Flowers, chocolates, perfume or jewelry usually come to mind as Valentine's Day gifts, but this year, why not go "techno-chic?" Products designed to delight the "girly-girl," such as stylish notebooks, high-fashion, pocket camcorders, and techno-chic accessories are in abundance.
Sony, for example, has the hot pink Bloggie™ camera we featured on the Fox 8 Morning News a few weeks ago, and then there's the hot pink W Series VAIO mini notebook (Model VPCW211AX/P) Sony calls the "Love Machine." For $449.99, the W Series provides a 10.1" LED backlit LCD screen, 1366 x 768 resolution, 1.66 GHz Intel Atom Processor, 1GB RAM, 250GB HDD, large capacity battery, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a webcam.
If your lady enjoys fine art and design, consider the ASUS Eee PC 1008P KR Collection. The "KR" stands for Karim Rashid, one of the world's most prolific industrial designers, whose stylish creations include the Dirt Devil KONE cordless handheld vacuum cleaner.
ASUS says the KR Collection reflects the Rashid's view that function, material, form, performance, texture, color and ease-of-use are inseparable in any object of beauty. Accordingly, the Eee PC 1008P/KR netbook is designed to appeal to all five human senses, including the sense of touch, which explains its reptilian-like finish, called Organic Digi-Waves.
The unit measures an inch thick, weighs two-and-a-half pounds, and features a Chiclet-style keyboard (with a multi-touch trackpad). Standard equipment includes a battery life-obsessed Intel N450 Atom processor, replaceable battery (good for about 6 hours), a 1.3 megapixel webcam with easy zooming control, two gigabytes of RAM, Microsoft Windows 7, a 320GB hard drive, built-in 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth, and one year of complimentary online ASUS WebStorage (500 GB).
The unit also has a quick-booting, ancillary operating system, called Express Gate, that allows you to make Skype calls, surf the web, browse photos, play online games, or engage in instant messaging within seconds of powering on the device.
Overall quality is excellent. The unit's only shortcoming is the lack of NVIDIA's ION chipset or some other way of delivering better video to accompany the unit's impressive SRS audio. I tried to watch my favorite TV program in hi-res on Hulu.com, but the video was choppy.
Nevertheless, for a woman on the go, the Eee PC 1008P is stylish and nicely-equipped. The unit is available in Hot Pink or Coffee Brown and has a MSRP of $499.99. For more information, visit ASUS.com.
FlipVideo Mino, MinoHD
What woman would love a Valentine's Day-themed pocket-size camcorder to always have handy in her purse? FlipVideo's Mino captures 60 minutes of high-quality video on 2 GB of built-in memory (no external memory cards needed.)
The unit has a 1.5" anti-glare display and records MPEG-4 videos that are compatible with most video-playing applications, including Windows Media Player, QuickTime Player, and iTunes.
A convenient flip-out USB arm plugs directly into your PC or Mac to launch pre-loaded FlipShare software, which makes it easy to email videos, edit individual clips, make custom movies, capture still-image snapshots, and upload video to Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and other sharing sites. A cable included to watch videos on a TV set.
For hi-resolution video, choose the MinoHD 60, which weighs only 3.3 ounces and captures 60 minutes of HD video on 4 GB of built-in memory, or choose the MinoHD 120, which doubles the recording time with 8 gigs of memory.
The cameras are part of an "ecosystem" that also includes the FlipshareTV, a docking station that sends your videos to a big screen TV wirelessly.
The Mino 60 min sells for $149.99. The MinoHD 60 is $199.99, and the MinoHD 120 is $229.99. The FlipshareTV is $149.95. For more information, visit FlipVideo.com.
Twelve South BookBook
Lastly, if your sweetheart owns a MacBook or a MacBook Pro, Twelve South's BookBook is an elegant and clever way to protect it.
Resembling a vintage, leather-bound book, the BookBook functions as a traditional sleeve or a clamshell-style protective cover. Dual zippers even let you charge the notebook even when the case is zippered shut.
Your Mac sits on soft, padded interior, protected by two hardback leather covers. The rigid spine provides crush protection, and since the case looks like an old book, you can keep your Mac on a coffee table or a bookshelf without thieves noticing your expensive notebook.
The BookBook sells for $79.99 and is available for a 13-inch MacBook or a 13-inch/15-inch MacBook Pro. For more information, visit TwelveSouth.com.
Valentine's Day? There's an app for that!
Last, but not least, checkout the iTunes App Store. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, there are hundreds of apps that can help you make the most of Valentine's Day, many of which are FREE. Here's a sample:
- 1 800 Flowers (free) - Always on the go? You can use this app to place an order from 1 800 FLOWERS Mobile Gift Center.
- ProFlowers (free) - Regardless of where you are, this app lets you send beautiful bouquets and gourmet gifts at any time.
- Godiva (free) - Use this app to order Godiva products anytime, anywhere.
- Ghirardelli Chocolate (free) - Beautifully packaged Ghirardelli Squares Chocolates are at your fingertips.
- Love Poem Generator (free) - Show your sensitive side. Use this app to create an original love poem.
- Gift iDeas! (free) - Buying gifts for someone you love isn't always easy. This Amazon-powered catalog has hundreds of suggestions.
- Match.com (free) - It's been a magical year so far. Why not see what the world's largest dating service has to offer?
