THE ADVENTURES OF PAN

** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review**

This week during bedtime instead of doing the normal story book reading routine with my 7 year old twins, we've been exploring a wonderful app called THE ADVENTURES OF PAN.  This app aimed for young readers between 6 and 8 years old allows children to participate in the telling of a magical tale through reading, engaging with interactive aspects on the screen and playing mini-games which help captivate the attention and imagination of young readers.  It is a whimsical story with wonderful graphics that has been a delight to read and my kids have looked forward to reading a new chapter every night.  Because there can be a dramatic difference in the advancement of literary skills from child-to-child in this age range, parents can choose to have their kids read along with the displayed text as a narrator tells the story or mute the sound to focus specifically on reading.  I really liked how each word of the story's text is highlighted as a narrator pronounces it.

THE ADVENTURES OF PAN follows the adventures of a panda named Pandora, who goes by the nickname Pan.  When Pan discovers she's not the orphan that the grandfather who has been raising her led her to believe, the fearless but reckless purple panda leaves her village to search for the parents she has never known.  As this trek begins, Pan befriends Chase, a warrior bunny, and Locke, an inventive fox who loves to create gadgets, who join the panda on her quest.  The trio of friends learn through a series of misadventures that Pan's parents are just missing but were captured trying to stop an ancient evil.  Now Pan, Chase and Locke must save the day while a band of obsessed ninja cats are constantly on their tails trying to stop them.

Pan's Story Trailer from Hullabalu on Vimeo.


Since its debut on iPad, THE ADVENTURES OF PAN has been releasing a new chapter, referred to as books, on iTunes every few months continuing the adventure.  It has been featured as both Apple's Editors Choice and Best New Kids App providing THE ADVENTURES OF PAN with some nice accolades. On May 26, 2016, app developer Hullabalu released Book 7: Han Awakening which will conclude Pan's saga.  Also beginning on May 26th, the app will also be available to use on iPhone in addition to iPads. So now app users can access Pan's entire adventure from either an iPhone or iPad.  Sorry Android users THE ADVENTURES OF PAN is currently an iTunes exclusive.

A nice way the app enhances the story is by sprinkling games and interactive features throughout each chapter of the saga.  For example in Book 1: The Fearless Beribolt, there is a boomerang training game in which users throw various items to try and dissolve as many clouds as they can before a timer runs down to zero.  My daughter really adored this mini game.  All together there are more than 100 fully-interactive cinematic scenes that children can manipulate to trigger a variety of special effects.

Another nice aspect of the app is how the artwork brilliantly pops off the screen at you.  This is due in part to all of the art being hand-drawn and painted. In fact everything involving the construction of the app including scripting, storyboarding, character design, voiceovers and engineering is done in-house by the Hullabalu crew.

From a parent's perspective, I appreciated that THE ADVENTURES OF PAN is very user-friendly when it comes to children being able to scroll through its story and use its interactive features.  Kids can tilt and touch their way through each of the seven books in the app at their own pace which was the intent of Hullabalu when designing the layout for THE ADVENTURES OF PAN.  Plus as the father of both a son and daughter, I liked how the story features a gender-balanced cast to encourage it being equally of interest to both boys and girls.

THE ADVENTURES OF PAN is a fun, cute, age-appropriate story that is great for enticing children to read but is also nice if you are just looking to entertain your children and want to let them view it as a cartoon.  I always appreciate quality apps that contain a combination of educational and entertaining elements that my kids will both enjoy and learn from so THE ADVENTURES OF PAN gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval.

2 girls from Brooklyn create online gaming empire in Nickelodeon's new comedy series: GAME SHAKERS

In Nickelodeon's newest live-action comedy series, GAME SHAKERS, which premieres on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at 8:30 pm (ET / PT) a pair of 12-year-old girls from Brooklyn become unlikely moguls when their school project becomes the most popular mobile game online.  Game Shakers was created by multi-Emmy nominated writer and producer Dan Schneider (iCarly, Victorious, Henry Danger) and revolves around middle school students Babe (Cree Cicchino) and Kenzie (Madisyn Shipman) that create a mobile game named SKY WHALE which quickly becomes a world-wide sensation.

