A visit to the Verizon Smart Store to checkout new tech from Samsung

** A Geek Daddy was compensated for attending this event. Opinions are my own**

I had the opportunity to stop by the Verizon Smart Store that recently opened in my neighborhood for a hands-on demonstration of some great new tech from Samsung.  Staff from Samsung and Verizon Wireless provided me with a nice overview of three items they are particularly proud to show off: a Galaxy S7 smartphone along with a VR Gear mobile virtual reality headset and a Galaxy View super-sized tablet.  After getting a run down on the specs and details on each of these gadgets, I got the chance to play around with and try out each of these cool new products from Samsung.

Have you seen the television commercials from Samsung promoting their Galaxy S7 smart phones are water resistant?  Whether it is a couple of average everyday citizens accidentally dropping a phone in a fountain during a vacation photo op or celebrity hip hop artist Lil Wayne going crazy pouring champagne all over his phone this is a feature that really catches people's attention because frankly we all are worried about ruining our expensive phones by getting them accidentally wet.





The question for most consumers is are Samsung's water resistant claims overstated marketing hype or a practical reality people can depend on?  Well I had the chance to put the Samsung Galaxy S7 to the test during my visit to the Verizon Smart Store by dropping one in a bin of water.



Wow! I poured water over a Galaxy S7 and also submerged it.  Getting it wet had absolutely no impact on the phone.  It was incredible!  According to the product rep from Samsung the Galaxy S7 can be submerged in up to 5 feet of water for 30 minutes without hindering its operations or damaging it.  They've engineered it so in addition to water not breaching the smartphone's outer shell it won't seep in through the earphone plug input or recharging port either.  From witnessing first hand this phone being exposed to water in a variety of ways, I believe that the Galaxy S7 being water resistant is the real thing.  I wouldn't recommend carrying it with you while swimming in the deep end of a pool but for the most part everyday fear of exposing your phone to water is a thing of the past with the Galaxy S7 smartphone.  The S7 is IP68 certified for being water resistant.

A few other nice features about the Galaxy S7 is that despite it being incredibly water resistant the phone is incredibly slim and lightweight.  If you find that your phone is normally lacking in memory or you don't want to use cloud storage features, the S7 allows users to expand its memory to 200GB with a microSD card option.  Samsung has also upgraded the camera making the S7 the first smartphone to use duel-pixel technology allowing it to better take photos in low-light environments and focus your photographic view faster than the blink of an eye.  Another feature that really stood out for me is the wireless charging capability.  Who hates plugging and unplugging cables, that often get tangled up, when it comes to charging a phone?  The wireless charging feature allows the Galaxy S7 to quickly be powered up while simply setting the phone down on a Samsung Fast Charge Wireless Charging Pad. I have to say I really like that!

While playing around with the Galaxy S7, I had a lot of fun trying out a neat accessory to it, the VR Gear, which allows the phone to be inserted into a headset to create a mobile, virtual reality device.  The VR Gear provides 3D imagery combined with a 360 degree perspective to create an impressive virtual reality experience.  Utilizing the VR Gear a user can walk through a historical site, museum or zoo for example and be able to look up, down and all around them and see everything as if they were actually at the location.  I've always wanted to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium but because it is located on the far other side of the country from me that is not particularly likely to happy.  As a practical example of the value of this technology, the aquarium could potentially create an app to sell for the Galaxy S7 that through the VR Gear would allow people like myself to take a virtual tour of the facility providing an experience similar to being there without actually ever stepping foot in the place.

The VR Gear also does a wonderful job of simulating motion.  Better be prepared if an app incorporates motion within it or your feet might just fly out from underneath you.  I didn't realize an app was going to start racing me through a video game maze and lost my balance having to quickly pull off the headset to keep from falling over.  That experience highlights just how amazing the experience can be when it comes to enveloping you within a virtual environment that not only presents stunning environments but can mimic the feeling of motion without you actually moving.



Once I got the hang of using the VR Gear though racing through apps became no big deal.  I became a champ at one game where you steered around obstacles by moving your head in sync with the VR Gear once I became accustomed to using the device.  While the VR Gear may look heavy and bulky it doesn't feel that way when using it.  I was surprised just how comfortable the device was to wear.



What is really nice about the VR Gear is that while it has lot of entertaining options to play around with there are also a variety of business, educational, medical, technological and scientific uses that this device can be beneficial for as well.  Often times the success of technology like this is dependent on mass consumer appeal and demand for it.  Since Samsung is marketing the VR Gear as an affordable accessory to its popular line of Galaxy phones, I believe it has a great shot at making virtual reality a more common aspect that people begin to regularly utilize not just for fun but also as a productive tool.

