Is an excuse for women to be disappointed in their men. The standards by which Valentine's Day gifts & plans are created is entirely based on what we see on TV, in movies, and even by our friends(who got all these fabulous gifts, while we're stuck with a drugstore box of candy, if anything at all.) Having survived a few Valentine's Days myself, I can honestly say that this "Hallmark holiday" can easily be manipulated to set you up for disappointment, if you are not careful. "You don't need to get me much...," we say, with secret hopes that our S.O. will see through the BS and deliver the fantasy roses, chocolates, candlelight, and diamonds. Unless you're dating Fabio, chances are, you won't be seeing much of that. So let's take it easy on the men.. they are not as in tune with the female psyche as we are, they can't decipher the Woman Code that "You don't need to get me anything" means "Get me everything, or else" which often results in a painful week after - full of cold-shoulders & "I'm fine's." Be straight with him - it's the only way he knows how to communicate. Here are some simple, yet charming, gadget-flavored gifts that will make us smile, and ease the pressure on them (we make their lives difficult enough already): Polaroid I533P Exclusive Breast Cancer Awareness Digital Camera 5.1 Mega pixels, 2.5" LCD screen, 3X Optical Zoom, and all under $100 (I've seen it on sale at some big name nationwide retailers). Not too shabby. It comes in a really fabulous color pink, which automatically puts it first on my list. BONUS: Proceeds from the purchase of this camera raises breast cancer awareness and supports work by The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Nintendo DS Lite Coral Pink Video games have previously been mostly reserved for the boys, but clearly this one is hip enough for us lady folk. Not only is it a rosy color, but it's lighter, and the color screen is even brighter, than the original DS. This sleek design gives us even more of a reason to become addicted to Super Mario Bros all over again. As the tag line says, let the koopa shells fly! Intempo Digital Buddy GPS in Pink Now this is nice.. a pink GPS - manufactured especially for women. Which means - little to no assembly required, works straight out of the box, and is covered in butterflies. Simply stick it in your auto and you are on your way. Never get in that "why don't you just stop and ask for directions" argument again! An added bonus: The adorable pouch it comes with so it won't get damaged or scratched in your massive handbag. MioPINK Heart Rate Monitor Watch with Advanced Calories Feature Mio has created a special line of pink products to help increase breast cancer awareness. This particularly feminine sports watch not only displays time & date, has an alarm, backlight, and stopwatch function, but, the strapless ECG accurately tracks your heart rate as well as daily calorie intake - and get this - CALCULATES and SUBTRACTS calories burned during exercise. This is the perfect companion for a fitness buff. And to top it off, 10% of all proceeds go towards the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. MTX Audio iThunder Portable Boom Box for iPod Listen to your iPod at home, at the beach, or on the go... with this battery-powered boombox, just plug in your iPod, turn on the iThunder, and enjoy. It even charges while it's playing, and has a wireless full-function remote control. We will be feeling like Malibu Barbie with this pink boombox. Chanel sunglasses not included.

Geek Chic - Computer Jewelry It doesn't get much geekier than computer-related jewelry, but these are quirky enough to be cool.Personally, I like the help key necklace. The pieces are handmade in New York by artist Debbie Howe, and you can even get matching cuff links for your beau. So there you have it. Not only do the pink gadgets look pretty, but they help Save the Ta-Tas as well. Happy Valentine's Day, Casanova, and by all means.... Good Luck. For more female-friendly gadget ideas for your valentine, check out Gear Digest's 2007 Valentine's Day Buyers Guide.

So, I realize that the coolest/best TVs nowadays are all LCD, HDTV, 1080i/1080p, etc etc etc.  To be honest, I'd rather have one of these beauts:

These romantically retro-styled TV sets by Telstar for Predicta Television are about the best idea I've seen in a while.  They might not be everyone's personal cup of tea-V, but they look a lot cuter than the generic boxy black sets you can get at most retailers.  Think about it - a television set, and a decorative piece of furniture - all in one.  It may look old, but it's very new, and is compatible with all VCRs, cable hook-ups, satellites, and even has a remote control.

   

Predicta works with each client to create individual styles & finishes, too, so you're likely to get a one of a kind piece of art.  I don't watch massive amounts of television, and quite frankly am not too picky about the picture, so this works just fine for me.  Visit Predicta's website for more information and images.

Anybody who has been on MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, etc... knows that half the fun of going out with your friends is taking pictures of yourself.  Whether it's a group shot making inappropriate gestures, a solo glamour shot in the bathroom, a picture of you kissing a random boy on the cheek - whatever the case may be, it's almost always followed by a "This is totally going on MySpace."  Don't pretend you haven't said it.

