When I got my first laptop as my every day working machine years and years ago, I found that I could not stand using the keyboard on it all day.

I also found that my neck hurt when I was hunched over to look down at the screen. And trying to use the keypad mouse? Forget it, too hard.

All that changed when I finally found the Oyster Laptop Docking Station.

The Oyster Laptop Docking Station allows me to insert my laptop in an open position, making the screen go upright, so it’s just like having a monitor on my desk. I attach an external keyboard and mouse to my laptop when in use and it’s just like having a desktop machine, except at the end of the day I can easily disconnect everything and take it home with me.

The sturdy “shell” design supports my big Dell 17 inch laptop easily, with room to spare. There’s also plenty of space in the back for assorted cables and power supplies. It’s also very lightweight, so you can move it around easy enough, but it’s also perfectly balanced so it won’t fall over.

This product changed the way I work every day and I could not recommend it more. I have two of them. One at home and one at the office.

I keep hearing from people that travel a lot how the MacBook Air or Asus Eee, but nobody seems to be talking about the Dell Vostro.

Well, I just picked up a Dell Vostro 1400 and I totally love it. Some of the specs…

• 14.1″ Widescreen WXGA+ (1440×900) display
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.2GHz,4MB Cache,800MHz FSB)
• Integrated 2.0 mega pixel Webcam
• No trialware (anybody that has gotten a Dell knows how annoying that pre-installed junk is)
• Built in Mobile Broadband (HSDPA 3.6)

The mobile broadband was the most important feature to me. They gave the option of choosing AT&T, Sprint or Verizon as the provider, and I went with AT&T, since I already have them for my cell phone, and I was able to add it to the same bill.

The service for me on AT&T comes to $60/month, which may sound a little steep, but factor in what your time is worth – you become more productive with this access.

Not to mention that you no longer need to pay as you go in airports and hotels.

The other day, I used it for the first time when I took the commuter train to SES NYC, which was about 70 minutes each way. I had consistent, fast access the whole time, except when I was in a tunnel going under the Hudson River.

I wish I had this when I used to commute daily. It’s also a great resource for when I’m stuck someplace, like waiting for kids at soccer practice, getting the car serviced, etc.

When I travel, I tap into my office desktop via GoToMyPC, so this enabled me to access all of my files at any time. It would have been great to have this last month when I spent three hours on the tarmac waiting for a flight to take off.

Anyhow, the MacBook Air and ASUS Eee are pretty and small, but this is the machine for me.

It’s pretty light (a little more than five pounds) and has all of the stuff I want and need, like the mobile broadband, Webcam, slot for SD cards, lots of USB ports, etc.

When I work at my computer at home or in the office, I like to listen to music without waking the kids or annoying my co-workers.

I also like to have conversations with colleagues and family over my computer. So I needed a new headset that could accomplish both goals.

I found it in the Sennheiser PC 166 USB Stereo Multimedia Gaming Headset.

Many great features stand out compared to other headsets I’ve used before.

First, I’m impressed with the quality of sound it gives me in both the headphones while listening to my mp3’s and in the microphone when talking with someone or recording a podcast online.

The headset is lightweight and comfortable on my head. The design is sleek and sturdy and I don’t feel like I’m going to break it or it’s going to fall apart.

I especially love that I can move the mic to an upright position when I’m not using it so it doesn’t get in my way.

This headset also comes with both a usb and regular port fittings, depending on your needs. Big bonus, the cable is very long so I can move around my area without feeling like it’s going to tug off my head.

Overall, I love this headset for the price.

I love shopping on Amazon.com. I do the majority of my online shopping there for books, shoes, magazines, and music – pretty much everything.

If you also shop a lot at Amazon, you should check out Amazon Prime. It’s a membership club on Amazon that enables you to get free or discounted shipping on your orders.

The price is $79.99 per year, but you can sample it for a month for free.

Features of Amazon Prime include…

• FREE Two-Day Shipping on over a million in-stock items
• $3.99 Overnight Shipping
• No Minimum Order
• Share Your Benefits

Here is an example where I used Amazon Prime and it paid for itself. I sent out books to dozens of colleagues as a Christmas gift last year.

Each book was $10 or $15 each, so it wouldn’t qualify for the Amazon Super Saver shipping deal. But since I had Amazon Prime, I got free two-day shipping for each order.

If you even shop a moderate amount on Amazon, you should try the Amazon Prime trial.

More details at http://www.weviews.tv/prime.

Surely, anybody with an iPod is familiar with iTunes as a place to upload your CD’s, purchase audio books, TV shows, movies, music, etc.

