Shiny Shiny

Kolobags Discount

Don't forget that Kolobags are offering Shiny readers a discount on bag purchases until 8th May. There's a good selection of laptop bags, including this rather fetching messenger bag from PaulPac. Get the full details on the discounts and how to get them here.

XFM's DAB Radio

Still not got yourself a DAB digital radio? Well in that case you've already missed hearing me desperately trying to fill time talking about my Roomba on 6Music the other day. That would be the Roomba that had apparently discharged its battery when I packed it away ready the night before, and which spectacularly failed to power up when Gideon Coe started asking me about it. Funnily enough, I haven't been invited back since. But, bad memories aside, I love my DAB: Xfm, 6Music and, of course, Planet ROCK \m/ (because you can never hear enough Freebird and Stairway to Heaven) all make for good listening. This Xfm -branded Tech Dynamic DAB has an SD/MMC card slot so you can play MP3s through its speaker and you can record sound clips - as well as listening to digital and FM radio stations. It's going for £99.99 at Dixons and Currys.

iPod Speaker Bags

Remember those iPod Speaker Tote bags? Well, they're back. Good job too - I've been struggling to live a full life without them. Japanese company BrightonNet is responsible for these special white vinyl bags that slots for your iPod and feature integrated speakers. Unfortunately, they're only on sale in Japan but it's only a matter of time till somebody imports them.

via TechJapan

What's New From Shiny?

Bored over the bank holiday? Here's what's new from the rest of the Shiny Media blogs...

Tech Digest : Samsung MP3 Friendly Phone, Bags More Sound For Your iPod, Ricoh 8.2 Megapixel Camera

Shoewawa (shoe blog) : Win £350 Gina Shoes, 66% off DSquared2 Shoes, Ugly Shoe of The Week

The Bag Lady (bags & stuff) : Chloe Silverado Copy, Spring / Summer Louis Vuitton Bags, Make-Up Bag Top 10

Bayraider (ebay blog) : Lady Penelope's StreetKa, Mexican Wrestling Mask, Kylie's Thong

Hippyshopper (green living) : Water Out Of Thin Air, Country Piles - Cheap & Green, Go Bananas

And don't forget Games Digest and Mobile Digest.

Needies: toys that crave attention

Do you know what a lifetime of watching horror movies has taught me? Two things. First, never go up stairs when a supernatural serial killer has been picking off your friends one-by-one. Second, dolls that flatter you and demand your affection are evil; full stop. Possessed by demons. The Devil incarnate. And very, *very* bad for your health.

Sure, Needies are cute - and goodness knows being on the receiving end of obsequiousness can be a real ego-booster now and then - but their driving need to compete with one another for your attention is un-nerving to say the least, and the fact that one of these diabolical dolls will suggest you commit violence against another Needie to prove your adoration is nothing short of creepy.

Mind you, I'm not saying Needies are necessarily Satanic. They may merely be the most passive-agressive, attention-hungry child's toy ever made. What I am saying is you won't see their adorable, co-dependent little faces around my home anytime soon. (Although they would be comforting to cling to when I go upstairs to investigate those little bumps-in-the-night.) [Star C. Foster]

Needies [via We Make Money Not Art]

TV-B-Gone

There are few things more aggravating than meeting friends for a drink and gab session - only to find that one has to shout to make oneself heard over the news, the match, or some dribbly sitcom blaring in the TV over the bar. (And gossip should never be done at top volume). Now you can indulge your urge to shut off the television and revisit the old-tyme practice of conversation without worrying about being bounced out of the establishment - thanks to the TV-B-Gone. Small enough to fit on your keyring (and to discretely tuck away once the deed is done), TV-B-Gone can turn off a television from up to 50 feet away. Brilliant.

This beauty could also be useful when trying to pry an innattentive, remote-control weilding partner away from the boob tube - or at the very least irritate them as much as the insipid program they insist on watching irritates you. [Star C. Foster]

TV-B-Gone. Available for $14.99 from Think Geek.

Pizza Portraits of the Royals

Not quite within our remit, but this one's too good to pass up. Pizza Express is celebrating its 40th birthday and since it shares its birthday with the Queen (21st April apparently, so I'm a bit late with this one), the Pizza people have commissioned a series of portraits of the doughy royals. Nice to see Camilla getting a pizza the action. No mention of whether Charles's pizza is an organic one, but one would hope so. Apparently this was all over the UK tabloids, but I thought some of our readers from the Colonies might be interested.

Tink Phone Charm

Gemma over at sister site The Bag Lady is always moaning that I nick all the best gadget bag stories. Now she's treading on my toes getting the scoops on the latest phone charms like this $3 Tink Charm from Asos. This is what happens when you get two women working together you see. Soon we'll be pulling each other's hair and shrieking like harpies.

Product page [stolen from The Bag Lady]

iPod shuffle cases

After the Wrappers I put up the other day, another reader got in touch to say she also makes cases for the iPod shuffle. These are slightly different to the Wrappers, with a little matching neckstrap so you can adorn your body and keep your shuffle scratch-free at the same time. Lovely selection of designs and, like the Wrappers, pretty exclusive since only a couple are made in each design. Jocelyn's selling her cases on eBay for $6 a pop. It's nice to see that Shiny readers are keeping the arts and crafts movement alive and well - with a tech twist.

Product Page

First Gadget Mag for women?

A certain Stanislav Shum emailed me the other day to let me know that his publishing company, Voila Publishing over in the Ukraine has launched what could well be the first gadget mag for women. Billed as a tech-style magazine, "Shutchka" has features on gadgets, fashion, sex and all manner of other important subjects. This is the front cover of the latest issue and unless I'm sadly (and embarrassingly) mistaken, that's Ms gadget-modding Stefani on the cover (you may recall Gwen's camera that she did for HP). What better person to pick really. The mag looks just neato to me. Anyone know of any other gadget girl mags out there?