The smart people at Sony are releasing the Cybershot DSC-T20 and T100, which are targeted at the ever present youthful party crowd.  Both models are 8-megapixels and less than a half inch thick (perfect fit for a tiny clutch or skin tight jeans).  Boasting features such as "Super Steady Shot optical image stabilization" and "face detection technology," this digicam is perfect for those of us who have had too much booze to take a decent picture. 

While the T100 is slightly more advanced - with a 3" LCD screen (ideal for when you are too tipsy to see the screen clearly) and 5x optical zoom, the T20 isn't so bad either - 2.5" LCD screen and 3x optical zoom.  The camera allows for 340 pictures to be taken per full battery charge - perfect, because we rarely delete pictures the night of (that is reserved for the day after - grimacing at the horrible faces we're making or sweaty hair we have going on).  They are priced at $400 and $330, and will be available in March and April, respectively.  The color cases are designed to "match your party gear" and come in some really flashy colors.

Too bad the pink one is only available in the lesser advanced model!!

If you've been reading this blog, then you surely know by now that there is quite a wide array of pink cameras on the market.  But this one really gets me.  Why?  Because I have the exact same one in boring black.  Whyyyyyyyy!!  Was this around at Christmas?  If only there was a way to replace my boring black one with one of these.

Regardless, I'll have to sit and drool over these pictures.  It's 7.2 megapixels, has a 3x "anti-shake" opitcal zoom, and a 2.6" LCD display.

It comes in pink and "blue"(which looks more to me like a nice lavendar - very unusual in cameras), and of course the boring & safe silver and black colors.  It's a great camera and is quite affordable at $230.

Sony's got the right idea when it comes to beautifying their cameras.  The new Cyber-Shot DSC-W55/P Digital Camera boasts features such as 7.2mpx, Carl Zeiss 3X optical zoom, and a 2.5" LCD screen.  It won't break the bank either, at $199.

But more importantly - it comes in gorgeous pastel pink and blue for Springtime (does this mean red & green for Christmas?  Ew!).   I'm actually digging the blue over the pink in this case, because it's just such a perfect color blue.

Not to be upstaged, Casio is rounding up the pastel camera market with the 10.2 megapixel Exilim Z1050.  This pretty little baby comes in pink, purple, black and silver, and holds 370 pictures on a single charge.  It also has 3x Optical Zoom and a 2.6" LCD screen, and is a bit more expensive at $299.

This is one of those products that you kick yourself for not inventing. It's going to change the way we take pictures of ourselves forever! I can't even count the many variations of the "self taken photo" that I've seen, and half of the time you can't get both your faces in, the side of your arm fat is in the picture, it's too close (i.e, making you look like an alien), there are many variations, and very RARELY do you actually get a good shot.

So this Quik Pod, is an expandable wand that attaches to your camera and acts as a portable, handheld tripod to take your photos. It's also handy for taking pictures at concerts or largely crowded places. And it's insanely affordable, only $25.

Here's a pretty camera that comes in more colors than just the regular girly baby pink (not that there's ANYTHING wrong with that...)

The Fuji FinePix Z5fd comes in four delicious colors (seriously, it's making me hungry): Raspberry Red, Mocha Brown, Silver, and Pink.

Besides 6.3 mpx, a battery that lasts for 300 shots, and Face Detection technology, this camera offers "blog mode" for the easy upload of your photos. I'd be interested to see how well that actually works!

It sells for about $220.

Call me old fashioned, but I thought the point of an umbrella was to stop rain from falling on your head. But technology is everywhere these days, even on the inside of your boring umbrella...

This umbrella by Pileus is connected to the internet to make your walk through the crummy rain a bit more entertaining. It has a large screen on the top surface, a built-in camera, a motion sensor, GPS, and a digital compass, and it provides two main functions; A Social Photo-sharing (through Flickr) and A 3D Map Navigation (powered by GoogleEarth). You can also enjoy streaming video courtesy of YouTube.

You can't buy this yet, because it's only a prototype, but they are pushing to make it a commercial product. Check out the website for more info.

Question: Wouldn't it make it difficult to watch where you're walking if you are playing the latest vacation pics or funny YouTube video in your umbrella? I can see it now, people walking straight into lightpoles and enormous puddles, and fights breaking out because distracted consumers are running into one another!

It's about time someone made a 100% waterproof camcorder. The possibilities of video footage underwater is endless! There are plenty of 'water resistant' gadgets out there - but this camcorder really is - up to a depth of 5ft anyways, any deeper than that and you're screwed! But it stays fully functional for up to an hour underwater. It is tiny and lightweight - 4.4" tall and 8.3oz - unlike the majority of underwater cameras that are the size of a phonebook.

The format of video is H.264 MPEG-4 video(compatible with iPod) at 640x480, and a 6 mpx still camera. It's also got a 2.5" LCD display for video playback, and comes in three very tropical colors, blue, yellow, and white.

All this for $499. It should be available in mid-June, just in time for beach season. Check out more at Sanyo.

