Laptop mice seem to come in many shapes and sizes these days. Some are more useful than others, and some of those are definitely prettier than others. This one falls into both the useful and pretty categories and it’s from HP.

It’s shiny pink look says that you’re not the average laptop user and you don’t want to use the boring little black thing that probably came in an accessory kit with your laptop. And it’s wireless giving you a better range of motion and easier to handle point and click functions. I’ve always found the miniature mice to have short cords, so I do like a wireless mouse when I’m using a mouse with my laptop (which is not often, I’m more of a touch pad user personally.)

I saw something so odd this week that I just had to stop and think about what I was seeing. A cell phone case that looks like Crocs shoes. You know Crocs, those rubber shoes with the holes in the top that everyone is going ga-ga over, but that look really weird on everyone’s feet. Yes, those Crocs.

You can even put the little clip on rubber charms on them. I’m not really sure what the purpose of these unusual looking cases is, except to show off your obsession with the odd looking little shoes. It doesn’t really secure your phone, so it could still fall out and crash onto the pavement. I’ve also seen a few pictures of them being used to hold the larger style iPods, and I wonder the same thing. I know if I’m using a case I want it to be protective of my gadgets, and hopefully look good while doing so.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that I love the MP3 player accessories. But, earphones and headphones aren’t just for music listening. I carry a set with my laptop for those instances where I need sound while I’m working. I don’t want to disturb everyone in the bookstore when I open a sound filled file. Earphones are great for Gameboys, DS Lites, and PSPs too.

I personally prefer the over the ear kind myself, but if you’re going with an earbud why not do it in style? These little beauties from Altec Lansing look great in your ears and sitting on your desk. Adorned with a Swarovski jeweled butterfly on each ear piece these rank pretty high on the cute-o-meter. And coming from AL I’m sure the sound quality is just as good as they are pretty.

This cute fuzzy pillow will work for anything that has a headphone jack on it. You can hook up your iPod, MP3 player, CD player, even your portable radio or portable television if you wanted.

These audio pillows are great for lounging around in the evening. You don’t always want to have headphones or ear buds on while you’re at home, but you also don’t want to disturb the whole house with what you’re playing either. A fun little pillow solves that problem, and it looks pretty cute sitting on the futon or your bed too.

Buying gifts for Father’s Day can be tough, and if you’re like me and forgot until just now then you might be wondering what to look for when you go rushing about shopping like a mad woman.

I came across these Nascar Laptop skins and thought they were just perfect for my husband for Dad’s big day! You can tell by my choice that hub’s is a Kurt Busch fan, and the little men in the household follow suit so everyone agreed that this would be a great gift for dad this year. Whew, crisis averted.

There are other drivers and cool Nascar gadget gear to be had too. The sport has really come along in the past few years and the marketing department has their thinking caps on for sure.

Whatever you get dad this year, have a great Father’s Day weekend.

Having a laptop can be great for both personal use and work use. I know I get more done from my laptop than I ever did from my desktop. The ability to just pick it up and go wherever I need to be has been fantastic.

If I want to try a new recipe I found online, I can put the laptop on the kitchen counter. The kids want to go to the park? No problem, I can take my laptop with me and still get my work done for the day. It truly has given me the ability to work from wherever I want as long as there is an internet connection I’m all set.

One of the quirks of being a laptop owner is that if you are using it a lot, like I do, then it tends to get a little toasty. My husband jokes in the winter that I have my own personal heater in the evenings when I’m working because the laptop can get quite warm. The last thing you want to do is have an overheated laptop. Using a chill mat can prevent costly damage to your laptop and keep it running smoothly for you.

LCD screens are taking over our technology space. Think about where you have them for a moment. Your desktop computer. Your laptop computer. How about your television? Maybe your PDA? How about that shiny new Blackberry?

It’s important to clean your LCD screens properly, otherwise you could damage them. If you apply too much pressure or use just any old rag to clean your screen you’re going to end up with a scratches and possibly broken pixels.

So do your screen a favor and pick up a screen cleaning kit. Remember never to spray anything directly onto the screen. Use a screen cleaner or specialized cloth, not tissues. And whatever you do, please put those paper towels back in the kitchen where they belong!

If you’ve got an iPod or an MP3 player of any kind chances are you’ve got a pair of those little white or black earbuds that come standard with all of them. They have become increasingly popular, and they come in all sorts of colors now to match your iPod. But, not everyone likes to stick things in their ear.

I recently had the experience of shopping for MP3 compatible headphones that go over your ear instead of in your ear. Let me say that this was not an easy task at all. We started off our trip at an electronics store my son had a gift card for, and they had one single choice for him in an over the ear style headphone. We asked the “helpful” store associate if there were any other over the ear headphones available and he pointed us toward the computer section where you can buy the big Bose sound studio style noise canceling padded headsets, and to stereo and sounds where you could buy more of the same. I explained to Mr. Helpful that we wanted small headphones for my son to use with his iPod, but that he wanted something that didn’t go in his ear. Mr. Helpful’s only response was a puzzled expression and, “Why?”

So, of course we poked around a few more shops. More of the same. I told my son if he gave me a few days I’d find him some online. I expected this to be a difficult task , but it was surprisingly easy! Lots of companies make nice, compact earphone designs that do not go inside your ear. Sony, Phillips, and many, many more.

I was actually surprised how many styles I found online that go over your ear instead of in your ear. I don’t understand why the brick and mortar stores don’t carry more of them really. So, if you’re like us and don’t like things poking in your ear I’d love to hear your earphone shopping stories too. Why do you think stores (and people) are favoring the in ear styles?

Just add your iPod to the Ego Sound Case will float on the water and play your tunes from waterproof speakers. Great for the beach or the pool this summer. Or even as a precaution if you’re toting your iPod around at an amusement park like Busch Gardens this summer. You might just want to hop on a water ride and this way your gear is protected without having to pay 3 dollars for a tiny locker to put your iPod in for 30 minutes.

Using the waterproof casing does have it’s downside. For starters, it doesn’t include a remote, so if it’s floating at a distance from you or at the side of the pool and you want to change the song or turn up the volume, you’ve got to swim on over there. Also, the integrated speakers are lacking in bass just a tad, so it might not have the quality sound you’re used to hearing from your iPod.

The past few days I haven’t been feeling well, but I work from home so I have a slight advantage in that I didn’t need to miss work. Even working from home there are a few obstacles to overcome when you’re not feeling 100 percent. The biggest of those obstacles would be getting comfortable and resting like you’re supposed to.

Fortunately there are easy solutions to fix this! One of course, your laptop with wireless internet goes anywhere. You can stay in bed in your pajamas and work while resting. Of course if you’re going to do this I highly recommend having a laptop stand or cart with adjustable height that you can keep the laptop on, otherwise it’s just hard to get truly comfortable. It’s also a good spot to put your cup of tea so that you’re not knocking it over every time you sit up. Not that I’ve done that or anything…. okay, maybe I have but only once.