So Sad To See The End

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.

As 2013 comes to an end so will the Verizon Boomer Voices Program that I have been a part of. It is sad to see this program end. I have benefited in learning first hand about all the new innovative products and services Verizon has to offer their customers. Although I have been a Verizon Wireless customer for many years it was not until I joined this program that I became aware of how great Verizon's services really are. 
Verizon has made it easy for customers like myself to learn about the connected devices we own. 
One of the ways a customer can learn how to use their connected device to its full potential is to attend an educational work shop that is made available in stores like  Verizon Destination Store at Mall of America. 
Another way a customer can learn to use their connected device not only to its full potential but to optimize for the best personal use is by adding Verizon's Tech Coach to your phone service. I just love this service. 
Verizon Tech Coach is a service that gives you over-the -phone, in person(not a robot or computer) technical support from device experts. This includes support for apps, cloud services, connected devices, printers, routers, and computers. The Tech Coach can even remotely access your Android phone, PC or Mac if you are comfortable with that. I for one like this idea. You see when something is not working for me I will gladly let an expert fix it and lower my frustration level by 100%. 
Now you know what my two favorite services are from Verizon. But I figure you might want to know what my favorite smart phone is. At this time I have compared three smart phones and have come to the conclusion that my favorite by just a pinch The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 which is just slightly better in my opinion than my Galaxy SIII. The Droid Razr Maxx HD came in third by just a smidgen. All three phones are great Smart Phones and I have not had any issues using any one of the three. You can check out how I compared them in this past post if you missed the comparison.
I want to thank Verizon for allowing me to be a part of the Boomer Voices Program. Thank you for the the experience that will stay with me for many years to come.

A Verizon Party With An Encore

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.

Early Saturday morning as party preparations were under way snow started to fall in those big beautiful flakes that we loves so much. I new we were under a winter weather advisory but pushed that fact to the back of my mind. I got started on food preparations and equipment testing. While I worked to some Christmas tunes being played on my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 over the Mini Jambox by Jawbone my husband began cooking beef ribs in his homemade barbecue sauce. 
Looking out the window on and off as the day progressed my husband got a little nervous about the weather and began calling the guest to be sure they were still planning to attend the party. After all the calls were made, each guest had assured us they would be able to make it. We were able to relax and complete all the party preparations needed in plenty of time to spare. Then about an hour before the guest would start to arrive we began getting call offs because of the winter storm that was settling around us. After most of our guests cancelled we called the remaining guest to reschedule for the next day. Unfortunately, we were not able to call the party off completely because there were a few party guest already out on the snow covered roads in route to our home. So, on the spur of the moment I knew I would make my presentation of all the great Verizon products that evening and give an encore performance the next day. At least that is what I thought would happen. I actually did one presentation on Saturday evening and two on Sunday for the guests that had other prior obligations and could not all show up at the same time. I saved the prize giveaways until the end on Sunday evening and did a drawing from all the guest that showed up over the two days time. I even included the Skype and Hangout guests in the drawings. 
Our menu consisted of Barbecued beef ribs, Greek salad, fresh green beans with slivered almonds, buttered potatoes with parsley, and two Swiss cake rolls chocolate and red velvet. 

 The products featured and given away at this party were as follows.

MINI JAMBOX by Jawbone

• It connects via Bluetooth.(or with a 3.5 mm stereo cable)
• Up to ten hours of battery life.
• Price $179.99

Check out the Mini Jambox here.

The Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation

• Quick-charging 4000 mAh external battery.
• Works with just about any USB-charged device.
• Provides a charging output of up to 2.1 amps
• Price $79.99

Check out the Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation here.

Verizon Ellipsis 7

• A portable full-feature tablet available exclusively from Verizon.
• Works on Verizon's fast 4G LTE network and with WiFi.
• It has a 7-inch HD display.
• It has an ample battery life and a 1.2GHz quad core processor.
• Price $149.99 with a 2-year contract or $299.99 with month-to-month.

Check out the Verizon Ellipsis here.

Most of the guest that attended this 2nd Verizon Boomer Voices Party were in the age range of 20  to 29 years. We did have a couple boomers like myself but the young crowd was represented very well. A vote from the guest picked the MINI JAMBOX by Jawbone as their favorite product. That said the FitBit One was the winner at the first party I hosted. You can read about that here. 

