There are many content providers battling for victory in the mobile and traditional content delivery arena. Your options as a buyer are varied and seemingly more flexible today than in the past when cable companies had a strangle hold. In the past, unless you picked up a satellite dish there was possibly only a single choice in your town. Not any longer, the plans and packages available from content carriers are as plentiful as the screens we watch our favorite shows. Each has a slightly different approach and capabilities nested within their parental control settings.

On DirecTV, subscribers are able to dial in the parameters of their parental controls by remote right on the screen they are watching through the receiver that is present. The company has partnered with Common Sense Media to offer ratings for nearly every program. You can view this information on their website to find out the details of your favorite shows and the ones your kids are watching too. Learn about recommendations and content with violence, language, commercialism or sexual themes as well as determine the hours that your kids can watch. Additionally there are sites such as Saveontvdirect.com that offer sign up packages that help keep the cost down.

Apple TV is basically on or off. You will need to enter your Apple ID passcode often once it is on and this may conflict with settings down the pipeline. Each individual service on the other side of that code might be at a different setting complicating matters quite a bit. Seems tedious but then again you do not have to turn it on and could just rely on the individual service settings.

Recently Hulu launched an update to their features with an extension that includes a Kids Lock button. By clicking this option parents can restrict access on the Hulu network and app to only those programs deemed acceptable for children. This is a really simple addition that creates a clean and definitive line between content. In opposition to this simplicity are Netflix parental control functions. Though they have included a Just for Kids tab on the network it can be unclear to users how and where these settings are taking affect. It seems that controlling the flow of content on a Netflix account can become an arduous process that may require centralized access from a traditional style PC.

How you have your account set up and what kind of devices you are streaming videos onto from their database is a factor. According to this review by Mellisa Tolentino web based services such as those provided by Amazon Instant Video and Google TV can vary widely. She considered Amazon to be a great supporter of parental controls while Google was noted as “the worst service for parental control”. So consider that when making your choices.

My Nokia Lumia 900

The Nokia Lumia 900 was named “Best of CES” by C-NET, but that was waaaay back in January.  In the fast-paced world of mobile phone releases, that doesn’t count for much today.  Still, when I had the opportunity to give the Lumia 900 a thorough test-drive in July of this year, I was intrigued.  Since the Lumia is also a Windows Phone 7 device, that meant I would be testing out the OS as much as I was the phone.  I’d heard good things about WP7 from family members who had used it, so I took the opportunity to make a temporary switch from my aging Android phone and put the Nokia through its paces.

When the Lumia 900 arrived, I was immediately taken by the form factor; this was unlike any mobile phone I’d held before.  In a world where every touch-screen phone seems to be a variation on the same theme, the Lumia 900 was strikingly different.  The solid metal body had corners like no other, and the screen itself was slightly raised from the rest of the body.  The uniform metal body gave it a very solid, sturdy feel.  I was impressed as well to see an 8 MP camera packed inside, as well as a lower-res front-facing camera.

Looks are important, but what I really wanted to test out was the functionality.  Was WP7 really as good as I had heard?  How would this stack up to my Android experience?  Could I get this phone to do what I really wanted it to do?  I dove right in, adding accounts and setting up apps.  I quickly discovered that Microsoft could play nicely with Gmail and Google Calendar — important details, since that’s where I primarily organize my communication and my life.  An even bigger detail: I could interface with the contacts from my Google account.  This was critical, because it meant all of the contacts on my Android device were instantly available on the WP7 device.  And it wasn’t an import; WP7 actually allows me to maintain my contact list at Google, and I can edit it from the phone.  That tight integration with Google made the transition extremely easy and won major brownie points for Microsoft.

A few more ease of use items caught my attention early on.  The phone has a camera button, making snapping photos very fast and easy.  The camera is quick and responsive.  The LED flash is ok in dark light situations, but not much help in more common low-light conditions.  Photos in low light without the flash don’t fair much better.  Give this camera plenty of light, though, and the pictures are beautiful.  So… better than the 3 MP camera on my older Android, but still needs work to be a perfect solution.  Sharing photos, though was very easy, which leads me to my next point: social media integration.

