There has been a recent addition to our family. Friends, meet Ollie. You may have seen his cousin causing up quite a stir last year. His name is Sphero. Both Ollie and Sphero are a remarkable breed of robot. Like Sphero, Ollie is controlled remotely using an app you can download onto your smart phone or tablet. While Spero is a fairly well-rounded robot and can swim in water, Ollie puts him to shame on the racetrack. Engineered for speed, programmed for tricks and driven by adrenaline, nothing quite compares to Ollie the speed-demon.

So how fast are we talking here? Over three times as fast as Spero! Reaching speeds of over 14 MPH, Ollie leaves the average toy in the dust. You would think it would roll out of control given the speed but it is actually quite agile thanks to its totally tubular design. The best part? You can easily customize the tires and hubcaps using a variety of combinations and colours. Each Ollie comes with a base bot, fixed wheel rims, a set of removable tires and removable hubs. It also comes with a USB charging cord. The tires provide ultra grip for hard cornering but you could easily remove them and turn Ollie into a super drift machine.

Within a matter of minutes, I had assembled our robot and downloaded the app onto my new LG G3 smart phone. Communicating via Bluetooth, the phone or tablet connects instantly with Ollie and acts as a remote, kind of like a joystick. Turn your device sideways to enter tricks mode and enjoy the light show courtesy of the built-in LED's.

Why, it's the new LG G3 smart phone! If the fingerprint resistant exterior in a metallic black finish hasn't caught your eye yet, then you will surely marvel over the 5.5" Quad Display, the first of its kind in Canada. What's the big deal over the display? Well, my friends, it is the quintessence of life-like resolution that is four times the resolution of HD. You can pick your jaw up off the floor now.

The new LG G3 phone is also the first phone with laser auto focus that works with the 13 megapixel Optical Image Stabilization camera to give you incredible image quality and precision. This is a big feature for me since, like most moms, we often have our cell phones readily available to snap photos of the kids and then plaster them all over Facebook. Er, I mean, print out hard copies and gather them ever so neatly in a scrapbook. Of course.

The Quick Circle Window Folio Case is the perfect accessory because the circular window lets you access certain apps. You can take a picture, pull up the music player, and receive or place a call without ever having to open the case cover. Once it is open, you still have access to the Rear Key panel on the back. And have you seen the circular camera feature? You can easily customize the analog watch face to suit your style. Doesn't it look so... sophisticated?

As a busy mother, teacher and blogger, I value being able to capture the little moments on camera and being able to share them on Instagram, forward them to distant relatives or watch instant replays on the large, nearly bezel-free Quad HD display. With the LG G3 smart phone, I can do that and so much more, such as taking the perfect selfie with the illumination feature. It's kind of like having special studio lighting in your pocket. And don't get me started on the "beautify" slider which helps to "smooth" out your skin and magically erase blemishes. Not that I have any. (Clearly, I'm lying.) You can also take a picture simply by saying "cheese" or using the gesture-activated timer. But beyond the amazing camera, there's something to be said for the ability to stay connected and to have all that you need to keep up with life right at your fingertips.