Lose The Laptop Challenge

At the beginning of the Lose the Laptop campaign, I was skeptical.  I wondered aloud if a completely connected tech savvy mom-on-the go, such as myself, could really abandon my laptop and iPhone in favor of a the HTC Tilt2 that supposedly did it all. 

Slowly but surely I cut my ties to my beloved phone and discovered that my Tilt2 was indeed so much more than a phone.  I used it to keep in touch with my kids while my husband and I went on a long weekend getaway to New York City by sending them emails with photos of the things that we were seeing and doing so they wouldn’t miss us too much.  While there, I documented my favorite places to eat and dishes and was surprised by the quality of the photos I was able to take with the phone’s camera upon putting together my blog post.

My Tilt2 accompanied me on many trips over the past four months, lightening my load lots thanks to the many great features.  I used the AT&T Navigator help me chart my course from Fort Lauderdale to Miami meet friends for dinner, took it to a conference at Georgetown University where I used social networking apps to live tweet U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s speech, and threw family rules out about screen by allowing my kids to watch streaming Sesame Street videos with me while I was sick in bed!  I was so glad that the Tilt2 comes with parental controls so my kids were watching age appropriate content!

I also found that my Tilt was a great shopping companion.  While it may not have provided outfit advice like a bunch of girl friends could, my husband and I definitely relied on it when shopping for our new hybrid.  Thanks to the ability to pull up our Excel spreadsheet that compared costs and features of different makes and models of hybrids using Windows Mobile and accessing TrueCars.com through Internet Explorer, we were able to make an educated decision when we bought our Altima.

I’ve spent the last four months filling my phone with tons of apps to enhance my productivity, locate the best our city has to offer, and keep my kids entertained whether on the go or at home. 

Whether or not I’m the chosen blogger to win the grand prize at the conclusion of the Lose the Laptop campaign, I’ve walked away with a great experience thanks to my HTC Tilt2.

Best of luck to my fellow competitors!  It has been an eye opening four months and I thank AT&T for inviting me to share in the experience of the Lose the Laptop campaign

To vote for Leticia, scroll to the top of the screen and click on the blue VOTE button that will help her win the grand prize of $5000 and make you eligible to win the prize money plus an HTC Tilt2 of your very own!

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Leticia Barr founded her Tech Savvy Mama site to assist parents in finding the best technology products, websites, and resources for children.  She serves as Chief BitMom onBitMoms.com where she advocates for internet safety and security for families and can always be found on Twitter.

August 1, 9:29 pm

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In the beginning... God created the heavens and the earth.

Oh wait..

wrong story. Umm, in the beginning, this iPhone and general smartphone lover was given an HTC Tilt 2 to play with for 4 months for this cool concept called the Lose the Laptop from AT&T. I was a bit skeptical at first. But as time went on, my Tilt 2 and I had some fun adventures. We saw some places, we recorded some things, we took some pictures, we emailed some folks. Ok, I can admit.. we fell for each other in a big way.

The Beginning 

Before I converted to an iPhone lover like a lot of the civil (brainwashed??) society, I owned several Windows mobile phones. I believe I owned 5 different ones over time. Now if that does not tell you that I once really love Windows Mobile phones, what does?? Read my post Can the HTC Tilt 2 reclaim me as a great WinMo lover? as I started my new relationship with the Tilt 2 to see if it could win me back. Enter Smartie (aka The Tilt 2)...

After talking for a bit and feeling each other out we wanted to spend some more time together. We decided to...

Travel 

I wasn't certain at first if Smartie and I were ready to travel together but we decided to give it a try. I had a couple of trips planned already before I met him. I wasn't sure that I wanted to let Smartie come, but I did anyway. We took a nice long trip to San Jose, CA. Smartie entertained me on the airplane. It sang to me, it read to me, it helped me get some work done. Oh yeah, this was the start of a beautiful friendship. I could definitely see this going somewhere.

I also let him tag along while my kids and I had a pretend vacation in the house. They seemed to like Smartie, and Smartie liked them.

Getting in good with the kids was a good sign. :) I decided that I was indeed really digging my new friend and I wanted to take him more places. Not really exotic places, after all... we just met each other a few weeks before. But we took a little road trip to Galena, IL.

Galena is beautiful, plenty of places to walk around and get to know each other. We started falling for each other... hard.

Since Smartie and I had to travel right after he arrived in Chicago, I decided that it was time to take him site seeing in some of my favorite places around the city. We went on a nice walking date around some beautiful areas in Chicago and took some pictures.

We would definitely be going more places together.

On Being Social

Like the start of any good relationship, eventually you want your new love to meet your friends. We needed to just stop hanging out with only each other and be social. We went to some nice parties, we talked, we tweeted, we decided to become Facebook friends, we sent off some photos. This was going well. He shared the shame addiction to social media that I do. WOW! He helped me entertain the kids and setup playdates with friends mom's on Facebook. I think I love him. :)

Shopping

So what do you do when you decide that you want a new love to hang around for a while??? You make them go shopping with you!! If they can take the heat, then you will probably last a while. LOL! First we had to make sure that he was well equipped to handle shopping with me. We souped him up with some apps from the Marketplace. Then, it was time to hit the pay dirt!

