Technology & Gadget Blog

When an underdeveloped country in our world experiences a devastating blow, it touches all of us. The Canadian and American Red Cross divisions have been an integral part of rebuilding the lives of Haitians after the earthquake, but they still need your help.

I’ve found a great way to send your support to Haiti, spread the word, and also jazz up your tech. This iPhone case designed by artist Scott Wilson is called ‘Fractured Mosaic’ – inspired by the vibrant colours and market life of Haiti and displaying a fractured but beautifully rebuilt pattern.

When you buy this case, 100% of the proceeds go to the American Red Cross. Not only that, but you’ll have a great-looking iPhone and friends will ask where you got it from, allowing you to spread the word.

$40 US, available at getuncommon.com.

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

Can’t read my, can’t read my, no you can’t read my pokerface…

How simply fab are these Macbook decals from Ivy Bee on Etsy? Choose from a hungry chipmunk, a Twilight inspired magic apple, a French bulldog and the newest It Girl, Lady Gaga (and there’s a bunch more, too). I always think it’s fun to jazz up your tech, and these decals are just too cute. You can’t beat the price, either!

Price: $13 US

A few months ago I wrote about my love affair with the HTC Dream, and now I’ve fallen in love with its much cooler brother, the HTC Hero.

The smartphone combines the touch technology you love about the iPhone with the scrolling ball you love about the Blackberry. While the phone holds all of your life’s information, you can separate each aspect with Scenes: create different screens for each facet of your life. You can have your work e-mail, calendar and contacts on one screen, then have your personal life depicted on another screen for easy organization. It also includes internet access, applications and all of the other fun tidbits that smartphones are offering these days.

With an attractive interface and an easy-to-hold body, you will be amazed at the little, fantastic details to discover with each use.

Available through Bell, Rogers and Telus.

Everyone’s going digital these days, even timeless traditional companies like Waterford Crystal. The effortlessly chic brand has developed a neat iPhone app called ‘Clink-Clink’ that is perfect for the digital New Year’s Eve toast.

It’s free to download (yay!) and lets you toast to new beginnings with other iPhone users. All you do is download the app — make sure your friend does, too — then write a message to the one you will ‘clink glasses’ with. When the clock strikes 12:00, tap your phones together to clink the glasses and swap messages.

What a neat way to enter 2010. I wonder what crazy ways we’ll be toasting in 2011!

Check out an instructional video on Clinkclinkapp.com

I know I’ve been posting a lot of laptop sleeves lately, but the ultra-geek inside of me fell in love with this one. It’s the Ludite sleeve from quirky designer Thomas Paul.

For those not in the know, ‘ludite’ now refers to someone who is against technology and prefers to do things the old- fashioned way. Thus, the typewriter image on a laptop sleeve is just classic. Come on, I know I’m not the only one chuckling knowingly about this one!

$50 US, Velocity Art and Design

The holidays are here, and your home is probably fully decorated by now. But don’t forget about your tech! Dress up your iPhone or iPod Touch with these pretty winter-themed wallpapers. Jamie Beck, a New York photographer, has posted 54 free holiday and wintry wallpaper images on her blog, From Me To You.

Below are 6 of my faves. So pretty!

Tim Burton is the big thing going on at MoMA right now (he has an exhibition of drawings, films, sculptures, etc. on until April 26 2010), so I wasn’t surprised to see these fun laptop skins.

Gelaskins have taken the artwork from Burton’s book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories and created cool skins for Macbooks and PC laptops (and iPhones too!). With 4 fun designs to choose from, this is the perfect gift for the Tim Burton fan who has everything.

$30 each, available at Gelaskins.

Three colourful mice, three colourful mice, see how they click, see how they click…
I can’t help but hum a little tune when I see these uber-stylish mice from Pat Says Now. Available in Cherry Blossom, Polka Dot, Louis XIV and a bunch of other styles (these are definitely my fave), they’re an easy way to jazz up your workspace without spending a lot of cash.

$35 each, available at SoHo Corner Store.

In the words of celeb stylist Rachel Zoe, “I die”. That is, when I first saw this incredible laptop sleeve from mister Marc Jacobs himself. It’s totally sassy in raspberry red and a fun animal print, and it dons stitched letters all over (plus, let’s not forget the designer’s signature black and gold-tone plaque on the front). Looks like I’ll be retiring my 2-month-old laptop bag, because this beauty is a winner.

$68 US, available at net-a-porter.com.