Well if you travel or hike with your camera, you should look into a ZipShot from Tamrac. The ZipShot is an ultra-light weight, compact tripod that weighs only 11 ounces and measures 15” when folded. It’s made out of high-quality aluminum with a heavy-duty, metal ball-head.

It’s easy to attach the ZipShot to the handle of a camera bag using the cords. Or you can just stick it in your backpack or luggage.

To use it, you simply release the two red cords and the tripod springs open. To close it, you just fold it back up and wrap the cords around to hold it in place. I liked how the red cords were attached to the tripod instead of having a band or two that you could lose.

Too light for heavy cameras?

But what if you have a DSLR camera with a heavy lens? The ZipShot is fine for cameras weighing under three pounds. Frankly, with my DSLR it was a bit of a stretch. I had to make sure that the tripod was super steady and balanced before I let go of my camera. The tripod could handle it, but I never felt like it was very safe or steady.

Also, while you can adjust the ball-head with a single release lever, since my camera was on the heavy side, I found that doing so could tip the tripod over if I wasn’t careful.

All in all, I think using the ZipShot with a lighter point and shoot is a better deal. After all, if you’re in the market for an ultra-lightweight tripod for hiking or travel, you’re probably don’t want to get bogged down with a big camera either.

ZipShot is available for purchase at Amazon.com, Sears, Ritz Camera, B&H and independent photo shops and retails at an MSRP of $59.99.

Camera bags from Tamrac and Jo Totes

I recently bought a Tamrac Explorer 1 photo bag and love it. It has just enough room for my DSLR and extra lens, plus cords, lens cleaners, and even my instruction booklet. For the more equipment laden photographer, Tamrac carries an impressive selection of photography bags, cases and backpacks including dual access photography and laptop backpacks.

While I’m impressed by Tamrac’s variety, I’m in love with the “camera bags for ladies” at Jo Totes. Not only are they cute, but they’re functional. They’re currently out of stock, but should be getting a big shipment in at the beginning of August. The tough part will be deciding on the Missy or the Rose.

Do you throw your camera in your purse or backpack? Or do you have a special bag for it?

Anne-Marie Nichols is the Managing Editor of Mom Central Technology. She received a ZipShot tripod to review. All opinions are her own.

I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about voice-based texting/messaging apps for various phones. I did a little research and found some mixed reviews. Dragon Dictation is getting a lot of talk-time on the web right now as they just released an update.

I went ahead and downloaded Dragon Dictation, a free app for the iPhone (and iPad). It allows you to record your message via voice for the purpose of sending via text, email, twitter and Facebook. As a tip, click on settings first and set up your social networking accounts so you don’t need to fumble with them when you need to be hands free.

I would also suggest turning on the name recognition that is based off of your contact list. Of course, as my youngest son isn’t on my contact list (no, my almost three-year-old doesn’t have a cell phone), it really didn’t recognize his name. It came out as everything from okay to taipei to hi dad. However, my older son’s name was easily recognized as was my husband’s. My name came out as Jana, which is close enough, I suppose.

As far as “hands free” goes, it’s not perfect, which is the general consensus about these voice-to-text apps. To record, you have to tap the record button. To finish it up, however, there is a setting (not default) that detects end-of-speech. To send to email, twitter, Facebook or text, you then have to tap the corresponding button and follow through with any steps through that function. Lots of tapping.

When it comes down to it, I find this to be a useful app for various reasons. It would be great to catch an idea when you’re away from your laptop. Or to tweet when you don’t feel like typing. Or just for fun. But I don’t want any parents (or anyone) to assume that this app is good or safe for use while driving. Keep your hands on the wheel and your mind on the road.

Other bloggers have some great reviews.

• Gear Diary has a well-written, detailed review, complete with video. They are big fans.
• MOMeo Magazine lists it as one of their Top 10 iPhone Apps. Some great apps make the list!

Jenna Hatfield, aka @FireMom on Twitter, also writes at Stop, Drop & Blog and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land. She works as a freelance writer and newspaper photographer.

Oceanhouse Media offered to let me review three of their new Dr. Seuss apps for the iPhone. I don’t know about you, but we’re huge Dr. Seuss lovers in our family. The boys have all of my old Seuss books as well as a few others (and duplicates) that we have collected over the years. When I saw that Hop on Pop was one of the apps available for review, I jumped. Hop on Pop is a huge favorite in our family right now. I downloaded the apps to my phone with high hopes.

I wasn’t let down. Each app-slash-eBook features the whole book in electronic form: both in visual pictures and an audio reading. I gave it a test drive before I let my oldest son have a try. I, the adult, found it very simple to maneuver. Choosing whether to have the app read it for me or to read it on my own was the hardest part as they were solely words, not sounds. I knew I would have to explain which button to push to my son. After my look at the apps, I handed it to my son and let him give it a go.

