GeekSugar

Geek Out Roundup: Your First Cell Phone!

GeekSugar — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 11:00:04 PDT

Last week I asked all of you to geek out and share your very first cell phone as a way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the mobile phone. It was actually glam sugar's idea, so I have to give her a little shout out for initiating the idea, which ended up being a real exercise in jumbo gadgetry.

I have to make a special note of verily's Motorola MicroTAC, which has all the best "first cell phone qualities." Yes, it was a flip phone, but it was also large and in charge.

"My first phone was a hand-me-down from my dad, who needed a cell phone for his job," says verily. "This was considered a revolutionary phone because it was a "small" flip phone instead of the giant bricks that preceded it. I have an iPhone now, so I've definitely come a long way!" Oh yes my fellow iPhoner, you sure have!

To check out other people's first cell phones, scroll through the widget below.

Geek Out: Find Your First Cell Phone!

GeekSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:00:49 PDT

This week marked the 20th anniversary of the mobile phone and glam sugar had the fantastic idea that we should all share our first cell phone.

While I sadly can't recall or find a photo of my first cell phone, it was a chunky Nokia that looked a bit like the one at right. It was at least twice the thickness of the iPhone and housed a humongous battery. Chic or not, I loved it. It was an extreme upgrade from my pager (yes, I had a pager!) and meant I had a new kind of freedom and accessibility.

Do you remember the make and model of your first cell phone? Share it with us by finding a picture of it on the web and bookmarking it on TeamSugar. Make sure to tag your finds with "my first cell phone" and tell me why you bought it and what you liked about it. Then check back to geeksugar next week to see if I featured your picks.

To learn what Geek Gear is and how to bookmark your finds on our site, click here. To see some of my favorite online stores,

Amazon
Apple Store
Best Buy
eLuxury
Etsy
Firebox
Sony Style
Target
Think Geek

Share Your Food Photos on YumSugar

Susannah Chen — Sat, 26 May 2012 03:24:28 PDT

Have you cooked, eaten, or spotted something mouthwatering recently? If so, then don't let anything hold you back from sharing it with the rest of us: we want to feast with our eyes too. On a recent trip to Chicago, I hit up one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, Big Star, for some south-of-the-border sustenance and wound up ordering their queso fundido, a platter of melted, pungent, cheesy goodness.

Are you ready to share? We've got a group called Savory Sights, where you can upload mouthwatering images of foods and drinks you've made, consumed, or simply salivated over. Start showing us your photos now. There are lots of ways to participate, so read on to learn more.

"I Snooped and Found Something . . . Now What?"

Tres Community — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

I'll try my best to make this short. I really appreciate any and all advice here, I am so stumped on what to do.

My boyfriend and I have been together for about three months now. I'm 24 he is 28. We met at work, and were not really friends before we started dating. So basically I have some trust issues because I don't really know much about his dating life before we got together, other than the fact that he was kind of a player.

We have an interesting relationship. Most of the time we are great, have a good time together. He told me he loved me first, probably about two months in. That was a big deal for him because he had only said it to one girl before, and they dated for five years.

A couple weeks ago we had a bad string of fights about all sorts of things, but the past couple weeks have been great with no problems.

I'm not really sure how much of this back story is relevant, but there it is anyway lol.

So back to my trust issues.... I snooped in his phone last night because I just had a bad feeling. I know it's totally wrong and an invasion of privacy, but I couldn't help it. Anyways, I found something. A text conversation between him and another girl from last Saturday late night / Sunday afternoon.

This conversation happened when he was away at a bachelor party all weekend on a boat with a bunch of guys. I was under the impression that he didn't have cell phone service out there, so seeing that he was talking to anyone was kind of a shock, because I didn't hear from him until Monday, only one little text on Saturday.

He initiated the convo, asking for her to send him a video. She responded that her boyfriend probably wouldn't like the type of video he was trying to get her to send. He then asked her for a picture of her boobs the next afternoon. Thankfully she didn't send one. The whole convo was only around 10 texts, and in it he also made a comment implying that he didn't have a girlfriend.

I don't want to be conceited, but I'm an attractive girl. This girl he was talking to is really not that pretty and also pretty white trash.

