This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
I’m sure that by now, most people are familiar with the concept of “checking in” to let your friends know where you are. For those who aren’t, it’s pretty simple. You’re out to lunch at Outback Steakhouse and you whip out your phone and check in using a service like FourSquare to let your friends know you’re there. Maybe one of them will drop in and have a drink with you or just notice that you go there a lot and try the place themselves. Checking in is only becoming more popular every day, but now you can get paid for doing it!
Get Paid To Check In
WeReward.com pays you for check ins and tasks you complete in the real world. It integrates with Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, so you can still get your badges and share the way you always have, which is pretty cool because I can now just use this one app for all three. Of course I checked out the video below and then promptly downloaded the app to my iPhone.
It’s one of those things I wish I’d thought of first and had to happen eventually. I’ve been checking in all the time on FourSquare and now I can get points for each check in that convert to cash. You bet I’m in.
Trying It First Hand
I haven’t been out yet, but I wanted to give this thing a shot. After downloading the app, I set up all three network connections to Facebook, Twitter, and FourSquare. I always do this first in new apps so I don’t have to go back and do it later in the middle of some activity or while I’m on the road. Before I could do this, the app took a little longer to load than I had expected, but I suspect that’s because it is grabbing all the nearby businesses and the reward details. It also crashed the first time I opened it. I can’t say if that’s the app’s fault as I’m jailbroken, but it’s in open beta, so who knows. Regardless, once the app is loaded it’s fast and it hasn’t crashed again. So far, so good. I should also point out that I’m using a non-default font on my iPhone, so text in apps sometimes gets cut off as seen in my screen caps.
When you first open the application, you get a listing of businesses in the area where you can check in and earn reward points as seen in the image on the left above. For these, it seems I have to take a picture of the establishment if I want my points, but it’s not like that’s hard to do. When I hit “Check In”, it loads up the camera, I snap the photo and submit it for review. Another option lets me find things nearby with a search. To give it a test run, I typed in “pizza” and off it went searching for me. A second later, I had a listing that included a bunch of places near me that were either pizza joints or at least serve or sell pizza. Oddly, the list also included Long John Silvers. I don’t think they sell pizza, but other than that, it was pretty accurate. Before you check in, you can also click a little arrow at the bottom to expand a CityGrid listing for the business which includes a bit of helpful information as well as a review count and overall rating.
The image on the right above shows the Tasks view. This is the sweet spot where you can cure a little boredom and earn a lot of points quickly. Points convert at one cent each, so the Taco Bell task will earn you a cool $5 while other tasks are generally pretty simple and get you decent point amounts as well. As a test (and to earn an easy breezy 50 points), I tapped on the WeReward task which asked me to write “www.wereward.com” on my body with a marker and submit a photo of it. I wrote on my hand, snapped a photo, added a little note for Twitter (optional) and submitted it. I now have my first 50 points pending.
You can check the status and history of all your rewards in the rewards page of the app. This shows Pending, Approved, Declined, and Referrals. This page is also where you can see your point total and its dollar equivalent and cash out if you’re over 5,000 points.
Earn With Referrals
If I’m already going to use a service and tell my friends about it, I look for the referral program if it exists, and it wasn’t hard to find here. Not only does it exist, but it’s on a percentage scale. When I refer someone, I get 10% of all their verified check in points, which can add up pretty quick. I know some serious FourSquarers who check in all the time.
Conclusions
Now this is where you iPhone owners should Download the App. WeReward is a welcomed addition to my iPhone. Not only will I use it daily, but it works well and is very well thought out. I’m already excited to try it out for the first time checking in somewhere for dinner! Download and let me know what you think.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of broadbandgenie.co.uk. All opinions are 100% mine.
I don’t move much, but when I do, one of the important things I look at is what broadband solutions will be available to me. I need my high speed access. Just last weekend, my mom, who has lived in the same house for years, got new broadband internet access. She called me for help with figuring out what all this stuff meant and which provider to use, but what if I didn’t know?
