HiTechMommy

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. 

 

Born?

 

 

This is a look at what the new Facebook pages look like and this part freaks me out. Born?  Funny thing is that Jack's whole life WILL potentially take place on Facebook.  What do you think?

 

 

Yup, Jack actually said...

During a recent wellness checkup for Jack, the doctor asked Jack, "What is your favorite food?" Grinning, Jack said, "Avocado." The doctor went on and asked, can he ride a bike, does he sleep well, does it hurt to poop and do you like bath time? But then the question came..."How often do you brush your teeth?" To which Jack earnestly replied, "I brush my teeth every night at my Daddy's but I never have to brush them at my Mommy's." 5 seconds of horrifying silence was broken only by the doctor chuckling saying Jack should brush his teeth every night no matter where he is. Where was a hole I could crawl into? I looked to the web for help. 

Check-In for Checkups directly benefits the Children’s Health Fund, an organization founded by Paul Simon and pediatrician/child advocate Irwin Redlener, MD. Children’s Health Fund provides comprehensive medical, dental and mental health care to homeless and low-income children.
Click into Check-In for Checkups everyday with your own healthy habit and each time Clorox will donate 10¢, up to $100,000, toward vital doctor visits for these underserved children. Involve your own children in healthy habit discussions, log into Check-In for Checkups every day, enter their healthy habit and watch the tally board go up!

You can guess what our first Check-In for Checkups healthy habit was! Mmmm, benefits children who might not otherwise receive medical attention, easy to use and gets Jack to brush his teeth. Win Win Win!

Tell me your first Check-In for Checkups healthy habit. Did it stem from an embarrassing moment?

P.S.   I wanted to say congratulations to the Techmamas  on being named one of the top 100 websites for women! In a recent blog they mentioned Check-in for Checkups being run by Clorox. 

 

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!

The Latest In The Tech Space

Here's a look at what's going on in the  tech world via my home girl, @alannacmccarthy. 

South by Southwest Interactive Analytics- Austin, TX

http://mashable.com/2011/03/17/sxsw-battles-infographic/

Whereas last year's most closely followed social media battle at the popular music festival was which application was most popular to use for "checking-in" at locations (i.e. Foursquare), this infographic also details which devices were most used by festival goers (Apple IOS by a huge margin) and which group messaging applications were most utilized (GroupMe was the winner here). Celebrities promoted special appearances and concerts to increase buzz, for example, by partnering with check-in applications. Big Boi of Outkast fame handed out 2,000 "golden tickets" to followers on Foursquare to attend his exclusive concert: http://www.switched.com/2011/03/09/big-boi-foursquare-golden-tickets-sxsw-concert/. The Austin-based Gowalla, a Foursquare competitor, partnered with Mashable and saw a growth in users throughout the festival. As long as users feel they can control their privacy, I believe that geolocation technology will see a great deal of growth as it allows fans to personally attend celebrity-driven events, i.e. as controlled physical access to live content.

 

 

Social Media and Crisis

There has been an overwhelming response to the needs of those affected in Japan by social media in the past week--Mashable (http://mashable.com/) notes that a Twitter account for nuclear plant updates has been created by a Japanese power company, and a YouTube channel has been created to help victims communicate with one another in the absence of phone lines. As with Haiti, the Red Cross has set up a text-to-donate campaign, being promoted by celebrities and influential Twitter accounts worldwide. Although this is not a platform for any sort of self-promotion, it is of note that social media has become the primary vehicle for breaking news of a crisis; television has become secondary. There is an inherent growing responsibility of those with the greatest reach and influence to become channels for breaking news in a crisis. As fans devour celebrity news and content around-the-clock, I see an opportunity for some of the largest Twitter and Facebook accounts to be automatically setup for breaking news feeds, and I would like to see this as an option someday on the available social media platforms.

