Giveaway - youTunes

Admit it, I know you've been there too.  The kids are all in bed, but the music is still on.  You find yourself singing along while doing the dishes (or folding one of the laundry mountains that have taken up residence on your couch...) and then you realize... you're singing along to the Fisher Price Classics.  You try and remember the last time you listened to something catchy that *isn't* Elmo And I Know It... and you realize you can't because it's been so long.

Now I'm more of an independent music fan, myself, and there are lots of artists on my music playlist that I guarantee you've never heard of (or maybe you have, some of my favourite indie acts have a way of making it big, and I don't realize it til I'm out shopping and hear a song I actually know playing on the speakers in a store...).  But as you know I'm also a runner, and as I'm training for a race this spring (actually training this time, not winging it like last time I tried a 10K...), I like having a selection of newer, upbeat music to run to.  Problem is, I don't know any of it.  And there's only so much you can glean from a 30 second clip in the iTunes preview.  Wouldn't it be great if I could listen to some top-100 music at home, so that I can then go and buy the tracks I really like?  Without having the blaring, screaming ads that all the popular radio stations are so full of?  Yes please!

Well it turns out that with youTunes, you can do just that, and more.  YouTunes is a free music player that lists the current top 100 tracks of pretty much whatever country you can think of, lets you add them to your own custom playlist(s), and then not only plays the song but also shows the corresponding video from YouTube.  Sometimes it's a music video, sometimes it has lyrics instead, but regardless, it's a nice way to catch up on what's hip outside of the preschooler scene.  It has great potential for a mom's night in (or as a prelude to mom's night out) by gathering up all the stuff that's playing on the dance floor, for your own party at home or in a hotel, as long as someone brought a MacBook and there's free Wifi...

In addition to automatically having access to each country's top 100 songs, you are also able to search for other songs if there is something you want to hear that isn't on there.  Now I do find that if you are searching for something more obscure, you are less likely to find what you're looking for, but the same thing would happen if you're looking directly on YouTube.  Most songs that show up in the search/top-100 list have links directly to iTunes where you can buy the official track or music video.  It would be nice if they add a link to purchase the song itself too, but that doesn't seem to be a feature in the app just yet.  I'm told that the company that makes the app is considering putting some settings into place to let you filter out songs with explicit ratings (making it sort-of kid safe, though I personally wouldn't play much of this stuff with my preschooler around), but there's no word yet on when that might be available.  So for now, this app gets the mommy stamp of approval, but consider it one you'd use when your kids are asleep or in another room playing quietly by themselves getting into trouble.

This is currently a Mac only app, available for download in the Mac App Store for $0.99, a pretty small price to pay to have all this music at your fingertips.  Plus, I have a bunch of promo codes to give away, so you could have the app for free!  Here's what I'm going to do.  I will give away 1 promo code.  If I get more than 10 entries to this giveaway, I'll give away a second promo code.  20 entries?  I'll throw in another one to give away.  (Max 10 promo codes to be given away).  So share this review, and tell your mac-owning friends, as in this case, more entries could actually improve your odds of winning (2/11 is better than 1/9, right?)

To find out more, or to buy this app, visit http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/free-music-player/id502305134?mt=12

Scribblenauts Remix App

Every now and then I stumble across something that makes me shake my head in amazement and wonder, and say "I wish I'd thought of that".  A new (at least new to me) game in the iTunes App Store called Scribblenauts Remix is a game like that. 

It has a unique gameplay that appeals to the problem solver in all of us, and also caters to the silly factor that takes over most interactions with a preschooler.  The premise of the game is that you have to help the main character, Maxwell, collect the star in each level.  He is faced with various problems to solve in order to earn/access the star.  To solve problems, you think of what thing(s) he need(s) to solve his problem, then give it to him by typing in a noun (and any number of adjectives).

For example [Spoiler Alert] there is a level where you need to push a button to open a gate.  But the button is in an area that Maxwell can't walk to.  So, you can choose to fly him up there.  Make him a Pegasus, he will ride it.  P-E-G-A-S-U-S.  Or, you can give him a jetpack.  Or you can create a H-U-G-E B-A-L-D E-A-G-L-E, and he will be able to climb on his back and fly up.  You can use adjectives such as "tiny", "friendly", "blue", "gigantic", "scary" and so forth to enhance the objects you create.  I cannot imagine how much effort must have gone into mapping just about every noun imaginable to a concrete in-game representation of the noun, but the effort is worth it because half the fun in the game is to create something outrageous and see what appears.

As an adult, I enjoy playing this game because it helps boost my creativity, and it's tons of fun.  My son (who is not quite old enough to spell most words) likes to play the game together with me, as I read him the problem, he brainstorms solutions, and I type them in.  He has even played it by himself by randomly typing on the keyboard and then picking from the "Did you mean..." suggestions that pop up when the characters don't represent a real word.

Apparently this game is not entirely new, however it's my first time playing it and I have to admit, I was blown away.

If you haven't played this before and think it sounds like fun, it's only $1.99 on the iTunes app store (for the iPad/iPhone) and will provide hours of entertainment, even after you finish the story mode, because you can always think of new creative ways to solve the problems Maxwell faces.

Check out more on this app here: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/scribblenauts-remix/id444844790?mt=8

Review: Netflix

A few months ago my husband signed us up for a free trial month of Netflix.  I was adamant that we cancel the subscription before it auto-renewed on our credit card, because come on, we're already paying for cable.  Why would I spend an extra $8.99/month for more TV?

Turns out, Netflix is the next best thing to sliced bread.  Not only does it provide an endless supply of suitable shows for the preschooler set (especially since most kids in that age range like watching the same shows over and over again), but it also has a pretty darn good assortment of shows for grownups too.  I've barely scratched the surface of TV shows, and I know there are tons of movies available on Netflix as well.  So far we've really enjoyed watching the following TV series: Life on Mars, Being Erica, Arrested Development, Coupling, and Pulling.  My 4 year old son's favourites are (of course) Mighty Machines, Word World, and the Wonder Pets (sigh).

 It's so nice to be able to browse through such a variety of shows, and there are new ones added all the time.  Netflix will recommend shows to you based on others you have enjoyed, and you can browse by the type (movie vs TV) and genre of show.  Once you start watching something, Netflix saves your spot, so if you need to pause your show for some reason, you can come back the next day and pick up right where you left off.  This works even if you switch between shows - it will remember your spot in each show.

Netflix can be watched on game consoles (such as Xbox 360, PS3, Wii), streaming players (such as Apple TV), networked Blu-ray players, networked HDTVs, mobile devices, home theatre systems, and of course, your computer.  There's nothing better than being woken up by a newborn for a 45 minute feeding than to be able to catch up on a favourite TV show while feeding the baby.  (OK, I'll admit, sleeping through the night would be better.  But while you're up, you might as well have some fun!)

You can check out Netflix at http://ca.netflix.com (for Canadian readers) or http://www.netflix.com (for US readers).  Your first month is free!