Windows Phone 7 has Facebook and Twitter integrated right into the OS.  This makes photo sharing very easy; you can snap a photo and have it posted on Facebook in a matter of seconds, with very few steps in the process.  Posting a status update or checking into a location can all be accomplished directly through the OS, and I found it easiest to do it that way.  There are independent Facebook and Twitter apps available for the platform, but for the most part I ignored them.  WP7 loads status updates from the people you follow right into the address book.  It also lets you create groups of contacts, which I found extremely useful for following social media posts from the people I am closest too.  I put them in a group, and from one icon (live tile in WP7 terms) on my home screen, I can see their latest updates and photos.

As a result of the ease of use with social media, I found myself more engaged with the people I actually care about — filtering out a lot of the junk that crowds social platforms — and more likely to participate.  Over the course of my first three months with the phone, I almost completely abandoned desktop access to Twitter and Facebook, preferring instead the Lumia 900 as my primary means of social media interaction.  To be fair, my Android device did try to accomplish the same thing, but it never worked well and ultimately was more frustrating than helpful.  Not so with WP7; it has social interaction under control.

Those are the highlights.  There are some challenges with the platform, too.  Some of the biggest problems with WP7, in my opinion, are not likely to be changed because of the Microsoft factor: Internet Explorer and Bing.  The only browser available for the phone is Internet Explorer, and it doesn’t do a great job of rendering web pages, especially the mobile versions of those pages.  My experience with the Android browser was that is was quite intuitive; Internet Explorer is not.  I looked for alternatives — Opera, which I had way back on WP6, or Firefox — but no alternatives were available.  As a result, I find that I will put off web-browsing tasks until I can be at an actual computer, which defeats the purpose of having a browser on your mobile anyway.

Bing is the search provider that’s built-in to WP7, but the results of the “decision engine” are no better on the phone than they are on a desktop, which is not good.  More often than not, I found myself opening up Google in the browser to find what I was looking for.  And Bing maps, while serviceable, are no comparison for Google.

In the middle — neither a highlight nor a challenge — is the app selection on WP7.  There are some essentials here — Netflix, Crackle, and iHeartRadio provide entertainment, Microsoft Office and Evernote are there for productivity, there are the required social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare, and you’ll find other mainstays like Amazon Kindle, Spotify, IMDb, and Skype.  Missing are Instagram and Google+, among others.  Microsoft and Nokia have actually stepped in to develop some of the missing apps themselves: the YouTube app was written by Microsoft, while Nokia has submitted a number of apps, including The Weather Channel and ESPN Fantasy Football.  Relying on your OS developer or handset manufacturer to develop the third-party apps people are looking for is not necessarily an ideal situation, but I’m glad to see both partners stepping up to make sure the phone meets customer expectations.  In the case that you don’t find the iOS or Android app you’re used to, you can almost always find a functional alternative in the Windows Marketplace.

Sticking to the app front for a moment, Nokia deserves some attention for the apps they’ve developed to extend the platform.  Many of these are exclusive to Nokia devices, so I lucked out that my WP7 test was on the Lumia 900.  Nokia Drive is a GPS/Navigation app that actually downloads the maps to your phone permanently, enabling you to still navigate even when you’ve driven beyond the limits of data coverage.  Google Maps, as good as they are, don’t offer this feature.  Camera Extras brings panorama and group shot functionality to the phone, Nokia Music provides free streaming music sans commercials, and Nokia City Lens is a fun augmented reality app.  In all, Nokia has developed 23 exclusive apps for WP7 devices, and they make a difference.

In the end, I’d have to say I’ve enjoyed my three months with the Nokia Lumia 900.  As a phone, it works well.  Call quality is ok, and dropped calls aren’t an issue.  The WP7 interface is a refreshing departure from Android and iOS, and the Lumia 900 was quick and responsive — something that was helped by the 4G data service.  I enjoyed using the phone to monitor and interact with social networks, so much so that I moved my social networking interaction almost exclusively to the device.  Taking and sharing photos was also quick and easy.  It should also be noted that my kids loved this phone — everyone from my 14-year-old to my 7-year-old ask to use it on a daily basis.  Would I recommend it?  Yes, with this proviso: if you rely on a specific app, make sure it’s available on the WP7 platform first.  Otherwise, I have no reservations about the platform, and the Lumia 900 is a great piece of hardware to enjoy it on.

