GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

What started out as a device to communicate, the cell phone has evolved over the years and has become a style statement for its users. Every few months, one comes across the most high-tech and sleekest cell phones in the market but not everybody can afford to keep up with changing trends. Consumers are discovering innovative and fashionable ways to customize their cell phones with creative accessories. Gone are the days of those ugly big black cases that protected the cell phone but made it look bulkier than usual. From “skins” and faceplate designs to charms and Swarovski Crystals, you can find as many accessories for your mobile phone as you will find for yourself.

However, until now, cell phone accessories were designed as separate fashion pieces and not designed to actually function as a part of your everyday wardrobe. To solve this fashion faux pas, designer, Andrea Behar created Cellies™ a stylish stretch cuff bracelet that easily slips on your wrist that allows cell phone users to conveniently wear their phones, and not just carry them.

What are Cellies™?

Made from stretch power mesh, Cellies™ are a stylish solution designed to hold all wireless devices including cell phones, iPhones and Blackberries. Seamlessly fusing function and fashion, a convenient hands-free compartment securely holds your phone in place. The strong but transparent material provides viewers with touchable and visible access to their phones.

Cellies™ allow your hands to be completely free to drive safely, to work the office or house, be active, eat, workout, play sports – anything that you couldn’t do before while using your cell phone. Cellies™ are great for runners, snowboarders, cyclists, roller bladers, and people on the go. Cellies™ are for men, women, teens and sports enthusiasts. It allows them to carry their cell phone safely and securely without having to attach it to their belt or carry it in their pocket. Cellies™ also offer wearers instant access to their phones, credit cards, identification, business cards or even lip gloss without having to search through their handbag.

BUY IT : Retailing at only $35, Cellies are these To Die For gift for the young and trendy (and also the young at heart). There’s no denying that studs are a must-have this season. They add instant edge to everything from handbags to shoes. Urban-glam with Cellies™ allover studded detailing, facetted stones and grommet cuffs by Andrea Behar.

WIN IT : We know you all want one, so Cellies have generously sponsored one unit to giveaway to one of our reader. That could be you! Here’s what you need to do for a chance to win this giveaway:

• One Mandatory Entry- Head over to www.mycellies.com and tell us one fact about the designer of Cellies, Andrea Behar.
• Two Additional Entries- follow us on twitter and tweet this giveaway “Win  Arm Candi For Your Cell at Parentreviewers.com” once a day. Leave an additional comment including your twitter id and the tweet url. You can tweet on a daily basis.
• Three Additional Entries- Blog or share on Facebook about this great giveaway! It can be done on a daily basis too! Leave your blog URL or FB id.
• Giveaway is open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends on January 2nd, 2011 . and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/2

The Exergen Temporal Scanner is changing the way we take temperatures. I still remember the old fashion way of sticking a mercury thermometer under my tongue, during a fever. As a child, I always felt it very cold, hard and uncomfortable, trying to keep still for about a minute. And to think, sometimes, I had to retake my temperature over and over again, just because it wasn’t placed properly.

Now, thanks to Exergen’s patented software, the TemporalScanner Temperature provides arterial heat balance. This unique process determines temperature by accurately measuring the balance between the tissues warming from arterial blood and tissues cooling (warming) caused by heat loss (gain) to the environment. All it needs is a gently swipe on the forehead. Yes! It’s that simple!

More about Exergen Temporal Scanner :

The TemporalScanner Thermometer is designed to measure the temperature of the skin surface over the temporal artery, a major artery of the head. The temporal artery is connected to the heart via the carotid artery, directly leading from the aorta, the main trunk of the arterial system. It offers constant blood flow. It is the only such artery positioned close enough to the skin surface to provide access needed to take an accurate measurement. It is easy to use because it is ideally located at the front portion of the forehead. The TemporalScanner is easier and gentler to use than other types of measurement devices such as oral, rectal, underarm and in-ear thermometers because it is truly non-invasive.

Here we have real-life accounts of how the Exergen TemporalScanner works, from our reviewers :

Katydid and Kid :  The thermometer is extremely easy to use, even on a wiggly toddler who was very interested in the device and wanted to hold it rather than let me use it. It takes literally a few seconds to use, and you don’t have to sit there waiting for an accurate reading while your child keeps a traditional thermometer under his tongue or arm.

