Product Review -Listening to my Utah Utes with the Tune In App

Disclosure: I have partnered and was compensated by Life of Dad, LLC and TuneIn for this promotion.

As I mentioned in my blog post last week, I have been using the Tune In app all month to listen to NCAA Basketball. It is a free app, so if you want to check it out download it in iTunes of the Google Play Store. Here are my thoughts, 

Sound 5/5

The sound is great. I didn't run into any audio problems the multiple times I used it. I used the app while connected to WIFI and while in transit on my 4G network. It worked great in every location I tried it. 

Search Feature 4/5

The search feature worked OK, but I found the results it pulled confusing a couple times. It would say something is not available, but "not available" didn't actually mean it wasn't available. It just meant it hadn't happened yet. So when I wanted to schedule future games, I was a bit confused when it said "not available" and then they were. Once you clicked through to the actual result it was clear that the event would broadcast later,

Browsing 5/5

The browsing feature worked really well and helped me find other things I enjoyed other than sports. There are plenty of talk radio channels to explore and they all come in crystal clear. 

Overall 4.8

For a free app, you could do a lot worse and not much better. Download it, give it a shot and let me know what you think! 

An All-In Burger for an All-In Dad

I have partnered with Life of Dad and Applebee’s for this promotion.

My mushroom swiss All-In Burger from @Applebees. And my son. My son is the one that's not a delicious burger. #BurgerSelfie

A photo posted by John Kinnear (@askyourdadblog) on Dec 12, 2014 at 11:36am PST

I don't go lightly into a burger review. I generally don't order burgers when I go out because, honestly I rarely find anything better than I can make at home. So when Applebee's sent me a gift card and asked me to bring my family in to try their new All-In burgers, I was somewhat skeptical, which honestly, is the best way to go into a burger meal. Low expectations are easily met. Mine were exceeded, and not just by the burger.

Taking kids to restaurants can be hard. I know. I have kids. I have also been a server. I've written about this topic before. I hadn't been to Applebees since having kids. The first thing I noticed when we walked in was that the hostess got down on my kids level and thanked them for coming. That was really cool, and it set the tone for the whole dinner. The kids food came first. Their waters were always filled. The hostess sat us in an area with other families, so when the kids got a little loud I didn't have to stress out. It was a really nice all around experience.

A photo posted by John Kinnear (@askyourdadblog) on Dec 12, 2014 at 11:27am PST

Now on to the burger. I apologize that my photos don't do it justice. It was surprisingly good. The bun was soft and not dry at all. The burger, which had mushrooms inside of it, was tender, tasty, and moist. I ate the whole thing... and my onion rings... and a chocolate shake.

The whole experience was really fun, and I think my Applebees hiatus is over. Next time we're looking for a family restaurant that puts kids first, we'll be back.

A photo posted by John Kinnear (@askyourdadblog) on Dec 12, 2014 at 11:29am PST

If you go to Applebees, be sure to take a #BurgerSelfie and visit their site to share it.

Listening to My Utes with the Tune in App

I have partnered and was compensated by Life of Dad, LLC and TuneIn for this promotion.

Life of Dad reached out to me on behalf of the Tune In app to see if I wanted to give it a shot. Tune in is an Internet Radio app that lets me listen for free to all sorts of great music, sports and pod casts. The part that piqued my interest was the sports.

I've always been a University of Utah fan. I grew up going to Utah football and basketball games. My first date was to a Runnin Utes game. After becoming a parent, getting out to the games was difficult. We tried a couple times to bring our tiny humans to the giant stadium, but we were never able to make it through a whole game. Babysitters were an option, but as most parents know, your babysitter options tend to go down after the first year. So I have been limited in how I have been able to watch my favorite team.

I don't do a ton of reviews, but this one was one that really fit with where I am in my life right now. I miss watching and listening to games, but not as much as I enjoy hanging out with my kids. The pitch was that with Tune In I could do both. So for the month of December I've been giving it a try. I will have a full review of the app next week, but for now I can tell you that it was super easy to download and has been working great.

Also here are some adorable pictures of my family in their Utes gear!