OK, note to self: Next time I want my blog to crash, all I have to do is mention Hello Kitty! Holy overloaded servers, Batman!

Needless to say, I got WAAAY more entries than I ever expected into this giveaway, and I'm feeling a bit guilty that I only have one of the sweet little 'Hello Kitty Balloon' Mimbots to hand out this week ... Either way, you never win if you don't enter! :) So, thanks a zillion times for everyone's record response!

Congrats to our super-lucky winner ... Kathy D.C. from Dallas!

For all of you who did not win (and there are, like, a thousand of you), your name will automatically be entered into next week's drawing of another 'Hello Kitty' Mimbot from the generous, awesome folks at Mimoco! I'm just going to take a moment to thank them for their participation and for making such cool products all the time. Really, really top notch.

Should you not want to wait for the next 4 weeks' drawings, please visit http://www.mimoco.com/ and order your own USB drive today -- at $24.99, they are srsly the perfect gift. Oh, and have I already mentioned how they only make so many of these? So order the one you want before it's gone!!

The next Hello Kitty Giveaway starts next week, so check back to put your name in the hat.

Now that I have your attention, let's talk headlines ...

-Apple insiders are quietly gunning the rumor mill by hinting the next-gen iPhone is going to debut in April.

--For fashion-savvy men, looks like skinny suits are SO last decade ...

--For my regular readers, you all know I'm not a Twitter fan. Regardless, if you're looking to go to the dark side, here are some tips to get started tweeting.

--Google is not happy with China -- and China isn't too happy with them either.

--If you have Verizon Fios and, for some whacked-out reason, aren't digging it, your cancellation fee is about to go up.

Quiet day in Captivate land, so log on to our main site and check out our Spotlight: International Business! I wrote a complete guide to fitting in and not making yourself look like an idiot when you're traveling abroad, so check it out! See ya Friday!

Labels: Hello Kitty, Hello Kitty Giveaway, MIMOBOT USB Flash Drive

Happy Monday, readers! I’ve got some big news today, but before I get to it, I’d like to give a big shout out of thanks to Peter Szabo, our Byte-Sized reporter who’s been on the floor covering the Consumer Electronics Show from Las Vegas. Such a great show, and so much fun stuff to discuss!

All the sites are buzzing today with wrap-ups and highlights – looks like 3-D has made a huge splash on the market, and everything from glasses to home theaters are being tossed around as the heir-apparent future! Oh, and e-readers rock, which we all (I hope) already knew.

Moving onwards and upwards from CES, I’d like to take a moment to remind all of you significant others out there that Valentine’s Day is a month away. I know, it’s like a cruel trick from the greeting card companies putting such a pressure-filled holiday so close to Christmas.

Rest assured, though, you forlorn loved ones, Byte-Sized has you covered!

Starting today and lasting one-a-week for the next 5 weeks, I’m going to give you the perfect gift for your sweetie: A Mimobot designer USB flash drive courtesy of the folks at Mimoco! But, it gets better: Each drive features the world’s most lovable, adorable, super-sweet mascot of cuteness Hello Kitty!

Fresh out of the design shops at Mimoco (my well-known personal fave – I own 2 myself), these Hello Kitty flash drives feature the iconic feline in 5 different settings. We’re giving away one of each. And, for the tech-heads, *2 gigs* of storage space to carry around everything from that novel she’s working on to a thousand love notes from you that you’d rather not leak on the ‘net.

This is how it’s going to work: Send me your name, number and address NOW to bytesized@captivate.com. If you don’t win one week, your name will automatically be entered into the next week’s drawing. The final winner will be picked on Feb. 10. Click here for the official giveaway rules.

If you’d like to bypass the chance aspect of the giveaway, head straight over to Mimoco’s site to browse there selection of amazing flash drives (some even come with a little hoodie to keep them warm!) or click here to go straight to the Hello Kitty section of the site.

This week’s design (featured above) is the Hello Kitty Balloon, retailing online for $24.95 – a perfect amount for every stage of relationship! Package it up with a box of designer chocolates** and you’re good to go!

**Hmmmm wonder where you could get an entire feature just on which awesome chocolate you should get for you’re sweetie this Valentine’s Day? Perhaps you should check out Captivate.com on Feb. 1….

