Little Kiddies

While in college, my naive little self wrote this paper about how technology was effecting children and why parents should stave off introducing their children to iPhones and iPads until they were out of their crucial development phase. And it was a great theory.

Let me reiterate that: THEORY.

Because when you are taking care of a little one, and that little one refuses to just sit down FOR FIVE SECONDS, that theory goes out the window. And in comes the shiny, loud, distracting and beautiful piece of machinery that will save you from having to chase the toddler away from the knife drawer for the fifth time today.

Not that I would know about such things...ahem. Moving on.


Babies

Animal Sounds for Baby (iOS) by Fisher Price is an interactive game that helps your baby learn animal names and the sounds that they make. Babies can tap, tilt or shake the screen to make the animals move.

Peekaboo Barn (iOS & Android) is another animal app that is sort of like playing hide-and-go-seek with animals. Once they see the animal, the name of the animal pops up on the screen. You can play in either Spanish or English. Check out the jungle and the forest versions too!

It's a Small World App (iOS & Android) is a beautiful app by Disney that lets your baby explore the world without ever having to leave home! Using beautiful illustrations and the familiar songs, your baby can navigate from country to country learning how to say "hello" in various different languages.


Toddlers

Toca Birthday Party (iOS) allows your child to play birthday party on your iPhone or iPad, complete with cake cutting, drink pouring, table setting, present opening, etc. Recommended for ages 3 and up, this app is perfect for the child that likes to play with their food.

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox (iOS & Android) - help the monkey pack his lunch by completing challenges. The challenges will help teach toddlers colors, motor skills, counting and will help tone up their memory. An adult might want to help though - some of the challenges can be mighty tough for little minds!


School Age

Crayola ColorStudio HD for iPad - Even though you have to buy the iMarker to work the app (it goes for around $20 in various stores), I have heard from many parents that this app is worth it. Kids can draw, paint, color and snap a picture of their face, then draw around their face. Ummm...who would judge me if I got this app for my 23-year-old self?

WATCH Disney Channel App (iOS) - Kids LOVE Disney Channel, and now they can watch it whenever, where ever they want. Download this app for at least 30 minutes of peace and quiet, guaranteed.


Preteens/Teens

Netflix - Seriously, take this time that your kids think they are too cool for you for granted and hand them a Netflix account. They will be entertained all day watching their favorite shows, season after season. Just make sure to put parental locks on it. You don't want them downloading anything they shouldn't!



For the Kid in All of Us

Candy Crush Saga (iOS, Android) is the single most addicting game. Seriously. Proceed with caution. Match up candies in a row to get rid of the candies, and advance through the 300+ levels. This game can take A LOT of your money before you know it (I kept buying lives!) so watch out!

My DisneyWorld Experience App (iOS, Android) - because you know you love Disney World. Don't lie. This app will help you navigate the park easier, will tell you when fast passes are sold out and will even find the location of your favorite characters you meet (wait up, Cinderella!). You are also able to pass information back and forth from app to app, so have the whole group download the app to stay together.


This is my niece's favorite YouTube video. I dare you to watch it and then try not to get it stuck in your head. It won't work. You will be singing "Baby Beluga" to yourself for the next five years.:

What apps do you use to entertain kids? Do you let kids play on your smartphone or tablet?

I've Been Nodding My Head And Smiling At...The New iOS 7 Features

iPhone iOS 7 interface by Apple

Hello all my techies! Welcome to the portion of TKTN called "I've Been Nodding My Head and Smiling At...", where I explain something you may have just been nodding your head and smiling at when it comes up in conversation.

That's just the kind of person I am, you are so welcome.

Now, If you know anything about the tech world, you should know that everyone is absolutely going ape poo over the interface changes on the iPhone with Apple's next update. It seems everyone is on one of two sides: the side that is excited about the simplicity of the new look, or the side that thinks Steve Jobs is rolling over in his grave right about now.

Let me back this up a bit to give you a greater understanding.

