Meet the Instinct

Sprint recently launched their biggest competitor to the iPhone -the Samsung Instinct. I’ve been one of the lucky ones to have been playing around with the new device over the past week and I have to say it’s one pretty solid phone.

 

As you can see the slim, sleek touchscreen design is very similar to the iPhone and just like the iPhone, the Instinct packs a lot of features.

 

The Instinct has a simple menu that is actually very easy to use. This makes it great for people who want a cool phone, but aren’t tech geeks.

 

At the very bottom of the phone you will find the back arrow, home button and the phone function. At the bottom of the touch screen you’ll see four menu icons: Favs, Main, Fun, and Web.

 

Obviously, the Favs menu is reserved for your favorite functions. The Main menu is for messaging, organizer, and Sprint’s GPS feature (which I love and will talk more about later). The Fun menu holds games, multimedia options, and the camera. The Web menu contains all the web applications.

 

For the email function you will find integrated support for AOL, AIM, Hotmail, Yahoo, and Gmail.

 

Honestly, I was nervous to use the Instinct at first because I have gotten so used to a QWERTY keypad with my Centro. I was excited to see that the keyboard on the phone comes up in landscape as the default! The texting feature even has a spell check feature built in. A nice touch because it took me a while to get used to the sensitivity of the touchscreen letters.

 

But I have to say; by far the best feature I used was the Sprint Navigation. I used it to go from Pittsburgh to Delaware and back this past weekend. It worked perfectly. The screen is large, making it easy to read the GPS direction. The phone will also talk to you, turn by turn. There is also a Live search feature to find things like coffee shops, restaurants, gas stations, etc. All you do is give the phone a voice command and it will find what you’re looking for. This is a great function and way better than buying a $300 GPS device that has to be installed in the car.

 

Another feature I really liked in the Instinct is the visual voicemail. It is very similar to the iPhone. Your message is displayed in a list form allowing you to choose which message to listen to.

 

 

Now for the functional downsides to the phone: First there is no Wi-Fi. Instead you must rely on the Sprint Network, but don’t worry.  Here in Pittsburgh, it’s pretty solid. There is also not an option for instant messaging and another downside is the phone quality when talking to someone. It’s just OK, not great.

 

 

The Instinct is $129 with a mail-in rebate and a two-year contract. The “Simply Everything” plan runs $70 per month. I’d do it so you get all the flashy features and applications.

 

The Instinct does come with some cool extras in the box. You’ll find a charger and headset, USB cable, a software CD, and a stylist (special touchscreen pen). There’s even an extra battery.

 

Sprint has put together a site comparing the Instinct and the iPhone (Nowisgood.com). They’re videos you can watch that compare the speed and functionality of the two devices. Below you will also find a list of extensive reviews on the phone, much more detailed than my blog.

 

 

Cnet.com: Samsung Instinct Review

PCMag.com: Samsung Instinct (Sprint)

Sprint Samsung Instinct vs LG Vu vs iPhone

 

Overall I really like the phone. But I’m by no means saying the Instinct is better than the iPhone. Many of you who are iPhone owners would kill me for saying something so ridiculous.

 

The Instinct is definetly a good competitor. If you are one of those people who are under a contract, or just like your current wireless provider and don’t want to switch just “to say” you have the iPhone, then the Instinct is an affordable alternative through Sprint that will probably make you very happy.

The New iPhone 3G

It was just a year ago, the first iPhone hit stores.

It changed the cell phone market–combining a cell phone, iPod and wireless Internet device.

The world was wowed and now less than a year later, Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs has done it again.

 

On July 11th Apple will begin selling the latest version of the iPhone.

The new iPhone 3G will run on a speedy “3G” AT&T wireless network.

The price will please a lot people. Just $199 for the 8 GB model and $299 for a 16 GB version. That’s some BIG savings.

The current iPhone costs either $399 or $499. You unfortunately will still have to sign a two-year contract and the phone is only available through AT&T.

 

Corporate email users get excited–you’ll finally be able to link up with Outlook messages at work.

This is a big step for Apple as it looks to compete with the freakishly popular, business friendly Blackberrys.

 

The new 3G will come with an enhanced, five megapixel camera along with GPS capabilities.

 

But the biggest buzz around the new iPhone may be in the new applications.

 

Those applications include video games that use motion-sensing technology, as well as a program called Loopt, which allows iPhone users to look on a map and see which of their cell-phone-carrying friends are nearby.