Hello Kitty NHJ V@MP Player

Hello Kitty; she's an adorable, bow-wearing cat who's apparently willing to put her calm, comforting face on just about anything: Bluetooth headsets, memory cards, and even the odd MP3 player . (And apparently no one has signed her to an exclusive deal.) The "Hello Kitty Edition" of the V@mp VP-525D flash player offers 256MB internal memory, an SD card slot, and some plastic color panels for color-coordinating your LCD display with your outfit. (A gal who wears a bow with that much panache would never allow you to make a fashion faux pas.) I don't know what it is about that cat - she may have the most rentable face around, but she's just so cute that her mug plastered on anything does make it more desirable. She's just so darn collectable. [Star C. Foster]

V@mp VP-525D Hello Kitty Edition [via Gizmodo]

New Nokia phones including N91 hard disk music mobile

Blimey Nokia has been busy. Today in Amsterdam it has taken the wraps off a trio of new phones including, the N91, a music phone with a four Gigabyte hard disk, and the N90, a serious camera phone with a state of the art Carl Zeiss lens. Here are the details.

Nokia N91

Probably the most eagerly awaited of all the new Nokia N series handsets, the N91 trounces rival music phones not just in storage (it has a 4 Gigabyte hard disk on board) but also in terms of looks thanks to its elegant chocolate bar style design with music playing buttons that pull down to reveal the numeric keypad. The N91 boasts MP3 and AAC (though it isn’t compatible with songs downloaded from the iTunes music store) playback, has a remote control in its accompanying earphones, and features an FM tuner.

Unlike any other phone it sports a 3.5mm headphone jack, so users can team up the handset with some seriously large cans if they fancy. Battery life is reasonable with the phone running for 12.5 hours as a music player, though this way short of the 30 hours offered by the Sony Ericsson W800. It is 7 hours standby and 3-4 hours talk time.

The hard disk is also shock proof, Nokia staff have apparently been throwing them around to test this, and the company is saying that users can store up to 300 tunes on the hard disk. The N91 will also playback AAC+ files - which are used by European networks as over the air music downloads and also has an audio out so you can hook it up to external speakers etc.

The phone has loads of other facilities including a two mega pixel camera, web browser (made by Norwegians Opera? Nokia isn’t saying), email, and, unusually for a phone of this size, integrated Wi-Fi. It runs the Series 60 interface and is compatible with both 3G and EDGE networks. From the spec sheet it looks like like Nokia has taken the music phone to the next dimension. Whether people start ditching their iPods and Walkmans in favour of their mobi though remains to be seen.

Nokia N90

After seeing rivals Sony and Ericsson and Sharp steal a march in the camera phone market the N90 is Nokia's attempt to grab the high-end back. Its headline facility has to be its integrated two mega pixel camera which features apparently Carl Zeiss optics – a first for a Nokia phone. The handset itself is clamshell style with a rotating head like other Nokia and Sharp phones. Nokia has stacked the phone out with many photographic features so the N90 boasts a macro option, an autofocus, flash and a 20x digital zoom.

The phone also grabs video too in MPEG4 and 3GP formats and has an 8x digital zoom. There’s a second camera too so the phone can be used for person to person video calling. The 3G/Edge handset also features MP3 and AAC music players and has good quality speakers. It runs on Nokia's Series 60 platform and boasts a whole host of ‘prosumer’ facilities including email with attachments and a full HTML web browser. Battery life is up to 10 days in standby and 4.5hours talk time. It goes on sale in the summer.

Nokia N70

It might be the least exciting of the trio of phones Nokia has unveiled today but that’s only because the other two boast such innovative features. The N70 is in fact a good all round 3G/Edge handset in a small fairly smart upright style. It's got all the N Series core features, so is kitted out with music playing facilities, a two mega pixel camera with a 20x digital zoom and web browsing facilities. Running on Nokia's Series 60 platform it supports email, can open many file types and comes with an FM radio on board.

It has two cameras so it can deliver 3G video calling, features an integrated speaker and has Bluetooth connectivity. The only fly in the ointment is that it uses the rather pesky cut down MMC card, which the last time we looked was only available up to a pathetic 64MB.

Furry Mice

Imagine yourself: alone in the dark, enraptured by something on your computer monitor (an in-depth article on world politcs, an online-only Sale notice from your favorite boutique, pictures of yummy Johnny Depp, etc...). A hyperlink invites you to click for more. You reach your clicking-hand blindly out into the shadows, and it finds itself clutching something small, and furry, with a long-tail and a beady red eye. A mouse. Your mouse. Your computer mouse. I'm sorry - but if the fur-covered Cyclops from Geppeto found its way onto my desktop, you'd hear the screaming for miles. I have no objection to designers trying to make the computer user's experience more sensual - and when they find a way to apply this sort of technology to those online photos of Johnny Depp - I'll be first in line to give it a try. [Star C. Foster]

Cyclops [via Popgadget]

MobiBlu DHH-100-5

Like many MP3 players on the market these days, the DHH-100-5 from MobiBlu offers file storage and transfer capability (via USB 2.0), an integrated voice recorder, and a hard drive sufficiently large to hold enough music to get us through the day and then some (5GB). What makes this player stand out is the built-in stereo speakers (good for listening to your tunes at home or letting the folks on the bus know you're singing along to something other than the voices in your head); and the SD/MCC slot, which allows users to copy data from other digital devices (such as a camera) onto the DHH-100-5, thereby freeing up the cards for new data - great for those times when your music player is in your pocket, and your extra memory card is buried somewhere at the bottom of your bag (that sort of thing can't only happen to me). The Gadgeteer gals have a very thorough review on their site. [Star C. Foster] [and the award for longest ever sentence on Shiny Shiny goes to: Ms Star C Foster! -ed]

The MobiBlu DHH-100-5 [The Gadgeteer]

What's New From Shiny?