Photo credit: theinnatkeywest / flickr.com

Wall-mounting a flat screen plasma, LCD or LED television is a smart and aesthetic way to update a room and make TV viewing more comfortable. Hanging a monitor on a wall is also a way to reclaim valuable floor space and surface area. When young children are roaming about, installing a TV wall mount provides a sense of safety as heavy and expensive electronics are up and out of the way.

What type wall mount should I buy?
There are three basic types of TV wall mounts: low profile, tilting and full motion.

• A low-profile mount is the most streamlined, but the least versatile because once mounted, the monitor is in a fixed position.
• A tilt mount also has a tailored look and rests relatively close to the wall but allows some degree of adjustment.
• A full-motion television wall mount usually extends out from the wall on an articulated arm and can also swivel, tilt, expand and retract as desired.

All flat-panel wall mounting kits come with installation hardware and manufacturer’s instructions specific to that model. Familiarize yourself with the task and what tools are required a day before you are ready to embark, just in case you need to run to the store for something or call the manufacturer with questions. If you’re handy and feel confident, the actual installation should take about an hour or so. All you need is some patience and a friend (for an extra set of hands and eyes).

Supplies
Wall mount kit
Stud finder
Cordless drill with appropriate screwdriver and socket bits (per manual)
Level
Measuring tape
Pencil
Cord cover (some kits come with these)
Double-stick tape

Instructions

1. Get your materials ready.
Open the TV wall mount kit. Make sure all said parts are included. Read the manual and set up your supplies.

2. Prepare the TV to be mounted.
Affix the monitor mount to the TV by lining up the holes. Secure with bolts.

3. Determine the general viewing area.
If you plan on running the wiring inside the wall, we recommend you use an interior wall since exterior walls are usually packed with insulation that can be an obstacle for easy rewiring. Also consider the interior architecture (mantel, bookshelves, windows) and furniture arrangement, as well as the glare from windows and artificial light sources.

4. Find a stud.
A television wall mount must bolt or screw into the center of a wood stud. Larger plasma sets require securing into multiple studs. Use a stud finder and mark the stud(s) with a pencil.

5. Establish the viewing height
Use a friend to hold up the monitor, and eyeball the placement from the viewing areas. Then measure, taking into account the overall size of the monitor and where the bracket is placed along the back. It’s better to err on the high side. The goal is to watch in comfort and avoid neck and eye strain.

6. Fasten the wall plate.
Use a level to align the holes on a stud and mark them with a pencil. Drill preliminary holes with a small bit. Then, hold the plate to the wall and drill in the long screws/bolts with washers included with the kit.

7. Mount the TV.
Plug in all necessary cables. Lift the monitor up and into place on the wall mount. Tuck the wires into the cord cover and fix to the wall with double-stick tape. Plug in your TV, then sit back and enjoy!

Jane Dagmi is a lifestyle journalist and stylist who has worked on the editorial staff of Country Living and contributed decorating stories to Victoria, Real Simple, and Southern Living magazines. She produced a series called “Real People, Real Kitchens” for ShelterPop.com and can be found hanging out in the kitchen at most dinner parties. Jane’s articles have previously appeared in Home Sweet Solutions.

This Glow Crazy product fit the bill. It was exciting to setup and quite easy at that. We turned off the lights and had a blast. We took turns drawing different items. We played tic tac toe. We also had a fun time making shadow puppets and leaving that image on the wall.

My nine year old and seven year old had a great time, but my two year old was totally mesmerized by it as well. All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed it.

The only thing I would say is that I wish it was kind of like a Magna-doodle. What do I mean by that? I wish the glow in the dark pen would stay until we decided it was time to start over. I don’t know if that’s even possible, but I wish it were. Sometimes, we felt rushed trying to make our designs.

I will say, it was definitely a blast, and we all enjoyed it as a family. We went Glow Crazy!

Here’s a Glow Crazy video that shows how it works.

