Sprint Sound Session with the HTC One & Jermaine Paul! #SprintMusic #SprintMom

I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Sprint Sound Session. I received a sample of the HTC One to facilitate this review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be part of a group of bloggers who were treated to a fabulous lunch at the spectacular Lambs Club in NYC.  (Any place that has a remote controlled shower in the bathroom qualifies as spectacular in my book.)  In addition to being wined and dined, we were introduced to a special edition of the HTC One (M8) Mobile Phone.

A Sprint exclusive, the HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon Edition is a music lover’s dream.  It’s packed full of features that bring you the very best music experience you can get from a mobile phone.  (It’s pretty too.)

I love my music, and I take it with me everywhere I go, so I was super excited to test this phone out.  What I love most about it is that, unlike my current phone, the speakers are in the front and they have built-in amplifiers.  Why all phones aren’t designed that way, I can’t tell you, but it definitely makes a difference.  It’s not just location, location, location though.  Thanks to Harman’s new Clari-Fi technology, which automatically restores the audio quality of compressed digital music, the quality of the sound that comes from those speakers is excellent.

I would have been happy enough with all of that, but they also throw in a pair of Harman/Kardon headphones.  The headphones are a $150 value all by their itty bitty selves, and they feature LiveStage to give you a more life-like listening experience.  Music really does sound better now.

That’s the hardware, but you get some fun software with this phone as well.  There’s Sprint Music Plus, which is a full-featured music player, manager, and store all in one app.  Next Radio brings your favorite FM radio stations right to your smartphone.  What’s even better is Sprint gives their customers 3 free months of Spotify Premium, and if you’re on a Framily plan, you get 6 months free!  (Yes, I have been listening to Spotify every day.)  Check out the Sprint Music page to learn more.

Speaking of the Framily Plan, I love the idea.  This concept was brand new to me, and the Sprint reps at the event were kind enough to let me drill them on the details.  You get unlimited data, talk, and text while you’re on the Sprint network, and there are no annual service contracts or early termination fees.  Really.  Each member of your Framily has the option of receiving a separate bill too.  It doesn’t get more convenient than that.

We also learned about another Sprint-exclusive product:  the Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio wireless speaker.

The Onyx Studio connects to your audio devices via Bluetooth, and it’s portability makes it easy to listen to your favorite music anywhere in your house–or even out in the yard.  This little powerhouse of a speaker packs a serious punch, but I was particularly impressed with how long the rechargeable battery lasts.  This will run for 8 hours when wired and 5 hours wirelessly.  A few of these were raffled off, but I was not a winner.  I promise I only cried a little.

Demoing new products, meeting with HTC and Sprint reps, and eating some really good food was a great way to spend an afternoon, but the highlight of the day was the live performance by Grammy-nominated artist Jermaine Paul, winner of Season 2 of The Voice.

He sang us three beautiful songs, and we even had an opportunity to meet him and get an autographed picture.  He was such a sweet guy!  What did I do when I got home?  I downloaded his song “Next to You”.  My daughter is especially into it.  ☺

This was a terrific event all around, and I’m loving my new phone.  Thanks Mom Central, Sprint, and HTC for making it both fun and educational.  Now, I’m off to listen to some ad-free Spotify!