What's happening on some of the other Shiny Media blogs this week? Here's some of our top stories...

Shoewawa (shoe blog): Jennifer Aniston's Boots, Ashley Dearborn Shoes, The Shoe Individualiser

The Bag Lady (bags & stuff): The Naughty Secretary Club, Lulu's Evening Dress, South Beack Rocks

Bayraider (eBay blog): Star Wars Marathon Tickets, New PSP Delay, Really Small Oranges

Hippy Shopper (green living): The Current Account That Cuts Bills, Sloane Ranger Eco Bag, Hippy Shopper - The Show

And don't forget to visit Tech Digest, Games Digest & Mobile Digest

Shiny Discount at Kolobags!

We've convinced Kolobags to give us some discount codes especially for Shiny readers. They make a lot of the lovely bags we've featured recently, including the Casauri backpack, those gorgeous Melissa Beth creations and AcmeMade's Slim range. They also do this fantastic Adrienne Vittadini number which is 185 dollars-worth of boardroom super-chic and almost makes us want to go out and get proper jobs just so we can use it. Plus Tote Le Monde, Bosca Case Closed and Paulpac. Find out how to get your discount after the leap.

Kolobags are offering the following:

US Readers: Free standard shipping within the US. Just enter "shinyapril" at checkout for all your purchases.

UK Readers: Flat fee shipping ($30) to ship the the UK, for purchases made by April 30th 8th May. Just mention "shinyuk" when contacting customerservice@kolobags.com. This is for regular USPS shipping (it usually arrives within 10 days). All sales to the UK are final, no returns or exchanges.

To pay through PayPal just email customerservice@kolobags.com, mention the code (US: shinyapril; UK: shinyuk) and indicate the item you want. Kolobags will then respond with total amount and PayPal information.

I know it's only till the end of April, but we're working on getting an extension! Will update with more details when we get them.

Kolobags have extended the deadline till 8th May so you've got a bit more time if you want to make a purchase.

Dior Camera Bag

The 'Girly Glamour' pink logo bags covered with flowers and bows have been one of the most successful Dior ranges (see them copied now at a Turkish holiday resort near you...). Now there's a new member of the family, the $760 Camera Bag, for label-crazy snappers everywhere. Ok, it's not actually that brilliant for storing your camera, least of all because it screams 'mug me!' from fifty paces, but it is inspired by vintage camera bags. And it is pink. Hmm. Haven't I said that before? Gemma Cartwright

[via Purseuing]

Siemens CL75, SF65 - and a new SL55?

Ah, gay Paris! There's nothing quite like hopping on the train to France to go to a ladies-only launch of the new CL75 ladyphone. The launch was, of course, designed to try to poke and prod the women's press into finally giving a few more editorial inches to gadgets and technology, since they still seem to be finding it hard to accept that women like their phones, cameras and music players. Whether it will work or not is another matter, but with Siemens taking us to spend a day at an incredibly frou-frou cafe (which featured in SATC), taking us off for relaxing massages and facials, and whisking us off to an Ana Quasoar fashion show, it's certainly a day that they'll remember.

More details of the launch after the jump, but two important things to report first. First, the lovely white SF65 clamshell with 1.3-megapixel camera and swivel screen (the one everyone's calling the Siemens iPod phone because of its design) is now out in the UK. And second, the marketing people told me that "fans of the SL55 will be very excited in Autumn". And when I ranted on about how they should just refresh and upgrade the old SL55, they told me to wait and I'd soon be pretty pleased. So watch this space if you're a fan of the little slidey phone.

Anyway, back to the launch. I was entirely out of my depth, especially during the perfume smelling workshop during which Roja Dove told us that most journalists prefer Chypre smells (instead of floral or oriental) and I just nodded my head and tried not to sneeze. But great fun was had by all, and, who knows, maybe the women's press will finally cotton on to this whole alien concept of gadgets for girls.

I was pretty much the only journalist taking notes during the phone launch (but boy did those pens appear when Roja started telling us about smells) and although there's not much extra to tell you about the specs of the CL75, I did like the talk from Susanne Ebling - the woman who headed up the all-woman design team - when she said that it was important that they didn't just "pink it and shrink it". A concept that usually works for me, but leaves an awful lot of more tasteful and refined women feeling patronised. Not that including a mirror isn't patronising, but since I used it to check my teeth within the first 5 minutes of holding it, I can't really get uppity. I still haven't had a chance to get hold of the phone for proper testing, but it all looked pretty nice when I had a quick grope, with nice round keys and an elegant design. It'll be here in the Summer.

CL75 Product Page
SF65 Product Page

Having problems with Shiny?

We've finally sorted out the domain for Shiny Shiny so that it's now just www.shinyshiny.tv. If you were already using that, you shouldn't have noticed any difference, but if the site's looking all funny, you need to change the site to www.shinyshiny.tv in your favourites.

Creative Zen's Nano Plus

Creative Zen's Nano Plus flash player looks like it's going to be pretty run-of-the mill for the personal audio player market: 15 hour playtime, FM tuner, and a storage capacity for either 256MB, 512MB or 1GB worth of your favorite tunes. Where it does stand apart is its availability in 10 colors. If you're looking for fashion vs. features this May, this might be the MP3 player for you. [Star C. Foster]

MP3 Generation (French Site) [Via I4U]

Digital Photo Frame

The first thing I thought when I saw Paramount Zone's digital photo frame was "about time too!" (although it turns out there are a few like it already.) We've had digital cameras for years, and both Mac and Windows users have long been loading up their snaps to play as a continuous slide show on their computer monitors. This 15" Digital Picture Player uses a TFT-LCD screen and its card slot reads a whole host of media formats, including SmartMedia, MMC and SD cards, IBM's Microdrive, compact flash, and memory sticks. Not only does it display JPEG still images, it also plays MPEG and AVI movie files. All very Minority Report. From Paramount Zone for an eye-popping £580. [Claudine Beaumont]