I opened up the earbud headphones first.  Inside were three different sized pairs of soft rubber rings to customize the fit of the headphones.  This was a nice touch, I thought, and I found the set the fit me best.  The headphones were very comfortable to my ears, which was a nice departure from the Apple ones I’ve been using that came with an iPod.  I attached the headphones to my Android-powered phone and looked up “Flood” by Jars of Clay.  I like using this song to test out audio equipment because it starts with a rumbling low synth sound; only good speakers reproduce it well.

I was pleasantly surprised by the clarity of what I heard.  The full range of sound from the track came through crisp and clear, from the low, bass rumble to the high strings that follow it.  The headphones also did a good job of blocking the other noise in the room – I could no longer hear the conversations going on around me.  Chalk this model up as a win for iHip.  I enjoyed the listening moment, then switched the music off so I could test the speakers.

The Yankees speakers are the non-powered kind that you would connect to an iPod or computer.  I’ve used similar products before; the performance is usually pretty weak, since they rely on the same power output that is designed to drive headphones.  Unfortunately, this product did nothing to change that opinion.  In fact, these speakers performed worse than what I have experienced in the past.  The sound quality was poor.  I couldn’t pick up the low intro to “Flood” at all.  Turning up the volume didn’t help, either; in fact, even after I was past the intro, I had to max out the volume on my phone to get something you might be able to call listenable.  Thinking it might be a problem with limited volume on my phone headphones jack, I switched to the headphone jack on my stereo, which I know can get pretty loud.  I got the same results.  These speakers look great, but they get a failing grade for functionality.

If you’re looking for headphones and want to celebrate the start of the NFL season (and who wouldn’t want to do that!), the iHip NFL headphones are a great idea.  They get a thumbs-up from me, and you won’t be disappointed.  Take a pass on the speakers, though; they’re not worth it.

Photo © Yuyu - Fotolia.com

Lasers. They’re very cool. And very dangerous. And that’s apparently something people need to be reminded of.

When I was a kid, lasers were the stuff of TV. I remember watching Professor John Robinson battling rubbery-costumed aliens outside the Jupiter 2, his laser gun blazing. I’d have given anything for a laser pistol of my own back then. Fast forward forty years, and lasers are fairly common. While there are some capable of igniting paper, most are strictly of the low-wattage, pointer-variety. I can’t blast annoying varmints in the backyard with the average laser. Yet.

Today’s lasers come in a variety of colors, some small enough to fit on your keychain. They are for use as pointers during presentations, to aim digital thermometers or tapeless measuring systems, as levels for home improvement work, and even for tormenting your pets. All of these lasers share one very important feature: a prominent warning message on the side, advising you NOT to point them at anyone’s eyes, that you could risk blinding them.

I carry a laser with me all the time. It’s built into my flashlight. I carry a flashlight on my belt because I often have to retrieve files from the dimly lit, basement storage room at my day job. I didn’t order this flashlight off the internet solely because it had a laser. I was just looking for a super-bright, LED, AA-battery powered flashlight. The laser was just an unexpected benefit.

Having desperately desired a laser as a child, I of course have to use my laser flashlight as much as possible. It’s a sort of repressed childhood wish come true. My most common use of a laser at work is when I’m consulted as an advanced computer user.

“How do I change my wallpaper?” my co-workers will ask. “Where did my tool bar go?” they ask. “Why isn’t my document printing?” they ask. How people who use computers daily lack these simple, basic skills is beyond me. But I step in and try to help. Before my laser light, I would have to lean over their shoulders and extended a hammy hand to their screen, pointing out exactly where they needed to click on their tool bar. I’m a teach-a-man-to-fish kind of guy, and I insist on people learning how to solve the problem in the future, rather than keep bugging me about it. Now that I am armed with laser technology, I can stand back, all professor-like, and point at their screens from a safe distance.

On my most recent foray into teaching Windows Basics for Dummies, one of my co-workers was more interested in my laser flashlight than learning how to solve problems for herself. She asked if she could see my gadget. I handed it over after a brief explanation of how to alternate between LED light and laser emitter. I then turned back to the computer of another co-worker to solve the pressing computer problem.

And promptly got my eye lased.

You would think that a 60-something year old grandmother would know better than to shine a laser in someone’s eye. But no, like a small kid incapable of reading the laser warning, she was oblivious to the danger of lasers. She thought it would be funny to shine the laser around at people.

