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6 Apps That Will Make Labor Day Travel A Breeze!

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6 Apps That Will Make Labor Day Travel A Breeze!

by Melissa Stewart

Labor Day weekend is just a few days away so I thought it was the perfect time for a good ol’ app roundup post! If you plan to stay home and relax, enjoy! If your plans will take you a little further, use these 6 apps to make the most of the extended weekend!

Roadtrippers

RoadtrippersAndroid and iOS

Their unique content covers the wonderful “off the beaten path” places to visit, and they also offer a database containing millions of the world’s most interesting locations. Roadtrippers helps people discover the world around them in an entirely new way by streamlining discovery, planning, booking, and navigation into an engaging and intuitive process.

CityMaps2Go

CityMaps2GoAndroid and iOS

Featuring downloadable maps and guides to over 7,000 destinations around the world, this application is great for travelers without an internet connection as maps can be pre-loaded onto a phone. The app also features articles and suggestions for destination, if someone is interested in a more robust itinerary.

 

BringFido

BringFidoiOS

Looking for a pet-friendly hotel? How about an awesome dog park, trail or beach? BringFido.com is the world’s leading pet travel website and the #1 trusted resource for dog owners looking for the lowdown on the best hotels, attractions, and restaurants that welcome pets. Our app brings the best of the website to your phone, giving you free on-the-go access to pet-friendly information worldwide.

 

Pack Point

PackPoint

Android and iOS

Regardless of how often we travel, we all have managed to waste time by writing up the same exact packing list many times before only to forget a toothbrush or socks. Pack Point takes the time and guesswork out of all of that. After asking you a few simple questions about your trip, the app will generate a packing list for you based on the time of year you’re going, what activities you plan on doing, and where you’re headed. Honestly, it couldn’t be easier and forgotten socks will be a thing of the past.

 

Weather+Free

Weather +Android and iOS

Weather+ offers standard weather info like condition description and temperature. Also more detailed info like wind direction, speed details, humidity, precipitation, pressure and visibility details. All this info in a 3-hourly weather forecast for a total of 5 days! This app will inform your decision about what to wear before stepping outside!

 

GasBuddy

GasBuddyAndroid and iOS

Save money and save time! GasBuddy locates the closest gas stations and provides approximate pricing. Particularly useful when you’re running on empty, GasBuddy will find the cheapest gas near you.

Disclosure: I’m a member of a pretty cool team of influencing users, I received mobile devices with line of service from Verizon (#ad). No additional compensation was provided nor did I promise a positive review. All opinions are my own. By the way, we meet every Friday @ 2pm CT on Twitter to discuss mobile phones and how you can use them in your daily lives. Join us! 

#VZWBuzz #ad

Disclosure: I am a Verizon Wireless Lifestyle blogger. I receive products free of charge to review. This makes me happy. In addition, I receive mobile devices with a line of service from Verizon (#ad). No additional compensation is provided nor do I promise a positive review. All opinions are my own. I also do roundup posts showcasing great apps and accessories for your smart phone. And in case you’re interested, we meet every Friday @ 2pm CT on Twitter to discuss mobile phones and how you can use them in your daily lives. Join us! 

Tile Bluetooth Tracking. May My Son Never Lose His Keys Again!

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Tile Bluetooth Trackerby Melissa Stewart

Last month Verizon sent me a Bluetooth tracking accessory called TILE to play with and review if the mood struck me. Well, the mood has struck!

Last night I gathered the family around for a family pizza night. We had a full house with my 4 boys, their girlfriends, and my parents. One of my sons had a concert to attend and no time to spare. He inhaled his pizza and he was ready hit the road. Hard to do without his keys.

He’d lost them AGAIN!

We searched high and low. An army of family armed with flashlights and a since of urgency. My son could not wait or he’d be late. We located a spare key and sent him on his way while we continued the search.

An hour later, my dad found the keys.

I made a decision last night, my son was getting a gift.

I do hereby bequeath my Tile to my dear son. May we never have to search for his keys again!”

I’ve been enjoying this mini gadget since it arrived via Fed Ex in June and with it’s promise of “Lose less of everything, including your valuable time” I think this is the perfect gift for my son.

A few of the things that I love about TILE:

  • Easy set up
  • Loud alarm
  • Low price (get a 4 pack for $69.99)
  • App for both Android and iOS
  • Tiny with rounded edges
  • Attach, stick, or tie Tile to all the things you need to track
  • Bluetooth
  • Works for keys, wallets, pets, kids 🙂

The Technology: Tile uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to help you locate your items (Tile’s Bluetooth range is up to 100 ft. Bluetooth is most effective at the 30 ft range).

