Tech Gift Ideas for Mom

Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 11, and my inbox has been flooded with mom-themed pitches of all kinds. You'd be surprised at how many technology-related items could put a smile on mom's face, whether she's your own mother, your wife, sister, family member, or friend. Here are some gift ideas, and suggestions on how to make them mom-friendly:

Digital photo frames: To make a gift like this more personal (and easier) for the mom on your list, buy a memory card with the frame and load it up with photos that she'll love. This way, the frame is ready to go and show off to all of her guests. This also leaves room for gift ideas going forward: imagine giving her a new memory card loaded with recent pix at every occasion (with another gift, of course!) A 64 MB card costs peanuts these days, and you can fill that up with tons of images to be displayed electronically through a digital frame. If she has her own digital camera, she'll also appreciate being able to display her own photos quickly and easily.

Portable photo printer: If the mom on your list owns a digital camera and knows how to download photos from it, a portable photo printer would make a great idea. Imagine being able to take photos at a family event, then print out copies right on the spot to give away to guests. Kids get loot bags, so why shouldn't adults get them, too? There are plenty of these on the market from manufacturers like Epson, HP, and Sony.

Universal Remote Control: A universal remote control is a convenience that anyone can appreciate. Although dad might like this gift more than mom, it's a neat idea to help simplify her day when she wants to watch TV, movies, or just listen to music while doing chores around the house. One of my favourites is the Harmony One, but even as easy as this remote is to program, no one wants a gift that requires work. Program it for her, and have it ready to go immediately out of the box, and she'll love you for it.

Nintendo Wii: Lots of moms are looking to get fit, and a Nintendo Wii gaming console can help make this arduous task more fun. Out of the box, the unit comes with the Wii Sports game that can occupy you for hours on end. It includes activities like bowling, tennis, golf, and baseball, as well as a fitness "test" that tells you your "Wii age", giving some great motivation to improve. With the upcoming launch of the Wii Fit game, this console is an even more attractive for mom. Keep in mind, however, that if the mom on your mind has young kids, they'll likely benefit from this gift just as much as she will!

PVR/DVD Recorder: Let's face it: every mom on the planet is busy, whether she works full-time, part-time, or as a stay-at-home mom. Given this, it's often tough to catch all of her favourite shows on TV. I've had a PVR for years, and don't know how I ever lived without it! Using one of these devices, whether from a cable/satellite provider, or third-party company like TiVo, moms can record all of her shows, then catch up on them when she has the time.

Portable GPS Unit: These litte gadgets are hot, hot, hot these days, and the latest models employ neat features like traffic updates, text-to-speech that dictates actual street names, and Bluetooth so they can be paired with your phone and used as an in-car speakerphone device. They're also pretty affordable, and would be a welcome addition to anyone that drives to city streets.

Vehicle Security/Remote Starter: Moms can always use extra security for the car, and a remote starter is always appreciated, especially during the cold winter months. Viper has a limited edition model that comes in pink: yes, to appeal to women, but also because proceeds from the sale of each one will go toward breast cancer research. Any mom will appreciate a useful device, especially if she knows that part of what you paid for it will go toward a worthwhile cause.

Movies that Mom Will Like: Plenty of mom-friendly movies have just been released on DVD, including 27 Dresses and P.S. I Love You. If mom likes movies, scan the new releases for ones she might like.

If you have your own ideas, please leave them in the comments section here. I'm sure there are plenty of shoppers out there looking for the perfect gift for mom, and will appreciate the suggestions!

Polaroid Says Goodbye to Instant Camera, Hello to Pocket Prints

Polaroid says that it will stop making instant cameras, and many are calling the move "the end of an era".

The industry has very obviously "gone digital", and the infamous instant cams are officially now nostalgia pieces. If you've got one, keep hold of it: you can bet that it'll be considered a collector's item soon enough.

Looking back, there was, and always will be, something neat about having an image emerge out of your camera immediately, shaking it for a minute or so, and seeing the results occur right before your eyes. In some ways, this capability really hasn't been duplicated in modern times.

Think about it: we can now do amazing things like take countless images, erase them on the fly, and make fixes in the camera so that the digital photos are 100% perfect. But the images still remain in the camera until we hook the device up to a PC or portable device and download them; or order prints through a retail service provider. There is no immediate solution to get a physical print the way you could with Polaroid's instant cameras; short of using one of those nifty new portable printers.

Of course the instant cameras of yester-year weren't nearly as lightweight and compact as the digicams we have today. Sure, you were able to see a physical copy of your image right away, but you had to lug around this big contraption to get it. Will we ever see a pocketable digicam that can run out a photo like a Polaroid instant cam could do?

Actually, it's quite possible. Polaroid has come up with the "next best thing" with a pocket-sized printer that can connect to any PictBridge-enabled digicam via USB or to a compatible camera phone via Bluetooth and spit out a 2 x 3" print on sticky-back paper in about a minute. The neat part about it is that no ink is required: the printer uses patented Zink-based paper that has yellow, magenta and cyan dye crystals embedded into it.

Kudos to Polaroid for moving forward with technology, while still attempting to maintain the same convenience that was afforded by the product for which the company was best known. It might not elicit the same feeling one received when watching a photo magically appear before his eyes; but if you ask me, a printer the size of a deck of cards is pretty darned cool.