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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boost Mobile. All opinions are 100% mine.

Boost Mobile recently announced that they’ll be releasing their very first touch-screen phone that also features a slide-out QWERTY keypad. Yeah, I know it’s a bit late in the game in comparison to what’s been available in the U.S. market but for Boost Mobile users like myself, it’s time for a little rejoicing.

The new Samsung Seek, which will be out in stores this month, is geared toward social networking and multimedia apps. The phone will feature a 2.6 inch QVGA touch screen, stereo bluetooth, a 1.3 megapixel camera, music player and a microSD memory slot.

There was a time when prepaid/no-contract cell phone customers felt like second-class citizens being forced to use stripped down, bare-boned, feature-less phones. But in the last few years, with the millions of people opting for the less-restrictive, no-contract plans offered by Boost Mobile, the company has obviously heard the cries of those wanting better and more feature-packed phones. And now as you can see on their website, Boost has a great variety of phones available including touchscreens, sliders, the very popular Sanyo Incognito and yes, they even offer a Boost version of the Blackberry.

Besides the variety of phones being offered, I like the flexibility in which you can pay for the service. You can pay by debit or credit card via their website but you can also Re-Boost in-person at a nearby authorized store such as a Sprint/Nextel retailer or the local Radio Shack. They even offer a way to add funds to your account right from your phone. Talk about convenience!

Boost Mobile definitely has a lot going on. I’m especially impressed that they’re constantly working to improve their service and never resting on their laurels. If you’re still with a contract-based service, it just might be time for you to consider breaking free of those chains and switch over to Boost.

Yup, pre-paid cell service has come a long way.

Samsung Seek Specifications:
Operating System Samsung Proprietary sW
Weight 3.85 ounces
Dimension (HXWXD) 4.12 x 2.08 x 0.58
Display 262K TFT, QVGA, 2.6″, 240 x 320 pixels
Talk time 5.8 hours
User Interface Touch Screen w/ Full QWERTY Keyboard
Camera 1.3 Megapixel Camera
Memory 128MB RAM/256MB ROM
Phone book Holds up to 600 entries
External Memory microSD holds up to 32GB
other features: Music Player, Email, Instant Messaging, Internet HTML Browser, Speakerphone, Voice Recongnition

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Memphis Travel. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ever since the premiere of Jason Lee’s detective-dramedy Memphis Beat on TNT, I’ve been hankering for a roadtrip down to the town where Elvis Presley used to call home. There’s so much music history ingrained into Memphis. Besides Elvis and his Graceland home, Memphis is also known for both Johnny Cash and B.B. King starting their careers there. And don’t get me started on the many songs that have been written about the town. “Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn, “Wrong Side of Memphis” by Trisha Yearwood and “Graceland” by Paul Simon are just a few of many.

But when I often visit a town or city that I’m unfamiliar with, I find myself not really knowing where to start, you know what I mean? Thankfully there’s a Memphis-savvy travel guide where you can custom build an itinerary with all the important places to visit and experience. I really like the fact that you can click on the types of attractions you’re most interested in such as “Music & Memphis History”, “Outdoor Activity”, “Family Fun”, or “a bit of Everything” and the website instantly lists out relevant attractions. For instance, my custom 3 night itinerary includes – the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, Graceland (of course), Beale Street, the birthplace of Rock n Roll – Sun Studios. But say you’re interested in some “Family Fun”, the site suggests places like – The Memphis Zoo, a Carriage Ride through the historic downtown district, Mud Island River Park and a stop to enjoy some finger-licking Memphis style BBQ. The Memphis travel site is very well done and a great place to start when planning a visit to the “Home of the Blues”. While you’re on the website be sure to enter to win a trip package courtesy of the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau. They are giving away a trip every week so be sure to enter your name in the drawing. I personally picked the “Single & Friends” package since it includes an “American Dream Safari Tour”, tickets to the Rock n Soul Museum and dinner at BB Kings.

Come on, remember what resulted when Bono and the rest of U2 visited Memphis back in the 80′s. The power and history that’s found in Memphis, re-energized the irish band which led to some fantastic tracks on their album “Rattle and Hum”. If Bono found some much needed inspiration just by visiting Memphis, maybe you will too. Why not go and see?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

With the economy still struggling to recover, no one is spared from the effects of those ubiquitous budget cuts. Even our kids’ schools are having to let a portion of their staff go while class sizes continue to increase. It never ceases to amaze me how many students they can manage to fit in those small classrooms. yikes!

