Cell Phones

Hot In The Hive: iTwinge iPhone Keyboard

Alex Gambardella on Sep 29, 2009 5:24 AM PDT

I think I'm one of the few people left in this world who still refuse to join the iPhone cult. I'll admit it, sometimes I get a little jealous when I see people at the gym listening to their music and making calls from one sleek device while I'm trying to juggle my PDA and my prehistoric video iPod... but I'm sorry -- I NEED a keyboard! REAL buttons that you push. Not a touchscreen with pretend keys and a "word predictor" that tries to guess what I'm trying to type through the inevitable typos. It shouldn't have to guess! Apparently our friends over at Mobile Mechatronics had the same frustrations, because they came up with one seriously genius idea: the iTwinge. It's an attachable keyboard that simply slips on over your iPhone, providing REAL push-able buttons for more accurate (and quicker) texting and e-mailing. Of course, I'm not sure if the convenience of having keys is worth having to constantly take the device on and off whenever you're done with an e-mail or text... so while this clever add-on is definitely worth the splurge for curious iPhone owners, I'm not sure if it's cool enough to make a convert out of a Palm girl like me!

Price: $29.99
Who Found It: xgalexy was the first to add the iTwinge to the Hive.

Tags : technology , tech , phone keyboard , phone gadgets , cell phones

Hot In The Hive: Bluetooth Mini Phone

Alex Gambardella on Sep 23, 2009 6:22 AM PDT

Don't you love laughing at the crazy-looking people on the street who look like they're talking to themselves but are really just using a handy-dandy hands-free device? Or how about those folks driving on the freeway who look like they're bopping and singing along to the radio but are really just making a business call from that huge hunk of Bluetooth-activated plastic attached to their ear? If you're considering your own mobile accompaniment but don't want to look like you're deep in conversation with the voices inside your own head, look no further than the Bluetooth Mini Phone. Shaped like an actual handheld receiver, you can wear the phone like a semi-stylish pendant necklace & then when you want to make a call, you just pick it up and press call and start chatting! Oh. Wait. So it's not actually hands-free... but it's still pretty cute, and a clever sort of gimmick. And, uh, a great conversation starter?

Price: 29,99 GBP
Who Found It: xgalexy was the first to add the Bluetooth Mini Phone to the Hive.

Tags : wireless , technology , tech , phone gadgets , cell phones

Recycle Your Electronics (And Get Paid!) With YouRenew.com

Pauline Montupet on Aug 25, 2009 2:27 PM PDT

Want to get paid to recycle your electronics? It's so much easier to do the right thing when there's a cash bonus being dangled in front of you! You may not know it, but electronics like cell phones and laptops leak lead, mercury, and other icky stuff into our trash and water systems. That's where YouRenew comes in! Started by college buddies out of their dorm room, YouRenew coaxes you into going the extra step to recycle old electronics for some cash money. Search through their site and find the electronics you're trying to ditch by answering a few quick questions about the basics for your item (Does it turn on? Do you have the charger?). It then analyzes the data and tells you how much they'll pay for it. Print out the pre-paid shipping label and send it away (aka: make room for that fancy new iPhone!) and they'll pay you via PayPal! YouRenew will then either fix them up and resell them, or send them to their recycling partner. Some examples of what you can get back: a working 32GB iPhone can get you up to $396, and up to $20 for your Harry Potter box set of DVDs. Log on the YouRenew.com and see what you can get for those old electronics you have lying around!

Tags : yourenew.com , yourenew , technology , tech savvy , cell phones

Hot In The Hive: Jawbone EARCANDY Headsets

Alex Gambardella on May 7, 2009 6:20 AM PDT

Even the least tech-savvy of people (my mother, for example) have heard of the state-of-the-art Jawbone Headset by now, and probably even have one of their own, even if they didn't have the gadget-sense to pick it out for themselves. What even you might not have heard about yet, however, is that the brand's latest model, Jawbone Prime, now comes in a series of fun bright colors for Spring and Summer to counter the device's usual hue, appropriately-named "Blah Blah Black." The EARCANDY Edition combines the same desirable high-tech specs of the more inconspicuous Prime, such as its updated NoiseAssassin technology and wind-detection voice clarity, with the fashionably sleek aesthetics that such an important ear-accompanying accessory should have! With clever shade names like "Lilac You Mean It" and "Drop Me A Lime," this limited edition rainbow of quirky colors is sure to reel in more style-inclined gadget-loving gals who haven't hopped on the Jawbone bandwagon yet for one reason or another!

Price: $129.99
Who Found It: xgalexy was the first to add the Jawbone EARCANDY Headsets to the Hive.

Tags : technology , tech savvy , tech , jawbone prime , cell phones

Hot In The Hive: The Motorola AURA, A Luxury Watch-Inspired ...

Alex Gambardella on Apr 3, 2009 5:21 AM PDT

Is your mobile service contract up and in your search for a new phone, you just can't bring yourself to buy into all the iPhone hype? Are you perhaps looking for something a bit more -- oh, I don't know -- stylish? Expensive?! Well, lucky for you, Motorola has just released the most exorbitant phone buy you'll be able to find! At a lavish $1,999.99, the Motorola AURA fuses the worlds of top-of-the-line technology and that of designer timepieces to bring you the first circular display mobile phone (a 62-carat sapphire crystal circular display at that!) to provide the luxury of fine jewelry with the crystal-clear yakking capabilities of a mobile phone. Does it have a full keyboard? No. Does it come with cool apps? No. Does it have a touch-screen? Of course not, but it is about as heavy as a brick (so you can literally "feel the richness," it says) so it can weigh down your pocket after it burns a hole in your wallet. Perf! Hopefully you still remember how to read an analog clock, 'cause this baby is already a whopper of a waste of money as it is!

Price: $1,999.99
Who Found It: shopchick was the first to add the Motorola AURA to the Hive.

Tags : watches , watch , technology , phone , cell phones

StyleSlides: 10 Luxury Gifts for Her

on Dec 6, 2007 8:07 AM PST

Whoever said money can't buy happiness is wrong. Very wrong. Because really, what can make a better gift than say, a $475 jar of face cream or a $5,700 pink cell phone? Self indulgent? Yes. Extravagant? Mmm hmm. Will she LOVE it? Yes, Yes, and YES! So get your credit cards ready, and check out our slideshow of 10 extravagant fancy schmancy gifts, from yummy smelling candles (with a $345 price tag!) to the blingiest lipstick EVER (diamond encrusted. forreal).

Tags : women , her , gift , cell , cell phones