He’s in love with them. As I figured, he prefers Hop on Pop, though he also liked the two other new titles, Gertrude McFuzz and Green Eggs and Ham. After I showed him which button would read the book aloud for him, he was off and running with minimal instruction. I only had to show him once how to swipe his finger from right to left in order to turn the page. I also only had to show him once that wherever he pressed on the “page,” the “book” would say the word of whatever he was touching. As an example, touching a cup makes the word “cup” show up on the screen while the word is read aloud. Soon he was maneuvering the pages by himself, checking out every word and having a general blast. He wasn’t really pleased when I needed my phone back to check my email awhile later.

I’m thrilled to have found these apps, especially right before we head to the beach next month. It’s a 12-hour drive. While I have things planned to keep their attention (other hand-held games, books, music), it’s nice to know that I have something super special and educational ready when the wheels start to fall off of their ability to sit still. I am sure that my younger son will also enjoy the apps, though he’ll need just a little more direction than my older son.

Ocean Media’s apps are available on iTunes, and work on the iPhone (all versions), iPad and iTouch.

Jenna Hatfield, aka @FireMom on Twitter, also writes at Stop, Drop & Blog and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land. She works as a freelance writer and newspaper photographer.

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Disclosure: I received these apps for free so I could tell you about them here. The opinions are my own.

Here's the idea: when you check in on Whrrl, you have the chance to win a real-world prize from participating merchants. You will start out at level one when you join a society but you are able to move up in the ranks with the levels with different opportunities.

1. Make a recommendation - Tell your friends on Whrrl what you love about a specific place or product.
2. Earn additional points each time someone "Wants To" try your rec, "Did It" or passes your recommendation on to their friends.
3. Invite your friends to join societies with you.

Whrrl has released their first Society being Murphy USA. Murphy USA has been gaining popularity throughout the United States very rapidly has  top pick for gasoline and convenience store. If you become a member of the Murphy USA society on Whrrl, then every time you check in, you will be entered to win $50.00 in gas. We could all use free gas these days considering the prices right?

So many new societies are being added everyday! Even charitable societies such as the Help A Mother Out Society. Go ahead and join in the fun today. What do you have to lose? You can actually gain big!

Jen Houck, also known as @OneMomsWorld, can be found blogging over at One Moms World when she is not here discussing technology. She is the mother of two beautiful girls who are tech divas themselves and is currently trying to rope her husband into being a tech geek as well!

SparkAction recently launched their new site. A site dedicated to informing those interested in child advocacy issues about what’s going on, SparkAction does so in an easy to navigate, eye-appealing fashion. More importantly, they bring the information together in a way that is easy for the interested public to understand.

We gather, synthesize and promote the best information on a range of child and youth issues across the development spectrum, from organizations and leaders across the country.

Their action center teaches their target audience (child care workers, parents, etc.) how to use advocacy to change policies for children. It includes information on how to find your elected officials, local media outlets and tips on how to work smarter as an organization. It also includes “Action Alerts” which let you know where there are active opportunities to influence public policy. You can either check the Action Alerts on their website or sign up for their newsletter to ensure you don’t miss an important one.

SparkAction covers topics ranging from education to after school and youth development to, our favorite, technology and media. And, of course, more. Their tech page asks a very important question:

How is new media changing the way we learn, interact, vote, volunteer and work?

Their featured tech stories include topics ranging from sexting to engaging our youth with technology.

Quite honestly, SparkAction shows how using technology can be used to influence our kids’ lives for the good. We hear bad things about the Internet and social media all the time, whether it’s about how our kids are utilizing these things or how we, as parents, don’t know enough about them. SparkAction dismisses the idea and brings us together to help our kids. I will be keeping an eye on the site and their calls to action.

SparkAction is also on Twitter and Facebook, so you can keep up with them where you’re most active as well.

Will you be watching SparkAction? Do you ever feel like getting involved in influencing public policy when it comes to childrens’ issues?

Jenna Hatfield, aka @FireMom on Twitter, also writes at Stop, Drop & Blog and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land. She works as a freelance writer and newspaper photographer.

Over the last few months, I have found some apps that I use on a daily basis and wanted the chance to share them here with you in case you were looking for some great apps to install on your Droid.

In no particular order... here we go!