More guests.

Hanging Out!

Skyping!

What would you pick as your favorite product for the above list? 

Important Fitbit One Follow Up

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.

This post is long over due. I have had a little struggle writing this blog post. I have not been sure how I wanted to approach this subject. As most of my friends and readers know I usually do not write about my health. I like to write about happy subjects such as my sweet grandchildren, recipes, DIY projects and lots of product reviews. You may have noticed I have not written much lately except about the products I have accepted for review. I have been having some health issues that have taken away some of my computer time.

Over the last six months I have been privileged to wear a Fitbit One wireless activity tracker. I have enjoyed the perks of keeping up with my exercise, diet and sleep tracking. While wearing the Fitbit One I have been able to see why I have been so tired and exhausted during my waking hours. I was able to see how restless my sleep really was. I shared this information with my doctor and we came up with a plan to help improve my sleep. After following the suggestions my doctor made I continued to track my sleep with the Fitbit One. I had some improvement to be sure. The suggestions seemed to help with my daytime energy levels. I still felt that I was not getting enough rest and would run out of energy early in the day. Not being able to focus on normal daily tasks and falling a sleep at the computer where just a few of the symptoms I have been experiencing. 
Once again I printed off the sleep record my Fitbit One provided. With this information in hand I made a follow up appointment with my family doctor. After looking over my sleep record, my doctor has decided we need to run some tests. He suspects Sleep Apnea might be what is causing part of my health problems. I will keep you updated with the test results in the near future. 
I want to thank Verizon Wireless for allowing me to be a part of the Verizon Boomer Voices Program and for the amazing Fitbit One they have provided for review. As the Verizon Boomer Voices Program comes to an end I am going to miss being a part of this awesome group and the wonderful service Verizon has provided. I expect to remain a loyal customer for many years to come. 
You can read my past post about the Fibit One and all it can do here.

A Verizon Boomer Voices Party In The Making

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.

Being a part of the Verizon Boomer Voices program has given me the opportunity to try out some newest, hottest, and trendiest cell phones on the market today. I have learned a lot along the way about products and services offered by Verizon Wireless. I have been privy to hot deals like this one being offered now. "Red-Hot Deal!! 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab for $99 w/new 2-yr activation. Get it here! Offer ends 12/9 so hurry to get this deal.
Now I am in the party preparation stage of my second Verizon Boomer Voices House Party. If you missed the details on my first House Party check it out here. I know you are all wondering, "What happens at a Verizon Boomer Voices House Party?" Well, let me tell you what you can expect if you are invited to a party like this one. First, you are not going to need your wallet, checkbook or credit card. There is nothing being sold and nothing to purchase. You can expect to learn about the latest and greatest technological devices available at Verizon Wireless stores across the country and online. You should also expect a swag bag full of awesome Verizon Goodies, games, prizes, good food and lots of fun.

My last party was attended by some tech savvy friends, family and co-workers with many being in the boomer age group. This second party is going to be a little different. I have asked my children to invite their very tech savvy friends which are in a much younger age group. I would say the 20 something age group. So, I am betting they are going to be very interested in the hot prizes I am giving away at this party.

I will give you a few clues to some of the awesome prizes. 

Clue #1: A portable energy source for on the go!

Clue #2: Its small, makes a big sound, no wire needed!

Clue #3: It can be connected, makes for great book reading!

Try and guess what the prizes might be. Follow @grandma_bonnie on twitter for some more clues to my Verizon Boomer Voices House Party Prizes.  I am off now in search of a new recipe that will Wow my party guests. 

Not Just An Ordinary Cell Phone

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.

Being a Verizon Boomer Blogger has put me in the know when it comes to getting connected. I have learned so much about the best ways to stay connected with the newest and most advanced  technology available from Verizon Wireless. 
Verizon has given me another new phone to try out. I will be sharing my thought about this phone in the coming days. I am unveiling this great phone today on my blog. I hope you take a minute to watch the unveiling of the product. The clip runs less than a minute. 

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is an amazing phone with so many features I can't possibly cover all these wonderful features in one post. 

