by Sharm | Sep 26, 2017 | Devices, Lifestyle & Technology
Traveling with the HumX will ease the stress of driving whether you are headed out on the open road for some vacation time or just running around town. It will also ease the stress of parents now that school in full swing. The HumX is a great addition to any students car whether it’s a college student that will be traveling far from home or your high schooler who still needs to have some tabs kept on them. And with the holidays just around the corner, you will want to get a HumX before you take off over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s house, for stress free holiday travel.
Verizon Wireless recently loaned me a HumX to try out. I found that this handy little device does the job of several devices and services all wrapped up in one little package.
Below is a list of all the cool things this device can do once it is installed and paired with the HumX app.
Bluetooth Speaker: You can pair this device with your phone and use the speaker for hands free calling. Although, most cars these days are already Bluetooth enabled there are still quite a few on the road that are not. Many of them include vehicles that our kids drive as they tend to purchase older vehicles since that is all that they can afford. Also with being younger drivers having the hands free calling helps to keep their hands on the wheels and eyes on the road.
Customer Service: If you are having any difficulties on the road or your check engine light goes on, just press the customer service icon and call button on the HumX device and you will be connected to a Verizon Wireless representative. They will be able to put you in touch with a trained mechanic that can help diagnose your issue and get you information on how to get it fixed. Should you need roadside assistance, the customer service rep will be able to get that set up for you. If you are having trouble with the app or device itself, customer service can assist with that as well.
HumX Speaker
Emergency Assistance: Pushing the red cross icon and then the call button will put you in touch with an emergency services operator. The HumX app can tell of you were in an accident or collision.
Stolen Vehicle Assistance: If your vehicle gets stolen notify authorities immediately and fill out a police report. Give the case number to the customer service department and they can work with police on locating the vehicle using the location system.
Diagnostics and Service Reminders: The auto health feature on the app can communicate with your car and scan for any diagnostic issues as well as keep track of oil changes, tire rotations or any other maintenance issues desired.
GPS Location and Speed Alerts: These features are a great to keep tabs on those teenage drivers. The GPS locator allows you to know where the vehicle is even if you are not driving. It also allows you to set boundaries on how far the vehicle can travel and speed limits. The app will notify you if the vehicle has exceeded the speed limit set or if it is driven passed the desired intersection or location on the boundary setting. Although, the vehicle location feature will locate your car, setting a boundary could come in handy should your car get stolen. Having the notification of what time the car left a certain area could aid in filling out the police report.
Safety Score Rating: The HumX can keep track of accelerated speeds, hard braking, sharp turning and more which can indicate how safe of a driver you are.
Navigation: The HumX has a navigation map and is similar to Siri and Google and can give you directions to wherever you would like to go.
Wi-Fi Hot Spot: If you are a Verizon Wireless customer, you can add HumX to your data plan to pay for the 1 GB or more of data you get monthly with HumX. However, if you are not Verizon Wireless customer, you can still purchase HumX but will have to open up a Verizon Wireless account to pay for the monthly Wi-Fi service. The 4G LTE hot spot allows you to connect up to ten devices.
Some other tips about the HumX you will need to know.
The HumX is very easy to install using the vehicles OBD port. I know your thinking an OB what? At least that is what I said as I had not heard of that until now. Most OBD ports are under the drivers side dash. If you need help in locating your OBD port, you can visit www.hum.com/port.
Most vehicles manufactured after 1996 should have an OBD port. However, not all vehicles are compatible with the HumX. You will want to check the compatibly of your vehicle by visiting the HumX website before purchasing. We found that are 2011 Kia Sorento was not compatible but our 2014 GMC Acadia was. Our daughters car, a 2005 Honda CR-V was also compatible.
There are some different purchasing options for the HumX including a monthly payment, one time purchase with a contract or paying retail. All of which require and activation fee. Information on pricing, activation fees and purchasing options can be found on the Verizon Wireless website.
My take on the HumX is that is a good replacement to every feature and service you need all wrapped into one bill instead of hassling with multiple bills such as AAA, OnStar and wireless air card plans. I also like the emergency, mechanic and diagnostic features as well as the capability to pair with some older vehicles. It is also nice to open just one app to have access to Wi-Fi, navigation, maintenance reminders, roadside assistance and more. I loved having the Wi-Fi available and used the bluetooth speaker system while talking on the phone and it worked great. I had to contact customer service as I had some difficulties with the app and they were very friendly. The navigation system worked well and so did getting notifications when the set speed limit was exceeded.
