Bidding for Good

At some point we’ve all been to a charity fundraiser with the obligatory silent auction.  Two problems with this: 1) there may not be anything you like and 2) the merchandise is being presented to too small a group.  Bidding for Good aims to solve both those problems.  Think of it as eBay, but for charities.  There are a couple of ways to use the site: You can search for the kinds of causes you’re interested in and see what items are being auctioned off for that cause, or you can search for the item and if you’re into the cause, well, great…you get what you want and support a great cause as a bonus!  The site has just about everything from vacation packages to one-of-a-kind signed memorabilia.  Not only are you buying a great gift, but, since all the items up for auction were donated, the proceeds go to the non-profit or school running the sale.  It’s the gift that gives twice.  So even if the person you’re shopping for doesn’t like what you bought them…hey, you made someone out there happy.

Price: Varied

Where to get it: BiddingForGood.com

Flip Video MinoHD

Okay, I know for many of you the Flip video camera is old news.  And I have to be honest that I’m such a video quality freak I wouldn’t want to use such a low-end camera despite the physical size and ease of use. The Flip Video MinoHD has changed my mind.  Made by the same people that made the stump-dumb easy-to-use Flip, the MinoHD is just as easy, just as portable, but it takes an hour’s worth of movies in HD resolution—a whopping 1280 x 720—roughly double the size of the original Flip.  Just push the big red button to record and again to stop.  Not much else to it.  But my favorite feature—video files now (finally) work in Apple’s iMovie ‘08.

Price: $229.99

Where to get it: TheFlip.com

MicroFly Tiny R/C Hovering UFO

Looking back on my pervious gift guides, I don’t know why I keep putting remote-controlled flying things on them.  This one is pretty much my favorite thus far and is for sure the smallest one yet.  This little guy is no bigger in diameter than a silver dollar, has one propeller, and flashes a little blue LED light on top while in flight. Simple remote controls allow only up and down motion.  As an added bonus you can control more than one of these things, so with a single remote you can control a whole fleet of these little buzzing monsters.  A 10-minute charge gives the pilot 5-7 minutes of flying time—more than enough to annoy family members and pets.

Price: $20

Where to get it: ThinkGeek.com

The Sanctuary

You know some of my clients, bless them, really do try to keep a clean workspace. But admittedly it’s hard.  They’ve got their iPod, their Blackberry, their iPhone, their Bluetooth headset, and so on, and despite their best efforts it can seem like a losing battle trying to keep track of which charger goes with which device.  And guess who they call to help them untangle the corded catastrophe?  Now the wild mess can be tamed without my help.  The Sanctuary is a simple 9” x 9” 1.85” box that contains 12 connectors compatible with over 1500 devices—and all of this enclosed in an attractive wood, white, or black box with a rubberized surface.  Come home, drop your keys in it, plug in all your doodads, and relax—no more cords, no more “what does this go with with?!”

Price: $129.95

Where to get it: Blue Lounge

DLO Portable Speakers

I suppose it wouldn’t be a gift guide without MP3 speakers.  I keep putting these things on here because I get asked about them all the time.  This time around it’s a set of travel speakers compatible with all iPods and MP3 players, but the device really shines when used with an iPhone.  The removable, rotating stand holds the iPhone upright or horizontally (to watch movies), and if a call comes in your iPhone is simply turned into a speakerphone—no need to unplug it.  Answer the call, hang up when done and you’re right back to your movie or music.  Each speaker snaps neatly into the base creating a round compact “ball” perfect for traveling or storage.  The speakers are powered by either the included AC adapter or standard AAA batteries.  Simple.

Price: $49.99

Where to get it: DLO

Me & Goji

I suppose it is tradition to send food for the holidays—but why be traditional about the food?  Me & Goji is custom artisanal cereal which is, according to their site, designed by you, handmade by them.  Custom design your cereal with over 30 all-natural and organic ingredients. The company, based in New England, hand mixes your selection and ships it in an attractive cereal capsule with the correct nutritional facts.  The process couldn’t be simpler.  First choose your cereal base—things like granola and samurai wheat.  Enhance your base with choco-cranberry or perhaps shredded wheat.  Finally, add fruits, nuts and seeds.  That’s it!  You’d be hard pressed to skip the most important meal of the day now.

Price: Varies

Where to get it: Me & Goji

Pulp Bulletin Board

Of course it’s great to recycle and use recycled products whenever you can.  Over the past few years designers have come up with some pretty clever ideas for reusing the old.  One of my favorites of late is the Pulp Bulletin Board which is made from extremely densely packed magazines—so dense, in fact, that you can still use a pushpin to affix papers and whatnot.  Or skip the pushpins and wedge in business cards, postcards, and other materials.  The 12” x 12” board with its flat paper-on-end composition is functional, attractive, and green.