The Size: Tile is small, lightweight and fits in with the design of your favorite things. Tile can easily attach to items via an adhesive sticker or by attaching to keys using the cutout hole. 37mm x 37mm x 5.3mm –  that’s about 1/4″ thin, and a bit less than 1.5″ length and height.

Battery Life/Lifetime: Tile will run for 1 year.

Security & Privacy: Tiles are only visible to the registered user, and they do not contain any personal identifiable information on them. If you mark something as lost, another user’s phone can find a Tile, but it relays the information to our servers anonymously. The user never even knows they did it.

I think TILE is awesome and I’m hoping my son will appreciate and use it STAT 🙂

NOTE: I’m part of the Verizon #VZWbuzz Lifestyle Blogger team and occasionally receive free items to review. The apps shared above are all apps I’ve tried and think you may enjoy too. A BIG THANK YOU to the Verizon Influencer group for letting me try their products and share my honest thoughts about them. No additional compensation is provided to me. All the opinions here are my own.

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5 Time-Tracking Apps For Freelancers #VZWBuzz

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5 Time Tracking Apps For Freelancers

by Melissa Stewart

Disclosure: I am a Verizon Wireless Lifestyle blogger. I receive products free of charge to review. This makes me happy. All opinions are my own.

RescueTime

Find your ideal work‑life balance. With so many distractions and possibilities in your digital life, it’s easy to get scattered. RescueTime helps you understand your daily habits so you can focus and be more productive. The browser extension watches over how long you spend on particular websites and web apps, while the mobile app does the same for Android devices. Desktop apps are also available. Information is gathered quietly in the background and can break it down in all kinds of ways. RescueTime is great for individual freelancers who want to know how they’re spending their time but don’t necessarily need to report back to any manager.

Price: Free for RescueTime Lite / $9 month for Premium

TopTracker

TopTracker allows freelancers and teams to effortlessly track their time, productivity and performance and it is completely FREE (without any version limitations). TopTracker gives you full control over what you keep track of and how often, with options including simple time tracking, screenshots, or webcam shots. Effortless Time Tracking From Any Device. Centralized View Of All Projects. Full Privacy Control For Freelancers. Detailed Productivity Reports.

Price: FREE

Timely

Schedule your hours, and you’ll spend no time tracking them. You’re already planning – whether it’s weekly, daily, or even just a few hours ahead. Move your schedule to Timely, and you will be logging hours simultaneously. Scheduling and time tracking, simultaneously. Integrates with your existing calendar. Log hours directly from your favorite calendar! Timely integrates with all major calendars, which means any event or meeting you add there will be auto-imported into Timely as estimated entries.

Price: Free for Basic / $14 month for Regular

Harvest

Spend less time tracking and more time doing. Harvest is another great time-tracking option for freelancers. You can use it to track a number of different projects at the same time, even if they contain different tasks and charge different rates. One-click Time Entry: Start and stop timers with a simple the click of a button, or quickly type in your time on the weekly timesheet. When working with a team, you can assign various tasks within a project to specific team members. It’s also easy to integrate if you’re working with other apps that help with remote work, like Basecamp.

Price: Free  / $12 month for Solo / $49 month for Basic / $99 month for Business

Toggl

One-click time tracking. With Toggl you track time in real time. Just launch the web app, and Toggl will ask you what you’re working on—you type in your current task and press enter or click the Start button, Toggle immediately starts timing your work. If you forget to switch it on, then enter time later on. Organize your time by projects or tags, and mark it as “billable.” Toggl is built for teams. Your entire staff will be set up and running in minutes. It’s as easy as Twitter – no training required. Start out simple, and drill deeper with user rights and project setup later on.. Toggl also has powerful reports, giving you an accurate breakdown of how you’re spending your time.

Price: Free for Basic / $5 month for Pro / $49 month for Business

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Melissa Stewart is a purveyor of possibility, community builder, entrepreneur advocate and coffee enabler. She’s had a “home office” since age 5 (just ask her) and one of her first magazine subscriptions (paid from her piggy bank) was Entrepreneur Magazine. She is passionate about business, addicted to coffee and eternally optimistic. She Owns It is her passion project, dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs through resources, support and inspiration. Do you tweet? She does (a lot!). Follow her at @melissaonline.

Dear Procrastinator: 4 Apps For Last Minute Tax Filing. You’re Welcome!

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Apps for Tax Season

by Melissa Stewart

Disclosure: I am a Verizon Wireless Lifestyle blogger. I receive products free of charge to review. This makes me happy. All opinions are my own.

