When things happen, isn’t it human nature to always take you to the worst case scenario? I need to stop always thinking the worst is going to happen and go with the flow a bit more.
TommyLog – Sick Day with Emma
Emma is not feeling so hot so dad stayed home from work to care for her. Fevers and potentially strep throat stinks!
TommyLog TECH – PowerSkin PoP’n2 Battery Charger
Hey kids, for today’s TommyLog Tech, I want to introduce you to the Pop’n Battery Charger model 4000 from my friends at PowerSkin.
The Pop’n2 is unlike other rechargeable batteries on the market today. You have either external batteries that need to be tethered to your USB charging cables or the other style is where the added battery storage is built into an external case. Each style has its pluses and minuses –but the PoP’n2 is completely different. The PoP’n2 suction cups itself to the back of your iPhone. It comes with a totally ingenious lightning connector to connect the battery to your iPhone. The suction cups do a great job holding the battery in place. You have to really pry the battery apart from the phone. It’s a lot more secure than it appears.
The Pop’n2 has a 4000 mAh lithium polymer battery. Compared with your 1810 mAh that’s inside the iPhone 6, PowerSkin says you recharge you iPhone 6 1 ½ times per charge. I saw a little better than that, but your mileage will very. The build quality of the Pop’n2 is excellent.
The PoP’n2 comes with a micro USB cable for charging the battery as well as a clear iPhone 6 case to use if you don’t already have one. The clear case isn’t anything special and doesn’t give you much more protection than against simple bumps and scratches. You certainly do not need to use the case as the PoP’n2 works just fine suctioning to the back of a bare iPhone. I even found it fits my old IPhone 5 and 5S models just fine too. I also found that the battery suctions to many different iPhone cases I tried, so replacing your pricy case may not need to happen.
The Pop’n2 by PowerSkin is totally Tommy Approved and is part of my tech arsenal when on the road or away from power for an extended period of time.
For more information on how to get your very own Pop’n2 by PowerSkin, Here’s a link http://www.power-skin.com
[DISCLAIMER — I’m was lucky enough to be gifted a PoP’n2 by PowerSkin to test and share. All my words are original and my own.]
TommyLog TECH – 4 Tips to Protect Your SmartPhone From Disaster #VZWBuzz #AD
Hey kids, for today’s TommyLog Tech, I need to start with a story. It takes place about 4 years ago…
The place is downtown Chicago. I was there attending a print related convention and it was almost dinner time. I was walking around Michigan Avenue and had just stopped to take a panoramic picture with my brand new iPhone 4 that I had purchased 3 days prior. So imagine this- I had just taken the picture and was sending an email to my oldest kids:
Dear Kids,
I Love Yo…
…and some kid snatched the phone out of my hand and ran. All I could see was the red on the bottoms of his sneakers… and that’s it. A few nice bystanders took off after him, but that was the last time I ever saw my beloved iPhone 4.
So many things run though your mind as you chase after your $600 technology investment, least of which was “oh no–my personal information… when was my last backup?”
Here it is 4 years later, I have a new DROID Turbo by Motorola and I want o give you my top 4 tips to keep your phone and data safe when disaster strikes.
TIP#1 – Screen Lock. Always use the screen lock feature. The DROID Turbo has the ability to set a numerical code, an alphanumeric password, you can set a pattern or you can use your face recognition. I found the facial recognition to be sketchy at best and rarely recognized the face of yours truly. Few things are worse than getting locked out of your own devise.
TIP#2 – Backup. In this day and age there is absolutely zero excuse for not having your data backed up. Cloud storage is plentiful and the process is super easy to implement. Just set it and forget it. Verizon Cloud backup, which I have talked about before, is super easy to set up and with a More Everything plan you get 25GB of storage.
TIP#3 – Remote Lock & Wipe. The new DROID Turbo has deep integration with Android Device Manager, which allows you to access certain functions on the phone from any web browser. During the setup and install of the Turbo, you get asked if you want to enable built in protection functionality. You should answer YES! If you answered NO, simply go to Settings > Security and Screen Lock > Device Administrators and select a devise administrator. This will allow you to remotely lock and wipe your phone from a web browser.
TIP#4 – Insurance. Having all your data backed up is one thing, but not having a phone to put that data on is another. After my iPhone was stolen, and because I was under contact, replacing it cost full retail value– OUCH! Verizon has insurance plans that cover lost, stolen, and even damaged phone. You can get more info from Verizon Wireless here. https://totalmobileprotection.verizonwireless.com/public/all-products
So there you have it, my 4 top tips to protect yourself before disaster strikes. Take it from me, I’ve been there, done that, and I even have a t-shirt. It really rots to have a prized possession loaded with personal data taken from your bare hands, but had I followed all these tips, I promise you, a lot less tears would have been shed.
For more information on how to get your very own DROID TURBO by Motorola, Here’s a link http://www.verizonwireless.com/smartphones/droid-turbo/
Verizon Wireless More Everything Plan http://www.verizonwireless.com/landingpages/more-everything/
DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me to test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.
TommyLog – Helping Others to SOAR #Giveback
For today’s TommyLog, and for the Christmas and holiday season, I was asked to talk about a topic that we are passionate about with regards to giving back. My mind immediately was drawn my service work with the great people at SOAR formally the ARC of the Fox Cities. I spend many Saturday mornings “coaching” their members for bowling and it is JUST AMAZING! Giving back rocks and fits so well into one of my motto’s
“And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”
The adults that I work with from SOAR do more for me than I could ever do for them.
THANK YOU so much for allowing me to serve.