1. AroundMe - Now this is one of the coolest apps ever. Another mom blogger let me in on this cool savvy app. By using the Droid's GPS, it will locate the nearest Bank, Gas Station, Hospital, Hotel, Movie Theater, Restaurant, Supermarket and Taxi around you. Select which one you want and it will use the GPS to take you right to the destination. I use this app A LOT every time we go out of town.
2. Calorie Counter - Tool to find all the calorie and nutrition facts for the foods you eat. The app has ever restaurant listed you can think of and all their menu items. Also, it comes with a barcode scanner to where you can scan the barcode on a certain item and automatically receive the nutrition info on the item.
3. Cardio Trainer - This app is listed as the training partner for running, cycling and other cardio fitness activities. I use this app while I am walking and it tracks my distance and my route. At the end of the exercise it will tell me how many calories are burned. Super cool!
4. Compass - Have you ever been camping and tried to figure out what direction you are in? Now, all you have to do is hold your Droid in the air with this app and you will automatically know. Sweet!
5. First Aid - As a mom, I panic at the least very things that happen to my girls. This app is a dream come true for this mom. As told on the app, First Aid is designed to help follow the right procedures in a stressful situation or if you need to help out someone else. The tool uses illustrations, videos and short texts that show you how to take the necessary action step by step.
6. Color Flashlight - Have you ever tried to unlock your door at night or tried to walk down a dark hallway and not wanted to turn on any lights to wake up your children? Say hello to the Flashlight app. I love this app and use it pretty frequently. It literally turns your Droid into a flashlight. Pretty nifty tool also if you would like to read in the car while your husband is driving on the ever so long night road trip.
7. HootSuite - Attention all the Twitterholic Moms out there, you have to install this Twitter App that you will love! You can manage multiple twitter accounts, upload photos, receive notifications, view click stats and even shorten URLs. It also lets you schedule your tweets in case you will be out of touch for a bit and want to still keep your twitter stream live.
8. Facebook - Definitely a must have app, right moms? I think this explains itself. It really is much better than the mobile web version.
9. Kindle for Android - You don't want to throw down the bucks for a Kindle, but you really really want the Kindle... well you need this app! Read more than 620,000 Kindle books on your Droid including thousands of free books. No Kindle required!
10. OI Shopping List - Have you ever got to the store and then forgot what you were actually there for? This neat app lets you keep track of your shopping items with quantity and price. Shh, I use it for my to-do list as well!

There are so many more apps out there, but these are the ones that I use on a daily basis! Now do you see why I love my Droid and it is totally a part of me now? :)

What apps do you use on your Droid phone? Leave us a comment and share with us.

Jen Houck, also known as @OneMomsWorld, can be found blogging over at One Moms World when she is not here discussing technology. She is the mother of two beautiful girls who are tech divas themselves and is currently trying to rope her husband into being a tech geek as well!

The details are on Kmart’s blog right now, but, in short:

• Register for the MyKmart community. (Your MyKmart username will be included on the review shelf card, so think wisely about picking one. If you’re a blogger, you may want to use your blog’s name or your Twitter handle.)
• Find the game you’d like to review on their site.
• Rate the game (1-5 stars) and write your review.
• Click publish. Voila!

Yes, your qualifying reviews could be posted on store shelves. Kmart is looking for well-written, concise (read: short) reviews that help others learn a little bit more about the game while they’re browsing in the store.

Is this video game child-friendly?

Think about it: as a gaming family, I’m sure you’ve wondered, “Is this game right for my family?” If you’re like me, you’ve probably researched the game online, either via store-site or blog reviews. You probably also like to let others know when you like a certain game (or when you don’t).

Now imagine a less tech savvy mom looking for a game for her child. Or, maybe even a tech savvy mom who has left her smart phone at home and can’t search reviews in store. Wouldn’t this be a great help?

I think that this idea could be big in more areas than just video games. Kmart might very well be on the edge of redefining what online reviews mean. Those of us from tech-loving, gaming families can jump in while this program is new and help create those definitions.

I encourage you to review any of the newer video games that you’ve recently added to your library. Then watch the Kmart blog to see where this goes. Who knows? I might see your name on the shelf the next time I stop in to pick up a game!

Will you be participating in the MyKmart video games review program? Do you think it will be helpful for you or other parents?

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Photo credit: robertstinnett.

With today’s economy leaving wallets a little slim, some parents aren’t able to afford the cost of sending one or more children away to camp. While nothing can replace the actual experience of summer camp, kids can attend virtual summer camp on their computers.

Free Realms is hosting a fun, virtual, camp-like experience with a different theme each week. Free Realms is a 3D “virtual world” type gaming site for kids over ten. It boasts the “Everyone 10+” ESRB rating due to crude humor and fantasy violence (you can participate in battles).

Kids can create their own fantasy character and play any number of games. The summer camp themes change each week. Last week’s theme was sports and featured things like a soccer challenge and hover board races. The week before, the theme was fashion, showing that there are a wide range of ideas behind their program and that it’s not just targeted at one specific gender.