This is where a site like Broadband Genie comes in. They offer comparisons of broadband (and other) services along with guides, news, tools, etc. Here’s what they have to say about why you might want to use their site:
* Save time and money. We spend loads of time gathering and checking all the price and package data from all the top providers, so you don’t have to.
* Be a sheep, make your life easy. If you don’t want to trawl through the comparison tables looking for that special deal, see what our experienced editors and users recommend.
* Get an education. If you want to learn all about broadband internet, how it works and how to compare it, then let us translate it all into plain-English for you. We’ve got help guides, blogs, daily news, and loads of places you can ask questions or just have a good moan.
For those in the U.S., the site won’t be much help in regards to comparing services. Non-UK readers still have plenty of reasons to visit, though, so keep reading.
Compare Broadband Providers
In the interest of the review, I pretended I was in Staffordshire and used Google to find an address where I could pretend to live. This yielded much better results from Broadband Genie, which returned a list of broadband providers in order of suggested use. The list displayed the initial setup cost, monthly cost, contract length, speed, and download caps as seen below.
I was able to sort by any of the columns I mentioned above and more information was a click away, taking me to a page loaded with information specific to the provider. The provider page included service highlights, an overview of different packages, a “road test” widget showing overall user ratings, and customer reviews. This page proved to be a pretty good snapshot of what the provider has to offer.
Compare Mobile Services and More
This site goes beyond just home/office broadband to also compare mobile phone services, pay as you go mobile broadband, and even deals that give you a laptop (with a contract for the mobile broadband). These work in the same way, providing a sortable ordered list and detail pages.
Tools and Guides
Before buying any services, it’s helpful to get educated. Broadband Genie starts with a broadband guide right on the home page to answer questions like “What is broadband?” and “What are modems, routers & dongles?”. Additional guides help you determine compatibility, understand broadband speeds, and even help guide you through setting it all up. Along with the guides, the newsletter, frequently updated News section, forums, and “Ask the Genie” form seem to make sure you’ll find the answers you’re looking for.
Once you’ve learned all about broadband speeds, you can test your own to get an idea of what your needs might be. The first time I ran the speed test, it actually crashed Firefox. When I loaded it up again, it worked great, so I can’t say if that’s a bug or my browser was just having one of its fits. I’ve since tried on another computer in Firefox, and Chrome with no crashing problems, but I’m not sure the results are reliable. They seemed much lower than I had expected, so I headed to another site that returned vastly different numbers which were very close to my expectations.
Conclusions
The speed test didn’t impress me at all, but it was a small bump in a very smooth and freshly paved road to broadband knowledge. Broadband Genie had what I expected. Then it had more and more and even more. I still feel like I left some stones unturned on this site and can only imagine other features I’ve missed. It really only needs two things to be perfect, a U.S. sister site and maybe a better speed test (assuming it’s actually inaccurate).
Also, for those in Australia, Broadband Genie has an Australian site too, which also compares mobile broadband and broadband deals.
I love to get my hands on a product for review, but this review was a little different. After a little setup, my hands hardly touch it. That’s because we’re talking about the Thrustmaster T-Freestyle NW.
It’s just like a skateboard deck and it attaches to your Wii Balance Board to give you more of a feeling of being on an actual skateboard than just the Balance Board. I brought it home and hooked it up, hoping to finally do better than my wife at the skateboard challenge.
Thrustmaster T-Freestyle Setup And Removal
Getting the T-Freestyle set up and ready to use was incredibly easy. You just flip the board over, set the Balance Board on top of it (also upside down) and secure it with the two plastic board clamps to the two handles on the bottom of the Balance Board. Removing it again is almost as easy as reversing the above steps, but it requires a little more effort. Because it’s so securely fastened, it’s hard to remove by hand, but the instructions suggest using a pencil or something similar to pry it loose. That sounds odd, but it was pretty easy.
It Feels like a Skateboard
After seeing all the tiny steering wheels and tennis rackets and learning to accept a small plastic baseball bat, I was thrilled to see that the Thrustmaster is not only made of genuine maple like real boards, but it really was shaped and sized like a real board. Positioning on it was far better than on the Wii Balance Board and it just felt like there was more room. Balance was a bit of a challenge because it acted like a real board, leaning back and forth more than the Balance Board, but that’s a good thing, even if it takes some getting used to.
