Music

Stitcher Radio – I know you’re saying “not another radio app! grrrr”. But hear me out – the Stitcher app lets you listen to on demand radio streams (think xm radio), your favorite radio stations from around the world (it doesn’t seemingly have ALL but it has most of the stations I searched for), and you can use it to play your podcasts. The coolest feature though, which I wasn’t aware of when I downloaded, is that it also serves as a news source. When breaking news hits, Stitcher sends me a brief notification which I can click and listen to a radio clip of that news. These notifications aren’t sent very often, but they really are breaking news not some weirdo’s idea of important news. While I haven’t figured out how to customize these notifications, I find them cool.

iPhone: Free
Android: Free

Songkick – Ever wanted to know if your favorite artist had a concert coming up near you or a thousand miles away? Songkick searches the playlists on your phone then can provide info about concerts for those artists. It will remember any location you give it and let’s you add the concerts to a remember list. You can see where teh concert is (google map), get a link out to tickets and share the concert information with friends. Pretty cool idea – the only thing that would be better is if it allowed you to watch past concerts.

iPhone: Free
Android: Gigbeat uses the Songkick API and has very similar functions. Also Free

NPR Music – If you like music, you’ll love this app. It gives you complete access to all the features of NPR music – album previews, desk concerts, review articles, streams of the music podcasts, etc. The layout is pretty (same color scheme as website) and the functionality is superb. I was able to get a complete stream of one of the “First Listen” albums without interruption via my data plan and via wifi. You can play it in the background, so listening to a stream won’t interrupt that game of Angry Birds you’ve been working on. Can’t say enough good stuff about this application or the service NPR provides.

iPhone: Free
Android: Unavailable. You’re stuck with searching the NPR News app for the new music features, but they are all there. The NPR News app for Android was user made but I hope it won’t have to be that way for the music app. Hop to it NPR!

iScrob – Despite last.fm having an app and the desktop application supposedly being able to scrobble your tracks (let others know what you’re listening to via the last.fm site or app), it doesn’t work that way. Enter iScrob. Though you can’t control things like your EQ and occasionally the title of the track it shows you gets ahead of itself (it told me I was playing a track that in fact was the next one in the playlist), it does the trick, scrobbling directly from the app. It’s meant to be a replacement for the built in music app. Though iScrob is not available for Android, there are some really cool alternatives like Simple last.fm Scrobbler and Scrobble Droid (both free). [if it's any consolation for the last 2 music apps not being available on Android, I must mention I'm jealous that there is a Jamendo Player app for Android, a link to a great site for indie music of all kinds. I'm partial to the electronic music available there. And the app isn't available for iPhone].

iPhone: Free

Movies & TV

Fanhattan – Similar to IMDB but better laid out with cooler features, Fanhattan allows you to search through movies and tv shows to find out more about them, view a list of all the episodes, and link out to “watch now” via HuluPlus, iTunes, or Netflix. You can also view reviews, see what people are saying via social media (facebook and twitter), check out the soundtrack (and link out to purchase individual tracks), see apps related to the show/movie, find related items to purchase on amazon, and see similar movies or shows. Whew! That’s a lot of features!

iPhone: Free
Android: Supposedly in the works. IMDB, tv.com, Netflix and HuluPlus apps are the only alternatives right now.

Crackle – Similar to Fanhattan, Crackle lets you search movies and tv shows to find out plenty of information about them. What’s different? Crackle let’s you view these same movies and tv shows FOR FREE. Clearly, you can’t view the most recent tv shows or movies for free via an app, but it’s stuff you want to see and if you’re stuck listening to upset passengers in a greyhound station for hours on end, anything will do. Bring on those full episodes of Seinfeld!

iPhone: Free
Android: Free

Wigglehop – Do you actually want to get up and go see some movies at the theater? Then Wigglehop is your app of choice. Find theaters near you, movies that are playing near you, then the times they are playing. When you’re done, invite others to come watch with you via facebook, twitter, email or SMS (or take this time to get a breather from the family and sneak out the house…watch out for the legos your cousin leaves down as burglar alarms). You can choose multiple theaters to search, which is cool because you have a larger range of movie start times to pick from.

iPhone: Free
Android: Unavailable but the top movie app for Android is still Fandango (which has the added perk of buying tickets from the app and a lot more bells and whistles than Wigglehop)