So it’s nice to see a company like Charter give back to the community. With their current laptop-a-day giveaway, Charter plans to provide 50 laptops to 2 schools. All you have to do is register online and nominate your favorite school by August 12. Be sure to proofread your entries because Charter will then choose 50 of the best nominations and open them up to a vote. The two schools with the most votes by September 20th will win 50 laptops each. Now, these aren’t just old hand-me-down laptops. Charter will be giving away Lenovo G555 brand laptops featuring 15.6″ screens, 160GB hard drives and 3GB of RAM. So it’s safe to say that these computers will be able to handle the demands of multimedia projects with ease. And besides winning these laptops for your favorite school, you can even win one for yourself.

As you may know, Charter Communications is the 4th largest cable operator in the U.S. and a leader in ultra high speed internet service. In select markets, they are currently offering internet speeds up to 60 Mbps. Now that’s what I’d call FAST. If you’re in need of cable TV, digital phone or internet service, Charter is offering some great online deals. As a matter of fact, if you order any of their services from Charter at this time, you’ll automatically be entered for a chance to win a laptop plus get $300 cash back. And as I mentioned earlier, you can also register to win on their website with no purchase necessary. So there’s no reason for you NOT to go over to their site to nominate your school in need. You can learn more about the back to school giveaway either by going to http://www.charter.com/laptop or by finding Charter on Facebook. Their customer service staff are very responsive on the facebook page so be sure to “Like” them to get in touch with their reps.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of iNetVideo. All opinions are 100% mine.

With writer/director Robert Rodriguez’s reboot of the Predator series out in theaters now, I’ve had the urge of revisiting some of his other movies on DVD and blu-ray. Rodriguez is truly a Renaissance man in the film industry. Not only does he direct, write, edit and produce movies, he’s also a musician AND he can make a mean “puerco pibil” as chronicled in the extras section of the “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” DVD. Anyway, I’ve recently purchased some blu-ray movies from online retailer iNetVideo to help complete my Robert Rodriguez collection. I know there are better known retailers for DVDs but I’ve encountered some great prices lately at iNetVideo. They’ve got a great selection of blu-ray discs priced at $13.99 and lower. In addition, I’ve found some bargains in their DVD boxset clearance sale including “Heroes Season 3″ boxset for just $13.88. As for the Rodriguez titles, I snagged “Grindhouse – Planet Terror” on blu-ray for only $9.99 and the “Desperado” widescreen edition for just $5.49. now those are some great deals, I have to say. iNetVideo is definitely worth bookmarking for not just DVD purchases but also for video games and audio CDs as well. Oh and their blog, which can be found at http://blog.inetvideo.com, is a fun read for movie buffs and even features a monthly blu-ray player giveaway.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of ampm. All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s always interesting to see the new and different ways businesses try to grab the attention of the modern day, tech-savvy consumer. It’s a monumental task to say the least since we’re all inundated with ads on a daily basis and have become a bit jaded toward these types of attention grabbing campaigns. Take for example the secret menu feature on ampm‘s facebook page. For those that don’t have a local ampm, they’re a convenience store that offer late night dining for those that get the munchies at 2 in the morning. Their sandwich offerings are basically self-serve so you’re free to be creative with your creations.
Now back to the facebook page – I’m all for “Liking” your favorites places and such but I hate those extra applications that ask for authorization to access your personal info. And unfortunately, ampm‘s secret menu tab is one of those privacy invading applications. Not a smart way to build trust among your fanbase. It’s a big “fail” in my book. Plus the secret menu app is just a fancy recipe book that simply lists some tasty sandwich creations. Take the Chili Conquistador for instance, which I do admit, looks pretty good. The Chili Conquistador includes a burger, chili and Spicy Funyuns. I think the Spicy Funyuns would actually go great with a burger. I would love to try it the next time I’m at ampm.
But as for the secret menu app on facebook? I like the whole concept of a secret menu but ampm needs to rethink the way the want to collect info on their customers.
For those that are curious about the secret menu, just head on over to their facebook fan page to check it out. Also, they’re unveiling five more secret menu items on the following dates: 7/26, 8/2, 8/9, 8/16, 8/30. And then on August 2nd, fans of ampm will be able to create their own versions of their favorites right on their facebook page.
Anyway, let me know what you think of the new secret menu app. got a favorite menu item? post ‘em in the comment section of this blog post!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s interesting to note how the tables have turned in terms of the way we view television. Back in the day, viewers had to schedule their evening plans around their favorite television shows. Programs like The Ed Sullivan show and Texaco Star Theater featuring Milton Berle used to hold people hostage over their TV screens. Thankfully we’re no longer chained to the whims of network executives and their strategic programming schedules. We all have busy lives especially those of us having to chauffeur our kids to their many extracurricular activities day in and day out. So, the technological breakthrough of On-Demand TV is truly a godsend. No longer do we have to worry about missing a sporting event or fuss over a VCR. Digital cable providers like Charter make it simple and easy to access over thousands of movies and TV shows at any time. Charter On Demand has something for everyone in the family. I won’t have to worry about staying up past 11pm to watch FX’s latest comedy hit series, Louie. The Louie C.K. show is available whenever I want to watch it. The on demand feature is also great for kids. We no longer have to endure the kids’ whining about not having anything to watch on TV. SpongeBob, iCarly and Dora the Explorer are now just a click away. And I love the easy to browse through menu. Just sort by category and you’re bound to encounter something interesting. To learn more about Charter On Demand as well as what shows are available, be sure to check out their On Demand home page. And if you’re on Facebook, I’m pretty sure You will ‘Like’ their Facebook page as well. Oh, and if you’re worried about extra fees, Charter On Demand features a huge library of free programming available. It’s definitely worth a try and I’m pretty certain you’ll be hooked in no time. heh.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of faceVsion Technology USA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I remember the primitive days of streaming webcams where the jerky video images were thumbnail-sized and in black & white. Back in the day, a lot of time was spent being frustrated with buggy software as well as having to deal with the oh-so-dreaded blue screen of death. Boy, we’ve come a long way since those days. Webcams can now be found on most laptops and most folks are pretty familiar with the video conferencing feature on Skype. With the combination of faster computers and broadband connections, video calling is pretty much a no-brainer nowadays.

