Working Mommy Journal

Many of you may have already started back to school preparations by purchasing new clothes, uniforms, backpacks and school supplies – we started last month purchasing new uniforms for our youngest son who will be starting school this year. One of the many overlooked but important areas is your child’s first smart phone.

For many children this year may mark their very first time walking to and from school. While this is an exciting milestone for them, it also brings with it a new set of worries for parents. How will my child handle walking home alone, what if they need to contact us on the way home or they need to stay late at school? Or if your child will have to start taking a city bus to school in high school, what if they miss their bus how do they make you aware of this?

Recent stats show that 31% of parents want/need the ability to contact our children and 27% want our child to have a phone in case of emergencies (information take from a recent Telus smart phone chat).

These fears and concerns are very real and concerning for parents. Safety is one of the number one concerns parents chose to purchase a cell phone for their child at a younger age. I am sure if they had cell phones when I first started taking a bus, my parents would have purchased one for me too (not trying to age myself here!!).

Microsoft has just recently launched the Lumia 435 and with its competitive price and features, it will be a quick favourite for those just entering the smart phone market. Some of the top features it includes that many parents should consider prior to purchasing are: price, durability, size, apps, display and camera.

Price Point. Let’s face it, kids just aren’t as careful nor gentle with electronics as we wish they would be. Spending a large amount on a first smart phone may not always be the best, especially if they damage the screen, lose the smart phone or drop it (heck I still drop my phone all the time so I won’t spend a lot on my own!). Priced without a contract for under $100, you can’t beat the price on the Lumia 435.

Durability and Size. The phone case itself should be strong but light in weight. A flimsy phone case will just break or damage if it is dropped. The size should be reasonable because it is meant for a student. It needs to be able to be placed in a backpack, pocket or desk away from sight. The Lumia 435 has the bonus of having two additional covers that can be purchased in bright orange or green that really gives it that extra pop of colour.

Popular Apps. While most children will be using the phone for safety concerns, texting arrivals or phone calls home, it would be hard for anybody to resist playing a game or connecting with social media. I quickly became addicted to Fruit Slash!

Display, camera and memory. A clear and bright display screen in a must. The display on the Lumia 435 is fantastic! The images are bright and clear on it’s 4 inch screen, not quite what you expect for this price point. The Lumia 435 has a 8GB memory with an additional 125GB maximum memory size that can be added in. This allows for plenty of storage for your child. The camera itself has the ability to take pictures from the front and back (very important for those much-needed selfies and Skype calls).

The Lumia 435 is sold exclusively on the Telus and Kodoo networks and available at Walmart and Best Buy.

Have you purchased a smart phone for your child? If yes, what were the main reasons you purchased the phone? If you haven’t, are you considering one in the near future?

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product to test in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The one thing that I hate the most in our home? The crazy clutter and awful look of a ton of different wires plugging into the tv and hanging down the walls. It just looks unsightly and unorganized. I love my electronics but I just don’t love the look of the wires hanging around everywhere from our children’s video game consoles, digital plug-ins and blu ray players.

The Kinivo K300 Premium 4K 3 port HDMI switch eliminates the need to have multiple wires all over the place. This one device eliminates multiple wires hanging out of the back of your television or even worse the unplugged ones that are hanging out all over the floor because you only have one or two inputs! Instead of plugging the consoles into the inputs on your television you plug them into the K300 device which is in turn plugged in only using one wire! Talk about the perfect solution to multiple wires hanging out all over the place.

The Kinivo K300 features:

• the three ports that allow you to switch between three video sources at up to 4K resolution with automated switching, remote-controlled switching or manual switching
• compatible with all HDMI video sources including gaming consoles, DVD, Blu-Ray players, home theatres
• supports 48 bit deep colour
• AC powered
• supports HDCP 1.3
• retails around $55.99 US but currently on sale for $34.99 US

Here is a basic model example of how the K300 works:

We loved the easy set up of the Kinivo K300, it was basically just a plug-in and get ready to use device. Which with my limited tech skills (thank goodness my hubby is so good with technology!), I can appreciate the most. With one small remote, I could easily change from my son’s Playstation to my favourite movies. The size of the K300 is perfect, small enough to not take up a lot of space but still sleek and stylish. Talk about love at first sight!

Make sure to check out Kinivo’s brand new website and all the latest products they have for sale!

How do you manage the wire clutter in your home?

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product free of charge in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.