Shopping

Goodzer/Milo Local Shopping – These apps are combined in this review because of their similarity. Both Goodzer and Milo Local Shopping apps let you find the product you want on local shelves. That 50mm Sony A-mount lens you were looking for? What about a bottle of Lubriderm lotion? Just type it in the search and see the search tell you where to get it and how much it costs. Milo let’s you scan barcodes to make the process easier and allows you to buy and pick up from the app (with select stores). Goodzer let’s you search internet stores too. Especially as there is a push to shop local, these apps (or ones like Etsy) can help you do so.

iPhone: Goodzer – Free Milo – Free
Android: Goodzer – Unavailable  Milo – Free

Scoutmob - Have you ever been looking for a discount or coupon for a new restaurant or an old favorite? Need a good review from someone that’s been there? Scoutmob fits the bill. Available currently for several major cities and coming soon to more, Scoutmob adds a deal a day and each has an expiration that’s at least a few weeks away (most are a few months) so no rush to spend it. There are some really good deals, like 50% off a sushi place or buy one get one. And each has a review so you don’t have to go searching for it yourself. Excellent app.

iPhone: Free
Android: Free

Google Shopper - The new Google Shopper app is an easy way to find items you want to purchase. It also allows you to search for deals near you (discounts at restaurants!) and to keep track of your Google Offers and ones you’ve purchased. Not that we have to have another shopping app, but Google Offers is certainly something to keep track of as it expands.

iPhone: Free
Android: Free

Social Productivity

Pinterest – The latest internet craze is Pinterest. Find things you like on the internet or upload your own images of cool signs, recipes, actions, decorations, etc. The possibilities are endless with Pinterest. You can see what others post, comment on others posts, and share all the posts with others on Pinterest and those not on Pinterest. It took me a few days to get an invite to join, but until then the app is still functional to view what people are pinning. Definitely something you could do to pass the time until the game is on.

iPhone: Free
Android: Free (from AppGeyser)

Evernote Food – If you already use Evernote, this brand new add on app allows you to save meals, recipes, etc with photos, descriptions, locations and more. You can share any post via facebook, twitter or email. All notes can be tagged like any other post in Evernote and are saved in whatever notebook you want to save them to (default is main notebook). You can take photos from directly within the app and save to your camera roll. Not sure how using this app will affect regular upload limits from Evernote. Right now, it’s only available for iPhone (along with a slew of other new add on apps including some that would be helpful for students), but hopefully like the regular Evernote app will soon be available for Android. If you’re an Android user, you can save the same info by making a new note in the Evernote app – this specialty app only adds what I’ll call aesthetic value.

iPhone: Free

Sports

Team Stream by Bleacher Report – This app gives you constant notifications on your favorite teams and sports (if you want them) and allows you to see scores and such. Similar to the ESPN Scorecenter app, but I like that I get more news than I do with the ESPN app.

iPhone: Free
Android: Free

Bowl Bound 2011 – ESPN has once again made an app to help you keep up with all 80,000 bowl games. Get the latest news and updates as the bowl season begins.

iPhone: Free
Android: Free

You Got Skills!

ACBL Club Finder – Traveling and want to find a bridge game near you? Been out of the game and want to get a refresher and maybe find a good partner? Look no further. The official ACBL club finder app helps you find all of that and more. It only finds sanctioned games and clubs, so if you’re looking for Aunt Cleo’s club that doesn’t play ACBL then it probably won’t show up. Now if we could only get a good free bridge game app that runs from your phone not the internet….

iPhone: Free
Android: Free

Skyview Free – Android 1, iPhone 0. It’s always been simple to use an Android phone to look at constellations in the night sky. iPhones, nope. Skyview Free not only allows you to search the sky when you’re outside, you can do it from inside too! Using the technology in your phone, it helps pinpoint where you are in relation to the constellations. If you move your phone around you can see the constellations in the sky. Made me giggle.

iPhone: Free

Now that I’ve listed well over a dozen apps, I’d love to know which apps you’re relying on to get through the holiday season. Let me know what you think of these in the comments and, if you’re an Android user, definitely let me know if you find the Android apps have just as much functionality as the iPhone ones. If I’ve missed some that are compatible, I know you’ll sound off!