Stereo Squealers

My mother would love these pig-shaped speakers. They bring whole new meaning to her favourite way of describing my home - 'a pigsty'. These cartoon-esque portable speakers retail at £14.99 and will oink out sounds from your PC, Latop or iPod, while you control the volume by twisting one of the pigtails. Obviously not for those who want seriously high-quality sound, but if you like kitsch, you'll love them. And did I mention they're pink? (Gemma Cartwright)

[The Novelty Gift Company (wholesale)]

Mobies for Ladies

Today Siemens are launching the CL75 phone, and with Katie off discovering its 'je ne sais quoi' at the launch in Paris (I knew I had the wrong job...), it's up to me to tell you all about it. This is the first mobile designed by women for women. And apparently what we ladies are looking for in our moby is 'soft, smooth contours and a "Silk Flower" motif.' We also get a digital still / video camera, 11mb of memory, push & talk technology, instant messaging and (most importantly) a huge colour display which doubles as a mirror. Oh, and a perfume...

That's right. A perfume. To celebrate the launch of the phone, Siemens have teamed up with posh perfumerie Roja Dove to create the CL75 scent, a fragrance inspired by the handset. And what does a girly clamshell smell like? Lemon oil, lavender, sandalwood, geranium and camomile, according to the fragrance experts.

The CL75 will launch in the UK this Summer. Once Katie gets back from scoffing croissants and drinking red wine, you'll get the full review of the phone (and the perfume too, if you're lucky).

Gemma Cartwright

[Update: Read all about my super time in Paris entirely out of my depth with the women's press here. Plus, fans of the SL55 are apparently going to be very happy in Autumn. Read]

SleepTracker: Wake up at the right time

If you're anything like me when your alarm clock goes off, you simply throw it across the room and snuggle back under the duvet. Sadly, the damage has been done; the rude awakening has thrown your body into chaos and you end up feeling groggier than if you'd never bothered hitting the sack at all. The SleepTracker alarm clock is a nifty little device that monitors your sleep cycle to rouse you from your slumber when you are closest to waking naturally. It supposed to leave you refreshed and full of beans -- possibly even relishing the thought of that breakfast meeting at work. The clock has got mixed reviews, and at $150 it ain't cheap, but a girl can't put a price on her beauty sleep, can she? [Claudine Beaumont]

Lifehacker

Memory sticks that change colour

Yes, back to my old favourites: USB keys. I can't leave them alone for long, I admit it, but they're just so useful I can't help myself. PNY's Color Attaché USB keys come with a neat little gimmick - you can change the colour of the covers switching between the two supplied in the box whenever the mood takes you. It's just a shame you can't get every single colour combination in every single capacity, but maybe I'm just greedy that way (although you can always buy extra covers if you get desperate). The 128MB blue metallic/blue matt version costs £25; 256 MB pink metallic/black is £35. The 512MB green metallic/green matt costs£60 and the big daddy 1GB version in white metallic and black matt covers could be yours for £90.

Oregon's new MP3 player for swimmers

Oregon Scientific has upgraded its waterproof MP-120 music player so that it now comes with 512MB of storage space - four times as much as it used to. It'll be out in June and Ashley over at Tech Digest, who gave the last one a go, tells me that it works well but you need to make sure it's securely attached to your goggles and that the earbuds don't pop out when you're doing your laps. You may recall that Ministry of Sound unveiled a similar waterproof player last week.

Pizza Cutters

In my house a pizza cutter is called a "knife", but I've always rather wanted a special utensil for slicing up my pizzas - just as I sometimes find myself thinking too long about how much fun it would be to drizzle honey using one of those special wooden honey drizzlers. In my house a honey drizzler is called a "spoon". Still, if you're one of those people in life who always makes sure you have the correct utensil for the correct operation (ie, someone who doesn't have to do your own washing up), you might come over all a-quiver at these arty, motorbike stylee pizza cutters from Frankie Flood. Not the girliest products I've ever put up, but I can do butch as well if I want.

Read [via Gizmodo]

Sony's latest ultraportable Notebook

Lightweight (1.38kg), silver and sporting a 10.6" screen - Sony's T2-Series looks like it's going to be pretty flash. But it's offering more than good looks – claiming dual functionality as a work and media unit, The T2 has got a 1.2Ghz processor, wireless networking, Bluetooth capability, and a DVD-RW drive under the hood (This means you could watch movies at your local coffee shop and still be 'working from home.') Maybe it's just me - but is its T2 moniker and silver casing have anyone else worried that it going to suddenly morph into Robert Patrick, a la Terminator 2? No? Just me then? Just as well - no laptop needs to be that multi-functional.Available later this year. [Star C. Foster]

Bracelet that flashes when your phone goes

Although less discrete (and perhaps less fun) than leaving your mobile on vibrate in a strategically-placed pocket, the cellular bracelet offers an alternative to missing calls when your mobile is buried too far in your bag to hear, or when mean old society won't let you keep your ringer turned on. The clunky pink-or-blue beaded bracelet will flash to let you (and everyone else) know when you've got an incoming call. Since it really isn't stylish enough to wear everyday - you might want to consider whether it's worth $19.98 to be able to silently tell your date, your boss or your board meeting, "I'm important enough to get calls all day - but you're important enough for me to ignore them." If they could just invent a bracelet that would silently notify folks their mobile is ringing and force them to take the call outside of the theater - I might just start going to the cinema on a regular basis again. [Star C. Foster]

Cellular Bracelet [Via Engadget]

X2 Stylebook lady laptop

Some women understandably feel patronised by pink technology. Not me, though. I'm not cutting off my nose to spite my face, because the fact is I like Naff. What I don't like, however, is crappy pink technology, so it's a good job these Stylebooks at least make a stab at decent specs. Pretty lightweight, small and with a Pentium M processor, the X2 Stylebook isn't going to win any labs geek tests, but it's not a complete blithering idiot either. Not only do you get a painted laptop - in pink, white, silver, black, lavender, blue, or green - you also get a bag to match it. Prices start at $1,300 and the Stylebooks should be on sale online and in stores by the end of May. Check out the product page for a full run down of the features.