Labels: Hello Kitty, MIMOBOT USB Flash Drive

It's been a while since we've taken a look at headlines! So, without further ado, here are your top sci-tech headlines of the week!

- A Texas judge has ordered Microsoft to stop selling its Word 2003 and 2007 products after ruling they infringe on a patent from Canadian firm i4i. It has something to do with a way Word formats files -- why's everyone gotta hate on Redmond?

- PayPal has set up a 'debit' service aimed at kids and parents under the guise of keeping everyone safe from online fraud. Parents can put money in an 'account' for their kids, then are alerted with an email everytime an online purchase is made. Please, PayPal -- call it what it is: a way for overbearing parents who can't cut the cord to keep track of Junior off at college so he isn't wasting his money. College kids: beware this 'great' new idea...

-Rumor has it Steven Spielberg is considering taking up the helm of the Halo movie in the wake of Peter Jackson's public fallout with the Master Chief.

- Google is giving it's newest search engine a *jolt*, garnering it some serious *buzz* and making the masses all *jittery*...

- Whoa. Nintendo is on the cutting edge of gaming right now, but what the hell is this?

- It's the ultimate knife in your heart -- seeing your significant other's Facebook status change from 'in a relationship' to 'single.' Thankfully, scientists have taken on this phenomenon in the paper, "More Information Than You Ever Wanted: Does Facebook Bring Out the Green-Eyed Monster of Jealousy?". Read it for a peek into your own psychosis.

In blog news, I've got some cool stuff in the works for you all in the coming weeks, including a beverage face-off -- caffeinated vs. its antithesis -- plus some more product reviews on alarm clocks, home soda dispensers and the newest MIMOBOT designs!

Until then!

Labels: drank, Google interview, Halo movie, Microsoft, MIMOBOT USB Flash Drive

It's a slow day for news today as the East Coast hunkers down for a monster snowstorm -- a week after we all got coated in power-killing ice. But... at least it's Friday...? At least we have a few headlines to keep us company:

Yay! my favorite professional online video blog of the year is finally coming to DVD! Neil Patrick Harris' brilliant turn as Dr. Horrible in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is available today exclusively on Amazon.com for $9.99 -- a great price for all the extra features, including a 'Making Of...' portion and "Commentary! The Musical,' which is exactly what it sounds like... Too fun :) And, seriously, how much do I love Nathan Fillion? Oh, let me count the ways...

Digital Trends has come out with an awesome gift guide that just makes me laugh in its absurd truthfulness -- What your geek friends *don't* want for Christmas. Give it a read and you'll be laughing at all the things you've either gotten from a kind soul looking to do the right thing or a hapless one who just had no clue. I do have one exception, though ... I love geeky clothes, especially on geeky guys! :) That is the coolest. The 'Talk nerdy to me' shirts and 'I've got great hands' XBox live beta freebies totally make me swoon...

Are there better people in this world beside Bill and Melinda Gates? Well, I mean besides Angeline Jolie and Brad Pitt. Our favorite multi-gazillionaires, the Gates, have donated millions to public libraries in 7 states to make their broadband connections faster. This will ensure that the public, especially kids, have access to the Internet and a sophisticated technology outlet. Good for them. Do you realize that in less than one day Bill Gates makes enough money to buy my house? That just boggles my mind...

*Don't forget -- today is the last day you can register for our Byte-Sized Gift Giveaway for a MIMOBOT USB Flash Drive. Get those entries in and maybe you'll be one of the lucky 4 to get this awesome little characters in your snail-mailbox!

See you all Monday, and if you live anywhere east of the Mississippi, drive safely and leave early!

Labels: Bill Gates Foundation, Byte-Sized Holiday Giveaway, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, MIMOBOT USB Flash Drive

Good morning, everyone! Today is a double tall mocha day in New England, so wrap your hands around your beverage of choice and let's get to the headlines...

Obviously, the biggest news of the day is out of Apple -- Steve Jobs will not be giving his annual keynote address at the Macword Conference this year. No word on whether this has to do with his illness, but Apple also took the time to announce that this will be the last year the company will even attend Macworld. Something is brewing over at Apple and I don't like the looks of it.

