Here's an interesting idea.  We're getting used to sending pictures to each other's phones now, but it seems we Brits (60% of us) still like to get a card in the post sometimes.  Now Touchnote, the company that turns digital pictures into greetings cards online, has launched a mobile application allowing you to capture your personal moments and create a real card to send to your friends and family anywhere in the whole.  Simply take a photo, or use an existsing image, add a message and the recipient's address and send from your mobile via WiFi or the phone's mobile data connection.  Your personal card is then created from the image you send and delivered in the post - in the UK usually by the next working day (provided the card is ordered before noon).

You can download the application for Nokia phones for free and your first card is free.  Subsequent cards are available in credit bundles (1 card for £3, 2 cards for £5 or 5 cards for £10).  Touchnote for Mobile wiill be compatible with all Series 60 3^rd Edition Feature Pack 1 and 2 phones. This includes:

• 5630 Xpress
• E71
• N78
• N79
• N81
• N81 8GB
• N82
• N85
• N95
• N95 8GB
• N96
  

For more information on how to download Touchnote for Mobile visit http://www.touchnote.com/nokia  

Continuing today's theme of beautiful looking gadgets, here's a look at the Phillip Starck "Zikmu" couture speakers - Unfortunately, we couldn't get hold of any to review but they certainly look fab! Beautifully designed by the world-renowned designer Phillip Starck, these speakers look elegant and stylish, offer the latest wireless technology and recently won first prize at the annual Bluetooth SIG Best of CES contest 2009. Parrot have developed a strong relationship with Apple and the speakers are compatible with all Apple ipod products. The speakers RRP at £1,200. So it's one to add to the list for Christmas for the one who has everything!

These speakers are available from August/September 2009 from Harrods, Selfridges and the Conran Store. But you can buy them now directly from www.parrot.com/uk.

I don't know what your router looks like, but mine is the BT Home Hub, which is better looking than many, but not terribly inspiring.  However, now the UK's largest broadbank provider TalkTalk has got together with artists at Goldsmith's College in London to tackle the creative question of how to make a router look beautiful.  Well the result is a fantastic testimony to the wonderful design skills of our young art students.

Taking the design project to heart, the students at Goldsmiths have surpassed themselves, producing routers that are Objet D'arts in themselves.  If only other products could be given the same treatment.  My other alter ego is as a creativity coach, so I'm blown over by Talk Talk's approach to router design - proving we can see things differently.

Here's a look then at the Route O'Clock.  This 24-hour clock uses colour to create a picture of the varying signal strength throughout the day, so people can make the most of their internet connection.  Complete with twenty-four glowing segments, the display indicates signal strength as time passes.

The Energy Saver is an intelligent router which switches off automatically when not in use. Team Goldsmiths’ execution is based on house-key hooks; on when you’re in, off when you’re out. Plus there’s an integrated timer for long downloads.

The Hybrid Router looks like a piece of 60's revival furniture, integrating router design into a hardwood side table. The team came up with a Hybrid Router that is a practical, sexy side table and a bold style piece, whilst still fulfilling its raison d’être as a fully functional router.

Finally, the funkiest of the four is the Jellyfish.  This rather large unit looks like something out of Dr Who and has Ethernet cables for many to link up at the same time.

Sadly, you can't get hold of any of these routers yet.  However, if you visit the Future Routers site you can vote for your favourite and you might just see it in the shops soon.  As I write the  Route O'Clock is ahead with 54% of the vote!!

I've seen there are some naysayers on the Future Routers site, but I say, go on - encourage our young artists - we need more design like this!

Visit Future Routers to vote.

Do you ever do this - put down your mobile phone, and then have to use someone elses phone to ring it in order to find it again.  Well that's just one use of this new nifty little device called Nio.  The Nio is a Bluetooth security tag that makes data rich devices such as Blackberry's, laptops and data sticks hard to loose and hard to steal.  You attach a nio to your keys and activate a personalised security zone between, for example, your mobile and your tagged keys.  If you walk away from your phone, or someone steals it, then your nio tag sounds the alarm. Costs £59.95. 

Of course, I'm not sure what happens if you loose your keys!!

More details at www.bluenio.com

Here's a little demo on YouTube

As from tomorrow (15-7-09) you can pre order Windows 7 at the reduced price of £49.99 for the Home Premium and £99.99 for the Professional version.