Product Page [via Gizmodo]

Projector with Air Purifier

Projectors may not be a gadget that's often associated with the ladies, but this gadget speaks across the genders to neurotics of either sex. After all, who hasn't found themselves in the middle of a favourite movie only to catch a whiff of some foul miasma making its way merrily up your nostrils? I know I have, and I'm not even always the one responsible for it either.

As well as projecting your highly tasteful and cultured DVD collection onto your walls, Optoma's H27 home entertainment projector also comes with a built in Photo Catalytic three stage Titanium dioxide air purifier. It de-odorises any pongs, takes out the bacteria and then takes out harmful hydrocarbons. Stay in watching movies enough and you won't be able to step outside your door without succumbing to the first germ you inhale. But at least the air will be kept pong-proof. The H27 retails for £845.

Read

Panasonic's thinnest handset yet

Looks like the Celebrity Fit Clubbers and Michelle McManus aren't the only ones shedding a few pounds right now. Panasonic has just launched this X400 clamshell which is its slimest yet. On top of the teeny waistline, the X400 also comes with a built in camera. Panasonic is billing this as a phone you can take shopping with you if your partner or friends can't make it. That way you can text over pictures of the items you'd like to fritter your money on and they can give you feedback on your taste in consumer goods. Obviously, you can do that with any camera phone, but it was thoughtful of Panasonic to point it out to us. The X400 costs £100 and is available on Vodafone.

Woman smuggles phone up her Minnie Moo

Forget all those carry cases for your gadgets I keep putting up here - the *only* way to carry your gadgets is up there - in your fur-covered leather storage compartment. Who needs a Chewabacca iPod pouch when you've got a perfectly serviceable fanny to pop your gadgets into, that's what I always say. A suspected shoplifting Romanian lady is certainly in agreement with me. She was caught by police apparently attempting to smuggle a stolen mobile hidden in her vagina. They caught her out after ringing the phone and hearing the muffled sounds coming from her muff. Too bad she hadn't switched it to silent, vibrating alert instead. Hilariously, the owner of the phone has refused to take his mobile back, insisting that it was damaged beyond repair. I wonder if popping your mobile up your doo-dah voids the warranty...

Read [via Gizmodo]

Evergreen MP3 Watches

Do you and your partner share everything, all the way down to your MP3 collection - only to find yourself bickering about who gets to wear the MP3 related jewelry? Then Evergreen has just the thing for you: its 256MB MP3 watch now comes in fashion colours for couples; yep - you guessed it - pink or blue. (Let's be honest, no one uses their watch to tell time anymore - we all use our mobiles - so we might as well put watches to good use.) Now instead of arguing over who gets the 10 hours music playback on their wrist - you can tiff over who has to wear the pink one. (After all, pink does not go with every outfit.) Ain't the marriage of technology and romance grand? [Star C. Foster]

The Evergreen EG-MPW256CII [via Gizmodo]

Rafe iPod mini metallic case

For those who thought the C. Ronson iPod hoodie was a bit much (everyone, then?), why not dress up your MP3 player with this much nicer Rafe iPod mini metallic case instead? At $75, it's not exactly cheap, but who are we kidding, anyone with an iPod mini is interested in style, not affordability. This little leather number comes in blue, yellow or pink and has an appliqued heart, butterfly and flower in silver. And you could use it for your phone if you've yet to give in to the temptation of Apple.

That is the worst pun I've ever come up with.[Gemma Cartwright]

iPod shuffle wrappers

Keep your iPod shuffle under wraps with one of these smart covers. The Wrappers are hand made, embroidered overcoats for your music player that provide a bit more colour and a bit of protection as well. They're all available as limited editions so you can be sure that there are only about 5 or 10 other covers the same as yours in this world. Apparently, the most complex designs come complete with over 25,000 stitches, and you can have up to 10 different colours in one design.

Their creators emailed to ask whether any Shiny readers would like to suggest some ideas for designs - such as song titles or the face of your favourite revolutionary leader - and they've foolishly agreed to make one of the suggestions. You can email Freddie and Debbie with your creative input here or - and I hesitate to say this - you can post your suggestions to the comments below.

Wrappers

MSI Megabook laptop

MSI sells its products in both the UK and the US, so here's hoping this one just announced in Japan will be with us soon. The Megabook MS-1006 is a nice looking, lightweight (1.8kg) notebook with a 12.1-inch screen. It's compact enough to bung in your bag to take wherever you go, and it's got all the stuff you'll need on a portable - Pentium M (or Celeron M) processor, MMC/SD/MS 3in1 card reader and Wi-Fi.

Product page (translated) [via Akihabara News]

Get rid of unwanted callers with the Pretender

You know those pesky callers that constantly ring to pester you, and never let you get off the phone? "Relatives" I call them. Well, if you're rubbish at making up those "I must go" excuses, here's your get out clause. Playing various noises, such as baby cries or dog barking, the Pretender provides an excuse to get off the phone - or get rid of door to door fish salesmen and the like. Not so great if your friends and family already know you're sprog and dog-less, but I'm still liking the idea. Plus it doubles up as a voice changer if you ever fancy trying your hand as Darth Vader or maybe a spot of blackmail. Costs $79.

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Eco Egg Washing Machine

If you're talented in the art of buying lambswool jumpers that shrink when touched by a warm exhilation, the cute little Eco Egg washing machine could be just what you're after. Pushing aside the spin-cycle in favour of 'gentle agitation', it takes the role of a loving boyfriend and caresses your lingerie and other delicates where other models dazzle them with centrifugal brute force. Or something like that anyway.

