Verizon Archives - MomStart

Go Hawks Verizon Power House Activities #VZWBuzz #MoreSeattle #GoHawks

January 29, 2015 by Momstart Leave a Comment

At Super Bowl XLIX, one million fans are taking the trip to Phoenix. For a story on the fan technology experience at the Super Bowl, the Verizon Power House, conveniently located in Verizon Super Bowl Central near downtown Phoenix attractions, is offering Seahawks fans an interactive experience to get into the game.

Activities at the Verizon Power House include:

· “Suit Up,” an augmented reality experience that allows fans to suit up in their favorite team’s uniforms, including detailed 3D movement.

· At “Player Chat,” fans will be able to interact with their favorite players through a cutting edge technology glass projection platform. The die-cut digital players look almost alive as they blink and respond to fans questions from the Power House app.

· Through “Power Touch,” visitors can interact with live avatars, who will guide them through the personalized content-driven experience. Fans will be able to receive a virtual autograph from Drew Brees, feel like a newly drafted NFL player, and learn more about NFL Mobile.

· “Game Time,” a platform with 360 virtual reality, provides fans with a once-in-a-lifetime point-of-view experience as an NFL player in University of Phoenix Stadium.

· The “WOW Wall” provides an amazing display of more than 250 tablets and smartphones that act as a single screen where fans can choose to play videos from the 2014-15 NFL season and see some of the best plays from all 32 NFL teams.

Don’t forget to download the Super Bowl Stadium App presented by Verizon, which includes stadium seating charts and concession maps, Super Bowl commercials, replays and the option to receive game day notifications. Hawks fans traveling south should also download Verizon’s NFL Mobile app to get alerts all week on autograph sessions, player appearances, photo opportunities and where to find Super Bowl gear.

Landscape Photography Tips from Verizon Wireless #VZWBuzz #MoreSeattle #morningcoffee

November 23, 2014 by Momstart 1 Comment

I love taking photos of landscape and we live in a beautiful country. In the east the leaves are falling, in the Pacific Northwest the green is evergreen and in the midwest there are all kinds of scapes to capture. There are a ton of apps to help you become a great phone photographer no matter which operating system you are on. I’m currently on Windows phone and I love the versatility in the apps. I really love using the Nokia Phone app and changing the phone to macro mode. It’s my favorite and great for landscapes. Verizon has teamed up with Nick LaVecchia and shared some of this tips.

Nick LaVecchia is a professional photographer in York, Maine, and creator of the Instagram photo series #morningcoffee. LaVecchia takes a DSLR approach to smartphone photography. He adjusts the Samsung Galaxy S® 5 camera and VSCO Cam app settings and keeps filters and post-processing tricks to a minimum. For this tutorial, LaVecchia shares his tips for shooting amazing landscape photography.

Photo Tips: Landscape photography

Shot with the Samsung Galaxy S 5

Turn off Image Stabilization to customize camera settings.
Underexpose by half a stop or so to boost sky hues and landscape colors.
Change ISO to the lowest setting (i.e., 100).
In VSCO Cam, tweak exposure, contrast and saturation settings before resorting to presets/filters.
When adjusting these elements, compare the treated image to the original and see which one you like best.

Learn more about Nick LaVecchia’s #morningcoffee Instagram series, then check out the tips, gear and apps you need to start your own mobile photography series.

Verizon’s Presence at The Game Go Seahawks! #VZWBuzz #MoreSeattle

November 11, 2014 by Momstart Leave a Comment

I received tickets to the game along with some Verizon swag in exchange for this partnered post, all opinions are my own.

This past weekend was my very first time to visit CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Well, that’s not true, I visited it once last year with Toyota but this was my first time to ever see a professional NFL football live. Oh wow, next time my husband asks if he can buy season tickets I might say yes. (if it was a dream world and they weren’t so expensive and the waiting list wasn’t FOREVER long). Our stadium is pretty much completely sold out all the time because of how many season ticket holders there are. The best way to get tickets is on Stub Hub which is what Verizon did to get us the best tickets ever. We sat in the Charter section and it was just barely covered from the rain.

Now about how Verizon is involved at the stadium. So there is this building across from the stadium, actually it’s attached to the stadium, it’s called The Event Center. Inside there before the game is a building full of pre-game activities. There are big screens everywhere, beer, games for the kids and brands showcasing their products. That’s what Verizon does. Verizon has new products to show you and they have chances for you to win prizes.