Price: $20

Where to get it: Uma

miShare

This one I sort of had to see to believe.  Clients ask me a lot if there’s some way to copy music directly from one iPod to another—without iTunes.  I always sort of assumed for technical reasons that it just wasn’t possible.  Well with the miShare it is.  Use the device to “dock” two iPods end to end.  Navigate to the content you want to copy on the source iPod and press the miShare’s only button.  Music, playlists, videos, or photos can be copied and then re-synced to iTunes.  Now don’t get too excited—although items purchased on the iTunes Store will copy you will still need the user name and password for the user that purchased the content to play it.  They’re not breaking any laws here.  One other note: the miShare isn’t yet compatible with the iPhone and the iPod Touch, but they’re working on it!

Price: $99.95

Where to get it: miShare

Dissolving Paper Shampoo

Sort of sounds like a magic trick doesn’t it?  Well it’s just a very smart solution for traveling with shampoo. Dissolving Paper Shampoo frees you from carrying bottles, worrying about leaks at 30,000 feet, and delivers you from the floral scented potpourri that awaits in your hotel room shower.  Included are 30 mint-scented dissolving soap flakes that foam up in both fresh and salt water packed in a convenient plastic container.  Measuring at only 2” x 3” and weighing close to nothing it’s a no-brainer to pack for a trip—and no gooey, soapy dop kit surprise when you make it to the other side.

Price: $6

Where to get it: The Spoon Sisters

Somersets Shaving Oil

Okay, it’s true.  I’m not afraid to say it.  I’m a bit on the hairy side and as such, shaving is a necessity.  If I don’t do it every day, well…”Cha-cha-cha Chia!”  Until about a year ago shaving was an ordeal, and if I could I’d usually skip a day just to make it easier on my face.  It was my sister that saved me by introducing me to Somersets shaving oil.  Quite simply this has been a revelation.  Just three drops of this oil rubbed on my face and I’m good to go for a shave—no shaving cream or gel required.  I get the closest shave, no irritation, and my skin is left soft and moisturized.  This tiny bottle (about 2” high) contains over 90 shaves.  My shaving cream used to be the largest toiletry I traveled with, and now it’s the smallest.  I’m addicted.  But be warned—shaving with Somersets takes a little getting used to.  It’s sort of odd not having the comfort of foamy shaving cream on your face.  Once you get over that you’ll never go back.  They even make shaving oil for women!

Price: £3.50 - £10 ($5.19 - $14.82)

Where to get it: Somersets

Power Slider for iPhone 3G

If you know me you know I love my iPhone 3G.  Since I’m never really at my office during the day, it’s my office on the road.  I would be the first to admit, though, that the iPhone 3G’s battery life could be a bit beefier at times, and of course you also want to protect it.  The Power Slider from Incase does both—more than doubling the life of the iPhone 3G and protecting it in a hardshell soft-touch case.  Get up to 330 hours of standby, 26 hours of music, or 5 hours of talk time.  A little battery indicator on the back of the case shows you how much charge you have left. Granted, the Power Slider is going to make your phone just under an inch thick, but for the iPhone 3G road warriors out there, it’s well worth it.

Price: $99.95

Where to get it: inCase

AppleTV

Last year I mentioned the vudu system which allows you to rent movies online from TV.  But the AppleTV takes the concept a few steps further, moving all that great media content from your computer into the living room.  I admittedly wasn’t that impressed with AppleTV when it was first introduced, but over the past year Apple has made some fantastic changes.  You can do the standard things like browse the entire iTunes media store from your TV, buy songs, rent movies, and so on.  But the kicker is that anything you buy on your computer and anything you buy on your AppleTV sync back and forth.  No need to crank up the computer speakers or plug your iPod in to your mini speakers—just hook the AppleTV up to your TV/media system and have access to everything from the comfort of your couch.  AppleTV even syncs your photo library, gives you access to YouTube, and the piece de resistance—an iPhone or iPod Touch can be used as a mini touch screen remote.  There’s no need to turn on your TV to control the system.  Be in the kitchen and browse and control your entire music library, pick your song, and your choice plays instantly on your home speakers.  Love it!

Price: $229

Where to get it: Apple

13 Pop-Up Books by Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda

You’ve seen pop-books, sure.  But you’ve never seen them like this.  Artists Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda are the geniuses behind a series of gorgeous pop-up books.  Topics range from encyclopedias of dinosaurs and sea creatures to bold 3D dimensional retellings of classic stories like Narnia, Cinderella, and Star Wars. Beautifully designed illustrations literally pop off the page.  Many pages have compartments and mini folds that contain even more pop-up surprises.  With such stunning visuals and movement the only thing missing are the sound effects, but the kids will take care of that.

