wii

Link Love: iThink, To Do Tattoo, and more

September 10, 2010 · 0 comments

Someday Apple is going to release the iThink. It’s my dream to be able to just think what I want done and have it done. Looks like we’re a step closer now. XWave lets you control your iPhone with your noodle, levitate if you’re lucky @Engadget
So really you just need to check out this post for the tattoo pictured. If I were to get a tattoo this would be the perfect one for me. Five Best Mobile To-Do List Managers @Lifehacker
Doctor Who is my latest sci-fi television marathon via Netflix streaming plus I love the Wii so this is pretty awesome. Really this is the remote I should be using to control my Netflix via Wii while I watch Doctor Who. A Wii Remote Suited For Doctor Who @Kotaku
Stuff like this makes me want to be a runner but I’m not and I never will be and I need to stop deluding myself. Nike Unveils New iPhone App Just for Runners @Mashable
This Is Why I Google Myself Regularly @Gizmodo
XKCD cake @Boing Boing
This is like my Wii remote charger but for the Apple Magic Mouse. My Magic Mouse’s batteries are lasting really well though – they’re at about 30% after several hours of use every day for over a month – so I’m not really sure how useful this charger would be. Mobee’s inductive Magic Charger for Apple’s Magic Mouse really is magical @Engadget
I want to see AirPlay in my next car and I want it to know to play when I turn the car on and stop when I turn the car off. Apple’s AirPlay music streaming coming to third party speaker docks, receivers, and stereos @Engadget
My Twitter friends and I were discussing typing with our feet when this popped up in my RSS reader one day. Can you control your computer with your feet? And yes I got the Magic Touchpad when I ordered my new computer and I do plan to try using it with my toes. Not New from Apple: The Multi-Touch Magic Footpad @Unplggd
This might be slightly less invasive than my dad’s plan where everyone in the family knows everyone else’s Mobile Me password so we can locate them in an emergency but I’m still not sure if I’m on board. How To Secretly Track an iOS Device Using MobileMe @Unplggd

Wii Fitness [Guest Post]

September 9, 2010 · 2 comments

This is a guest post from my friend Jaycie at Coupon Geek. Jaycie’s posts about Wii fitness games were my inspiration to get a Wii and try it out myself. Today she’s sharing with us what she loves about Wii fitness.

When I decided that I would become a SAHM, I thought I’d have all this time to get in the exercise I needed to get back into the shape I was in pre-baby. After all, the baby sleeps and then when they get older, you burn calories keeping up with them, right?

I was in for an eye-opener when I found that I had little time to workout. My son was a very active baby and I found myself just too exhausted to exercise. My hubby had picked up a Wii in December of 2006, right when they first came out. I remember him freezing in line hoping to get his hands on one. We were hosting Christmas that year and we thought it would be good entertainment. I had no idea that it would basically turn into my own personal trainer.

I was so excited when I heard they were coming out with the Wii Fit. I did a pre-order for one and picked it up the day it was released. It opened up a new world for me. Exercise was now fun. 30 minutes on it flew by and I began to see changes. By the time I lost a good portion of my “baby weight,” I became pregnant with my daughter. Soon after she was born, I picked up a copy of EA Sports Active (which is my favorite one now) and I let them whittle me back into a healthier weight at that time of 116 lbs on my 5’2” frame.

Having two little kids (and being a blogger) leaves little opportunity for me to rush off to a gym. And the closest one to us is about a 30 minute drive. So I am very thankful that Nintendo has invented the Wii. I find it’s a great workout and I love that my kids are able to see me taking care of myself. I’ve also found other things that we can actually play together such as Just Dance and Wii Sports.

I figured that a gym membership would run us about $35 a month or $420 in just one year for one person. Instead, we have invested much less than this to have our own mini-gym at home. There are so many games to choose from now that it fends off the boredom from repetitive routines.

In the end, all that matters is that you do try to fit in some exercise into your weekly routine. It can be as frugal as a free walk outside or you can choose a higher-priced gym or even using video games or DVDs to help. Staying in shape is worth the investment for the chance at a longer, healthier life and extra time to spend with your kids being able to watch them grow up. So I hope that whatever path you do choose, that you find one that helps keep you motivated to workout and to stay healthy.

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Fall 2010 Apple Event Debriefing

September 1, 2010 · 6 comments

I thought the Apple event today was a bit of a let down but the stock is doing really well and usually when I love the event the stock tanks so what do I know?

I did not get a bingo. Less than half of my predictions happened. The event was extremely limited to just iPods, iTunes, and the Apple TV.

I was underwhelmed by the new iPod lineup. I won’t be buying a new iPod because I would still have to plug it into my computer to sync it. And I’m even working on selling my old 2nd gen iPod Shuffle on eBay right now (had a non-paying bidder when my 1gb model sold for $27 a couple weeks ago) and the new 4th gen Shuffle looks exactly like the 2nd gen and the new 2gb model goes for $49 so now I’ll probably get even less for my old Shuffle.

iTunes 10 looks pretty exciting. The update server has still been overloaded so I haven’t been able to download it and play with it yet. I’m very excited about Ping and how it compares to Last.fm which is the music social network I’ve been using since July 2005. I currently listen to internet radio at work via Pandora or Last.fm and I don’t think Ping will count what I listen to in there so until iTunes will stream my music to other locations I don’t think Ping will be as good as Last.fm but let’s hope this is a step in that direction.

I’m most excited about the new Apple TV. I already ordered mine. I have the old Apple TV and I’m very interested to see how the two compare.