Although it isn't particularly new (not in the US anyway), it's a nice idea - especially as you simply attach the machine to your kitchen taps, and let it do its thing. But the fact that it leaves you to do the ringing out yourself sounds like a step back into Tudor times. And they don't even provide a mangle!

Cocoon Zone

Ministry of Sound Waterproof MP3

The MOSMP016 waterproof player will be just super during these April showers (for which read: perpetual downpours"). It's got 256MB of memory, an FM radio and voice recording so you can record notes for your latest literary masterpiece midway through your 25th lap of the pool. That's what I always do. It comes preloaded with Ministry's latest Chill Out Sessions 2005. How many of those have there been now? All that relaxing music and yet the nation continues to remain on edge. Available from July, price to be announced.

MoS

Egg egg timer

I try not to fill my cupboards with single-purpose kitchen gadgets, but it would be easy to make space for the Norpro Egg Rite Egg Timer; simply chuck it in the boil with your eggs, and it will darken to indicate the eggs' state of doneness. I am pro-anything that helps me be a culinary genius prior to the consumption of my morning coffee. [Star C. Foster]

Amazon Product Page -[via Gizmodo]

PSP goes fairytale

Once upon a time, a Mermaid got a PlayStation Portable, and then snubbed all her fishy friends. At least that's the story I sussed out from the latest installment of temptation within fairytale, a series of photos featuring fairy tale characters and their PSPs. (Other instalments to date feature Snow White and Cinderella).

Certainly, the PSP has got some tempting features (large screen, media players, hand-held gaming) - but all the gals in these photos seem tempted to do is stand around holding their powered-down PSPs and looking pretty. Where is the photo of Cinderella ignoring Prince Charming and his proferred slipper because she's reading her favorite gadget site on her PSP?

Or the one where the seven dwarves duke it out to be the next to play Metal Gear Acid? "And the girl gamers lived happily ever after..."; that's the gadget fairy tale I'd like to see.At least with the Mermaid series, I can finally understand all the excitement about the waterproof PSP case.

Sony Korea [via 14U News]

Snore Stopper

Do you live with a man whose snore should be donated to medical science (soon, ideally)? Do you lie awake while your beloved emits a sonic boom that confuses wildlife? Then please, for the love of God, buy one of these. The Healthcare Snore Stopper, surely a bargain at $59.95 (about 35 quid), is science's new way to turn that snoring behemoth into a sleeping lump of silence.

It is, to be blunt, an electric shock device. It doesn't work by turning your man into an actual corpse, though we wouldn't blame... OK, let's not pursue that thought. It contains a super-sensitive micro-sound snore detector that sends out a harmless electrical signal without waking either of you up.

It's tiny and lightweight and can be strapped onto your wrist. The idea is that if you wear it enough, your body learns to avoid the electrical signals, aversion therapy style. Incidentally, if you give him a Snore Stopper as a pressie and he dumps you for being so rude, look on the bright side: at least you won't have to zooz next to him any more.[Lady Muck]

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Retro phone for genteel types

If you've ever been sat in your gaslit Victorian parlour and felt that your BT cordless phone doesn't quite complement your grandfather clock, then the 1884 Ericsson Trade Mark Telephone by Museo is the phone for you. Well, that's if you like not-quite-perfect reproduction and having to get up whenever the phone rings. With push buttons instead of the spinning dial, pulse tones instead of the bring bring of yore, it doesn't quite hold true to the Victorian ideal of truth, honesty and art for art's sake.

But then this isn't the Victorian age, and we can't deal with complicated input techniques any more. Bring on the push buttons I say, that's what technology is for - to make our lives easier. Sorry, how long was that cord?

$59.95 from Gadget Universe [via TRFJ]

FlipFlap - just like a real plant!

For €2, you too can have a FlipFlap; a plastic plant that (much like the real deal) requires solar energy to get its groove on; although heaven knows why you'd want it to. Should I feel the need for "100% environmentally friendly" flora for my workspace, I think I'll drop by my local florists instead. [Star C. Foster]

GeekStuff4U.Com [via Akihabara News]

Sony's crazy mouse

Looks like Sony's up to its old tricks again - hacking off horses' feet and converting them into artsy fartsy mice for the archly under-designed computer in your desirable riverside apartment. Will this cruelty never cease. Sony's one of those companies that likes fiddle faddling round with the design of computer gear, usually rendering them unusable in the process, as is the tradition (remember those "hand of a claw" mice it did?). Still, I quite like it anyway.Aren't horse's feet lucky or something?

Read [via Akihabara News]

Wi-Fi Bunny

The Nabaztag may be the Cutest Ambient Awareness Device Ever. Accessing the web via WiFi, the Nabaztag's colored-belly spots, ear configuration and sounds can alert users when they have new email, to changes in the weather, or whatever variables they establish. Additonally, folks can talk bunny-to-bunny by developing their own language (bunny ears straight up could mean "Want to grab lunch?" Bunny ears down, "Only if there are martinis involved." Etc....) I'm not sure the super-cuteness factor is enough to justify the steep price tag of 95 Euros (even with the added stealth-bunny communication feature) - but I will admit to sizing up any empty spaces on my desk to see where one might fit. Available in France from Violet starting this month. [Star C. Foster]

[via Popgadet]

Betsey Johnson Samsung E315

Samsung's gone and set another designer loose on one of its handsets again. This time it's "fashion icon and designer" Betsey Johnson doing the honours. Unlike Anna Sui's sprawling purple and black design, or Diane von Furstenburg's "it's all about *me*" attempt, Betsey's at least managed to reign in any fanciful excesses, coming up with a pretty basic pink and yellow flower creation that, while not exactly setting my heart aflame, doesn't make me want to vom like the last two. Betsey's drawn some screensavers specially, and it also comes with a matching rose bud purse. Available on T-Mobile over in the US.

