Gadgets & Electronics Archives | While He Was Napping

May 16, 2017 by Krista

The 5 Best Puzzle Games You’ll Love to get Lost in

Hi and welcome! I’m so glad you stopped by today! You’re busy and your brain is full of appointments, errands, grocery lists, meetings and all of life’s happenings. You depend on your phone to keep you organized and on top of everything, right? But, during those brief moments when you find yourself waiting somewhere or before you put your phone away for the night, how do you spend your time? Checking your email? On social media? Watching videos? My go-to are good puzzle games.

Something about disconnecting from social media, leaving work behind and giving my little brain cells a challenge is the perfect way for me to take 10 minutes for myself. I can shut out all the noise and just focus on the problem at hand. That brief disconnect doing something just for me helps me come back ready to tackle whatever is next on my agenda. These apps are some of my favorite ways to spend those brief 10 minute breaks and leave me feeling ready to jump back into life.

WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE TIME TO PLAY PUZZLE GAMES

You might be thinking you don’t have time to play games. You’re an adult, after all, with adult responsibilities and obligations. No time for games. I get that. I have kids to care for, errands to run, meetings to attend, work to complete. But, allowing ourselves some down time will ultimately make us happier, healthier people. That’s right, I’m saying it. Playing games can make you healthier.

Think about how much time you spend on social media. How do you feel after you get off Facebook? Did you find anything you’ll actually, really try on Pinterest? Or was it just a mindless 10 minutes of pretty pictures and projects you know you’ll never think seriously about? Maybe you could find a few less minutes to spend on social media and a few more minutes to spend challenging yourself. I know I could.

Puzzle games let you leave the politics, the world problems and the stress behind, even if for just a few minutes. Puzzle games give you a solvable problem to focus on and then leave you to your own reasoning and intellect to figure it out. Puzzle games are similar to imaginative play for children. It’s a creative outlet that, when explored, can help us be more productive in other aspects of our lives. Even as adults, we need to practice problem solving to be any good at it.

FINDING THE BEST PUZZLE GAMES FOR YOU

This list includes a lot of different kind of puzzle games. Not every puzzle game is great for every person. Math is not my strong suit and, while I enjoy the occasional Sodoku game, I don’t typically enjoy games that require a lot of numerical calculating. But word puzzles, those are my jam. Some of the types of puzzle games included in this list are:

number games
word games
quick reaction games
escape games
physics-based games
mystery games

There is bound to be a game you’ll love. Maybe even two or three… or five. Some of these games are great while I’m waiting at the doctor’s office or in the pickup line after school. While some are better for when I’m standing in line at the grocery store. And yet others are better when I’m winding down for bed. Figure out what works best for you!

THE 10 BEST PUZZLE GAMES YOU’LL LOVE TO GET LOST IN

Some of the links included in this list are affiliate links and are for your benefit. Some of these apps are free or may include in-app purchases. If you choose to purchase any apps through these links, I will receive a small portion of your payment. Your cost does not increase in any way and purchases made through these affiliate links help me keep this site running. These are puzzle games my family uses and I personally recommend.

LITTLE ALCHEMY

In Little Alchemy, you start with the four basic elements: earth, fire, wind, and water. By combining the elements together, you can create new products. There are over 500 new elements that span from bacteria and algae to vampires, skyscrapers and more. This game requires some critical and creative thinking – and maybe a google search when you get a few hundred elements in and can’t figure out your next combination. This is one even older children and teens can enjoy. I like to play it with my almost 8-year-old; some times he comes up with combinations I would never have thought of.

GEM MINER: DIG DEEPER

This is a strategy game. You are a miner and your goal is to mine ore, minerals and fossils and then trade them in for money. You can use the money you earn to buy bigger and better mining equipment that will help you get deeper into the mine. I enjoy that no matter how many times I play this game, it’s never the same. This is another game that older kids and teens can enjoy as well. Game play is easy to learn, fun and engaging.

Heads Up! This exact game isn’t in the App Store, but I’ve linked to one that’s similar and supposed to be really good – although, I’ve never played it personally.