My first impressions were of the large 5.7" screen. I love the size it will be great for skyping the grandchildren, watching movies, note taking and reading eBooks.

One of my first thought were about the camera. The 13MP camera is perfect for a grandparent, blogger or anyone who likes to use the camera on their phone. The camera features an eraser to remove photo distractions. The eraser will come in handy when a stranger shows up unexpectedly in the background of my pictures. The camera also features a drama shot that will capture every photo frame of my granddaughters while dancing in their recital.   

This phone is sleek, stylish, light weight and the textured-touch back looks like leather. 

I placed my three phones together to compare the size. 

                     Galaxy S3     Samsung Galaxy Note 3    Droid Raxr Maxx HD

I feel the size of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is perfect for me. It is just a little larger than the GS3. The large screen is great for my e-reader. It is lighter than the Droid Razr Maxx HD. This will make it comfortable to hold with my arthritic fingers. 

What do you think of the screen size? What is your favorite cell phone feature? 

Everybody Loves A Party!

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.

My Verizon Boomer Voices Party Photos!

Saturday was the big day. All morning rain poured and poured. I was a little worried that some of the invited guest would not want to get out in the rain. About an hour before the party the clouds parted and the sun peeked out to shine down on our party! Being a Verizon Boomer Voices Blogger I have been exposed to and learned a lot about a ton of new and amazing connected devices being made available by Verizon Wireless. This party is one of the ways I have been given to share the knowledge I have gained with my friends, family and acquaintances.

I selected Grandpa's Chili for our party meal, with corn chips and a Verizon themed cake decorated by myself. After all the rain there was a chill and dampness that hung in the air making chili the perfect party food. As my guest arrived they were given a pre-party survey to fill out.

Completing the pre and post surveys gave each guest an raffle ticket for our party door prize. I was happy to see the guests took the survey seriously and everyone got entered into that giveaway. 

A ton of information was shared with my party guests. Some of my party guests commented how they did not know Verizon had so many connected devices and how its not just cellphones anymore. 

I shared information on each of the products listed below. I even had a Trivia game and Lets Make a Deal game for the guests to play and win the products listed below. 

You can click on any of the links below for more information about any of the products. 

Verizon Total Mobile Protection/Tech Coach

Home Phone Connect

4G LTE Broadband Router With Voice

Sure Response

Tagg Pet Tracker

Belkin NetCam HD WiFi Camera

FitBit One

As the products were presented the guest were sure to let me know what their favorites were. The guests with children and pets liked the Tagg Pet Tracker. A simple description of what it does, the Tagg Pet Tracker clips on a pets collar and with GPS technology it can message you to tell you your pet has left a pre-selected designated area.  It can also help you track your pet with the help of that same GPS. You can locate it on a map with your smartphone or computer.  

The Belkin NetCam HD WiFi Camera came in second on the favorites list. The NetCam allows you to keep tabs on whats important to you over your smartphone or tablet. The NetCam features a wide view lens, digital audio and night vision. It's an amazing device.

The top favorite among all the guests was the FitBit One. Which I have been privileged to be trying out for the last several months. You can read about my experience here. 

Being a Verizon Boomer Voices Party and the Theme a was promoting Get Connected I had a couple guest join the party by Skype.  It was quite fun for the guest at the party to interact with my Skyping (my new word) guests. 

They started out in the corner on a coffee table. Then made there way to the center of the room. Later on one of the children at the party had them held hostage in the family room playing with toys. Lol, they though it was hilarious. 

More guest Skyping by smart phone. The phone was much easier to keep track of. Although, a tablet or laptop would have gave a bigger picture of my guest,  you can see the child in the front, Dad behind the child and moms cheek to the right. I think skyping by phone is better for one person. (just my opinion)

For the final party photos today I thought I would share the cake I made for the party. The fondant figures are holding smart phones. The woman figure is sitting just chatting on the phone. The man is walking with phone in hand and Bluetooth piece in ear. The Droid Razr Maxx HD smartphone and Verizon Boomer Voices symbol is made with modeling chocolate.

I will be posting more photos on Pinterest and Facebook so stop by and check them out later this week. 

Sometime in November I will be hosting a Second Verizon Boomer Voices Party so keep watching for an update to my next Verizon adventure and stay connected!

