Vicky of http://www.askthemama.com talks about the Flip Ultra video camera, a great video camera for moms to have at hand to capture magical moments.

The popular Flip Video from Pure Digital Technologies now has a competitor in the Vado Pocket Video Cam from Creative. I filmed the same footage simultaneously from the Flip and Vado.

More details at http://blog.affiliatetip.com/archives/flip-video-vs-vado-pocket-video-cam/.

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.

The SIRIUS Stiletto SL100 lets you listen to live SIRIUS’s 100% commercial-free music programming on the go.

You can also store up to 10 hours of live SIRIUS Satellite Radio programming, or listen to SIRIUS Internet Radio over an accessible WiFi network.

And to top it all off you can play your MP3’s or WMA files by uploading them from your PC.

It’s small enough to go anywhere and has the six –way media dial that you’re probably already familiar with. The display is a little over 2” big which makes things easy to read.

And the Stiletto also offers the same cool things that other SIRIUS Satellite Radio players to like the “replay” which allows you to pause, rewind and replay 40 plus minutes of live radio, Game Alerts which prompts you when your favorite games are being broadcast and alerts you when the scores change.

The package comes with two batteries (a slim one and extended life), earbuds, an antenna headphone for expanded signal reception, pc cable, AC adapter and software that enables you to add your music files.

I love this so much – I take it to the gym, on my runs and listen to it at my desk. There are also home and car kits available, which I’m hoping to get for my birthday — hint, hint!

I hope you’ll check it out!

Sirius SL100PK1 Sirius Stiletto SL100

It’s really easy to use. It comes with a suction cup that you can put on any car. What’s great about it is that you can take it right off and put it into another car, like your spouse’s car, so you can share it.

It’s pretty much plug and play. You simply insert the electrical cord into your cigarette lighter and you can program any address into it by entering it onto the screen.

Right now, I’m headed off to the post office to ship off the last of my holiday gifts to my friend and family. You can take a look at the video to view the Garmin screen and listen to the voice prompts to see how easy this is to use.

So if you have someone on your list that’s looking for an affordable and easy-to-use GPS system, I highly recommend the Garmin StreetPilot C530.

So last night I was shopping online trying to find something that I could send, that she would ilke, that would get there overnight. I spent hours trying to find some sort of hard good that she would like that would get there in time, to no avail.

Then I came across the Amazon e-Giftcard, which is a total lifesaver. You just simply click on the Gift Card link from the Amazon home page, choose the amount you want to send, fill out the recipient information and your credit card information and their gift card is sent via email right away. And let’s face it, what can you not buy on Amazon these days?

So, my sister received her Amazon e-Gift Card today and she didn’t know any better that I forgot her birthday, until she sees this video. (Sorry about that Jen!)

So, if you’re stuck in a pinch and you need to get a gift to someone right away, I highly recommend the Amazon e-GiftCard.

The Ion Audio USB Turntable is something I’ve been eyeballing every time I fly and flip through the SkyMall magazine.

I am of the age (37) where I was buying records until I was 16 or 17 in the late 80’s. I’ve got some music I just love that I don’t listen to anymore, because it’s only on vinyl.

So anyway, I finally went out and got the Ion Audio USB Turntable at the Sharper Image and this thing is a treasure.

I have crates and crates of albums in my basement that I love, but they’re just gathering dust, and maybe even getting warped.

Now, not only can I play them – the Ion Audio USB Turntable comes with wires to connect to both my computer and/or stereo – but I can also digitize the music to play on my iPod.

The belt-drive turntable comes with Audacity software that enables recording the cuts on a record as they play at 33 1/3 and 45 rpm. Then they can be exported as .mp3 or .wav files.

Playing records for the first time in a while reminds me of the Tim McGraw song, “Back When”…

I love my records
Black, shiny vinyl
Clicks and pops
And white noise
Man they sounded fine

I’m looking forward to hearing those “clicks and pops and white noise” when listening to these songs on my iPod.

Anyhow, I’m loving this I love my records Ion Audio USB Turntable, and I plan to transfer my entire catalog of albums to MP3’s.

If you’re in your 30’s or above and have records from back in the day, you should definitely check this out. Great gift idea, too.

The Flip Video Ultra is a small video camera – smaller than my Blackberry – but it’s got a lot of power in that small package.

There are two models of the Flip Video Ultra. The 1GB Flip Ultra enables you to shoot up to 30 minutes of video, and the 2GB Flip Ultra provides up to 60 minutes of video.

You can get the Flip Ultra in a variety of colors: black, white, pink, green, and orange.

Some key specifications and features for the Flip Ultra:

• Frame rate: 30 frames per second (constant)
• Video bitrate: 4.5Mbps (average – auto adaptive algorithm)
• Video format: Advanced Profile MPEG4 AVI
• Zoom: Smooth multi-step 2x digital
• Microphone: Built-in wide range microphone

The interface is simple to operate. It’s a matter of 8 buttons: power, play, delete, record and 4 way navigation.

Another key feature, which wasn’t available in the first generation Flip cameras is the tripod mount. You can also get an action mount as an option to mount the camera to a bike or other “action” vehicle.

The supported operating systems for the Flip Ultra are Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Mac OSX.

The Flip Ultra is a fun, little camera. It’s well priced as a gift or gadget for yourself, and it’s extremely easy to operate.

My young kids were able to use it without any directions.

The reason for the name Flip is that you click a latch and a USB connection flips out to connect to your computer.

When the Flip Ultra is connected for the first time, you are prompted to install free software to edit your videos and upload them to sites like YouTube. You can also use other editing software if you prefer.

This phone is packed with features, including storage of 25 minutes of messages, expandability for as many as 7 more cordless handsets, 2-line system for 3-way conferencing, 5.8GHz frequency hopping DSS for added clarity, and a caller ID/call waiting compatible system for screening calls.

The Ativa D5772 also enables you to redial the last 5 numbers dialed, the handset base and main phone both have speaker phones, and there is a 50-number phone book.

The sound is top notch, which is important to me, because I record lots of podcasts, interviews, etc. over the telephone.

When I don’t want to be tethered to the area around my phone, I switch over to use the Ativa D5702 5.8GHz Cordless Handset (sold separately).

One of the things I like a lot about the cordless handset is that the base for it does not have to be connected to the hard phone line. So you can put it anywhere in the room. It only requires electricity.

This setup is ideal for me, since I get the greater quality on the corded line, when I need it, and the mobility of the cordless when I want to wander around during a call.