On June 10th, Apple announced its plans for the new and improved iOS 7 download at its Worldwide Developer Conference. They unveiled a whole new look for the iPhone interfaces. Gone are the 3D-looking icons: they are being replaced with flatter, simpler looking icons that are in an updated color scheme. iPhone's interface is going technicolor.

Many say that this is going against the direct wishes of Steve Jobs, who had approved the older icon designs personally. As he put it, he wanted the 3D icons to be so attractive that they would make people want to "lick them"* (no, seriously, he said that).  While not exactly lick-able, the flatter icons add a simplicity to the iPhone user interface that rivals that of Android and Windows phone, just as the Apple creative directors wanted.

Want to know more about the iOS 7 changes? Check out some of these highlights:


Control Center

The Control Center is a swipe-up menu that has certain settings features, like Bluetooth connection, wireless connection and Airplane mode. You can also control your music from the Control Center, as well as a new feature called Airdrop.

Airdrop

In answer to other smart phone's share capabilities, you will be able to share content with other iOS 7 users through the Control Center. It will also let you know which iOS 7 users are nearby, making content sharing easy and fast.


iTunes Radio

iTunes Radio, like Spotify, Pandora, etc. will enable you to chose songs to stream, and will allow you to choose radio stations based on your music choices.


And finally, my favorite iOS 7 feature rumor:


Blocking cell phone numbers by using your phone

Instead of having to call the phone company to block a number from your phone, there is a rumor going around that you will be able to block someone's number directly from your phone. THAT WOULD BE SO HANDY. Seriously.


For more information, check out this video that Apple released:

What do you think about the new iOS 7 functionalities? 

*http://mashable.com/2013/06/15/top-comments-ios-7/ 

And The Winner Is....

This week TKTN celebrated the 500th pageview by giving away a free May Design Notebook.


So I had my coworker and lovely assistant, Kurtis Tolliver, pick the winner's name from a paper bag (ok, a Dunkin Donuts bag).

And the Winner is....


Cassidy Hoffman!!

Cassidy chose the Anchors notebook, a lovely choice. Congratulations Cassidy!

I AM UP TO 500 PAGEVIEWS! WOHOO!!!

Image from Hemaia Group

Thank you, thank you, kind readers. You are the reason that I blog and the reason for my general spike in ego in the past few weeks.

KIDDING! Sort of.

Anyhoo, in honor of my 500 pageviews, I have decided to let you in on my secret life of blogging. How do I keep track of so many apps? How did I get started? What are my next steps? I will let you in on these secrets....AND MORE.

Tools of the Trade

First, I will let you take a look at the tools that I keep in my Batman-like utility belt. I can't really show you my computer, because:
A) I switch between a Macbook and a Thinkpad, so I feel like I'm playing on both sides of the PC-Mac debate. My life is so political.
B) Neither one are anything fancy to look at. I have plain old everyday laptops. So I will show you more interesting pictures, like:

My iPhone screen. Here you can see I have sectioned my apps off into many little categories like the type-A freak that I am.

Here is my social media folder, which contains my MOST USED social media applications. I have the blogger app so that I can literally do crazy things like blog in the waiting rooms at doctors offices or in the middle of long, boring meetings. Just kidding, boss! I don't really do....that....ahem. Moving on.

Here is my pretty To-Do List book that I designed from May Designs, in my favorite chevron print. It helps me create lists of blog posts and keep track of each posting.:

And of course, my copy of the NYTimes and my coffee. There's not a better start to a morning than with a newspaper and a coffee. Especially when its the free Starbucks coffee that I get when I drop my dog off at doggie daycare.

Now there's a first world sentence if I've ever seen one.

Of course, I always trust on my handy websites for information. I would not be anywhere without my morning dose of Mashable and TechCrunch. Whether or not you work in a tech industry like me, you can greatly benefit from these two websites. TECHNOLOGY IS EVERYWHERE, people!!! Our lives have turned in to I, Robot whether we like it or not. Embrace it.

How I Got Started

In order to get the BEAUTIFUL blog background you see here today, I went to Designerblogs.com where they have many blogger templates to choose from for only $15.