But you can use iTunes even if you don’t have an iPod. The software enables you to listen to audio and watch video on your computer.

iTunes has a huge selection of music, movies, TV shows, etc., but they also have lots of podcasts, which are free to download and listen.

I frequently use my video iPod to catch up on my favorite TV shows when getting some exercise at the gym. I do the same when flying – picking up shows and movies I’ve wanted to watch.

This definitely beats being at the mercy of the airline to entertain you with their latest in-flight movies.

So, if you’re not currently using iTunes, download it now.

I’ve been playing around with Babylon a lot for both personal and business reasons.

We’re teaching our kids Spanish, and we use Babylon to create flashcards and other various learning materials.

The way Babylon works is that you highlight a word or phrase, right click to activate Babylon, and then perform the translation.

In my case, I’m doing it in Spanish, but you can also do it in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Hebrew, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Dutch, Russian, Korean and Swedish.

The Babylon translation and dictionary software is simple to use, which makes the whole learning experience more pleasant for me.

When it comes to business, I deal with markets all over the world, and I frequently use Google AdWords to place advertisements.

Since I am advertising in different regions and countries, I want to be able to reach folks in their native tongue.

Babylon has made it easy for me to translate these marketing messages from English to Spanish, French, Italian, etc.

Additionally, I like to monitor feedback on my products and services, and often I come across comments in languages other than English.

So I just highlight passages in the reviews and bring them into Babylon to translate them. Knowing what people are saying certainly aids my business, as it helps me to improve, and Babylon plays a key role.

The software is really easy to use and installs in seconds. If you have a need to translate languages, you should have a look at Babylon.

One True Media is a really good solution for people who want to create videos on the Internet, but don’t know how to do it.

I just tried it out to see how easy is was to create a video, because I’ve been getting hit up by friends and family to create videos for them using my more advanced video editing programs.

One True Media enables users to upload their pictures and videos, then choose a style, add effects, captions and music.

It couldn’t be easier. Then, the video is ready to share online at sites like YouTube, or to a DVD or TiVo.

One True Media is a really cool system for anybody interested in playing around with video and getting professional looking results in a matter of minutes.

Despite the small size and weight, this external hard drive can pack in 160 GB of files.

While I have bigger external hard drives for my desktop computers, this one is excellant for the traveler with the compact size and large amount of space.

When I travel, I export all of my important files to this device, in the event something were to happen to my office. Plus, it’s got plenty of space for anybody that needs to tote around PowerPoint and other big files.

Also, there is no additional power source required. The Seagate FreeAgent Go 160 GB USB External Hard Drive gets juice when plugged into a USB port.

This also makes it really easy to save files from one computer and upload them to another one.

I carry mine everywhere as a backup of my materials and it makes for a great storage device when traveling.

The Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 v2 is a package deal of a wireless mouse and keyboard.

Lots of bells and whistles with this setup, including a “Zoom Slider” that gives you one-touch access to the photo tools you use most , “My Favorites” keys for shortcuts to photos, folders, files and sites, and enhanced function keys to perform common commands from your keyboard.

The biggest perk to me is the lack of wires for the mouse and keyboard. As it is, I’ve got way to many wires crossed over and tangled into each other.

It’s a great liberation to have the mouse untethered from the computer, because it was often getting caught up with other wires – same with the keyboard.

The way it works is that both the wireless keyboard and mouse transmit to a little device that plugs into a USB port.

If you have a cluttered desk, you should definitely check out the Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 v2.

If you’re like me, it seems like I keep on buying more and more items that require their USB cord to be plugged into my PC. Although I have 8 ports on my Dell in which to plug in, most of them are in the back of my desktop and I have cords popping out everywhere getting all tangled up. I just hate that.

Well the Targus Ultra Mini USB 4-Port Hub has definitely helped me achieve the less cluttered feeling that makes me a very happy lady. This hub works on PC or Apple laptops or desktops. It is super small (less than 4” in height and a slight bit wider than 1-1/2”) and light (about 3oz), which makes it really easy to take with you anywhere that you travel.

It comes with a 3’ cable that plugs right into any of your USB ports and will allow you to connect up to 4 USB devices, like digital cameras, mp3 players, iphones, external storage devices a computer mouse, etc.

Its easy to install. There are no drivers to load up – it a simple plug and play. It also features overcurrent protection on each port which prevents power shutdown of the hub.

All of the ports glow blue when they’re in use which makes it easy to tell if they’re working properly.

If you’re looking for a compact way to have more additional USB ports for your devices, the Targus Ultra Mini does the job well.

And, at under $25.00, it makes a great gift.