Stacy Moore : We are thrilled with our new Scanner. It’s such a quick and reliable way to take our little one’s temperature! With one gentle stroke of the scanner over the forehead we were able to determine if our little one had a fever! We highly recommend this great product to everyone!

The Mom Buzz :  The Exergen is my best friend when my oldest spikes fevers to 104 and I just want to give a reading to the pediatrician ASAP. Plus, I can also get his temperature when he is sleeping – he never knows that I am checking up on him again. And those times when your kids feel “warm”, but you aren’t sure if they are feverish – well it’s a lot easier to just grab the Exergen and double check than any other thermometer in the house.

Hotomom : I’ll be honest this takes some getting used to, usually after 5 scans you’ve got it down. I would practice a bit first but then also be sure you are more gentle because the first time I made L’s forehead red. But, seriously I wouldn’t lie, it’s easy.

Reviews & Reflections : Before it even arrived in the mail, I started doing my research.  The thing that really excited me was the speed with which this scanner reads the body temperature.  With just a quick stroke over the forehead, you have a reading.  And it’s amazingly accurate – to within .2 degrees F (that’s POINT 2!)

Three Different Directions : The reason it is so accurate?  In the couple of seconds that it takes to sweep over the forehead to the temple it takes about 2000 readings and it selects the most accurate. It takes some practice to use it right, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll feel like you’re a medical professional.

Short Pump Preppy : Dude, I would have gotten one of these a long time ago.  Everyone in the house gets sick at the same time, and I have never liked sharing thermometers.  Now I’m not keeping up with 4 different thermometers.  (call me crazy, that’s what we did).  To me it’s like sharing toothbrushes.  *go ahead, talk behind my back*

Mom on the Rise : Nonetheless, I didn’t have to worry about changes to the temperature due to drinking, positioning,talking, or moving. An important thing to note is that if your patient is sweating, the temperature should not be taken across the forehead but rather the on the neck behind the ear lobe.

My Quest for Sanity : Honestly this review couldn’t have come at a better time. The day before I received the Exergen temporal scanner, I was diagnosed with H1N1 and 3 days after I was diagnosed my poor sweet Sophia caught it. Now, I would never wish to be as ill as we were but having this God sent product on hand made it a little easier. Like I said before, checking the temperature on a finicky 3 year old is one heck of a job but add in a nasty flu and it is just THAT much harder.

One House Schoolroom Review : We have had quite a few opportunities to test the Temporal Scanner during this flu season and we have had wonderful results.  It is so quick that my little ones didn’t even know we were taking their temperature.  We often had to hold my youngest child still while taking her temperature under her arm, causing her even more discomfort and tears.  With the Temporal Scanner this was not any issue at all.

Buy It! : This is a fantastic gift for any new and been-there-done-that parents. With its’ ease of use, during a difficult time, I’m pretty sure your name will be blessed a thousand times, for sending the perfect gift. Or, you can just get it for yourself, and bless yourself a thousand times.

Here’s where you can get them (retail and online) : ToysRUs, Costco, Walmart, Walgreens, Shoppers Drug Mart, BabyCenter.com, Sam’s Club.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0

I was jumping with excitement when offered the chance to review the Kodak Theatre HD Player.  I have never considered myself an expert when it comes to tech gadgets but hey, someone values my opinion. How cool is that! Proves that mommy power rocks! Ok, I am digressing….let’s get back on track. Check out my review below:

The Kodak Theatre HD Player, powered by Hillcrest Labs‘ HOME software system and Freespace® motion-control technology, is amazingly compact, almost fooling a first-time user at the first glance with its deceptively simple appearance. The unit is compatible with a variety of input formats such as USB, SD, SF and also has the usual outputs such as RBG and USB. Here is what I used to test this device:

• LG 52” Plasma 1080i TV
• Wireless router
• Laptop

Setting up is quite easy. I elected to use wireless (secured – encrypted network) because that is the most convenient way to connect this device to any computer that is connected to the router. Setting up wirelessly requires some knowledge on your internet connection. It is not much different than setting up you laptop to the router. After the device is set up, you can view basically anything from anything connected to the router.

