The Switched Interview

Lisa Loeb is not only a talented singer, songwriter and actress (she has a new album coming out on Tuesday), but she's much more tech savvy then I would have ever imagined — BlackBerrys and MacBooks and iPods, oh my! AOL's Switched recently chatted with her about all her tech habits — including her favorite websites (Facebook made the list), her love for her MacBook Pro and BlackBerry Curve, and how she is a big fan of puzzles like the Rubik's cube! Here are some of the highlights from the interview:

Recently, AOL's Switched had the pleasure of talking with gadget goddess Emmy Rossum. While busy on the road, Emmy always makes sure she has her BlackBerry and iPod on hand to keep her company. Just like the rest of us, she sometimes forgets to lock her cell phone and ends up calling the last number she dialed—oops! Here are some of the highlights from the interview:

On what cell phone she has right now and what she loves/hates about it? "I have the new LG ENV. I love the keyboard (as it makes texting so fast and fun), the high quality camera and camcorder! I like downloading ring tones to my phone of whatever song I'm loving at the moment."

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When I think of Alan Alda I think of M*A*S*H and grandpas, so I was a little shocked to read his interview with Switched, in which he reveals he's all about tech.

In fact, Alada's interview shocked me even more than the one Switched did with Jackie Collins, who also admitted she uses gadgets and gizmos for work. Alda seemed to be up on studies that show teens use texting instead of e-mail and, unlike the rest of us, he has a valid excuse for using his iPod — he's learning lines. What else did he reveal?

What gadgets do you always bring with you to the set?
Alda: My cell phone, laptop and iPod. I use the IPod to learn my lines.

What cell phone do you have right now and what do you love or hate about it?
Alda: Cingular 8125. It has broadband and a real keyboard. I've gone to Europe with it instead of a laptop and written parts of my book on it.

Who's the last person you sent a text message to and what was it about?
Alda: I texted one of my granddaughters to say hi. Like a lot of kids, she hardly uses e-mail anymore.

For the complete interview, check out Switched.

While she may play neurotic high-powered women on film, actress Parker Posey is decidedly ungeeky. In fact, if the interview she recently did with Switched is any indication, she abhors gadgets all together. She doesn't give any clue as to where her hatred of all things electronic sprang from, but her repugnance translates to some funny anti-tech sentiments. Is it just me, or does she rebuke the iPhone faster than Bill Gates? Highlights include:

• What gadgets do you always bring with you to the set?
  I don't.
• What cell phone do you have right now and what to you love or hate about it?
  Nokia, plain, no flap. It's easy to replace when lost.
• Where do you go pretty much every time you get online?
  A chair or a couch.
• Name one thing you wish your iPod, cell phone, or laptop could do that it doesn't do now?
  Disappear.
• What upcoming gadget can you not wait to get your hands on?
  The gadget that will make all the gadgets go away.
• BlackBerry, Sidekick, or Treo?
  Sure -- I mean, what?
• Are you getting an iPhone -- if so, why?
  No, it doesn't make sense.

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Okay, maybe actress and comedian Sandra Bernhard doesn't really carry an 8-track player around with her, but in a recent interview with Switched, she gave the interviewer the traditional Bernhard brush off and poked a little fun at technology. Not that anyone expected her to be a gadget freak, but her reference to the ever so vintage geek 8-Track got a giggle out of me. What else does she think about gadgetry? Here's more:

• What gadgets do you always bring with you to the set (for down-time)?
  My cell phone and an 8-track player.
• What cell phone do you have right now and what do you love/hate about it?
  My Samsung 3G. I love everything about it except when it beeps when an email shows up day or night and I can't turn it off.
• Name one thing you wish your iPod/cellphone/laptop (any gadget) could do that it doesn't do now?
  Clean the house.
• What annoys you most about your iPod, cell phone, or laptop (or any other gadget)?
  I get tired of the music on my iPod. The laptop isn't annoying but going through airport security with it is.