 

Let’s be honest, I love the new iPhone 3G, but I refuse to pay to get out of my current wireless plan in order to switch to AT&T. When is this darn thing going to be available across multiple network providers…..COME ON!

 

Although it would be nice to have the new 3G iPhone, I do really love my $99 Palm Centro.

New Flip Camcorder

You may remember this little guy, the flip camcorder. I have featured several times in the past. It’s (in my opinion) a great, easy to use, AFFORDABLE camcorder. There are no fancy settings or buttons to get lost in, and believe it or not, it records pretty good-looking video. 

 

And I’m not the only one who seems to like the Flip. According to market tracker NPD Group, it has become the No. 2 best-selling video camera (after the Sony DVD610).

 

So now Pure Digital has introduced the new Mino (pronounced like the little fish). It’s a slightly smaller version of the Flip. It works exactly the same way and can record up to an hour of video.

 

The difference really comes down to the price. The traditional Flip runs $149. The new Mino will cost $179.

Got something to sell? Forget ebay. Try Walmart instead.

I’m talking about Walmart’s new Classifieds website. The site carries 30 million items that have been posted through oodle.com, including Madonna concert tickets, foreclosed homes, an absolutely adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, an ATV and the kitchen sink.

 

The service doesn’t charge the seller or the buyer and is accessible through Walmart.com.

It seems like a pretty cool concept and definitely worth exploring.

Last-Minute Vacation Bargains

If you haven’t yet planned a getaway this summer, you may actually be in luck.

 

More and more people aren’t taking big vacations this year due to the rising cost of gas and food. That means many vacation homes and resorts are going unbooked.

 

So if your vacation dates are flexible, meaning you could go at a drop of a hat, then last-minute bargains are everywhere.

 

Sites listing vacation rentals

Lastminuteusvacations.com

Myfavoriteresorts.com

Lastminuterentals.net

 Homeaway.com

 

Sites listings hotels and resorts

Lastminute.com

Travelzoo.com

 

Another affordable option, although it may not be for everyone, is a home exchange.

Websites like homeexchange.com and intervac.com offer families a chance to swap homes all over the country and even the world.

 

And remember you don’t have to fly somewhere or even drive more than a few hours. There are plenty of great adventures and affordable vacation opportunities you can discover in our region.

 

 

 

Combination Shopping

Great news people. If you shop at Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Piperlime (a women’s shoe and handbag line) online shopping just got easier.

 

If you didn’t know, all four of the stores are owned by the same corporation. And now you can shop all of them at once!

The company created navigating tabs to all four stores along the top of all of the sites. Plus, now you can put items from all four stores into one shopping bag, and check out just once. And instead of paying for shipping from multiple stores, you’ll now pay only one $7 flat shipping rate. You can also return any item for free using prepaid shipping labels.

 

Here’s another tidbit. If you have one of their credit cards, it will work with all of the online stores when checking out.

Plus, Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy cardmembers get free shipping on purchases of $100 or more.

 

I think this is genius and about time…Happy shopping!

Girl Scout Newscast

 

Meet Girl Scout Troop 3181! What a great group of girls. I spent a couple of hours with them Monday as they recorded their very own newscast. It’s all part of a communication badge they’re working toward. So after weeks of practice the girls had put together an entire newscast including anchors, weather, a Plugged In reporter, a health and consumer reporter, and even sports coverage of the Pens. The girls wrote their own scripts and created their own props. I have to say, I think they did an excellent job. Any of them could have a future career in broadcast journalism. After the newscast we all sat down and they asked me a whole bunch of really great questions before I headed out. I just wanted to say, thanks again for asking me to take part in your Girl Scout newscast. It was so wonderful to meet all of you.

Playing Games Makes Computers Smarter

Playing games online is always fun, and let’s be honest—a great way to waste some time at work. But what if those games you’re playing could actually make your computer smarter?

 

Believe it or not, a group of CMU researchers have developed several online games that are designed to help computers with tasks they can’t automatically do. They have created the site gwap.com.

 

By playing these different games, you’re actually advancing your computer’s artificial intelligence by improving your computer searches for images or audio clips.

 

The games can be played by people of any age. Once on the site, users are matched with other players on five games, with others to be added later.

 

Here’s a description of the five new online games:

 

ESP—a game in which opposing players are shown a picture and try to guess what words the other player will use to describe the image. The aim of the game is to help improve image searches on the Internet by creating descriptions of uncaptioned images.