Some online resources may tell you that brief exposure to a laser-pointer device cannot cause permanent eye injury, that it takes several seconds of continuous staring to do significant damage. But do you really want to gamble with your vision?

Just last year I learned that not only can lasers damage your vision, they can trigger migraines.

There I was illuminating various objects around the house with a laser for my children’s amusement. It was an impromptu laser light show. The finale of the show was when I illuminated a crystal one of the kids had picked up at a museum gift shop. Instead of just hitting it with the laser from afar, I set the crystal on the laser. I’d already shown the kids how the crystal could diffuse light from a flashlight. The crystal glowed brilliantly, but didn’t produce a lightsaber or any cool multi-beam effect. But it did sparkle a little. I was hypnotized by the odd sparkling. I kept staring at it. For several moments. I then thought: should I really be staring at a laser?

About ten minutes after the light show, we all sat down to watch TV. I noticed a floater in my field of vision. It began to grow. Over the course of fifteen minutes, it went from the size of a quarter held at arm’s length, to the size of a dinner plate. The floater was surrounded by a dazzling, rainbow-hued line, surrounding an out of focus blob in the middle. This was accompanied by an excruciating headache. Panic set it.

Some ibuprofen and a multi-hour nap later, my vision came back. I paid my doctor a visit and learned that the symptoms I described indicated I had a migraine but no lasting eye damage. Lesson learned.

If you own, or find yourself using a laser, please be responsible and heed the safety warnings- they are put there for a reason. Don’t point them at your own, or other people’s eyes!

You’re probably familiar with FM transmitters, those small devices that plug into your MP3 player and let you listen to your music wirelessly on a nearby FM radio, such as a car stereo.

But you’re probably also aware it can be difficult to find an unused spot on the FM dial (especially in big cities) to hear your music clearly. Belkin has integrated a new technology called ClearScan into its TuneBase wireless FM transmitters, which can automatically seek out the clearest FM frequency to play your tunes.

So, for example, it might find that 93.7 FM is the best possible spot to hear your iPod music, while in another city it might be 101.1 FM, and so on. This is a much better idea than having to make your way down the FM dial, manually, through trial and error, to find a suitable frequency.

The Belkin TuneBase FM transmitters with ClearScan sell for about $59.

In our modern homes, fire has been replaced with electric light. It’s something most of us- including our kids- take for granted. But what happens when the lights go out? Imagine being in your windowless dadcave and the power goes out due to a storm or some drunk driver hitting a utility pole. The first thing you might think is “now I can’t watch the rest of the game!”. But your kids are going to have a more immediate concern. IT’S DARK!

When there’s an emergency, you’ve got a lot of options on how to provide this simple luxury item your kids can’t do without out. Modern light comes from four main sources: The Sun (through your windows), from Fire, from Electricity, or from chemical sources. How many of these have you thought about, or prepared with?

Power outages by day aren’t so bad. You just leave the darkened dadcave and open the curtains or blinds through out the house. If it’s cold, you grab a blanket. If it’s hot you open a window. But when it’s night time, or maybe during a thunderstorm or other overcast weather, you have to bust out some illumination assistance.

Fire is great if you have a fireplace, unless it’s a really hot summer. If not, you might resort to candles. The technology’s been around for thousands of years. A more modern twist on the candle you might choose is the kerosene lantern. But these all have some major safety issues- especially when mixed with pets or children. Take kerosene- how many western movies feature a lantern being broken by sabotage or negligence, thereby consuming barns full of straw? Candles can be tipped over by curious children. If you can, keep the fire outside. There are much safer alternatives.

And what about ignition sources? How many non-smokers keep matches or lighters ready for all those tea candles the wife bought from co-workers’ candle parties? Even if you don’t prescribe to candling, it’s a great idea to keep a simple Bic-type disposable lighter in the house. It can be submerged under water, allowed to dry, and it’ll still work. Just make sure the kids can’t get to it.

Maybe fire isn’t for you. The power might be off in your home, but that doesn’t mean electricity can’t come to your aid. Flashlights are the darkness-battling weapon of choice in modern America. But flashlights require batteries in most cases. And where is the flashlight? Do you remember that in a pinch? You could keep a flashlight in every room of the house, in a universal location- say, the left hand side of whatever drawer you put it in.

