Apple Announces New iPad

by Lori Cunningham

Today Apple announced its newest, long anticipated and highly gossiped product, the Apple iPad. Rumors about the new iPad have been running rampant on the Internet as Apple fans and technology commentators quickly spread any gossip to help satisfy curious and die hard Apple fans.




Steve Jobs presented the new Apple iPad to a packed room full in San Francisco. Reporters hung on every Steve Job's every word. Steve Jobs heralded the new iPad as "phenomenal," "unbelievably great," and "way better than a laptop, way better than a smartphone."


The iPad is only 1.5 lbs, a half inch think, WiFi capable, and has a 9.7 inch screen. With all of it's capabilities, the iPad is surprisingly affordable. It is available in either a 16 gb of flash storage ($499), 32 GB ($599), or 64 gb storage ($699). Later, Apple will add 3G to the iPad which will ad an extra $130 to the price. The battery is estimated to last 10 hours.




What Can You Do with the Apple iPad?


o  Read- it is an ebook - displaying books, magazines, and newspapers -- in color


o  Write - emails on a pop up touch keyboard


o  Surf - the Internet comfortably and with the ability to see a full screen view of a web page


o  Keep your Calendar - track all your appointments


o  Showcase your Pictures- in true Apple form, flip through your pictures, enlarge them with your fingers, change their orientation just by rotating the iPad, set slideshows to music, etc. In addition, you can use the iPad as a digital picture frame when it is sitting in its docking station. Pictures can be imported, sync'd with your computer, downloaded from e-mail, or uploaded from your camera via the Apple Camera Connection kit.


o  Watch Videos- YouTube, TV shows, music videos, podcasts, you name it


o  Store Your Contacts - and click on "map" to find their addresses


o Search Maps - to find business close to your location. Street level views are available from Google, giving an incredible view of the business/address you are looking for.


What Content Can You Get for the iPad?


Many of the apps available in Apple's App store is available for the iPad. The iPad includes an iPod and music can be downloaded from iTunes. A new storefront called iBook will allow you to browse for books and magazines to download.


A Mom's Perspective


Steve Jobs believes the new iPad is "so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smartphone." The iPad does seem to bring about a closeness to a person's online experience as the device is small, lightweight, and is all finger controlled. It's very much like using the iPhone, just amplified in size.


I would liken the iPad to a netbook and eReader, only more convenient due to its touch and orientation manipulation. The iPad ties up a lot of neat features in this bundle that make it very enticing. However, on the flip side, there are some visible oversights that are important to note if you're thinking the iPad will act as your new netbook. Specifically, the iPad does not include:


o  multi-tasking capabilities


o  a file manager to manage your files


o  GPS - so you still need to cart around your GPS during travel


Apple is prepared an open development kit for the iPad, just as it did for the iPhone. Expect many new apps to be developed in the future. I also see the iPad as a very instrumental remote for future apps to help you control your music, movies, pictures, lighting, and numerous to personalize your home.


See WellConnectedMom.com to see Steve Jobs on video giving a demo of the iPad.

CES 2010: Great Technology Products for Moms

OK, after five days at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas, I found a number of products that are great for moms, families, and were just plain cool. To read more about the trends for consumer electronics this year, be sure to read my first article on CES entitled Top 6 Tech Product Trends of CES 2010. In this article I list my top 4 favorite products for moms that are very innovative and new.


#1 The Zomm

Your cell phone on a leash One of my favorite products from the show was the Zomm, heralded as a wireless leash for your cell phone. The Zomm was created by a mom and the Zomm initials stem from the first initial of each of her children. The Zomm is a keychain you attach to your keys that connects wirelessly, through Bluetooth, to your cell phone. Should you leave your house, a taxi cab, a restaurant, the gym, etc. without your phone, the Zomm will set off an alarm to alert you that you are leaving the phone behind. In addition, the Zomm acts as a two-way microphone and speakerphone – so you no longer have to tear your purse apart looking for your phone to answer it. Simply click on the Zomm button to speak to your caller. Lastly, the Zomm acts as a personal alarm. Press the panic button to immediately dial 911 through your phone if you are in an emergency. Very simple, but pure brilliance. The Zomm will be available for purchase during the second quarter of 2010. Estimated price is $79.99 with no monthly charges.

