A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of taking a tour of one of Verizon’s new smart stores. Verizon is starting to roll out these new and improved smart stores that enable you, the consumer, to get up close and personal with their products. Now you can touch and test the different gadgets, phones and tablets you are interested in. In addition to getting to play with all of these fun electronics there are also touch screens at each “zone” that give you all the information you could possibly need about the products and, if there is a wait time to speak with someone, will show you where you fall on the queue.
When you enter the smart store you will be hit with the feeling of coming home. The new store is very cozy. It is also designed with efficiency in mind. The store is broken into “zones”:
- Amplify It – for music on-the-go
- Get Fit – for tracking healthy habits
- Have Fun – for novel tech gadgets
- Home and on the Go – for home automation
While each of the zones is pretty interesting and includes some entertaining gadgets to mess around with, I found a couple of the areas more interesting than others.
I really liked the Home on the Go zone. In this section is full of things to make life at home a luxury. My favorite gadget is called the Nest.
The Nest is a home thermostat. It is programable from an app on your smartphone so you can always have your home the perfect temperature. When you are at work or out and about you can program your thermostat to be the perfect temperature when you arrive home. I love that you can control what is going on inside your home from afar.
On that same note there was also a gadget to control your lights through an app and also a video camera that could be used as a baby monitor or just home monitoring.
Another useful gadget that I thought you all would like is called Tagg. I don’t have a pet, but I know many of you do so I wanted to tell you about this amazing pet tracker. The Tagg simply clips onto your pet’s collar so you can track its movements. You can set up zones for your pet so you will be alerted if your pet leaves those zones. I think this is a great system especially for some pets that have a very curious nature.
My other favorite zone was “Have Fun”. There were a lot of fun tech toys here. What I liked most about this zone was that the toys were great for small children. Mr. Pencil from Leap Frog has an app that helps children learn to write. I would LOVE to own this because I think it would really get my 4 year old interested in writing. There was also a fun camera meant for small children in this section along with a lot of other things. I really appreciate that Verizon has tech toys for the young and young at heart.
At the moment there are only about 100 smart stores scattered throughout the country. Kansas City was lucky to get one of them. More will be popping up soon. If you happen to live near one, it is definitely worth it to head over and take a tour. I am sure the friendly sales associates would be more than happy to show you around .
What is your favorite tech toy? What zone do you think would be your favorite?
Donna Hup says
First, I love Verizon. We are totally happy with it, but I had no clue about all these new apps and gadgets! I’m going to look for a smart store near me! Thanks for sharing.
Diane Holland says
Oh wow! I would love that gadget to control the lights! I didn’t even know some this existed!
Sherryl @ Simply Sherryl says
I enjoy looking at all the gadgets and new phones. Still waiting on the release of a 10 inch tablet that is also a phone so I don’t have to carry more than one device.
Jenni @ Sweet Pennies from Heaven says
I think it’s awesome how Verizon is stretching out into all these new technological products. I’m always excited to see what they come up with next.
rachelle jones says
What a great idea for a store! I always want to play with the new stuff that comes out before making a decision on what to buy! I can’t wait until they have a store like this in my area!
shaan says
Glad to read this post. There is no doubt that today’s technology has made our life easier and faster. Technology is being used everywhere, whether in home, offices, shopping malls, schools, scientific purpose etc.
When we talk about home, with the help of a smartphone, apps and a computer you can monitor your home appliances, no matter where you are. Here, I have gained much information about the new technology used at home.
Thanks for sharing this post with us.