Read (thanks Crystal!)

Keep wires tidy in style

Great idea - and one I could certainly do with. I'm convinced that those black cables that litter themselves about my flat are procreating - how else can you explain the sheer number of them, and the fact that they always end up intertwined in a group-love bundle no matter how carefully I arrange them? I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but something iffy is definitely going on. French designer, David L'Hôte has come to my aid by coming up with these Centfils, a selection of design concepts that allow you to keep your plugs hidden away and your wires untangled. It certainly beats crappy velcro cable ties or pipe cleaners. They're basically glorified plug extension strips, but with some nice design and some neat additional features like built in night lights. They'd be more than welcome in my place if they can keep my copulating cables in check.

Read [via Coolhunting]

Casauri Laptop Backpack

If you've got to lug your laptop about all day long there's nothing that can really beat the backpack for sheer practicality. Unfortunately, what that usually also means is fusty black rucksacks that make you look like a tourist. That's why I'm loving this Casauri Citra backpack. You wouldn't think to look at it that it's been designed especially for notebooks, but indeed it has. It's all fully padded and water resistant and fits 14 and 15-inch laptops. Yours, in a selection of bright colours, for $120.

Casauri Citra product page

Edible DVD Player

Well, not quite, but since more than 50% of the Sony DVP-NS955 is made of vegetable-based materials, if you got a particularly severe attack of the munchies one evening, you could always give it a bit of a gnaw. Hilarious joshing aside, what this actually means is that we're well on the way to a fully biodegradable DVD player. Good news at last for Earth loving gadget fans. It's got DivX support, progressive scan via component video and SACD playback as well. At just over £200, it's on the expensive side, but you do get to feel all smug and superior if you dish out the extra cash.

Read [Hippyshopper]

Ladybird shaped MP3 Player

Ooh, this would go nicely with the ladybird USB memory dongle (if only it were still available). Those spots are the control buttons, which is pretty neat, and the head comes off to reveal the USB connector. Shame the features are a bit cack (128 or 256MB, just 256Kbps playback and USB 1.1) but since we'll probably never see the Ladybird (or Ladybug if you will) over here, it's all academic anyway.

Read [via Gizmodo]

HugJackets: Touchy-feely tech

These HugJackets are a bit too hippy-dippy for my liking, but their futuristic use of wearable, interactive, infra-red wizardry augers well for future technological developments. The jackets have a quilted pattern of conductive fabric sewn on the front; when two wearers come together in a friendly embrace, the HugJackets power one another up, creating a pattern of LEDs and emitting a "heartfelt sound". It's all about the symbolic transfer of positive energy, maaaan. [Claudine Beaumont]

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Koss Lip Gloss earphones

It's all I can do to stop my hair getting covered in lip gunk when there's even a hint of a breeze, so god knows what sort of state these earbuds would be after a day spent stored next to four pots of goo and a brush that keeps escaping its niche (because they always do). And at $10, you're going to get below par sound quality and lip gloss you could put wallpaper up with.

Read [via Engadget]

NHJ Hello Kitty Camcorder

I don't know about you but I'd feel a bit of a div using this NHJ camcorder. Ironic phones and kitsch accessories I can deal with, but I can't imagine anyone taking me seriously if I point this pink digital camcorder at them. Still, it's cute though, and it's got reasonable features, including 3 megapixels, and a 4x digital zoom. It also boasts the impressively punctuated name of Che-ez! v:u2.

Che-ez! Site [via I4U]

Habitually tardy? This one's for you then

As I am chronically running out the door at the last second, the Egg is something I could really use. Working in tandem with a community calendar the illuminated Egg dims the closer your upcoming appointments get; a sort of modern day hourglass.

And much like an hourglass, if you're running late you can turn it over and give it a shake to buy yourself more light and more time. My favorite part? Once you turn it over to request more time, the Egg will let your colleagues' Eggs know you are running late; saving you the need of numerous phone calls and emails, and thereby buying you extra web surfing time. Or meeting preparation time. Whichever.[Star C. Foster]

The Egg - [We make money not art]

Robot Urinal

I believe that men and women are fundamentally equal, and that we are capable of the same things. However, if the Shakeutron turns out to be the future of urinal design, I think I'll leave peeing-while-standing to the men (generous steak dinner offer notwithstanding). It does make me wonder, though: if Shakeutron is out in the open, what will lavatories of the future have hidden behind stall doors? Is someone taking the piss here? Almost assuredly.[Star C. Foster]

Gizmodo

Nokia 8800: Fashion Handset

What do you think of this then? It's Nokia's latest fashion handset, following in the great tradition of Nokia fashion mobiles such as the Art Deco phones released recently. There's a stainless steel body to admire, and this slides down to reveal the "metal injection moulded keys". As with so many fashion phones, the 8800 (88001 in America) doens't have huge number of features. The camera is better than average, but not the best, at 0.5 megapixels, but the screen is a nice high quality 262k number, so that's something. There is also an FM radion and support for music playback (MP3 and AAC). It's going to be pricey, mind, at around €750.

Nokia

iPod Hoodie

Even I couldn't get my tongue in my cheek far enough to pull this one off. But if you really must, you can buy this C. Ronson iPod Hoodie in blue or pink for $24 here.

Product Page [Fred Flare]

Melissa Beth Laptop Bags

Melissa Beth Designs has a selection of possibly the nicest laptop bags I ever did see. In fact, they're all so nice that I can't possibly pick which one to feature and which ones to leave out. So if you keep reading you can check out the full range. And I'll try not to gush too much. First up we have the Get Off My Case selection, $215, which is such a great and unique design that I'm almost ready to consult Gemma for some fashion speak so I can adequately express my enthusiasm. I'm loving the that excellent retro suitcasey look. See?! I'll be writing for Vogue in no time.

