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Archive: Organizing

sling back cord retractor

by Lauren
January 28th, 2010

slingback
Oh, I love a good cord organizer. With the amount of gadgets I have, I need to stay on top of the cord clutter at all times. The new Sling Back from Quirky is the answer to all my obsessive compulsive needs. All you do is lift off the top, wrap any cord around the inside spool, and voila — your cord is now retractable! Use this cool gadget for your USB cords, phone chargers, headphone cords, etc.

The neat thing that Quirky does is offer their products at a discounted price for the first 500 available, then bumps it up to their regular retail price.

Price: $10 US for a limited time, $15 US thereafter

swedeshop: the ikea iphone app

by Lauren
August 20th, 2009

48d01ddc645d871f_ikea-iphone-appJust the mention of IKEA makes me all warm and happy inside.Their designs are modern, super affordable and they go to great lengths to keep things eco-freindly. Basically, IKEA rules.

However, if I were to nit-pick, I do find the task of writing down aisles and bins and trying to find all the products in the warehouse a little tedious. I’m more of a ‘I see, I like, I pick-up’ kind of gal.

The iPhone app store has come through once again, this time with an awesome application called SwedeShop, where you can track the IKEA items you want for easy finding at the end of your trip.

5 cool features:

1 Record items you see in the showrooms and organize by section (cooking, textiles, etc.)

2 Add details to items like the name, quantity you need, price, and priority on your shopping list

3 Take pictures of items for reference and add to the item’s folder

4 Differentiate if the item is self-serve (i.e. in the warehouse) or in housewares (IKEA Marketplace)

5 List items you will need to order from the store

To purchase for $0.99, visit the iTunes App Store.

computer shelf for your charging gadgets

by Lauren
August 14th, 2009

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Cluttered desktop = icky (although my work desk is not exactly in tip top shape at the moment). Wires and cables create a disaster area on your desk, especially when you’re charging your phone, syncing your iPod and using an external hard drive all at once (want to win one a hard drive from Western Digital? Click here!).

Check out this super neat charging shelf that takes all of your wire woes away. Named the BackPack, you simply secure the little shelf to the back of your iMac then place plugged in accessories on top. You can wrap your wires up and place them on the shelf as well, so there’s no danglers hanging down. This is such a cool idea, and is pretty sleek so you can even attach two or three. So simple — why didn’t we think of this before?


BackPack $35, available at the Apple Store.

win a western digital 500 GB hard drive!

by Lauren
August 6th, 2009

wdfmypassport_elite_mlcA few months ago, I got a My Passport Essential hard drive from Western Digital, and now I’m paying it forward. One lucky reader will win the Essential’s super cool older brother, the My Passport Elite 500 GB hard drive. I just recently blogged about this sexy device that backs up your precious photos and music, so I’m pretty excited to be able to give one away. Besides the fact that it packs a crazy amount of data (500 GB… that’s about 100,000 photos or 125,000 songs), the My Passport Elite is pretty darn petite — it’s half an inch thick and less than 5 inches long.

To enter, just leave a comment below letting me know how this cream of the crop hard drive will make your tech world easier. Be original, because the best comment will win. Good luck to all!

*Prize value: $150 US. Contest closes August 31st, 2009. Open to all residents of Canada, except those in Quebec. Not open to any Transcontinental Media employees, their families, or any other persons with whom they reside.*

***This contest is now closed. Congratulations to Megan Sauer who created an incredible rendition of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ theme song, replacing the words with why she should win the My Passport Elite.***

west elm docking station

by Lauren
August 4th, 2009

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Tech Style has blogged before about the ultra hot (yet large) docking station from West Elm, and now the home decor chain has made me even happier. I’m not one for bulk when it comes to my tech, so when West Elm introduced their mini docking station, I was over the moon. Itsy-bitsy and laquered in white or espresso, this tiny tech charger sits pretty on a desktop or hallway console.

$34 US, West Elm.

Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com/tech_style

western digital my passport elite

by Lauren
July 27th, 2009

wdfmypassport_elite_mlz

‘Cause we are living in a digital world, and I am a dig-i-tal girl…

Although I’m a sucker for pretty paper and journals, I much prefer the ease and convenience of digital organizing. I use my iPhone’s iCal for keeping track of appointments and meetings, and I prefer to type up charts and such on a computer rather than write it out the old school way.

Which is why I love Western Digital and their supersleek external hard drives. I have a white My Passport Essential that’s featured in Style at Home’s Tech Style column in the September 2009 issue, but I’ve since spotted the bronze My Passport Elite and just finished wiping the drool off my desk. I mean, how gorge is this?

Besides the fact that it’s a fabulous colour and has a sexy design, this hard drive packs a lot of punch. This 500 GB beauty holds a heck of a lot of data (100,000 digital photos or 190 hours of video) and is small enough to slide into your purse. Really, what’s not to love?

$150 US (also available in other colours and data storage sizes), Western Digital.

For more digital organizing gadgets, check out the Tech Style column in the September 2009 issue of Style at Home (on newsstands August 3rd).

brother p-touch pc labeller

by Lauren
July 21st, 2009

ptouch
In the words of Buddy the Elf in Will Ferrel’s hit holiday film: “I’m in love, I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it!” Although Buddy’s love was a sarcastic department store elf played by Zooey Deschanel, my newest love comes in the form of a labeler. Brother’s new P-Touch 1230PC to be exact!