Join us next time for a new to-do topic (at least one we haven’t touched on in a while). Until then, happy downloading!

Related posts:

1. 8 Android and iPhone Apps To Check Out Today!
2. More (yes MORE) free and great iPhone apps!
3. Long overdue…20 fantastic iPhone apps for spring and summer fun!

Posterous
I was looking for a way to quickly update my blog from my iPhone. You could get to blogger from the Google app, but I wanted something that didn’t involve a million steps and that I could use to cross post if I chose. Insert Posterous. This app is very simplistic and does what it claims. I don’t use it super often, but when I’m on the go and wanting to update using text, audio, video, etc, I am very satisfied. Posterous has the ability to post not only to your posterous blog, but also to twenty-ish other social sites. Neat, right??

DMB
Ok, so I’m not a groupie, but I LOVE Dave Matthews Band. So from this site I can keep track of where the band is, what is coming up, buy tickets, buy stuff from their store, keep in touch with other fans, listen to music, glance through show pictures, etc. I love the functionality of the app. While they aren’t the only band to use an app to keep in touch with fans, they are the first band that made me want to download the app. Check it out if you’re a DMB fan.

AppShopper
Similar to Chorus, an app that I reviewed a few months back, AppShopper is a way to find apps that you may like and see what apps friends of yours like. I believe this to be a better alternative to Chorus. I like that it lets you make a wish list and will show you tons of apps in different categories, free and paid and can also sort them on how old they are. I can find out if apps I already have are coming out with updates soon. All in all, a better way to find new apps than trying to sort through the App Store.

Quickoffice Connect
I travel quite a bit and sometimes can’t get to my laptop or don’t have a free wireless connection to check my email. Oftentimes, however, I still have emails to look at and most contain attachments of word files or PDFs. So, one day, desperate to read a very important word file, I started searching for apps and I found Connect. I tried a couple other apps at the same time including USB Disk, but Quickoffice Connect comes in both free and paid versions and allows me to transfer files wirelessly, write and read pdf, excel, word and picture files – all from my phone. It is compatible with Microsoft Office 2007. I can’t say that I’ll ever write a document from scratch, but when opening and editing attachments or opening files from my google docs account, I can say that it is my go to app for word and excel files. I think iBooks has a better pdf reader.

Scramble
So I have finally given in to the game bug and besides the ever popular Words with Friends, I have fallen in love with Scramble. If you’re a fan of Babble or other word games, you’ll love Scramble. It’s challenging to play against the clock and I always learn new words. Don’t want to play against time? There is an unlimited play option and in one session you are untimed. It’s just fun!

NHL GameCenter
Now that it’s hockey season, you need a way to keep up with all the scores, the rosters, the trades. This app is pretty awesome because it does all of that and more. If you’re a hockey fan, there’s not much more I can tell you except download this app!

Seesmic
Though I’ll always be a fan of TweetDeck, I needed a little bit more from my twitter client on my phone and on my desktop so I downloaded Seesmic. Similar to TweetDeck with a column layout and support of multiple accounts, Seesmic allows the user to further customize whether searches and lists are seen and easily allows landscape mode to be used when typing messages. You can easily search through tweets for something you are looking for or you can easily add video, images, etc to a new tweet. Seesmic, just like several twitter clients, allows you to update other social media accounts such as Facebook. The desktop version is far more functional than the iPhone app, but I am definitely hooked!

RxmindMe
If you take any medicines, you know that you can easily forget to take them or to get refills in time. With this app, both are things of the past. This app lets you put in the prescription number, doctor that wrote the prescription, how often to take, dose, pharmacy name and number, etc. Take an over the counter medicine or multivitamin? You can add that here too! If you don’t need a daily reminder, but just want a list of all your meds in your phone, this works for that too (you can turn the reminders off). Definitely a great tool for anyone that takes any meds.

Close Call

I actually downloaded this app after Ellie passed. In her phone she had not only kept a list of her meds labeled “ICE” (see the previous app for a different way to keep them), but also contact info for emergencies. Close Call allows you to make your emergency info the home screen on the phone so if you have a problem, anyone can easily see who to call, the number and a note that you can leave. My note says to open the RxmindMe app and to call my mom if there is a problem AND it has my picture so people know what I look like. I know we like to have pretty images on the phone, but what about a pretty person (yourself) and a way to save your life? (As a side note, if you have a password protected phone this might be the only way someone knows what to do).

