#SprintMom

Review and Fave Features of the HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon Edition Smartphone

May 29, 2014 by Sandra 2 Comments

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Sprint. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and to thank me for participating. #SprintMom

I mentioned in a previous post that I’m a 2014 Sprint Ambassador. This means that over the course of a year, I’ll have the amazing opportunity to try out various Sprint devices and service options and then share my experience with you here on The Sensible Mom.

Today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the beautifully crafted all-metal HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon Edition smartphone.

This phone is awesome.

What really sets it apart from other smartphones is the high-caliber design inside and out that provides you with a music experience unlike any other. No joke. The sound quality coming from this phone is superb. The HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon Edition smartphone even includes headphones that are not only comfortable, but they also help to create a marvelous listening experience.

3 Favorite Features

Besides the listening experience, here are the other features that I love about this smartphone:

1. I love the 5-inch Full HD screen. My regular smartphone is the Moto X, which has a smaller screen than the HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon Edition, but I instantly fell in love with how my site and other websites displayed on the larger screen.

2. With Sprint Sound Sessions, I love having access to Spotify’s catalogue of more than 20 million songs! My favorite music to listen to is Christian music, and I was pleased to see that after getting the Spotify app set up on my phone, I could immediately start listening to the music I enjoy most.

My husband and kids will confirm that I’m the type of girl that likes music playing all day long. I’ll turn it on in the morning and then let it encourage us until late in the evening. Dancing and singing throughout the day with my baby girl isn’t optional. 😉

3. I love the camera. It actually takes better pictures than my current smartphone.

Here’s one of the pictures I took during one of our playtimes outside:

And here’s a picture I snapped at the NRA Show in Chicago:

Harman Kardon Onyx Studio

Along with the smartphone, I was able to try out the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio. And just — wow. This little speaker is unbelievable.

Let’s just say that we watched the movie FROZEN during a recent family night, and the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio has been blasting out Elisabeth’s new favorite songs, “Let It Go” and “In Summer.”

We don’t own the FROZEN soundtrack, but because of the bluetooth technology in the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio, we can listen to anything we want to from YouTube and make it sound awesome with this speaker.

Oh, and we also used the speaker when we celebrated Nathan’s 14th birthday last weekend. It definitely took our little family party up a notch!

And Finally…Who’s Keeping the Smartphone

Sprint’s website talks about the type of person who will love the HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon Edition smartphone. They say this phone will be adored by “creative changemakers.” I guess that’s me. But I also hope that it’s my husband, because he’s going to keep it.

I’m calling it an “Early Father’s Day” gift. 😉

Sprint’s Creative New Framily Plan and a Giveaway for an HTC One max Smartphone!

May 2, 2014 by Sandra 29 Comments

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Sprint. I will receive product samples to facilitate reviews and to thank me for participating. #SprintMom

Oh, you guys.

I have some fun news and an exciting giveaway to share today. 🙂

First, I’m incredibly humbled to have been chosen to be a Sprint Ambassador for the next year or so. This means that I’ll get to test various Sprint devices and service options and then share my experience with you here on The Sensible Mom.

I promise to create fun and engaging posts!

This is the first post in this series. And I love that it includes an amazing giveaway!

But wait — let’s talk about Sprint’s Framily Plan

Before I get into the details of the fantastic giveaway Sprint’s offering one of my readers, I want to talk a little about Sprint’s Framily plan. And, yes, that’s “Framily” not “family,” because the people on your plan don’t have to be family members or even live in the same household.

In fact, your Framily can include you and up to 9 other friends, family members, co-workers, virtual assistants, neighbors, or just about anyone else in your life.

You’ll all get unlimited talk, text and 1GB of data each, while on the Sprint network. Each of the members on the Framily plan receives a separate bill with no annual service contracts or early termination fees (hello!), all for as little as $25 a month per line when you have 7 – 10 members in the Framily group.

At the moment, only my husband and I are on a plan together, and we pay way more than $25 each month (or $50 for the both of us if we were on a Framily plan) on our current phone bill. It would be great if we could put a Framily together and enjoy the benefits of this plan while paying less for reliable Sprint service.

Who would you consider teaming up with for a Sprint Framily plan?

Okay, It’s Giveaway Time!

Now that you know more about the Framily plan, let’s talk about this fabulous giveaway! Sprint has generously offered to give one of my readers an HTC One max Smartphone! 🙂

The HTC One max smartphone offers users a massive screen with a 5.9-inch display and amped speakers for watching videos or viewing pictures on the go. The feature-rich camera offers users the ability to take photos with a fun, artistic flair, and much more!

How to Enter the Giveaway

Simply enter this giveaway using the Rafflecopter below. I’ve included options for extra entries, too!

This giveaway will run from now until – May 5th at 12:00am. The giveaway is open to US Residents only, ages 18 years old and above. The winner will be randomly chosen. I will promptly send the winner an email notifying them that they’ve won, and the winner must respond within 48hrs. of the giveaway’s end, otherwise I will have to draw a new winner.