Labeling can be addictive (you know you go adhesive-happy when the label gun comes out to play), and you really have to be careful with the 1230PC, because it’s just too easy. All you do is plug into your PC (sorry, Mac users — you have to get Windows XP or Vista to get this running) and the software installed on the device pops up for you to start labeling away on a wide selection of tapes. Similar to a Word format, you have a huge array of fonts and sizes to choose from, and you can even add in images and logos. It’s super quiet when it prints, and as always, I love a sleek design.

$70, available at brother.ca.

Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com/tech_style

sleek cable organizer

by Lauren
April 15th, 2009

yoyo1From previous blog posts, you may have realized that sleek and sexy electronics are my forté. Little appeals to me more than a well-designed piece of technology, which is why long, ugly, annoying cords make me scowl in disdain. The simplistic style of an iMac can be marred by the endless amount of devices hooked up to its back by extensive cords (I hook up a plethora of items − digital camera, iPhone, iPod, external hard drive, etc.). That’s where Bluelounge’s Cableyoyo changed my tech world forever.
yoyo2

This handy little organizer wraps the wires of your handheld devices around its little axle, ensuring your home and workspace are free of cord-clutter. An adhesive spindle means you can attach the yoyo to almost any surface and can be stacked on top of each other (this is ideal for my iMac cable commotion). Plus, you can file this one under ‘Lauren’s Tech-tastic Products For A Recession’, because the Cableyoyo is only $5 US or $14.50 US for a 3-pack.
Available at: Bluelounge.com

Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com/Tech_Style

create your own digital floorplans

by Lauren
March 2nd, 2009

In the past couple of years, I’ve moved several times from apartment to apartment, and each time, I’m faced with the task of taking a printout of the floorplan and trying to arrange my furniture with hand-drawn replicas within the tiny borders (neither pretty nor accurate, might I add). As I start preparing to move into a larger space come May, I’ve also started hoping I can find an easier way to plan the layout of the space.

My wishes were not made in vain, because I found floorplanner.com, a fab website that allows you to digitally create your own floorplans. What’s the best part about the site? It’s free!

The site offers a ton of cool features, so here’s the gist: sign up for a free account and start building. Drop-down menus for room selection and objects make it easy to remember what needs to be considered for each space. Drag room objects onto the layout and size them to the scale of the room. Everything is virtually customizable and you can switch between 2D (shown above) and 3D to view. The options are endless. Having a big party in your backyard? The site has objects that let you plan for table arrangement and centrepieces, and garden objects that may obstruct views and groundspace.

With the free version, you can create up to one house, but there’s an upgrade available for $28 US that lets you build up to 5 houses. If you’re in the professional field, whether it be a designer or contractor, floorplanner.com has specialized accounts to cater to your business.

What’s not to love?

Have a neat gadget or tech accessory you’d like me to feature? Shoot me an e-mail at
 

digitally organize your 2009

by Lauren
January 7th, 2009

I know, I know — we’ve already discussed how amazing the Apple iPhone is. But this being a brand new year with brand new resolutions, I thought I’d resurrect the discussion and focus on the fabulous applications available for iPhone users (and for the iTouch as well!).

Pretty much every year, I resolve to organize — my home, my workspace, my life in general. And pretty much every year, I fall short of this task… UNTIL now. This year, I have begun to digitally organize my life on my iPhone through the cool applications you can purchase, and some you can get for free. I find digitally organizing to be much more efficient because everything is neatly available at your fingertips and many of the applications offer alerts that pop up to remind you of things you’ve logged.

Here’s a list of my top 5 ‘organizational’ applications:

1) IWantItBack: Never again will you forget who borrowed your Waterford Wedgwood casserole dish. This neat little app lets you compile a list of items that you’ve lent to people, when it was lent, who you lent it to and when you expect it back. Little icons let you organize the items into categories, like CDs, money, clothes, etc. ($1.99, iTunes)

2) Spend: I don’t think any of us want to be reminded of our dismal economy, but this app will help you stay on top of budgeting your cash. You can create daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and yearly budgets — then, whenever you dip into that budget, enter it into the category (i.e. ‘groceries’) and the app subtracts it from your allotted budget amount. ($.99, iTunes; free version also available)

3) Shopper: While some may be budgeting, others may be shopping. I LOVE Shopper. It basically creates shopping lists for you, but in a fail-proof way. You can create templates for further grocery trips, and you never have to worry about forgetting where you saw that gorgeous houndstooth throw because you can take a photo and add it to the list. My fave part, though, is that you can create a list of the items in your shopping cart as you’re walking around a store, punch in the prices, and Shopper will add up the cost and calculate Canadian sales tax. Brilliant! ($.99, iTunes)

4) Calendar: Okay, so this one is a freebie that already comes on your iPhone or iTouch, but trust me when I say it’s the best calendar you’ll ever use. Sleek in design and allowing you to view different calendar layouts (daily, monthly, list form), it also lets you sync it with your calendar on your home or work computer. You can set alerts and organize for a second alert if you’re the super forgetful type. With this digital calendar, you’ll never forget an appointment, birthday, or bill payment (even if you want to). (FREE!, included in software)

5) My Stuff: This application is just one big, organizational mecca. It allows you to create lists of, well, your stuff — but all organized in one place on your Apple device. If you’re a bookworm (like myself), you can create a list of the books you’ve read, then reference it when you’re at the bookstore. Need to store the warranty information of your new laptop? Just organize it in My Stuff. This app is a fantastic way to backup all your information and have it available no matter where you are. ($4.99, iTunes)

** For ideas on how to organize your living space, check out styleathome.com/organizing/

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