Tech Tips

7 Reasons Why You Need the Chromecast Audio Right Now!

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.

How do you listen to music at home?

I recently asked this over on my personal Facebook, as I got ready to start reviewing the new Chromecast Audio. Because at first, I couldn’t figure out why I would need such a thing? I already have wireless speakers – I have several different ones around the house and patio. I stream my Pandora channels from my iPad to the speakers using bluetooth. It all works great, no complaints. I’d never really thought much about it, or considering doing it differently. If it ain’t broke, why fix it, right?

But then. Oh…. but then. Then Best Buy sent over a set of these cool little gadgets. The Chromecast Audio. They’re cute little guys, crazy-simple to set up, but oh baybay baybay, they have totally ramped my rockin’ up a notch or ten. I’m in loooooove. Here’s why: [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 15, 2017 Filed Under: Tech Tips | 7 Comments

Best Buy Special Holiday Shopping Event – #GiftingMadeEasy

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.

Woo hoo! Are you ready to get a head start on your holiday shopping list, get some cool new gear for holiday entertaining, and just have some fun? Then you don’t want to miss this you guys, for reals. It’s the Best Buy Holiday Shopping Event, Holiday Gifting Made Easy. You know that Best Buy has a crazy-good selection of stuff, something for everyone from the foodie to the gamer to the photographer. Tablets for kids, mixer for mom, movies for the family, even clever gadgets like a doorbell that records video. Everything you need, in one place. And this event is the best time to shop – keep reading to find out why.

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 2, 2016 Filed Under: Tech Tips, Shopping | No Comments

Create the Ultimate Home Theater!

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.

In my house, we like to entertain. Our house has always been kind of the gathering place for all of my family, and our friends. It’s become even more so these days, since this health stuff now keeps me at home more than I’d like. During the summer we’re all about outdoor fun – we have a big 4-bay shop where the guys like to tinker around, a giant fruit and veggie garden the kids love to help pick produce from, a big field with a great playhouse and fort, and the best part – a big inground pool that gets a ton of use! During the fall and into winter, it gets pretty darn cold here in the PNW, so we bring the party indoors… But that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop, no way buddy. And I’ve recently found an awesome new gadget that is on my wish list {are you reading this Santa?} – I can think of SO many ways to use this bad boy. Check it out – the Epson Ultra bright home theater projector, available at one of my fave retailers, Best Buy.

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on October 12, 2016 Filed Under: Tech Tips | No Comments

Encouraging Kids’ Kitchen Creativity

This post about creativity with kids in the kitchen is sponsored by Mom it Forward and Toca Boca, and I am part of the Mom it Forward Blogger Network. All opinions, overuse of the word awesome, and silliness are our own :)

I love to cook. And bake. And create fun stuff.. I love dinnertime dance parties as we get our evening meals ready. But – my skills don’t always match my enthusiasm, if you know what I mean. But in our home, having fun is more important than having perfection. Which is why I’m a big fan of Abby helping me in the kitchen. Sure, I end up with even more imperfect recipes, but we have a great time, and she learns a ton. This is also why I am a HUGE new fan of Toca Boca’s new app, Toca Kitchen 2. Check it out:

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on December 27, 2014 Filed Under: Tech Tips | 24 Comments

How to Rock Your Holiday Music This Year

I’ve been compensated with a complimentary set of wireless speakers from Best Buy to evaluate, and share my experience with you guys. All opinions are my own, as always.

I love music. Like, almost any type of music. I like oldies – everything from motown to rock. I like Salt N Pepa, Norah Jones, Nickleback, Sublime. I like country. I like Taylor Swift. I have a majorly eclectic taste in tunes. And – since I entertain so much, I need to always have a way to play songs that fit the event, the crowd, and the mood. Which means ditching my old school CD player and CDs that I collected for years….

You know how hard it was to toss my awesome collection of 90s rap CDs? Seriously? It was like, throwing out a high school yearbook or class ring or something. Totally hard. But – who listens to CDs anymore, right? These days, it’s all about my Pandora radio stations, where I can customize my music selections to be exactly what I’m in the mood for. And, it means a need for awesome wireless speakers that can play music in every room of my house.

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on December 16, 2014 Filed Under: Tech Tips | No Comments

Great Family Holiday Gift from Best Buy – LG OLED TV

This 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. All opinions about the awesomeness of the LG OLED TV are my own!

Discover LG OLED TV – The Ultimate Display! Other than the kitchen, the TV, no matter where it is, is the place that families seem to gather around the most. Whether it’s catching up on a favorite TV series, having family movie nights, inviting friends over for big events like the Superbowl – a great TV has become a must-have. And, there’s now so much cool new technology – things like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon movies, etc – that you’ve just got to have a TV that can keep up. And I have an awesome option here for ya…

What is OLED TV?

Even though my whole life revolves around technology – work and my social life – I am always the first to admit that I’m not an expert. So, I will let you check out the details about this TV on the Best Buy website: LG OLED TV. That will give you all of the super duper technical stuff. Plus, a cool thing about shopping on BestBuy.com is that you can read tons of reviews of every product you’re interested in. Which is awesome. But, here are a few things that I am totally excited about, that I think you’ll love too:

It’s super thin. Which honestly, I wouldn’t care about from a tech standpoint, but I do love when thinking about design. It’s so much easier to move furniture around, redecorate, etc, when you have a thinner, less obtrusive TV. It’s only 0.21″ thick at it’s thinnest point – crazy, right?
It’s got some pretty stinkin’ awesome picture quality. It’s Infinite Contrast means it most blazing whites to the deepest blacks. And, LG’s exclusive 4 Color Pixel technology delivers bright, vibrant colors. Which means it delivers a really natural and lifelike view on your screen.
It’s got speech recognition. Like, you can change the channel, open an app, or control things like your Blu-ray or home theater system. Crazy. #AwesomeLikeWoah . I know.
It’s got a curved screen, to make sure everyone, no matter where they’re sitting, gets an awesome experience as they view TV shows and movies on this screen.

Sounds pretty darn cool, right?

Learn more at LGOLEDatBestbuy.com. And let me know here in the comments, or on Twitter, what YOU are hoping to get this holiday season! Tag me at @sunandsipcups, and use the hashtag #HintingSeason :)

Do you love twitter parties? Best Buy is hosting an LG OLED Twitter Party on Thursday December 4th at 7PM CST. Feel free to join this party for a chance to receive Best Buy gift cards and other great prizes. Tweet #HintingSeason with your top gifts that you want this Holiday from Best Buy!!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 21, 2014 Filed Under: Tech Tips | 1 Comment

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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