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This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TwoOfUs for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I always have to laugh whenever I catch a glimpse of the popular TV series “Sex in the City” while channel surfing. Every episode revolves around these friends revealing the most intimate details about their personal lives. As a typical guy, this type of behavior is totally foreign to me. Come on, you won’t catch us guys sitting around in a restaurant discussing our relationship issues with one another. Nope, whenever the guys get together, it’s all about getting some grub, downing some beer and watching the game. Opening up to one another and revealing our insecurities is simply NOT DONE in a Man’s World.

So what do guys do when we’re in need of some relationship advice? Thank the Lord for the internet!! Websites like TwoofUs.org are tailor made for those that want their relationship questions answered in the privacy of their own laptop. The site offers helpful tips and advice on a wide array of topics for the newly dating and all the way to the well worn & married. Whether you need tips on keeping your relationship fresh or maybe some parenting advice, TwoofUs.org got you covered.

I like the variety of resources available on the site. Not only do they offer well written articles but also features online videos created by experts in the field as well as listings of recommended reading material. One video of note is the one featuring CSI:NY actor Hill Harper. I wasn’t aware that he’s a best-selling author as well. In the video, Harper mentions a concept called “Conversation Parties” in which everyone simply goes “offline” (meaning no computers, cellphones or TV) and just TALK to one another. It’s a simple concept but it’s amazing what can happen when we can focus on one another and keep all the electronic distractions at bay.

So when you can’t open up to your friends or family about some of the issues you’re facing, why not try TwoofUs.org? Strengthen your relationships today. You can also find them on facebook as well. Be sure to like them to get updates and exclusive info.

Got any issues you want to share?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FRESCHETTA® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

It has been a while since our last giveaway here on retroblog but I have to say that this one’s worth the wait. Check this out – you can win a free FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™ Pizza!! That’s right, retroblog is giving away free food.

Freschetta is out to reinvent the frozen pizza. As you probably already know, the frozen pizza brings to mind terms like cardboard, dull and tasteless. But the new Simply Inspired line will be changing all that. These pizzas feature high quality ingredients, more vibrant flavors and a satisfying taste. Simply Inspired include a variety of flavors like: Harvest Supreme, Farmers Market Veggie, Hawaiian Style, Rustic Pepperoni Pomodoro, Southern BBQ Recipe Chicken, Classic Bruschetta, Tuscan Farmhouse and Chicken Bianco.

I tried their Classic Bruschetta and I was pleasantly surprised from the very first bite. I liked it a lot and indeed the pizza does taste better than the standard fare that can be found in the frozen foods aisle. and I also like their unique packaging which supposedly seals in freshness as well as reduce the amount of packaging material used by 30%.

And now for the giveaway!

I’ve got a coupon for ONE free Freschetta Simply Inspired Pizza to give out to one lucky retroblog reader.

BUT THERE’s MORE!

Yup, I’m also giving the winner two brand new bamboo cutting boards from Freschetta as well. One is a cheese cutting board with a ceramic dish and utensils. The other is a round cutting board which opens up to store the utensils. Pretty neat, I must say.

So, here’s how to enter in the drawing.

- look over the info available at the official Freschetta Simply Inspired website and then come back here to post about which flavor of pizza you’d like to try. It’s as simple as that. Make sure to leave a valid email address so that I’d be able to contact you if you are indeed the winner.

You can also earn bonus entries by doing the following:

- LIKE Freschetta Simply Inspired on Facebook

- follow @FreschettaSI on Twitter

- subscribe to RetroBlog via RSS feed

- LIKE RetroBlog on Facebook

- follow @RetroBlog on Twitter

Yup, that’s a lot of bonus points!! heh. have fun with it. and good luck!

send in your entries by 5pm on May 13th, 2011. Only those living in the United States are eligible for this drawing. A winner will be chosen at random using the random number generator (random.org). The winner will be notified via email and will have to respond within 48 hours. Pizza coupon and bamboo cutting boards are supplied by FRESCHETTA.

