Dare to be Anti-Valentine

There are so many Valentine’s Day gift guides telling you what gadgets to buy your S.O, so this year, we decided to be a little Anti-Valentines. Instead of telling you what to buy, we will offer you some ways to save your hard-earned cash instead below…

We are so programmed to believe Valentine’s day is a day you celebrate with your lover, but I remember as a child we used to have a ball trading those cutesy cards with other kids and celebrating the day amongst friends. If you’re single this Valentine’s day, dare to make a full day out of it by celebrating the Anti-Valentine way with other single people in your area. Really!

There are sites dedicated to snarky Anti-V-day  e-cards, gifts you can buy for friends, and even parties, like Trendy Lime’s Anti-Valentine Ball in San Francisco this Thursday which I’ll be attending (we are media partners). Instead of sitting around in your PJs with a bucket of ice cream on your lap watching RomComs, put on your best Sunday clothes and head to the nearest Anti-Valentine soiree. You just never know what to expect.

Like I told Trend Updates in this fun interview, I’ll be celebrating the day at the spa then hitting the margaritas bar with my girlfriends in honor of St. Valentines Day. No shame in that. So what are your plans my single ladies?

Here are a few things you can do to be Anti-Valentines:

Spend the day on your iPhone- Geekugar has 5 Anti-Valentine’s Day Apps you can download for fun.  Is he a 10? Ask your iPhone. Here’s another vanity iPhone app that can  determine if his handsomeness passes the Golden Ratio.

Throw a singles party-You could travel to an exotic location with your girlfriends in the hopes of meeting Mr. Right Now, travel to one of the “World’s Best Party Hotels” or host a pot luck where everyone brings along their favorite Anti-Valentine’s appetizer and dishes on their worst dating experience.  This is the perfect time to invite the boys-next door for some broken heart shaped cookies or shots of Love Stinks.

Make it a movie night- Forget the Romantic Comedies. This is not the time to entertain such things. Instead, invite some friends over, make some popcorn, and pop in a copy of  “Fatal Attraction” into your Blu-Ray player.  Not a Glenn Close fan? Check out these other titles. According to RedBox, the “Hangover” is a great flick to watch.

Cruise the Dating  Scene- If you must, take a stroll down the information highway in search of that hot hunk on sites like OkCupid.com or you could always attend a Speed Dating event. Why take chances?

Got any more ideas? Leave a comment letting us single gals know what YOU plan to do on V-Day.

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HP Mini Pink Chic Accessory Bundle supports Komen for the Cure

October is that time when companies release pink gadgets and accessories to support Breast Cancer Awareness.  First up is HP who  is releasing an HP Mini Pink Chic Accessory Bundle that includes a beautiful netbook sleeve and retractable mouse. According to Chip Chick, the netbook bundle will be sold between September 20-December 31 at all Best Buys for $379.99. The Pink Chic netbook itself features a lovely design and includes 1GB of RAM, 160 GB hard drive, Windows XP Home, a 10.1″ screen, and only weighs 2.75 lbs. HP has pledged $1 of each purchase to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.
Below is my hands-on review of the HP Pink Chic Mini:

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Going ga-ga over ‘HeartBeats by Lady Gaga’

I’m going to sound a little biased here because I absolutely love Lady Gaga and my Beats headphones, so I’m literally going ga-ga over the new in-ear headphones called HeartBeats by Lady Gaga. These metallic earpieces were designed by LadyGaga herself so you know they’re going to be edgy and glam with a hint of techno goodness. Three jewel-shaped metallic versions will be available in silver, black, and red chrome when Monster Cable releases them October for a cool $99.99 -$149.95. If you’re an iPhone owner, you’ll like the ControlTalk feature that places your club music on hold so you can answer your phone. Those of you who hate tangled wires, will no doubt love Monster’s signature flat cables which also include a high grade microphone with an answer button. Heartbeats are compatible with the most music devices including the iPhone 3Gs and the some Blackberry models.  (Via Popgadget)

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iPhone app performs background checks on your date

