Mom's Gadgets

Skype, its a handy downloadable program that allows you to talk to anyone, anywhere from your computer.  Plus it can save you a ton of money on long distance phone calls.   You can talk to people around the world whether they are on landlines or cell phones, all from your computer.

If the person you’re calling already has Skype installed on their Mac or PC then the two of you can talk absolutely free.  Skype also offers affordable pay as you go plans or montly plans to use in calling those who do not have Skype or do not have access to a computer.

Now you can even get Skype phone, headsets and other accessories, making it easy to use and a great way to communicate.  Visit Skype on the web to learn more.

I’ve had the older model of the Dymo LetraTag for ages. If not mistaken, since before my first child was born. It still looks and work like new today. Absolutely fabulous. Back then, I bought it primarily for my business.

But once my kids came along, this little baby has become more and more important for my everyday organization (and sanity). Let’s see what I’ve used the Letratag for.

• Labeling seeds while they germinate. Despite the moisture this thing stuck fast.
• Labeling kids’ pencil cases, and other stuff, even backpacks
• Of course, to label my home and business folders (see picture)
• Stick important phone numbers where others can see it like in the kitchen. Because this thing sticks pretty well, it does not get dropped or rubbed off.
• Talking about phone numbers, it’s also a really neat way to print a few phone number and name labels out. Great for when you don’t have a paper around and need to give someone your phone number. Pull out the sticker and tell them to stick on their notebook.
• Label our cell phones. Hubs and I have identical phones and can’t always tell them apart.
• Leave instructions: for myself or someone else. I like to print double sided to save paper but cannot always remember which way I should flip the paper and what order they should be. So, I printed labels with instructions and stuck them to the printer
• Label cables and power cords. Do you have a tangle of power cords and USB cables? A nightmare. Especially when you unplug one and discover that was the computer… oops!
• Label remote controls. Ah yes. I know when someone sneaks off with mine.
• Label home made CD’s and DVD’s

What I like about my LetraTag, it’s smaller than most. Mine is the longish design not the wide ones and it can go anywhere if I want to bring it along. I also found the labels to stick very well. I’ve always used white paper labels. Tried the other ones but didn’t like them unless you plan to use it in place where there’s a lot of water or moisture, the plastic ones may be a good idea.

The only down side is the tape can be pretty expensive. So I always scout them out if I’m at Big Lots or surfing on eBay. Bottom line. Love it and recommend it.

photo credit: david_terrar

A few months ago my husband would not stop talking about getting a Blackberry. Every commercial we saw he said, “I want one of those.” He would not give up on it. I kept telling him I wasn’t sure they would be worth the money, would we really use all the features, was he sure? Yet he persisted. Finally, I was perusing the AT&T website and found a great deal on some older model Blackberries, Blackberry 8700c to be exact. We could get them at a steal and I discovered that the new plan we needed would not be but about $30 more than we were paying, so I went for it.

A few days later, the coveted Blackberries arrived in the mail. We were excited to get them and begin using their awesome features. I loved the wide keyboard where I could text letters key by key rather than having to punch a key three times to get a specific letter. Sure made my texting faster, since I”ve never been a fast texter.

We had the Blackberries a few days when my husband began complaining, “I can’t hear it ring”, “I never get your messages”, “Mine says no data connection available.” Then, my mom would call me on mine and I would not be able to hear her, nor could she hear me. Though my data connection worked and texting was great my connection was poor.

Finally, after having our Blackberries just over a month my husband and I decided to call customer service about going back to regular phones. They shipped them out immediately, my husband sold our phones to a friend at work, and we are back in business, happily using our Nokia flip phones again.