For the full interview, visit Switched.

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A celebrity figure for decades, Jackie Collins happens to be one of the world's wealthiest diva writers and, as it turns out, a bit of a gadget freak. Switched recently caught up with Collins to test her on her gadget know how. She may have been born in the age of the typewriter, but this diva can't live without her computer or BlackBerry and don't even get her started on people who can't help her hook her gadgets up.

"I am furious when I arrive in a country at a big hotel and they don't know how to connect my laptop, so that I can keep in touch with everybody," says Collins. "I was recently in Sydney, and I had a week of wonderful dialogue with all my friends via e-mail, and then I arrived in Melbourne and they couldn't figure it out. What a bummer!"

Other highlights include:

What gadgets do you always bring with you for down time?
My laptop. Cannot travel without it. It keeps me connected with the outside world when I am in places like Australia, and the time difference is so huge.

What cell phone do you have right now, and what do you love/hate about it?
I have a RAZR, however, I am thinking of getting the new Apple iPhone, which looks amazing, or the BlackBerry 8800. Cannot make up my mind – but I have a feeling both of them will rock!

What upcoming gadget can you not wait to get your hands on?
A high def movie camera that has disks that I can play immediately on my computer.

If you're stranded on a desert island, what gadget do you bring?
I would certainly bring my laptop so that I could keep in touch with everybody and keep up with what's going on in the world.

For the rest of the interview, visit Switched.

You really just don't hear enough about the Hanson brothers these days, save for their appearance on VH1 One Hit Wonders list and the occasional award show. In fact, I didn't even realize how much I'd missed ironically singing their "MMMBop" song (or maybe I wasn't being ironic) with my girlfriends until I read their answers to the Switched Questionnaire about technology.

Apparently, the bros are grown up, have a new sound, self-released album and the youngest of the trio Zac Hanson - pictured at left - is almost a geek. I say almost because he doesn't quite match the geekiness of Hilary Duff. Highlights include:

• What's the longest time you've ever spent playing a video game in one sitting and what game was it?
  I played Final Fantasy X for 10 hours when I first got it.
• What cell phone do you have right now and what do you love/hate about it?
  I have the BlackBerry 7130c. I hate the scroll wheel. I am left handed but the scroll wheel is on the right side.
• Name one thing you wish your iPod/cellphone/laptop (any gadget) could do that it doesn't do now?
  Make me coffee, and tone my abs.
• Blackberry, Sidekick, or Treo?
  BlackBerry. Being able to sent a PIN message to someone and know they will get it in 3 secs is pretty cool.
• Are you getting an iPhone? If so, why?
  Yes. I have a MacBook Pro, and the iPhone will be the best Phone to sync with all of my programs. Also Apple stuff rocks, so the more of its products I can use, the better.

Check out the full interview on Switched.

Not only did AOL's Switched get up close and personal with Hilary Duff about her tech style, but they managed to snag an interview with comedian Jamie Kennedy about his love for gadgetry as well. It's no wonder Kennedy frequently attends tech related product launches and star-studded Sidekick parties...cause he's a total geek. During the interview, Kennedy couldn't help but reveal his close relationship with his Sidekick and how just like Hilary, he is anxiously awaiting the release of the iPhone so he can check it out and see if "its real." I've heard Kennedy talk about his Myspace obsession a couple times in radio interviews and was pleased to learn his techie knowledge extends far beyond networking sites. Here are some of the highlights from the interview:

Recently, AOL's Switched had the pleasure of talking with Hilary Duff about gadgets, gaming, and her net surfing habits. Who knew that this actress-turned-popstar was such a techie diva? During the interview, Duff shares her obsession with BlackBerries, the infamous and yet-to-be-released iPhone and - this is the bit that totally surprised me - how she can't wait to get a Slingbox, the new TV streaming device that lets you watch all your fave TV shows on your laptop. I must say, just knowing that Duff is into Slingbox makes me respect her a whole lot more. Here are some of the highlights from the interview: