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Rick On the Rocks

Lifestyle & Travel Dad Blog

Tech

It’s Time You TuneIn and #TurnTheGameUp

I have partnered and was compensated by Life of Dad, LLC and TuneIn for this promotion.

Saturday was a great day for football. This being the inaugural year of the playoff system, a lot of people have had their eye on college football. We’ve seen the rise and fall of Mississippi State and Ole Miss. The Florida State Seminoles are on a win streak that is incredible and Nick Saban and Alabama got their groove back. This weekend there were some major blow outs (What’s up Ohio State?!) and there were some nail biters (My FSU Seminoles, finding a way to win again!). The TCU and Baylor games did not disappoint at all and I also had a great time talking sports at the TuneIn/Life of Dad twitter party. I was actually listening to the TCU game on TuneIn during the whole party!

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One of the things I really like about this app is the amount of options you have. This time of year you have pro-football, pro-basketball, pro-hockey, college football, college basketball (Both Men’s and Women’s) and college hockey. Saturday night, I was actually listening to a football, basketball and hockey game. TuneIn had me covered!

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In case you didn’t know… TuneIn is the new radio!  It’s a free app for your phone and tablet that lets you listen to local radio from around the country, no matter where you are. With TuneIn,  I can listen to my teams games whether I’m in the same city as them or not. I love me some podcasts! They also have every kind of podcast you could imagine. It’s one of those apps, now I have it, I wonder how I ever got along without it. It’s an essential must have for the sports lover.  I’ve already turned all of my buddies and a few of my family members onto it.

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One thing that is also a big plus for me is the sound quality. I brought it up in the twitter party, when you think of radio, you think static and background noise. TuneIn is crystal clear! It always sounds fantastic and that is something I really appreciate. I’ll definitely be tuning in to the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1st, the undefeated Seminoles are going to sound So Good beating the Ducks on TuneIn!

TuneIn is a FREE app and is available on both iPhones and Androids.

Be sure to follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

What will you be listening to on TuneIn?!

 

During The Busy Holidays, You Can Still #TurnTheGameUp

I have partnered and was compensated by Life of Dad, LLC and TuneIn for this promotion.

This is a pretty crazy time of year, not only are my FSU Seminoles making a run at their second National Football Championship, but our basketball team is gearing up for another tough year in the ACC as well. Oh yeah… It’s also the home stretch for another crazy and hectic holiday season!

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I’m a sports nut from the word go, but it would be almost impossible to try to go see a game with everything I have going on. Back in the day, I was the first guy tailgating and I didn’t miss a game. These days I have to really try to budget my time to get the chance to make some burgers and crack a cold one. I really love sitting down in front of my big screen T.V. and watching the Noles with family and friends. Unfortunately, it gets harder and harder to set aside time to keep an eye on my games. As soon as you have kids, you don’t get as much time to see sporting events. Mix in the holidays AND kids… fuggedaboutit!

That’s why my favorite new app is TuneIn.

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If you can’t get to the game, TuneIn will bring the game to you. TuneIn is my new radio choice and it’s ridiculously easy to use! It lets you listen to local radio from around the country, but it’s not limited to just radio. You can also listen to podcasts, sports, and a lot more.

Here’s a great example! I promised my wife and daughter that I’d get the Christmas lights up last Saturday and of course, as soon as it flew out of my mouth I regretted saying it. FSU was playing UF that afternoon. As a die-hard Noles fan, you can lose every game during the college football season, but if you beat UF… Everything is all good!!! I quickly tried to explain to the girls that the game was coming on and I was met with sighs and disappointed faces. Sometimes you have to suck it up, being a DAD is a full time job.

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I anxiously grabbed my tablet and proceeded to dial up the game on TuneIn.Let me tell you, it doesn’t get any easier than that. It wasn’t quite like being at Doak Campbell Stadium, but it was crystal clear and mobile.

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I had a great time listening to the game (We Won!) and I tried really hard to make the Christmas lights look good. Did I mention that I am AWFUL at putting those things up?!

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Give yourself a great holiday/football/basketball season gift!  TuneIn is FREE and available on both iPhone and Android.

Make sure to follow them on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

What teams are you going to be listening to on TuneIn?!

 

 

 

Having Fun With My #Intel2in1

This post is brought to you by Intel 2 in 1. All opinions are my own.

I’ve had my Acer Aspire Switch 10 for a little while now and I’m still finding new and interesting ways to use it. That’s the one thing about a new piece of technology— you’re never quite sure how it will integrate itself into your daily life. Here are a couple of really cool things I’ve been doing with my Intel 2 in 1 around the house.

1. In The Kitchen – I’m a foodie on every level. I love trying new food, I especially love cooking and creating new dishes for my family and friends. I’m a little bit of a dinosaur in the fact that I do still own some cookbooks. But as of late, against my better judgement, I’ve been lugging my laptop into the kitchen. It’s been a little difficult trying to put it someplace where it won’t get anything on it, but is still centrally located. It’s tough trying to read a recipe or watch a instructional video from across the room. But, the Aspire Switch 10 will “tent” perfectly so I can keep it close and I don’t have to worry about it getting ruined or having to clean off a balsamic reduction I’ve been working on.

