So it’s been just about a month since I received the Windows 8X by HTC and like I have said over and over it’s the best phone that I have ever owned.

One of my favorite features is the live tiles.  These are tiles that update automatically without me having to go into the app if I choose not to.  The two live tiles that I use the most are my weather app and a contact page that I have setup for Melinda.  The live tile for Melinda will update when she posts to Facebook or if she texts me which allows me to see what she’s up to without me having to open the actual app.  These are two tiles that I look at many times throughout the day on a daily basis.

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, HTC.

I find myself discovering new apps and new features every single day.  I play with this phone a lot more than I ever have any other phone.  The main reason is I told myself and Melinda that I was going to make an effort to learn the ins and outs of the phone which is something I have never done in the past.  I am doing pretty well so far but I am sure I still have a ways to go.  I am not trying to learn and use every single feature of the phone but I would like to use it for everything I need to do during the day like Facebook, Twitter and commenting on blogs.  I feel the Windows 8X by HTC is so much more than a phone which allows me to leave more a more gadgets at home these days.  I no longer need to take my laptop or camera because my phone has replaced both of those items.

I never leave the house without my phone and if I did it wouldn’t matter how far I was from my house because I would need to go back home to get it.  My phone is my connection to family, friends and the world, LOL.  I would feel naked and lost without my phone plus my phone always seems to be attached to my hand anyway so I am not sure that I would ever leave it behind.

I am very grateful and happy that I was selected to be a part of this program because the Windows 8X by HTC totally rocks!

How do you feel about your phone? Do you love it like I do my phone?

I was provided with the Windows 8X by HTC but ALL pinions are based on my own experiences. #Troop8X #HTC8 

Melinda and I will be married 12 years this July and we have a song just like high school teenagers, LOL.  I am not sure if other couples have a song or if we are the only dorks who do but ours is Hanging By A Moment by Lifehouse.  Every time I hear this song it instantly makes me think of Melinda no matter what I am doing.

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I can remember when the song came out back in 2000/2001 and Melinda and I both liking it so much we deemed it “Our Song.” You don’t hear it on the radio as much as you used to but it has been on my playlist since 2001 and is currently on my Windows 8X by HTC playlist.  I listen to it about once a month and I still like it 12 years later just as much as the day I first heard it.

Today I mentioned to Melinda that I was going to be writing a post about a song I share with someone special (meaning her) and she asked if I was writing about sugar booger sugar booger.  That is a hit song that Shae and I are working on and the only line we have so far is sugar booger sugar booger what do you taste like.  It’s more of a spoken song to the tune of the book Brown Bear Brown Bear.  Don’t ask me where this crap comes from because I can’t give a good answer other than I am a demented individual.

Do you and your significant other have a song or are Melinda and I the only ones?

I was provided with the Windows 8X by HTC but ALL pinions are based on my own experiences. #Troop8X #HTC8 

So you know that I received the Windows 8X by HTC about two weeks ago and so far I am really enjoying my new phone.  I typically hate every phone that I get for one reason or another.  Maybe the battery life stinks or I can’t customize it like I would like but that isn’t the case with my new phone.

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I haven’t really tested the battery life but I am guessing I get maybe 8-10 hours of usage but I am a heavy user and am always either on my phone or checking it.  I am sure people who aren’t neurotic like myself probably could get a full day out of the battery.

Where I have struck gold with the Windows 8X by HTC is in the customization feature. This phone is like no other when it come to moving apps around, making them larger or smaller and even making them live tiles that update throughout the day so I can see what’s happening before I even open the app.

I have never had a phone that has been so customizable before and I must admit that so far I am loving it. On my home screen I have a ton of different apps but I keep the ones I use the most like Twitter, Facebook, text, Redbox and Pinterest at the top.  I have other important apps at the top that I use daily like my alarm clock, my blog, Skydrive as well as email.  I like that if and when I get tired of how my phone looks all I need to do is move around the apps and boom it’s like a brand new phone.  All I have to do is hold down an app for a few seconds then I am able to resize it or move it around on my home screen, it’s really that easy.

I know it’s still early but I can say that after two weeks I still really like and enjoy my phone and if you know me at all this is a huge accomplishment.

Are you able to customize your current phone? If not would you want a phone like the Windows 8X by HTC that is fully customizable?

I was provided with the Windows 8X by HTC but ALL pinions are based on my own experiences. #Troop8X #HTC8 

Here in Delaware the weather up until Tuesday has been fairly warm so the kids have been getting away with wearing either light spring type coats or hooded sweatshirts.  On Tuesday a blast of cold air came from somewhere dropping the temperatures in our area into the teens and twenties.  Now I know most people in the Northeast and Midwest would laugh at my complaint but this is weather that when it does hit us it hits us really hard and makes an impact.

Looking good even in the freezing weather

On Monday I spotted Shaun and Shae getting off the bus and they were bundled up pretty good and that is because it was 19 degrees with a real feel temperature of 9 degrees.  So I grabbed my Windows Phone by HTC8X and decided to get a picture of them because they looked cute all bundled up.  At first I ran outside in my flannel pajama pants and t shirt and quickly realized that I needed a coat on just to take a picture of them, LOL.  I am usually ok for a few minutes outside without a coat but not this time so you know it was cold.  I love how Shaun and Shae have their own fashion scene.  Shaun looks like a little man with his cool hat and scarf on and I LOVE Shae’s owl hat and gloves because they go perfectly with her cat coat, flower dress and Ugg style boots, LOL.

We are supposed to get a little bit of snow tonight but nothing huge and the temps are going to get a little warmer over the next week.  Next week it appears that the temperature are going to be back in the 40’s and 50’s which is perfectly fine with me.

I know the kids want a huge snow storm but I will be honest I’m pretty happy that we haven’t had any to this point and hope it stays that way.

What does the weather look like where you live?

I was provided with the Windows 8X by HTC but ALL pinions are based on my own experiences. #Troop8X #HTC8 

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Family time is very hard to come by these days with school, work and sports but we do try to sit down as a family almost every night for dinner. Not saying that we eat together seven nights a week but I feel for it being 2013 and with everything so fast paced these days we do a pretty good job.

Our two favorite meals for us to enjoy as a family is pizza and tacos. These may be the only two meals where the kids have zero complaints and actually ask for more. This past weekend we had our two favorite meals back to back on Friday and Saturday. Pizza night (which is home made by Melinda) took place on Friday and does ever week and then we did taco night on Saturday. It was a really nice night and Sabreena’s boyfriend joined us as well. Usually I would reserve this time just for family but Sabreena asked could her boyfriend join us for dinner so we allowed him into our taco circle, LOL.

I grabbed the Windows 8X by HTC and took a few pictures of our taco feast. Now, I am not sure if it was because we had company or not but our taco night was full of items not usually included on a regular taco night like soft shells and yummy corn muffins. I did forget to make the refried which stunk because that is something that Shaun and I really enjoy on taco night.

Overall it was a really fun and relaxing night with family and Sabreena’s boyfriend and I am glad that I had my Windows 8X by HTC to capture some fun family moments. The night may have also involved some sundaes with all of the toppings but I will spare you those delicious pictures.

I was provided with the Windows 8X by HTC but ALL pinions are based on my own experiences. #Troop8X #HTC8 

I am that guy that has to have the latest and greatest when it comes to technology especially when it comes to smart phones.

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, HTC.

I can remember when Melinda and I both had flip phones (when they were cool, LOL) and she wanted to make the move to a Blackberry Curve.  I was so jealous that she was getting a Blackberry and I was going to have to keep my crappy flip phone that somehow I figured out a way where I was able to get one for me and one for Melinda.

I seem to get a new phone every six months because I am never totally satisfied with the phone I have.  Over the last two years I bet I have had 6-8 different phones.  I have gone from Blackberry to Android to Apple back to Android back to Apple and recently found out I am getting the opportunity to review and give my thoughts on the Windows 8x by HTC.  I am looking forward to this because about a month ago Melinda and I stopped into the Microsoft store at the Christina Mall here in Delaware so that I could see if this phone would be something I wold ever consider.  I left the store not really sure what to think about the Windows Phone and then this great opportunity arose so now it’s going to happen for sure.  I currently have the iPhone 5 and it’s ok but it doesn’t WOW me.  I know Apple fans are going to send me hate mail but I have never been a hard core Apple guy.

Like I mentioned I have used Android devices as well as the iPhone and they just don’t seem to overly impress me.  Now I am not saying that the are junk by any means I am just saying that when it comes to smart phones I am a pretty tough critic so I am hoping the the Windows 8x by HTC knocks my socks off because I need a phone that I can totally love and stop jumping from phone to phone.

Be on the lookout in the coming weeks and I dive more in this phone and bring you my personal thoughts and opinions.

I was provided with the Windows 8X by HTC but ALL pinions are based on my own experiences. #Troop8X #HTC8