File this one under "Bad idea from the start." Dell has decided, after being the butt of too many India-based customer service jokes and complaints to enumerate, that it will offer customers the 'option' of dealing only with U.S.-based reps. The kicker? It is charging customers $13 a month or $99 a year. Seriously. WTF, Dell -- understandable customer service (no offense) should be free, not a premium. Ridiculous.

A new survey finds that Americans place Internet access above TV and having sex. That's seems like skewed data -- numbers that I don't necessarily agree with. I can understand the pleasure of a nice night at home clicking through the channels in jammies so fluffy and baggy that even thinking the word 'sex' around them seems wrong, but foregoing sex to sit in front of a blinky computer screen? Nope, I'm all set with that. Thoughts? Which would you prefer?

A new device is available that disconnects cell phone service in cars when the engine in running. This is a hot issue, but I can't say that I'm for or against either side. (How's that for a double negative tandem positive?) See, on the one hand, I love chatting in the car. I can hold all my tedious but still important phone conversations, like making appointments and catching up with friends, during my commutes, leaving me able to play with my kids while I'm at home. On the other, my husband can't talk on the phone and drive without missing an exit or driving in the wrong direction for 20 miles. So... a device to stop cell phone service in a car? Eek.


Have a great day, and don't forget to enter the Byte-Sized Holiday Giveaway for a MIMOBOT USB Flash Drive! The response has been great so far, so make sure to get your ballot in! You won't win anything if you don't enter!

Labels: Apple, Byte-Sized Holiday Giveaway, cell phones, customer service, Dell laptop security, Internet and sex, Macworld keynote address, MIMOBOT USB Flash Drive, Steve Jobs

So, we've shown you the big gifts -- the Zune, Wii and the Kindle. We've shown you the ity-bitty gifts -- USB devices that fit into your pocket and look great with a tux. Now, let's take a look at some pratical, awesome gifts, too! Here is part 3 of the Byte-Sized Gift Guide!

Star Wars Toaster
Price: Preorder for $54.99
Available at starwars.com

Boooorhhh-Psshhhhhh... This wicked toaster won't be available until next year, but you WILL preorder it and give a picture and the reciept to your favorite Star Wars fan this holiday season. Oh, and sorry for the worst-typed Darth Vader impression ever. Why are you still reading? Pre-order it now -- it's going to fly off the proverbial shelves like it's the newest member of our favorite old-school screen saver! This slices my friend's Mickey Mouse toaster with it's awesomeness. And just try not to use your butterknife like a lightsaber.

The New Jawbone
Price: $129.00
Available at us.jawbone.com

We all know color plays a huge deal in electronic gadget purchases -- so here's the newest and coolest of the bunch: A pink bluetooth with superior sound quality and usability. The basket-weave design catches eyes and is a pleasant departure from the usually operator-ish headsets sported and abused by every wanna-be highroller in office towers around the country. Don't worry, I don't mean you :) Oh, and don't mind the company's juvenile cowboy design -- it doesn't take away from the headset's usability.
TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder
Price: Under $300
Available at Amazon.com

This gadget will change your life -- how many electronics can you say that about? Ok, a lot, but this one is better! I've been a fanatic for TiVo for 8 years -- I have the little TiVo character decal on my car. Seriously. For all of you who don't have one of these wonderful devices yet, what the eff are you waiting for? This version lets you record all your favorite shows in HD (obviously, as long as the show is available in HD) and, as all TiVos, let's you watch your shows in *your* time, not as dictated by the networks. What's on mine? Big Bang Theory, LOST, Bones, cooking shows usually relagated to daytime TV. Oh, and Ellen. I do love Ellen.

Oh, and another thing about the TiVO: Every single person I've given one of these to as a gift has thanked my so profusely it's almost embarrassing. This one is a crowd-pleaser fo' shizzle.

Byte-Sized Gift Guide! Part 1

Byte-Sized Gift Guide! Part 2

** Stay tuned next week for the conclusion of the Byte-Sized Gift Guide, where I name my top gadget of 2008!And don't forget to get those entries in for our MIMOBOT sweepstakes!

Labels: bluetooth, darth vader, DVR, jawbone, MIMOBOT USB Flash Drive, star wars toaster, TiVo HD