Via PopGadget

Just imagine all the fabulous footage you are gonna get with these new cameras by Casio. They feature "YouTube Capture Mode" which allows you to not only capture video of optimal size and recording quality, but makes uploading easier with a pre-installed supporting application on the camera. Another cool feature is Exilim Engine 2.0 image processing, this gives your recordings a higher compression rate, allowing for higher quality videos.

Available in two versions - the EX-V8 comes in silver or black (boring) - it's got 8.1mpx, 7x optical zoom, 2.5" LCD screen, blur reduction and image stabilization technology. The fancier upgraded version, EX-Z1080, has 10.1mpx, 3x optical zoom, a "super life battery" (for up to 370 shots with a full charge), higher sensitivity with up to 6400 ISO, 2.6" LCD screen, AND the best part... comes in grey, black, blue, pink, and GOLD. Shnazzy!

No word yet on prices or availability dates!

via ShinyShiny

Well, they aren't as bright & colorful as the waterproof version of the Xacti that was released earlier this year, but they are still pretty fancy looking. The newest addition to the family is the DMX-HD700 digital camera/camcorder. Featuring a 2.7" widescreen LCD and 5x HD zoom lens, Sanyo's brand new beauties record HD digital video and take 7mpx digital still images. It's compatible with SD/SDHC memory cards, HDMI high-def output, and also has in-camera editing and is compatible with iMovie '08.

AND it's the world's smallest and lightest 720p camcorder, which makes it perfect for travel footage. Boo-yeah! Available in brown, red, and silver, they retail for $600.

via ShinyShiny

There are only about a billion products out there that are pink and support breast cancer research. Shiny Shiny put together a nice little top 10 list of the best pink-colored gadgets whose manufacturers donate a portion of the sale to various charities/organizations in the name of boob health.

Top 10 Breast Cancer Donation Gadgets

Some favorites on the list....

1. Belkin iPod Cases

2. Pink Sony Vaio

3. Dyson Pink DC07 Vacuum

4. Special Edition iPod Shuffle Pack

Check out the whole list for a whole lotta pink.

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Sony announced it's newest addition to the Cyber-shot family - the DSC-52. It's got 4GB of internal memory and holds around 40,000 pics. FORTY THOUSAND! That means you don't need to mess around with crummy memory cards, although if you choose to, you can still use them. Other fabulous features include a 2.7" touchscreen, in-camera organization system, editing featurs, face-detection, smile shutter and loads of other extras.

It's not too bad looking, it's got a sleek design with minimal buttons cluttering up the body. And it's available in some shnazzy bright colors like pink, blue and green. Keep an eye out - it should hit stores in Dec and is priced at $350.

I'm actually surprised that I haven't seen something like this before. If your love of pink is so deep that it transcends into your home decor, then this is definitely the TV for you.

This 32" Sony Bravia LCD TV comes in the fabulously named "Cosmo Pink." But don't let it's outsides fool you - this TV is no wuss. It's got several smart features such as a light sensor that adjust screen brightness to match the lighting in your living room, a freeze function (pause for those of you without TiVo), front surround-sound, an award winning on-screen navigation system, as well as hook-ups to stream internet using Bravia's Internet Video Link module (sold separately).

This pretty in pink TV can be yours for around $1,100, and will be available for pre-orders on October 31.

via TechieDiva

Among many other very happening and stylish digital cameras, Canon has unveiled it's PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital ELPH at PMA in Las Vegas. And it's a purdy one!

Though this particular model is less about technology and more about fashion, it's still packed full of features, such as 8 megapixel resolution, 3x optical zoom, and includes Canon’s “Optical Image Stabilizer” technology. It also features 18 shooting modes (including Auto, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, Aquarium, Indoor, Kids & Pets, and Night Snapshot) to help you take the perfect picture.

But let's get back to the sleek and stylish exterior of the latest addition to the Digital ELPH family. The SD1100 IS is available in 5 beautiful shiny colors: Rhythm & Blue, Swing Silver, Melody Pink, Bohemian Brown and Golden Tone.

Keep an eye out - it will be available in March at an estimated price of $249.00.

via Tom's Guide

This is a particularly sub-par Tuesday for me, seeing as I'm feeling under the weather. It could be the unpredictable LA weather - which keeps switching from 100 degrees to 60 degrees, or it could be too much pool partying this weekend, but regardless, I feel less than glamorous today!

In the spirit of my mood, I found this interesting article on how our overwhelmingly frequent, everyday use of gadgets may be making us sick!

Are Your Gadgets Making You Sick?

From sore thumbs, acne, vision problems, and low sperm count (Yikes!) - I myself suffer from more than one of these ailments (not the sperm count). It's got tips on how to prevent each of these problems, and I for one am open to the advice!

It's worth a look!

via Switched/Engadget