Netflix
I have subscribed to Netflix for years and downloaded this app as soon as it was available. It’s easy to watch my instant queue over 3G or wifi. Most movies show up with amazing graphics and rarely does the stream hiccup. I highly, highly recommend this app for watching videos, but since it doesn’t allow you to edit your regular disc queue (come on Netflix!), I can’t recommend it for that purpose. If you’re looking for an app that does that, check out PhoneFlicks (not made by Netflix).

Which of these apps is your favorite? What apps should I be downloading??

Related posts:

1. Android and iPhone Apps To Get You Through The Holidays
2. 8 Android and iPhone Apps To Check Out Today!
3. More (yes MORE) free and great iPhone apps!

The icons on the main screen are:

• Scan for viruses
• Backup your data (to 5GB of space in the cloud)
• Allow/Block programs
• Contact support (free during your subscription)
• Online Drive
• System status
• Check for updates
• Your Bullguard Account
• Upgrade

Each of these icons when clicked takes you through what needs doing without being complicated. On my geek girl scale, I always test software assuming that I’m my grandmother. This internet security software just works well because there are no multiple layers of menus to work through, and the software has been designed with the average user in mind, so that whether you’re a computer novice, or an IT enthusiast, you can easily use this software to keep your system safe.

A number of key features within this software offer various methods of keeping your computer secure, they are:

• Antivirus
• Antispyware
• Antiphishing
• Spam filter
• Instant messaging protection on Yahoo!, MSN and Skype

With the number of hackers targeting people via their instant messaging software these days, the instant messaging protection offered with this package is very important and my favorite feature of the software.  While you can’t avoid spammers, you can make yourself safer. When you exchange pictures, files and other data through this method, this software will check them just as it would if they were being downloaded from a website, or had come in via an e-mail.

The system also offers a backup system as well where you get 5GB of backup storage space with your account to store all your highly valued data, such as documents and photos.  This means that even if you don’t have an external drive to back your work up onto, you will have one here giving you added security so that if the worst did happen and your computer got infected with a virus, you would know that your most important data was protected.

One of the things that Bullguard believes in is that most people really don’t care how something works as long as it does work, and I’d agree with this.  Most people aren’t tech savvy, so Bullguard makes it easy to protect yourself with internet security software.What they’ve done is to take all those fussy little yes or no questions away where most people just click to agree with the recommended option anyway.  Instead, the system just gets on with securing your PC and doesn’t worry you with information you don’t need.  One feature they have brought in which gives greater control to the user, is that Bullguard has done away with the three tier virus scanning options on other clients.  Instead of choosing between quick scan, complete scan, and deep scan, you can customize your scan – choosing what gets scanned and what doesn’t putting you in control instead of the system.

Overall, this software has saved my geek girl life several times. A few months ago I was cleaning a friend’s PC and installing Bullguard. She always had problems with spyware and had her email account hacked twice. I accidentally backed up a bunch of files important to her work in my over-zealousness to get her computer back in working condition. Then, I remembered that I backed them up online. 5GB of storage space is more than sites like Dropbox, so you can store more files and data with ease.

Since I Skype with my family a lot, I can rest assured that my mom isn’t sending me infected files. Now, I can rest a little easier when swapping files with my loved ones.

Have you tried Bullguard? What are your favorite features? Bullguard is available for about $60 for a one year subscription and also comes with a 30 day trial, so you can decide if this is software you can’t live without.

Related posts:

1. Mozy Online Data Backup
2. Web based IM client, Meebo, now offers file transfers
3. Mozy Online Backup

I tested the feature that allows you to see the play by play on a set of recent flights and I must say it will be my preferred method to check and see gate changes and delays when I’m on my way to the airport or in the airport from now on. No more craning my neck to read those busy blue monitors! I was very impressed that the application updates the flight information almost as quickly as it is updated in an airport. My gate changed and I knew almost instantaneously. You do have to check the app to see that, but if you’re in an airport, you’re checking anyway right?