Outside of the summer camp theme, there are other fun things like building your home area (to which you can now add a pool!), obstacle courses and even have your own pets!

Free Realm’s cost and parental controls

What’s best about Free Realms? It’s FREE! If you’re okay with the fantasy battles and you don’t mind managing a few parental controls, this might be a fun project for your child to take on this summer.

Chat and other forum-like things are automatically restricted for those under 13. You, as a parent, can set up some controls for your child no matter his age. Perhaps this game would be a fun, cost-affordable way to keep your kid busy on days when it’s not possible to go outside.

What online gaming sites do your children enjoy playing?

Jenna Hatfield, aka @FireMom on Twitter, also writes at Stop, Drop & Blog and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land. She works as a freelance writer and newspaper photographer.

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Photo courtesy Free Realms, Sony.

On the main loading page, the app provides you with the current UV Index. The UV Index is a measurement of how high the ultraviolet (UV) rays are in any given area. The higher the number, the worse the sun will be for your skin. A UV Index reading of 8 to 10 means very high risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure.

The best part about the MyUV Alert app is that instead of providing you with the UV Index for the entire day like a news channel would during their broadcast, it tells you what the current reading is wherever you happen to be spending time in the sun.

Not sure if the index is going to raise or what times you should be outside? The app also has an extended forecast to tell you the predicted highest UV Index for the day. When I first checked my app at 8:00 this morning, it was only reading a 1. Today's high will be a 10. Good to know!

The best thing about the app is the sunscreen reminders. Simply set a reminder after you have applied sunscreen, set a time that you want to be reminded to reapply and, bam your iPhone will chime with a reminder when it's time. The times range from 80 minutes (if you'll be sweating or swimming) to 120 minutes (if you're just out in the sun). The app also reminds you that you should reapply after toweling off, swimming, sweating or vigorous activity. Now you can't say that you lost track of time when you were at the beach!

The app also has other great features. It is connected to Weather.com, which means you can check the hourly forecast, the 10 day forecast and even the radar! These are great things to have all in one little app. Additionally, you can create suncare profiles for your family and the app will suggest what sunscreen to use. In addition, the app even has the ability to email you a $1 coupon for your next Coppertone purchase.

An app that saves our skin and our money? I love it. The app is available for free in the iTunes store.

Will you be downloading the app? How do you remember to reapply sunscreen?

Jenna Hatfield, aka @FireMom on Twitter, also writes at Stop, Drop & Blog and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land. She works as a freelance writer and newspaper photographer.

Is your teen ready for a cellphone?

1. Responsibility. Does your teen take care of the things that he already has? Have you already been through three MP3 players? Does she lose jewelry? Are you constantly having to replace things? If your teen regularly takes care of what he already has, he might be showing signs of readiness.

2. Knowledge of money. Does your teen understand how money works more than just handing it over at the cashier? Does he save a bit or does he spend it all as soon as he gets it? Does she think that credit cards are the answer? An understanding of bills and why you can't let things go unpaid would also be good to have before handing over a cellphone.

3. Test driving your phone. Has your teen taken your phone when they've been out and about and returned it in a fully-functional state? You wouldn't buy a car without test driving it. Do the same with the phone.

Setting rules with your teen about cellphone usage

1. I strongly suggest the no talking or texting while driving rule. Driving as a teen is hard enough. You're learning the road, trying to remember rules and generally taking your life in your own hands. As such, stating the rule from the very beginning might be the safest bet. If your city or state has a law about cellphone usage, teach your child about it as well as the consequences of breaking said law.

2. Set limits. With those limits, set consequences. If your teen sends 3,000 texts per month on your 500 text per month plan, who will pay the overages? Will she lose her phone privileges? If he talks for 500 minutes over his plan, who will pay the difference? How many apps can be downloaded per month and who will pay for those?

3. Discuss sexting. Now. Before it happens. Enough said.

4. Make the phone a privilege, not a right. If your teen does something horrific, will you take away the phone? Under what circumstances? When will the phone be returned? How can the privilege be earned or lost? Having these discussions before a problem arises might keep your teen in line a bit more!

Picking the best rate plan for your family

Lastly, you need to research what plans are going to work best for you. Depending on your cell provider, you might get the best deal by going with a family plan. It might also be beneficial to pay for the insurance that some providers offer on some (not all) phones. Accidents do happen. Remind your teen that just because the phone is under your name doesn't mean that they can take advantage of you.

Here are some bloggers who have been through the cellphone decision. They might have some more insight for you!

• SueMac on The Run discussed the ideas of peer pressure and cellphones for teens.
• The Crab Chronicles talks about having no sympathy for her teen daughter when she's tired from texting all night!
• And, as a warning, read about the teen with the $21K cellphone bill over at MomLogic. Eep.