Finally, I took a look at the Galaxy View which is a mobile tablet that has a screen big enough to double as a television set.  It comes with a built on curved stand which makes it as easy to prop up and display someplace as to hold in your hand.  With an 18.4" screen, 8 hour battery life and a handle to carry it by the Galaxy View allows you to easily go from working with it on your lap to taking it outside to enjoy some music on the deck or upstairs for some bedtime television viewing.  I personally thought this would make a great addition to our kitchen where while making a meal we could utilize its wireless connectivity to look up a recipe or watch some TV.

Congratulations to Katia from Culver City, California who won our Verizon Gift Card Giveaway

Are you interested in any of this tech?  If so, A GEEK DADDY has a Verizon Gift Card to giveaway to help one lucky blog reader or social media follower to help get some for themselves.  To be eligible for this giveaway must follow @Geekdad248 on Twitter and retweet our original contest tweet which is embedded below before April 10, 2016 @ 11:59 pm EST.  Must be a US  resident over the age of 18 to participate.  One entry per person and we'll randomly select someone from all eligible entries to receive a $25 Verizon gift card that can be used for buying a new phone, an accessory like a new pair of headphones or even towards paying your monthly wireless bill courtesy of Samsung and A Geek Daddy Blog.

Follow @GeekDad248 & RT by 4/10/16 for chance to win $25 @Verizon gift card (US Only) #VerizonMI #BetterMatters #Ad pic.twitter.com/EakrgWOWcE

— A Geek Daddy (@GeekDad248) April 3, 2016

 Which of these new Samsung products would you most like to try out and why?


FTC DISCLOSURE / DISCLAIMER:  A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of this contest and providing for delivery of the prize by the U.S. Postal Service.  By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion.  Winner must be following the twitter account @Geekdad248 at the time winner is randomly drawn to be eligible and so he or she can be notified.  Must reply to DM within 48 hours of notification or a new winner will be selected. Must be a US  resident over 18 years old. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. A Geek Daddy Blog was financially compensated for this blog post and hosting the contest.  A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this contest as a benefit to our readers. Any opinions in this post are my own.

#VerizonMI

This may be the Droid you are looking for

I'd have to describe our family as walking on the Apple side of life as my wife and I both have iPhones and iPads, most of our songs and movies are downloaded off of iTunes, and my kids' favorite games and educational tools are from the App Store.  That being said, I still like to stay up to date on the functions and features provided by competing brands.  So I appreciated that the folks at Verizon loaned me the new Motorola DROID TURBO smart phone and provided access to their 4G LTE wireless network over the holiday week between Christmas and New Years to see how androids compare.  I have to say we had a pretty positive experience and if you are in shopping mode for a new phone this may be the droid you are looking for.

The Motorola Droid Turbo has a great big screen which is especially great if you enjoy watching video, playing games or just appreciate your type and images being bigger and easier to see; yet the phone really isn't that bulky so it doesn't feel like you are carting around a tablet with you.  For an HD display though I wasn't that impressed by its graphic capabilities when it came to the touch screen applications or surfing the net, but the screen images when you turned on the 21-megapixal camera where very impressive and made me go wow! - especially when I held up my iPhone5S and compared the capabilities next to one another.  Just don't try to take quick shots with the Droid Turbo as it has a second or so lag time for the camera to adjust to give a good crisp HD image.

We used the smart phone to call my brother up who lives on the other side of the country from us in Seattle so my kids could say thank you for their Christmas presents he had mailed to them and I could catch up with what he has been up to lately.  The sound quality using the Motorola DROID TURBO and Verizon's 4G LTE wireless network was exceptional...it sounded as if my brother was sitting right next to us when we were talking to him with no static or lag time although he was more than 2,000 miles away from us during our conversation.  You can tell from seeing the phone in my 6 year old daughter's hand that it has a big frame yet it really isn't bulky or heavy to hold and it is impressive how much of the front of the phone is covered by the screen rather than casing.  If you have kids who are rough with your gadgets or if you  may be clumsy like myself, you may also want to take note of the protective elements they have incorporated into this smart phone.  Motorola has added Metallized Glass Fiber to add strength to the phone's body and also reinforced it with DuPont Kevlar fiber for increased durability.  A water-repellent nanocoating has also been added to protect against spills or getting caught out in the rain although that still won't protect the phone if it were to be say dunked in a toilet or dropped in a lake.  Still a little protection from every day mishaps is better than no protection.  Another nice protective touch added to the Droid Turbo is scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3 which guards the 5.2 inch Quad HD display on this smart phone.  With all these features you may be able to avoid having to add a bulky protective case to safeguard this phone and who doesn't hate adding those on to their phones?!

