Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Atmel - the trend is about to change -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tech101 who wrote (13392)	5/4/2004 10:12:01 AM
From: tech101	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13565

Mom Tech By Dawn C. Chmielewski Mercury News Mother's Day brings out the inner Martha Stewart in all of us. We're referring to Martha, the goddess of domesticity and hand-rolled beeswax candles, not bound-for-the-big-house Martha. As we contemplate gifts for mom, we reach deep inside ourselves for some gift that symbolizes the traditional notion of mom as nurturer and homemaker. We think: Potholders! I'll get mom some potholders! Not. I'm guessing that more than a few women -- myself included -- would be happier to get cool gear. Consider this: Women spent about $55 billion last year on consumer electronics products and influence 75 percent of all technology purchases, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. Those trends are evident at Shopping.com, an online comparison-shopping site where half of the 20 million monthly visitors are women. Flat-panel televisions, digital camcorders, digital cameras, MP3 portable music players and mobile phones are among the most sought-after products, alongside Dooney & Bourke purses, Breitling watches and the Cuisinart DCC-1200 coffee maker. Certainly, some mothers would welcome bath crystals, Mother's Day bouquets or jewelry. Some might even consider it an indulgence (not an implicit criticism) to receive a gift certificate to Dr. Bruce Hartley's cosmetic dentistry and day spa in Los Altos, which, according to its Mother's Day pitch to us, offers an unmatched foot-and-mouth combo of teeth whitening and paraffin wax treatments. Some online retailers happily feed the old stereotypes. Among Amazon.com's helpful recommendations: a set of Calphalon pots and pans. Here's our helpful suggestion: Anyone who buys cookware for mom should be prepared to run for cover, lest the frying pan be wielded as an assault weapon. A former graduate student at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts interviewed 53 couples to learn how they celebrated Mother's Day and Father's Day. Nicole Gilbert found that while dads got cool stuff related to their work or hobbies (think golf clubs or fishing rods), mom got more stereotypically feminine gifts (cooking utensils, flowers and home decorating books). Small wonder that women were more likely than men to express disappointment with their special day. A 13-piece cutlery set. Gee, thanks. There are signs the tide is turning. ``The big trend here is women are buying more consumer electronics than anyone else,'' said Nirav Tolia, Shopping.com's chief operating officer. ``As a result, they're adding much more style and consumer friendliness to consumer electronics items.'' Among MP3 players, Apple Computer's iPod mini reigns supreme. The player is smaller than many cellular phones (it weighs an anorexic 3.6 ounces), its 4 gigabyte hard disk holds 1,000 songs, comes in five colors and works on Macs and Windows PCs. It retails for $249. But like so many coveted objects, you'll have to get in line and wait six weeks for delivery. Athletic moms might prefer the Nike PSA 256, a palm-size MP3 player that uses flash memory that won't skip when you're on the elliptical machine or running. The round player ships with an armband and a waist pouch that fits in the center of the back; the belt has rubberized, sweat-resistant controls. You'll get over-the-ear headphones with rear-exit wires that go down the back, out of the way. Its 256 megabytes of memory will hold four hours of music. Snap-happy moms might prefer Panasonic's compact D-snap Digital Video Camera. This five-in-one device is a 2-megapixel digital camera (good enough for a 4x6 photo) and digital video in compressed MPEG4 format. It's an MP3 player and voice recorder. And, when docked in its charger, it can be connected to the television to record favorite programs for later viewing. The best part: You can take this checkbook-size camera anywhere. It's slender enough to fit easily in a purse or beach bag. It retails for $400. Philips Electronics will introduce an even more compact key-ring camcorder and camera in mid-May. The lipstick-size KEY019 takes 2-megapixel photographs, records up to 24 minutes of MPEG4 video, plays MP3 music files and stores data. It connects to a computer via a USB plug, allowing easy transfer of data files. It will retail for $249. Digital picture frames are a natural extension of the digital-photography craze. But in the past, they've been an expensive investment, costing $500 or more, occasionally requiring an Internet connection for online delivery of digital images. It's simply too much hassle to be practical. Radio Shack markets a much more sensible alternative. The Digital Photo Viewer costs less -- $130 -- and requires less technological intervention. Plug the camera's memory card directly into the picture frame and it automatically displays a slide show that changes every 10 seconds to 5 minutes. If you want, it will also connect to the television for more convenient viewing. Cellular phones are certainly popular. But we're reluctant to recommend any phone, because the purchase requires evaluating service plans, among other variables. But one accessory caught our attention: a product called FastForward from Cingular Wireless and Motorola. It's a cradle that plugs into an electrical outlet. Whenever the cellular phone is charging in the cradle, FastForward automatically sends all calls to any telephone number you select. These incoming calls are forwarded to a land line without using up minutes on the wireless plan. Cingular subscribers pay $40 for the device, plus a monthly service charge of $3. mercurynews.com