My Tech Talk

Do you have a tech savvy woman in your life? Then this is the shopping list for you! Below you’ll find a collection of colorful and stylish computer products and accessories that make great gifts at affordable prices– USB jewelry, cameras, storage devices and more — that she’ll find useful and attractive. Visit the MyTechTalk Shop to view and purchase these items from Amazon.com.

Active Crystal's USB Memory Key

SanDisk Cruzer Fleur Pink USB Drive

Expressions Pink Mouse and Mousepad

Tribeca USB Panda Bear drive

Flip Video Mino (see note below about custom colors)

Western Digital Passport - 320 GB USB Storage

Visit the MyTechTalk Shop to view and purchase these items from Amazon.com.

Note: You can customize the “skin” or case of a Flip Video Mino with unique artwork, designs or colors for a truly personalized gift. However you must buy the camera directly from the company web site at theflip.com.

Check out these great lists for more gift ideas:

8 Gift Ideas for the Tech Lover

Gifts to Treasure: 6 Memorable Ways to Share Photos

Online Gifts for the Web 2.0 Surfer

Technology and children.  Welcome to my world.

As a father of four young children and an avid user of technology, I’m always on the look out for toys and electronics that will educate, entertain and inspire.

My 3 year olds enjoy playing online games (must be genetic) on nickjr and pbskids, but that requires immense parental involvement navigating to those sites and through the different games.

To help parents, I’ve added an “Electronics for Kids” product page in the MyTechTalk Amazon Store.  It is filled with toys and games from Leapfrog, Fisher-Price, vTech, Hooked on Phonics and other reputable toy makers.

To view the kids electronics I’ve listed in the store - including a learning radio, laugh n’ learn laptop, talking  Smart Sticks and kid tough DVD players -  follow 2  steps:

1. Click this link to visit the MyTechTalk Amazon Store
2. Once in the store, click the “Electronics for Kids” link under the “Browse by Category” header.

Some of these toys are already enjoyed by my kids while others will likely find their way down the chimney on Christmas or wrapped up for a birthday.  In other words, I either bought these for my own kids or would like to at some point.  These items also received favorable reviews from customers on Amazon.

Your feedback and comments are always welcome.

Happy Shopping!

Data Center

JungleDisk’s online storage service will give you a secure and reliable method for backing up your data on a regular basis.

I’ve been using it for a couple of months and it works as advertised. I’m very pleased with their service and software.

Pricing

Unlike many other online storage services, you aren’t required to pay a monthly or annual fee. You do need to pay $20 for the JungleDisk Desktop Edition software, which includes a lifetime of free updates.

After buying the Desktop Edition software, you are charged for data storage (.15¢ per GB per month) and data transfer services. Take a moment to read about their pricing.

Features

JungleDisk has partnered with Amazon.com so that data stored online will be put onto Amazon’s S3 datacenters. By using the datacenters of a well-known and reliable company, JungleDisk provides its customers with stability and peace of mind that their data will be accessible and secure.

Read this to find out why JungleDisk is better than other online services.

Once purchased, the software license for the JungleDisk Desktop Edition is good for an unlimited # of computers. You won’t be required to by multiple licenses. It is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. Click here for details on how the Desktop Edition software works.

I do recommend spending the extra dollar per month to buy the optional Jungle Disk Plus service. With it, you can access your data files from any web browser and the software will be able to resume uploads of large data files (like video files) should the connection be disrupted.

JungleDisk Workgroup Edition offers a backup solution for workgroup or office environments.

Free to Try

JungleDisk offers a free 30 day trial. To get started, visit the download page.

JungleDisk in the News

The company was recently acquired by Rackspace.

Read the company announcement from JungleDisk about the Rackspace acquisition.

What other technology products out there are designed to help you exercise or enjoy the outdoors?

The excitement surrounding the release of the Nintendo Wii Fit got me thinking about this question.

I spent a little time browsing Amazon.com and came up with a few technology gadgets — with many positive user reviews — that will help you get off your couch and get outside (or at least break a sweat inside):

Wii Fit

Exercise without leaving the comfy confines of your own living room. With Nintendo’s addictively fun Wii game system, this new software package will get you exercising in four key areas: Strength Training, Aerobics, Yoga and Balance Games. The games and activities are designed to appeal to all ages, so Mom and Dad can enjoy it just as much as the kids.

Price: $171 on Amazon.com

Apple Nike + iPod Sport Kit for iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G

This is actually an add-on package for an iPod Nano. You’ll need to buy the Nano iPod separately.

“Consisting of a wireless sensor and receiver, the Nike + iPod Sport Kit works exclusively with your Nike+ shoes and iPod nano to give you real-time feedback during workouts.” - Amazon product description.

Price: $29.00 on Amazon.com

Garmin eTrex H Handheld GPS with High Sensitivity GPS

This one intrigues me. GPS devices like this one have led to an explosion in popularity of a game called geocaching. In a nutshell, geocaching is a game of high tech treasure hunting. Players hide “caches” in various places, like parks or camp sites or even urban locations. The map coordinates of the cache are then posted online and other players can go and search for it using a handheld GPS.

For a full description of geocaching, please visit The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site

Geocaching sounds like a great family activity. I fully intend to play when my sons get a little older. When the time comes, I’ll take my friend Chris up on his offer to join him on a treasure hunt one day.

While there are a great many varieties of handheld GPS devices, this one is under $100 and should fit the budget of most families.

Price: $93.16 on Amazon.com

Omron HJ-112 Digital Premium Pedometer

Amazon Product Description:

“The HJ-112 accurately measures your steps, as well as aerobic steps and minutes. You can also use it to measure calorie consumption during your workout, as well as the distance you’ve traveled.”

Price: $19.82 on Amazon.com

So, now you can have your “tech” and exercise too. I’ll see you outdoors. Don’t worry about that big ball of light in the sky. That’s called the sun. It’s a good thing. Have fun!