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?