#2 Lok8u

Another of my favorite products from CES 2010 was Lok8u nu-m8 (pronounced LocateU nu-mate). The Nu·m8 is a damage resistant, GPS enabled, colored watch that your child wears on his/her wrist allowing parents to know where their child is at any point in time. It’s intention is not to act as a wireless leash, but instead act as safety guard to ensure your child is traceable should s/he become abducted. The Nu·m8 was developed by a dad after frantically searching for his daughter who had disappeared from his sight for over 10 minutes (she had wandered next door to pet some horses). He knew there had to be a way to allow a child some independence while at the same time allowing for a sense of security and peace of mind for the parents. Parents can set up a wireless safe zone, say a border of 500 feet around their school, so that if a child leaves that border, they are automatically alerted via e-mail/text message. In addition, the watch was designed to be tamper resistant. Should the watch be removed, an e-mail/text message will be sent to the parent. Parents can check the location of their child anytime simply by texting ‘wru’ to Nu·m8 . The GPS locator is accurate within 10 feet. The Nu·m8 is available in pink, blue, and black and recommended for children ages 3-12 years old. Nu·m8 requires a $10 monthly subscription to Lok8u’s Pinpoint Services to access the location requests and retails online for $180 at BestBuy.com, RadioShack.com, Toys R Us.com, Sears.com, and at lok8u.com. Other GPS locator products coming out soon include Maxell’s KeySmart and XactTrax.


#3 Zeo Personal Sleep Coach

To see the remaining great tech products for mom, please go to the main website for The WellConnectedMom.com.

Top 6 Tech Product Trends of CES 2010

by Lori Cunningham

As many of you know, last week I visited the largest International Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Vegas. The Las Vegas Convention Center, with its 2.3 million square feet of space, was packed full of companies showcasing their latest technology products from all over the world. In addition, CES spread out into the Las Vegas Hilton and part of the Venetian. I’m telling you, this was one BIG show. CES reported today that over 120,000 people were in attendance. I believe it because the walkways were very crowded, making it hard to get around to see everything.

I tackled the show in four ways:


1. Attending Press conferences: I attended the press conferences of the largest companies (Panasonic, Toshiba, LG, Sanyo, Samsung, etc.) to see firsthand some of their new products and the technologies they were promising for 2010.


2. Walking the Showroom Floor: Daily I walked the floor talking to companies and seeing demos of mom tech and family tech gadgets and software. I also arranged to review some of these products later in the year so I can give a thorough analysis on how these technologies can help you as a mom.

For the remainder of this article and the top 6 trends of CES 2010, please visit the official WellConnectedMom.com website.

What are the the Newest Hottest Mom Tech Products for 2010?

20,000 New Consumer Tech Products

2,800 Companies

100,000+ Attendees

1.7 Million New Square Feet of Exhibit Space

250 Sessions and 800 Expert Speakers

1 Well Connected Mom!

Watch out, Las Vegas! The WellConnectedMom.com is on the scene to explore, investigate, interview, interact, and report back to you the latest mom tech news on new gadgets, websites, and technologies that will make your life as a mom more fun, effective, and connected. The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the world’s largest technology trade show. Many companies wait until CES to announce their newest products. Recognizing the increasing levels of interest and use of technology by moms, this year CES is introducing Mommy Tech. Mommy Tech will showcase products with high interest for moms and effective ways of using this technology. Moms recongnize the value technology has for them and use it everyday to assist them with their ever building schedules. Moms use technology for menu planning, communication (phone, e-mail, chat, social networking), building and sharing family memories, calendaring, organizing data, running their business, navigating streets, monitoring the baby, teaching their kids, etc.

In addition, another CES audience targeted is children with the Child’s Play exhibit which will highlight educational toys, children safety and tools for moms to help their children.

The WellConnectedMom will be reporting about the latest mom tech topics of interest, gadgets, and tehcnology that moms would want to know about. CES starts Tuesday and Wednesday for the press and continues on thru Sunday. With the WellConnectedMom’s press pass, you can be sure that you’ll hear the latest mom tech news first.

Let us now if there are certain topics or technologies you’d love WellConnectedMom.com to cover. Join us on Twitter @WellConnectdMom (only 1 e) and Facebook at Well Connected Mom for live tweets and updates from the trade show floor.
 Let us know what you think of our new logo as well. We are employers, employees, knowledgeable moms and women, but our families are always at the heart of all we do. As well connected moms, we use technology to our advantage to increase effectiveness and stay connected with our family and friends. Happy New Year and may 2010 be a year full of wonderful memories for you and your family.

Please visit WellConnectedMom.com for the most complete directory of WellConnectedMom.com articles.