And now the hard working team over at faceVsion are introducing the next step in webcam technology – Hi-Definition video webcams. Why settle for fuzzy video images when you can achieve crystal clear 720p resolution video with the new FV touchcam N1. The TouchCam N1 is the world’s first Skype-certified webcam that can deliver full screen HD video over the web. The key to the hi-def video is the embedded H.264 encoder which converts the HD images into substantially lower bitrates. The touchcam also features a high quality wide angle lens which helps keep the images sharp, in-focus and with truly realistic color depths. The super clear video images will make a huge impact on your next family video skype call. The professional quality video is also ideal for business video conferences. When you need to make a good impression with a client and you can’t be there in person, having a HD quality conference call is the next best thing. It’s definitely worth the upgrade.

You can find out more about the new FV touchcam N1 at the faceVision on line store. The site also features the FV ExpressCombo that includes an express card that provides 720p 30fps video images regardless of CPU power. If you’re ready to step up to HD video calls, the new FV touchcam may be right up your alley. FV touchcam is now available through shop.facevsion.com and other value added partners.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of USC. All opinions are 100% mine.

With our economy still struggling to recover, countless hardworking individuals across our country are finding themselves without a job. Many have had to reassess their own lives and consider a significant career change. I personally know a good number of former colleagues that took advantage of their downtime to go back to school to work toward an additional degree. And with the advancement of technology and the internet, most of the coursework can now be done conveniently online. And these aren’t just small, lesser known schools offering these types of services. Major universities are now offering online programs including the University of Southern California.

USC is currently offering folks a way to earn a Masters degree in teaching via online from their world renowned Rossier School of Education. This is a school that’s been ranked #22 in the U.S. and #9 among private universities by U.S. News and World Report. They’ve fully embraced this type of interactive online learning experience and consider this a very important part of the university. As a matter of fact, all those that are participating in the online program are given full student status with all the benefits normally offered to their on-site students. And when it’s time to receive the Masters of Arts in Teaching degree, you get to participate in the commencement ceremonies on campus as well as receive a free lifetime Alumni Association membership. They’re actually expecting the first cohort of MAT@USC to graduate in May.

other benefits of the online masters program include:
• Highly interactive online learning combined with field-based experiences
• Groundbreaking tuition reimbursement program
• Accelerated program you can complete in as little as 12 months
• Opportunity to become a part of the elite USC Trojan Family
• MAT@USC Student Blog, hear insights about the program from actual students
• Rossier and the MAT@USC were awarded by AACTE for innovative use of technology in education
• Technology video that introduces the interactivity of the program

For more program information, please head on over to the MAT@USC website.

Just a friendly reminder to all you Doors/Jim Morrison fans out there. The DVD and Blue-Ray editions of When You’re Strange: A Film About the Doors will be released here in the U.S. on June 29th. I like the fact that director Tom DiCillo decided against including the typical talking-head interviews with the remaining Doors members. Instead, the film focuses primarily on vintage footage from the late 60′s and early 70′s with running commentary/narration by none other than Johnny Depp.

Watch the video trailer via youtube.

here’s the official press release:
Eagle Rock Entertainment, the UK based independent, has licensed the North American DVD and Blu-Ray rights to “When You’re Stange: A Film About The Doors” from Rhino Entertainment. The documentary uncovers historic and previously unseen footage of the illustrious rock band and provides new insight into the revolutionary impact of its music and legacy.

Mike Carden, President of North America Operations, said, “We are very excited about marketing this film and will work hard with our sales and distribution partners to promote the DVD as well as work closely with Rhino to cross-promote the soundtrack album.”
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