My First Verizon Boomer Voices Party

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 am in the final phase of planning for my first Verizon Boomer Voices House Party. I can hardly wait until Saturday the big day. I know you understand all the work involved in planning a party.  I am sure you have been wondering why I have been missing from the blog world these past few days.  Well, this is what I have been busy doing. Party planning can sure keep a Grandmother busy.
First, I planned a great cake. You had to know I would be making a cake. It has a Verizon Boomer Theme and revolves around being connected.

One of my friends helping trim up a modeling chocolate cake topper I made. With Jess's help I was able to make two really nice cake toppers. Two more toppers are in the making. 

I have several great Verizon Wireless products to show off and giveaway to my party guests. One of my favorite products is going to help a family stay on top of whats happening at home while away from home. Another product will be keeping a party guest on top of their health. There are lots more products to give away. I will fill you in right after the party. My party guests will be playing a Verizon Trivia game that yours truly has made up.  We will also be playing a game I am calling "Get Connected if the Price is Right"!

Each of the party guests will be taking home a swag bag filled with lots of goodies courtesy of Verizon Wireless. 

I have got to get back to getting this party put together. Check back after the weekend for lots of party pictures and information on the products I am giving away at the party. I hope you all Stay Connected!

My Thoughts About Smartphones & Staying Connected

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.

This post is for my blogging  friends that are holding on to your basic cell phones and not embracing the newest in smartphone technology available.
This is a true story. It happened about 5 years ago give or take a few months.  When we first changed over to smartphones from our basic clam shell cellphone I was a bit angry. It kind of happened just out of the blue. My hubby and I were due for an up grade.
I went into the store with a specific basic phone in mind. It was a model that was good for a person who was rough on a phone. I was like that. I had laundered two cell phones in the past. Dropped a cell phone in an elevator shaft and so forth and so on. Yep, I was definitely rough on my cell phones. That day my husband was looking at the smartphones and he really wanted the Galaxy S. I told him go for it! But, there was a sale going on and he wanted the sale price. The deal was buy one get one free. I held out for all of maybe five minutes and my dearest won the battle. He agreed to buy the insurance because I was totally sure I would be laundering that phone in no time at all. That is the short version on how we changed to using smartphones.
I do have to tell you the first week I was still sure it was a mistake to carry such expensive and fragile electronics in my purse or pocket. But as time flew by I became accustom to having the Internet at my side 24/7. I had apps for everything I could possibly want. Weather at my finger tips, maps, directions and anything the Internet offered. I still have my old Galaxy S. I never washed or dropped it. So, I learned to be just a little more careful of where my phone was at any given time. I changed to a new Galaxy S3 which I treat like my right hand. It keeps the world at my finger tips. I am also carrying a Droid Razr Maxx HD courtesy of Verizon and the Verizon Boomer Voices Program.
At this time I do not know what I would do without the Droid Razr Maxx HD. Being a blogger I need to be in constant contact with my sponsors, have email at my finger tips and be able to research on the go. If I did not have a smartphone I would be stuck at home doing my work from a desk.
I travel often to see my grandchildren. I do not want to give up  my travels in order to keep blogging. Carrying a smartphone is like having my home office in my pocket. So, I can travel and blog at the same time. See, you can have your cake and eat it too!
I love the Galaxy S3 but I love the Droid Razr Maxx HD just a little more. Why? It has the most awesome battery life you could ever imagine. I have been able to use the phone for two to three days at a time before having to recharge. The Droid Razr Maxx HD is meant for a traveling, blogging grandmother like myself. I know some of you might be thinking it is hard to type a post from a cellphone even the smartest smartphone may not be comfortable to type long posts with. Well, I have written short posts, posted photos, answered emails and tweeted from my smartphone with comfort and ease. When I want to write a longer more involved post I use my smartphone as a mobile hotspot. I hook up my laptop and I am ready to connect with my blog. I use many social media apps like Facebook, twitter, G+ and Linkedin right on my smartphone. Traveling with a smartphone has made it easy for me to stay connected to my grandchildren, my business sponsors, my blog and social media sites. I could not ask more from any phone.
My blogging friends, What do you think? Would a smartphone keep you connected? Would one make your life a little easier?