Signing up for Walgreens Balance Rewards is easy, just visit the Walgreens website and click on the “Join Now” button. If you already have a Walgreens.com account you sign in with that otherwise you just create a new account and you are all set.

Here is the breakdown of how the #BalanceRewards are going to work.

After I signed up online I downloaded the Walgreens App to my Android phone so that I could see how the app makes my shopping trip even easier. You can use the app to request refills on your medications just by using the scanner in the app to scan the barcode on your prescription, I wish the pharmacy I have my prescriptions at included that option!

You can also use the app to order prints from pictures you take with you phone or from Facebook. I used the app to order 2 pictures of my puppy, Mushu and one of me with Rene Syler that we took after dinner one night in Charlotte at Type-A.

It was easy to use the app to upload my photos to be printed and they were ready in about an hour.

I plan all of my shopping trips ahead of time so I know what I am going to buy and which coupons I am going to use. I was excited to see that there are a few mobile coupons on the Walgreens app. I planned on buying the 6 pack of Reese’s candy bars and using the $1 off coupon but…they were sold out of the candy bars when we went shopping. I also used the weekly ad, located in the app to create my final shopping list. This interface was a bit clunky. You can view each page of the ad but then you need to click to list view to see each individual item and there is where you can click on the item to add it to your shopping list.

After creating my shopping list on the app and clipping my coupons, my husband and I headed to Walgreens to pick up our photos and purchase the items on our list.

As we entered Walgreens I was expecting to be bombarded with signage and information about the new Balance Rewards program…but there were none! There was this sign about the app though.

I was looking forward to using the store map feature in the Walgreens app to help me find the items on my list more swiftly but, I had such bad cell service in the store I wasn’t able to try that feature out. I did purchase most of the items on my list and I picked up my photos from the photo department before we checked out. At check out was another opportunity to be introduced to the Balance Rewards program but again there was no signage and the cashier didn’t mention it to us.

I took a lot more pictures during this project so please check out my slideshow, it goes into much more detail than I could in this post.

You can stay up to date with everything going on with the Balance Rewards program by following Walgreens on Facebook and on Twitter. You can also check out the #BalanceRewards and #cbias hashtags on Twitter. Please share this post with your friends, it would be awesome if a MomMaven reader won 1 million points!!

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and Walgreens  #CBias #SocialFabric all opinions are 100% mine.

The post Walgreens Balance Rewards #CBias appeared first on The Mom Maven.

We started our research on the Motorola website, a great place to get all the specs and info about the phone. The Bionic is an Android phone that has a dual-core 1 GHz processor and runs on the Verizon 4G LTE network. As far as memory goes it has 16 GB on board; 16 GB microSD card pre-installed and it supports up to 32 GB microSD.  Bionic’s camera shoots stills in 8 megapixels. Flip the switch to video capture and record in 1080p HD. The camera is an important feature because my son is always uploading photos to Facebook. The Bionic also has a front facing camera so you can video chat with your friends and family.

As far as apps and accessories go the coolest thing about the Bionic is that it is ZumoCast enabled.You can now take the contents of your PC with you anywhere, anytime – without smartphone syncs and without wasting time uploading all your files. No more worrying about memory. ZumoCast by Motorola enables you to stream content directly to your smartphone. With ZumoCast, you can watch videos, look at family photos or listen to music — straight from your computer. Work on spreadsheets or presentations even if you aren’t near your computer, as there’s always the option to save files directly to your phone. Pair the amazing technology of ZumoCast with a lapdock and you won’t even need to bring your laptop with you when you travel. This is awesome technology.

Once we completed our online research, we headed to the Verizon store see the Bionic in person. We like the feel of the Bionic. It feels sturdy and well made. The 4.3-in.; qHD (960 x 540) display is clear and bright. We watched some YouTube videos and took some pictures with the 8mp camera. When the salesman talked to us he was trying to get us to look at other phones, the one that there were banners up all over the store advertising. We did give in and play with the other phone for a few minutes and when he came back to ask us what we thought my son said, “It feels cheaply made and too thin. This phone will break too easily and isn’t the phone for me.” I assured the salesman we were not going to make a purchase today and he quickly left us alone-the joys of commission based sales. The Motorola Bionic costs $249.00 with a 2yr contract and if you order  your Motorola Bionic from my link you get free 2 day shipping!

Is the Motorola bionic the phone for my son? I don’t think so. I think it might be too much phone for him but it would be great for me. Is it the phone for you? Let me know if the Bionic is on your short list for a new phone. Check out all the photos from our research in this slideshow.

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias all opinions are 100% my own.

The post Holiday Guide 2011-Gifts for Gadget Lovers-Motorola Bionic #MotoCalyp appeared first on The Mom Maven.

To start my Xoom research I first went to the Motorola website to check out the specs om the Xoom. The Xoom is 9.8 x 6.6 x .5 inches (H x W x D), nice and thin, yet comfortable to hold-at least it seems comfortable to hold while tethered to the display at the Verizon store. The display size is 10.1-in.; WXGA (1280x 800 pixels; 150 pixels / inch), HD 720p. My phone is an Android and so is the Xoom so that is a platform I am already comfortable with. Since I am a Gmail user I love that the Google services are all integrated into the tablet making it easy for me to set up.

Google Talk

The Xoom has front and rear facing cameras so using Google Talk to video chat is a breeze. You can even record video in 720p! The memory on the Xoom is great, it has up to 32GB on on board memory for $499.99. According to the Motorola website you can get a WIFI on Xoom or a 4GLTE version whichever suits your needs best.

Enough of the online research, it was time to play with the Motorola Xoom. I headed into town to the Verizon Wireless store for some hands-on time with the Xoom.

At the Verizon store I was shown to the tablet display by Marcos. I told him I was there to learn more about the Xoom and to play with it for a bit. The first thing I noticed was that both Xoom’s that were on display were the 4G LTE models. I asked Marcos about the WIFI only model and he informed me that they had been discontinued. He said “You wouldn’t have wanted that anyway because it cost $699 and the 4G LTE model is only $499.” I responded”Bbut with the 4G model I’d need a data plan of at least $30/month so in 7 months the 4G LTE model will cost me more than the WIFI model.” He said, “Well that’s one way to look at it but I’m sure you’d want the 4G LTE model anyway.” Not a great salesman Marcos left me alone for a while and I checked out the Motorola Xoom on my own. I played with the camera, visited a few websites, watched a YouTube video and even read a few pages from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
I left the Verizon store a bit bummed because I think I’d be perfectly happy with the WIFI Xoom. When I arrived home I went back online to see if I could still get the WIFI Xoom online. The Verizon Wireless website has no mention of the WIFI Xoom but it is still available on the Motorola website.

IF I were to buy a Motorola Xoom for myself for Christmas I would order it directly from Motorola so I could get the WIFI version AND FREE  2 day shipping with the Buy Now & Get Free 2-day Shipping promotion. Unfortunately, unless a miracle happens, I won’t be getting a tablet this Christmas. How about you? Is a tablet on your Christmas shopping list…or is it on your wishlist? Leave me a comment and let me know. If you want to see my photo essay of my research just click the link to see it.

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions are 100% my own.

The post Dreaming of a Xoom for Christmas #motocalyp appeared first on The Mom Maven.