Every so often I try a new product. I might be strolling the aisles at Costco. I’ll see a sample kiosk. If I have my children with me, we ALWAYS stop. No questions asked. I’ll stand while my children take a sample. If there are enough samples left, I take a sample myself. I’m rarely disappointed. I’ve found samples that were so tasty. Without the sample stand in a discount warehouse or grocery store, I would never have known.

Last summer, the Musings from Me family journeyed to Southern California. While the kids and dad explored San Diego, I walked the Expo Halls at BlogHer. I met people, played in-booth games at the Expo Hall, learned about products I had never heard of, and most importantly, sampled some awesome treats. Walking the Expo Hall is thirsty work.

As I hauled my bags out of the Expo Hall one day, I spotted a white booth with comfy white couches. As I cast my eye to the side and back of the booth I spotted several displays of Trop50. Trop50? I was intrigued as I looked at the familiar shaped bottles with a name I had never heard of. What was this Trop50? Looked like the Tropicana I buy for my family, but what was it exactly?

I sampled the Trop50 Lemonade. Let me tell you how it tasted…it was delicious. Tart, but not too tart. Sweet, but not overly so. Kind of like a lemonade stand lemonade, but with 50% less sugar and 50% less calories. Plus, no artificial sweeteners. I knew my family would love it and that I would be happy to buy it for them. In fact, I brought a few bottles back to my family in our hotel room, which we enjoyed on our drive to Legoland. Delish!

Which brings me to New Year Resolutions and the thorny subject of sticking to ‘em. I think of resolutions each, but do I stick to them? Sometimes. I find that the smaller, more focused, and more doable the resolution, the more likely I am to do it. For instance, resolving to exercise is not nearly as effective as resolving to exercise every other day. I need a resolution spelled out for me. Another resolution is to cook more dinners that are healthy, with mostly fresh ingredients. My resolutions need to be short on vagueness, and long on specifics.

More about Trop50…

• Trop50 by Tropicana offers fruit juice goodness with 50 percent less sugar and calories, and no artificial sweeteners.
• Trop50 juice beverage comes in the following flavors: No Pulp, No Pulp with Calcium + Vitamin D, Some Pulp, Farmstand Apple, Pomegranate Blueberry, Lemonade, Pineapple Mango, and Raspberry Lemonade.
• New! Trop50 introduced the following new flavors: Red Orange, Raspberry with Green Tea, Peach with White Tea, and Pear Lychee with White Tea. Can’t wait to try these!
• Do you like those funny Jane Krakowski spots? Here are a few funny ones.

Connect with Tropicana and Trop50:

• Find a store near you that sells Trop50 juice beverage.
• Like Trop50 – 50% Less Sugar and Calories on Facebook.
• Follow on Twitter by following @TropicanaOJ and searching for hashtag: #Trop50.
• Visit the Trop50 Web site.

I was given samples of Trop50 juice beverage to facilitate my review. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

My husband and I were talking about our first couple of cell phones. Back in the day…I might as well refer to this time as the “Wilderness Years.” We purchased our first cell phone in 1995. Note, that I said “we”…that’s right for about 3 years my husband and I shared the phone.

This phone was called the “baby phone” for a long, long time. The so-called baby phone was purchased when I was 6 months pregnant. I was supposed to use it for emergencies. I couldn’t call to chat with my husband when he was on his way to and from work because he didn’t have a cell phone. No friends or family had phones.

The phone was about the size of 2.5 decks of playing cards laid end to end. I phone weight at least 3 pounds. Because the phone didn’t have a “go to sleep” button, I had to store the phone in a bag which I carried in my purse. This prehistoric phone was about as far from the smartphones of today as you could possibly imagine. My phone was like your phone. No personalization at all.

HTC has a new phone that is billed as the phone that lets you be you. The Android-powered HTC Wildfire S runs on HTC Sense. You can customize the way the phone “looks and feels” by swapping out skins, scenes, and sounds. Perfect for the first-time smartphone adopter, too!

Like the HTC Status that I reviewed in an earlier post, the HTC Wildfire S is the social phone. Use both of these phones to keep up with your social media scene. Consolidate all your social media channels on your phone in a way that works for you.

When you’re feeling like taking a break, pull out the HTC Wildfire S for some fun music, games, and apps. The Android Market is the source for all your app needs.

Want the deets on the HTC Wildfire?