Enter Below
a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Great Deal for You:

For a limited time, new customers who bring their number to Sprint and sign up for a Sprint Framily Plan can receive up to $300 in credit for their current phone and a Visa Prepaid Card worth up to $350 to cover switching fees! This offer will be available exclusively at Sprint stores and online at Sprint.com from April 4 through May 8.

The LG G2 Smartphone: A Great Gift for the On-the-Go Mom and Beyond

December 22, 2013 by Sandra 2 Comments

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Sprint.
I received product samples to facilitate my review.

Are you still Christmas shopping for someone special in your life?

Me? To be completely honest, this year I’m pretty much ‘allergic’ to Christmas shopping. My four year old son is in the hospital, and I’m fighting depression. I haven’t left the hospital in nearly three weeks, and life is hard right now. I can’t shop.

BUT I know that most of you who are reading my blog ARE shopping, and I’d love to share a fantastic new phone with you. Perhaps you’re shopping for a new phone for someone on your Christmas list or maybe you’re a busy mom who needs a super fast phone to keep up with family, work, and social media.

Allow me to introduce you to the LG G2 smartphone.

What Makes the LG G2 Smartphone a Great Choice
This phone is amazing. For me, the best features have to be the lightening fast speed and the fantastic 13-megapixel camera. The LG G2 truly takes beautiful photos.

I’ve taken a bunch of pictures here inside of David’s hospital room, and I’m looking forward to snapping many more from the outside of this place.

Other cool features of the G2:

KnockON – With this feature, instead of pushing the power button, you simply tap twice on the display to ‘wake’ the phone from its slumber.
Answer Me – Automatically answers calls when you put the phone to your ear. No need to swipe or even push a button. Nice!
Slide Aside – This allows you to do a three-finger gesture to slide open apps off the screen and then bring them back quickly when you need them. This is a great feature for multitasking.
Text Link – This isn’t what you might think. It’s very helpful, and it’s where the phone takes relevant text and inserts embeddable links to them in other apps. For example, if someone texts you a date or an address, with Text Link, you can quickly add that information to a calendar or get directions. Love this feature.
Guest Mode – This is GREAT for when your kids want to use your phone and you don’t want them to have access to all of your installed apps. Guest Mode allows another user to access the phone by drawing a gesture on the lock screen with a secondary unlock pattern, and then they only have access to the apps you’ve allowed.

And Finally…We Love our Smartphones
Sprint recently conducted a mobile survey that served up some interesting results. Apparently, most of us check our phones at least once an hour, and ninety-seven percent of us even check it when we’re with family and friends.

Judging by those results, I’d say we definitely love our smartphones.

Visit Sprint’s website to read more more eye-opening survey results!

What’s on your family’s wish list this year?

A Day in the Life (and how I use the Moto X Smartphone)

November 15, 2013 by Sandra 2 Comments

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Sprint.
I received product samples to facilitate my review.

Life isn’t easy these days.

No, not at all. But even with the unpredictability that’s present in my life right now, I still have a few tools that help me to stay organized and on top of my to-do list.

The Moto X Smartphone
A smartphone is one of the tools that I use every single day to stay in the loop, check and delete email, keep on top of what’s going on with my blog, and take pictures of my kids. I also use it as my only alarm clock and to send myself daily reminders to read my Bible — you’d be surprised how effective this is.

When my last phone decided to develop a mind of its own (people who know me in real life know what I’m talking about…), I switched to using the Sprint Moto X Smartphone. And it’s been awesome.

Incredibly Useful New Features
Besides being able to use this phone in all the ways I did with my old phone, there are new features that come along with the Moto X that have proved valuable in so many ways.

First, there’s the Touchless Control. With this feature, I don’t even have to touch the phone to get directions, check the weather, ask Google a question, etc… The Moto X knows my voice, and when I say, “OK, Google Now,” it responds. So far, I love using this feature to get directions quickly and easily.

Because people who know me in real life also know that I get lost easily. 😉

My second favorite Moto X feature is the Active Display. I use this feature A LOT.

It looks like this:

With this feature, information quietly appears on your screen, and with one touch of the finger, you can get more information and decide whether or not you want to swipe to unlock the screen and check that email or text message or whatever it may be.

A Day in the Life
Besides going over the cool features of the Moto X smartphone, I thought it would be fun to share what a somewhat typical day looks like for me at the moment.

Here goes…

A somewhat typical day:

Around 7:46 AM: I check the time on my phone, and then I sneak out of bed before Elisabeth wakes up (we co-sleep) and start getting ready for the day.

Around 8:00 AM: Elisabeth wakes up crying, so I grab my phone and lay back down with her. I nurse her and read my Bible using the app on my phone.

Around 8: 25 AM: Elisabeth has fallen back asleep, but instead of continuing to get ready for the day, I decide to sit at my desk and return an email.

Around 9:00 AM: I finally head for the shower. David wakes up shortly before this happens, and he’s in a great mood. But he has lots more pin-point red dots (petechiae) on his face and body. I know this means his platelets are low, and I start contemplating whether or not he’s going to be able to make it to his appointment on Monday before he needs a transfusion.

