Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Magic Jack Internet Phone Review

Magic Jack is a newcomer to the VOIP (voice over internet protocol) family of internet phoning. It's quick to install, easy to use and the price can't be beat for making unlimited local and long distance calls in the United States and Canada. But is Magic Jack too good to be true?

Like most products, Magic Jack has it's good points and it's not-so-good points. It will be up to you to decide what is most important to you in internet phoning and to choose the product that should work best in your situation.

Magic Jack Pros

Magic Jack Internet Phone Review

Magic Jack Cons

As with most or all voip services, you must have a high speed internet connection to use this service. These services include broadband, DSL, WiFi, FIOS, cable internet or WiMax. It is not recommended for use with satellite internet.

If you are interested in having a service that allows you to make free long distance calls, give Magic Jack a try. If dumping your current landline phone service is what you need, investigate the other VOIP services that are available and that have a longer track record of performance.

Magic Jack Internet Phone Review
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Adrienne Petersen helps people understand what Magic Jack is and provides reviews of Magic Jack features.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

iPod Music Downloads - Homework To Do Before You Download Another Song

Many websites are giving away free iPod music downloads. So how true is it? Well, there are copies of songs you can technically download but I have to warn you first that the legality of most of these sites is highly questionable. If you have been visiting forums or reading news updates, there have been numerous reports of infringement of copyright laws when downloading from these illegal iPod music download sites.

Free sounds good but it is often tagged with a hefty price when you are caught doing so. Moreover, the song quality is often poor. Folks may argue that downloading at iTune is not cheap, with songs going for

It is pretty much a Catch-22 situation as iPod manufacturers keep packing in more memory and boosting the capacity of newer iPod models. They can hold more songs than the older generation ones, hundreds to thousands of them. iPod users, driven by their hungry urge to quickly build up a collection of songs, often then fall prey to these illegal music download sites.

.99 per piece. Gone were the days when people would not even frown at paying for a 10-songs CD at - 20.

Fortunately, there are now paid membership sites for legal iPod music downloads other than iTune. So iPod fanatics can still enjoy their music without limits - access to huge libraries of songs, both latest and oldies without compromising on the quality of the music and of course, not burning their pockets. This is indeed good news for us as we can have the best of both worlds.

Here is some handy information to help you do your homework when you look for an iPod music downloads site:

1. iPod Music Download Fees

This is the main reason why people are flocking to these membership sites. Most of these sites are charging for lifetime or yearly membership subscription for the cost of one nice dinner out. For that, you can have unlimited access to as many iPod music and music video downloads. There are no per download fees at all. But please do not quickly jump onto any site you come across, and be sure to look around for the best value for money.

2. Range of iPod Music Downloads

Whether you are a Pop music fan, or simply love soothing jazz music, there is a paid membership download site out there that can meet your needs. Read up on each site and find out the range and type of music they carry.

3. Wide Selection of Music Files

By this, I meant that the selection of music files must be huge enough, and they need to provide almost every song that has ever been composed. Find out if they constantly update their media library. You will be surprised that some of them even have the latest hits, and not some outdated, past hits only.

4. Easy-to-Navigate Membership Area

Is the membership area easy to navigate around? Is it easy to find the song you want? Do they provide step by step instructions on how to download the iPod music files to your iPod?

5. Downloading Speeds of iPod Music Files

Does it take forever to download a long list of songs?

6. Free Media Downloading Software Provided

Most sites provide free media downloading software so it can be considered as an industry norm. If they charge you for the software, it is time to look elsewhere. One thing you need to find out is whether their software is compatible with your system, ie what are the software system requirements?

7. Customers' Feedback

Good customer feedback often means that the service level is excellent and should be able to meet your expectations.

8. Excellent Technical Assistance

Needless to say, you do not wish to face a situation where you are stuck and cannot find the technical support you need. Not every site is equal in this aspect even though almost everyone boasts of top-notch support service.

The above information I have shared should be sufficient for you to find a good iPod music downloads site. You may be wondering how you are going to assess and compare some of the qualities I mentioned without accessing the member's area. Fret not, as I have done some of the legwork and would be revealing the top sites for iPod music downloads in my next article. Alternatively, you can always read up at music forums.

The content of this article is provided for the purpose of education and illustration only and is in no way associated with Apple, iTune, or any company or subsidiary of Apple. This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author's name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

iPod Music Downloads - Homework To Do Before You Download Another Song
iPod Music Downloads - Homework To Do Before You Download Another Song
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Davion is a successful webmaster and author. Find out how you can access to unlimited ipod music downloads - digital quality music and music videos legally and easily from home at ipod--music-download.blogspot.com.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

An Average Guy's Unpaid, Unbiased Review of the NuWave Oven Versus the Flavor Wave Oven

Note, if you don't have a lot of time, or you don't want the full story, skip to my Bottom Line section at the end.

