Hey kids, for today’s TommyLog i want to focus on the great things that are happening in the Clifford family. We are just so blessed…. oh and what happened at the end of the Super Bowl that required a fight to straighten out?
Tag: kids
TommyLog TECH – Dance Dad, DROID Turbo and the 21 MP Camera #VZWbuzz #AD
Hey kids for today’s TommyLog Tech, I would like to talk to you a little about my life as a dance dad. This is my daughter Clara and me and she is on the Little Chute High School dance squad. November thru February I spend my Saturdays sitting in regional high school gyms and arenas on my backside for hours watching Clara’s competitions. This has given me loads of time to play with my new- DRIOD Turbo by Motorola provided by my good friends at Verizon. One area that I just could not wait to get my hands on was the 21MP camera that Motorola tucked inside the Turbo. I have always said the best camera is the one I have available. I know people with big DSLR rigs and by the time it takes to unzip their camera bag, the moment may have passed and the shot missed. Keep that in mind.
One of my favorite features above all that the Turbo possesses is the “wrist flick” feature to activate the 
camera. A simple flick of the wrist and the camera turns on. Flick it again, and it switched from the forward to rear facing camera. That’s one feature not found in any other smart phone I have tested.
The next feature that I really like is the ability to take HDR photos. What is HDR? HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. I think I said high definition resolution, where did I get that? Not sure but I had a brain lapse on that one. High dynamic range is a mode where it takes 3 pictures at once. One is under exposed, the other is over exposed and the 3rd is properly exposed picture and then stitches them together. The wider dynamic range of HDR pictures can be pretty stunning. Use your google skills and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
The DROID Turbo also has a panorama mode, where you can take some pretty amazing shots. Gone are the 
days where you have to stitch pictures together to get the shot you want. You just click the panorama mode and follow the on-screen cues to take the prefect panorama.
The camera on the Turbo is a 21 megapixel shooter. It’s a bit of a disappointment that the 21MP shots are only taken in 4:3 mode where the 15.5MP shots are taken in 16;9 more…or wide screen mode. I prefer 16:9 pictures over 4.3, but your mileage will very. Turning to video, the DROID Turbo simply rocks. Not only does this camera take 1080P video and slo-motion video at 720P, it also takes video at a whopping 4K. Now be careful, these videos are just HUGE in size, almost a GB per minute of video. YIKES! Another gotcha about 4K video is that you cannot play it back on the Turbo itself. You will need to watch it on a 4K TV or monitor.
The camera on the DRIOD Turbo by Motorola is Tommy approved. Its ease of use can’t be beat. Not the best camera I have ever used, but certainly takes decent pictures.
For more information on how to get your very own DROID TURBO by Motorola, Here’s a link
[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 – Don’t Always Plan for the Worst
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 – 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.