Featured Tech

Starlink: Battle for Atlas is THE Perfect Family Xbox Game!

I’m SO super excited to share the coolest new Xbox One family game with you guys – Starlink: Battle for Atlas! The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service. Keep reading to check it out…

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A post shared by Meagan Paullin (@sunandsipcups) on Dec 21, 2018 at 11:29am PST

As you can see, Abby gives this Starlink: Battle for Atlas Starter Kit an enthusiastic TWO THUMBS UP! We both seriously love it. You can save $25 on Starter Packs, plus, save 30% on Starlink toys, right now at Best Buy stores or online at BestBuy.com – Perfect for last minute Christmas shopping, or, for us – to stock up our own collection! Because that’s what makes this game so extra cool… It’s not just a traditional video game you pop in and play. It comes with “modular toy technology,” – meaning, actual physical toy pieces, mixing and matching your favorite ships and pilots, adding cool weapons specific to certain challenges, to constantly change up the way you play the game. So it never gets boring, and you can constantly expand game play!

Isn’t this super cool?? Abby and I both expected the ships and accessories to be kinda cheap plastic pieces? So we were impressed when they were really substantial feeling, well-built, sturdy, just really cool. She displays them up on her shelf now ;) Here’s a little bit more about the game, in fancy gamer speak:

Battle for Atlas is an open-world space saga that features modular toy technology that allows players to assemble and customize real-world physical starships, link the starships to their game controller, and launch into an epic adventure across the Atlas star system, either in single player or with a friend in two-player split-screen local co-op.

Each modular component and pilot attached to the starship appears instantly in-game, allowing players to directly affect the course of their battle in a meaningful way.

So, a couple of cool things about this – if you have a kiddo who’s about Abby’s age of 8, where they’re starting to outgrow the “babyish” games, but you’re hesitant to let them move up to some of the more grown-up games due to adult content, this game is SUCH an awesome choice. The open-world concept is cool, because it means that they don’t follow a scripted game-play – they can explore worlds, go into battles, choose what they want to do in the game, and it’s ever-evolving. But, it’s all appropriate content, and while you can play two-player, it’s not a multi-player game with strangers, so you don’t have to worry about any of the issues that come along with that. And, something that REALLY impressed us was that when you change out your weapons on your actual real-life ship on your controller – it actually does change instantly in the game, no lag at all. Super cool!

I mean, look at this face? All she needs for Christmas is a few more of those front teeth, ha. And all YOUR kids need this Christmas is the new Starlink: Battle for Atlas Xbox One Starter Kit game and accessories from Best Buy! I honestly think this would be a good fit for the entire family – little kids might not fully understand all of the plot, but will love the idea of mixing and matching the toys and players and ships. The game has something for everyone, since the open-world style allows them to make the game what they want it to be. (Abby loves exploring the planets for weird lifeforms, and collecting scientific data about the animals.) The modular toy technology means you can buy new pieces to keep the game fresh and new, and they’re super affordable. And – there are multiple settings, easy to hard, so you can adjust it to any skill level too!

Starlink: Battle for Atlas is available on Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation®4 and Xbox One. And HURRY: Save $25 on Starter Packs. Plus, save 30% on Starlink toys. Save big on Starlink: Battle for Atlas toys at Best Buy today! And, if you want to read more about what other families have to say about Starlink – follow the #StarlinkGame across social media to learn more!!

HURRY – Be the best mom ever and grab the @StarlinkGame at @BestBuy today for $25 off the Starter Kit + 30% #StarlinkGame toys, the hottest holiday Xbox game!! Seriously, you'll impress even the hardest to shop for kiddos, it's SO cool. 🎄🎄🎄 #ad https://t.co/FVjWZB4Leh pic.twitter.com/A4wcN1XdEo

— Meagan Paullin (@SunandSipCups) December 22, 2018

Posted by Meagan Paullin on December 22, 2018 Filed Under: Reviews, Entertainment, Featured Tech | No Comments

The Best Photos Start with Best Buy: Nikon D3300 DSLR Rocks

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Nikon D3300 DSLR camera from Best Buy at a reduced price or for free. All opinions on the product are my own.

I’ve always loved photography. I took a few years of photography classes back in high school…. Back with old school SLRs and actual film we developed ourselves in the dark room. {Do I sound super old yet? Please tell me someone else remembers SLRs before they were digital?} I really enjoyed it – but of course, times change. When I was in my early 20’s I went through a few different point and shoot cameras. They worked fine for fun pics of nights out with friends. But now, as a mom, and a blogger, it’s important to me to get more serious about the quality of the pictures that I take, which means I totally needed to upgrade to a better camera.

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 7, 2015 Filed Under: Featured Tech | No Comments

Why I’m Falling in Love with the Philips Airfryer

Big thank you to Best Buy for sending me a complimentary Philips Airfryer to test out and share with you guys. It is AWESOME and I know you’ll love it too!