A few other features I appreciated and wanted to point out.  The Droid Turbo has great battery life and I only had to recharge it twice during a week of use.  It has a nifty feature that is really convenient called turbo charging which will give your phone 8 hours of power within 15 minutes of plugging it into an electrical outlet.  It can be torturing when you are in a hurry and need your phone charged and that bar just doesn't move....with this device bing bam boom you are powered up and ready to get back into the world. Another "turbo" feature of this smart  phone is its 2.7 GHz quad core processor which allows for switching between functions with no lag time as I pleasantly was able to quickly flip between my Google calendar, a phone call, my e-mail and the web during a work conversation without any freezes, hitches or hiccups as I multi-tasked through the applications. Awesome! I often find myself having to search my calendar, look for an email, or research something quickly on the web when I'm on the phone so I need a device that has the processing power to let me run multiple features at once and the Droid Turbo absolutely met that criteria for me.

I don't know if it is from familiarity or convenience, but ios still seems a more comfortable fit for me when it comes to an operating system.  There are little nuances with android that just irk me so for the time being I'm sticking with my iPhone; but if Apple keeps issuing ios updates that tend to throw off my enjoyment and the ease of use of their products than I may one day be looking for a droid myself.  If that time comes, I'd have no qualms about picking myself up a Motorola Droid Turbo after my recent test run with the product. 

Disclaimer:  the opinions and views expressed in the post are my own.  A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive any financial compensation from Motorola or Verizon for this post.  I was provided the use of a Motorola Droid Turbo and access to the Verizon wireless network at no charge for three weeks to test and review the phone and Verizon's service.  I am currently a customer for my own personal wireless service with another provider.

NFL STARS FACE OFF IN DUNK TANK COMPETITION DURING "LIVE" NICKELODEON BROADCAST

PRO BOWL PLAYERS LARRY FITZGERALD & EARL THOMAS III 

FACE BEING DUNKED LIVE

AT NICKELODEON'S INAUGURAL KIDS CHOICE SPORTS 2014 AWARDS SHOW

Thursday, July 17 @ 8pm (ET) on Nickelodeon

Often times you see dunk tanks at carnivals and school events as a fun event to raise money for a community organization.  I've had some fun in the past throwing pitches and scoring a bullseye to dunk a dreaded teacher, good guy city police chief, and a bow-tied judge in the tank.  Nickelodeon (Nick) is taking the dunk tank competition to the next level at its inaugural Kids Choice Sports Awards Show on Thursday, July 17, 2014. Two dunk tanks will be aligned across from one another and the people seated on them will attack each other's targets trying to be the first dunk the other in a dodge ball style throw down on live tv.  It won't just be two average joes facing off though, Nick will be pitting elite NFL players against each other as Larry Fitzgerald and Earl Thomas III face off during the VERIZON POWER DUNK.

If seeing NFL stars trying to dunk each other wasn't fun enough there is one more "catch" to this game...viewers get to decide what they will be dunked in.  Will it be Nick's trademark green slime?  a tank full of mud? or maybe maple syrup?  During the show the viewers can vote!  Just CLICK THIS LINK to visit the voting page on Nick's website during the Kids Choice Sports Awards Show to help determine which mess either Larry Fitzgerald or Earl Thomas III will get dunked into.  One player will emerge clean and victorious and the other will be submerged in who knows what kind of gooey mess.

Larry Fitzgerald is an 8 time Pro Bowl wide receiver.  In 2013, he became the youngest player in NFL history to reach 11,000 career receiving yards.

Earl Thomas III is a 3 time Pro Bowl free safety for the Super Bowl XLVIII winning Seattle Seahawks and is a member of that team's renowned "Legion of Boom."

Remember to visit Nick.com/powerdunk to vote on which dunk tank mess the loser will fall into and watch to see the competition live during the Kids Choice Sports 2014 Awards.

Kids Choice Sports allows kids to cast votes for their favorite athletes, teams and sports moments from the year.  Among the superstar athletes on the first-ever ballot are Carmelo Anthony, Tom Brady, Gabby Douglas, Kevin Durant, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Gracie Gold, Lebron James, Derek Jeter, Marshawn Lynch, Peyton Manning, Candace Parker, Danica Patrick, Chris Paul, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lindsey Vonn, Dwyane Wade, Abby Wamback, Tiger Woods, and many more!

Performing during the show will be multi-Grammy Award winning artist Pharrell Williams and award winning country music sensation Florida Georgia Line performing a medley of their hit songs.  There will also be a great lineup of athletes and celebrities presenting awards during the show including Super Bowl XLVIII champion Marshwan Lynch (Seattle Seahawks), NBA MVP Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Will Arnett & Megan Fox (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), George Lopez, pro skateboarder Tony Hawk, Olympic snow boarder Kelly Clark, Rico Rodriguez (Modern Family) and Nick Cannon (America's Got Talent).  The Nickelodeon Kids Choice Sports 2014 Awards Show will be hosted by NFL Hall of Fame player and top-rated morning talk show personality from LIVE with Kelly and Michael, Michael Strahan.

CLICK HERE for more information about the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Sports 2014 Awards Show.