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2. My Guitar Tabs – I’ve been playing the guitar since I was a teenager. It’s one of my favorite things to do. For more years than I can count, I’ve been printing off guitar tabs and sticking them in a 3-ring binder. After a little while, the binders get cumbersome. They start to fall apart, the paper starts to rip and before I knew it, they were more of a hassle than a help. It especially was a problem when I was going over a new song and half way through I would have to turn a page. When I’d prepare to play in front of an audience and would have to put a song list together, shuffling through papers was just to time consuming. With the Aspire Switch 10, I can load all of my tabs, put them in the order that I want, and then take the tablet to my gig.

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3. Fantasy Football – I love, love, love fantasy football. This season I’m running 3 teams at the same time and it’s a lot of work! The Aspire Switch 10 helps me keep up with all of my teams and allows me to manage them with ease. Sometimes, I like to go to my favorite watering hole on Sunday afternoon and bring my Intel 2 in 1 with me. It’s compact, fast and allows me the flexibility to take my fantasy teams wherever I go.

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When you’re looking for an Intel 2in1 laptop + tablet that not only fits your lifestyle, but makes it a little more simple. Look no further than the Acer Aspire Switch 10 Intel 2 in 1 — it’s technology that adapts to your life.

#spon: I’m required to disclose a relationship between our site and Intel. This could include Intel providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.

Intel 2in1: I Love My Acer Aspire Switch 10

I just wrapped up the summer by doing quite a bit of traveling. It’s always hard to be gone from home for weeks at a time, but new places are like new adventures for me, and that’s something I just can’t pass up on — thankfully, my family was there with me for most of the trip, along with my new travel partner, the Intel 2 in 1: Acer Aspire Switch 10.

Not only do you have the power of a small laptop, but it also —Bing, Bam, Boom, just like that– can turn into a portable tablet. I was quite taken aback with how easy it was to transition between laptop and tablet. I was worried about it being fragile and, heaven forbid, breaking it. But, it was so easy even my 10-year-old got it on the first try. The Intel 2-in-1 has a nice balance to it, and doesn’t feel like it could break in in your hands at any moment.

The Acer Aspire Switch 10 is compact enough that I was able to take it with me (stored easily in my backpack) while I was on a recent press trip to Alaska with my family. The detachable tablet comes in handy when you’re on the go, especially when your daughter wants to play games while you’re on a long train ride, or if I have work to do and only have limited space to do it in.

Here are 4 things I love about my Acer Aspire Switch 10.

  1. It Looks Great – It has Full HD (1920 x 1200) display, Zero Air Gap, and IPS technology combine to provide vivid clarity and bright color from every angle.
  2. It’s Tough –  The new-generation Gorilla® Glass 3 makes your display tougher than ever with Native Damage Resistance. Gorilla® Glass 3 provides 3x better scratch resistance and reduces existing scratch visibility.
  3. It Travels Well - At a mere 8.9 mm thin in tablet mode, the Aspire Switch 10 transforms into one of the slimmest 2-in-1 laptops you can buy. It weighs in at just 1.17 kg, so you can effortlessly keep the Aspire Switch 10 by your side all day long.
  4. Microsoft OneDrive – Syncs seamlessly with my home computer so I can access all my files/photos wherever I go.

Want to learn more about the Acer Aspire Switch? Check out this and all of the other products at Intel 2 in 1. I’ll be back next week with even more features of this great 2-in-1 from Intel.

#spon: I’m required to disclose a relationship between our site and Intel This could include Intel providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.

iWatch: Apple’s Next Big Thing?

Later this year we will be treated to yet another entry into the smart watch world. Apple’s iWatch is due later this year and it’s already getting a lot of buzz, both positive and negative.

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iWatch concept by Todd Hamilton

Following in the footsteps of Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, Apple is expecting the iWatch to be its “Next Big Thing”. As of right now the price point looks to be around $299.00, which is quite comprable with the PebbleSteel smartwatch and the Galaxy.

Apple would be smart to push it as a “Necessary Accessory”. I think most Apple households would be open to a new addition that could be used with the iPhone, iPod an especially the iPad. Supposedly the biggest problem so far with most of the smart watches has been battery life. But the New York Times did report,”The company has been testing a method to charge the iWatch wirelessly via magnetic induction. Furthermore, Apple may place a solar-charging layer on top of the iWatch’s curved screen to help with battery charging when worn in daylight.”

Most people still don’t feel smart watches are all that practical, but when has technology always been practical…We’re talking about you Google Glass!! It just takes the right company to work out all the bugs and present it in the proper way i.e. a high paid Hollywood celebrity silently contemplating the emptiness that would be their life if they didn’t have a smart watch.
Apple seems up to the task, and I for one already have the iWatch on my “Must Have” list for 2014.