Tying the show to today's kids' love of gaming and apps, the games created by Babe and Kenzie in the series will be made available to play on Nick.com and through the Nick app.  The first game to be released will be Babe and Kenzie's initial creation on the show, SKY WHALE, which is featured in the premiere episode.  SKY WHALE will be available for FREE in September to download via the Apple, Google, and Amazon app stores.  This game challenges players to bounce through the sky and to keep a narwhal up in the air using clouds and crazy objects to go higher and farther, even into outer space or on an underwater adventure.

Game Shakers' premiere episode will also feature cameo appearances from YouTube pop culture comedians and gaming entertainers including GloZell, Lasercorn and ProJared.  The debut episode of Game Shakers will be simulcast on cable television on Nickelodeon, TeenNick, and Nicktoons plus will be available at the same time on Nick.com and on the Nick app.  Following this linear debut, the premiere episode will also be available for FREE on iTunes for one week.



In the premiere episode, after an app they create for their school science fair project turns into the biggest mobile game of the year, Babe and Kenzie use their profits to start Game Shakers, a super-cool gaming company based in Brooklyn, New York.  Not realizing the game illegally sampled a song from superstar rapper Double G ( '90s Nick icon Kel Mitchell ) turn the performer from an antagonist into their new business partner.  As part of the deal, Double G's son, Triple G ( Benjamin 'Lil P-Nut' Flores ), becomes the company's "gaming consultant."  Hijinks follow as this team works to make Game Shakers a huge success and create their own gaming empire. 

Food Allergy Awareness Month Twitter Chat - Thursday May 14, 2015

 In recognition of National Food Allergy Awareness Month, A Geek Daddy Blog will be co-hosting with the Life of Dad Bloggers Network a special Twitter Chat to promote awareness and information on the topic of food allergies.  Join us on Thursday, May 14, 2015 from 9 to 10pm ET as we are joined by special guest Doctor Dave Stukus, pediatric allergy and asthma specialist at Nationwide Childen's Hospital in Columbus Ohio.

During this chat about food allergies and kids, A Geek Daddy Blog will randomly be giving out four $10 iTunes gift cards to participants who are actively participating in the conversation throughout the hour.  To eligible for winning one of the gift cards that we'll be giving out every 15 minutes during the chat, participants must be following the Twitter accounts of @LifeOfDadShow & @Geekdad248 , use the hashtag #LifeofDad in their tweets, and be a United States resident over 18 years old.  No RSVP for this event just show up and engage in the conversation.

In addition to the #LifeofDad Food Allergy Awareness Twitter Chat make sure to participate in A Geek Daddy Blog's Food Allergy Trivia Contest for a chance to win a great gift pack courtesy of Comcast #Xfinity.  Answer some trivia questions for a chance to win a backpack filled with a mobile recharging kit for smart phones and tablets, coffee mug, baseball cap, and a water bottle. Must be a US resident and over 18 years old to participate in the trivia contest. CLICK HERE to give it a shot.

You can become a food allergy action hero this month by taking a moment to educate yourself on this matter and pledging to make an effort to be considerate of those who suffer from this medical condition.  If you are up to the challenge CLICK HERE to download the template to create your very own food allergy action hero costume.  Print a teal mask and a hero emblem for your shirt then cut out and wear them to have fun as you show your food allergy spirit.  Take a picture of you in your action hero outfit and tag it with #FoodAllergyMonth on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. There are adult and children's sizes of the masks available to download.

Once you have your food allergy action hero gear, take a moment to read this one page handout that contains facts about food allergies that can be shared and used to help educate others about this growing public health issue.  Download Now.

 

For more information about food allergies visit FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) at www.foodallergy.org.

DISCLAIMER:  A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of these contests and delivery of the prizes. By participating in this contest, you waive any and all liability to A Geek Daddy Blog and its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification. No P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses.  A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this contest as a benefit to our readers and as a public service to promote awareness on the topic of food allergies. Any opinions in this post are my own.

Watch Disney's Star Wars Rebels for FREE on iTunes

Disney debuted the newest edition to the Star Wars saga when it aired a one hour special last week on Disney Channel titled "Sparks of Rebellion" to launch its new animated television show titled REBELS.  Half-hour episodes of Rebels will then begin airing on the Disney XD cable channel each week on Mondays at 9pm ET/PT beginning October 13th.  Can't wait until October 13th to watch the show's first new episode "Droids in Distress" or don't have access to Disney XD on your cable lineup?  Then you may want to visit iTunes which is providing FREE downloads of "Droids in Distress" for a limited time to promote Star Wars: Rebels and its iTunes season download passes that are being sold for $29.99.  For the time being though the price for the season's first episode is listed as FREE and you can download it at no charge. 