One problem I had with all this realism was my want to kick the tail of the board down to “ollie”. In my younger years, I skated all the time, so being on a board, I wanted to do the tricks in the game like I was on a real board. That’s something else that will take some getting used to. You also don’t want to play on this with socks on and no shoes. Trust me. I first jumped on with my socks and no shoes and slid off at the first loss of balance. Additionally, the board has a safety stopper on each end to prevent you from tipping it over if you get too crazy.
An aspect clearly forgotten in many Wii sports add-ons is aesthetics. If you ever had a skateboard, you know there’s a ton of deck designs to choose from and the look of your board is important. Rather than just stick with a plain, one-color device, Thrustmaster took the time to paint a cool skull design on their board, and I like that.
Game Play And Conclusions
At the beginning of this review, I mentioned hoping that the Thrustmaster T-Freestyle would help me beat my wife’s score in Wii skateboarding. Well, it didn’t. Although game play was easier and more realistic, you’ll still need your own skill to get the high scores. Still, it did feel better to be on an actual board and it felt more real. The balance issue I mentioned actually made some game play harder, which I suspect will get better over time.
For the purchase price of $20-$30 or so (depending on where you buy), it’s well worth the money. If you’re going to play any skateboarding or snowboarding games on the Wii a lot, this is a no-brainer.
Having a computer dedicated to your entertainment center is fine, but what if you don’t want to dedicate a computer just to that? That’s how I had things set up for a long time. I used the computer less and less after we got a new cable box that included a DVR. With HULU, I contemplated setting it all back up, but then I came across a device that promised to save me all the trouble.
The device pictured above is a USB PC to TV audio and video adapter from a company called Warpia and it’s designed to transmit the audio and video signal from your computer to a receiving unit attached to your PC.
Setting It All Up
The setup for this device really couldn’t have been much easier. Following some simple instructions, I installed the software from the included CD and then plugged in the USB PC adapter. After looking over the settings, I plugged in the A/V base adapter and hooked it up to the HDMI cable I borrowed from my DVD player (will connect via VGA, too). After a couple seconds, everything on my laptop screen was being displayed on my 42 inch TV as well. Check out the video of everything in action:
The refresh rate for video was pretty good, but could be a little better. Other than that, HD video came across as true HD and looked really good. All my applications refreshed seamlessly and I had a very clear picture.
Features and Flaws
One of the things I liked about this was that it’s treated as an additional display, so I can tell Windows to either Duplicate the display or Extend it. When I extend it, I get to keep my normal laptop screen just on my laptop, and a second desktop for the TV. A great example of how that’s beneficial presented itself the other night. I purchased a movie online for direct download and watched it on the TV over my wireless A/V connection. At the same time, I was able to tweet, read and respond to email, etc. from my original desktop. Pretty cool.
The SWP100A also comes with mounting screw slots on the bottom of the TV adapter and that end’s USB stick can plug in horizontally or vertically in case you want to wall mount it and keep it as flush as possible.
The only real concern this device presented was the heat it generated. The USB adapter can get pretty warm and the TV adapter gets downright hot. I’d have loved to see an on/off switch on the TV end of the setup. Not only would this help with the heat problem, but it would be a lot easier than having to unplug it and plug it back in every time I want to use it.
Conclusions
At $179.99, it’s not my cheapest device, but it’s cheaper than setting up another computer just for the TV and a lot, I mean a LOT easier. I went from sealed box to completed and in use in about 5-7 minutes. If you can handle the price, it’s a decent solution to get your audio and video from PC to TV in a snap.
A couple years ago, I finally took the plunge and bought a DSLR. It came with the stock lens and was all I needed and I didn’t even need a camera bag. Since then, I’ve gotten a tripod and several lenses, and throwing them all in a regular backpack stopped working pretty much right away. It became clear to me that a good camera bag was what I needed.