He was really cool with shopping and even allowed me to get a pedicure while we shopped! HEAVEN!!! I got a new bag and some pretty toes at the same time. :)

We also ordered some movies for date nights at home using Netflix.

Gotta love it.

In Love

And now here we are about 4 months into our relationship and we are pretty inseparable. Smartie and I go everywhere together. We do just about everything together. We just click. He understands my need to keep up with what is going on right NOW. This is super easy. He will update me whenever I need him to. We have so much in common. It is really refreshing. We even made a great video chronicling our relationship so far. Have you seen it?  If not check here.

I think that he has a good chance of being The One. Sigh....

Please click the blue VOTE button above and vote for me! Let's take this out with a bang and win that $5000 for July!!

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Kris Cain is a mom to 2 sets of twins who is struggling to stay sane while balancing her life and wearing many hats. You can read more on her addiction to gadgets and the internet on her blog, or follow her on Twitter.

July 30, 12:56 pm

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I got a couple of challenges that I am working on from my last post. Good stuff! While I get those together, let's talk about "Googlizing" your life and your Tilt 2. I am all about keeping organized. (Wait.. watch out for the lightening.) Ok, ok... maybe that is exaggerating. But I have to know where I am supposed to be, when, who I am calling, and what I need to bring with me. My calendar is organized. My house? That's a completely different post!

I have been a huge advocate of using Google products for a long time. Yes I am helping them take over the world! Hey, they deserve it as far as I am concerned.

And having a Gmail account is a MUST if you are mobile a lot and need to keep up on what is going on in your life. Whether you have an iPhone, Android, or Windows Mobile phone, you can sync your info and keep up to date.

I have written a few posts on the subject, one of my favs being Using Google Calendar to Organize Your Busy Mom Life. Even though I discuss my iPhone in the article, the same principles apply to the HTC Tilt 2!! You can carry your email, contacts, and calendar around with you and using over the air syncing they stay up-to-date. 

Getting setup is easy as pie. Visit Google's Sync page to learn how to setup your phone for syncing. I cannot tell you how awesome this is. When I am and out and about and someone asks me if I am available to do something on a certain day, I can check my default Google calendar immediately from my phone, and even setup an appointment so that I don't forget.

And because Google sync uses PUSH technology, any changes that you make replicate across your Google/Gmail account and all your devices instantly. Change a phone number in your contacts while on your PC? It will carry down to the Tilt 2 instantly!! Setup a dental appointment on your phone while standing in the office? It will be on your calendar when you log into your PC!

Not only is this an excellent way to keep organized, but it KEEPS EVERYTHING BACKED UP!!! So, if the unthinkable happens and you lose or break your Tilt (Nooooo!!!!!!) you don't have to worry about losing all of your information.

Now if only I could get it to organize my garage...

Please click the blue VOTE button above and vote for me! Let's take this out with a bang and win that $5000 for July!!

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Kris Cain is a mom to 2 sets of twins who is struggling to stay sane while balancing her life and wearing many hats. You can read more on her addiction to gadgets and the internet on her blog, or follow her on Twitter.

July 14, 9:52 pm

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The 4th of July is an important holiday for our country.  It represents the birth of our nation, and the remembrance of those who shaped our country and those who died for it.  It also represents freedom.

Freedom is something Americans have sought after and savored for years.  Freedom for Americans goes well beyond freedom for our country and freedom of speech.  Remember the old days when you used to have to get up and walk across the room to change the TV station?  What about when you'd have to stay seated close to your phone when talking because the handset was attached to the phone with a cord?  Remember when you were expecting an important call and had to  stay home all day to receive it? 

Remote controls, cordless phones, and cellphones have given us a lot of freedom.  I just finished writing an article about Moen's new ioDIGITAL shower controls  with its optional remote control.  Now you can wake up, press your custom preset button on the remote control next to your bed, and the shower turns on and warms up to your desired temperature.  No more getting out of bed, turning on the shower, and waiting for it to get warm.  You can do it from the comfort of your own bed.  What's next???  (Curious on what's next, check out my article on TOTO toilets!!!)

When I started AT&T's LosetheLaptop.com contest, I was a bit nervous.  In fact, I thought the whole concept was crazy.  Would I be able to lose the laptop?  I wasn't sure.  But as I found out, what I thought would be more like a "disability" for me, ended up giving me new freedom.  Although I don't use my laptop very often, I do use my desktop computer daily.  And to be honest, I still do.  However, now I'm not "chained" down to my computer.  With my Tilt2 I can receive and reply to e-mail's from the dentist office, my car (parked, of course!), the grocery store, or even in my easy chair (yes, I'm the easy chair user in our family).  I can even help a friend by watching her children and blog my article about Day 1 on Spring Break using my Tilt2 at the same time. 