Disney's Star Wars: Rebels television series is set 5 years before the original 1977 movie (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) and fourteen years after the defeat of the Jedi Order and creation of the Empire (Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith) in the Star Wars story timeline.  The show focuses on the crew of a space freighter called the Ghost that has banded together to tackle the Empire in an effort to spark a rebellion against it.  CLICK HERE for more details about Disney's Star Wars: Rebels from a previous A Geek Daddy blog post.

While this is a new television show it has many of the features that so many people love from the original trilogy of movies.  There is a focus on the force as a mysterious power (rather than some midi-cholorian over explanation from the prequel movies) with one of the last Jedi taking on a new youthful and rambunctious apprentice; a beat up freighter akin to the Millennium Falcon; a quirky droid named Chopper similar to R2D2 but yet with its own unique personality; and lots of storm troopers and TIE fighters that are the images people most identify with when characterizing "the Empire."  While Disney's Rebels takes a lot of cues from classic Star Wars cannon it also sets itself apart with new characters and locations.  The crew of the Ghost isn't made up of established Star Wars characters but rather are all brand new creations to give the series its own unique identity and the principal villain isn't the figure that is often the face of the Star Wars franchise, Darth Vader, but rather the newly introduced Inquisitor.

Rebels succeeds where the prequel movies failed in that it embraces the heritage and elements of the original movies that my generation loved but still has enough new twists and angles to make it interesting to younger audiences.  I watched the one hour Disney Channel movie with my children and we both enjoyed it but for different reasons.  I enjoyed it for the sense of magic and unknown the show returned to the power of the force, the Ralph McQuarrie inspired touches that the artistic team added to the show, the John Williams Star Wars musical score and seeing TIE fighters and star destroyers flying across a screen again.  Meanwhile my kids enjoyed the comedic elements of the show, loved the baby wookiee rescue scene, appreciated the rebellious youth character Ezra who they could relate to, and were excited to share in something with their dad they know I have a passion and appreciation for.  This show did a nice job of bringing together two generations to mutually enjoy a science fiction space opera together.  Disney has done a nice job with Star Wars: Rebels and this animated series get A Geek Daddy nod of approval.

CLICK HERE to download on  iTunes the #FREE "Droids in Distress" #Disney 's #StarWars Rebels episode.

Droids in Distress Episode Description

The crew of the Ghost intercepts a shipment of weapons intended for the Empire.  Along the way they also inadvertently pick up C-3PO and R2-D2 who are are  on a secret mission sent by Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan to prevent the weapons from falling into Imperial hands.  Meanwhile the Ghost continues to be chased by Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau.  The story eventually wraps up with R2-D2 providing Organa with information about this motley crew of rebels that helps keep his faith in becoming one of the founders of the Alliance to Restore the Republic (aka The Rebel Alliance)

Find Flavor at your Fingertips with Restaurant.com's Mobile App

Receive a FREE $10 Restaurant.com eGift Card with Your FIRST Purchase on the Restaurant.com Mobile App!

Restaurant.com, a website that helps consumers locate local restaurants and purchase special discount deals through its service, is expanding from desktops and going mobile with a new app for Apple and Android devices.  To promote its new mobile app, Restaurant.com is offering a FREE $10 Restaurant.com eGift Card with your first purchase on their mobile app!* CLICK HERE for more information.

 Using location-based technology, the Restaurant.com mobile app allows you to connect to great savings and restaurants on the go! Simply tap the "Deals Near Me" button to find restaurants near your location or type your zip code or city to locate flavor right at your fingertips. Did you know Restaurant.com offers nearly 50,000 online dining deals at thousands of restaurants nationwide? The deals are easy to use, never expire, and are available to use right away. The best part, if you change your mind on the restaurant choice, you can exchange anytime, no questions asked.

Found a restaurant with a great deal? Present the certificate to your server on a mobile device, and voila - the savings will be deducted from your final bill.

Don't miss out on this exclusive offer! Download the app now at Google Play or the iTunes App Store until Wednesday, April 30. For more information CLICK HERE.