• The HTC Wildfire S can be purchased from Metro PCS. Find a location near you.
• Works on Android with HTC Sense platforms.
• HVGA 3.2″ touch display screen.
• Internal memory of 512 MB RAM.
• 5.0 MP camera with front and back cameras.

The kind folks at HTC want me to giveaway an HTC Wildfire S. So, here is how you can win an HTC Wildfire S phone…

Winning is easy. First, leave a mandatory comment. Second, leave one or more of the optional comments. Remember, you must leave the mandatory comment for the other comments to count. Oh, and don’t forget to leave your email address in the comment, so I can contact you if you win! Want a chance to win another HTC phone?! I’m giving away an HTC Status (ends 1/5/2012)!

Mandatory Comment — Leave a comment.

Go to HTC, look at the HTC Wildfire S, and leave a comment about what you like about this phone or any other HTC phone.

Optional Comment — Leave a comment.

• Follow @MusingsfromMe on Twitter.
• Like Musings from Me on Facebook.
• Like Jill MusingsfromMe on Facebook.
• Subscribe to my blog’s feed.
• Stumble one of my posts that is not a giveaway.  Use your Stumble toolbar or use the Share button that is placed to the left of the post.
• Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
• Tweet this giveaway and leave a link to your tweet: @MusingsfromMe is giving away an HTC Wildfire S smartphone! Enter http://bit.ly/uVYUBJ. Ends 1/6.

I was not compensated for this review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Giveaway ends Friday, January 6 at 11:59 p.m. Any links in this post are affiliate links to my amazon affiliate account. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

…or at least I was last week and the beginning of this week.

Let’s see what happened to me:

• I had chills leading to mild flu-like symptoms.
• Developed a hacking, deep in my chest, yucky cough.
• Had a case of constipation that was so painful. Add in hacking coughs and you can get a feel for the pain I was in. Sorry for the TMI.
• Actually, had to beg off taking kids to a birthday party this weekend due to my general state of malaise.
• Had to get my ask my husband to stay home from work to do the morning breakfast, get kids off to school, bus and car drop off.
• Same day I had my husband play me in the morning, I completely forgot to pick my son up from school after sleeping all day. I had drugs in my system from the previous night’s impromptu visit to the doctor. Still can’t believe I forgot to pick up a child from school.
• Dinner and practically every other meal since I got sick has been a thrown-together sort of mess.

Christmas? We’re not ready for Christmas at all. Sickness and schoolwork and general family scheduling mayhem means that Christmas is not done.

• Put the Advent calendars out on December 8 after I realized both should have been out December 1!
• Ordered photo albums for the grandparents’ gifts. One will arrive by Christmas and one just after. I’m sick about missing the shipping/ordering deadline.
• Haven’t ordered Christmas cards but I’m giving myself tonight as the deadline to order. Will mail cards Saturday or Monday.
• Christmas #1 is practically decorated. Thanks in large part to the helping hands of the Tween-now-Teen and the Kid.
• The Kid assembled the trainset all by himself. Demanded the Dad buy batteries from Costco. Added the batteries to the Christmas train. Here’s a kid who is not about to let mom’s illness, dad’s illness, and his family’s frantic-ness get in the way of celebrating Christmas. Sometimes we need to look at a holiday or situation from a kid’s perspective, don’t we?
• Christmas #2 is another story. Not assembled. We abandoned the real tree a few years ago. Too many needles for our poor vacuum to handle. Christmas #2 is a vision in silver, which complements all the Star Trek ornaments. [Personally, I'm glad to get the ST ornaments off the tree. There's some a little un-Christmassy about having the Borg Cube and various Star Trek ships on the tree. Is it just me?]
• Cushions, tree skirt, and table runners are in two large bags waiting to be hurled in the general direction of the couches, etc.
• And finally the Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Nutcracker ornaments that I display on shelves, mantle, and other surfaces…with a dust rag, a can of Pledge, and a bottle of Windex I should be able to tackle the layers and layers of dust after my daughter’s concert this evening.

Still hacking a little today, but definitely in the land of the living. How are you today? And most importantly, are you ready for Christmas?

Ever watched your child perform at the winter concert and forget to share those precious moments with family and friends who couldn’t attend? You may be too enthralled by your child’s performance to worry about posting to Facebook. No matter, carry on doing what you are doing. But, what if you want to post those precious poses to Facebook, but you get mired in clicking this and opening that app on your smartphone? Maddening isn’t it how many clicks you need to click before posting to social media platforms?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to post to Facebook with just ONE click? The HTC Status is a phone with a mission. What is this mission? The HTC Status wants to make recording your life easier.