They also have the opportunity for you to take a twelfie, I can’t access mine because it doesn’t work for Windows Phone, but if you have an iPhone or an Android you’re in luck. And you can also get a digital autographed photo with one of the Seahwaks. It’s pretty cool and you are entered to win I think on Sunday they were giving away a Galaxy Tablet. Verizon also provides free WiFi at the game so stay connected and share your game fun. If you’re battery gets low they have charging stations for you to enjoy.

My kids had fun hanging out and playing games on the phones. Zoe said that Frozen was loaded onto one of the phones.

What’s The Football Score….Verizon NFL Mobile App #VZWBuzz #MoreSeattle

October 12, 2014 by Momstart 4 Comments

I’m so excited for this year’s football season. Coming off of a high from our team winning the super bowl last year we’ve been following the success of the Seattle Seahawks. Verizon has teamed up with NFL and provides quite the variety of NFL apps beginning with the NFL Mobile. For MORE everything subscribers the NFL Mobile app is included and gives you all kinds of NFL coverage.

The app allows you to see up-to-the minute NFL game score updates from the league and you can receive them as push notifications if you like. I set my app to update me with Seahawk updates and Bronco updates.

OTHER FEATURES INLUDE:

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS – Watch video highlights during the game
CUSTOM TEAM ALERTS – Follow your favorite team and get customized alerts – including injury updates, highlights, game start times, entry into the red zone, and scoring plays
FANTASY FOOTBALL – Manage your NFL.com fantasy team directly in the app
PREMIUM FEATURES – Verizon customers can upgrade to Premium Features to gain access to live streams of NFL RedZone on Sunday afternoons, live NFL games on Thursday, Sunday and Monday Nights, live game audio, live NFL.com webcasts and NFL Network 24/7 on their smartphone.
… AND MORE! – Check team standings, stats, rosters and schedules, play along during Thursday Night Football and A Football Life with the Xtra companion, browse the NFL.com shop, find game tickets, or read expert analysis wherever you are
Get more football with other great NFL Mobile Products including: NFL Fantasy and NFL Fantasy Cheat Sheet.

Learn more about the NFL Mobile products at: www.nfl.com/mobile, www.twitter.com/nfl, and www.facebook.com/nfl

For Even more Seattle Fun….Join the Seahawks Helmet Hunt.

The Seahawks Helmet Hunt has begun! Grab your phone, follow the clues and head out to locate the Giant Seahawks Helmet for your chance to win game day tickets, gear and more on December 14!

Throughout the season, the Giant Helmet will be moved to various locations around Seattle. Follow the clues below! Once you find it, snap a pic and post to Instagram or Twitter with #MoreHawksPromo for a chance to win. To increase your odds of winning, be sure to visit us at multiple locations.

Emergency & Natural Disaster Preparedness Apps #VZWBuzz #WindowsChampions

June 2, 2014 by Momstart 1 Comment

Microsoft offers several resources and tips to keep you safe and out of harm’s way during natural disasters. As a Microsoft Brand Ambassador and also a Verizon Wireless ambassador currently using a Windows Phone, I wanted to share these aps with you guys. Last week was Hurricane Preparedness week and my mom lives in the panhandle of Florida so I know all too well about how one needs to be prepared for a hurricane and other natural disasters.

Stay Connected

Use technology to your advantage: During times of disaster, social media and texting are quick and effective ways to communicate with friends and family. Last year, Microsoft launched HelpBridge, an app designed to help people connect with one another, and with volunteer and donation opportunities, during any type of disaster. HelpBridge is a free cross-platform mobile application (Windows, Android, iOS) that provides you with the ability to send status updates to pre-selected contact groups via email, SMS, Twitter and Facebook. Through your phone’s GPS capabilities you can also choose whether to share your location in your alerts. Today, Microsoft released an update to the app including a new easy to navigate User Interface and push notifications. In times of disaster, Skype on Windows or Windows Phone can also help you stay connected via the internet or a mobile device when phone services are down.

Plan Ahead

Develop a family emergency plan: One of the best ways you can weather the storm is to prepare for it. Microsoft Excel offers several free templates, including emergency contact lists and family emergency plans. Remember to plan for senior citizens and pets in your household, and communicate this plan to family and friends so they are aware. Your plan can be accessed during a disaster by saving it to a cloud service, like OneDrive on Windows or Windows Phone, so you can access your documents on any computer or smartphone – even when Internet access is not available.

