Destination : Verizon – #IGTravelThursday

Last Updated on October 1, 2014 by Jody Halsted

The Mall of America got a new store a couple weeks ago, which usually isn't news (at least for me). I'm not a big shopper…  unless it's gadgets. I do love me some gadgets.

And when I entered the new Verizon Wireless Destination Store I was in geek nirvana.

The Verizon Wireless Destination Store at the Mall of America

It's the window display that catches your eye as you pass. It changes with the time of day. Late night mall revelers and early morning walkers will see a lady sleeping. If they are too noisy they might wake her. During the day she is active and by tapping on the glass you interact with her- and the fitness band on her wrist.

Intrigued, you enter the store…  and it's like no wireless store you have been in before.

Thankfully the store is separated into zones, each with its own focus. Were it not, the space, filled with gadgets designed to work with tablets and smart phones, would be overwhelming.

It's all about music to the left. Headphones and speakers wait to be tested while a massive soundboard and screen allow you to play with premium music apps.

At your right are all those fitness gadgets you think you want, but would love to try first. I *think* I'm sold on the FitBit One, if only to see my sleep patterns.

But really, if I had that screen to look at every day, I'd probably get on my treadmill a bit more often.

Working my way through the store, I found plenty to be amazed by. Like the smart house. Hello. I want my house to be smart. Heck, you can even get a gadget that tells you when your plants need to be watered – which would likely help my very brown thumb.

Playing, testing, and touching my way through the store, I did begin to wonder where the phones were.

Then I found them- at the very back of the store. If you are one of those people who wants a new phone every time your upgrades (yes, I am desirous of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3), this may be your idea of bliss.

A wall of touch screens. Activated devices. Comparisons across brands. Gadget paradise. Accessory walls are filled with the latest mobile chargers, ear buds and cases. You can even have a case customized (for certain phones) right in the store in an hour.

But, of all this, my favorite part of the store sat right in the middle. The Wireless Workshop area was set up for stop motion films when I visited- very fun!

But the rest of the year there will be classes to help you better use your phone. Apparently the average person is only aware of 10% of what their phone can actually do. Even I, who considers myself rather tech adept, was amazed by what I didn't know.

Afraid your kids will get bored while you're geeking out? Not to worry – the Fun Zone will keep them entertained.

So…  who's ready to get geeky with me?

 

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