3). Daddy builds website, target of £100(family & friends) is smashed in hours as the site goes viral and we are currently sitting at £12,800 with 500 drawings to do (122 done). Requests from all round the world in only 5 weeks. Website had over
100,000 visits.

We are keen to spread the word and keep those donations coming in, as Jack is still drawing. Anything you could do to help would be awesome,share, spread the word, donate, request a picture, anything!

 

Update:  Here's a picture of Jack!