Now, I shop for great cruise deals and travel deals  with ease from my easy chair, take less technology gear on vacation (no more U-haul's!), share the fun we're having at Knott's with friends on Facebook, and stand in line at Sprinkles Cupcakes while finding out on Facebook the Word of the Day is to receive my free cupcake!

I have found that I can now Shop until my Cellphone Drops (the connection!).  Black and white graphs (QR codes) and bars (barcodes) have new meaning to me and can greatly aid me in investigating products and comparison shopping.

Using my Tilt2 smartphone is actually a freeing experience.  Before the Tilt2 phone, I didn't have a data plan and used my smartphone only to sync with my Outlook calendar.  I wondered if the data plan would be worth the money.  My conclusion?  Yes!  It's worth the money!  I have new found freedom like never before.  As a part of the LosetheLaptop.com competition, I have been pushed to use the Tilt2 in new ways according to each month's topic.  This contest has helped me to explore and use my smartphone much more thoroughly than I would have on my own.  It is my hope that some of the things I covered in my posts here on LosetheLaptop.com  have enlightened you in new ways to use your smartphone as well.

As this is the last month of the contest, I URGE you to vote for your favorite blogger.  This month one blogger and one lucky reader will win $5,000!  Think of how many mobile apps you could buy with $5,000!  (and other stuff too!).  Please vote and leave a comment today - it makes our day! 

Lori writes about making technology simple for busy moms and can be found at WellConnectedMom.com.  She also writes about technology for the home at theWellConnectedHome.com.  Follow Lori on Twitter @wellconnectdmom and @wellconnctdhome.  Please vote for Lori to earn a chance for $5,000!  The more votes you give this month, the better your chances of winning!  Good luck!

July 6, 3:26 pm

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With Father's Day right around the corner, how are you going to make your Dad (or husband) happy? For me, any type of gadget will make me grin, but that is probably not what each and every dad wants. The best bet is to develop a strategy with your siblings or kids in order to work together to get the best gift for Dad. When it comes to shopping, especially if you are doing it at the last minute, dividing and conquering is the best tactic. But how do you ensure that the "Dad shopping army" doesn't buy the same thing or gets hung up not knowing what to do?

Here is a simple list of tips for working together to get your Dad (or husband) the right gift. First, you need a smart phone (like the HTC Tilt 2, a Blackberry, an Android device or an iPhone). That's it. Really! After that, you can follow some of the tips below to help strategize and get that perfect gift for your deserving Dad!

1. Texting is good- assuming you have a group heading out to shop, be sure you stay in contact via text message on what types of things you are looking at.

2. Take photos- when you find something that you think that Dad might like, take a photo of it and share it with the Dad shopping brigade. You can do this via email or MMS.

3. Do research- sometimes it is hard to just go and browse. It's better to have a plan of action when you hit a store, otherwise you may be wandering the aisles aimlessly, even more confused than when you entered the store. Google or Bing are your friends. Try a search that is around your subject matter like "Father's Day Gadgets" or "Father's Day Golf" or "Father's Day Clothes". Try throwing it good keywords like "gifts" or "buying guide" to fine tune your results.

4. Do comparison shopping- many times, the price of certain items may be cheaper at other stores or online. There are websites and applications that can help you check one store's prices against another one. But be sure, if you are buying online, to check the delivery times on shipments so you don't miss the big day!

5. Social check-ins- if you are doing stealth shopping and if your dad isn't part of your social network, you and your co-shoppers can use some of the social media tools like Foursquare, Gowalla, Facebook or even Twitter to coordinate your shopping efforts, share photos or ideas or just know where you guys are in a mall.

6. Conference calling- of course, instead of texting or emailing back and forth, you can use your smart phone for what it was originally designed for, making phone calls. You can conference in the shopping army and have a conference call as you go through stores.

7. Ask for suggestions- you can always turn to social media to get recommendations from others. Send a note to Twitter or Facebook asking what people are giving or find out what is hot!

8. Be Upfront - of course, you could flat out ask your Dad what he wants! Give him a call, text him or send him an email.

9. Shop online- if you can't hit a physical brick & mortar store, take your shopping efforts online. Amazon is a great place to do that. They have a mobile store front as well as Blackberry, Android  and iPhone store applications to help you. Also, many of the major retailers also have mobile sites or even applications to help.

10. When all else fails- get your dad a new cell phone! It's really hard to go wrong that way!

This post is part of an on-going series for the AT&T Lose the Laptop Challenge. This month's challenge is all about SHOPPING so it's pretty appropriate that you get out there and shop for your Dad for Father's Day. Remember to VOTE (for me, especially). You can vote every day and you have a chance at winning a $500 Amazon gift certificate (possibly to pay off anything that you bought your Dad for Father's Day) plus an HTC Tilt 2 device.

Remember that the shopping experience for getting a great gift for Dad can be a fun, social experience. Use the technology you have to get ahead of the game. A smartphone is a great way to stay connected during this process.

HTD says: How do you shop for your Dad for Father's Day? Is it coordinated or chaotic?

June 15, 8:56 am

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