Also I'm not a prude, we have a great sex life and see each other all the time, so it's not like he's missing anything in that department. I had actually sent him a naked picture two days before this, so why would he go asking another girl for the same thing?

I'm so confused. I really don't know what to do in this situation, so please if anyone has been there, let me know how you handled it. I really want to trust him deep down, and don't think he's actually cheating on me, but this is definitely not ok behavior. What do I do?

Thanks for any help!

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

A Reader Shares Why She Loves Running in the Rain

Fit Community — Thu, 17 May 2012 03:05:25 PDT

Don't let the elements stop you! OnSugar blogger egilbride shares her thoughts on why she loves running in the rain in her blog, Ready to Run.

Today I went for a run . . . in the rain. I know most people HATE running in the rain, but sometimes I prefer it to running on a sunny day. Take my Rock n Roll Half-Marathon (did I mention it was my first half-marathon EVER?!) that I ran last August. I may sound a little extreme when I say this, but it was literally like a monsoon. And I loved every minute of it! If I had been running in 90-degree weather in the city in August, I'm not sure I would have finished. But running a half-marathon in the rain was . . . refreshing. Other than causing me to wait in line for the porta-potty a couple of times, the constant downpour didn't have much of an adverse effect on me.

Then today, I went for a run . . . and it was amazing. I left my cell phone at home (see my last post reviewing my armband), which meant no GPS and no way to track my time, other than by using my iPod nano, which was set for the wrong time. It was just me, the road, and the rain. And what did I accomplish? A lot! Since I didn't have my phone telling me when I hit each mile and what my time was, I wasn't as worried about speeding up my pace at every mile to hit my goal time. But instead, I reached another "goal," which was to run my entire "course" - which includes running around my ENTIRE hilly block, including one the size of Grendall - twice! And I felt great! It may seem like a small feat to some, but that 2.62 miles (it's just a guess) was the best accomplishment I've made since I started running again! Here's to more victories to come in the future!

Do you like running in the rain? Share your own thoughts on outdoor running below. Start your own OnSugar blog and we might feature your posts on our homepage.

Share Your Food Photos With Us!

Camilla Salem — Sat, 05 May 2012 09:15:53 PDT

We want to know what you are growing, cooking, eating, and sipping! Take this crepe breakfast I recently shared as an example. Every so often, my family gets together for a feast of North African crepes topped with fresh fruit, sliced almonds, and honey (optional: leftover Easter candy). It's delicious and one of my favorite traditions. Share your own great photos of your food traditions and experiences in our Savory Sights community group. To find out more information, just read on.

5 Reasons to Use Google Voice

Kristy Korcz — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 10:30:04 PDT

A lot of you guys have signed up for a Google Voice account, but I've heard a lot of people say they weren't entirely sure what the fuss was all about. If you're considering an account (or an invite) but aren't sure what you'd use it for, check out my favorite reasons for using Google Voice below.

A phone number you'll have forever, but other people won't - Your Google Voice number is one you'll keep forever (at least until we communicate mentally), but it's one you can give out freely without being leery about the person you're giving it to. Suggestions for this include using it for Craigslist transactions (because you don't always know who you're dealing with) and people you meet but aren't sure they're not total freaks. If they turn out to be weird, you can easily block them.
It's all online - You manage everything online with Google Voice, so you'll never go through some confusing automated menu. Manage all your settings, check out your visual voicemail and download messages as MP3s, and read voicemail transcripts, so you don't have to put a phone to your ear if you don't want to.
Ring more than one phone - If you have a bad habit of not hearing your cell phone or you don't want to pick up your cell for whatever reason, you can also set the number to ring your house line, your friend's phone, or the phone at the hotel you're staying at.
Best call screening ever - You can set up Voice to make callers say their first and last name before you answer; you can set it to identify all unknown callers or just blocked callers.
Custom greetings - Your outgoing voicemail greeting is rarely one-size-fits-all. You can set up custom voicemail greetings for groups if, for instance, you're applying for jobs and want a very formal greeting, but a casual one for everyone else.

