Mario Party Island Tour

January 29, 2014 by 1 Comment

Disclosure- I received the below in order to facilitate my post. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.
mpMario Party has constantly been one of the best ways for a group of friends to laugh and play video games together. The most recent Mario Party Island Tour brings this up a notch on the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS.

Island Tour is broken up into a few different game modes, they are:

Party Mode: Think a digital board game with no bored and a ton of mini games. There are seven boards to choose from each a blast to play through and fun no matter how many people are playing.

Mini games: Mini games are available for play one at a time. Either to practice or just for a quick pick and play game by yourself or with friends.
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Adventure Time Explore the Dungeon Video Game

January 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Disclosure- I received the below in order to facilitate my post. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

adv time

Adventure Time is the hit animated show about Finn the boy and Jake the dog who live in a land of Ooo which is full of adventure and oddities.  The game based on the animated show is zany, fun and a great co-op game for the whole family.  The story goes you have to explore the Secret Royal Dungeon for Princess Bubblegum and save the Candy Kingdom.

Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon because I DON’T KNOW! is a role playing hack and slash game where players pick a character from a group of favorites including Finn, Jake, Marceline, Cinnamon Bun and more.  After picking your character, its time to explore.  There are 100 floors of dungeon to explore each full of enemies from the show.  Each character is able to level up and get stronger as they progress through the floors.
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Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate

December 28, 2013 by 1 Comment

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Getting video to play on more then one device can be tricky for many.  This is especially true once you factor in tablets, PC’s, mac’s, apple phones, android phones and the myriad of other devices which play a specific format best and the rest secondary if at all.  The trick is the correct software.  One such option for this software is Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate.  This piece of software is easy to use and has the know how to convert just about any video to any format, just shy of black and white reel and VHS.  (Although I am sure it can be manipulated to do so- thus sayeth the hubby!)

There are a few key features which the Video Converter does which are most notable:

Convert 30X faster than other converters
Convert video to 158 formats
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Portable North Pole – Fun App for Kids

December 17, 2013 by 4 Comments

Disclosure: I am a Portable North Pole Christmas Magic Ambassador. I received compensation and complementary Portable North Pole products in exchange for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The clock is ticking on Christmas and its time to brign it up a notch with Portable North Pole.  But instead of the full Portable North Pole site, we are looking at the portable versions of Christmas fun.  Portable North Pole have bucked the tradition this year and released not one but two Christmas themed apps this year.  PNP Santa Sprint and PNP Portable North Pole 2013.

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First we will look at PNP Santa Sprint.  This is a game where the player moves a young Elf around various North Pole themed settings to collect items and restore Santa’s workshop.  After each level the big man himself, Santa tells a video story. The game is optimized for iPod 5th gen, iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and all higher versions.  The game retails for $2.99 as is available now on iTunes.

The Portable North Pole 2013 app is the mobile gateway to all things Portable North Pole, for parents and for kids.  Parents are able to create personalized personal video messages from Santa, personal phone call from Santa, and access to their PNP account.  Kids on the other hand have access to a whole other side os the app.  This includes a digital Advent calender, acess to your child’s personal video, a Christmas sleep countdown to the big day, and Christmas Radar to show you where Santa’s village is located.  The app retails on iTunes for $3.99.
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React Mobile Safety App

December 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Have you ever stepped outside and realized its a bit darker and more ominous then you originally thought?

Maybe the quick walk over to your car after a long night at work, through a dark parking lot, where corners could hide any sort of savage criminal mind.  When these times occur, there is a new app available to help make you feel better and if need be, act as a life saving device.  Enter React Mobile.

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React Mobile is an app for iPhones and Andoid smart phones.  The way the app works is easy.  There are a few different ways to activate the app, one way is with SOS, this mode sends a text message and email to your contacts and emergency contacts while also prompting to dial 911.  In an emergency this can prove to be incredibly helpful.  Instead of being a victim lost to the streets everyone will know where you are.  There is also a “Follow Me” mode which sends updates with where you are to a  selected few in case something happens where you cant click the S.O.S. button.  Follow Me can also be used when trying to get someone to get to you in a crowded area, like a concert or live event.  This can be quite empowering for anyone who feels lurking eyes on them, or just wants an extra layer of safety while running in the morning or at night.  The app is also good for your loved ones.  I know it would make me feel better knowing my little guy had this on his phone, if he had one, when he is out and about.  I’d imagine a parent of a new driver would appreciate this as well as a parents of a child aged student.  A spouse of a late worker or someone with a night shift position.  The situations where React would come in handy are numerous and unfortunately more common then you’d hope.
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Tabeo e2 Tablet

November 28, 2013 by 2 Comments

Tablets are a revolutionary way to interface with technology, and kids need a way to get used to using them in a  way where it is both safe and educational.  Parents need to keep their phones and tablets safe from rugrats. Toys R Us has just the tablet to fit in new niche the Tabeo e2.  The e2 has all the specs needed to run the newest apps, 8GB of Flash memory, Jelly Bean 4.2, Dual core 1.0 Ghz CPU, Quad-core GPU and 1GB of RAM.  All this makes for a zippy tablet which is a breeze to use.

tablet for kids

One of the little oddities we ran into upon initial setup is, a wireless internet connection is needed to set up the parental settings.  Without this connection none of the apps can be run.  But once the connection is made setup is simple.  With a few steps and an email address.  What I really like about the tablet is its sleek slim design.
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VTech Kid Connect App- WIN AN INNOTAB3S TABLET

November 21, 2013 by 28 Comments

Disclosure- I was able to try this app free of charge to facilitate this review.

There are some things in life that parents miss at work that stink the most.  Most of them involve their families.  How great would it be to be able to send your son or daughter an “I love you” message as easily as a text message without giving your little one a phone?  Innotab has just this in mind with their new Kid Connect app for the Innotab 3S.  The way the app works is pretty easy- first downloads for everyone. Download the app to your iPhone/ Android and Innotab 3S.  Then get to the fun parts.  Parents can easily send texts, stickers, voice messages, drawings and photos to their kids and the kids can also send to their parents.
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Ouya Gaming System

November 11, 2013 by 2 Comments

ouya

There is a spot in your living room right now that is one of the most sought after spots in America.  No, its not that spot on the couch where Sheldon sits or Dad’s recliner.  It’s the game console, hooked to your TV.  With the holiday season upon us and the forthcoming releases of two power house systems, this spot is happening.

In our house, there are more video consoles then there are TV’s.  We have a problem with video games.  Video games are a fun distraction from everyday life that are creative and engaging.  One of the inhibiting factors with video games can be cost.  Video game consoles have been creeping up in cost over the years as have the games themselves.  With this in mind we are taking a look at the new kid on the block- Ouya.

Ouya started life as a Kick starter campaign, and quickly became fully funded and then some, becoming one of the most funded projects.  Ouya is an android, 4.1 jelly bean, based micro console.  The hardware itself is quite small, measuring only 2.95 and cubic in shape, it is about the size of half a pound of butter, but with way less calories.  Under the hood the console sports a Quad-core 1.7 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 MP Core and 1 GB of RAM.  The hardware does its job well and because of Ouya’s open source thought process has great potential for upgrades and do it yourself add-ons.
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