Best Puzzle Games for Mobile Devices - Gem Miner Dig Deeper

THE ROOM

The Room is an escape game with a bit of mystery game mixed in too. You are transported to and then trapped in a room. You must find clues, solve puzzles and figure out how to get yourself out. What I really love about this game is that it can be as difficult as you make it. There are optional hints you can receive if you get stuck, which helps me keep game play moving enough that I don’t get frustrated and bored. The stories included with the game are a bit wild, but that’s part of the fun. There are currently three editions of The Room, each even better than the last. I’m currently working my way through the last one and it’s just as enthralling as the first one was – totally worth the cost. And the graphics, they are absolutely amazing. This game is hard to put down.

Best Puzzle Games for Mobile Devices - The Room

WHERE’S MY WATER 2

This physics puzzler is great for all ages, even my 3 year old can play well enough to enjoy it. The second edition of this game is definitely worth the memory space. I love that each level has three different ways to play. You can play just one or all of them. The added challenge of reversing gravity or avoiding the ducks instead of collecting them makes each level extra gratifying. This one is perfect for both quick or extended game play and the characters are fun.

WORD MIX

The beauty of this game is in the simplicity. It’s a basic word unscrambling game. You have 5 letters and 60 seconds. Your objective it to find as many words with those letters as you can. Words must be at least three letters long and nouns are not eligible. Each set of letters will make at least one 5-letter word. Figure out a 5-letter word and you get to advance to the next level. Each word you correctly guess earns points on your score. You can also earn bonuses, such as super hint, extra time and a second try. Rack up as many points as you can before that 5-letter word eludes you and you have to start back at zero.

Heads Up! The App Store doesn’t have the exact game, but I found a similar one for you.

DISNEY EMOJI BLITZ

If you love the match 3 games, then this is definitely a game to try out. Between the lovable characters and the friendly competition on the leader boards, this game is addicting. Earn emojis that you can actually use on your mobile device. I picked up this game in December when I saw my kids playing it, thinking that these emojis would be great for our trip to Disneyland in January. Here it is May, and I still play just about every day. I love the timed game play and the demand on my full attention for 60 seconds. Game play is simple and easy to learn, but there are ample options. You can earn bonuses (extra lives, extra spins on the prize wheel) by watching ads. The ads are annoying (turn the sound off), but they are all family-friendly and most are 30 seconds or less.

ROUTER AQUA

This is a fun puzzle game. Game play is simple and easy to learn, but the puzzles can be quite complex. You start each level with a set of dots, two of each color. Your objective is to draw a solid line, connecting the dots of the same color. Your lines can not cross each other and you are trying to do it in the shortest line length possible. I enjoy this one when I’m waiting for just a few minutes.

Heads Up! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find this one, or a similar one, in the App Store.

PAPER.IO

This is an arcade-style game, but there’s an element of strategy in there too. I’ll admit, I’m awful at this game… but it’s still fun! Your objective is to occupy as much space as you can with your designated color. You can travel away from your “home” to collect more space, but if you are run into while you’re out it’s game over. If you do the running into, however, the other player dies and their space opens up. If competition is your thing, this is definitely one to try out.

Heads up! I believe there is a free version, but it is loaded with terrible, annoying ads and I definitely think it’s worth the upgrade to get rid of them. Also, this game is not available from the Amazon Apps Store

DOTS: A GAME ABOUT CONNECTING

This game is simple, easy to learn, and fun to play. Basic game play is entertaining, but completing the challenges and earning the badges adds a new element to the game. Your objective is to connect as many like-colored dots as you can. Connect dots in a square to score extra points. The game has three modes: timed for quick action play, moves for thought-out, strategic play and endless for relaxed play. You collect all the dots you connect and those can be used to get power-ups. Initial download is free, but there are in-app purchases available.

PLAGUE INC.

This is a simulation game wherein the choices you make will lead to your success or demise. You are trying to infect the world with your newly developed pathogen. Choose where patient zero is located and mutate your pathogen to spread quickly throughout all the world. You’ll also evolve the symptoms and side effects of your disease and as the seriousness increases so does the world’s efforts to eradicate the germ. Can you effectively infect the world’s population before the world’s scientists develop a cure? This game is engaging and replay value is great. No matter how many time you play, it’s a new game each time.