*Your first purchase via the Restaurant.com mobile application may qualify for a free $10 Restaurant.com eGift Card. You can download the Restaurant.com mobile application on iTunes App Store or Google Play. The purchase must be made between Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at 1:00AM PST and Wednesday, April 30, 2014 at 11:59PM PST to qualify, and must be your first purchase through the Restaurant.com mobile application. Restaurant.com reserves the right to change the promotional period at anytime. Previous purchasers via the Restaurant.com mobile application are not eligible. One free eGift Card per qualified purchase. The $10 Restaurant.com eGift Card will be emailed within 24-72 hours following the purchase. eGift Cards can be redeemed online at www.theidealmeal.com for a restaurant specific certificate. eGift Cards cannot be redeemed at any restaurant. Restaurant.com is not responsible for undelivered, lost or stolen eGift Cards.

DISCLAIMER:  This is a SPONSORED post via the U.S. Family Guide Bloggers Network.  I have received a complimentary gift card from Restaurant.com for my participation in promoting this offer.

Disney Movies Float to the Cloud

Along with today's digital release of the movie FROZEN, a month before it is available to purchase for DVD, Walt Disney Studies also debuted a new cloud-based movie viewing service called Disney Movies Anywhere. Disney Movies Anywhere will allow people to watch Disney, Pixar, and Marvel Studios movies on an Internet browser, Apple TV (through iCloud or Airplay) or via a free app for their iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch.  Disney's 400-plus active library of digital movies will be available to users who will still need to pay for each movie but won't need to store it on DVDs or on their own hard drives anymore.  Purchased movies will be available for online streaming from the Cloud 24/7.  Cloud storage means that the data files for the movies will be stored on centralized computer services and transmitted to your computer or IOS device through the Internet upon your requesting to view them.

 

Consumers who have previously purchased a Disney movie through iTunes or redeemed a digital copy from the codes that have been included with DVD and Blu-ray products since 2008 will be able to have those transferred to this new service.  Disney Movies Anywhere users can connect their iTunes and Disney Movie Rewards accounts to transfer their past purchases to this new service.  New purchases made via the Disney Movies Anywhere website or app will also automatically be connected to a user's iTunes account for accessibility and will receive Disney Movie Rewards points for their digital purchases.

For a limited time, iTunes users who register their accounts with Disney Movies Anywhere will also get a free digital copy of the Disney-Pixar movie THE INCREDIBLES.  A nice free bonus for synchronizing your accounts.

For more information, visit:  disneymoviesanywhere.com

They’ll Never Take Us Down - Neil Diamond Raising Money for Charities

Neil Diamond’s music has bridged generations.  I remember as a kid my grandparents listening to his music on their record player and going to his concerts while I have to admit I have a few of his songs on my mp3 player,  my wife & I went to see him in concert ourselves a few years ago, and that SAVING SILVERMAN is one of my favorite movie comedies.  In fact just the other day while stopped at a light driving home from work I was between a restored classic car with a guy looked like in his Sixties blasting “Cherry Cherry” and a Ford Fusion with some Twenty-somethings blaring “Holly Holly”…it was like a Neil Diamond Fest on Woodward Avenue!  Now Neil is using his music to bring together the Country with his new tune “Freedom  Song”.

Neil Diamond debuted his new song Freedom Song (They’ll Never Take Us Down) over the Fourth of July with performances at the Washington Nationals baseball game and on PBS’s annual musical special: A CAPITOL FOURTH.  Check out his performance:

You can download the song on iTunes & Amazon for $1.29 with 100% of the purchase price being donated equally to benefit ONE FUND BOSTON and THE WOUNDED WARRIORPROJECT.  Written, recorded, and produced by Diamond in the wake of this past April’s Boston Marathon bombings, this new and original song was released by Columbia Records.  All participating parties involved in the making and release of this song have donated their time, expenses and proceeds.

ONE FUND BOSTON was created organization by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino t to ensure a legitimate fundraising & support organization in assisting the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.  THE WOUNDED WARRIORS PROJECT  provides programs and services to severely injured military service members during the time between active duty and their transition to civilian life.

CLICK HERE to download “Freedom Song” on iTunes

CLICK HERE to download “Freedom Song” on Amazon