Wordless Wednesday – Fourth of July

Jul 7th, 2010 Posted in Wordless Wednesday | 24 comments »
River Making American Flag Cookies

River Making American Flag Cookies At Grandmas

River Making American Flag Cookies 2

River's Friends Were Going To Be Stuffed

River's Friends Watching The Fireworks At Grandmas House

River insisted on letting his "Friends" watch the show.

Grandma's Neighbors Shot Off Big Fireworks

Fireworks Display Next Door to Grandmas House

For more  go to 5 Minutes 4 MomFrosted FingersHere and ThereGo Graham Go, Miller Racing Family, and Hobo Mama’s WW Linky List!

Jawbone Icon Bluetooth Headset Review and *closed* Giveaway: A+ Fathers Day Gift for 2010

May 30th, 2010 Posted in Giveaways, Reviews, Technology | 398 comments »

Two Jawbone Products - Rogue and The CatchWant to make this Fathers Day really special? Buy that special Dad in your life one of the hottest tech accessories available! The Jawbone ICON Headset is easy to pair with any Bluetooth enabled smartphone, comes in six sleek designs, and offers military-grade noise filtering. I have been testing out The Rogue and it has made talking on the phone much easier and more comfy.

I’ll admit, I have never owned a cell-phone headset. I have seen the headsets with the little loops and always feared they would be incredibly uncomfortable after a few hours. Although the Jawbone offers the earloop as a choice, it is unnecessary. The small, 100% recyclable box comes packed with an assortment Jawbone ICON Case Open - Different Size Earbudsof earpieces that fit inside the ear.  There is an earpiece to fit practically anybody, and they are much more comfortable than I would have ever imagined.

Not only is this Bluetooth headset light (8.2 grams) and comfortable, it stays in place. I tried jumping around and shaking my head like a wet dog, but the Jawbone still rested securely in my ear. After a while, I forgot that I was wearing it until a call came.

The back of the bluetooth headset earpiece has an easily-accessible button for answering and hanging up calls. Two-clicks of the button will redial a number. If you press the button while not on a call, it tells you the remaining charge on the headset.

Larry H. Wearing His Jawbone ICONThe Jawbone ICON can be charged by plugging the included USB cable directly into your computer. In addition, the ICON comes with a wall charger that has a USB socket. When paired with an iPhone, the ICON displays a battery meter that reveals the charge remaining on your headset. It takes about 40 minutes to charge the Jawbone and the charge lasts for up to 4.5 hours of talk time.

A small slider switch makes it easy to turn the ICON on and off. Using a switch rather than a button also makes it easy to tell at a glance whether the headset is on. Of course the small LED light in the back does this as well.

There is no need for a volume control dial on the headset, because the ICON features Set-It-And-Forget-It technology. This means that after setting the volume during the initial setup, it will normalize volume automatically until you reset it. Some callers tend to talk louder than others so I am often changing the volume on my phone. However, my Jawbone has done a wonderful job of keeping everyones’ voices at an acceptable volume level without having to make adjustments.  The Noise Assassin makes everyone easier to hear whether their voice is booming or subdued.

The Jawbone site explains Noise Assassin Technology better than I can..

“Originally developed for use in tanks and helicopters, Jawbone ICON™’s NoiseAssassin® is a proprietary technology that eliminates background noise from mobile phone conversations. Jawbone is the only Bluetooth headset with a Voice Activity Sensor (VAS) that actually feels your speech, which helps Jawbone distinguish your voice from background noise. As a result, Jawbone offers better audio quality than any other headset on the market.”

Screenshot of Jawbone Promo VideoHere is a link to a really cool video demonstrating how well Noise Assassin eliminates background noise. It features a person talking with bunch of kids playing in the background. Normally, a phone conversation would be impossible in those conditions. However, after NoiseAssassin is turned on, the sound of screaming kids is virtually eliminated.

I have only used the ICON around my own loud child, but the technology benefits both me and anyone I am trying to talk to. With the headset, we can hear each other better than when I use the phone by itself. As an added bonus, it keeps my hands free to shoo the children away when necessary. Every parent needs an ICON headset!

Anyone who talks on the phone while driving should also own a headset. Seven states have made it illegal to use a phone while driving without using hands-free devices. Several more states are currently considering similar laws. The Jawbone ICON provides a safe driving experience with the best outside wind / noise reduction available anywhere.