TripAssist has a feature allows you or others to receive emails or SMS messages about flight updates such as take off and landing. I wasn’t as impressed with this feature as a person flying, though I’m sure it could be useful to someone picking you up. I had about a 20 minute delay between my actual takeoff and a text (of course by which my phone was off) and actual landing and a text (I’ve landed already – I know that). But like I said, maybe useful for letting others know you’re safely on the ground. You can add extras, such as hotels and rental cars, directly from the application based off the itinerary information you’ve added.

The only thing that could be added to make this even better would be the layout of every airport, but of course that would bog down the app. And there are already maps in the airport (which tell you where you are). Overall I give this a 4 out of 5 stars.

Click this link to see a video on the Expedia website about the app. Have any of you used it? What do you think??

Related posts:

1. 8 Android and iPhone Apps To Check Out Today!
2. More (yes MORE) free and great iPhone apps!
3. 15 Really Cool and Free iPhone Apps

CauseWorld
Are you out shopping or eating and want a quick easy way to donate to charitable organizations without spending any extra money? Check out this app. It looks for where you are in the world then tells you participating locations where you’ll then “check in”. Once you check in, you earn “karmas”. Get a certain number of karmas and donate them to the charity of your choice. Pretty simple, right? I’ve donated karmas for classrooms and drinking water, but now I’m saving so I can help give vaccines. It’s yet another app with Facebook connectivity (sorry but I’m still on the old school basic Facebook), so you can invite folks you know if you want or share your good deeds. Sometimes I do have problems with the app finding me & local stores, but when it does it’s great. Download it and get to work!

TwitBird
I saw this app in the app store and I had to check it out when I saw it had the ability to find twitterers near you. So I downloaded it just to check that out. It’s a pretty solid twitter app and while the free version may not replace TweetDeck for me, it’s great to see what people in my locale are talking about. Even the twitter homepage can’t do that for me right now (I know it can for some places but not where I am). I really like the features it has including being able to check tweets from the lists you made in twitter, having multiple accounts easily accessible without accidently sending from the wrong one, and push notifications. Rock on!

NYCWAY
Since Ellie lives in NYC and I like to visit her there, I’m always looking for great apps to help both of us out. This app is very good. The only thing I didn’t see listed in any category was bookstores (though they do have all the libraries listed!), but I emailed the app developers and they emailed me back within minutes and said they’d work on adding it to the next release. That gives them major kudos in my book. It’s well organized and I found things I needed quite easily. Pick the category of what you’re looking for and it will locate what is nearest to you by using the GPS on your phone or any location you put in. So if you’re just planning a trip, it can be very useful if you can give it a landmark to search from. You can even use it on their website!!!

BrightKite
I’m still really trying to get the hang of BrightKite but the premise is neat – a social networking site based on your geographic location. Of course you can talk to and see what people all over the world are doing, but you can leave messages at random places in your town and when another BrightKite user is near it, they can see them! Isn’t that cool?

xkcd
If you’re not familiar with this cartoon (xkcd is the name), please download immediately. If you love this cartoon, do the same. It’s exactly what you think it is, a quick way to view cartoons (and probably have people on the bus looking at you funny). You can even see the alt text that can be even funnier than the actual graphic.

last.fm
At first I was in love with Pandora. Until I started getting too many repeats and songs that were nothing like what I asked to listen to. Enter last.fm. It’s exactly what I needed. I can pick an artist, a genre, a random mix, etc. Based on what I’ve played on my iPod or iPhone or computer (using the scrobbler application), it will give me suggestions of artists to check out. I can make playlists of songs I like and listen to just those. The iPhone app is very functional for what you need it for and you can control the site from your computer as well. I really like that it can show me the patterns of my listening by artist. Mine currently tells me that I’ve listened to a lot of Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds lately! If you’re listening to radio as opposed to your library, great download.

Period Plus
Ok ladies, listen up! (Sorry fellas!) Have you ever gotten to the doctor and had to fill out the dreaded “last day of period” on a form? Can’t remember exactly, just kinda when in a range it was? Not sure about something that happened 2-3 months ago? Put it all in this free app. That’s all I gotta say.

IMDb
Like the website? Get the app. Look up info on movies, actors, tv listings, etc. Full reviews, just like on the website, and the top film listings are here too. Want to know when that DVD you’ve been waiting on will be released? It’s got the new list of DVDs and Blu-ray discs available. If I even need a suggestion for movies to suggest to my worst enemy, I can check out the bottom 100 films (as rated by users).

