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Hot Mother’s Day gifts for tech-savvy mamas
What a difference a generation makes. Twenty years ago, the home stereo was usually an area dominated by the man of the house. Now, women, especially blogging moms know as much about HTML, APIs, and JPGs as the guys. New toys for adults like internet-ready TV sets and iPads are what moms always were looking for in technology; ways to actually make your life simpler and easier.
Here are a few hot new products that mom will quickly see the value of and available now in time for Mothers Day.
1. The iPad 2 – well, sorry. Unless, you want to camp out at the Apple store every day until you’re lucky enough to get one of the ten delivered that day, it’s almost too late to order one. Apple is still 1-2 weeks out, a condition not helped by the Japanese tsunami. If you live in a major metro area, call or visit the Apple store to get the lowdown on how to get one in their daily shipments. I know from experience that for a very special mom, you can get in line at 6:30, get a reservation ticket, and come back to get your pick of iPads. Handy if you really really must have this for mom’s day.
2.These CrossFade LPs are one hot set of ‘phones in a sexy package. All black with chrome sides and a red velvet-lined case, these headphones shout that you know what you’re doing. These are big honking earphones that completely cover the ear, perfect when you want to bliss out, or at least tune out your daughter’s violin practice. At $199, you’d expect good sound and they deliver. But what we really like is replaceable (included) cable which includes microphone and remote, compatible with iPad, iPhone 3GS and latest iPod (though not for my old iPhone 3G sadly). They are still lightweight and super-comfortable.
3. For the mom who has bouts of carpal tunnel, or who just needs a new mouse, this is a nice touch. The Whirl Mini is small in the hand, but moves easily on a desk surface. A scroll wheel makes it super easy to use, but what sets this mouse apart is the way it pivots under your hand so you find the best, most natural position for your hand. The only drawback we found was that it uses a USB plugin for its wireless capabilities (rather than bluetooth), eating up one of our precious USB laptop ports.
You might want to pair this with the AViiQ portable laptop stand. At only 5.5 ounces and 1/4″ thick when stowed, this angled laptop stand really can go anywhere. These two items aren’t the sexiest thing on the block, but they do say you care.
4. Simple, simple gift, but sure to be appreciated by anyone with an iPhone, the Scosche charging cable is a tiny fold-up cord that is key size so it’s always around when you need it, which is all the time if you use the phone’s functions at all. You can get sillier keychains for mom, but this is one she’ll really use if she has an iPhone. It folds up nice and neat, a tad larger than the black rubber end of a car key.
5. For the dual iPhone/iPad user, mom will love the sleekness and simplicity of the XtremeMac dual charging dock. It holds either iPhone and iPod or iPhone/iPod and iPad and holds them straight up, decreasing desk clutter and saving precious seconds for docking. And you know your device is charging thanks to two glowing LEDs even if you missed the distinctive chime on the iPhone.
We’ve tested the XtremeMac dual charging station on iPad 1 and iPad 2, and it docks beautifully with both. However, the dock works best for an unprotected iPad out of the sleeve in all it’s naked glory. My iPad 1 uses a notebook-style folder as a case and I’d have to take it out to use the charging dock which really isn’t practical. On the other hand, the lucky dog with the iPad 2, otherwise known as my wife, uses the new iPad folding cover. In tests, I found that you can put the iPad 2 with cover into the dock IF you push the over down about 1/8 of an inch. It’s not hard to do and virtually indetectable once on, but it is an extra step.
Note that this charger costs about about $100 on Amazon and doesn’t do anything else other than sit there and charge. It will not sync, but syncing is now overrated since MobileMe takes care of address and datebook syncing. Most of the time, you don’t want to hassle with the interruption of a sync (usually stopping a movie or other app), and just get on with the charging. The XtremeMac dual charger does just that with two Apple devices and does so elegantly.
Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.
Popularity: 2%
Plugz Earbuds for iPhone
Why submit to the Apple tyranny of white headphones that now mark you as more of a follower than as an early adopter? Now you can get microphone earbuds for half the cost and oftentimes better quality than the Apple variety. One pair we tried recently is theiFrogz Plugz which comes in bright blue, red, purple, and lime, as well as drab, ordinary white. At $14.95 (1/2 the price of an official Apple earphone or 1/5 of the Apple earbuds), buy three of these and keep one in your favorite jacket, the car and in your backpack just in case. I know these aren’t the highest in fidelity, but they work fine for most purposes and at some point, with screaming babies and ambient noise, I can’t tell between very good and great anyway.
We might never get the straight dope on whether holding the phone to your head causes cancer, but these earbuds are a simple, cheap and convenient solution to holding the phone while changing the baby.
GreatDad.com Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.
Popularity: 1%
Peachy – new faucet extender for little hand-washers
Peachy is a simple idea that may just be the trick if you’re trying to teach hand-washing to a little one not quite tall enough to stick his or her hands under the faucet. Invented by a mom, it’s just a cute plastic duck that slips over the faucet spout and extends the water stream out closer to the front of the sink. Couple that with a step-stool and most kids who stand can use this. The only trick is that you still will probably have to turn the faucets on and off. But it will save your back from having to lift your child up over the sink to get close to the water.
Peachy Aquaduck Bathroom Faucet Extender
Popularity: 1%
Peachy – new faucet extender for little hand-washers
Peachy is a simple idea that may just be the trick if you’re trying to teach hand-washing to a little one not quite tall enough to stick his or her hands under the faucet. Invented by a mom, it’s just a cute plastic duck that slips over the faucet spout and extends the water stream out closer to the front of the sink. Couple that with a step-stool and most kids who stand can use this. The only trick is that you still will probably have to turn the faucets on and off. But it will save your back from having to lift your child up over the sink to get close to the water.
Peachy Aqueduck Bathroom Faucet Extender
Popularity: 1%
GeoPalz pedometer gets kids walking
GeoPalz is a simple pedometer with a Manga-themed holder. The technology here isn’t too complicated, but it is a good mix of a simple idea, a little fashion, and some good game psychology to get kids walking.
I gave one GeoPalz to each of my two kids, 7 and 11, and they were jumping around within minutes to get their step count up. They immediately wanted to to to the GeoPalz site to add their steps so they could track their progress. Motivating too, was the fact that certain step totals win “valuable prizes.” Of course, “valuable” is in the eyes of the beholder, but the $5 iTunes gift card was certainly enough to get my 11-year old daughter motivated. My son started stepping immediately, but I think more because he wants to beat his sister, and likes the interaction on the GeoPalz website.
I’d recommend GeoPalz for anyone wanting to get their kids up and moving around. It’s not a cure-all, but it will get them moving a few more steps at a time.
GreatDad.com Review Policy: The featured product for this review was provided to us, at no cost, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. We do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. We only review products that we have personally tested and used in our own homes, and all opinions expressed are our own.
Popularity: 1%
