HiTechMommy- Cat Schwartz

BlogHer

I'm in SF for the BlogHer convention. It's pretty funny because the hotel is buzzing with ladies/moms running around, arms in the air, screaming about the Internet. I'll take pix.

-Cat

Need A New Ringtone?

I was looking around and saw this free site that takes your music and creates a ringtone for you! Super easy to do. Yeah for Audiko!

This is mine new tone :-)

by audiko.net — ringtones.

Happy 4th!

Jack and I marched in our local parade yesterday as part of The Westchester Mom's Club.  I was a proud mama!  Happy 4th to you and yours.

-Cat

Game On

I'm not afraid to say that video games are OK to bring on your summer vacation!  The fact is that games come in handy keeping the kids, or Mom and Dad,  entertained when there's down time or when travel is involved.  In fact, in a recent survey from the video game retailer, Game Crazy, found that 96% of kids who own video consoles or hand held game systems will bring it with them on vacation this year. So go with it!

In my opinion a great device to bring along is the the Nintendo DS Lite.  In case you've never heard of it, it's a very popular handheld gaming system that's great for family travel and kids of all ages.  Its cool factor starts with the different color selections, I'm rocking' the pink and Jack has blue,  a really long battery life of up to 19 hours, wi-fi capability so you can play against others anywhere in the world or in the back seat,  is backwards compatible so you can  play old Game Boy games on it and has a rad selection of games. I highly recommend getting one.

So what games should you bring?  Ubisoft has just come out with The Imagine series, designed specifically for girls, which really lets young ladies express creativity and imagination by letting them explore their favorite hobbies in virtual worlds.   Games in this series include titles like, My Fashion Studio, which  is great for the trendy tween demographic, Imagine Fashion Designer for those who are into fashion trends, Fashion Dogz, for the pet lover allowing you to dress your puppies up in more than 400 fashionable items, and Imagine Babyz, where young mommy types can take complete care for a virtual baby.

And for the rocker in the family, Guitar Hero on Tour brings the amazingly popular fun to the DS!  It was voted one of the most “wanted” game this summer and with a ton of Gibson guitars choices, five different venues and six characters to choose from it really lets you rock out anytime, anywhere. It comes with a guitar pick-stylus and lets fan shred along to so many of their favorite tunes. Also, there’s a lot of great interactive features like challenging friends to Guitar Duel or use of the touch screen to autograph a fan’s shirt in the middle of a set.Ahhhh yeah!

The Nintendo Wii, as you know, is a HOT item and is pretty easy to pack up and travel with. So pack it in because when it rains outside or you all feel like ditching the night time plan, plug it in and let the games begin! The gameWii Play is great title for vaca’s because the whole family can join in and play any of the 9 different quick games. From air hockey and table tennis to billiards and fishing, every game features  multi-player mode so players can compete head to head to see who’s best. The best part, It comes with aWii remote w hich is a great deal because when you buy the Wii it only comes with one remote!

What are you taking on your vacation?

Dads and Grads

Yo, Dad's and Grads, you're up! Here's what I'm thinking you may like!

Sony iPhone Speaker Dock/Clock Radio
If the Dad or grad has and iPhone then this is a great idea for them . This is the first and only iPhone-compatible speaker system/clock radio.  Sony has done a great job with the design of this baby and the sound is pretty boomin'. You've also got a remote, a nice display, 5 programmable radio station buttons and a big snoooooze bar.  You can connect your iPhone and iPod to the clock radio or any other digital music player (like a Walkman) to access all of your music.  And it's affordable too – only $100 for this gift.

Skype

Next, a great (and free) gift for grads that want to stay in touch and stay connected to family and friends, no matter how near or far they may be.  It's a free download called Skype that allows you to make and receive free voice and high quality video calls to other Skype users (meaning you can hear and see them.)    The best part is that it's so clear it's like they are sitting right next to you, so your gift can be spending time with someone who is far away . With Skype you can also call landlines and cell phones for pennies on the dollar as well as establish a phone number in your area code to receive calls!

Indiana Jones Remastered DVDs

And what Dad isn't an Indy Fan? The new movie has mine talking all about the earlier movies so I recently scored him the new special edition Indiana Jones DVDs– Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom and Last Crusade through the 3 disc set.  These are great gifts for Dad that are even a treat for the whole family. These DVDs have been restored and remastered and now include a special introduction by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.  You can either buy your Dad's favorite one or all three of them together in the box set.

And believe it or not, with all the excitement over the new movie, sales of Indiana Jones merchandise have risen more than 100% in the last month on eBay alone!  Fedoras and Bull whips are hot sellers and there's really some amazing price points I'm seeing.

Fujifilm Finepix Z100
One more gift idea for the Dad or  Grad is the new Finepix Z100fd camera from Fujifilm. it looks pretty cool and is loaded with a number of  features that I've never seen on a camera before.  Check it out, you can see actual picture examples of what the different shooting modes are for, not just the little drawing of the person running or the moon shinning.   Another rad feature is a slide show mode that actually plays a nice little tune for ya while you're showing off the pix.  Want more?  It has a 5X optical zoom lens, face detection technology and an "auction" mode that makes posting your goods online super easy and fancy.  They come in 4 great colors and are priced under $200.   What are you getting your Dad or Grad?