This is a guest post from Adam Myers, a Verizon Wireless health and wellness coordinator in Michigan.

When I first heard about the MotoActv device, I thought it was just an expensive music player. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Upon getting my first demonstration of the device, my eyes grew big, my heart raced in excitement and visions of my increased physical ability filled my head. When you take a first look at the MotoActv, it seems like it may just be a gadget that you don’t really need. The 8GB device retails for about $250, and the 16GB device is $299, but it is well worth every penny.

The MotoActv combines a smart music player, GPS and heart rate capabilities all in one small, stylish and easy to use device. I’m an avid runner, and going for a run now without my MotoActv seems as absurd as running without my shoes. When I use the MotoActv for one of my training runs, the feedback I get during and after my training is irreplaceable.

Right out of the box, the MotoActv comes with the device, headphones, charger and USB cable. All the software that is needed automatically installs when you connect it to your computer. On the back of the MotoaActv is a clip so you can attach it to your clothing.

The headphones are also great because they wrap around the ear and have a built in microphone. What do you need a built in microphone for you wonder? You can download the free MotoActv app and get texts and calls delivered right from your smartphone. I also have the Motorola Droid Razr, and it’s great when I’m out on a run and I get a phone call or a text. I can choose to answer or respond during my workout without even missing a step. How’s that for multi-tasking?

The MotoActv device also features a touch screen with a great response and a very functional user interface. With the swipe of a finger, I can check my workout stats, the time or my playlist. The MotoActv also has the ability to remember which songs you burn the most calories to, and it will create you a custom super charged playlist. It’s like bringing your own DJ with you to play all of your favorite songs while you work out. There are also many additional accessories you can purchase for your MotoActv, like a watchstrap, bike mount, heart rate monitor chest strap and armband.

As a health and wellness coordinator for Verizon Wireless, I help our employees achieve all of their fitness goals. This device is without a doubt a great tool to use if you want motivation and help to reach your goals. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that this is the only product I’ve seen that has so many different uses all wrapped into one easy-to-use product.

The MotoActv can currently track running, cycling, walking, elliptical and step machine workouts. With a soon-to-be-released March 7th free update, the MotoActv will also expand upon the current exercises with more than 40 new activities, including yoga, Pilates, dancing and martial arts.

Speaking as a health and wellness professional and not a Verizon employee, I truly believe this device will take care of all your fitness needs and make living a healthy lifestyle a fun part of your daily routine.

For more Verizon Wireless Midwest news and reviews, subscribe via RSS to news by state.

Ty Schalter from the Lions in Winter blog in Michigan shares his experience with using the NFL Mobile app on the Galaxy Nexus to watch the Super Bowl.

I watched the Super Bowl.

So did everybody else, right? 111.3 million people tuned in to Super Bowl XLVI, breaking the Super Bowl’s own record for the most-watched television program of all time. In fact, the ratings for the last four Super Bowls account for 4 of the top 5 all-time television shows.

Watching the Super Bowl is a cultural phenomenon. Whether you’re an NFL diehard or wouldn’t know pigskin from bacon, on Super Bowl Sunday you go over to your friend with the biggest-screened TV’s house and watch—or go out and find a place with a REALLY big screen.

But Verizon Wireless gave me the chance to watch it on a big screen of a different order: the 4.65” Super AMOLED display of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. For the first time ever, Super Bowl XLVI was streamed to Verizon Wireless mobile devices, through Verizon’s NFL Mobile app.

The device itself is a beautiful piece of hardware, with an enormous display and barely-there bezel. It’s almost too big—but the thin, molded chassis and thumb-pleasingly curved glass did a lot to make the little “big screen” palm-friendly. The Android 4.0 OS and active desktop looked fantastic, and performed just as well. As a longtime iOS devotee, navigation wasn’t perfectly intuitive, but I got my bearings before long.

Read the rest of the review on the Lions in Winter blog.

For more Verizon Wireless news and reviews out of Michigan, subscribe via RSS to news by state.

Ty Pier from GizmoFusion shares how Verizon’s Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi helped the GizmoFusion team stay connected online during their trip to CES.

As you all know the GizmoFusion Team made a trip to Las Vegas for CES. However, one of the biggest issues with the trip is the internet at the hotels. It’s very spotty, slow, and expensive! Thankfully the AMAZING folks over at Verizon Wireless came through for us yet again! We had guaranteed internet service with a fantastic speed all day. But wait there is more! After the break.

One of the most important things in our field is an internet connection. Without it we literally have nothing but a giant paper weight. Luckily for us Verizon Wireless has a fantastic product that solves our dilemma. The Jetpack 4G LTE MiFi offers an exceptional speed, portability, and size all for a low price. That price is currently free! That’s right, a $270 dollar piece of hardware for free with a new two year agreement.

This bad boy is as big as a credit card and as thick as your pinky fingertip. Slides easily into your pocket yet packs a punch meaner then Mike Tyson. With the Jetpack you get Verizon’s fantastic 4G speeds no matter where you are. I was able to browse the internet, play YouTube videos, and write articles like this one all at the same time with no lag, or buffering.

Read the rest of the post on GizmoFusion.com.

For more Verizon Wireless news and reviews out of Ohio, subscribe via RSS to news by state.

Justin Willett from the Columbia Daily Tribune in Missouri shares why consumers in the market for a new device with a keyboard may be interested in the Droid 4.

It was more than two years ago that I first used a smartphone carrying the Droid name. It was the first in what would become a long line of Droids.

The Motorola Droid was released in November 2009, just a month after Google and Verizon Wireless announced they would work together to develop devices on the Android operating system. The phone was notable for running the Android 2.0 operating system and including a full — if cramped — slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

Earlier this month, Verizon began selling the Droid 4.

Motorola retained the form factor for each iteration and focused on improving the one feature that attracts many people to the phone — the keyboard.

Read the rest of the review on the Columbia Daily Tribune site.

For more Verizon Wireless news and reviews out of Missouri, subscribe via RSS to news by state.

phonearena:

We’re back with the 33rd post in our special photographic-centric series where we present you with a number of awesome images taken by… well, you (and your cell phones)…

Cool images, taken with your cell phone #33