Screenie of MyTalk Apps For Jawbone ICONPerhaps the coolest thing about the Jawbone ICON is the MyTalk software platform. Users can not only update their firmware online, but can also personalize their headset. For instance, the ICON talks in a variety of different voices and languages, offering information ranging from remaining charge, to reciting the phone numbers of incoming callers.

I am also able to listen to streaming music and podcasts, and even hear turn-by-turn directions by using the A2DP application. The update was easy to install and One Winner Will Receive This Jawbone "The Catch" best of all it is free! This update also makes it possible to control the volume from the headset by holding down the talk button during a call or while listening to audio.

The Jawbone ICON is available for $99.99 at the Jawbone online store or anywhere fine bluetooth headsets and accessories are sold. Pictured to the right is “The Catch” which is pearl white. It is one of six excellent designs that the ICON is available in.  This is a photo of the actual Jawbone ICON that is being given away. I am shipping it myself and will try my best to get it to the winner by Fathers Day on June 20, 2010.

This Giveaway is closed with 382 Entries.. Congrats #27!

The Giveaway

One lucky Cakeblast reader will Win the Jawbone ICON pictured above!

MANDATORY ENTRY: Go to Jawbone website, then leave a comment below explaining how you or someone you know could benefit from a Jawbone ICON.

EXTRA ENTRIES: To qualify for extra entries, you must also complete the MANDATORY entry. Please put each entry in a separate comment. For instance, leave two comments if you have the Cakeblast button.

** Subscribe to Cakeblast by email or RSS feed (2 Entries Each).

**Have the Cakeblast button on your blog/website (2 Entries).

**Follow Cakeblast  with Google Friend Connect (1 Entry).

**”Like” Cakeblast on Facebook  (1 Entry).

** Mention this giveaway in a blog post or on Facebook (1 Entry Each).

**Follow @JawboneEarwear on Twitter (1 Entry)

**Follow @cakeblast on Twitter and Tweet about this contest. Use button or Feel free to copy/paste Fathers Day 2010 #Giveaway @cakeblast  Win a Jawbone ICON Bluetooth Headset $100 RV http://bit.ly/9hqNDI (1 Entry – Can be done once per day).

Contest Ends Sunday, June 13th at 11:59pm CST. Must be 18+ to enter. Open to residents of U.S. only. Winner will be chosen by random.org & announced soon after the contest ends. Winner will be notified by email with “Congrats: You’ve Won The Jawbone ICON Giveaway!” in the subject line. Winner will then have 72 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: Outcast contacted me directly and offered me a Jawbone ICON in exchange for this post. In addition, Outcast sent me another ICON to giveaway in order to help promote this post. Cakeblast will be responsible for prize distribution after I draw a winning entrant using Random.org. No monetary compensation was received for this post. The sample products in no way affected my opinion of the Jawbone ICON. This article offers an honest opinion and has not been reviewed or edited by anyone other than Larry H. of Cakeblast.

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Friday Follow 4

Feb 5th, 2010 Posted in Friday Follow | 25 comments »

Friday Follow ImageOnce again, it is time for Friday Follow! This is a celebration founded and hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades. To participate, all you have to do is link up your blog to the blog hop, follow the first three blogs (although Hearts Make Families cannot participate this week due to technical issues), and then follow as many other blogs as you like leaving comments that let them know you found them through Friday Follow! I will visit and follow back anybody who tells me they are from Friday Follow, even if they leave comments on Saturday (or Thursday or any other day). This is a great way to discover new blogs to follow and to gain more followers for your own blog. Happy Friday Follow!


MckLinky Blog Hop

TheMommy-Files Laptop Giveaway!!

Jun 5th, 2009 Posted in Contests, Giveaways | one comment »

TheMommy-Files is giving away a Toshiba Portege A-600 in celebration of father’s Day!

This is a very impressive giveaway from an awesome site. I have read articles at TheMommy-Files, but this is the first contest I have entered at the sites. This is because a laptop is something that I want dearly, and the sleek, ultraportable, Toshiba Portege A-600 is better than Read the rest of this entry »

The Ice Of Boston Is Just Like The Ice Of Southern Indiana

Jan 1st, 2009 Posted in Entertainment, Lifestyle, Songs | no comment »

My wife introduced me to one of the greatest New Years songs ever. This song is called The Ice Of Boston by The Dismemberment Plan. I am including the lyrics that I would have posted yesterday, but my computer Read the rest of this entry »