LG

There’s some new technology in our house. Each of these deserves a post of their own, but sadly I’m behind in every facet of my life (getting a second opinion this afternoon – wish me luck), and one post with three interesting items will have to get the job done.

Rumor Touch Phone:

The folks at LG sent this phone for us to try out. I have to say, I unpacked it and thought, “oh, wow a phone”. Let me emphasize, that was a wow, not a WOW. The kids, however, went WOW. As we examined it together I see that it’s a really great little phone.

First off the kids were able to get it up and running without me, and without the booklet. This is huge. If I ever have to refer to a booklet to use a phone (I’m talking to you blackberry) I just give up.

The QWERTY keypad is great for folks who like buttons. The kids, and my husband all prefer their phones this way, less typos, and apparently it’s very cool. When you are nine and your mom lets you use a cell phone for a month, cool matters.

I like this phone for kids because it doesn’t have full web access. I mean, technically it does, but really, it’s the Opera mini browser, and you’re not going to have your kids all over the web like you would with an iphone or a droid.

I love love love when kids use cell phones. No, I am not being sarcastic, and I realize that everyone thinks that texting is the shortcut to Mean Girls.

The reality is that cell phones are wonderful tools to preapare your tweens for the social web that lays in their future. Both my kids know that I will read their texts and their emails, and if there’s something they wouldn’t want me to see, then it probably shouldn’t be put in writing anywhere. The last month of playing around with the Rumor Touch has given me an opportunity to teach my son some online manners.

Alexander has commandeered this phone, he’s also dropped it a number of times, and it hasn’t broken. So, in addition to all the specs found here, it’s pretty durable. It’s also available at retail and www.virginmobileusa.com for $149.99.

iPad

Mr. G. brought home an iPad last night. It’s a 64 gig 3G version with a cover and a bluetooth keyboard. I’d really wanted one of these, but as I looked at the way we use our technology I realize that it’s too big to be useful (for me) as a portable device, and too small to get much of anything done. Plus, I already have an iPhone so I already can’t see sites with flash. Yes, that annoys me.

I think the iPad is perfect for the TV and film industry. Long days on set without reliable internet access make the 3G version a perfect solution. I suspect I’ll give it a go when I travel next, but I have to confess  for around the house the iPad leaves me a little flat. Yawning even.

Passport LE

It’s a hard drive. Every family should have at least two external hard drives. One for around the house, and another with all your information stored off site. If your house burns to the ground your homeowners insurance documents will gone as well.

I have two hard drives, one lives in the house, and one lives in the safety deposit box. Every few months I update the one at home and swap it out for the one in the bank.

The Passport LE is a fairly standard hard drive. It’s 500 GB and you just plug it in to your PC and it’s idiot proof. Here’s the thing that families (and businesses too) will love. They come in a variety of designs, and this means I don’t confuse my old data for my new data. If you’re sharing a computer with anyone the Passport is the perfect way to back up your data without confusing it with your coworker’s/friend’s/partner’s.

Oh, and did I mention, they’re adorable?

The Passport LE is $119 and is available online.