I got my new phone in last week from Verizon (thank you Verizon Wireless). A shiny new Droid Turbo 2. Perfect timing! Tax season is upon us, and the dreaded April 15th deadline is fast approaching.

*queue scary music*

My old phone was running out of space but my new phone has plenty of space to download my tax app of choice and get ‘er done!

So, I got to googling and found that there are some helpful apps available. Apps that can guide you through the process so you can pay (or be reimbursed by) Uncle Sam as quickly and efficiently as possible! Sweet.

If you’ve waited until the last minute to file your taxes (like me), here are 4 apps for that!

TurboTax Tax Preparation

Tax season made easy. File your taxes anytime, anywhere. Simply take a photo of your W-2, answer some simple questions and e-file securely. Just double check for accuracy (you can manually fix them), pay a small fee, and send your papers off to the IRS through the app — it’s that simple.

FREE on iOS and Android

Turbo Tax App

H&R Block Tax Preparation

Prepare your taxes even when you’re on the go. It’s simple, secure, and your maximum refund is guaranteed. Take a photo of your W-2 – and the app will import your info. Easily switch from your phone or tablet to your computer and back again as you prepare your taxes. Complete your return and e-file with confidence, knowing Block is committed to protecting your personal data.

FREE on iOS and Android

HR Block Tax App

TaxAct Express

Prepare & e-file your simple federal AND state tax returns on your smartphone for FREE – anywhere, anytime. Just answer easy questions – TaxAct does the rest. Secure e-file + direct deposit for your max IRS refund the fastest way possible. Easy!

FREE on iOS and Android

Tax Act App

IRS2Go Mobile App

No list would be complete without the Internal Revenue Service’s own official app, IRS2Go. The app allows you easy access to check on your tax refund status, pay your taxes directly from your bank account or pay with a credit/debit card. Plus tax filing tips direct from the source.

FREE on iOS and AndroidIRS App

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Melissa Stewart is a purveyor of possibility, community builder, entrepreneur advocate and coffee enabler. She’s had a “home office” since age 5 (just ask her) and one of her first magazine subscriptions (paid from her piggy bank) was Entrepreneur Magazine. She is passionate about business, addicted to coffee and eternally optimistic. She Owns It is her passion project, dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs through resources, support and inspiration. Do you tweet? She does (a lot!). Follow her at @melissaonline.

4 Apps I’m Loving on My Android! #VZWBuzz

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by Melissa Stewart

I like my cell phone. Maybe a little too much. Last night I got the “are you going to watch this movie or play with your phone all night” reprimand.  Jeez. Putting the phone down! In my defense it was the 4th Transformer movie so…

1. Google Analyics – My unhealthy addiction:

Why unhealthy? Well, it’s a great app for keeping up with your sites analytics on the go BUT it’s unhealthy because you can get addicted to checking it. How many now? Now? How about now? Use responsibly!

From Google Analytics:

Access all of your Google Analytics web and app reporting profiles from your mobile device. The app has an all-new look and feel that’s optimized for phones and tablets, so you can easily get your Analytics data anytime, anywhere.

 

Screen Shot 2014-10-02 at 1.10.53 PM

2. Fitbit – My healthy addiction.

Healthy why? Duh!

From Fitbit:

The free Fitbit app is designed to work with Fitbit activity trackers and smart scales.

GET ACTIVE. EAT BETTER. MANAGE WEIGHT. SLEEP BETTER.

– Wirelessly SYNC your Fitbit Flex, One or Zip tracker with your Android device. See list of supported devices at www.fitbit.com/devices
– Track your DAILY GOALS and progress over time for STEPS, DISTANCE, CALORIES BURNED and more
– LOG FOOD to see how many CALORIES you consume each day, and manage your WEIGHT over time
– COMPETE and compare stats with your Fitbit FRIENDS

 

Fitbit

3. Kwote

It’s no secret that I love posting quotes. Kwote is a super easy and quick way to give them some visual personality and Voilà! Kwote lets you pick a category and will generate a quote for you but I like to just clear that out and insert my own inspiration!

From Kwote:

Never be short of inspiration with Kwote’s automatic quote generator. Kwote is the fastest and easiest way to find, customize, and share beautiful quotes with the world. Sorted into 14 categories, thousands of creative curated quotes are available to choose from or stumble upon by luck! With tons customizing options such as background colors, fonts, and filters, you can ensure that your quote is entirely and uniquely your own.