The United States Department of Homeland Security also offers several resources and games to make disaster preparedness planning easy for the whole family, including Facebook application, bReddi, which helps you and your family prepare for emergencies. The American Red Cross and FEMA provide extensive preparation guidance and status information for various types of natural disasters, including hurricanes.

Use Your Resources and Take Action

Monitor your health information: Quick and reliable access to your health and medical information is important to ensure the appropriate medical aid during a natural disaster. HealthVault on Windows and Windows Phone helps you gather, store, use, and share important health information for you and your family by creating an emergency profile. Here you can manage and track your family’s medical contacts, allergies, medication, immunizations, and health conditions. Your medical providers can securely log in and see a full picture of your history and medical needs.

Download the HelpBridge app on here and visit Microsoft Disaster Response site to learn more about the Microsoft Disaster Response program.

Tour of The Seahawks CenturyLink Field With The Nokia Icon #VZWBuzz #LetsGoPlaces

April 7, 2014 by Momstart Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago I was invited to a media event sponsored by Toyota. There I meat with the execs and talked about how their review program works and they also gave us a tour of the CenturyLink Field home to the Seattle Sounders and the Seattle Seahawks.

During this tour, I used my new phone that Verizon gave me to review: The Nokia Icon and it’s known for it’s amazing photos and operating speed. It’s a super fast fully integrated WIndows Phone and what I mean by that is that I can now do all of my social media needs for work on a Windows Phone. The apps I need are there, the only one missing is Candy Crush and guess what? That just increased my productivity.

The Tour of CenturyLink field reminded me of marching band in high school. There is something really amazing about walking down that same path that the football team uses when they enter the field before the game starts. We saw the press booth, which by the way Seattle has the best press booth out of all the stadiums. The Press Box is on the same level as all of the VIP booths and you get free food and drinks and free admission. I was told that Seattle’s press box is the only free press box in the NFL. I haven’t verified that fact.

We were also allowed to walk through the locker room of the Seahawks. I took a photo of quite a few different lockers, but I had to share that even in the off season Marshawn Lynch’s locker is full of skittles.

The candy brand announced on Tuesday January 28th a formal deal with the Seattle Seahawks running back, whose relationship with the product dates to when his mother started giving him what she called "power pellets" in his Pop Warner playing days.

There is even now a Seattle Skittles package:

I had my picture taken as if I was a victor from the field and was being interviewed by the press.

I’m really amazed though at the quality this camera has with night shots. I love how the light was reflected in this photo of CenturyLink Field from the VIP level.

This is a picture of a 12th man flag that has been signed and is used as good luck before each game. The players tap the 12th man flag as they are walking down the hallway to enter the field for the game.

I had a great time learning more about my local football team. I will cherish the photos that were taken on my Nokia Icon for quite a while thanks to the automatic upload to my skydrive account, I can go ahead and let my husband have my Icon. He’s been drooling over it since Verizon sent it to me to review.

New HTC ONE Exclusive at Verizon BOGO For 16 Days #VZWBuzz

March 25, 2014 by Momstart Leave a Comment

HTC is updating its flagship HTC One smartphone by giving it a larger screen, better software and a camera that’s easier to use. It’s an amazing phone and it’s exclusive to Verizon Stores for 16 Days starting today at 1PM Eastern. That’s really soon!

The new phone has a screen measuring 5 inches diagonally, up from 4.7 inches in last year’s model. It will help software improvements designed to anticipate your needs, such as offering lunch recommendations when it’s time for lunch. That will come through HTC’s hub for personalized content, known as BlinkFeed. BlinkFeed itself will be more colorful and will continue to present news, social media updates and other items of interest.

The new HTC One has a 4 megapixel rear camera, which is low for high-end smartphones. Instead, HTC focuses on making the individual pixel sensors larger, so that they can capture more light and offer better shots in low-light settings. The front camera, for selfies, is improved, though at 5 megapixels, compared with 2.1 megapixels before. Plus the features like being able to change the depth of your photo sounds really cool. I mean this camera is going to take amazing photos. The new phone also makes it easier to use the camera’s Zoe assistant, which takes several shots over a few seconds and lets you pick the best ones. It also lets you save frequently used combinations of manual settings, so that you don’t miss the shot trying to set it each time.

