If you're like me and have hundreds of songs on your iPod that don't belong to any particular playlist, pay close attention to this geek tip.

You can create a playlist on the fly with your iPod's On-the-Go feature. All you have to do is highlight a song and press the center "select" button until the name flashes, which indicates that it has been added to the "On-the-Go" playlist.

You can also do this when a song is playing - just hold the center button until it flashes and it will be added. Access all your "On-the-Go" songs from the main Playlists menu. I know some of you have been using this feature for years, but for those of you who haven't you better get on the go.

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Yesterday, I suggested you consider getting your mother (or mother figure) a set of great headphones, for Mother's Day, but what if she doesn't have anything to plug those headphones into? It might be time to hook her up with a suitable MP3 player.


The Insignia 4-Gigabyte MP3 and Video Player has gained praise recently - namely from The New York Times - for its Bluetooth capabilities, which are still pretty rare in the MP3 player world. The player can transmit stereo MP3 music and video soundtracks to your headphones or speakers via a wireless Bluetooth connection, which means freedom from wires. It features 4GB internal flash storage that holds up to 1,000 songs, 4,000 photos, 50 audiobooks or 14 movies, is just over 0.6" thin and weighs 2.4 ounces and supports MP3 formats and most image and video formats. $160


For all you non-iPod folks, the Microsoft Zune 30 GB device, is available in four colors and stores up to 7,500 songs, 25,000 pictures, or 100 hours of video. It also features wireless Zune to Zune sharing, a 3-inch screen and a FM radio, which isn't always the case with MP3 players.

It comes with some preloaded content, but the rest has to be purchased from the Zune marketplace. The device has received great praise and criticism because of its "sharing" features, if you've done your research and think it fits your mom's wants and needs the new pastel colors are pretty fly. $219.99




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If you've ever had the burdensome task of buying a major household appliance, you know it's not any fun. There is an alarming variety of models, features and wacky specs you didn't even know existed (seriously, who worries about refrigerator sound decimals on a regular basis?). LG's new Side-by-Side refrigerator offers far too many specs to mention, but caught my eye because it includes a built in 15" LCD TV with FM Radio, remote control, as well as a special Weather & Info Center that provides a five-day forecast for your area (where service is available).

Need to whip up an appetizer in time for your party? This bad boy comes pre-loaded with recipes and can store your favorite digital photos and anniversary reminders. The touch-sensitive digital controls also allow you to manage temperature in the refrigerator and freezer compartments as well as monitor room temperature and reset the water filter status indicator. Oh and if you're dieting or putting your better half on a diet - you can even set the door alarm. Looks like it costs about $3,500, but you have to remember you're getting a gazillion gadgets in one.

To check out more pictures of the fridge, read more

It doesn't take much to sell me on energy saving gadgets or the fact that we should all be monitoring our energy use, but I'm still unsure what I think about Blackle, a custom Google search that claims to save energy simply "because the screen is predominantly black."

The site's only differing function from Google is the fact that its background is black and the results are white - making it a hard-to-read, but allegedly power-saving, adaptation of the world's favorite search site.

Apparently, the idea for the site was born from a 2007 blog post, Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year, which proposed that a black version of the Google search engine would save a fair bit of energy and the fact that "a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen." None of this has been proven, but the creator's of Blackle say they believe that there is value in the concept because even if the energy savings are small, they all add up. Of course, they believe Blackle every time someone loads the Blackle web browser it will remind them to take steps to save energy. Whatever works, right?

A few weeks ago I shared that Industrial Designer Branko Lukic is working to develop and license products that will be "treasured not because of their specifications, but because they make the owner happy to own it." The idea, which Branko details in his upcoming book "Nonobject," is about the "space between you and the object" and while it may seem esoteric to some, points to an exciting, interactive and deeply personal trend in technology. This week, a preview of Lukic's book hit the web and gadget lovers have been fawning over his ideas.

"What if products could take on the diversity of nature?," asks Lukic. "What if products embodied twists and contours, and off-colored spots? What if a line of MP3 players, say, could be designed to resemble an array of pebbles scattered along an ocean's shore? Or like a basketfull of heirloom tomatoes at a farmers' market? Imagine the possibilities of mass customizing with such diversity in mind How would it change the way we interact with devices? How would it change the experience of consumption? How would it impact the human-product relationship?"

Do you think gadgets should be more reflective of the natural world? Check out the gallery of images from Lukic's book and then leave me your comments. read more

Just when I thought Natalie Portman was one of the few A-listers who strives to maintain a low-key profile in Hollywood, she heads straight to Silicon Valley in search of funds for a new online project. According to the tech gossip blog Valleywag, Natalie is "proposing a continuous video feed of her work and personal life," which means she is basically signing up for "lifecasting" like Justin Kan of Justin.tv.
I wonder what fueled all this? Maybe a means for her to promote all the organizations she's apart of? To possibly educate? Raise awareness? Whatever her reasoning, I must admit that I'd be one of the first subscribers to watch "a day in the life of Natalie Portman."

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