 

Kwote

4. Pocket

This one is coming in SO handy! I’m constantly finding great “stuff” and this app makes it easy peasy to just add to your “Pocket” for later. From the site:

Use Pocket to easily save articles, videos, and other web content for later. With Pocket, all your items go to one place, so you can view, organize and share them anytime, on any device, even offline.

Don’t lose track of the interesting things you find by emailing yourself links, keeping a long list of bookmarks, or simply letting tabs pile up in your browser for later. Just save them to Pocket, and they’ll be ready whenever you are.

 

Pocket

Now these are my NEWEST addictions, not my main addiction. Twitter is still my main squeeze 🙂

NOTE: I’m part of the Verizon #VZWbuzz Lifestyle Blogger team and occasionally receive free items to review. All of the apps listed above are FREE and picked by me for me because I love them 🙂

Motorola Power Pack Slim 4000 from Verizon #VZWLife #VZWBuzz

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VZWLife

by Melissa Stewart

It was a dark and stormy night, thank God I had my new toy from Verizon Wireless and my fabulous friends at #VZWBuzz #VZWLife!

In exchange for an honest review, I got to try out the Motorola Power Pack Slim 4000. Lucky me!

From the moment I unboxed it at the office, I was in love, friends were jealous, and I knew life was about to get easier. I’m on my phone A LOT and not having to worry about finding an outlet to recharge is liberating. The ability to charge two devices at a time is a life saver!

Some Features To Note:

  • Pop one in your pocket – or your bag – and get instant, portable power wherever you are.
  • The Slim 4000 charges the average smartphone battery up to 2 times* and is powerful enough to charge your tablet.
  • Universal charging for Android™-powered devices and more with attached micro USB cable.
  • Charge your phone and a friend’s phone at the same time.
  • Charge your power pack and your phone at the same time.
  • Certified CarbonFree® design, materials and packaging keep you – and your power pack – green.
  • 4 LEDs let you know how much power is left in the charger.

*Based on a 1500mAh average smartphone battery with at least 10% remaining battery life.

Power Pack Slim 4000In order to provide an accurate review, I’ve tested my Power Pack Slim 4000 multiple times and have not been disappointed once. Once fully charged  it seems to just keep going and going and going. According to the box it “holds a charge for years” and I believe it (but I’m not going to test it because I can’t stop using it)!

Another thing I love is the the size, it’s slim enough that I can plug in my Droid Ultra and then slip both the Power Pack Slim and the Droid Ultra into the side pocket of my purse!

Bottom line, the Power Pack Slim 4000 packs a punch in a slim package providing peace of mind and freedom to travel without worry.

The Motorola Power Pack  can be purchased from Verizon Wireless.

*Our team members are occasionally given free products in order to test them and give their own personal opinions about them. The opinions that are shared within each product review on this site are those of the reviewer and were not influenced by the company, monetary compensation, or the free product provided to them in any way.

Nokia Lumia Icon from Verizon Wireless Review #VZWLife

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by Melissa Stewart

Disclosure: I received a Nokia Lumia Icon at no cost for review. I am a Verizon Wireless Buzz Lifestyle Blogger. I did not receive compensation for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Screen Shot 2014-05-05 at 11.35.33 AM

Maybe I’m the only one but when I get a new smartphone, I get all giddy like a kid in a toy store. Receiving and playing with my new Nokia Lumia Icon from Verizon Wireless has been no exception!  The Icon is a Windows 8 phone and I’ll admit that I’m an Android girl. I’m set in my ways and happy with what I know, but, that being said, the camera on this camera makes it a must buy (or at least a must try and then you’ll be hooked)!

Icon Unboxing

First, the facts:

Nokia Icon Specifications

  •     5-inch 1080p display (Gorilla Glass 3). 441ppi ,glass smooth transition to metal
  •     nano-SIM card
  •     20 Megapixel Pureview camera, OIS, Dual LED Flash
  •     2MP front camera
  •     4G LTE, World Roaming Ready
  •     Snapdragon 800 Processor, 2GB of RAM
  •     32GB storage (how much is left?)
  •     WiFi-N
  •     2450 mAh battery li-polymer
  •     Dimensions of 137 x 71 x 9.8 mm and 167 grams (5.86 oz)
  •     FM radio
  •     4 microphones

Icon and iPhone

And now back to my thoughts! I’ll start with my favorite, the 20MP camera! The Icon has two different camera apps pre-installed. One is the Nokia Pro Camera and the other is a standard camera. The best part of Nokia’s photo experience is the camera app, which gives you a full suite of manual settings to help you get the perfect shot — ISO, white balance, exposure and shutter speed can all be adjusted in real time, so you’re not wasting time poking around the settings menu.