HTC BoomSound^™ offers really big sound. Bring your music and movies to life with two stereo speakers cleverly placed on the front of the phone that combine with dedicated amplifiers to deliver clear, balanced, powerful sound.

HTC has given the user experience a stylish new overhaul with HTC Sense 6. It’s bolder, cleaner, and more colorful. Enhanced gesture recognition makes access to your phone faster and easier, and it allows you to interact with your phone in ways you never thought possible using Motion Launch^™ gestures.

It will be offered at 199.00 for a buy one Get One Free (bogo) with a contract and using the edge program about 21.00 a month .

The LG G2 BEAUTIFUL photos of Course! #VZWBuzz

December 31, 2013 by Momstart 2 Comments

I’ve been loving the LG G2 for a few months now. I received it from Verizon to review and share with you how it fits into my lifestyle. It fits in my lifestyle with pictures of my kids, my travels and a few selfies here and there.

Featuring an intuitive rear-key placement and a 2.26 GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 800 Quad-Core Processor. LG G2—our most advanced smartphone yet. Life is Good!

I love taking photos.

The birthday girl

Our snow creation

capturing artwork to cherish forever

fun in the classroom together

a silly husband

and a selfie with friends

And my husband!

And that’s just a handful of fun I’ve had with this camera.

Experience the Motox: A Make Your Own Phone #MotoX #VZWBuzz

December 29, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Have you ever wanted to design your own phone? Motorola knows that’s what everyone wants to do and at only $99. You can design your own phone with colors upon colors with the Motomaker. Make your own Motox.

The Motomaker has been appearing at football games and other events in Seattle and probably other metropolitan areas around the US.

They invite you in with fun swag, like gloves and glasses and koozies. I love the gloves.

I was able to have a little fun inside the van. This is the first time I’ve been able to pick out the colors of a phone, and it’s so much fun and a really great price. I went over to Verizon before Christmas and designed my own phone. Of course you can design your own phone too just by going to the Motomaker webpage.

There are so many colors. I picked Raspberry for the outside and white for the front.

Then on the back you can inscribe up to 20 characters. This phone here says Go Seahawks, my phone says MomStart. It’s great to have my name on my phone. It’s also nice to have a phone that is different from everyone else’s. It seems like everyone I know has an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy. Then we all look our phones like whose is whose.

SO this is what you do.

Pick the back,

Pick the front

Pick an accent

Pick a Signature (MomStart)

Then you can select memory, what your phone says when you power it on and wallpaper. You can even go ahead and sync up your google account so your phone already comes with your account loaded on it. WOOT. It just saves you a few steps.

The last step you can pick out accessories but they are extra.

The estimated delivery date is 8 days but I got my phone in like three. They might be a little slower right now because it’s so close to Christmas. But you never know.

Have fun making your own phone.

Traveling And Keeping Your House Safe: Belkin Wemo Switch #VZWBuzz

November 18, 2013 by Momstart 1 Comment

The crime rate in our area has been going up. Houses are being broken into as are cars left outside the garage. We even had someone driving around at about 2 am just breaking into cars. So when someone travels it puts us all on alert. On thing I’ve heard of doing is timing your lights to go on and off in different rooms, but I didn’t know how to do that. Verizon sent me a product that will help, the Belkin Wemo Switch.

The Wemo Switch is pretty cool because you can program it with you phone when to go on and off. By placing lamps or other lights into it and changing the time it makes it look like someone is home if you’re away for an extended period of time. I put this particular Wemo switch in my bathroom. How does it work?

The Wi-Fi enabled WeMo Insight Switch connects your home appliances and electronic devices to your Wi-Fi network, allowing you to turn devices on or off, program customized notifications, and change device status–from anywhere. WeMo Insight Switch can monitor your electronics and will send information about the device’s energy usage directly to your smartphone or tablet. Perfect to pair with space heaters, wall A/C units, TVs, washers, dryers, fans, lights and more.

You can even monitor energy usage. My husband loves to know how much energy each appliance is using. Download the free WeMo App to as many smartphones and tablets as you like to create rules and custom schedules. The WeMo App can be as flexible as you need and allows you to create rules that are easy to set up and can easily be changed. You can even receive notifications that are personalized to meet your needs.Download the free WeMo App to as many smartphones and tablets as you like to create rules and custom schedules. The WeMo App can be as flexible as you need and allows you to create rules that are easy to set up and can easily be changed. You can even receive notifications that are personalized to meet your needs.