When my son’s brand new IPhone 6s appeared with a cracked screen, it not only broke (sorry for the pun) his heart but also presented us with the problem of getting it repaired. After all, it’s the most modern, advanced version of the iPhone and also his favorite belonging in the world, so we needed to remedy the situation at our soonest..without a delay or wait. He wasn’t sure exactly how the phone had broken, after owning it for a mere six hours, but we carefully stressed the need to be patient and understand that these things happen to everyone.

We did get him insurance, but we didn’t want to pay Apple a couple hundred dollars for a replacement iPhone. Thankfully, there are other options, and we investigated what was available to us in the NYC area.

Step in iDropped, a mobile device repair service, which just opened in Brooklyn at the end of 2015. Unlike many wireless retailers that require customers to go days without their phones while being repaired, iDropped strives to mend phones in an hour and other electronic devices within24 hours. Each device goes through a rigorous pre-repair and post-repair checkpoint to ensure complete functionality before it is returned to the customer. They use the highest-quality parts and supplies and supports each repair with a one-year warranty, repairing androids, iPads, mini iPhones, and, of course, iPhones.

We dropped in early on a Sunday morning around 11am. Raheem, the store manager, happily took my son’s phone off his hands and immediately got to work. From start to finish, the screen change probably took no longer than 30 minutes. I was surprised at not only how complicated and intricate the process was, but also how incredibly patient Raheem was whilst changing out all the screws that keep the phone together and working. My son, who happens to be a future technical engineer, was very intrigued by the process and delighted to be given an opportunity to share his love of technology and everything Apple with Raheem and Roberto, his colleague.

iDropped is an interesting business model, repairing iPhones in a flash, with an ultra-pleasant staff, and at reasonable prices to boot. It’s a service I’d definitely recommend.

The location we visited is located at 611 Flatbush Ave. in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. To learn more about iDropped in Brooklyn and/or find out about their locations, please visit their site or call 866-611-1456.

Disclosure: I partnered with iDropped on this review, however all opinions are my own.

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I don’t know about you but I’m drowning in information.  Lists, lists and more lists.  Classroom lists, sports team lists, business contact lists, book club lists and more!  Every time I come home from a meeting or conference, I bring home lists, emails and important information to manage.  I’ve been conducting a tireless search for a solution to put an end to all this paper for the past few years, and I may have lucked into a tool that will help me.  It’s called Ringya, a new FREE mobile app that easily transforms paper contact lists into smart mobile lists by sharing a photo.  Ringya puts entire contact lists at your fingertips so you can easily call, text or email individuals or groups of contacts that you wouldn’t have added one-at-a-time to your address book. It can save you time and stress from scrambling to find a contact list within email archives because your work, class, or team contacts are right at your fingertips. You can also share electronic lists by uploading digital contact lists to rings@ringya.com, or get contact lists instantly onto your phone by simply accepting an invitation to a list (“Ring”) created by someone else.  And the beauty of all this?  It’s really, really easy to manipulate – take that from someone who’s not as tech savvy as I’d like to believe I am.  I truly believe that Ringya is about to whip my disorganized existence into shape!

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The iPhone has become my savior.  When we travel or go out locally and I need some peace and quiet, I always take out my precious iPhone to occupy the kids.  I’m always looking for educational  applications that won’t cause them to go brain dead after the hour or so they can spend on it at a time.

That’s why I’m glad to have discovered MobiStories, digital children’s stories that can also be played on the iPod, PSP, portable DVD players and Mac and PC computers.

MobiStories are narrated digital children’s books with illustrations and music written by famous authors such as Steven Kroll and Chris L. Demarest.  They last roughly 5-7 minutes each.  MobiStories offers various stories for children ages 2-10 years old.  As each story is read, your child touches the screen to turn the pages and make the images come to life.  The graphics are beautiful, and some have music and interactive elements.

Right now, you can try out one of these stories, The Marvelous Toy, narrated by Grammy award winner Tom Paxton.  To download a free digital book, click on this link.   Click on the ages 2 – 4 category, then click on “Summer” and add it to the cart.  Enter the code SUM0710 in the Coupon Code Box.  Here’s a How To video for reference on You Tube.

Go on over to RoleMommy.com today to enter a MobiStories contest to win a FREE iPod Touch! The contest ends on July 5th. Runners up will receive a $25 iTunes card as well as an autographed copy of The Marvelous Toy signed by Tom Paxton.