YOUR TIME IN FRONT OF A SCREEN CAN BE GOOD FOR YOU

It’s no secret that we are a technology addicted society that often spends more time immersed in digital life than in our real lives. While connecting to others is a wonderful thing, being constantly connected can do more harm than good. How would things change if you used a little bit of your screen time to disconnect instead being constantly connected to everyone all of the time? Would you be more relaxed? Less stressed? Happier? Take a break and find out what a little time away could do for you.

Share your favorite puzzle games in the comments. If you struggle with getting good sleep, click that next button to check out 3 apps that will help you sleep better.

April 20, 2017 by Krista

3 Sleep Apps that will have you Sleeping like a Baby

Hi there and welcome! Thanks for stopping by today. Do you struggle with getting enough sleep? Is restful sleep just always out of reach? Are you up with kids during the night and the sleep you do get is anything but rejuvenating? There’s a way to change that. You can get the restful, rejuvenating sleep you so desperately need. And the answer is simpler than you might think. No medication, no supplements. Just a calm, peaceful, rested mind and body. These 3 sleep apps can help you attain the rest you need to conquer your days… and nights.

CAN YOU FALL ASLEEP QUICKLY AND REST DEEPLY WITH SLEEP APPS?

Are your days long and exhausting and your nights restless and leave you more tired than you were the day before? What would you give for just one night of restful, rejuvenating sleep? Would you dedicate 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes? Imagine a night where you crawl into bed. Your head presses into the pillow, the fabric soft against your face. Your mind is calm. Your body relaxed. Your eyelids close. And you sleep. When you wake, you are rested and ready for whatever woke you.

I’ve spent years with an erratic sleep pattern. Whether it’s crying babies, upset toddlers, sick kids, a snoring husband, a mind that just won’t quit or insomnia. I’ve woken up so many mornings wondering why I even bothered with sleep. I’ve tried it all – medication, supplements, oils, routines, meditation. I know how frustrating and exhausting it is.

But, that’s in the past now.

ARE SLEEP APPS YOUR ANSWER?

After I spent hundreds of hours researching sleep and sleep patterns, talking to my doctor, trying supplements, essential oils, and anything else I could possibly think to try, I was still exhausted.

Are your days long and your nights longer?
Are you awake multiple times a night?
Is it hard to shut your mind off when you climb into bed?
Do you get up in the morning, feeling even more tired than when you went to sleep?

If any of that describes you, then you need this. I can’t promise your results will be as awesome as mine have been, but I’ve been desperate too, and I promise it won’t hurt to try. I had to experiment and adjust things until I found the right balance for me. But, it’s totally worth it!

THE SLEEP APPS THAT WILL HELP YOU WAKE UP REJUVENATED AND READY TO FACE THE DAY

Our world is full of technology. My husband is a gadget guy and we like our electronics. I read about leaving the electronics in another room, about the harm blue light can do to your sleep cycles, and how technology is bad, bad, bad for sleep.

But, I figured if I wasn’t going to sleep anyway, I might as well have something to distract me from all the sleeping I wasn’t doing. One night, after I’d been up with my youngest and couldn’t fall back asleep, I was browsing the Google Play Store and found some sleep apps I decided to try. It changed everything.

HEADSPACE – GUIDED MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS

Headspace helps me shut things down. This app has so many layers, but the sleeping sessions are gold for me. It’s guided meditation that helps you relax your body, focus your mind and helps shut down that part of your brain that just won’t quit. There are even separate sessions for kids that have helped my 5 year old wind down when he’s having a hard time with bedtime.

There are sessions that build upon each other, or you can do a single session designed for whatever you need help focusing on.

Is the day just too much and you feel a breakdown coming on? There’s a session for that.
Do you fear flying and you’re waiting in the terminal? There’s a session for that.
Commuting and you’d like to relax before you get home? There’s a session for that.