I think this device is handy to have for every day travel and road trips especially if you have an older vehicle. It can save you money by consolidating multiple services into one bill. And if you have young teenage drivers on the road, it is essential! I would have definitely used it for when mine were at that stage, had I owned this device.
If you have any more questions about the HumX you can visit the HumX FAQ page.
Although I have been compensated for this post, all the opinions are my own.
SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave
by Sharm | Jul 6, 2017 | Devices, Lifestyle & Technology
I recently had the chance to try out some smart home products thanks to Verizon Wireless. I had a great time trying out these handy devices and loved how each one made life just a tad bit easier in its own way.
It is now time to send them back, but first I will give you a quick overview of these handy gadgets.
The Ring Doorbell This easy to install doorbell works with an app and can that notify you when there is motion at your door or when the doorbell buttons is pushed. With a built in camera and video recording service you are able to answer your door from your phone and talk to whomever my be visiting.
My favorite feature of this device was the ability to catch the video of what was happening when the doorbell was pushed. This allowed me to decide if I needed to answer the door or if it was just UPS ding dong ditching me a package.
The Nest Learning Thermostat This handy thermostat learns your habits. After adjusting the temperature consistently at certain times of the day, this thermostat learns what temperature you like and what time you want it. After a few days it will start doing it for you automatically. If you like to turn the temperature up or down before going to bed, this smart thermostat can do it for you. It also learns that when it is adjusted from heat to cool that the season has changed.
With the connected app it is easy for you to adjust the temperature from where ever you are. Energy saving features allow you to choose away options if you will be gone for sometime. When you are ready to return, just set the temperature desired from the app and the perfect temperature will welcome you home.
I travel quite a bit and will adjust the temperature before I leave to save some money. My favorite feature of this device is the ability to adjust the temperature via the app so my home is the perfect temperature the moment I walk in the door.
The Nest Protect This device detects both smoke and carbon monoxide. In addition to the different alarm signals, one for smoke and one for CO, this device also speaks and tells you what is wrong. If you have multiple Nest Protects installed throughout the house, the device can tell you which room the problem is in. This device connects to an app and will message your phone if something goes wrong. This Nest Protect uses a battery and instead of just beeping it will tell you when the battery is low or needs replaced.
Nest Protect continuously tests itself with the nightly promise feature. When you turn out the lights for the night, Nest Protect will glow green for a moment which means everything is working. If it glows yellow that can indicate the wifi is down, a battery is getting low or another issue. Just push the Nest Protect button or check the app to see what the issue is.
My favorite feature of the Nest Protect is that it tells you which alarm is having the issue or needs the battery replaced. I am ready to switch out our smoke alarms with these devices as the ones we have now are hardwired with a battery back up. When one alarm goes off they all do and it is always about 3 a.m. It gets very frustrating at times as it’s hard to tell which one is low. We had one alarm that would never stop beeping even though it had new batteries. My husband finally through it out in the street and ran over it with the truck! If only it could have told us what was wrong!
Verizon Wireless also sent me the Google Home to try out. I absolutely loved everything that handy device could do which you can read about here.
For more information on the Nest line of products or the Ring doorbell visit the Verizon Wireless website.
Disclosure: Although, I was compensated by Verizon Wireless to review these products, all opinions are my own.
by Sharm | Apr 16, 2016 | Appliances, Lifestyle & Technology, Shopping
Verizon Wireless has all a plethora of technology including the new Virtual Reality glasses. I recently had the chance to visit one of their smart stores and was amazed of all the fun gadgets and gizmos available to make living fun, safe and easy.
The Verizon Wireless Smart Store is divided into different zones where you will find items to make your home smarter, get your body fitter, enjoy surround sound, make your car safer and more!
I have to tell you about are the new Virtual Reality glasses. These things are crazy! I have never experienced anything like it. The glasses allow you to play games, watch movies, experience deep sea diving, watch a theater performance and more.
With my experience I went swimming with sharks and watched Circus Soleil. The virtual reality is a 360 degree experience. In Circus Soleil you find your self sitting in a theater with cast member performing on stage. Look to the right and left and you will see cast members sitting beside you and when you turn around the entire theater is behind you.
While swimming with the sharks when you look up you can see the sun reflecting on the top of the water, look below and you see the the bottom of the sea. Looking left and right your surrounded by an array of sea life. You can check out my reaction here.
