Technology & Gadget Blog

Oh, the inconvenience of hearing a great tune on a friend’s iPod and not having immediate access. I, for one, am a music fanatic, and hearing an amazing new song gets me instantly excited (much like new tech gadgets themselves!).

For those of you with the same musical fervour as myself, you’ll be delighted to hear of the miShare, a handy little device that allows you to swap files and playlists between iPods. All you need to do is create an ‘On-the-Go’ playlist of the songs you want to share, hook up each end to a different iPod, then click the big button on the miShare to swap ‘em over. Unfortunately, the current model isn’t compatible with my iPhone or an iTouch, but it will work with my Nano, so I’m still a satisfied customer (development for accessibility with the two devices is currently in the works, though).

Priced at only $100 US and with a cuter-than-cute slogan (’I think your iPod likes my iPod’), this gadget is a great gift for the music maven in your life.

Check out the miShare website for more info and ordering information.

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After a month of reading your wonderful entries, the two winners of the Microsoft Zune mp3 contest have been chosen!

Christina Buczek of Etobicoke, Ont. let us know how using a piece technology in ways other than its main intention has made things easier for her family:

My daughter is profoundly autistic and is developmentally delayed. She can easily be overwhelmed by too much stimulation. She helped us find a great device for helping her to handle drives in a car. She has a small hand held device called a Game Boy Advance by Nintendo. It is quite small and easily held in one hand. The controls are also very simple and were easily mastered by my daughter. She doesn’t play games on this device, but instead watches short cartoon episodes. For a short time Nintendo put cartoons on the Gameboy Advance cartridges. The cartridges are made of sturdy plastic and are not easily destroyed — also an important feature for us! Our daughter uses the device as a form of “white noise” so that she isn’t overwhelmed by the stimulation around her. It has been an absolute godsend for us.

Bob Maher from Victoria, B.C., gave examples of how technology has had an enormous effect on his everyday living:

Technology has made my life easier whether it’s the ability to take photos on my digital camera and e-mail later in the day to anywhere in the world or the ability to do my banking at home on the computer even when I’m sick. I use my cell phone to contact someone when I’m in a store or out in the woods. I can pick and choose what tunes to put on my mp3 player. I can record TV shows on my PVR and watch them later or burn them to a DVD. I can order books and DVDs online and have delivered to my apartment. I can obtain information off the internet within minutes. And that’s just the tip of the technological iceberg.
Congratulations to both winners and thanks to all who entered!
To view all entries, check out the original post. And for more info on the fab Zune player, visit Microsoft’s website.

(This contest is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!)

With all the MP3 players available today, it’s hard to choose which one is right for you. Look no further, because I’m giving you the opportunity to win one of two 4GB Microsoft Zune MP3 players with your zodiac sign graphically etched on the back!

I love the Zune player because it’s sleek and sexy and allows you to wirelessly share tracks with friends. It also holds all of your songs, videos and photos and features a built-in FM tuner. Basically, this sucker has it all.

All you need to do to win one of these super slim devices is leave a comment below telling me how technology has made your life easier. At the end of February, I’ll pick my fave two comments to determine the winner. Whether it’s heated flooring that keeps you toasty warm during the winter, or MP3 players like the Zune that make working out bearable for you, we want to know how a specific gadget (or technology in general) has simply made things, well, simple.

*Contest closes February 28th, 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.*

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