Price: Varies

Where to get it: Amazon

LifeSaver Bottle

I’m not a survivalist, but I think there’s some pretty cool technology that comes from the field.  The LifeSaver Bottle is the first all-in-one ultra-filtration water bottle. Just fill it up and the bottle’s filtration system removes over 99.99% of bacteria, virus, cysts, parasites, and fungi.  But another breakthrough is that the bottle includes the company’s FAILSAFE technology which automatically shuts off the bottle’s cartridge once it expires—no need to worry about whether you should have changed the filter before you left for that exotic romp through the Amazon.  One other bonus—no nasty chemical taste either.

Price: $229 - $299

Where to get it: LifeSaver Systems

The Douche Card

Okay, this isn’t for everyone, and I know this doesn’t fit into the whole holiday spirit thing, and I also know it’s odd to have this on the same list as pop-up books for kids, but I’d be remiss to not mention The Douche Card.  Keep a couple of Douche Cards in your wallet or pocket and the next time someone takes your parking space, parks too close, cuts in front of you in line, or exhibits any other sort of generally jerky behavior, hand him/her one of these cards.  Now you can be on your merry way knowing without a doubt that they got the message.

Price: $5 for 25 cards

Where to get it: Orange 32

Peek Email Device

As much as I love the iPhone I know it’s not for everybody.  Sometimes all people really need is email—quick and dirty.  That’s all the Peek does: email.  Gone are phone features, complicated menus, set up options, syncing difficulties, and the potpourri of buttons and icons that you could go 3 years without ever identifying..  All the Peek does is allow you to check your email on the go.  Turn it on, and it asks you for your name, your email address, and your password.  That’s it.  The Peek works on the T-Mobile network so it not only works just about everywhere in the US but also in many places overseas.

Price: $80 with a $20/month T-Mobile account

Where to get it: Get Peek

Polar FT80

This is probably the most advanced heart-rate monitor on the market.  The secret to the body you’ve always wanted isn’t just knowing how hard to push yourself, but also knowing when to rest.  The Polar FT80 tells you when to go for the gusto and when to chill out—and for how long.  It actually tracks your recovery time so you get the maximum benefit from your workout with the least amount of sweat.  The onscreen graphic feedback makes it easy to follow your progress and follow its directions.  When you’re done you can even transfer your data to polartraining.com for cataloguing your progress over the long term.  And finally someone’s made a heart monitor that looks good both in and out of the gym.

Price: $329.95

Where to get it: Amazon

You Bar

Okay, so maybe cereal isn’t your thing.  How about a fully customized snack bar from You Bar?  The process for creating your own customized snack bar is very similar to making your own cereal—but it’s actually even more customizable.  You get 13 bars in a box and sizes of bars come in small, medium, and large.  Once you’ve made your bar you can run the on-site Taste Tester and get  a description of the texture and taste of your bar based on your selected ingredient combinations.  Bars take about four days to make and you’ll receive them in about a week.  They also have a “delicious guarantee.”  Don’t like what you’ve put together?  Don’t sweat it!  They’ll make you a newly designed set of bars free of charge.  Oh, and you can make custom protein shakes too.

Price: Varies

Where to get it: You Bar

Lighthouse Oil Lamps

I see a lot of home and decorative products as I slowly compile my gift guide over the course of the year.  These Lighthouse Oil Lamps are definitely my favorite and they are nothing short of breathtaking.  Designed by Scandinavian designer Christian Bjorn and winner of the 2008 Red Dot Design Award, these oil lamps are a modern and miniaturized interpretation of old-time lighthouses that still dot the coasts of small beach towns and villages around the world.  The designer claims that, “this oil lamp doesn’t burn with a just a little flame, it burns like a fantastic bonfire!”  It’s patented oil burner even keeps the fire ablaze in high winds. The Lighthouse Oil Lamp is available in four sizes ranging from 9.66 inches to 26.57 inches tall.

Price: $74 - $125

Where to get it: A Plus R

Sun Jar

I’ll conclude this year’s gift guide with a little bit of summertime magic.  The Sun Jar literally stores the sun.  Place the jar in a sunlit area during the day and at night enjoy the warm, soft flickering glow through the jar’s sandblasted glass—made possible by some LED’s, a solar panel, and great design.  The Sun Jar is completely waterproof so it works just as well indoors on a windowsill, out on the deck, or on a beach blanket under the stars.  At only 4” x 4” x 6” you could even put a couple on the table for a late summer evening dinner…sigh…

Price: $44

Where to get it: Charles and Marie