The retailers taking part in this limited time promotion are Amazon.co.uk, Play.com, Currys, Dixons, Tescos, Micro Anvika, Argos, Comet, Ebuyer, John Lewis Partnership, Staples, Littlewoods and PC World.

Full details of what is available are available from the link below

http://www.microsoft.com/uk/windows/buy/offers/pre-order.aspx

My initial work with the release candidate version make this a huge advance over Vista as lots of PC's that would not work with Vista do work with Windows 7.

As I get more details I will add them here.

We reviewed 'Blurb' back in November 2008 - a company that lets you create your own high-quality coffee-book style photobooks. A great way to get your best photos out for viewing rather than stuck on your hard disk gathering electronic dust.

To encourage this new idea in personal photo books Blurb last year started the "Photography.Book.Now" competition, open to anyone that has self-published a photo book. While it's very easy to submit your Blurb created book, the competition is not limited to their own publishers - anyone with their own photo book can enter (that's excluding books by professional publishing houses).

Entrants this year will be judged by a panel of editors, gallery curators, publishers, and photographers lead by noted photography book expert Darius Himes who servers as lead judge for the second year.

If you've published your own photobook and think it's worthy of a wider audience then maybe you should think about entering? The talented will will receive $25,000 (US). You have until the 16:00 (British Summer Time) on the 16th July 2009 to submit your self published masterpiece!

Want to know more?

Check out their competition web-site

I've found an offer on at Vtech with its V.Smile Cyber Pockets!

I've been a fan of the Vtech products for a while and they are usually my top choice for gift ideas for nieces and nephews. Given the current financial climate Vtech are trying to help out as much as possible to make this christmas easier so the offer of free delivery and cash back is a welcome sight.

The portable educational gaming system comes in blue or pink with either a scooby doo or cinderella game. A range of games are also available seperatly to keep the fun going.

Here is some more info about the cyber pocket...

This month we have a special 'invite a friend' prize-draw in addition to our exciting Christmas Cracker.

You've already discovered how useful our reviews are so why not tell your friends just how good it is?

As a little incentive, for each person that joins as a result of an invitation from you, we'll add an extra entry for you into this prize draw. At the end of the month we'll draw a winner at random who will receive the excellent CRD-51 DAB radio/alarm from Roberts (see our review here).

The more people that join as a result of your invitation the greater the chance you have of winning

If you're logged in then click here to start inviting your friends.

You do of course need to be a member first so you may need to join!

We are working out way through some of the Dream Toys Top 12 Awards - one of which is Catcha Beast! by Ban Dai. It's a toy very much developed from the Tamagotchi stable.

Catcha Beast is a hand-held game - the aim of which is to Catch Beasts would could appear at any time around you. But you have to find them by using the digital compass, spinning in circles and reeling them in with the fishing rod like handle on the side. A little display shows you when the beasties are near. The beasts have names like Jewelogger and Skull Scissors. Once you've caught your beasts you can train them and you can trade them with friends who also have a Catcha Beast! Connecting with friends also allows you to play 2 player battle games.

A couple of downsides. As a not playful enough adult, I got as confused as I do with Sat Nav systems and couldn't really work it all out. But I'm sure kids will have a lot more patience than me and it is a toy that keeps developing to capure their interest. Like a Tamagotchi, the idea is to play with this toy over a period of time to catch and play with your beasts. Without a back light it's also hard to play in the dark.

On the plus side, it's inexpensive enough to call a stocking filler and the Catcha Beast does join other electronic toys such as the Wii and the Swinx in getting kids to move a bit whilst attached to their favourite gadget - which must be a good thing.

I found Catcha Beast from £17.99 at Amazon here.

On wandering through John Lewis today I got my first peek at Elmo Live from Mattel. We are big fans of Elmo having had one of the 10th Anniversary Tickle Me Elmo's a couple of years ago that really made us giggle. This is Mattel's updated version.  As Elmo laughs, tells stories and jokes, his mouth opens and closes and his head nods.  He also waves his hands and feet, and sits up and down from a little blue stool.

For Sesame Street Lovers everywhere and kids big and small, the Elmo Live is available from John Lewis for £59.95.

Catch him on-line at http://www.johnlewis.com/230504192/Product.aspx?SearchTerm=elmo

Whilst we don't always agree with the Dream Toys predictions, this is one Dream Toy we would also put on our Top 12.