Dating a new person has always been risky business. So many questions come to mind before that first date, especially if you’re meeting people at bars or through online dating sites. Intellius hopes to give singles a little piece of mind with an iPhone application called “Date Check” you can use to screen potential dates on-the-go. According to ABC News, this iPhone app has a ‘Sleaze Detector’ that scans your date’s criminal records for major things like sex offenses, assault, battery, or drug possession.  If you’re more interested in your date’s net worth, the app will tell you if the person owns a home, how many rooms it has, and even its property value.  Date Check also scans social networking sites for job status,  education background, birth date, marital status, and other crucial information needed before taking the first step. The app will be relased this fall on the iPhone but Intellius is working on an app for the Blackberry and Android platform too.  Personally, I think this is a fantastic idea, but the $40 per search is a bit of a turn off.  Girls, what do you think of this application? Voice your opinion in the comments section.

(Via Switched)

Check out the video for more details:

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Honda U3-X unicycle transport

Honda and robotics have a close connection, and most people by now would have had heard of the ASIMO, a bi-pedal robot that is smart enough to walk, run and even climb stairs while kicking a ball back at you - extremely complex for a robot considering how it has to be programmed to maintain a delicate balance at all times. Their years of research behind the ASIMO has been put to good use with its latest release, the Honda U3-X unicycle. This compact experimental device is able to fit nicely between the rider’s legs, allowing free movement in all directions just like how you are able to walk wherever you want to, be it forward, backward, side-to-side and diagonally. This is made possible with but a simple lean towards the direction of your choice, and it would definitely be useful to ferry yourself around huge shopping malls on one of these without taking up the floor space of a Segway.

Read more

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HP unveils new Vivenne Tam netbook

I’m a tad late on this one, but don’t think it wasn’t on my radar. My friends over at Chip Chick have the scoop on the new Vivienne Tam digital clutch (netbook for you techies) unveiled  at the Vivienne Tam Spring 2010 fashion show during New York’s Fashion Week in Bryant Park.  The “Butterfly Lovers” inspired clutch features beautiful butterflies against a champagne gold backdrop, and like the peony digital clutch (yes, I’ll keep saying because it’s more fashionable) released last fall, the new butterfly netbook is going to be a Spring must-have especially if it sports an 11.6 inch screen. The spec sheet is scarce so we’ll update you when the final list of features is released. This hot digital clutch is expected to be available in spring 2010, so keep your eyes peeled girls. Now, who wants one?

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Techie Diva goes to the Navy: Tour of the USS Green Bay

I’m excited to share with you all that I’ll be traveling to San Diego today because on Thrusday Sept. 10,  I’ll be touring the USS Green Bay (LPD 20) amphibious vessel. You may be asking yourselves what does the Navy have to do with tech or Techie Diva, right? Well, the answer is everything. The USS Green Bay is a high-tech amphibious vessel used to deploy hundreds of Marines to beaches using hovercrafts and other smaller amphibious vessels so I’ll be checking out their tech gear.  Also, as you know,  I used to be a Marine so I’m excited to be part of a naval tour that will include a few other prominent bloggers such as Ponzi Pirillo, Jen Leo, Dr. Deb Keyek-Franssen, Adam Brown, Jennifer Van Grove, and Jake McKee. We’ll all be heading to the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado Island, also home to the Navy SEALs, where we will board an SH-60 Seahawk helicopter and travel 90 nautical miles to a small vessel in the Pacific for a landing on the ship’s moving helipad. The tour will give us a glimpse of Navy operations like torpedo firing, maneuvering, and then we’ll eat a good-ole’ Navy chow before heading back to the NAS North Island base. The Navy uses the USS Green Bay to transport and land Marines, their equipment and supplies, by embarked air cushion or conventional landing craft or Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles, augmented by helicopters or vertical take off and landing aircraft. USS Green Bay also supports amphibious assault, special operations, or expeditionary warfare missions. It will be an exciting tour, so make sure you check back here for updates. I’ll be live blogging from my iPhone whenever possible so add me to your Facebook network. I’m very excited about this opportunity, so wish me luck!