The HTC Status’ Facebook Share button is placed on the front of the phone…just below the keyboard. Before you make that call, you can see on the HTC Status’ screen updates from friends near and far. You’ll never be out of the loop again…in fact the HTC Status is your connection to your loop of friends. Perfect first smartphone for a teen!

The front and back camera will come in handy for those impromptu pics of yourself holding a Starbucks coffee or modeling your latest shopping deal. Add special effects like Sepia or aqua tones to the pics taken with the phone’s 5.0 MP camera.

Want the deets on the HTC Status?

• The HTC Status is an AT&T phone.
• Works on Android with HTC Sense platforms.
• HVGA 2.6″ touch display screen with 480 x 320 resolution.
• 5.0 MP camera with front and back cameras.
• Retails for $19.99 with a 2-year contract. $369.99 without a contract.

The kind folks at HTC want me to giveaway an HTC Status phone. Who am I to argue?! So, here is how you can win an HTC Status phone.

Winning is easy. First, leave a mandatory comment. Second, leave one or more of the optional comments. Remember, you must leave the mandatory comment for the other comments to count. Oh and don’t forget to leave your email address in the comment, so I can contact you if you win!

Mandatory Comment — Leave a comment.

Go to HTC, look at the HTC Status, and leave a comment about what you like about this phone or any other HTC phone.

Optional Comment — Leave a comment.

• Follow @MusingsfromMe on Twitter.
• Like Musings from Me on Facebook.
• Like Jill MusingsfromMe on Facebook.
• Subscribe to my blog’s feed.
• Stumble one of my posts that is not a giveaway.  Use your Stumble toolbar or use the Share button that is placed to the left of the post.
• Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
• Tweet this giveaway and leave a link to your tweet: @MusingsfromMe is giving away an HTC Status smartphone! Enter http://bit.ly/sRpHnI. Ends 1/5.

I was not compensated for this review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Giveaway ends Thursday, January 5 at 11:59 p.m. Any links in this post are affiliate links to my amazon affiliate account. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

Music calms the savage beast…uh…I mean baby. If you have every sat in a car with a squalling crying baby for a long trip you will feel my pain. As the navigator-not-the-driver-on-family-trips, I am the designated hitter with any crises to do with the kids. As the kids moved from the babies and toddlers stage to preschooler and elementary school phases, our family trips improved immeasurably. Thank goodness!

New from Lego…for toddlers…and moms and dads…

The Duplo Jams app just launched. What is Duplo Jams? Duplo Jams is free music available on iTunes. Each month a new song is launched. Recommended for kids aged 2 to 5. The app is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3^rd and 4th generations), and iPad (requires iOS 4.0 or later at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lego-duplo-jams/id477095318?mt=8 .  A version for Android is in development and will launch soon.

The Duplo Jams app provides an interactive, musical world for toddlers or preschoolers to discover the joy of creative Duplo building. Set to an original score of upbeat playroom songs that even parents will enjoy, the app helps children build their imaginations by clicking bricks to explore colorful worlds as they sing along to catchy tunes.

How can you get these cool Duplo Jams?

Download Duplo Jams through iTunes.

Got older kids? Gotta get these cool Lego apps!

• Lego Creationary
• Lego Halloween Creationary
• Lego Ninjago Spinjitzu Scavenger Hunt

I did not receive these apps nor was I compensated for writing this post. I posted about them because I love all things Lego. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Ingegrity.

I’m the worst person to buy for. I buy few clothes for myself as my tastes and specifications are very limited. I can search racks and racks at a clothing store and find only one or maybe two items that I can tolerate. I don’t play video games. I don’t listen to music on my iTouch. I read, but again I can be picky about what I want to read. I love watching movies, but often purchase any movies I want. In short, I’m hard to buy for.

I recently heard about a site that is not a site where you can buy gifts, but it is a site where you can post a job that needs to be done, or an item that needs to be found. As a hard-to-buy for person, what I would really like is for someone to do something on the household “Honey Do” list. Now that would a gift come true!

You know the list of tasks around your house that are not urgent, but need to be done? The timeframe for these tasks is not specified. In my home, it is “needs to be done sometime after all the important and crisis tasks” are done. So the tasks remain not done…forever.