The Icon records using PureView Imaging capturing full 1080p HD.  4 high performance microphones deliver brilliant stereo with minimal distortion and background noise. Full 1080p HD, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and unpixelated zoom work to capture images you never thought possible. One of my favorite features when capturing videos is that it picks up the sound where you are pointing the camera to record and hushes the sounds behind you. It makes a huge difference!

All in all the Icon is a strong contender. A solid Windows Phone.

Botton Line: Buy the Nokia Lumia Icon for its beautiful display, gorgeous screen, fast processor, and a proven 20-megapixel camera. It serves up a list of well-rounded features and the low-light image quality is excellent!

The Icon has two different camera apps pre-installed. One is the Nokia Pro Camera and the other is a standard camera.
Read more at http://jamonkey.com/verizon-wireless-nokia-lumia-icon-vzwlife/#iKsM1PkfRJJbaZOF.99

Loving My Droid Ultra!

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Droid Ultraby Melissa Stewart

I am part of the VerizonInsider blogging team which comes with some great perks LIKE getting to play with a Droid Ultra! I previously posted about my “first thoughts” when I unboxed it and started playing around. I’ve since added a spiffy new cover and all my favorite apps!

No phone is perfect (not EVEN the iPhone) but the Droid Ultra has a lot of cool features. I love the screen size and yes, it even slides easily into my back pocket! The screen makes using apps like NBC’s new mobile app very enjoyable. My son has me catching up on The Blacklist and the app makes it easy peasy to catch up over my morning coffee or when I’m getting my hair “did”. Speaking of the beauty salon, my stylist took a look at my Droid Ultra and said “That’s a phone? It’s the size of an iPad!” – she then proceeded to give it the back pocket test. It passed!

Social media is a snap too. One of my favorite tools/apps is Sprout Social. I love that it is available on every platform (iOS, Android, Desktop and mobile) and has all of necessary features needed on our mobile devices and the web. This is great because I’m always on the go! I also have all the standards, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn. But, I’m not addicted, I can stop anytime (although with a phone like this that proposition is getting harder and harder!).

The other standout feature on this phone is the camera. It has a 10 megapixel RGBC ClearPixel camera with 1080P HD video recording and a 2 megapixel front-facing camera with 720p HD vide recording.  I’ll admit, I actually had to pull out the instructions and read them this time because it didn’t work like any other phone I’d owned before BUT after that I’m hooked! After taking countless pictures in a variety of settings (and mainly of my dog Mickey), I found the Droid Ultra is capable of taking some excellent photos.  I love the fact that I can tap anywhere on the screen to take a shot or tap and hold to continuously shoot. Taking, reviewing and managing your media is fast and easy.

So to “sum up”, I’m a fan!

Melissa Stewart

@MelissaOnline

MelAvatar2

Motorola Droid Ultra Unboxing and First Impressions

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Droid Ultra

Isn’t it pretty?

by Melissa Stewart

When I read this description on the Verizon site:

Introducing Droid Ultra by Motorola, only on Verizon. Now the thinnest 4G LTE smartphone is also one of the strongest.

I was SOLD!

You see, I’m rough on phones. Let me show you what I mean.

Smashed Droid

My poor Droid 4

That’s a picture of my poor Droid 4. It went for a ride on top of my car. It should have stayed up there but… Since then I’ve been more careful but Verizon had me this time at “strongest” plus tons of other awesome features.

Droid Ultra Thin Phone

Look how thin it is!

What I love:

1. It’s a great looking phone! I did not want to put a case on this beauty but note the photo above, so I did. The Otterbox is my friend 🙂

2. The battery lasts A LOT longer than my other phone.

3. I can wake it up with my sweet voice.

4. It has a quick launch 10 mega pixel camera plus you can tap anywhere on the screen to take a picture!

5. Touchless controls. To steal a line from Jean Parks “Okay Google Now” might possibly be my favorite phrase from 2013.

Things I would change:

1. While the camera is good and has some great features I wish it took better pictures in low light.

2. The glossy finish is fingerprint-prone.

Cheesy shot or Melissa with Droid Ultra

Cheesy picture of me with the Droid Ultra

Overall:

I’ve just gotten started with the Droid Ultra and I’m sure my opinion will evolve over time. For the price (just $99 with a 2-year contract), I think it’s a great choice and I’d definitely recommend! (insert cheesy and odd photo of me holding the phone)

Disclaimer: As a Verizon Lifestyle Blogger I receive certain benefits, phone provided for review courtesy of Verizon.