The sleep sessions are part of the subscription, but you can try the fundamental “take 10” sessions for free. I did a fundamental session one day when I was feeling really scattered and it sold me on trying the full version of Headspace. There are four subscription options: monthly, yearly, two years, and forever. I opted to try it on the monthly subscription for $13, in the chance I didn’t like it. I’ve upgraded to the yearly subscription since.

WHITE NOISE: BACH BY THE SEA

Growing up, I slept with white noise; but, my husband likes it silent. In fact, he pulls the blankets up over his ears to muffle all noise. So, I stopped using white noise when I got married. But, I discovered that I need the white noise to sleep more deeply and restfully. Otherwise, every little creak, whistle of wind, child stirring and that far-away siren snatch me right from slumber.

My white noise of choice is Bach by the Sea. It’s the typical white noise ocean waves, but with beautiful works of Bach over the top. What I love about this is, if my brain hasn’t relaxed quite enough for sleep, I can focus on the music. If I’m already drifting off, I focus on the ocean sounds. I can pretty much fall asleep in less than 2 minutes with this. I just play it on the music player on my phone, but you can download the whole album at the links below. It works great on my kids too.

WAKE UP RIGHT WITH SLEEP CYCLE

I am NOT a morning person. Anything before 9:00 am is really hard for me. This sleep app hasn’t made me love mornings by any means, but it has made them easier. Some day… I hope to get up early before my family so I can get some work done – instead of burning the midnight oil, which doesn’t help my sleep problems.

Sleep Cycle tracks your movement with the accelerometer in your phone while you’re sleeping to wake you while you’re in a light sleep cycle, which is as close as you’ll to get to waking naturally when you have to be up and ready for the day in a timely manner. You just place it on your mattress – I place it near my pillow, not under it – and it’ll track all night. I was a little worried it wouldn’t work well with my memory foam mattress, but it does fine most of the time. And there’s still a snooze option, if you need it. There’s some interesting graphs from all that tracking too.

You can try it free for a month and see if it works for you, after that it’s $30/year. If my alarm clock can wake me up less drowsy and ready to conquer my day, it’s worth $30 to me.

SLEEP APPS THAT WILL HAVE YOU SLEEPING PEACEFULLY AND WAKING REFRESHED

So, just imagine. Tomorrow morning, your eyelids flutter open to a soft, peaceful alarm. You stretch and you’re ready to begin the day. Your mind isn’t hazy, your body feels refreshed. What are you waiting for? It can’t hurt to try; I made sure you could try these sleep apps out before you committed your pennies to it. If it doesn’t work for you, well, at least you know. But, what if it does? What are restful, rejuvenating nights worth to you?

November 3, 2016 by Krista

24 Star Wars Gifts that your favorite Chef needs

The holidays are coming! Do you have your gift list all made out? If your list is anything like mine, there is at least one Star Wars fan on your list. I have four. And those are just the ones that live in my house. There’s another three Star Wars fans on my gift list that don’t live under my roof. One of my wannabe Jedis also loves to cook. I had no idea there were so many awesome Star Wars gadgets for your kitchen. Here’s 24 Star Wars gifts to get your favorite chef.

Click on any image in the collage below and you can find more information about that item. Or use the links below to navigate to the Star Wars gift ideas you like most.

Links in this post maybe affiliate links. I will receive a small portion of any purchase made through these links. Your cost is in no way changed. This is one way I keep this site running. Thank you for your support.

24 STAR WARS GIFTS FOR YOUR FAVORITE CHEF

Which of those galactic gadgets do you want in your kitchen? That tea infuser and the heat activated lightsaber mug are pretty high on my wish list! And that Death Star waffle iron?! Now that would be some pretty awesome waffles to wake up to.

So, which gift would your favorite chef just love to have?

November 2, 2016 by Krista

19 Star Wars Gifts that will get Mom through the day

The holidays are coming up and they will be here before we know it! Are you ready? I’m beginning to compile gift lists for my family and friends so I’ll be ready when those awesome holiday sales hit. If your family is anything like mine, there will be some Star Wars gifts on your list.