Kernel Mobile
I love reading my campus (UK) paper every day. It’s the greatest source of news for what’s happening on campus right now and a lot easier to understand than the university web site. At least from a student perspective. Anyway, this app keeps me from picking up a paper copy of the news from the newsstand (I’m trying to be green). Instead, I can read all the latest news on the go and even check out archives. Need the classifieds? Check. Sports news? Check.  (And to be biased, this is my 3^rd school so I have to pause here to give props to The Appalachian and The Pitt News, though they don’t have iPhone apps).

Indeed
Even though I’m STILL in school, it is almost time for me to be done. So I’m job hunting. I really got turned on to the site Indeed a few months back and they’ve got a great app that works almost identically to their website. Put in all the necessary info and voila! Search results. Check it out, I think you’ll like it! You’ll even be able to quickly re-search a previous search (it keeps track).

In a couple weeks, look for another post – this time a non-iPhone related one. The next post will be on how to spring clean – the advanced version. In the meantime though, tell me what you think about the iPhone apps I blogged about today!

Related posts:

1. Android and iPhone Apps To Get You Through The Holidays
2. 8 Android and iPhone Apps To Check Out Today!
3. 15 Really Cool and Free iPhone Apps

photo credit: cote

My laptop went on the fritz this morning, so now I am looking at laptops online to find a good replacement. I hope to find a great laptop that is affordable but also offers a lot of the features I need to be productive.

laptoplogic.com offers great laptop reviews, so I have been checking this site out when I find a laptop I like on BestBuy.com and Amazon.com and vice-versa. Since I often try to buy laptops on clearance, because the price is a lot more reasonable, and because I do not need the top of the line, latest features that come on today’s laptops.

I’m looking at the best laptops, according to reviews on the sites, hardware specifications and what my needs are, but I’m also looking at what the editors and users of laptoplogic.com have to say about the laptops I selected. I prefer Toshiba laptops, so I narrowed my search to only Toshiba laptops, then sorted by rating. Once I got a good idea of what the top rated laptops were, I then searched for those models on BestBuy.com and Amazon.com. Unfortunately, some of these laptops weren’t available, but one of my classmates suggested an eeePC, so I checked those out on laptoplogic.com, too.

I think my new laptop might be an eeePC, since they are ultra portable and have the hardware I need – spacious hard drives, lots of RAM and nice processors. laptoplogic.com made it a lot easier to find the information I needed, as it was organized well and the reviews were easy to understand. I’ll definitely keep looking at the reviews as I keep searching for my new dream laptop.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that laptoplogic.com also has how-to articles for using, repairing and maintaining your laptop, a blog and a user forum. This multi-featured site has definitely helped me out tremendously as I tried to work on repairing my beloved laptop today and started looking for a replacement! Whether I buy a new laptop today or not, I now have a great resource for keeping my laptop up to date and ready for whatever comes my way!

Related posts:

1. Geek Girl’s Got a New Laptop!
2. Help the Geek Girl get a new laptop!
3. Looking for a Laptop (again)

I couldn’t tell you how I came across this site, but I am glad I did! There’s content for most of us out there, whether we are blogging for money or not. I enjoy RT’s writing style. He writes with passion, authority and humor – three things I think are most important when writing/blogging.

Attention Bloggers: We Need To Change is one of my favorite articles — why? Because it brings attention to some of my biggest flaws as a blogger. I don’t comment as much as I could on other blogs and sometimes I’m not sure how to comment to people who comment on my blog!

I absolutely LOVE RT’s theme – it is light and airy – and after reading his about page, I’m pretty sure why. Must be sweet to live in the Philippines!

There’s tons of great content – including the Link Frenzy: Backlink Bonanza #2 that provides links to some really great posts that originally linked to Untwisted Vortex. I hope to be as popular as RT one day, so I can start a series like this!

If you are looking for a place to learn more about blogging from a regular guy, I say head on over to Untwisted Vortex. The advice is solid, the writing is great – and what do you have to lose?

Related posts:

1. Tips to get more out of your WordPress blog
2. Review: Sam Breadstone
3. Review: Ja Kel Daily Dot Com

The Kindle’s price tag at $399 299 may seem steep for some – but once you consider that the price of Kindle’s book offerings average 50-65% off print prices, you’ll be able to purchase more books for the same price that you would have spent on “real” books! Additionally, there’s no cost for the wireless access!