Update:
I’m working on editing all the video I took onboard the ship, but in the meantime, enjoy these posts:

Male social-media fantasy: hot bloggers with big guns

Avere Group Blogger Nominees Embark to USS Green Bay

USS Green Bay, Here I come

Damn it feels good to be a gangsta

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Join us for a Digital Summer Aug. 19th in San Francisco

On August 19th Ubergizmo and Girls in Tech are partnering up to create DIGITAL SUMMER in Temple, San Francisco, one of the few sustainable nightclubs in the world. The event combines three passions: Photography, Technology, and Fashion.We are bringing the most international, professional, and glamorous crowd of San Francisco for socializing, professional photo-shoot, technology, green cause, and eco-fashion. We have a cool program:

• Test-drive HP’s coolest products
• Try out Intel-based latest mobile devices
• Studio Photo-Shoot by Eye-Fi (Feel like a Model!)
• Atelier Emmanuel, fine boutique hair salon & day spa will spoil you!
• STAR Make-Up Artists Bianca Lucescu and Candy Walker will be hosting Eye-Lash Bar!
• Photo-Show by Damien Miller and Eco-Fashion by Edun and Edun Live
• In addition, our partner Mokugift, the official United Nations will be planting a tree with every glass of champagne consumed at the event.
• Music: guest DJ Mrs.Blythe

• In addition, our partner Mokugift, the official United Nations will be planting a tree with every glass of champagne consumed at the event.

Admission is $1 with RSVP on the event invitation page, Mokugift, our event partner, will plant a tree with each entrance fee.Our sponsors:

• Platinum: HP
• Silver: Intel
• Bronze: Edun Live

Media partners:

GadgetSpin, TechieDiva, TechMamas, Ponzarelli.com, Snap Summit, SGN

Come with us enjoy a night of fashion and technology (dress code is chic and elegant).

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Girls in Tech: Journalism 2.0 Roundtable

It’s been a couple of busy weeks for me, and they’re about to get busier. On Wednsday, August 12, I’ll be joining a group of smart techie ladies in a discussion about the ever-evolving world of journalism. This is the first-of-its kind event being hosted by Girls in Tech at MySpace ’s headquarters in San Francisco. We’ll discuss  how blogging has changed the face of journalism; how “citizen journalism” is impacting traditional journalism; the positive and negative impact of being a woman in the male-dominated world of tech and more. The Wall Street Journal’s Kara Swisher will be moderating the panel that includes such tech luminaries as former SF Chronicle Tech Editor Deborah Gage, ZdNet’s Jennifer Leggio, Ubergizmo Editor Eliane Fiolet and VentureBeat’s Camille Ricketts.

Sponsored by Future Works PR, beverages and hors d’overs will be served during network and arrival time from 6:30 – 7:00 PM. The panel discussion will begin promptly at 7:00PM

Tickets available HERE: http://girlsintechjournalism2roundtable.eventbrite.com/.

If you have any issues getting tickets via eventbrite, tickets will also be available at the door for $10.

For more information, visit Girls in Tech.

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Radio Shack’s Netogether connecting tech heads from coast to coast

This weekend, the gals from GadgetSpin (Beth, Eliane, and Ponzi) and myself have been hosting Tech Makeovers at Radio Shack’s Netogether. Ponzi and I are hosting the event from  NYC’s Times Square, while Beth and Eliane are in hosting the event from San Franciscos’ Herman Plaza. If you guys are in a desperate need of a makeover,and are in the area make sure you check  the schedule at http://www.radioshack.com/theshack/ to find out when our Tech Makeovers are. It’s all very exciting stuff. We’ve had New Yorker’s dancing, singing, and beat-boxing for technology, and we’ve given away laptops, Flip cameras, Coolpix digital cameras, iPods, and netbooks to people who desperately need a tech makeover. You can watch some of those videos over at www.radioshack.com/theshack.

I’m posting pictures from the event below as well as video and a press release that gives you more details about tomorrow’s event. Please check it out, and if you’re in the are, come out and say hello! I’d love to see your face!