I have had 2 computers with monitors stored in my garage since 2010. Maybe earlier. Neither computer works. Both hard drives have been scrubbed. But, there the computers sit. Why? well, one of these days I will have a free moment to load up the computers and take both to the local dump. While I am at it, I’ll take the broken bedframe, old cans of paint, etc. My local trash service will not pick up computers, paint, or other toxic items.

So, in the name of “let’s get something crossed off my to do task list” I want to tell you about Zaarly.com. Zaarly is a site where you can post about a task you need to get done. You post what the task is — I posted asking for someone to haul my computers, bedframe, and paint to the dump. All I need to do is wait until someone is willing to do my task. A few weeks ago I posted about wanting to find a price on a camera…within hours I received an answer to my question. Stop back to hear more.

While you get ready for the holidays, think about those tasks around the house that you need to do, but would rather have someone else do them. Post to Zaarly and sit back and wait for someone else to do the job on your to do list!

Use Zaarly to find DJs, moving help, personal trainers, pet services, and so much more.

• Sign up for Zaarly using my link.
• With every signup, Zaarly will with every sign up donate $1 to Feeding America.
• Like Zaarly on Facebook.
• Follow @Zaarly on Twitter.
• Use the Zaarly app on Facebook.

I was compensated for writing this post by Zaarly and Blogger Connection. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

Whether you are working from home or working out of the home, you will want to have piece of mind that your children are occupied. Winter break is short his year, so Kindercare is offering winter camps to keep your little ones occupied.

News from MomSelect…

Explore a Winter Camp that gives your children everything they crave now. KinderCare is proud to announce that this year’s Winter Camp is believed to be the best yet! Combining fun and learning, KinderCare offers programs that kids think are cool and parents know are smart — they balance loads of fun with a healthy dose of learning.

From December 19th – December 23rd and December 27th – December 30th, both preschool and school-age children can participate in KinderCare’s Winter Camp. Children will explore the science of chemical reactions and learn about the magic of flight through educational and hands-on themed activities:

• “Bubble Trouble”
• “Volcano Blast”
• “Helicopter Propellers”
• “Balloon Rockets”

KinderCare’s Winter Camp helps encourage and reinforce core learning activities such as

• language arts
• math and science
• creative expression

Winter Camp is specifically designed to offer a balance of fun and learning during winter break, while providing parents, who may need to work or simply catch up on holiday shopping and errands, with a simple solution for engaging their child in fun, educational activities.

For more information and to find a KinderCare camp near you visit http://www.kindercare.com. You can also find science experiments to do at-home by logging onto www.kindercare.com/camps.

Want to have more fun over winter break? Why not purchase a gift for the whole family to enjoy? Although once your kids get ahold of it, you might never see it again.

I was not compensated by Kindercare or MomSelect. I am providing this as a service to my readers. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

A week or so ago, I was invited to attend an event in D.C. Though I am quite happy to be a work-at-home mom every now and then I like to pretend that I am a professional working person. I dress for success. Leave my house early. Commute in to the city. After a few hours, I am good and ready to get home to my cozy, comfy clothes and my chilly, yet home-y home office.

AT&T was a sponsor of the Family Online Safety Institute annual conference. The Family Online Safety Institute or FOSI is the leading advocate for online safety. Like me, you are probably a strong advocate for making the internet a safe place for young and old. Truly, I could never have imagined the opportunities available to kids back when I was a mom of a newborn. Times have changed. That newborn is on the verge of turning 16. How on earth did that happen?

I attended Day 2 of FOSI. Here’s what I learned…

Frederick Lane — author of Cybertraps for the Young — is an attorney and computer forensics expert. He began his presentation by telling us what we all know to be true…that kids are now capable of doing things on the internet that they were once unable to do. A case in point, my oldest at 3 was able to use the computer if she sat on my lap. Many of the PC games were tough to play even with the mouse. My youngest at 3 was already playing Webkinz and other online games without help, but a whole lot of supervision from mom and dad.

Lane took us on a trip down memory lane when he reminded us that the devices of old were uni-purpose…typewriter, clock. Today’s kids are well versed in apps, smartphones, iTouch, iPad, and iPod, and other tablet devices. Lane, an attorney who specializes in computer forensics, explores the legal implications of online acts. What are the legal implications for kids, teens, and adults?

As a parent of 3 school-aged kids, I know all too well how damaging cyberbullying and cyberharassment can be. With the advent of mobile devices, kids can bully and be bullied from anywhere. I had heard about Phoebe Prince — in fact I saw Piers Morgan interview her mother last night, but I hadn’t heard about other victims like, Stephanie Burlingame from the U.K., Jeff Johnston from the U.S., Jesse Logan, Tyler Clemente from Rutgers University, or about perpetrators like, Eric Stenkel.

