I'm a Mac!

I'd like to applaud Microsoft for their great effort with their new "I'm a PC" commercials. Some of them are great, and I like watching them. I've read that sales and searches for new PCs have even increased slightly. However, I am a Mac girl, through and through. I switched to a Mac a little over 3 years ago and at first I hated it because it was so different from what I was used to. After a month I realized it was just breaking bad habits, and that everything on a Mac was actually easier for me to access and understand. I've been a Mac girl since that moment, and I can honestly say I'll never switch back to a PC.

At one point my Mac did have some serious issues -- I had my optical drive and logic board replaced twice. However, when it works, it works. There are no issues with the computer freezing, no programs (except for the Microsoft ones!) ever encounter fatal errors and "have to close", and there is no such thing as Ctrl Alt Del (that command doesn't even work on a Mac!) However, Apple took care of me, and when my computer wasn't functioning properly, they sent me a new MacBook on them. What other company do you know that has that kind of customer service?

So, that is why hubby and I (he's also now a convert!) cracked up laughing when we saw this commercial today. Great response to all the new "I'm a PC" ads. Way to go Apple! You will laugh too, even if you are a PC!



So tell me, what are you? Are you a Mac? Or are you a PC?

Join the Qlubb!

Are you the super organized type? Or, are you more like me, the super great at wanting to be organized type? Well, no matter your "type", Qlubb can help you! Thanks to Mom Central I've discovered that Qlubb is the go-to website for staying organized. Qlubb can help you organize homeroom parent meetings, playgroups, fundraising committees, faith based groups, etc with ease!

Qlubb.com is a web-based service that helps to organize your real-life groups online, providing all of the functions needed to easily and activey participate within a group. I know this would be a fabulous way to organize our weekly playgroup -- right now one of us sends out an email with an activity suggestion and time, and the rest of us respond to the whole group with if our preferences and if we can make it (which amounts to a lot of back and forth emailing). Qlubb.com allows you to connect, plan meetings, assign responsibilities and share pictures (what a great feature for our playgroup!) with all of the members of your group at once. Features include an event calendar, sign-up sheets, member rosters, a task reminder service, and bulletin boards, which every member of your group can access and update from their home computers.

I know I'll be using Qlubb to help with our weekly playgroup. What could you use Qlubb for?

Organized? Who me?

I recently had the opportunity to review one of those products that make you go "Where has this been all my life?!?!" It is the product to have for all of you receipt stuffers -- you know who you are. You're the ones who, after checking out at Target and dealing with a screaming toddler(s) just grabs the receipt from the lady and shoves it haphazardly into your purse/wallet/toddler's mouth. Then you stop somewhere else on the way home and that receipt from that purchase ends up in the same place, so now you have two squished and crumpled receipts. Then later, said toddler gets a hold of your wallet while you're in the shower and when you walk back into the living room, those receipts plus all of your credit cards are strewn about your living room. You're busy, of course, so you just shove everything on the floor back into your purse, completely forgoeing the wallet this time.

Hm, I wonder if that's how the leaf from my houseplant and some dog food ended up in the bottom of my purse?

Well, if the above description sounds like you, then I think you'd like Neat Receipts. On the other hand, if you are on the polar opposite side of that story and you are so particular that your receipts would have been filed neatly into your receipt drawer when you got home, well then we can't be friends you'll really love Neat Receipts.

Neat Receipts takes all of your receipts, big, small, crumpled and tall (long really, but tall rhymed and you can't expect me to pass that up) and scans them into your computer for you. Then, not only do you have a copy of your receipt, but Neat Receipts takes the info from the scan and puts it all into nicely fileable fields. It even puts it into a category for you, like gas, so you can be depressed over see how much you spend on that item each month, week, or for the year. Cool huh?

I fed my Neat Receipts scanner every crumpled and faded receipt I could find and it still picked up almost all of the information without much help from me. The scanner itself is lightweight and easy to store or bring with you when needed. It is powered off of a USB cable, so there is no bulky power supply to tote, either. It even scans documents (we're not just talking receipts here, people) straight into a PDF file, which is quite a useful feature - especially for e-documents and other things that you are supposed to "print and save for your records".

You can buy Neat Receipts right from their website. There are two difference versions, one for Windows and one for Mac. I have the version for Mac, which supposedly doesn't have as many options as the one for Windows, but honestly I didn't notice any features that were missing from mine. The version for Windows is $149.95 and the Advanced Release for Mac is $179.95.

So tell me, what do you think? Is this something you could use at your home or office?

I'm Flippin' -- are you?

Technology has really progressed since I was a kid.  My parents used to have a video camera that was as big as a suitcase that my dad would have to hoist up onto his shoulder to use.  Most birthday parties and holiday events were captured by setting up that ginormous camera on a tripod to catch one wide shot of the whole room, because it was the easiest way to do it without breaking your back.  

Not anymore.  As technology has moved along, so have those big clunkers of cameras.  Then we entered the digital age, and everything became more compact, even our computers!  It should be no surprise then, that someone would eventually make a very small and convenient to use video camera.

I recently had the opportunity to review the "Flip Ultra" digital video camera -- a product that the New York Times recently said was "One of the most significant electronic products of the year" and I agree!    I can see why so many people LOVE it.  I took it from the box to recording something in under 2 minutes, no exaggeration.  I kept checking the box to make sure I didn't miss anything.  It came with minimal literature (who really reads that stuff anyway?) which just proves that it really is dummy-proof.  