To add your background:

• Get the file or the HTML code from your receipt, which Designer Blogs will email to you. 
• On your sidebar, go to "Template" 
• Then, go to the "Edit HTML" bar underneath the "Live on Blog" box. 
• Enter the HTML code you received from your blog site.
• NOW, START BLOGGING. Remember to always promote your blog on EVERY social media site you own. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn (one that everyone easily forgets), Google+, etc. Make sure you keep your friends and family engaged by asking them questions, and if you ever get an idea from someone, make sure you give them credit! Don't be an idea moocher!

Coming Next: 

In order to keep my blog going, I have decided to add social media accounts. This means I will be adding a Facebook page for TKTN, adding a Twitter account, etc. that my loyal readers can follow and get tech updates on the fly. Make sure you are on the lookout for these accounts, you won't be dissapointed. I promise!  

I would like to thank everyone who takes a slice out of their day to read my blog posts. You have made this little project of mine so worthwhile, and I am humbled by each positive comment I receive. You guys are the best!

**BUT WAIT. WHOA. I WON'T JUST STOP THERE! I AM GIVING AWAY A FREE MAY DESIGNS NOTEBOOK TO ONE LUCKY FOLLOWER!

Simply input your email address in the "Follow By Email" box in the upper-left hand corner, and then comment underneath this post "chevron", "flowers" or "anchors" as to which notebook you want by Friday, June 14th. One winner will be drawn randomly! Good luck!

Health Apps

Recently I have decided to get healthy. Yuck.

All complaining aside, there are a lot of great apps out there made specifically for those that want to look decent for bathing suit season.

Now if only there was a "make me tanner" app. Sigh.

Weight Loss/Nutrition

LoseIt! (Android & iOS) is a calorie counting app that does the hard work for you. Simply put in your weight loss goals, your age and weight, etc. and it will figure out how many calories you need to intake. Enter your workout for the day and it will calculate how many calories you burned. It has hundreds of choices of brand name food and lists from restaurants, so all you need to do is search for what you ate and it will figure out your calorie count. It also syncs with your Nike+ Fuelband, will sync with apps Nike+ Running, MapMyFitness, etc. and will record your workout into the app. The more you workout, the more calories you get to eat in a day! And you know, I really like eating. I really do.

ShopWell (iOS) is an app that allows you to scan barcodes at the grocery store, and it will not only give you the nutrition information on that particular food item, but will also "match it" according to your diet and food needs. Of course, it told me that the Dove Chocolates I was about to eat apparently "wasn't a great match for my nutritional needs". Well apparently you don't know the week I had, app, so shut it.

Caffeine Zone 2 (iOS & coming soon to Android) lets you know when you need to put down that last cup of coffee. Input the time that you want to go to sleep, and what all you have had to drink for the day, and this app will tell you when to switch to water. Or alcohol. What? Who said that?

Exercise

Zombies, Run! 2: Imagine - put in your headphones, start this app up, and instantly, you are being chased by zombies. This is a game that is played by you actually running in real life, and listening to the game. It will make you think that you are actually being chased by zombies, which in inevitably will make you pick up your pace. Unless you're not afraid of zombies. In which case, I think you might be one.  

Daily Yoga (Android & iOS) is for all you yogis or wannabes. Get your yoga on with HD videos and voice instruction on how to do each pose. Namaste.

Strong Lifts 5x5 (iOS): This app is for those who are weight training. I hope that's self-explanatory. Especially since I know diddly-squat about weight training.

Sleep/Meditation

iSleep Sphere (iOS) is probably the most used app on my phone. I use the rain setting every night to fall asleep. If rain is not your thing, you can choose from waves, wind, waterfall or birds chirping. But the best thing about this app: you could choose all five if you so choose. Mix the sounds to make your perfect tune to snooze to. But no seriously, I really wouldn't recommend all five at once. Unless being on a wind-blown beach next to a waterfall in the rain while birds are going nuts is your thing.

Simply Being (Android & iOS): This app lets you choose the amount of time you want to meditate, any background noise that you want (music or nature sounds) and guides you through meditation using voice instruction.

And for those of you who want a REAL workout*:

*Thanks to Lauren Peterson for showing me this beyond amazing video.