Tweedie Pie Tote $250. Lovely looking bag, but I can't imagine it's very practical for carrying everywhere, unless you've got a super lightweight laptop. Still, I want one.

What A Croc Tote $198. Again, not hugely practical, but a good one for lovers of animal print designs.

Pocket Full of Puter This range is rather more lairy than the Get Off My Case lot, but . They'll be out in June so no pricing as yet.

Wind up Radio, Torch and Phone Charger

If you're one of the handful of people who managed to purchase Glasto tickets in the 10 second window of opportunity, we salute your fast draw fingers. Here's a near little gadget you might like to take along with you. The eco-friendly Personal Power Charger, is a wind up radio and torch - two must-haves at the festivals - but it also distinguishes itself by including a phone charger that will power up  your Nokia, Sony Ericsson or Motorola phones (what no Siemens?!). It'll cost you £14.95 from IWantOneOfThose. Apparently 30 minutes of winding will get you 10 to 15 mins of talk time, while 5 minutes of winding will get you a light for 2.5 hours.

Product Page

By the way, apparently tickets on eBay currently cost more than a small house in Grimsby.

Digimemo Handwriting Pad

This is just the sort of geek gadget that I find myself drawn to against my will. Maybe it's because I've got RSI, maybe it's because I like to be able to jot notes wherever I am, but I would love to give this DigiMemo pad a little roadtest. Yes, I know that PDAs can record your notes and drawings just as well, but being able to scrawl on a big pad of paper, only to have everything recorded for later transferral to a computer, is somehow more appealing. Maybe I've taken leave of my senses, but the fact that it has hand writing recognition technology in it to convert your scribbles into typed Word documents is just doing it for me somehow. Also, it helps that it's only £100.

Info is saved onto CF memory cards, so you'll need to have a card reader to transfer data onto your computer, but using cards at least means you can bump up the capacity and keep lots of cards about.

Selwyn Electronics

Sony's latest Walkman

Continuing in a long line of iPod "killers", Sony's latest Walkman - The NW-HD5 - is set for worldwide release in May. The 20GB player is smaller and lighter than the 20GB iPod and has much more battery power, offering thirty hours of MP3 playback. It will be available in black, silver and red and will leave you down £200 (£10 less than its equivalent iPod). All in all a nice little player. For some reason I can't seem to get enthusiastic about it, but I'm guessing that, like the lovely NW-HD3, you have to hold it in your hand to feel the (non-existent) girth before you can get excited.

Read more about it on Tech Digest

Shiny Media launches Bayraider

Yes, it's time for yet another weblog from the stupendous Shiny Media. Bayraider is especially for those that can't get enough of eBay gear - whether it be stupid stuff, lovely footwear, or a bit of tech. Currently, there's a whole lot of Chaz and Caz stuff (or Charles and Camilla if you prefer) up there at the moment, as well as the usual array of haunted Nintendos and the like. My personal favourite? Mary Poppins's petticoat! This site is strangely addictive. Check it out. Full press release on the turn.

Shiny Media launches Bayraider  – a trip through the dark side of eBay and other auction sites

People put some amazing things up on online auction sites, but sadly most of the time the sale of Charles and Diana divorce plates, fake dinosaur eggs and George W Bush in drag playing cards slip quietly by. Not any more though because you’ll find all the freakiest stuff the online auction world has to offer along with a great deal else at Bayraider (www.bayraider.tv) which launches today.

Published by the UK's leading commercial weblog company, Shiny Media, Bayraider is on a mission to dig out all that’s best on eBay and its rival auction sites.

Each day its readers will find

• The most bizarre stuff ever offered for sale, from haunted Nintendo games consoles through to likenesses of famous sports stars in potato chips
• The coolest collectibles from Elvis pinball machines through to life-size Dr Who Daleks
• Celebrity cast-offs from shoes once worn by the famous through to the bags they used to carry their pet dogs in
• The coolest gadgets and toys including amazing Japanese items that are not officially for sale in the US and UK
• Hot shots, incredible bargains nearing the end of their auctions

Bayraider will also deliver all the latest auction site news and offer hints and tips on selling items. If you love bidding on online auctions sites, or maybe just enjoy sniggering at the bizarre things people try and sell then you’ve got to bookmark Bayraider.

About Shiny Media The UK’s first and largest commercial weblog publishing company Shiny Media (www.shinymedia.com) publishes a range of websites including Tech Digest (www.techdigest.tv) Europe’s leading gadgets news site, Shiny Shiny (www.shinyshiny.tv) the first ever gadgets website written by and for women, HippyShopper (www.hippyshopper.com), an guide to ethical consumerism and Shoewawa (www.shoewawa.com) the highly acclaimed blog about women’s shoes.

Shiny Media was the first UK weblog company to attract mainstream advertising to its blogs (Dyson and Telewest). Its blogs have been featured in newspapers and magazines on both sides of the Atlantic including; The Guardian, USA Today, International Herald Tribune, The Sun, Daily Mirror, Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire and the Financial Times.

For more information about Bayraider or Shiny Media contact mail@shinymedia.com

Tamagotchis go fuzzy

Takara Toys has made the interactive digital pet even more saccharine by making the outside as cute as the game inside, giving it the ability to teach vocabulary, and even hold its own stylus.

I think that this new, cuddly exterior will make users feel infinitely more guilty when these digital pets "die" than they did when their orginal Tamagotchis gave up the ghost. (And I don't know about you, but I felt pretty darn bad.) [Star C. Foster]

Takara Toys [via I4U News]

DAH-1500 MP3 Player from MobiBlu

I'm intrigued by the advance info on MobiBlu's DAH-1500 MP3 player that is making the rounds; it's got a teeny tiny foot print - (24mm x 24 mm x 24mm!) and yet still promises an FM radio, an OLED display and impressive 20 hours of battery life.

But what, exactly, does one do with an MP3 player that square and small? Toss it in your bag and (if you're as unorganized as I am) it's lost f