Now, I should warn you that these videos aren't intended to be extremely high-quality.  They are meant to be the type of video that you upload to YouTube or (as I did) email to your friends.  If you are looking for really high quality video, then you should turn to a regular video camera and not use the Flip.  But, I think that for what most of us are looking for, the Flip is perfect.  When we received the Flip Ultra, Little AG had just started walking, and our family members who live hundreds of miles away were just itching to see her walk.  So I took her to a park and let her go, while I recorded it on the Flip Ultra.  When I got home, I just "flipped" up the USB connect that is built into the Flip and plugged it into my MacBook.  I didn't have to preinstall any software before I plugged it in -- the Flip Ultra has the software that I needed installed on the camera itself.  When I plugged it into one of my USB ports, the Flip Ultra installed everything that I needed for me.  It was so easy -- I think that even the computer illiterate could figure it out.  

You can also edit your videos with ease once they are downloaded onto your computer, and it even gives you the option to capture still images from your videos.  I love that you can edit your movies and add music to make your own little video montage -- what a fun way to preserve your memories.    

The Flip Ultra is really fast, smart little camera.  The size of a bar of soap, it has the capability to start recording within 3 seconds of power up.  It holds 60 minutes of video in it's digital memory and runs on 2 double A batteries (with a pretty decent battery life, it seems -- I'm still using the same two batteries that came with the camera).  The color screen on the back allows you to watch video playback quickly, because you scroll through entire videos with one click.  If you don't like one of the videos that you have recorded, you can quickly and easily delete it -- much like using a digital camera.  

I received a Flip Ultra in Pink, and it's a darker pink, so it doesn't bother hubby much to use it either.  I like that you can choose the color of your Flip Ultra -- so that you can carry a camera that matches your personality.  Besides pink, they come in white, green, orange, and black.  It also came with a wrist strap and a soft velour storage pouch.  

Check out the pictures below of people that you might know using the Flip!

Hef and two of the Girls Next Door, Bridget and Kendra at a Lakers/Celtics game during the NBA playoffs record a few moments together with a Flip Ultra.

Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger review a funny video that they captured on their Flip Ultra at an awards ceremony earlier this year.

Paris Hilton records the launch of her new clothing line using her Flip Ultra.

The final verdict:  Everyone should have a Flip.  The prices are VERY reasonable ($150 for a Flip Ultra!) and they have all kinds of cool accessories (you can purchase an underwater case for your Flip to make it waterproof for up to 30 feet -- take it to the pool, record your trip down a water slide, or go snorkeling with your Flip Ultra!) available to purchase.  You can purchase the Flip online from their website at www.theflip.com.

Chic Shopper Chick Giveaway -- Casio Waveceptor Timepiece

The folks over at Casio and I have decided to partner to bring you a last-minute Father's Day giveaway! Read on to find out more!

The Casio Waveceptor is seriously one of the coolest watches I've ever laid eyes on. Is is sleek and sophisticated, but it could easily be worn with shorts and a t-shirt or a shirt and tie. Are you ready for the part that I think is coolest? Your hubby or dad will never have to worry about setting his watch to the exact time again, or worry about adjusting his watch for Daylight Saving Time changes. The Waveceptor receives the official US government time several times a day via a time calibration signal from the atomic transmitter in Ft. Collins, CO. What?!?! That's so cool! This would actually be really great for hubby because he is a radio engineer, and he always has to call Colorado for the precise time to make sure that the show goes on the air at the right time, commercials are aired properly, etc.

Hubby's last watch had a little square for the date of the month, and the first time I adjusted it my fingers almost fell off from turning the dial (ok, that was a little dramatic, but they were definitely red afterwards...). Well, my fingers are much happier knowing that the Waveceptor has a perpetual clock -- so it always knows what day of the month it is -- not even a leap year can confuse it. This is one smart watch!

A few other features of this watch: it has capability for 3 separate alarms (time to call your wife, time to bring your wife some flowers, time to tell your wife how much you love her), a LED light with afterglow, and it is water resistant for up to 100 meters, (that's 328 feet for those of us who aren't so great with the metric system).

This watch is the next hottest thing -- it's brand new and not even available in Casio's online store just yet. However, if you aren't the winner, fear not: they are available for purchase in Kohl's stores around the country.

So, would you like to win it? I thought so. Rules are below!

• Leave a comment on this post telling me why a man in your life deserves this watch!
  
• Please leave a valid email address if you would like to be contacted if you win. Otherwise, winners are posted here and on Prizey Fetch.
  
• If the winner does not respond within 24 hours I will choose a different winner.
  
• US entries only!!!
  
• Earn extra credit! Choose one of the following for ONE extra credit entry. Any further attempts to woo me will be disqualified!
  
• Write about this giveaway and send me the link in a separate post.
• Subscribe to my feed and let me know about it in a separate post.

This contest will end early on Saturday, June 14th at midnight. I will contact the winner by email on the 15th, so you can print out a picture of this watch at least to give to your hubby or father if you are the winner. I will have your prize shipped ASAP, but at least you will know it's coming.

Good luck!

A Better Mouse, A Cooler Click

Another adorable product from my new favorite website! You already know I flip for anything french, so when I saw this you know that I all but did a happy dance (and even if I did do a happy dance, well, I'd never admit it). Anyway, I think that these mouse and pad sets are adorable, and of course I flipped for the one with the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower on the mouse pad, plus "Paris" in lights on the mouse itself! Too bad I have a laptop, or I would have already ordered it! These aren't the only two patterns, so click on over and check these out. $35 for mouse and mouse pad at Pylones.