 

Matchin- a game in which opposing players are shown two images and asked to choose which one they like best. The more the players choose the same image, the more points they rack up. The goal is to help computers recognize what images people would prefer to see when they are searching for pictures on the Web.

 

Tag a Tune-a game where players describe the music they hear in audio clips. This game is designed to help computers search for music with keywords other than just the title of the song.

 

Verbosity- a game which asks one player to describe a word and the other to guess what the word is.

 

Squigl- a game where two players are given a word describing a part of an image and must trace what the word is describing. Points are awarded based on how similarly the players traced the image. The goal is to help computers more easily recognize images.

Online Personal Bargain Shopper

One of my girlfriends emailed this site to me. I signed up and love it, so I figured I’d share it with all of you.

 

Has this ever happened to you?  You finally found the clothing you wanted at the right price, but then discovered it wasn’t in your size? UGH! This seriously happens to me all the time!

 

Well, you can forget browsing online and even wasting time going from store to store looking for deals. With the help of Shopittome.com you’ll get exactly what you want, in your size at a price that’s appealing.

 

You can think of Shopittome.com as your free personal shopper.

It will search the web sites of leading retailers and then email you a daily or weekly summary of which new items in your size are on sale.

And the best part–the online service is free.

 

By signing up you can choose women, men, girl or boy clothing.

 

Next, select your favorites from a list of over 500 brands.

 

Once that’s done you’ll choose the attire you’re interested in and your size. This also includes shoes.

 

The site will let you specify whether or not you wish to receive daily, weekly, or semi-weekly emails.

    

You’ll then start receiving emails listing the dozens of items in your size and on sale! By clicking on an item, Shopittome will connect you to the retailer’s web site for purchasing.

 

Love it!

Pittsburgh Moms Click Here

With school coming to an end very soon, you are probably thinking about how to fill your kid’s time this summer.

 

Whether it’s swimming lessons, parks, playgrounds or family-friendly restaurants, it can be difficult to find different locations and activities.

 

Well, Dr. Heather Starr Fiedler is a journalism professor at Point Park University and a mother of two young boys took this matter into her own hands and created PittsburghMom.com

 

PittsburghMom is really just a compressive Web site where Pittsburgh moms can find useful information all in one place.

 

The mom-friendly site is broken up into three sections. The first is a resource directory where you will find information on playgroups, parks/playgrounds, swim lessons, kid friendly restaurants, story time locations and a lot more.

 

The second component of the Web site is a message board where Pittsburgh moms can talk to other moms about almost anything, plus it gives moms an opportunity to ask and answer questions.

 

The third portion of the website is dedicated to a blog. Heather and several other moms, who are all in different parenting situations, blog about their hectic lives and all the comical things that happen to them and their kids.

 

Also check out our own Mom 4 Moms page. It’s an entire section on our site dedicated to moms.

White Water Rafting

Happy Monday!

This weekend I spent a little time in the Ohiopyle State Park.

Talk about a great use of a day!

The 20,000-acre park is beautiful and packed with lots to do from rafting/kayaking, to hiking, biking and rock climbing.

It was my first time to the park and I absolutely loved it. Instead of spending a day, we should have spent the entire weekend.

 

Anyway, we decided to dive into the adventure of white water rafting. With all of the recent rainfall, the river was high, making it perfect for rapids. I couldn’t have asked for better weather. The water was bitter cold, but the sun’s warmth made it all worth it. We signed up with Laurel Highlands River Tours & Outdoor Center for the Lower Yough of the Youghiogheny River, which is a level 3 (meaning not hard, but still packs a thrill).

 

 

Here I am getting all suited up—wetsuit, lifejacket and helmet.

We took three boats packed with 4-6 people each. And since the river was high, each boat had a guide. They were not only nice, but very knowledgeable.

 

 

It took about three hours to go 7.5 miles, with a stop for lunch. Like I said, it was great! I’ve done white water rafting before and each time it’s a blast.

 

If you’re looking to spend a day outdoors, I would definitely make the drive to Ohiopyle. We’re already making plans to go back for an entire weekend. This time though we are going for the Upper Yough (level 5).

Back From Vacation

So today is my third day back from vacation. I would have posted this blog sooner, however I couldn’t find the cable to connect my camera to the computer.

I just had to share this picture with you. Isn’t it hysterical? My little Mexican kitties!

I picked these mini sombreros up during my cruise in one of our ports. The big black and white one (Moo) actually didn’t mind wearing it at all. He sat there with it on for about a half hour…content as can be.