Stop by the closest Verizon Wireless smart store nearest you to check them out yourself along with all the other fun gizmos and gadgets they have!
by Sharm | Sep 9, 2015 | Devices, Home & Living, Lifestyle & Technology, Products & Reviews
With summer coming to an end, I have one more post to share with you about some of the features of the Nokia Lumina 2520 which Verizon Wireless loaned out to me in June.
Nokia Lumina
I am not one to watch a lot of news, so having the MSN news app on the start screen has really helped keep up with current events and news.
Another start page app I liked was the Reading List. The handy features allows you to add content you find on the web to read at another time. I always feel like I am finding myself reading an article and then having something come up where I cannot finish it, or wanting to keep it for a reference and this app does the trick.
If my blog was more video based, the Video Director app on this tablet would be sweet! This app allows you take content from your videos and photos and select clips from them and then add music, titles and customize to create cool videos.
With What You’re Missing KC! being mostly about food, it is no surprise that I am loving all of the foodie apps available to download via the Windows Store.
The most recent one I encountered is Smoothier. I am addicted to my Vita-Mix and one thing we do a lot of around here are protein shakes and smoothies. Since a lot of my shakes are usually made up with what I have on hand, the Smoothier app is handy for calculating all the calories I am blending up. You just select the ingredients you have and it will calculate the calories.
Today on hand I had non-fat plain yogurt, frozen strawberries and a peach, which were all ingredients I found in the app. I guess my only complaint would be is that the app needs a broader range of common smoothie ingredients as added some honey and almond milk to the smoothie so it would have been nice to know the additional calorie count in those.
Strawberry Peach Smoothie
August was a busy month for the me as I emptied my nest sending both kiddos to college. I am sorry to say that this tablet has no way of drying those tears unless, someone has created some kind of tissue holding tablet case this device will fit in. However, having the Skype app on the start screen makes it easy to keep in touch, at the touch of the screen.
Kids leaving the nest
Last but not least, and which I have already mentioned before, you know this tablet makes a great travel buddy. My most recent trip was riding the coattails of my hubby business trip to Napa Valley, where we tacked on a couple days to play. I love the entertainment features of being able to play games and watch shows while waiting on flights and in the air. It is also handy for looking up fun things to do and of course finding yummy places to eat like Cookhouse at the Oxbow market, which have some pretty amazing biscuits!
Beef Sausage and Egg Biscuit from Cookhouse
It is now time to send back the tablet and I wish to thank Verizon Wireless for loaning it out to me. For more information on features about this tablet check out my posts on months one and two. To get tablet specifications, pricing or ordering information visit Verizon Wireless.
by Sharm | Aug 4, 2015 | Devices, Lifestyle & Technology, Products & Reviews
This is a three part series on the Nokia Lumina 2520. Verizon Wireless has graciously loaned me this tablet for the summer and in return, I will be sharing monthly posts on all the cool features. Read part one here.
Nokia Lumina
July was a busy month with the Nokia Lumina 2520 and I. For starters I took it with me on National Social Media Day to an event held in Wichita. The guest speaker was Social Media Expert Mark Schafer and with Microsoft Word already installed on this tablet, it was handy dandy for taking notes on all of the great information he had to share. I could literally write a whole blog post just about that.
After the event we headed out for vacation where the tablet help pass time in the airport. I was able to hook up to the wifi and watch some Netflix while waiting on a delayed flight. I also downloaded various games and apps from the Google Play store to keep me occupied while in the air.
While exploring all of the features of the tablet I came across what looked to be an Xbox controller on the touch screen. I was intrigued by this as my son is an avid Xbox fan. Once home I opened the app and had my son log into his Xbox account, which opened up another level of features to this tablet.
In the app we are able to download apps and games from the Windows store, play a select number of Xbox games, look up Xbox friends, find achievements and more. Did you know my son has played 150 Xbox games? Neither did I but the achievement section tells you that. I am not sure I really wanted to know that! No wonder he had so much trouble with that math class in college, I am thinking he should have beed studying instead of playing.
Well I am sure that is more information than you wanted to know about my sons Xbox playing habits but none the less it is a fun feature of the tablet for the avid Xbox fan out there.
Lastly, I paired the Bluetooth keyboard with the tablet and it works like a dream. I love how it becomes a mini laptop. The keyboard is easy to use and makes easy to take on the go.
I have one more month with this Nokia Lumina 2520 so stay tuned for next months post on what else I can discover about this tablet.
In the meantime if you are interested in additional information about this tablet including specifications, pricing or more check out Verizon Wireless.com.