I am a healthy eater, 90% of the time. You wouldn’t know it by looking at the size of my hips, but it’s true. I eat small portions, whole grains, lots of fruits and veggies. But…. I have been known to say that “deep fried” is one of my favorite flavors :) And this would be an area where I splurge once in a while. We have a deep fryer, and ohmanohman can it make some good stuff. But it’s hot, messy, and FATTENING! So when I learned that there was a new super-cool technology that would give me a healthier alternative to frying… I was totally excited to try it out. Skeptical, I admit. But excited.

Philips Airfryer is a total multitasker in the kitchen. It can fry, bake, roast, AND grill. Which I appreciate… I’m a kitchen gadget addict. But I only have so much room in the kitchen. So anything that has multiple purposes is a win, and a space saver. So – let’s take this as a dating scenario… He looked good in his online ad. And, upon meeting him – he made a good first impression. [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 22, 2014 Filed Under: Food, Featured Tech, Busy Mom Solution | 2 Comments

Why I love the Nintendo 2DS and the Tomodachi Life Game from Best Buy

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

You guys know I am always conflicted on giving the kids more tech gadgets, right? I’m a BIG believer in kids doing old school stuff like running and climbing and playing outside. My Mister’s oldest daughter told my nephews one day – {they’re 8 & 10} – about how she used to play. That she didn’t have all these gadgets and tablets and phones… She had geese. And 10 acres. And that was it. How times have changed. Lol. And I love non-tech type toys, especially for my little nephew who has a few sensory disorders. But at the same time, I do love the way that technology can seriously help kids learn, grow, and expand their minds. It’s amazing!

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 6, 2014 Filed Under: Tech Tips, Featured Tech | No Comments

Awesome Tip: Never Run Out of Ink Again! HP Instant Ink available at Best Buy

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Ok ladies. {And gentlemen – I know a handful of you read my posts here too. “Hi dad!!”} I have a seriously AWESOME new product and service to share with you today. Like, life changing. Almost as life changing as the new way to take pics from your cell phone I showed you the other day. It saves you time. Saves you money. And is super cool. Introducing…. The new HP Instant Ink, available from my best buds over at Best Buy. Let me tell ya all about it…

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 15, 2014 Filed Under: Tech Tips, Featured Tech | No Comments

This Will Change How You Take Photos from Your Phone Forever

Big thank you to the Best Buy WOLF Blogging Network and the peeps at Sony for giving me the chance to try out the new lens style camera, the Sony QX10, and share the awesomeness with you! I received a complimentary product, but you know my opinions are my own, as always.

There are a few things that describe me well: Social media junkie. Photo addict. Tech lover. Memory capturer. Which is why I’ve always loved photography. Sure, I’m no pro – although I did take a few years of photography back in high school. Back when we had this weird stuff called film in our SLR cameras. {Notice the lack of a D at the beginning of that?} We developed our own film in darkrooms. Printed our own photos too, testing out different exposure settings. Do I sound old yet? :) But obviously these days photography has changed – drastically – in just the {let’s just say “slightly over”} 10 years I’ve been out of high school. Not only do we have DSLRs, smart phones, awesome point and shoot options, and more – but now, there’s a totally awesome new way to take pics. It’ll blow your mind. Check it out….

I love tech gadgets, but I’m not the most “technical” type of person. I don’t pay as much attention to things like megapixels and stuff, as I do to how the product actually works in my real life. So, for the details, you can check out the Sony QX10 at BestBuy.com. But I want to show you how this will totally change how you take photos – from your phone, or anywhere – forever. [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 5, 2014 Filed Under: Tech Tips, Featured Tech | 25 Comments

Nabi 2 Disney Special Edition – See it in Action

Looking for the best kids tablet? Look no further… Let me introduce you all to the nabi 2 Disney Edition, available this holiday season from my fave peeps over at Best Buy. {I received a complimentary nabi 2 tablet to test out for this review – everything that follows are my own honest rambling opinions, as always…}

I am super lucky-ducky to have gotten to work with the Best Buy team for the past year or so, and I’ve gotten to try out a lot of their super cool new products as they come out. And while this is of course a ton of fun for us – the real goal is so that I can share some real-life feedback about these sweet new gadgets with you guys. You know, the stuff you really want to know about. You can find the product specs and technical info on the websites – but you want the skinny on how they work in real life, with real crazy kids. So, I’m here to give you some {hopefully!} helpful insight into one of the hottest holiday gift items of the season – a kids tablet that rocks for little ones and their parents. Check it…

I can’t believe all of the technology that exists for kids these days. I hate to show my age, but…. When I was a kid, we had an Atari. I remember the excitement of things like the first Nintendo. The Walkman and cassette tapes. Heck – do you remember how freakin’ awesome it was to play Oregon Trail on a computer? My nephews don’t believe me that when I was in middle school a kid having a cell phone was unheard of – in high school the cool kids just started to carry pagers. What a long way the world of tech has come, right? My oldest nephew has friends in 3rd grade with nicer iPhones than I have, and every kid has a tablet on their Christmas list this year. And, the nabi gives you some serious power and programs, at a price that won’t blow your whole holiday budget. [Read more…]