“Family” collection
Navigate the intersection of family life and technology with expert advice on household gadgets, digital parenting, and home safety. This section focuses on tools and strategies that enhance family connections and simplify domestic logistics in a digital-first world.
HTD Tech Briefs
View all →October 19, 2009
eBooks, Digital Readers and the Future of Printed Writing
I am honestly not sure that all books should be electronic. I'm a gadget guy but some part of me feels that if we make everything digital that one day someone will accidentally kick out the plug and EVERYTHING will be gone. I do see the convenience and the immediacy that an eBook provides. It's similar to the evolution of…
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October 6, 2009
Beyond the “100 Faces of Fall” with the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX1 & A330 DSLR Cameras
So I'm now pretty deep into this Sony "DigiDads" program (see the Sony Electronics Community site for more details). My kids are already used to watching the big BRAVIA in my oldest daughter's room, I have been using the HD Camcorder for a few of my recent product reviews as well as filming some of my middle daughter's gymnastics meets,…
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September 28, 2009
The AT&T HomeManager Consolidates your Family’s Telephony & Internet Information in one Device
There is a niche out there between the techno-savvy and technophobes. It's a market where the members see the value in technology and gadgets but might not adopt it quickly or readily. They may have a computer or laptop but only use it periodically to pay bills, check news or weather or do email. If they have kids, their kids…
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September 16, 2009
Storytelling in the Digital Age
Every family has a story teller. It's the person who can captivate an audience as they lead them down a path of words, memories and emotions. We do have to admit, some people are much better at doing this than others. I, for one, have an absolutely horrible memory. The only stories I tell are ones that I really know…
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August 27, 2009
The Sony Connected Bedroom – My Kids Jump for Joy!
This is my first article from the Sony DigiDads Project that we kicked off last week. You can read more about it here. Our first mission (that I definitely decided to accept) was to do an article on a Sony "Connected Living Room Experience." Well, I ran into a problem right from the start. I already have a huge HDTV…
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August 20, 2009
The Sony DigiDad Project
No, it's not about turning a bunch of dads into Skynet, cybernetic offspring. Nor are there going to be a new line of kids DigiPets that are modeled after fathers (but that would be an interesting idea). The Sony DigiDad Project is actually pretty cool (probably because I'm in it)! So here's the scoop. Sony has teamed up with 5…
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August 12, 2009
WebCam Monitoring & Streaming Via a $5 iPhone Application – iCam
If you travel frequently, have small kids, or just like to keep an eye on things, I have a great solution for you. A few weeks ago, I came across a nice iPhone app called iCam by SKJM which allows you to set up video monitoring of up to 4 sources at a time. Sure, there are lots of webcams…
Read more →July 14, 2009
The DO’s and DON’Ts of Customer Service in a Social Media Age
How many times have you had a bad customer service experience? More than 50% of the time? I will bet that you think that it's much higher than that even. Most of us tend to remember poor customer service experiences than good ones. It's easier to gripe and complain about someone NOT doing something to your satisfaction than it is…
Read more →June 23, 2009
How to Fix Apple Mail Not Saving Passwords – Keychain First Aid
Recently I was plagued with having to repeatedly enter and re-enter my passwords on some of my email accounts using Apple Mail. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. I would get asked to enter when sending email from a certain account as well as when trying to receive email from a completely different email account.…
Read more →June 18, 2009
Sennheiser’s MM 50 iP Headphones are Music to my Ears
I have been using the Apple-issued iPhone headphones for over 2 years. Only for a brief period did I use some Sony Headphones with an adapter for the microphone. The Sony's got a bit beaten up in my daily transportation routine so I was back to my standard issue Apple headphone. Music sounded great, clear, clean and crisp...that is, until…
Read more →June 16, 2009
Bippity Boppity Boo, Here Comes a Disney Netbook for You!
A member of the Disney Public Relations team contacted me tonight about an exciting announcement that just so happened to be geared towards me, my family and my audience, a Netbook affectionately known as the Disney Netpal. Being the father of 3 daughters, one who is denying she is still in the princess stage yet still seems to dress and…
Read more →June 11, 2009
Baby Brain: Keeping Digital Notes on your Baby’s Habits via your iPhone
I think that I had kids about 10 years too early. Well, actually, I'm glad about the age that I had my 3 beautiful daughters, I'm just not happy that I didn't have today's technology back then. The makers of Baby Brain, an iPhone application that is touted as "the Ultimate iPhone app for Parents", invited me to try out…
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