Background:

I do a lot of eating out, in fact, I was doing too much eating out and I knew that had to quit. I know it's more economical and in most cases better for you to eat at home, but the challenge I have is that I don't have a lot of time - and let's face it, I don't want to have to work that hard to get food. Like most guys, I am not that interested in cooking, I just like eating.

An Average Guy's Unpaid, Unbiased Review of the NuWave Oven Versus the Flavor Wave Oven

The trouble is, neither of the cooking appliances I had in the house were really good at cooking chicken, meat, sandwiches, pizza, etc: the microwave's quick but the food comes out rubbery (and it doesn't cook meat well). The oven on the other had takes way too long to get going, I can't see the food when it's in there and it's just not that practical to turn it on for a couple of pieces of chicken. So therein is my problem: I know I need to eat better at home, but I don't have the equipment to cook the food that I like.

A few months ago I started seeing ads on television for the NuWave and Flavor Wave Ovens. Probably much like you I was skeptical of the advertising, while the infomercials they're running nowadays are comical, I've found many of them to be not as much dishonest but not forthright in telling the whole truth. For example, I'd purchased a Magic Bullet a year ago, in all honesty it works okay, but I still see the ads running on TV and I notice that they toned down or muted the sound of the gizmo when it was running - it almost sounds whisper quite. The Magic Bullet is anything but whisper quiet, that's what I mean about not telling the whole truth. The bottom line, you have to be careful when ordering off of television infomercials.

NuWave Versus Flavor Wave Ovens:

Well, I waited for quite some time before pulling the trigger on one of these ovens. I'd invested an hour or two reading online reviews (where I could find them), and I found that both the NuWave and Flavor Wave Ovens had good reviews and bad reviews as well. The majority of the bad reviews centered on poor customer service, durability issues and the inability to get assistance if/when your oven broke. I've had my oven for a month or so now and to this point, it's worked fine, so I am not sure if these negative reviews are true or not - I just don't know. What I can tell you is that I looked at both NuWave and Flavor Wave Ovens and just decided to go with the NuWave because I could set it to individual minutes (the Flavor Wave I don't believe can do this), and that it had a few culinary seals of approval. Beyond these two things, I didn't see a great deal of difference between the two products; in fact, even the prices were about the same. There's a fair chance the Flavor Wave Oven is a quality product as well, since I didn't purchase one I can't really say, the rest of this article is about my experience with the NuWave Oven.

Ordering the NuWave Oven:

I order a lot of products online, so I am familiar with the process. NuWave's web site has a fairly easy ordering system but it didn't work the first 2 times I put my information in, on the 3rd time the order actually went through. When you order the unit they try to get you to purchase additional items - I passed on all of them. They even allow you to purchase the oven in black - for an additional ...silly, why does black cost more? They also provide a custom carrying case for the oven, personally I didn't see toting it around like an iPod but who knows, maybe others like to take their oven wherever they go. One last point about ordering, if you elect to purchase the oven by making payments they indicate it will take several more weeks to get to you than if you just made one payment - almost punishing you for paying in payments...even though the web site is littered with call outs saying "for just 3 easy payments of .99 plus s&h". I made the one-time payment so it wasn't a big deal, I was just irked that they seem to be so eager to get people to buy into the payment plan and then they discourage it towards the end of the ordering process. This is just a way for them to get all of their money up front. Oh well, on to the product...

Receiving the NuWave Oven:

The oven came nicely packaged. I was able to unpack the contents in a couple of minutes and it was easy and fairly self-explanatory on how to set it up. Their laminated cooking instruction card was poorly laid out and a bit confusing, and include several recipe cards that I didn't get much use out of either. I also think it came with a DVD or something, but immediately threw that away - I want to cook food, not watch a DVD. Anyway, after I'd got the oven assembled, I figured I'd try out it, and to my surprise it worked! I did overcook a sub sandwich in there the first time I used it (I had the rack too close to the heating unit), but once I learned approximately how long to leave food in there, I quickly eliminated that problem.

While I haven't cooked a lot of different foods in the oven, I've used it a lot since I purchased it, in fact, neither I nor my fiancée go out that much for food. The sub sandwiches and pizza I cook in there come out crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and the chicken comes out nice and juicy.

Overall clean up is pretty easy. I put a piece of aluminum foil at the bottom of the unit which catches anything that has dripped or spilled off of the food. When I am done cooking I just throw the foil in the trash if it's messy. The metal grate takes me about 2-3 minutes to clean up after chicken, but it's not terrifically difficult to clean. Other than that, I need to wipe the inside of the cover every so often, but that's it. For a guy who dislikes having to clean up after eating, this oven is perfect.