Jack, on the other hand, didn’t want to have anything to do with it.  And I have to be honest, I took about 20 pictures of them until I got a good one, but it’s so worth it.  

Anyway, being on vacation was just fantastic. If only I could be a professional vacationer. I just haven’t figured out yet how to finance the whole thing.

It’s great to be back. However, waking up Monday morning at 2:30 AM was extremely painful…

Online Summer Travel Tips

It’s not too late to plan your summer vacation, but finding the best deal can be difficult. I can’t promise these tips from USAToday.com will help with security lines and lost luggage, but they just might save you a little $$$.

 

1. Look for last-minute bargains.

     Flight, hotel and car rates fluctuate based on demand. Airlines often cut prices on undersold flights. The best time to book flights is Wednesday morning through Thursday afternoon. That’s when you’ll find lower prices and last-minute deals. The same holds true for hotels.

 

2. Be flexible.

     Flexible travelers may get a better hotel rate simply by adjusting the dates of their stay.

   And a lot of travel sites offer last minute deal options. A good site to check out would be travelzoo.com. Sign up for their last-minute travel email.

 

3. Make sure you’re searching a lot of sites.

     Sites like Farechase, Sidestep and Kayak make searching a snap. They don’t book reservations. Rather, they search multiple travel sites at once and connect you to the source. Remember that travel sites don’t always list flights from all carriers, so check with smaller airlines like Southwest and JetBlue.

 

4. Check historical data.

     You can check the averages at sites like Farecast and FareCompare. Just enter departure and destination cities and travel dates. You’ll see pricing trends over several months. The sites will even help you decide whether to buy or wait.

 

 

5. Watch the prices

     Some hotels and travel sites guarantee their prices are the best online. That means if you find a lower price, they’ll match it. An example would be Cruises.com.

 

If you don’t want to risk the flight cancellations or paying an arm and a leg at the pump to drive, take the train. It may take longer, but it is a very affordable option, especially if you are booking a family vacation.

Spring Cleaning? Make Some $$$ Off Your Old Stuff

It’s time for Spring cleaning! I just did some of mine this weekend. I took out and packed up all my winter clothes and replaced them with my Spring/Summer wardrobe. I have to say it feels great!

 

Whether it’s a few boxes of old clothes or an old tv, chances are you have something to get rid of too. 

 

 But tossing it in the trash may not be your best option. You could be throwing away thousands of dollars in usable stuff.

 

 Here’s an interesting fact. An eBay/Nielsen survey found that the average U.S. household has 52 unused items lying around worth $3,100.  So it’s really true that junk you have lying around could actually make you some money… and a lot of it!

 

 

Niki Campbell is the owner of Quick2Sell, a business that sells items on eBay. She says it’s time to get educated on how to get rid of all your unwanted stuff.

Campbell says keep the 3 R’s in mind as you’re spring cleaning.

 

Resell It!  Consignment shops, like Quick2Sell, are a great way to recoup some of your money.

 

If you can’t resell it, Reuse It.

Think, could someone else benefit from your old stuff?

Check out local organizations, schools and community groups, or list items on sites like freecycle.org or craigslist.com.

 

If you can’t reuse, Recycle!

Before you trash it, check online to see if it can be recycled. 

An example would be earth911.org. Just type in the item you have and your zip code to find a recycling center nearest you. 

 

Here’s one more thing to think about as you’re cleaning out. Some of the most sought-after categories on ebay are antiques, collectibles, memorabilia, and anything designer.

Madyson’s Hope

I want to let everyone know of an upcoming event that is for a great cause. There is a little girl named Madyson. She is 11 years old and was diagnosed in 2007 with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL).  She has been through a lot in the past year especially during this past February. She got Compartment Syndrome and went into multi-organ failure after what her family thought was a trip to the hospital for the flu.

Madyson had to have her gallbladder removed and it was found to be infected with a rare fungus that she acquired because of her immunosuppression from chemotherapy.  Today Madyson is on a ventilator and needs daily dialysis because of her kidney failure. When she gets better she will most likely have to go from the hospital to a physical rehab facility.  A fundraiser has been planned for Madyson on April 8th at Archies on Carson Street from 7pm-10pm. All the drink proceeds are going directly to help Madyson.  

There will be a $5 donation at the door and a free buffet along with door prizes and a silent auction.  

There is also an account to accept donations which can be mailed to:Citizens Bank
Attn: Liz LaBella
Branch Mgr.
602 Stanwix St
Pgh PA 15222
Checks Payable to : Madyson’s Hope