There’s also the bulb issue. Kids drop stuff, and a dropped incandescent bulb, even a super-bright krypton bulb, will break on impact. LED is much better. Resists impacts and uses far less electricity. And many LED flashlights are capable of changing color, or switching to a blinking mode. Useful for emergencies, or just amusing the kids.

Battery powered flashlights are so old-school, though. Instead of raiding the remote controls in an emergency to find batteries, today you can turn to crank-powered and even solar-powered flashlights . Crank lights are great for kids, who always forget to turn flashlights off anyway. Not only can your neanderkid have their own source of light, they can be amused for some time cranking and cranking on it every couple of minutes to recharge. Just make sure you get enough crank lights for all the kids, and that you make sure they put them back where they belong. Like hanging from a wrist strap on a wall hook or door knob.

Flashlights are swell, until you have to go potty. For us dads, we need our hands for other than light holding. It’s instances like that where an electric lantern is a life saver. And unlike flashlights, you only need one for the family. It can light up a room, is free-standing and there’s simply no need for each kid to have their own. Although you can get AA powered lanterns for under $10 so each kiddo can carry light around with them. And, like flashlights, there are now crank-powered lanterns. Many have built in radios and ports for charging cell phones.

Finally, there’s one truly awesome light source that I highly recommend for emergencies. Cyalumes, or “glowsticks”. These simple plastic tubes, filled with chemicals separated by a glass ampule, create a whole night’s worth of cold light, simply by bending (breaking the ampule inside) and shaking (mixing the chemicals up). They can light up a room fairly well, with no fire hazard. Most even have hooks which fit quite nicely on ceiling fan pull cords. Or you can put them on string and make each of the kids their very own glow necklace. Put one in a jar or glass and now you’ve got a table top glow lantern. They work under water. They come in different colors. They also range in price from cheap up to as much as $4 a stick. Every camping section carries them.

And don’t forget that glowsticks come in different shapes and sizes. I prefer the 6″ camping kind. They can be kept in drawers and are often found in first aid kits. You can also find glowstick bracelets and necklaces that are designed to be kid friendly. Our local Target sells tubes of bracelets- fifteen for $1. Not much light to read or pee by, but the kids love the novelty of them.

Glowsticks do have some safety concerns though. For one, if you let your neanderkid bend it back and forth, over and over, it won’t get brighter. In fact, the plastic will crack and spray glowing liquid out. Sometimes into your kid’s eyes. As long as no glass gets in, it isn’t very serious. Maybe just a trip to the hospital E.R. to have the eye flushed. And the expelled glowstick liquid fades to invisibility on carpet and curtains after just a few days.

Glowsticks are also temperature sensitive. Leave one in the hot glovebox of your car and the plastic starts to break down. So that when you go to bend and crack one to life, it bursts open and sprays glowing chemicals all over the carpet. Better to keep your glowsticks in a cool, dark place. In fact, once activated, you can put them in the freezer to extend their life span an extra day or two.

There are other emergency light sources you can have around the dadcave and house. Expensive battery packs or battery powered emergency lighting. Flashlights that stay plugged into the wall until needed. Just remember that anything fancy is going to get broken once your kids get their hands on them. Stick to the cheap glowsticks and crank lights and you’ll stay out of the darkness.

I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the Blackout Buddy. It is compact (2 ounces), durable and its fold-up prongs make this LED light extremely convenient for travel. Blackout Buddy can be set to automatically turn on when a room goes dark (as in the case of power failures and blackouts). In addition, it can be used as a night light or flashlight, recharging when plugged into your wall socket. The LED light is a bit bright and works best as a hall or bathroom night light instead of in a child’s room.

The best thing about the Blackout Buddy: no more buying night light light bulbs or batteries for a flashlight that can never be found when needed! Although it costs slightly more than similar products on the market (retails for $15.00), a portion of each sale goes directly to the American Red Cross.

If you are traveling with young kids or need an emergency flashlight/night light I would say this is a must have. For more information about this product go to http://www.etoncorp.com/American_Red_Cross.