Bottom Line:

Set up is quick and easy, and operation was pretty self-explanatory - I was cooking within about 10 minutes of unpacking the oven. I haven't cooked a lot of different types of food in the oven, but what I have comes out nicely. The oven is quiet and operates efficiently (most items take under 15 minutes to cook). The cover might be a bit bulky or unwieldy for small children and the elderly...although perhaps they shouldn't be using it. For anyone else, it's a breeze. I have accidentally bumped my arm and burned myself on the metal grate taking food out of the oven. It wasn't that big of a deal; I just learned that you have to be careful when removing food from the oven. I do believe the grate's design could be a little better, but in all honesty, I needed to pay closer attention to what I was doing. Not sure about the durability of the oven, I guess we'll see how it holds up. Mine is only a couple of months old.

So the bottom line for me:

Would I purchase the NuWave Oven, knowing what I know now? Yes.

Would I recommend the NuWave Oven to friends and family? Yes.

For my situation, this was a good buy, it was money well spent.

An Average Guy's Unpaid, Unbiased Review of the NuWave Oven Versus the Flavor Wave Oven
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Jeremy runs Can-Do Graphics LLC, a 4-person firm that provides the consulting and creation of all of the marketing, adverting and design collateral for businesses who are looking to take their company to "the next level of success".

His approach to design involves intently listening to what clients want, digging deep to learn what makes them truly unique, and infusing his own creativity to create targeted projects that consistently make, rather than cost his clients' money.

Jeremy has a decade of experience in brand identity, web design, marketing strategy, advertising campaigns, direct mail, content editing, photography, photo editing and multimedia presentations - a virtual walking, talking marketing department. He's also published two books for aspiring creative freelance graphic designers: Being a Starving Artist Sucks & Verbal Kung Fu for Freelancers. He has also been invited to speak to design students at the Art Institute of Phoenix and other local colleges.

Business owners and managers looking to get more out of their marketing, advertising and design can find more about Jeremy at: http://www.jeremytuber.com

Fellow graphic designers and creative freelancers wanting to bring in more clients and make more money should check out: http://www.beingastarvingartistsucks.com

Monday, January 21, 2013

Review the Top 5 Wii Fitness Games - Which One Really Burns the Fat!

With the advent of the Nintendo Wii Fitness line of games, many couch potato gamers are finally becoming active without even realizing it.

But can someone who is seriously looking for a power packed, high cardio, and aerobics type workout really benefit from the Wii fit?

Well to be honest the first set of games the Nintendo Wii Fitness came out with will only give the serious workout freak a worm up routine, and that's about it. For beginners its fine, for those who are just starting a exercise regiment its great, but for the advance fitness buff, it will be disappointing.

Review the Top 5 Wii Fitness Games - Which One Really Burns the Fat!

So the Nintendo Wii Fitness developer came up with the perfect solution and the answer to the advance fitness user. In recent months Wii Fit has evolved into a set of games offering the user a more intense cardio and strength training workout. Here is a brief over view of the top 5, starting with the least intense workout.

5) Wii Fit Bundle

The Wii Fit bundle package was the first set of games released in 2008, and as the name suggest was a group of games bundled together with the purchase of the Wii fitness gaming console. Depending on which bundle package you wanted, the system came with the controller, balance board and several games. The games ranged form Yoga, Pilates, Tennis, boxing, Balance games, skiing or ice boarding and other low impact, more gaming than workout activities.

These games are great for fun but would not do for a real calorie burn workout. SO I would give this 1 out of 5 for workout and 4 out of 5 for fun. A Total of 5 out of 10

4) Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009

Most people by now should know who Jillian Michaels is, you may not know her name but if you ever watched the Biggest Loser reality TV series, she is the drill sergeant /personal trainer/motivational coach and the star of the show (personal opinion).

Based on the intensity of the character on the Biggest Loser, this game was disappointing and somewhat boring, the only reason I but it higher than the Wii fit is because the workout is more intense and you could really burn some calories with this game.

This game utilizes the balance board, the controller and Nunchuck for a good workout it has 4 Workout types, strength training, cardio, weight loss, stretches. The game allows you to track your progress and save your stats.

I did notice that the controller response time was annoyingly delayed and some of the instructions were not very clear so it was difficult at times getting my on screen character to move or replicate my movements. I think there are a few bugs in the software coding for this game that were not worked out before release.

Some of the games did kinda look like the Wii Fit games repackaged, also the only motivation the game gave you would be Jillian saying "Give It All You Got" which after a while became more annoying that motivating.

