The OMG! Gift for Holiday 2008: The Keyboard for Blondes

Forget all those bland, boring, brunette-centric keyboards once foisted upon us by bland, boring, brunette manufacturers. Finally, here is the Geek Chic we Blondes deserve.  

European Trends has already released their hot pink Keyboard for Blondes in the U.K. and based on a strange video now available on youtube, it’s also sparking some major Blonde Moments in Russia.

The pink keyboard swaps out standard keys with more blonde-appropriate names. The backspace key now says “Oops!” and the entire row of function keys spells out USELESS KEYS. Hit the “$” sign and you get the sound of a cash register clinking.

The Keyboard even has special keys that type out “OMG,” “ALI” (Absolutely Love It!), or “XOXO.”

The best? The Caps Lock now says: “Warning! size XXL letters.”

At $49.95, it’s compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux, and Paris Hilton.

Thanks to CNET Crave.

It’s July 1st. Hang Up and Drive. (On Over To Buy That Bluetooth.)

Tomorrow is going to be a great day.

Not just for those of us who prefer public safety over the current cell phone insanity but for our gasping economy as well. Now gadget-lovers (like me) don’t need to justify our electronic obsessions — as of July 1, we have an urgent reason for rushing on over to the big sales at Best Buy, Radio Shack and Circuit City or logging on to sites like headsets.com or Parrot, where you can sign a petition to make the Parrot California’s official state bird, in recognition of its handsfree heroism.

California’s new law, taking effect tomorrow, July 1st, will require drivers to use hands-free devices when dialing and driving and bans anyone under 18 from using a cellphone or other mobile device behind the wheel. An officer can pull over and issue a citation to a driver of any age if, in the officer’s opinion, the driver was distracted and not operating the vehicle safely. A similar law goes into effect in Washington state, also tomorrow.

Drivers under the age of 18 may not use a wireless telephone, pager, laptop or any other electronic communication to speak or text while driving in any manner, including the use of hands-free devices.

The new law will reportedly save almost one life per day when it takes effect, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

A couple of handsfree devices getting the highest marks from the gadgets pros at CNET:

• The Aliph Jawbone 2 wins a CNET Editor’s Choice in May 2008  
  The good: The Aliph Jawbone 2 is a fashionable Bluetooth headset with a comfortable fit and an array of noise-canceling and voice-enhancement technologies that result in amazing sound quality.
  The bad: The Aliph Jawbone 2 doesn’t have a volume rocker, and the LED light is located directly on top of the Talk button.
  The bottom line: Despite its quirks, the Aliph Jawbone 2 is quite possibly the ultimate Bluetooth headset in terms of design and sound quality.

  Price range: $129.99 - $154.86

• Jabra

  The good: The Jabra BT8040 is a small Bluetooth headset that is packed with features such as MultiPoint technology (the ability to connect to two different devices simultaneously), A2DP for streaming music wirelessly, plus an intelligent noise reduction and volume equalization technology that offers great sound quality.

  The bad: The Jabra BT8040 may take awhile to fit properly in the ear.

  The bottom line: The Jabra BT8040 is a compact yet powerful Bluetooth headset that offers more than enough features for the mobile professional at an affordable price.

  Specs: Type: Microphone Built-in; Product type: Headset; Design: Over-the-ear  

• Price range: $54.99 - $79.99

And should you be in the market for a new car, check out SYNC, the built-in voice-activated system created by Ford Motor Co. and Microsoft Corp., which lets users do both things hands-free: play music or make phone calls using voice commands.