Ustream

http://www.ustream.tv/

I am seeing an increasing but sporadic presence of celebrity-driven live streaming content, accessible to fans in real time. Fans watch live celebrity product launches, listening parties, sporting events, concerts and more from URLs sent out by the celeb's Twitter account or to fans who follow "crowds" directly from the Ustream site. Today, for example, their featured events are Chris Brown's F.A.M.E. album listening event, a Playboy All-Star event, and a sponsored SXSW event. I don't recall discussing if WhoSay has this capability or plans to in the future, but the instant reach of this technique is something I see as powerful. The Ustream brand, however, doesn't seem to capitalize on the concept as it could--the website has several categories in the menu bar (sports, world news), with the exception of "celebrities."

 

The accessibility and entertainment value in this type of platform for content makes it valuable, but its application needs fine-tuning. To pull Paris Hilton as an example again, she live-streamed her launch of a new fragrance, and the Ustream crew actually asks her to predict her view count, in a short clip recorded before the event. She explains that she has over 3 million Twitter followers and the crew asks her to ballpark how many fans she thinks will tune in...they are hoping for 100k, but the page views as of today are at just under 3,000. On the flipside, Charlie Sheen recently pulled in 16,500 views to his live Ustream interview by a TMZ reporter--the spontaneity added value to his live recording

CES 2011

I'm so excited to finally be here! The show begins tomorrow but I already have my eye on a few cool gadgets that I hope to see in my home this year. 

Here's a video about Kenmore Connect

I'm a lady who likes her laundry machines and this Kenmore Elite washer with Kenmore Connect is awesome! Not only is it a fantastic high efficiency washer, but it has the ability to communicate  directly with the service technicians to diagnose any problems or answer my questions via a technology called Kenmore Connect.  This technology is breakthrough for home appliances and won a CES Innovation Award.  Moreover, it’s available now for FREE with your Kenmore or Kenmore Elite laundry washer or dryer. Simply call and let your machine do the talking!  How cool is that? 

Smartphones are all over the showroom floor this year and this one stands out. The  Motorola CLIQ 2 with MOTOBLUR helps me make the most of my day by managing both my work and home life. With three sets of home screens for home, work and weekend, I can access the apps, shortcuts and widgets I need, whenever I need them.  Powered by a 1 GHz processor and enhanced speeds on T-Mobile's 4G network, CLIQ 2 can keep up, no matter where my busy life takes me. Love it!

And as a mom with a smart phone and a 4 year old- I know kids LOVE to play with them as much as they can and they often get them dirty!   I ran into these new 3M Natural View Screen Protectors and fell in love! They’re easy to apply because work like a sticker and are easy to put on and if needed, take off. They protect your smartphone against scratches and smudges from dirty little fingers! They come for a variety of smartphones and they even have one for the iPad! They start at $14.95.

As a mom I  know all too well  how important it is to capture those precious memories and I've found an awesome way to do it! This  is the new Samsung HMX-Q10 and it's the featured camcorder at CES! It makes it so easy for me to capture moments with its “one button” operation.  And here's something unusual, is has this awesome “switch grip”  I can switch from left to right and the LCD screen auto-adjusts itself. Plus it’s completely full-HD.

This is going to be a very cool year in technology!  

Last Minute Tech Ideas

I'll admit it, I haven't done any holiday shopping yet.  If you're like me then take a look at some of my ideas to jumpstart your spending spree. 

 

Smart phones are definitely on the rise.  Metro PCS has just come out with their android LG Optimus M phone that features unlimited talk, text and web access.  I love the fact that with their phones there's NO contract and service starts at just $50 a month  The phone has a really nice, sleek design and because it's an Android you can access more than 100,000 apps at your fingertips like never before. Range $40-$60 plus purchase of phone .  

Another cool tech gift is the Echo Smartpen by Livescribe. This futuristic pen captures everything you hear, write, or speak with just a tap!  Better yet, you can actually upload notes and share them through email as well as search for words in the notes.  This year they have deals starting at less than $100 .  New features include language dictionaries and transcribers and a new pen coming out can even act as your computer mouse .  I heart Livescribe.