I did like the back ground workout music which was motivating and you could select from a wide variety of music styles. The squat exercise workout was great and will make you sweat.

This game will defiantly burn some calories, but I think you will become bored with this game sooner than later.

I give the Wii Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009 game 3 out of 5 for workout and 2 out of 5 for fun. A total of 5 out of 10

3) Gold's Gym Cardio Workout

Ok, this is the first of the Wii Fitness games to focus more on Cardio workout that mimics the workout you will get in a gym, hence the name.

With this game you will get a real workout. The game utilizes the Wii's motion controls, the Balance board.

The highlight of this game is the TaeBo like boxing workout routine. This game seems to get the principle of running in place more accurately than the previous game. The sit-ups and jumping rope will give you a great workout. The Cardi Gold's Gym Workout game keeps great record of your calorie burn and fitness progress, and will automatically increase the difficulty and intensity of your workout to suit.

So overall this is more responsive and offer non stop action for a great workout, the points system is great for motivation so I will give the Wii Gold's Gym Cardio Workout game 3 ½ out of 5 for workout and 3 out of 5 for fun. A total of 6 1/2 out of 10.

2) My Fitness Coach

One of my favorite game, with over 500 different workout activities to choose from you will not soon get bored. This game is loads of fun and packs one heck of a workout!

The game will initially ask a series of detailed question to make sure you get off to the appropriate start, based on your fitness level.

Your Personal Virtual fitness coach will walk you through your workout, give pointers on improvements you need to make and motivate you every step of the way. The game will take you through a series of worm up flexibility routine, strength training, cardio, and other sports workout activity. The Game allows you to choose your duration of workouts and the days you wish to workout. It will keep track of your calendar and remind you of your workout days.

You can select your very own workout environment and background music, quite a few to choose form.

My Fitness Coach will plot your progress with impressive graphs and charts and recommend areas to work on to reach your goal. Completely customizable to meet your individual needs.

No Balance board is required for this game and I see why, you will be moving around a lot and the balance board would just get in the way.

Your workout can include Cardio, Upper and lower body training, Abs, Yoga and flexibility. I also like the fact that the game can include any small equipment you may already have such as a step platform, fitness ball, hand and ankle weight and a heart monitor. Finally start using those exercise equipment you have stored in the closet!

Maya your virtual coach, is a encouraging, reassuring trainer who adjust quickly to your needs.

She will from time to time ask you how you are feeling during workout routine. The choices are No Sweat, I Was Working Hard, and I Couldn't Keep Up. Based on the selection you make to her question she will adjust the workout program to match your response, this is so cool.

I have to give the Wii My Fitness Coach 4 out of 5 for workout and 4 out of 5 for fun, a total of 8 out of 10.

1) The Wii EA Sports Active

My tops pick! It seems like every time Nintendo Wii Fitness comes out with a new game its better that the one before. Just released March 2009, this game is hot!

The EA Sports Active was created based on the training techniques of personal fitness trainer and expert Bob Green, personal trainer to the stars.

This Game delivers a combination of intense workout routines, power pack cardio, strength training, all combined together into a ever changing, extended circuit workout routine.

Specifically designed with women in mind (but I use it all the time) in order to work those common problem areas like buns, abs, inner and outer thighs, waistline, and arms.

This game will teach you about nutrition, lifestyle, and physical activity. This is the complete package here.

With the use of the Wii Remote and the Nunchuck controllers the workouts will move seamlessly from one activity to the next, all the while monitoring your progress and movements. The Sports Active also uses a unique Upper thigh pocket attachment to place the Nunchuck controller into; this will monitor your lower body movement like never before. You will receive real-time feedback from your on screen personal trainer.

Included with the EA Sports Active game is the resistance stretch band, designed to increase the intensity of strength training workout such as shoulder presses, bicep curls and lifts. The Wii Balance board is not included but the board is compatible with many EA SPORTS Active workouts.

Take the 30 Day Challenge with personalized 20 minute workouts routines based on your fitness level. The Circuits will change as you progress through your workout day.

The EA SPORTS Active will also track your calories and progress throughout your 30 Day Challenge.

The EA Sports Active gets 5 out of 5 for workout and 4 out of 5 for fun, a total of 9 out of 10, making it my top pick.

Stay Fit and healthy,

Steve Robertson

Review the Top 5 Wii Fitness Games - Which One Really Burns the Fat!
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Steve Robertson Reviews popular fitness equipment and games that can help you reach your ultimate fitness goals. To see videos and live demo on the hottest Wii Fitness Games visit [http://www.wiifitnessgame.net]

You can also find out where to get the best deals on the Wii Fitness Games Mentioned above.