TommyLog TECH – Keeping Safe When Storms Hit #VZWbuzz #AD

TommyLog TECH –  Keeping Safe When Storms Hit #VZWbuzz

I love living in North East Wisconsin where we have 4 beautiful seasons. Along with those awesome seasons comes some not so great extreme weather. Floods, blizzards, severe thunderstorms even an occasional tornado or 2 can be the order of the day. Thanks to my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 from Verizon along with 2 great free apps, severe weather doesn’t catch me by surprise.

Storm Team 5Today I want to share with you 2 mobile apps that can keep you informed and alerted 24 hours a day.

The first one on my list is a simple text only alert mobile app called Simple Weather Alert. This one is for Android only, sorry IOS fans. Simple Weather Alerts is a text only application that allows you to set your favorite locations and get text-based weather alerts based on those locations. You can even set the severity of the notifications as well as override a muted phone. I like that feature… who hasn’t put their phone down while it was silenced and missed an important call? One cool feature not seen in any other app I’ve tested is the ability to email an alert to friends or send via text message, so they can know of the danger as well. Simple Weather Alert is just that, simple, no fills, does what it says, no more, no less.

Now if you want an app that gives you much more information and can be used as your daily weather app, then look no further than the Storm Team 5 weather app for both Android and IOS. This app was created by WFRV5, a local TV station in Green Bay, WI, but works wherever you are. This app builds on many of the features of Simple Weather Alert and adds local radar, hourly forecasts, and 10-day outlook. The Storm Team 5 app lets you save multiple locations as well as a home location. One cool feature hidden in the preferences is the ability to overlay a compass.

Zooming out on the radar gives you a big picture of the inclement weather on the map. The radar even overlays watchs and warnings so you stay safe when trouble’s headed your way headed your way.

You can download Simple Weather Alert from the Google Play Store here https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.globalcanofworms.android.simpleweatheralert&hl=e

Look for the Storm Team 5 app for IOS here https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/storm-team-5/id382465013?mt=8 and the Android app here https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wfrv.android.weather&hl=en

For more information on how to get your very own Samsung Galaxy Note 3 from Verizon, Here’s a link http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/device/smartphone/samsung-galaxy-note-3-black

[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]
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TommyLog – Taking Time to Notice #vzwbuzz

TommyLog  – Taking Time to Notice #vzwbuzz

Took a walk this morning in beautiful foggy downtown Chicago. I noticed how many people were walking around with their headphones in their ears. To be fair, I was one of them. I was thinking to my self, how many of these people are noticing their surroundings, or just walking / listening blindly?

Are we going throughout life or do we notice whats going on around us?

http://youtu.be/7FbLm2-xAdQ

TommyLog TECH – On my Way to a 5K with the Jawbone UP! #VZWbuzz #AD

Fitness bands seem all the rage these days. There are models from Fitbit, Nike and even Samsung has entered the fray. I have been using one for almost a year and it’s the UP from Jawbone.

The Jawbone UP as well as these other products are much more than just glorified pedometers; it’s a complete fitness accessory. The UP tracks not only my steps; zero set up required, but it tracks my sleep patterns as well. I tell it when I’m sleeping soundly and when I’m not. UP tracks how long it took me to fall asleep and how many times I wake up in the middle of the night. I have a sleep goal of 8 hours and its not that tough to attain.

Jawbone UP Tracks Sleep pattterns
I love that fact that the UP only needs to be charged about once ever 10 days. It’s waterproof for showering and doing the dishes. Not recommended for swimming or being submerged in the tub. The UP syncs to your iPhone or Android device via the 3.5″ headphone jack. I sync it once a day and while plugged in you can play with other settings like Smart Alarm and Idle Alert.

The UP Smart Alarm analyses your sleep patterns and wakes you via a gentle vibration when you are the most refreshed, within a 10-20 min wakeup window you set. The Idle Alert keeps you from sitting your day away. I have mine set to remind me when I have set for more than an hour at a time. A vibration reminds me to get up and take a walk around the plant. Love that feature!

2014-04-26 19.15.40One of my goals as I get more active 13000 steps at my 5Kwas to participate in a 5K. Last month I took part in the Fox Cities Glow Run/Walk. The even was my first sanctioned 5K EVER! I did the event along with my long time buddy John and it was a blast!
Can you believe that I walked well over 13,000 steps for the event, 19,000 overall for that Saturday? A personal all time best!  What an amazing feeling to know that not only did I smash my personal daily goal, but darn near doubled it, WOW!

The Jawbone Up is totally 100% “Tommy Approved”!!

For more information on how to get your very own Jawbone UP from Verizon, Here’s a link http://www.verizonwireless.com/accessories/sports-and-fitness/jawbone/
[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]Panorama of the Event

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TommyLog TECH – Never Get Lost with Waze #VZWBuzz #AD

Do you remember those over-sized, folded maps of days gone by? When was the last time you actually unfolded one? Traveling has gotten so much easier with the advent of GPS. The tool I think I use almost every day to help me navigate is a app called Waze by Google. Using Waze on my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with the 5.7″ screen is just a dream come true. The huge screen makes navigation just a breeze.

Waze take GPS navigation up a HUGE notch. It links you to other “wazers” in the area to share the happenings on the road. “Real time reports of traffic slowdowns, police presence, accidents, road hazards even gas prices can all be communicated using Waze. You can even report inaccuracies in the map to get them fixed.

**NOTE** Please be safe using Waze by only accessing it while you are stopped or by a passenger in your vehicle.

Using Waze to never get lost on my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is totally “Tommy Approved”!!

Waze can be downloaded from the Google play store or from the iTunes store and I was wrong, Waze is available for windows phone.

For more information on how to get your very own Samsung Galaxy Note 3 from Verizon, Here’s a link http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/device/smartphone/samsung-galaxy-note-3-black

[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]

 

TommyLog TECH – Samsung Galaxy Note 3 First Look #VZWBuzz

TommyLog TECH – Samsung Galaxy Note 3 First Look #VZWBuzz
Okay kids, so I got this cool new Samsung Nalaxy Note 3 from Verizon and ask me a test. You saw it in my boxing video here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTSTdUm4rEY now let’s take a look one of the big key features of this thing. Today the thing I want to focus on is the size. This thing is just massive. The Galaxy Note 3 has a 5.7-inch screen. Compared to the iPad Air, which has a 9.7 inch screen, the iPad Mini with a 7.9-inch screen, and the iPhone 5S with a 4 inch screen… you can see the huge difference. Clearly the iPad’s are tablets, but lines are blurred between phone and tablet with the Note 3.

I’m not trying to get very technical here with regard to the sizes and weights. It’s all about what you can see and what you feel — that makes the real difference. Here with the Galaxy Note 3 the extra screen real estate is just significant. All the screens are beautiful and the Note 3 is no exception.

Of course the other big elephant in the room is the operating system in the phone runs. My daily driver, or iPhone 5S uses the IOS and Samsung galaxy three uses android 4.3. There are so many differences in OS’s here, learning a new one…well lets just say its different. More on that in subsequent videos.

For more information on how to get your own Samsung Galaxy Note 3 from Verizon, Here’s a link http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/device/smartphone/samsung-galaxy-note-3-black

[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]

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