Lane explained that education is key, as well as observation and monitoring. As Lane put it supervision of your kid is not an invasion of privacy. Kids need to be taught how to become digital citizens. Parents, and teachers are their primary teachers.

Next up was a university lecturer from Bristol. Paul Howard-Jones’ voice reminded me of home. I’m originally from Manchester. Jones is a university professor and researcher on neurology. His site is http://www.neuroeducational.net.

Howard-Jones spoke on a topic near and dear to me — The Impacts of the Internet on the Brain. Haven’t you wondered what the effect of computer use will be for everyone down the road? 20 plus years ago, I had never heard of computers. Now I use a computer, laptop, or smartphone multiple times a day. All 3 of my children will more readily reach for an electronic device to answer a question than a book. Professor Howard-Jones talked about the elasticity of the brain. He explained that the brain will rewire for any thing we experience. Food for thought.

A recent social networking study found that social networks increases interaction and relationships. But, too much of anything is never a good. Howard-Jones explained that too much computer time leads to too little sleep. Ever see a teen or young adult texting in to the wee hours of the morning? We need sleep so that our brains can switch from encoding information to the consolidation of information acquired during the day. Teens who text at night are very likely to experience daytime sleepiness.

Of note…the AAP recommends 2 hours of screen for children. Are your children like mine? Depending on the day… one day my kids may spend a great deal of time staring at screens while the next day they are outside playing. Depends on the day.

Howard-Jones posited…are video games the environmental equivalent of Ritalin? Video games can be seen as “teachers.” Highly social games can teach empathy. As we know, violent video games can teach aggression.

So, the bottom line is…

• Excessive internet use, like any other activity that you do without taking consistent breaks, is not good for you.
• Excessive use can cause disrupted sleep.
• Violent games can cause kids and teens to exhibit aggressive tendencies.
• Practice moderation.
• Limit screen time for kids and teens. And for yourself!

After a tasty lunch, I chose one of the breakout sessions — Mom & Dad Bloggers Speak Out. My good friend, Leticia/@TechSavvyMama was one of the panelists. The panelists and audience agreed that parents need to be actively involved in their child’s online world. While teachers are there to assist parents, parents must be aware of what sites their children are visiting.

Seize teachable moments, like a Leticia’s suggestion of a dinner table conversation, to start a conversation. Get the ball rolling. Don’t be shy about asking kids to explain how a certain site or device works. Kids love to be the teacher. Chances are good that while you are chatting about your kid’s favorite app, you can talk to them about ways she can stay safe online.

One audience member likened the discussions between parent and child about online safety to the sex talk. You wouldn’t let a stranger give your child the sex talk, right? So why would you allow your child to play online without supervision? Of course, as your child ages you will want to pull back to give your tween and teen the space to make mistakes and learn from their mistakes. But, for the preschoolers and kids, you will want to begin by sitting beside them as they navigate the web through online games, apps, email, or text messaging. I’m starting that process with my youngest as we recently gave him an email address.

One of the audience members was from Club Penguin. He explained that Club Penguin will email parents if their child is cyberbullying or acting inappropriately online at CP. A colleague of mine, Mary Kay Hoal founded a site online where kids and tweens can be well, kids and tweens! No adults are allowed on Yoursphere.com. Parents are contacted if their child is not being a good digital citizen on Yoursphere.com. Mary Kay, an online safety and parenting advocate, shares her online safety tips, resources, and practical suggestions on her blog.

AT&T is committed to investing in safety and parental controls. To learn more about AT&T’s safety controls and initiatives, check out the AT&T Smart Controls page.

I was compensated by AT&T for attending FOSI — the Family Online Safety Institute annual conference. I was also given an AT&T Impulse 4G phone. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

It’s that time again! What time you say? It’s time for me to pick winners! Love my job!

• Congrats to ACMommy3, Michelle, Kate,  Dagmar, and Emily on winning the ChicaPC-Shield Giveaway from Chicalogic!
• Congrats to Sara for winning the Real Steel prize pack!
• And the winner of the Who Says Moo? storybook app by Kneebouncers is…Sara!
• Summer and Elaine won the Happy Meal coupons! Congrats Summer and Elaine!
• And finally Deanna won the Sam’s Club Pink Spark Giveaway from My Blog Spark and General Mills.
• I gave away for a gift card to the Bean Bag Deli in Rockville, MD to Sara!