I've said it once and I'll say it again, a domain name is a really cool gift idea for everyone and if you don't already own your name, your kids name and family name yet, you should! .CO is the new revolution of domain names and there are tons of names still available, unlike when you try and get a .com name.  Plus this is a gift you can print out in two seconds! I'm so last minute that this works best for me.  Giving a certificate for a name lets anyone get a personalized and unique gift  that could literally change their life.  Head to www.GiveA.co (no m needed) to get one!

One more I know oh so well (because I use it every morning) is the  Tassimo T20 by Bosch: It's a beverage brew system that is super convenient in both brewing ease and counter space.  This version has  7 different beverage options and all you need to do is simply insert a T disc into the machine, it scans the bar code and brews with exact pressure and temperature for that particular drink with the push of a button  Range $129.99 and available at all major retailers, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohls, Macy’s. 

 

A good tech gift for kids that the family can enjoy together is a video game my family loves:  SEGA: Sonic Colors  I like that it's rated E for everyone so it’s ideal for all age groups, it's cool to look at and is considered one of the best graphics games for Nintendo  and it has new features like color powers, new moves, and access to hidden areas like never before ! Range $49.99 for Wii and $29.99 for Nintendo DS

CBS Interview On iPad Lust/Use.

I was on CBS's Up To The Minute recently talking about iPad and its apps for kids.  I let the audience in on what I think is great about the device and its apps as well as a possible flaw in my parenting.  What do you think about what I've revealed?  Let me know... 

Cat

 

 

Holiday Is Coming!

Holiday shopping is just around the corner and moms and dads all across the country are starting to ask - what's going to be hot this holiday? Don't worry guys, I've got ya covered with this first round of holiday tech 2010!

Motion controlled gaming is continuing to make waves this holiday and Sony's kicking things up a notch by offering HD! Using the PlayStation Eye Toy in conjunction with their new, cool PlayStation Move controller, gamers get the latest in precision motion control on a wide variety of games that the whole family will love! My family loved the PlayStation Move Start Bundle's game , Sports Champions but also enjoyed the singing games, and Eye Pet. PlayStation move is going to be the hottest thing this holiday in the gaming space so get 'em while ya can!

If your family is anything like mne then I'm sure someone is going to be asking for a new laptop! This one's easy - the HPEnvy14 Beast Edition is THE coolest laptop to drop in a while thanks to the collaboration between HP, Dr.Dre, Interscope Records and Jimmy Iovine. They made this baby not only look super cool with it's black housing and red light up keys, but the screen is amazing, the size is slim and the sound quality is not to be believed allowing you to listen to your music the way the artist intended you to.

Next up is something I was totally blown away by, a 3D still camera! This thing is so cool I could hardly believe it! This is the perfect gift for the person who has everything and who has a love for tech From FujiFilm this is the FinePix Real 3D W3 and it's the FIRST camera that lets you take 2D and 3D photos as well as record HD video~ It actually has two lenses build into it and two processors that create these unbelievable images! You can view the coolness right on the screen or hook it into your 3D TV or laptop. If you want to print out the images you simple upload them to Fuji's site, SeeHere.com and can order prints that look fantastic!

Looking for a gift for a practical person, someone who loves to travel or a student? Magic Jack is one of the coolest inventions I've seen come around in a while! It's a device that you plug your standard phone into on one end, then on the other , your computer. Now your ready to make and receive phone calls, from the same number, anywhere in the world! This device eliminates the need for monthly phone bills and for $40 for the first year and $20 each year after that, you're making calls with no monthly fees! Need voicemail, caller ID, call waiting and so on? No problem, Magic Jack does it all!

This next gift could is a really cool and unique idea for anyone and could be a life altering moment for the recipient. It's a brand new web address that's called .co and it's sweeping the web as THE next big domain name extension to have. All of the .com names are taken and the web truly is headed towards this new era so you've gotta get on it, mom! What you do is head to their website, www.givea.co, no "m" needed, and there you'll buy a gift certificate that you can print out and stick into a card. With this gift someone can then snag their kid's names (which EVERY parent should own), the name for a business , a blog or website. Think about it - Google, Yahoo, Facebook - these all started as domain names and have changed our lives. Remember, for now on, .co is the way to go!