11 Things You Need to Throw Away

Emily Co — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:05:07 PST

The first step to taking care of yourself and de-stressing is to make sure that your environment is in order. Seeing your house full of clutter can affect your mood negatively and make your personal space seem like a place you want to escape from, rather than something to look forward to coming home to. Organize a "throwing out" day every month to make sure that you don't have clutter building up. Here are some things you should consider purging from your home:

Old magazines. Get rid of old magazines you have lying around because chances are, you aren't going to read them again. Find places where you can donate your magazines to such as child care centers, doctor's offices, nail salons, nursing homes, and libraries. If there's an article that really speaks to you, scan a digital image of it and keep it in your computer. Or keep a folder of magazine clippings if you like saving magazine articles.
Receipts, bills, and documents. Throw away receipts for items that you aren't planning on returning, and ones that you won't need to use come tax time. If you're wary of throwing away receipts, you can make a digital copy of them with a basic scanner, a pricey specialized receipt scanner ($174), or a smartphone app ($2). See here for a full list of documents you should keep forever or temporarily.
Clothes. Use the two-year-rule for clothes - get rid of apparel that you haven't worn in two years. Sell them to a thrift store (find a thrift store at thethriftshopper.com) or donate them to the needy.
Books. Go through your bookshelf and gather together books you haven't touched in months and ones that you aren't planning on rereading. Be realistic and make sure you're ruthless. If you haven't touched it in a year, you're most likely not going to read it again. Sell the books on Amazon, Craigslist, or eBay. You can even trade them for something else on swap.com. You can always donate them as well!
Medicine and vitamins. Take a look at your medicine closet and clear out drugs that have expired, medicine that has sat on your shelf for too long, or ones that you no longer use. First, check to see what the proper disposal methods are for the medication, and if you can't find any, check to see if your community has a drug take-back program. If there isn't a program near you, then the FDA advises mixing medicine with "used coffee grounds or kitty litter" in a container or sealable bag before throwing it away to make the drugs less appealing.

For more things to throw away, read on.

Jonathan Adler Transforms Taboo Topics Into Groovy Style Statements

CasaSugar — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:16:48 PST

Interior designer, potter, and color-enthusiast Jonathan Adler takes happy chic to uncharted territory this month with the launch of his new toilet paper roll covers for Cottonelle's Spring collection. The three limited-edition roll cover designs are available online, and at just $2 per cover, practically everyone can afford to stash their spare rolls in Adler's signature style.

We caught up with Adler to chat about his Cottonelle collaboration and so much more! Keep reading to get the skinny on his bathroom must haves, bucket-list mantra, squeaky-clean lifestyle, and why he'll never use the male form in his designs.

Gear Review: Motorola's MotoACTV Fitness Tracker

Leta Shy — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:55:36 PST

Is getting fit one of your New Year's resolutions for the coming year? Whether you're just diving into a new regimen or need a better way to track your workouts, you'll love the new MotoACTV fitness tracker from Motorola.

Released in November, the MotoACTV promises to be your constant fitness companion, and with good reason. It can track calories burned, pace, speed, steps taken, and GPS route out of the box, and holds up to 16 GB of music and workout data. All features that will make anyone's workouts better, so I was happy to test out the 8 GB version that Motorola recently sent over ($250; the 16 GB version goes for $300).

The MotoACTV is slightly bigger than the iPod Nano, and like the Apple product, it has a simple interface making it completely intuitive as soon as you power it on. You can use it as a pedometer, and the home screen shows the time, steps taken, and calories burned for the day. By swiping left and right you can navigate to four more screens with different options. Five tactile buttons and one designated back button on the touch screen work all the main functions, which I appreciated since having easy-to-feel buttons made pausing music or finding my way back to my workout screen much faster than if I were fumbling my way through touch screens. And after entering your height and weight stats, the MotoACTV tracks the amount of calories you burn throughout the day, including your basal metabolic rate. When on the workout screen, you can choose between five styles - running, cycling, walking, elliptical, and step machine - and what type of workout you want (like racing against a previous personal best or setting a time and distance goal). During a workout a pleasant voice keeps you updated on certain milestones and how long you have left in your workout.

Keep reading for more on how the MotoACTV performs.