Unlike reading books on your Palm Pilot or Smartphone, you just use the wireless connection built-in to Kindle and the QWERTY keyboard to shop for books at the Kindle Store – and within a minute, you will have it delivered to your Kindle!

Not sure if you want a book that you’ve heard about? Download and read the first chapters of books for free before you buy.

Books not your thing? The Kindle also has many popular newspapers, such as the The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post and top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly; plus Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered wirelessly.

Blogs on Kindle: More than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN’s Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.

Pros of Kindle:

• Lightweight access to books – no more lugging heavy books through airports!
• Free wireless access to Kindle Store and Wikipedia.
• “Realistic” reading experience thanks to “electronic paper” technology.
• Long battery life – estimated to last up to one week with wireless off, and up to 48 hours with wireless on.
• Email files to yourself to read on your Kindle.

Cons of Kindle:

• Looks clunky and ugly – definitely needs a style upgrade!
• Pricetag – up-front costs may make it cost prohibitive for most shoppers.
• You can only use Kindle’s books on the device – no downloading from audible.com or your local library!
• No way to share Kindle books between Kindle devices.
• If you live in an area without Whispernet, you will be unable to use Kindle.

My brief look at the Kindle left me wanting something a bit less expensive and full-featured; but the early adopter in me is counting her pennies until she can get a Kindle for herself for Christmas!

Related posts:

1. Review: Untwisted Vortex
2. Check out my Amazon.com store!
3. Review: SELaplana

Gadget Girl Accessories is PINK and faboo! It offers a clean, pink infused theme that grabs your attention and keeps you there, with great content covering all of the types of accessories a geek girl might need.

The original Geek Girl, Loretta, the author of Gadget Girl Accessories, has some great posts. One of my favorites is “Declutter Your Inbox“, which tells you HOW to declutter your email inbox. I have a huge problem with having tons of emails from various stores I like to shop at online and deals from my favorite geeky gear stores. I used the Geek Girl’s tips and now I feel like a huge weight is off of my shoulders. I now have more time to study surf and look for tech gadgets and software.

She’s also following the 101 Steps to a Being a Better Blogger, so I love reading and comparing her responses to mine.

Overall, this site is great. There’s tons of good content, well researched and reviewed products and ample opportunity to become a part of an established community for geek girls! And fellas, don’t feel left out – a lot of the geeky accessories could easily be used by guys, too!

Or, you could check out Gadget Girl Accessories and get the perfect gift for your favorite geek girl, a heart shaped USB drive necklace!

Related posts:

1. Geek Girl Link Love!
2. Roundup: The Best of Geek Girl
3. I won a MacBook… and other adventures of the Geek Girl

Livewyre.NET seeks to provide visitors with bring free software, SEO hints and tips along with ideas for making money online to people like me, who are new to some aspects of Web 2.0! I keep going back to the section on SEO – search engine optimization, re-reading and integrating the tips and tricks into my own blog. This section is my favorite, as it is definitely helpful and remind me of the “little things” I must do as a blogger to gain and maintain strong search engine traffic!

If you are looking for information on monetization, Livewyre.NET is a good resource for this, too! Rachel Henderson author of the ‘TurnOnePoundIntoOneMillion’ Blog, and CEO of Bowbridge Publishing, has shared some of her make money online tips with us.

Additionally, the design is fresh and unique. Where else can you find a well designed and helpful site to help YOU become a better blogger without a bunch of flashing ads and graphics, huge photos of the site owner, etc.?

Jay Livewyre, the owner of Livewyre.NET, has used and reviewed software titles for readers, so you can rest assured that if Jay recommends it, it’s probably a sure bet to be helpful and a great addition to your software arsenal!

If you want some help learning HTML, check out contributer John Wells’ article, Build a Website. This is extremely helpful information for WordPress bloggers (and others!) who want to learn how to tweak their templates to perfection.

Check out Livewyre.NET if you are looking for a fresh perspective on all things internet – and perhaps you’ll learn something new, too!

Related posts:

1. Review: Livewyre.NET
2. Review: John Chow Dot Com
3. 7 Ways to Show Readers Your Best Content