ATTN: Parents with Tablets...

If you are a parent that owns a tablet, an iPad, or even a smart phone, you will want to take special note of this post. Remember it read it often, this is important.  I like most parents, let my five year old use my tablet, to play games, take care of his fish, and draw. I always am monitoring what he is doing, with him right next to me, but I am usually on my laptop doing work related things. I am not 100% watching what he is doing every single second, but make sure that he isn’t doing something he shouldn’t. Not that he would purposely do something he shouldn’t that would endanger him, come on he is five.  It is part of our daily ritual for him to ask to use my tablet to check on his fish and play the plane game.  I of course can’t resist his smile especially when his cheek dimple is present. I am putty in my five year old's hands.  He has an allotted amount of tablet time each day, if he misbehaves that is the first thing to go. 

You can of course purchase games, apps, coins and credits for certain things. I had some extra money left over so I thought, hey I will let Noah upgrade his plane game and get him some coins and bucks for his fish game.  I wasn’t going to attach it to my bank account because I had this fear, I don’t know if it was because I remember when my old best friend’s son got a hold of my phone and downloaded a few ring tones, that I had to pay for. It was only like 5 or 6 bucks no big deal.  I was not under any circumstances have that linked to my bank account. So, I had a prepaid credit card that I used.  I am a smart cookie, because I signed on gmail, which is what my Android account is linked to, so I could talk to one of my greatest friends Lee. I never really sign on it ever, unless it is to use gchat. I noticed in my email there were a few extra purchases made. One being one million coins on Tap Fish for the price of $99.99, which was a purchase made by my five year old trying to magically get coins. Either that or he thinks I am made of money.  There wasn't that much left on the card, I think there was like 90 cents. So, it was cancelled, thank God. I used to “magically” get him coins by selling fish at night when he was asleep. He would freak out if he knew I was selling them. I was mom during the day and fish pimp at night.

Here is my important advice, if you have a tablet; it takes literally three taps for your child to put you in financial ruin. You should use a prepaid credit card for this. Seriously, you will thank me later. Never have it linked to your bank account, a normal credit card, or Paypal, if they take Paypal. Now I know it is annoying to go to the store and there is a fee of like $5, but it is so much easier than finding out that adorable child you brought in this world took your hard earned money and fighting the bank and the app people. It is worth your sanity. TRUST ME.

Keep Your Electronics Protected with Pelican Cases

In this technology oriented society more and more people rely on expensive electronics like laptops, GPS devices, digital cameras and smartphones than ever before. Not only are these items expensive, but they are usually also very delicate, needing careful handling and safe storage. One of the best ways to safely secure these items and many others is by storing and transporting them in Pelican cases.

For those of you not familiar with Pelican cases, they are the most popular method of providing waterproof and shockproof protection for delicate items of all shapes and sizes. Whether you have a digital camera you want to protect while outdoors, or you need a good, sturdy, waterproof case for carrying your laptop in, Pelican has a case solution. Pelican’s cases range in size from very small, for protecting items like cell phones and pocket sized cameras, to very large cases, for bigger items like rifles, computer monitors and tools. Additionally, each Pelican case is backed by the famous Pelican guarantee, You Break It, We Replace It…Forever.

In addition to the extreme protective qualities Pelican cases provide, they are also very handy for keeping organized. Each case model has available accessories like lid organizers and re-configurable padded divider sets, perfect for conveniently arranging lots of smaller items. Features like these make Pelican cases very popular amongst professional photographers because of the large number of lenses, batteries, flashes, etc that they must carry at all times.

Much like technology in general, Pelican’s case offerings are evolving. Some of the most recently developed case models Pelican now offers include the Pelican 0450, a completely waterproof mobile tool chest, and the Pelican 1510, an FAA approved airline carry-on case.

If you need protection for your smartphone, camera, laptop, or any other valuable gear, I recommend investing in a waterproof hard case from Pelican. It will last you a lifetime, and will increase the longevity of whatever you put in the case as well.