Press Release Below:

Thousands Watch as RadioShack Kicks Off Its Three-Day Summer Netogether Linking New York and San Francisco

Event connects Times Square and Justin Herman Plaza as two massive, 17-foot laptop computers with webcams show how technology can keep people together

New York (August6, 2009) —Thousands of people across the country watched in person and online as RadioShack Corporation’s (NYSE: RSH) three-day Summer Netogether in New York’s Times Square and San Francisco’s Justin Herman Plaza got underway today. The event marks the unveiling of RadioShack’s new brand creative platform, “THE SHACK.”

“THE SHACK is a more contemporary way of communicating with consumers through really smart, interruptive messaging that cuts through the tremendous advertising clutter”, said Lee Applbaum, RadioShack’s Chief Marketing Officer. “This creative is not about changing our name; it’s about encouraging people to take another look at RadioShack, which is one of the key goals of our brand repositioning effort.”

To bring the new creative strategy to life, RadioShack is connecting the cities via two, massive, 11×17-foot laptop computers with webcams that allow live video and audio exchanges. Each day’s activities are also being streamed live online at www.radioshack.com/theshack.

During the first day, tens of thousands of visitors watched online and in person as the day’s events-including live music from the Grammy-award-winning American hip hop artists The Roots, celebrity appearances by Soprano actors Steve Shirripa and Vince Curatola and a cross-country Simon Says game led by Steve Max-unfolded.

Throughout the day, consumer technology bloggers, Beth Blecherman and Eliane Fiolet blogged about the event from San Francisco, and the Techie Diva team of Gina Hughes and Ponzi Pirillo blogged from New York. When they weren’t blogging, they hosted periodic tech challenges where audience members were asked to explain why they deserve a tech update. After a vote from the audience, the winners were awarded a variety of tech prizes from RadioShack to help them keep up with the latest mobility and connectivity devices.

Social media consultant Sarah Evans was also on hand to demonstrate to people how to connect through social media.

The event continues Friday and Saturday with a full schedule of entertainment and more opportunities for tech makeovers. Details on each day’s activities can be found at www.radioshack.com/theshack where visitors are encouraged to leave comments and make arrangements for bi-coastal reunions with families and friends. Upcoming highlights include:

• The LIVESTRONG Bike-Off pitting ten LIVESTRONG cyclists in New York City against ten in San Francisco in a one-hour bike-off competition. For each mile completed by the cyclists, RadioShack will donate $100 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

• Performances from San Francisco by Forest Sun, a singer, songwriter, music producer, poet and painter; Big Light, an indie psychedelic rock band; Minipop, an indie electronic and dream pop band from Oakland; and The Ruse, a Los Angeles-based band whose song “Beautiful is Gone”was recently the iTunes Single of the Week.

• A performance from New York by Melanie Fiona, whose EP, The Bridge, releases on Steve Rifkind’s SRC/ Motown Universal Records in fall 2009.

• World Hip Hop Beatbox Women’s Championship in San Francisco, and Rahzel, the self-proclaimed “Godfather of Noyze,” in New York.

• A comedy showcase hosted by comedian Mark Pitta in San Francisco and featuring comedians Suli McCullough from San Francisco and Mo Mandel and Brad Trackman from New York.

• A “Dance-Off”between The Rock Steady Crew, a breakdancing and hip hop group from New York, and San Francisco’s Rock Force Dance Crew.

• Yoga classes led by Ruah Bhay from New York and Stephanie Snyder in San Francisco; fitness classes led from New York by Steve Feinberg, the founder of Speedball Fitness; Tai Chi classes led by Julie Reinganum from San Francisco and Greg Woodson from New York; and a dance class led by Ronnie Reddick, a multi-faceted San Francisco-based choreographer and dancer.

Performers at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater will close out the entertainment for the three-day event with a performance Saturday evening at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT.

The schedule for Friday and Saturday can be found at www.radioshack.com/theshack where consumers are invited to watch the live streaming of the event and join in the conversation online.

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