I love that Star Wars fandom spans across generations. I love that my niece loves to receive Star Wars gifts just as much and my boys – and her dad – do. And I’ll admit, I love a good Star Wars gift too, even if it’s just because I know my little Jedi-in-training picked it out just for me.

But, are there really awesome Star Wars gifts that Mom would actually want and use? Absolutely! I’ve put together a whole collection of Star Wars gifts that will get mom through her day so you can be sure she will use it and love it! Here’s 19 Star Wars gifts that mom will love and actually use this holiday season.

STAR WARS GIFTS FOR MOM

From day break and that first coffee, what to wear and how to accessorize, all the way to bedtime, these are some awesome gifts that will get mom through her whole day:

I’m pretty certain I need “the force is strong with this mom” t-shirt and those Chewbacca slippers just make me happy. How could you not love to open those gifts this holiday season?! Whether it’s starting the day off with a cup of Keep Calm from Yoda, fighting off gloomy raindrops with a lightsaber umbrella while running errands or ending the night with a wookie keeping toes warm, Star Wars will be there to get mom through the day!

June 30, 2016 by Krista

Does your PC need a FreshStart?

Hey there! Welcome! So glad you’re here today. Can I ask you something? Do you feel like your computer is less than it should be?

Do you have an aging PC?
Is your computer starting to show its age?
Are you near data capacity?
Maybe it’s riddled with bloatware, viruses, or malware?

Guess what?! There’s a simpler, more affordable alternative to shelling out hundreds (or thousands!) of dollars for a new PC or yet another trip to the service center: it’s FreshStart!

What is FreshStart?

It is the perfect alternative to a new, expensive PC purchase. It can make your old PC run like never before. Here’s just what FreshStart can do for you:

Adds years of life to an old PC
Makes an old PC run faster than when you bought it
Adds more data storage
Removes all viruses and malware
Copies all of your data and settings over to a new hard drive
Gives you a FREE 90 days of Norton Security
Turns your old drive into a secure backup drive

All of this done in the comfort of your own home or office—certified technicians will come to you within 30 minutes! Forget about waiting around all day!

Computer problems are so frustrating! With FreshStart, getting your problems fixed is as simple and stress-free as possible.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, trying to fix it yourself can cause even more problems. Dropping your PC at the service center leaves you without a computer for days or weeks. And a stranger has unsupervised access to your data!

Why use FreshStart?

FreshStarting your PC is easy: With one click, one of 10,000 nationwide certified techs will come to you and take care of the rest. After your FreshStart, you’ll have a PC that’s guaranteed virus-free with more storage, and several years more productive lifespan!

FreshStarting your PC is fast: A tech will be onsite to install your FreshStart drive in under 30 minutes, and the full process takes about an hour (depending on the amount of data you have). No more dropping off your PC at the service center and being without a computer for days!

FreshStarting your PC offers unmatched privacy and security: No internet downloads, and no strangers can access your data during this service.

FreshStarting your PC is affordable: A laptop service bundle is $168, and a desktop bundle is $178—both of which are a fraction of the cost of a new PC. If you feel comfortable with following a YouTube hard drive replacement video, the DIY kit is available on NewEgg and Amazon starting at just $89!

FreshStarting your PC is eco-friendly: Keeping your old computer a little longer means cutting down on waste. Save some money and help the environment when you FreshStart your PC.

FreshStarting your PC supports your community: FreshStart kits are assembled by Chimes, a charitable organization. They provide training and employment opportunities for adults with disabilities. All service providers are local contractors in your area, so all FreshStart services performed will directly support the independent technicians in your community.

Will FreshStart work for you?

There are some requirements your PC needs to meet in order for FreshStart to work. Do a quick run down this checklist to see if your PC qualifies for a FreshStart:

Can power on and boot to Windows
Must be a laptop or desktop PC, sorry no tablets
For Windows 7 users, the license key sticker must be legible to be able to get the free upgrade to Windows 10
Must be less than 10 years old

What are you waiting for?

If you feel like you’re stuck between a dying PC and a new purchase, try FreshStart. FreshStart is 100% satisfaction guaranteed, so if you’re not happy, just return the kit within 30 days for a full refund.