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

There are only a few TV-series boxsets that I'd purchase for my personal collection and I'd have to say that HBO's Deadwood series would be one of them. The highly acclaimed series featured great writing, dialogue and superb acting. Set in 1870's in South Dakota, the series detailed the dark-side of a mining town out in the wild west. Gamblers, con artists, whores and general lawlessness were the order of the day back then. This western is far from the old school westerns my dad used to watch. You won't find any romanticized, white-washed John Wayne-era storylines here. This is as gritty as they come with vulgar language, savage brutality and downright ruthless characters. But the fascinating true-to-life people and the dirty things they do are the very things that make viewers come back for more.

Can you imagine yourself being out west in that era? I'm thinking that life wasn't as sanitized as what was shown on "Little House on the Prairie". With slimeballs and oily wealth-seekers on every corner, I would have kept close to Seth Bullock and his men.

If your a fan of the series like me, be sure to take advantage of Amazon's "gold box deal" on February 3rd. You won't find a better price for the complete DVD box set anywhere else. Please note that the deep discounted sale price will only be good for one day so jump on it while you can!

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

The new LG Optimus 7, which is currently available in Europe, should be coming over to the U.S. on the AT&T network sometime soon. I personally prefer the sleek look and design of this model over its sibling, the LG Quantum, which is a bit thicker due to the slide out keyboard. The LG Optimus 7 on the other hand is thinner and has a 3.8 inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. Also programs on the phone should run smooth and quick with the 1Ghz Snapdragon chipset.

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding these new phones that utilize the Windows Phone 7 OS. On the initial home screen, you'll see "Live Tiles" instead of the ubiquitous apps that we're all used to seeing. The Live Tiles are continually updating with alerts of new messages, updates and emails. It's definitely an easier way to stay on top of your friends status updates and such. The new Zune interface is also worth a look. With 16GB of space, the phone is ready to handle a good chuck of your multimedia files. And the Zune app looks to be very user-friendly and a nice alternative to iTunes. Be sure that you have a windows Live ID that's linked to your XBox, Zune and MSN accounts. From what I understand, your Live accounts must match in order to fully take advantage of the features.

One neat little ability that all the Optimus series phones has is the voice to text feature. So users can simply update their facebook status or send out a new tweet without having to type it all in. The process is now hands-free since the phone is smart enough to automatically transcribe your voice into text. That'll definitely come in handy in our instant-sharing-social-media world of today.

LG Optimus 7 (LG E900) phone specs:

Form Factor Full Touch Screen
Size 125 x 59.8 x 11.5 mm
Colors Black
Network GSM Quad Band 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Display type TFT LCD / Touch Capacitive
Display Size 3.8" (800×480)
Resolution WVGA
Battery 1500mAh
Chipset QSD8650
Camera 5MP / AF / LED Flash
Memory 512MB NAND / 512MB (+64MB) SDRAM (16GB eMMC internal memory)
USB 2.0 HS (Micro USB)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
IO Port Micro USB
WLAN WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Sensors Accelerometer / Proximity / Ambient Light Sensor / Digital Compass
OS Windows Phone OS 7

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

Still wrackin’ your brain for that perfect Christmas gift? Well, have you checked out a TiVo lately? Best Buy’s got the TiVo Premiere on sale for the holidays for just $99. That’s an incredibly low price for what the device does. This isn’t some rinky-dink, low-end VCR. TiVos are pretty much the gold standard when it comes to recording HDTV broadcasts. Just think, you can watch high-quality recorded video in stunning HD at your leisure. No more being chained to a network’s schedule. Plus you no longer have to choose between two favorites shows that are scheduled for the same timeslot. With the TiVo, you can record both at the same time!! How convenient is that? And with the brand new user interface, picking out the shows you want to save is as easy as ever.

But wait, there’s more! Beyond being just a high quality video recording unit, the new TiVo Premiere can also connect to the web and stream movies from Netflix, Blockbuster, youtube and even Amazon Video on Demand. So, with the TiVo, you pretty much have unlimited access to content – whether from cable or the internet.