I have had numerous complications trying to stream media (particularly HD media) to my Apple TV. Even after I upgraded my internet to the fastest I could get in my area, I still can’t stream a movie and not have it pause to catch up on downloading. What I had gone to doing was downloading my movie and then watching it a few hours later but since the new Apple TV doesn’t have a hard drive that won’t be an option anymore (unless I decide my old one is better and stick with it). Hopefully Apple’s new data center will pick up the speed on their end and improve the experience.

Netflix on the Apple TV is very exciting. I’ve been streaming to my Wii for several months and really love it but I think the interface will be much improved on the Apple TV. Again, sometimes my internet doesn’t seem quite fast enough so I get some choppiness when trying to watch shows but Netflix seems to be better than what I’ve tried to stream from Apple in the past so I think there is room for improvement for Apple.

I don’t know what I think about renting TV shows. I’ve bought a lot of seasons via iTunes and at first I feared I wouldn’t be able to watch them with the new Apple TV but now I’m pretty sure I will be able to stream them from my iMac. I like the idea because it would solve the bulk of my storage space problems. Even after getting the 2tb hard drive in my new iMac, I had already decided I wouldn’t be able to buy my entire fall lineup in HD because it would eat up almost all the free space on my drive. I could rent those shows for half the price but I’d be limited on when and how often I could watch them. I think I’ll probably buy my staple shows in SD this year, test out renting a few movies, and see how I feel about renting TV shows next year.

What I think is particularly interesting about the new Apple TV is that it’s the first Apple gadget that doesn’t require a computer to set it up. It’s ready to go out of the box. No activating and no syncing. (We think it’s a little ridiculous around here that you have to sync a new iPhone to your computer before you can use it. I could get everything I need on mine instantly with Mobile Me.)

What did you think of the event? Did you order anything yet? Are you planning to get any of the new gadgets?

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Easy Wireless Charging for your Wii Remotes

August 6, 2010 · 0 comments

A couple weeks ago, one of my Wii remotes got a low battery warning. Wii remotes take 2 AA batteries and I only had 1 left and at that moment I realized that I really don’t ever want to buy disposable batteries again so I started looking into rechargeable options.

I’d seen some Wii remote charging stations in the past but didn’t really like that idea because you have to take the silicone cases and motion plus packs off the remotes to use most of them.

But after browsing around the Wii remote charges on Amazon for a while, I discovered the perfect solution: a wireless charging pad. After you put in the special rechargeable battery packs that come with the pad, all you need to do to charge them is set the remotes down on top of the pad. You don’t even have to bother unplugging your nunchucks or lining them up exactly. It couldn’t possibly be easier.

The Energizer charging pad comes in a 2 remote model or a 4 remote model. I currently only have 2 remotes but I expect I’ll eventually get more so I went ahead and got the 4 remote charger. I’ve been using mine for a few weeks now and am absolutely thrilled with it.

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How to Make the Most of Your Wii… for Adults [Guest Post]

August 2, 2010 · 0 comments

This is a guest post from Corrie who is a stay at home mom to 2 energetic boys and the owner of “Cents”able Momma. She loves to help her readers save money on everything from video games to groceries, as well as offering frugal living tips, great deals, and methods to earn some extra money.

Last year, I saved my Swagbucks and traded them in for Amazon gift cards. Why? So we could purchase a Wii as a family present for Christmas.

We have 2 young boys (now 7 and 4), so we thought it would be fun to have a game system that we could all play. Honestly, our boys don’t really give my husband and I much of an opportunity to play alone (unless we sneak it in when they’re asleep). But, we have managed to have fun on the Wii too.

Exercise Games

Sometimes it’s a challenge to fit exercise into the routine, so I purchased both the Wii Fit Plus and EA Sports Active.

I like how the Wii Fit balance board is versatile. You can use it for workout as well as other games, such as snowboarding, etc. However, I struggle with the exercise routines being a little too easy. The Wii Fit seems to focus more on balance, and I don’t feel like I’ve really worked out when I’m done.

The EA Sports Active game has worked better for me, since I’m able to use the resistance band to work out my arms. Plus, I find the games a little more challenging physically. For example, in one game you are rollerblading. You have to crouch down to go faster and then jump up to get over the obstacles. It makes star jumps a little more fun than doing them on your own.

Before you purchase a workout game (and there are many out there), read the reviews and do your research on which game will work for you.

Golf

My husband loves to play golf, but can’t get out in the winter months in Michigan. So, we purchased the Tiger Woods Golf game (I know…). Not only is it fun for my husband, but it’s a fun family game too. You can set the levels to accommodate varying skill sets… although my husband tells me that I always win because I set my skill set too low.

Fun Games

We also have Mario Kart and recently my 7 year old received Super Mario Brothers for his birthday. Of course, my boys love both games, but I’ve had fun playing them too.

When you play Mario Kart individually, the game unlocks additional courses, characters, and vehicles to ride as you win races, which keeps it interesting. One of my favorites, too, is playing other opponents via the internet. It’s fun to think that you’re racing against people all over the world. Plus, you can set it up that you can play your own personal friends with the internet connection.

Super Mario Brothers looks like a fun game too, but we’ve only had it for a week, and I’ve been given no access to it by the little gatekeepers at my house.

Netflix

Starting in April, we have also been able to use our Wii to stream Netflix to our TV. It’s really easy and free to get the Netflix disk for the Wii. Plus, we actually save $5/month on Netflix, because we reduced our plan from the $13.99 plan with 2 disks to the $8.99 plan with only 1 disk and unlimited streaming movies.

Although the streaming movies do not include many of the new releases, there are still some good movies and TV shows to be found. It’s easy to browse by category for instantly available movies and add them to your queue.

How do you use the Wii?

Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links.

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