For such a company as Apple, with a name that so many are familiar with, it’s still a great claim to be on top of the “brand” pile. You can be known as a brand for good or bad things, and overall, people are saying they put Apple in the number one spot even though they have had a few things try to slow them down.

Brandjunkie.com claims that with six out of ten questions, Apple stays on top of the rest as a name that people believe in when buying products.

They point out that innovation is of huge value to those surveyed, along with reliability and simplicity. Read up on the results over on the site and you’ll see other brands mentioned like Microsoft and Nike. I enjoyed reading this article and seeing how brand names impact our society so much.

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Here are links to some stories worth reading. Enjoy!

• Voting for the Worst on ‘American Idol’ (NYT) 
• Some Viruses come pre-installed (AP)
• Woman to record industry: Stoy spying (AP)
• A One-Eyed Invader in the Bedroom (NYT)
• Critics Praise Hulu, demand more content (DVICE)
• Top 10 Cell Phone Myths Explained (Switched)
• Google says Microsoft’s Yahoo buy might hurt Internet (Reuters)Came upon a good article? Share it in the comments.  

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If you are looking to give gifts this year and you’re all out of ideas for your co-workers or, even, your boss, don’t give up.  The Office Playground site has multiple ideas for your gift giving self.

With desktop gumball machines, Sproutlets and Grass Headz that let you grow some greenery in your office (does this remind you of the Monchichi?), Slingshot Flying Pigs (for office warfare) and other assorted items, you won’t be short of ideas for your gift list this year.

Visit Office Playground and if you spend $100 or more, you get free standard shipping on your items.

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If you’re winding down from a day at work and you avoided the Cyber Monday rush to buy gifts online, you might decide to do some late night shopping.  Most Cyber Monday sales will end at midnight and you don’t want to miss out on the last minute savings, do you?

A few skeptics feel this isn’t the huge day that it used to be.  Reuters quotes Ken Cassar, an analyst with Nielsen Online, as saying:

"Because the vast majority of online users have access from home via
broadband, it’s less necessary that they wait to get to work to begin
their holiday shopping."

Well, we’ll continue to keep you up on the finest gadgets here at Techie Diva, but while you wait for the season’s hottest finds, you might visit these sites and take advantage of the sales they offer for this online shopping day.

Tiger Direct has a Monday Madness Sale with a Dual Core HP Laptop, 19" Widescreen LCD and more offered at great deals.

Best Buy started their sale on Sunday to extend the time.  They have a $100 savings on all TomTom GPS receivers, free shipping on laptops over a certain price and all iPod and MP3 players are on sale.

And another popular site, Staples, has a sale also.  A 22" LCD monitor for only $179.99 and many more listings to tempt your shopping fever.

Happy Cyber Monday!

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There are eight million people living on the tiny island of Manhattan and would you believe that in the swarm of so many individuals, you could track down a complete stranger? Guess what, you can!

Brooklyn resident, Patrick Moberg has given a whole meaning to the statement “We met and fell in love on the Internet." He set out on a quest to find his true love using the Internet, and as a true modern day Romeo, he created a website dedicated to a young lady he laid eyes on, for first and only time, on a subway train.

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Popularity: 6% [?]

Alteil Online Dueling Card Game takes a front seat with incredible graphics and the instant gratification of being online, real time, when playing.  Taking a hint from RPG formats, Alteil brings you the opportunity to create a deck of cards and play against others at your leisure.

Alteil brought in top designers from Tekken 5, Xanadu and various Gundam models, and the movie Hellboy, to create and work on this for our enjoyment.  You won’t have to organize your deck of cards and keep them in lock tight containers so you can sell them on E-bay, not this deck.

From the press release:

Alteil is easy and fun to
pick up and play, anytime, anywhere. Alteil has no downloads, no clients and is
100% web-driven, making it playable on any computer with a web browser. Best of
all, it’s totally free. Simply sign up for an account and you can choose
and customize your own free starter set that will allow you to play
immediately. While you can buy additional cards to expand your capabilities, it
is not required for a complete experience.

Best thing is, the game experience is free and all you have to do is download the software and get started!  Just visit the Alteil website to find out more.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Men, if you absolutely suck at shopping for the lady in your life, Gift Girl is here to lend you a helping hand. It aims to be an online destination that dishes out shopping advice to help men eliminate wrong choices by delivering the perfect gift selection. This solution-based site debuted nearly a week ago and integrates the latest technology with fashion expertise for the time- and taste-challenged male.

The site boasts thousands of designer items that hover between $100 to more than $100,000 in terms of price, with new content being added on a daily basis in order to keep the site and its selections fresh. All you need to do is fork out a $20 subscription fee - a small price to pay considering you run the risk of getting the wrong present yet again on your anniversary, having to spend the night on a cold, concrete floor for the umpteenth time.

Gift Girl content includes:

“Gift Girl Collections” – Ranging from New York City Girl to Lazy Sunday Girl, Nantucket Girl and more., complete ensembles are suggested to match many moods, looks and occasions.
“Gift Girl Says…” – Candid advice on how and why the item would make a perfect gift and for whom.
“Gift Girl Don’ts!” – Take it from the experts at Gift Girl; your girl really does not want another kitchen appliance.
“Gift Girl Tips” – Straight from the expert eyes of the Gift Girl team, a wealth of tips for dodging potential shopping disasters.

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Switched has been conducting some interesting celeb questionnaires with the likes of Hilary Duff, Joan Collins and now Sandra Bernhard, all who offer us a glimpse into their tech-filled or tech-less lives. Sandra Bernhard is the latest celeb to get grilled by Switched with questions like, What gadgets do you like? What annoys you the most in a gadget? and What gadget would you bring to a deserted island? I love her response to the last question: My cell phone so I can have someone swing by and pick me up. Then again, there probably wouldn’t be any reception on this island. Just the same, I better not get deserted in my living room, bedroom or at the head of my kitchen table. I don’t get service there either… I hear ya sister!

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MocoLoco came across a kind of jewelry that’s half-pixelated, half-stolen. Designers Mike and Maaike created a Stolen Jewels collection comprised of actual stolen jewels printed on scored leather. Here’s how they did it:

From MocoLoco:

Per Mike and Maaike; "An exploration of tangible vs. virtual in relation to real and perceived value. Using Google Image Search, we browsed through some of the most expensive and often famous jewelry in the world, the resulting low-res images we found were stolen, doctored, then transferred onto leather, creating a tangible new incarnation. With the expense of the jewels and the intricacy of their construction stripped away, their essence and visual intensity are extracted.

Stolen Pieces include the Hope Diamond Broach, the Golden Jubilee Diamond Broach, the Great Chrysanthemum Necklace, and Imelda Marcos’ Ruby Necklace with Diamonds by Van Cleef & Arpels among others."

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Popularity: 6% [?]

When we talk and think about gadgets, the last thing that comes to mind is a food chopper or a mixer. Could that have anything to do with the fact that you spending more time in your office than the kitchen? Perhaps, but when Summer rolls around and you look down to notice the not-so-cute love handles getting bigger, you know it’s time to start cooking at home again. WebMD’s Elaine Magee gives us a great list of the top gadgets you need in your kitchen. I wish she would’ve included some pictures, because I have no idea what some of those kitchen gadgets look like (Zester, anyone?). Maybe now you’ll be motivated to download some yummy recipes from Epicurious. Check out Gabrielle Reece’s kitchen tour video too. Via That’s Fit

Popularity: 6% [?]