Oh, and just think, whenever you happen to capture interesting or funny moments on TV – TiVo makes it dead simple to transfer those videos and share them to your social network. It’s definitely a huge PLUS for entertainment bloggers like me!!!



TiVo Premiere features:
- 45 hours of HD recording
- World’s largest library of videos on demand: movies, TV shows, music videos, web videos and more
- Brand new, customizable HD interface with picture-in-menu
- Controls live television with pause, rewind, slow-mo and instant replay
- Full HD support, including 1080p and 1080i HD formats
- Connects to your home network via Ethernet or the TiVo Wireless Network Adapter
- Supports digital cable and antenna (ATSC), as well as over-the-air antenna

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PlayStation(R) Move. All opinions are 100% mine.

Video games have definitely come a long way. Back when I was a kid, the Atari 2600 was the game system to have which featured primitive graphics and simple controls consisting of a joystick and one button. I can't imagine what my children would think if they had to entertain themselves with my childhood game system with its relatively crude 8-bit graphic capability. The current generation of gamers don't realize how good they have it. Game systems like the Playstation 3 can render very realistic images in full motion that kids from my generation could only dream about. And even beyond the graphics engines, the way we all interact with the game console has evolved over the years. It's not all about "button-mashing" anymore. Gamers are now able to play with their whole body. Check out the new PlayStation(R)MOVE that Sony is introducing this month. The PS3 controllers are taking things to the next level in terms of motion sensing.

Most of us are familiar with Wii motion controllers. Well, the Playstation Move improves on this technology with better accuracy and precision. Sony has incorporated a camera to work with the controllers that will keep track of 3D positioning. In other words, those little "short cuts" with those Wii controllers won't work here. The PS3 Eye will make sure you're performing the proper movements. So, for example, if you're playing tennis, you can't just flick your wrists to hit the ball with the PS3 Move. You'll need to do a full and complete swing of the racket to return a serve. That's definitely a welcomed improvement in my book.

I know the Playstation Move would be perfect for this household. I've got three young boys so they love playing against each other in head to head sports games. the PS3 game "Sports Champions" looks to be comparable to "Wii Sports". I've seen the demo of Table Tennis on "Sports Champions" and it really looks challenging. There are subtle wrist tilts, top spins and back spins which gives the game more depth and replay value compared to the simpler aspects in Wii Sports. I think my kids would love the higher degree of difficulty in mastering the movements with the PS3 Move. Plus, the colorful, glowing sphere on the move controller is just cool looking.

At the $99 price point, it appears that the PlayStation®Move Bundle is the one to get. The bundle includes the motion controller, the Eye camera plus the Sports Champions game. But I'd also recommend getting a second Move controller since most gamers would want to play against a friend with these types of games.

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

Smartphones equipped with location based apps are turning out to be a boon for marketers. Just think about it for a moment. With real time location info from these phones, companies can target incentives, discounts and tailor-made surveys directly to potential customers. Yes, there are some interesting privacy issues at play here but I suppose by downloading and activating these types of apps onto your phone, you’re essentially agreeing to being tracked. But what’s the benefit, you ask? Well, take WeReward.com for example. WeReward pays cold hard cash for consumer participation. Tasks vary but most of the time you’re asked to "check-in" at a local restaurant or retailer and purchase or try-out a particular item. By completing tasks, you earn points which can subsequently be turned in for cash. Businesses get real, tangible results from their campaigns and the consumers get cash back for their participation.

The neat thing for retailers and marketers is that you not only get customers into the stores from these WeReward campaigns but you also get additional exposure via social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Tasks usually require geo-tagged photos as a form of proof of a visit which are then shared with friends and family through their networks. It looks to be an effective way to create buzz for new products. Currently there’s a WeReward for iPhone app as well as a WeReward for Android app. And a blackberry app is in the works.

From the look of things, there’s a lot of potential here. Location based marketing may just change the way we all shop in the near future.