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1. The iGo charger is absolutely amazing.  You can charge your phone virtually anywhere, either plugged into the wall or on the go.  When you plug it into the wall to charge, it fills itself with enough energy to charge your phone four or five times.  It comes with two USB outputs for simultaneous device charging, a USBN charging cable and foldable wall blades for easy storage.  And the best part about it?  It works everywhere, all over the world, so you don’t even have to worry about bringing a converter.  It’s light, as well as easy to carry and store.  While I didn’t use my phone abroad, I did use the Internet feature on my phone, picking up WIFI every chance possible and was able to charge my phone anywhere, anytime.

2. The next tool is not an actual gadget, but an application for your phone.  I’m sure you’ve all heard of Skype.  You must use it at home, if not, you have to start using it.  Skype allows you to make cheap phone calls over the Internet, as well as have video chats.  We’ve been using it for years and it enables us to speak to everyone in our family who lives abroad.  For some reason, I didn’t realize that not only can you download it to your iPhone, but you can use it on your phone.  While we were recently in Israel, my phone was turned off to avoid roaming charges.  My husband had to leave us for a few days and we were worried about not being able to contact each other for that period of time.  But with the use of WIFI in my flat, I was able to make all my local and international calls.  With all of the calls that I made on it, I still managed to have credit left at the end of the trip.  It’s simple to use.  All you need to do is download the application onto your phone, make sure you have credit and dial your number on the keypad.  It also sounds as clear as day.

3. On the plane, my husband kept declaring that he loves the Jabra Bluetooth Headset.  It’s a Bluetooth speaker and headphone combo.  He plugged it into his phone and was able to wirelessly hear the music downloaded into his phone.  It’s comfortable to wear and contains up to 32 hours of streaming music.

4. I am sure that if you are a parent who travels frequently, you always take the portable DVD player with you when traveling with kids.  Many planes don’t still don’t provide TVs with every seat and if you are on a long ride, I guarantee  you’ll need it.  My kids watched “High School Musical” on our recent flight from Israel back to England.  It kept them occupied for two of the long five hour-long flight.  It’s been a life saver since my kids were wee small.  I remember taking one on a flight to Italy when my daughter was 1-1/2 years old.  We borrowed it for at the time they were very expensive.  Somehow we left it on the plane and had to buy them another one, as well as buy ourselves one.  Since then, they have certainly gotten cheaper and are worth every penny.  I used to call them the greatest invention since the invention of electricity.  You want the kids to be quiet, to get some time alone?  You take this out, plug in the DVD and your child will be happy as a clam.

5. The last few items are obvious.  We loaded up our iPhones before our departure, ready to entertain the kids when they needed entertainment in the car on a road trip or distraction in a restaurant.  The iPhone is a tremendous tool that makes our trips abroad so, so, so much easier.  When the kids get restless, start to annoy each other, etc., we take out our iPhones and hand them on over.  The other item that helps on the plane is the DS-Nintendo.  It’s funny, my kids don’t really play these at home, however, on a plane and away from the home, it totally absorbs them for good lengths of time.

It’s important to be tech-savvy when traveling with kids.

Trust me.

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Whenever we are traveling and appear to be on a long plane ride or a fight seems to be brewing between the kids, our iPhones to save the day.  The applications are stimulating and fun enough to distract my 5 and 7 year old kids from having complete meltdowns when they are bored or having trouble sitting still in the car, in a restaurant or anywhere they have to stay sane.  The iPhone aps are as miraculous an invention as the DVD player for us (another necessity on our travels) and have saved us countless times, particularly on our trips abroad.

There are over 1,000 apps tagged for children in the iTunes app store, and many are free. To sort through the maze of offerings, here are some of my children’s favorites:

• Ice Cream Party ($.99) lets you tilt your screen left or right to sort falling scoops of ice cream.  To win, you avoid catching the vegies.  This is a big hit in my family; at one point, I was also addicted to the game.

• Family Travel Game ($.99) provides fun for everyone in the car with games like: List 5 bugs that might land on your windshield? and Find a green/red sign.

•Mario! (free)  is one of my kid’s favorite Wii/DS Nintendo games this application will give your child a sampling.

•Wheels on the Bus ($.99) is an electric pop-up book.

•iWriteWords ($.99) turns the letters of the alphabet into dot-to-dot puzzles.

•Scribble ($.99), is one of many drawing apps that turn the iPod screen into a tiny easel.

•Bubblewrap (free) is one of many shrink-wrap popping apps.

•Tappy Tunes ($1.99) plays back familiar songs to a beat determined by your child’s finger taps.

•For the musically inclined, MiniPiano (free) is a 14-key keyboard.

•TonePad (free) teaches children how to make music.

There is an abundance of travel apps for adults, too, which we’ve used on our trips — both for planning purposes and when we get there:

•We use Yelp (free) to find places to eat, shop, drink, relax and play.  It also lets you read reviews posted by its readers.

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