If your mom already has an MP3 player or iPod, but you want to get her something techie and useful, consider upgrading her standard headphones to ones with better function and sound for Mother's Day. Upgrading to a better headphone model will not only do wonders for her ears (anyone else suffering from the painful free in-ear headphones you got with your MP3 player?), but every time she goes to listen to music she'll think of you and how thoughtful you are. I've shared two of my favorite models below, but there are a whole variety of cute and colorful and even retractable models she'd probably love.
Sony Bud-Style Stereo Earphones
These light Sony earphones deliver great sound and are so comfortable she'll forget she is wearing them. They're small enough to fit snug in her ear, and will stay in during an intense workout. Get them here for $36.
Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphones
The Rolls-Royce of headphones, these lightweight babies offer stellar sound isolation and crystal clear sound. She'll feel like a DJ without the huge dorky headset. Get them here for $199.
The idea for the Dragon speakers, designed by Joakim Axelsson, was to join a classical sculptural shape with the modern look of the raw speaker elements and create a new and interesting visual experience. According to Yanko Design, they are 32cm high and are made to fit in the bookshelf, by the tv, in the kitchen or in other small, but prominent spots. These speakers seems to go along the same trend of turning something practical into something more artistic, such as the elaborate cardboard speaker installations, which were created for a music festival in Switzerland.
There are hundreds of bloggers I admire for their tenacity, drive, humor and innovative ideas, but very few who embody the combination of artistry, sarcasm and wit that 14, the founder of Gallery of the Absurd does.
14, who is an artist first and a blogger second, has wowed the web with what the New York Post called "Portraits of Shame" - as in satirical paintings and drawings of tabloid favorites like Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Tom Cruise and Alec Baldwin. While gossip blogs talked about the Hollywood Skeleton Girls, 14 painted them - as skeletons. When Star Jones got canned from The View following her shameless quest for wedding freebies and the denial and controversy surrounding her dramatic weight loss, 14 painted her as a fish about to sink her teeth into a giant and shiny bite of "free" bait. No matter what the scandal, 14's hauntingly hilarious images seem to begin where tabloids end and her collection, which is archived on Gallery of the Absurd is an addiction in its own right. I recently found out she resides in San Francisco and that she's a major geek. She was gracious enough to let me pick at her brain. For the full interview, read more
Mophie's new novelty iPod case, The Bevy is the first accessory to be released from its much talked about Illuminator project and chances are, every beer adoring shuffle lover is gonna need one. Made of clear polycarbonate with a stainless steel insert, The Bevy was designed to make the tiny second generation shuffle a little more functional. It has special grooves to wrap your headphones, is a keychain and best of all will open your favorite beer or, if you're underage, exotic bottled soda.
The design of The Bevy, which is known as the Illuminator project, was created at the Mophie booth at this year's Macworld. Apparently, over the four-day period the 30,000 plus attendees were invited to doodle a product concept that enhanced any of the new apple products. The winning design was created by Jared Fiovorich, a 17-year-old student and skateboarder from Santa Cruz, California. While Fiovorich may be too young to legally enjoy some of the case's features, something tells me it's just kitschy enough to be a hit (or is that "key-schy?). You can get your own in green, blue, pink, orange or silver for $15. For a gallery of The Bevy in action, read more
Have you been looking for an MP3 player that gets your heart racing and offers some funky DJ styles? The Pacemaker - I know, isn't the name great? - is described as a new "concept for modern music engagement."
More simply, it's a portable music player equipped with a range of professional audio manipulation features allowing for creative mixing between two independent channels. It's also being called the "world's first platform for legal music sharing" because any mix you create can be saved for legal sharing with the rest of the world.
The DJ system features line out crossfade, headphones crossfader, bend, pitch, cue, DJ pause, EQ, sound FX (that's all DJ speak for fun features), a line out jack and a USB connector. It will be 120 GB, support a variety of audio formats and will be about 6.5 inches by 2.5 inches. "We're out to bring people closer to the music they love, to let music lovers be creative with their passion, to make themselves available to be heard and to have a good time in the process," says the makers. I can just imagine mixing Rilo Kiley with techno beats while riding on the bus. The first edition will be out this fall.
Kodak has introduced a new single use camera that looks an awful lot like digital and more expensive film cameras, but offers all the disposable joy of a camera you know you're only going to use once. Whenever my best friend ventures into the great outdoors for an extended people of time - camping, sailing, long hikes - she picks up inexpensive "throw-away" cameras at the grocery store because she doesn't want to risk ruining her $300 camera. I used to think she was insane and wasteful, until last year when one of our friends dropped his cell phone into the San Francisco Bay while we were sailing and I realized...water and gadgets don't mix.
Kodak new camera seems to be aimed at people who want to use a disposable camera, but don't want to look like a dork. Kodak apparently conducted a survey, asking who used the single use camera and when. Responders said they opted in when more expensive cameras weren't available, when their memory cards were full or they had a dead battery and when they worry about exposing expensive cameras to the elements, whether those elements are snow, sand, or sticky little fingers. Sounds about right. Good news is, most drug store photo developers can put your images on a disk so you can load them to your flickr account or wherever you store your digital photos. The new Kodak camera is available in drug and grocery stores for $9.99.
As much as I love my mStation, and all the attention I receive from having it on my desk, the DOC is something I could use when I'm on the go since it's tiny enough to stash in my oversized laptop bag.
This battery-operated speaker is compatible with 2nd-generation iPod nanos and is easily transportable with its included protective storage case. Colors include black, white, metallic green or pink to match the new iPod nanos. Only $39 at Brookstone. I wonder if mom would like it...
Luella
Marc by Marc Jacobs
Tommy Hilfiger