I’m updating this blog every day with my pics for the Musings from Me Holiday Gift Guide:

• UNO Roboto
• HTC Rhyme
• DaGeDar Marble Race Track
• Motorola Bionic
• Get Real About Food

More giveaways and reviews to come. I’m adding products to my Holiday Gift Guide daily!

My workday is unpredictable. Some days my mornings start bang on time. I put all three kids on three buses with everything that each could possibly need for the day — backpacks, books, lunchboxes, etc. — and head down to my office to work without a problem. Oh, how I love those days!

Other mornings, my day just seems doomed from the beginning. We oversleep. There is no clean laundry…or more precisely the outfit that one of my girls needs is still in the laundry. I spill milk on the floor…and yes it is possible that I shed a tear at cleaning the floor at such an early hour. One of the kids dawdles and dithers and dallies and misses the bus. I realize that I have practically nothing to make lunches. Another kid calls from school about a missing notebook or homework assignment. Basically, my day does not get off to a good start. You know how it is?

On days where everything is off track and I find myself on the road to school with a missing lunchbox or folder or P.E. uniform, I am grateful to have the next best thing to my desk in my pocket. I like to call it my “office away home.” What am I talking about? My smartphone.

Almost two years ago, I did not have a smartphone. If I was away from my home office, I had no way to check email or tweet or post to Facebook. As a social media marketer and blogger, without a smartphone my hands are literally tied behind my back.

I was asked to test drive the HTC Rhyme phone. The Rhyme is an HTC smartphone available through Verizon Wireless. The Rhyme may seem like just another phone in the Android market, but it is the suite of accessories that make the phone a hit with anyone on the go.

• Comes with a docking station for charging.
• The phone rests on the dock to charge.
• I moved the charging dock from the kitchen to my office to my bedroom — very easy to move from room to room
• Unlike regular charging cards you don’t need to fumble in the dark as you try to locate the charging cord hole. Instead, just place the phone on the docking holder to charge. I never had a problem aligning the 3 pins on the back of the Rhyme with the corresponding 3 pins on the cradle part of the charging dock as the dock is contoured to cradle the Rhyme.
• While the HTC Rhyme rests in the dock, you can use the phone as an alarm clock or a music player. We listened to music while I prepared dinner and the kids did their homework.

Ever hear your phone ring, know that the phone is in your purse, but not be able to find the phone no matter how much digging you do? Just me? The HTC Rhyme comes with the Charm. You attach the Charm to your phone  using the headphone jack. The Charm will light up to let you know about calls, messages, and more. No more digging around in your purse…just pull on the cord attached to the HTC Rhyme to find the phone! Although I didn’t use the headphones, the flat wires would lead to few to no tangles.

The setup of the phone is very similar to the HTC Thunderbolt I currently use. I found all my favorite apps in the Android Market. I set up the Rhyme to mirror as much as possible my Thunderbolt. I use the extended battery with the Thunderbolt, so I missed the battery power. The Rhyme screen at 3.7″ WVGA super LCD is smaller than the Thunderbolt’s 4.3″ screen. I found both screens easy to use and read.

The only downside to the phone was that the opening on the side of for inserting the charging cord is covered by a flap. When I tried to insert the charging cord in to the phone, I fumbled quite a bit. Most of the time you can simply place the phone on the docking station. However, if you need to transfer data from phone to laptop/PC you need to connect the phone to the computer via the charging cord. I was able to insert the charging cord in to the phone, but the little flap was awkward to use.

The bottom line is that both phones are great for moms, dads, and even teens on the go. My two teens both found the Rhyme fun to use. One has a cell phone and the other has a multimedia phone, so both enjoyed exploring all the capabilities of the HTC Rhyme and its platform, HTC Sense.

You can purchase both phones in time for the holidays:

• HTC Rhyme is $199.99 at Verizon with a 2-year contract or check out amazon.
• Find a cute purple gel skin to fit the HTC Rhyme at amazon.
• HTC Thunderbolt is $149.99 at Verizon with a 2-year contract or find it on amazon.
• I bought an extended battery with door for my HTC Thunderbolt.

I was sent an HTC Rhyme to facilitate my review. I returned the Rhyme at the end of the review period. Earlier in the summer — during BlogHer 11 — I participated in a focus group with other bloggers where I was given an HTC Thunderbolt phone. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.