My wife bought me a camera bag and lugging around my camera and accessories became a lot easier. This is not the same camera bag. This is a bigger bag for lugging around a lot more lenses, cameras, and, well, just a lot. This Booq Python Blur camera bag turned up at my office recently for a review.
Haul Lots Of Camera Equipment
I have my DSLR camera, a 500mm mirror lens, macro lens, fish-eye lens, some filters, a tripod and I carry around my camera battery charger, an extra battery, Rubiks Cube, and a Flip Ultra and a small point-and-shoot Sony digital camera. I first pulled all the filler paper out of the Python Blur (look at all that). There are pockets everywhere. One really good pocket to have in a camera bag is a laptop pocket. If you have a DLSR that you can control with software on your laptop, you know the benefits. I would have never gotten this hummingbird photo without my laptop and at the time, I had to carry both the laptop bag and the camera bag, which was a pain. To get a feel for the capacity, I emptied out my camera bag and loaded it all up in the Python Blur.
It still felt pretty empty. I moved stuff around and it still felt empty. It makes sense, though. A professional photographer is going to have his or her good camera and then their backup, a slew of lenses, color meters, remotes, etc. And a professional photographer would probably be able to fit all that in the Python Blur easily enough. The bottom of the top compartment can be moved or removed, as well, to join the bottom area and form one large storage space. A professional photographer is going to need this much bag. Sadly, it seems this is a little too much bag for me… for now.
Size Isn’t Everything
So I didn’t have enough camera equipment to make much of a dent at all in the amount of pace this Booq bag provides. That’s a good thing, one would think, and it still is for most, but it provided some concern for me. The very first thing I noticed when I threw it on my back was that it felt a lot heavier than my old basic beginner bag. The heft does not come without it’s reasons (see below), but it feels like this bag weighs almost as much empty as my bag with everything in it. I’m sure I could get used to it and it’s not exactly a ton, but it would be less convenient, especially when I take my gear hiking. The site lists the Python Blur as only 5.7lb, so maybe I just need to go to the gym more.
The next problem I faced was the lack of anywhere to strap in my tripod. Even though it throws the balance of my current bag all off, it’s one more thing I like to have integrated into a single bag. This is more than offset with the laptop pocket, but I want both.
Finally, the side pockets felt small to me. They were the obvious place to store my lenses, but it didn’t feel like it. Cramming my largest lens in there didn’t feel right and even a couple smaller ones felt forced, though everything fit and came out fine.
Reward If Found And Other Cool Features
While it doesn’t actually say anything about a reward, that’s the first thing someone might think. When I opened up the top compartment, I found a bar code and serial number on a tag that reads, “IF FOUND PLEASE VISIT TERRALINQ.COM”. Something tells me that there are people out there who would guess correctly that a nice camera bag like this loaded up with equipment could sell for quite a bit, but there are plenty of helpful and honest people out there, too, who would love to return such a thing to its owner if only they knew who that was. That’s where Booq’s Terralinq service comes in. Buy a Booq bag, register it, lose it, someone finds it, they report it, Terralinq contacts you and you meet up with the finder for your bag. It’s a great idea that is hopefully saving some people lots of money or insurance headaches.
One of the small features, but still worth pointing out, is the key ring in the left side pocket pictured above. Even better, but harder to show with a photo, is that the Python Blur’s exterior is 1680 denier ballistic nylon and water repellent. From the high-quality zippers to the denim lining, this thing is built to last a long time and absorb the impact of some of our clumsy mistakes. The inside is soft and protects without scratching. Aside from any features, a good bag should last and this one looks like it will.
Conclusions
There’s a lot of camera bags out there and bags made specifically to carry around expensive camera equipment and protect it from damage, rain, etc. are never cheap. At $229, this one is a little more than I would be willing to throw down for a bag for my camera equipment which I could replace for about $800 or less. More than the cost, it’s just too much for me. I need a simple bag for my simple photography needs. The Booq Python Blur is, however, a serious bag for serious photographers with a price tag that is justified by the years of rugged use it is likely to provide, the peace of mind named Terralinq, and the over-abundance of storage space.