Around 9:50 AM: I head downstairs with the kids to eat breakfast. I bring my phone, laptop, and schedule with me, so that I can look things over and plan my day.

10:22 AM: I start preparing a spot at my kitchen table to take pictures of products I’ll talk about in an upcoming blog post.

11:01 AM: I’m finally finished taking pictures for my post. It takes a little longer because the kids decide they want to play outside, and they keep thinking they hear a loose dog.

11:05 AM: I sit down to nurse Elisabeth, who is very upset because she didn’t get to go outside with Nathan and Isaac. While I’m nursing her, David gets close and as I look at his face, I wonder whether or not I should call the doctor. He has so much petechiae. 🙁 His energy level is great, though, so I decide to wait until he sees his nurse this afternoon and go with her recommendation.

11:16 AM: Elisabeth is still upset about not being able to go outside, so I go outside with her.

Around 11:20 AM: Ruben arrives home, and after coming back inside with Elisabeth, I start getting ready to leave for the library. I’ll spend as much time as I can there getting work done.

11:46 AM: I leave for the library where I can check out a room for a few hours to work.

11:55 AM: I pull into a parking space at our local library and head inside. I have less than three hours at the library today, because I need to be back home by 3:00 PM, when David’s home health nurse will stop by for a visit.

2:28 PM: I pack up and get ready to head home from the library. Before I leave, though, I check out the books Nathan has on hold and choose five videos for the kids to watch this week.

2:42 PM: I arrive home, say hello to everyone, and then start a cup of coffee.

3:00 PM: David’s nurse arrives. I go over issues we’ve been having with David’s prescriptions and the obvious petechiae on David’s face and body. She wants me to call the doctor’s office right then and there, so I grab my phone and dial the number. I can only leave a message and have to wait for a call back.

3:28 PM: David’s nurse leaves, and while I could go back to the library to get more work done, I decide it’s best to wait on the phone call from someone on David’s care team. They may want us to take David to the emergency room today.

3:50 PM: I open my computer and try to get work done from home.

4:27 PM: Still no word from the hospital, so I take Elisabeth upstairs to nap.

4:45 PM: Elisabeth falls asleep, and I work online.

5:20 PM: I head downstairs to make dinner.

5:28 PM: I get a call from the hospital, and we discuss David’s increased petechiae and meds. David’s doctor is okay with David not going to the ER today, and an appointment will be made for him to go to the infusion center on Monday afternoon after the appointment that’s already scheduled with his doctor for that day. If there’s another significant increase in petechiae or other symptoms, I’m instructed to call back.

5:50 PM: Elisabeth wakes up from her nap. I leave to help her get back to sleep while Ruben takes over dinner.

6:07 PM: David bursts into the room yelling that his leg hurts. I try to help him while I’m holding Elisabeth, but he wants me to put her down, so I do. Thankfully, Elisabeth stays asleep, and I rub David’s leg. He’s feeling fine shortly after this episode and hangs out with me for awhile.

6:16 PM: Dinner is ready, and David and I head downstairs.

6:56 PM: Dinner is finished, and I’m almost done cleaning the kitchen when Elisabeth wakes up again. I head upstairs to nurse her.

7:25 PM: Surprisingly, Elisabeth falls back to sleep, and I spend time chatting with Ruben and check email and Facebook.

Around 7:40 PM: Elisabeth wakes up (for real this time), and we head downstair to get dinner for her.

8:32 PM: I take time to read to the kids from their current favorite superhero book.

9:00 PM: I say goodnight to the kids and then get back online to return an email.

9:16 PM: I get off the computer to pray as a family and say goodnight to the kids again. They go to bed for real this time.

9:26 PM: I get back online to work, check email, etc…. Ruben and I talk about life and the kids, and I finally make it to bed around 1:30 AM.

How I’m Staying Active with the Fitbit Flex
In addition to using the Moto X throughout the day, I’ve also been wearing a Fitbit, which has been awesome because it reminds me to keep moving as the day progresses.

I’ve gained weight since life turned upside down with David’s diagnosis, and the Fitbit is helping me take it off again. I’m still not down to the weight I was at, but little by little…step by step…I know I’ll get there.

The Fitbit offers you the ability to:

Track your steps, distance, and calories each day

Track your sleep cycle and learn how to get better sleep at night

Set goals and view progress

Log food, weight, and more on the Fitbit website or app

There’s so much you can do with a Fitbit
Besides the obvious visual reminder that the Fitbit Flex offers, I also use a personalized Fitbit dashboard online to track things like my progress, weight, and calories. Both the online dashboard and the app for the Fitbit are super easy to use.

Overall, the Fitbit has been helping immensely, and it’s also available at Sprint.

Have you ever used a Fitbit? Is there a tool that helps you stay on top of your to-do list? Or, what does a typical day look like at your house?

#SprintMom

3 Favorite Features

Harman Kardon Onyx Studio

And Finally…Who’s Keeping the Smartphone

But wait — let’s talk about Sprint’s Framily Plan

Okay, It’s Giveaway Time!

A Great Deal for You:

Footer

Categories