Hanging Out With My Grandchildren Courtesy Of Verizon Wireless

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Boomer Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

I have had another very busy week here at home. With all the rain and bad weather we have stayed close to home and have not been able to visit any of our grandchildren. I sure do get a little cranky around here when I have not got my fix of their sweet little faces! I need that little fix daily to remain a happy grandma. What have I been able to do to get my fix of my sweet grandchildren?
I picked up my Droid Razr Maxx HD courtesy of Verizon and decide to Skype Pooh Bear and Little Roo.

This is a screen shot of Little Roo on Skype. It was hard to get a good screen shot of the fast moving boys. You can see how clear the baby gate is and the lamp in the corner is my screen view. 

With the front facing webcam (1.3 MP) and the 4.7" Super Amoled HD display my whole Skype experience was simply perfect. I played peek-a-boo with Little Roo and I spy with Pooh Bear. If you have not had the chance to play a game of I spy with your grandchildren on Skype you should try it some time. It can be hilarious. I even had the opportunity to read their bedtime story. 

I know what some of you are thinking. Not everyone has Skype or maybe they just don't like to use Skype. My Droid Razr Maxx HD has got that covered also. Google has an awesome app called Hangouts (Talk). The Droid Razr Maxx HD came with this app already preloaded on the phone. If you have a Gmail account you can use hangouts. 

 Hangouts and Talk app icons.

Back on the topic at hand. The next evening I decided to Hangout with my grandson Little Bug. This is really a big deal! I have never tried Hangouts and was not sure how easy it would be. Well, let me tell you it was a simple as selecting the Talk app on my phone. A list of my Gmail contacts came up on the screen. A green dot beside a contact means the contact is available to hangout with. I selected the video camera displayed beside my son's name and we were on.

 This is a screen shot of Little bug  on Hangouts showing me how his crank flash light works. Again the screen shot is not as clear as it could be because of my moving target. I can assure you though the view is clear on screen.  

In my opinion there is nothing better than to be able to see your grandchild every day even when they are many miles away. Thank you Verizon. 

There is one other feature on this phone that I would like to share with you today. The Droid Razr Maxx HD has a Circles widget that is one of my favorite widgets. 

This is a screenshot of my home screen.

The Circles Widget is displayed at the top of the screen. The large circle displays the time. Tap this circle and it brings up the alarm clocks. You can easily set one or more alarms quickly. The medium circle displays the temperature of a city you preset. You can select to set multiple cities to view. To change the view of the displayed city just slide your finger across the circle and the next city will be displayed. Tap on the circle to view temperatures expected for the week. The last circle displays remaining battery life. Tap on the circle and the battery setting will be displayed. If you receive a text, miss a call or receive a voice mail, the Circles Widget will notify you. This is a major plus for me. Seeing all this very important information at a glance. I have a few favorite apps and widgets that I like and the Circles Widget is at the top of that list.

What do you think about the Circles Widget? Do you have a favorite app or widget you like best?