Before you can view the contents on the big screen, you have to go through another set up process in your PC/laptop where the contents reside. Putting your movies, pictures and music that you want is not difficult but it may be a little time consuming. The drag and drop function makes it more manageable. The software needs to be installed in each computer where you want to view contents from.

There is a selection “All Pictures & Videos” which will search your hard drive for all pictures and video contents. Contents can be transferred to the folder that has been created under your C drive during the software installations.

This device allows you to send and receive photos via the EASYSHARE software under Kodak Gallery. The menu mentioned the ability to connect to online web channels but for the few days I have to play with it, I could not find the function that was stated in the menu. It would be nice to have that feature because users would be able to watch online flicks with it.

Using the pointing device needs a little getting used to. Having said that, it is actually a very simple point and click application. From selecting photos to music stations, it provides a wide range of functionality and flexibility to the user. Since the device is wireless enabled, it allows connection to Internet radio stations and Skype.

Pros :

• Sleek and compact
• Wireless connection enabled
• Multiple inputs and outputs option
• Self explanatory device set up
• Point and click feature
• Images are very clear
• Fast response time
• Provide a point of connection for all your devices instead of dragging out your wires and connectors

Cons :

• No wireless set up instructions provided
• Had to install software and set up on each PC/laptop to share the contents
• HDMI cable was not provided

Conclusion:

The advantages of using the Kodak Theatre HD Player are many and wonderful, and easily balance out its few weaknesses. I strongly felt that when using such a device, the quality of the image is of the utmost importance. This expectation is completely upheld when using the Kodak Theatre HD Player. The pictures are perfectly displayed with no blurring or disruption.

Many thanks to Hillcrest Labs for this review opportunity. If you’re interested to WIN A KODAK THEATRE HD PLAYER, be on the lookout for this opportunity when we announce our Best Review Blog Award 2009 Contest.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

When it comes to kids and computers, it’s without a doubt that they start at a very early age. Most young kids, who don’t even know how to read or count, would know how to navigate their way through the web! It can be quite surprising to see how such kids at a young age, would know exactly how to get to their desired websites.

Anyway, for every parent who wants to protect their children from online predators, PC Pandora has a great solution. There are so many benefits of using PC Pandora, I could go on and on but I’d be writing a book ……so, let me share with you one of its greatest features that just blew me away!

What totally amazes me about PC Pandora is that it takes actual screen shots of ALL the activity that your kid does both on and offline! For example, emails read, written, sent AND even the login and full password of every one of those email accounts as well as chats on any instant messengers. Believe me when I say nothing can escape PC Pandora and I really mean NOTHING (though I’m definitely not going to tell the hubs that. Heh!). 

Another interesting feature that parents love is the ability to block the kids from viewing any inappropriate websites or content that you’ve preselected. You can also select what type of data (e.g.: keystrokes, IM chats, emails, websites visited, etc.) you’d like PC Pandora to capture and email directly to you, at every hour of the day! Very excellent for us working parents!

BUY IT! PC Pandora provides a very valuable and effective solution for monitoring your kids’ online activities. It’s very user-friendly and without a doubt, the easiest software to install and stealthiest to use!

WIN IT! Thanks to PC Pandora, Parent Reviewers is giving away a PC Pandora Power Pack (with a single license) worth $80 each to 4 readers. To enter this great giveaway, here are the requirements :

• Visit www.pcpandora.com and tell us one of the benefits of the PC Pandora Software (apart from what was mentioned in this post).
• Three additional entries if you have our Mega Xmas & New Year Giveaway Bash button up on your blog. You can grab the button from our sidebar AND/OR
• Three additional entries if you Stumble this post with a review AND/OR
• Three additional entries if you subscribe to Parent Reviewers 
• If you qualify for additional entries, please comment separately and let us know which option you’ve used.
• Contest is open to everyone who has Internet access. We will ship the PowerPack to each winner, which contains an installer and the program, but you will need Internet access to complete the installation and get software updates.
• Giveaway will run for one month, as 4 winners will be picked. Giveaway closes on 12th Dec 2008 and winners will be drawn using the Random.org number generator.

DON’T LEAVE WITHOUT CHECKING OUR MEGA XMAS & NEW YEAR GIVEAWAY KICK OFF WITH 6 AWESOME PRIZES TO BE WON!!!