By Renee Martinez, Founder of Raising Boys World
I had hoped to do product reviews for my Tuesday postings. So far, I think I’ve done one or two products for kids. I would love your feedback on products you have an opinion on (good or bad).
For those of you who read this blog regularly, you know how much I love my new iPhone. I mean, it has changed my life – for the better. With previous phones, I never used all the features offered. The learning curve was not something I had time for. With this phone, I use the calendar and contact information, then sync to my computer. It’s so easy.
When you have an iPhone, you can buy applications (called apps) for things that might be of interest to you. Many are free too. If this isn’t clear, let me tell you about my favorite apps:
I have this one called Runkeeper. It’s incredible. Since my iPhone is also my iPod, I can listen to my music when I go running. Runkeeper is an app that tracks the distance, pace, mph, and time of my run. It also will provide a map and stats that I can access via the internet. It’s such a great tool. Now I can just run without having to always go on a planned course. While I’m on a run, listening to music and enjoying the fresh air, I receive intermittent updates (every 5 minutes, but you can customize the frequency). The calm female voice speaks to me. She announces the time lapsed, distance and current pace. At a price of $9.99 for the pro version, it’s been a wonderful new tool and well worth the money for me.
Lose It! is another great app. It gives me a place to set a weight goal, manage my calories and track exercise every day. It’s really made it easier for me to eat within the appropriate calorie limit in order to obtain my goal (for my height an weight).
Another app I love is sudoku. It’s free. The game of sudoku is really fun. I enjoy challenging my mind while in supermarket lines or doctor offices.
Other free apps on my iPhone include: Brain Tuner, Crazy Penguin Catapult, Units (I can convert all sorts of units of measurement – very handy to have), 5800 Drinks and cocktail recipes, and Wooden labyrinth.
Last week I went to the Apple store for an appointment to work with my phone and computer. I have what’s called One on One so I can go in for any questions I might have. It’s basically like having a personal trainer for my computer. Anyway, I went in to have them teach me how to sync and organize the two technologies. Well…that didn’t go so well and the guy lost all my contact and calendar info. I nearly fell over in the store. I had just entered (and subsequently thrown out) all paper calendars and contacts. I was worried. Fortunately, they were able to retrieve the contact info, but the calendar stuff was gone. Needless to say, my memory doesn’t quite retain what it used to, so I almost missed a tennis match I had.
I’ve only had this phone for a few weeks and already, I can see how people become attached to gadgets. I never wanted to become one of those people…but there’s no avoiding it. Even my boys know that they can play games while waiting for swim practice on my phone.
About the Author: Renee consults and speaks professionally on social media marketing, integrated marketing communications, public relations and branding. She is the president of Ruby Marketing Communications (www.rubymarcom.com), a boutique marketing communications company that specializes in providing branding, social media strategy and integration, and creative services. Her blog (www.lisac95.sg-host.com), provides resources on everything marketing and social media for her active audience. Renee has contributed as a featured monthly columnist in the monthly jewelry industry publication, JCK, on matters related to internet marketing as well as in InStore Magazine as a featured blogger where she writes about developing effective marketing strategies for the jewelry industry using social media. She is the founder of: Social Media Biz Summit (www.socialmediabizsummit.com), the first large-scale SM conference to come to Buffalo, NY; #jewelrychat, a weekly twitter chat for the jewelry industry and www.RaisingBoysWorld.com. Renee teaches social marketing courses at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY for the business school as well as offers small group social media marketing training and educational seminars for businesses in Western New York and beyond. Renee has dabbled in the internet marketing arena since the early 90′s and is not ashamed to call herself a “marketing geek”. From chatting in AOL, “sharing” music on Napster, and teaching HTML classes before it was considered “cool” to developing comprehensive social media strategies, effective public relations campaigns and managing online communities (most recently Chevy Girls Buffalo). She enjoys being able to help people find their voice online and to create buzz about their product or service that will give them the results they desire. Renee can be found on Twitter (@reneemmartinez) and Facebook (http:/www.facebook.com/RubyMarCom).
