We're back from CES and at this point we've spent almost 2 weeks with the Vivienne Tam edition we recently reviewed. First of all, it was a pleasure carrying around the VT on the show floor. Because it's so small and lightweight, we didn't feel like we were schlepping a laptop at all. It also served as an excellent blogging machine. The built-in SD card reader also proved very convenient since it allowed us to pull off images from our digital camera easily. It's also been interesting taking in different reactions by men versus women about the VT. Women tend to think it's gorgeous and it seems that the ...

Looking for a durable, no frills bag to carry your laptop?  Then BBP bags are for you.  BBP bags are lightweight, comfortable and good for men and women alike. Hybrid Hauler The Hybrid Hauler is a convenient backpack turned messenger that holds even the thickest 15.4" computer and all of your personal belongings in its vast amount of pockets.  Utilizing the Bak2Pak carrying system, it's got a convenient design that lets the bag operate as a backpack one moment and then a single strap messenger bag the next. There are 5 ways to carry this bag: on both shoulders as a backpack, on one shoulder as a backpack, single strap on outside shoulder, standard messenger bag style, and then just a handle to grab it quickly with. I liked the added touch of the sternum and waist straps for extra support. Especially since the bag is a bit lower on your back than your typical backpack, it came in handy to hold it in place and for extra support. Talking about the lower back, there are also "bum" pads to help ease up any stress on it too. However since the bag does hang lowish it could start to wear on your shoulders. Although it has the convenience of being both a backpack and messenger, it takes a long time to get it adjusted comfortably when going from one to the other, if not shut properly, everything comes flying out. So its takes a bit of finagaling to get it all packed up nicely.

We've been ogling the HP Vivienne Tam Edition Series from the moment it was announced. Compact design + Truly Fashionable looks? That's just our speed. But we're not totally superficial, and when it comes to ultraportables we want them to have substance too. Now that the HP Vivienne Tam Edition has arrived on our doorstep, we've finally gotten the opportunity to see if this netbook is all it's cracked up to be. First off, here is a little background about my personal experience with the netbooks phenomena. Previously I owned a HP Mini 2133, which was one of the first netbooks on the market after the Eee PC arrived. I ...

After the highly successful release of Monster's Beats by Dr. Dre, it seemed the writing was on the wall for a pair of earbuds to be released soon. Well just as expected, Monster did just that and released in conjunction with Dr. Dre again, a pair of earphones called Beats Tour high resolution in-ear headphones. The Beats are certainly a quality product and a pair of headphones that stand head above the rest in design and rich sound for the casual music consumer or even audiophile.  The Beats Tour is aiming to do just the same in the 'earbuds' marketplace. Design: Just like the Beats by Dr. Dre, the Tours ...

Using a compact digital camera is a rarity to me these days.  I can usually be found lugging around my Nikon D90 since it has all the high-end features I need for taking professional shots. The only time I would probably even think of taking my compact camera anywhere, would be to sneak it into a concert.  The Samsung SL310W compact digital camera however does have features more commonly found on expensive digital cameras - like my Nikon D90 for instance. For a fraction of the price, these features include a 13.6 megapixel image sensor, Dual Image Stabilization, a 3.6x wide-angle optical zoom lens, Perfect Portrait System, a 2.7 Intelligent LCD, ...

Now and again you may feel the need to share a great song that is playing on your iPod or MP3 player with a friend. Do you hook your player to a computer? What to do? - What to do? Well the AERIELLE i2i Stream may come in handy then. This little device will let you beam music from one player to another so you can share your music with your friends and family. In the Box: Inside the box comes two i2i Streams, two 12" audio cables, two 28" audio cables, two USB charging cables, two neck lanyards, two belt/pocket clips, and a user guide. The i2i Stream broadcaster fits in the palm of your hand and can easily fit into your pocket. It almost resembles a car alarm remote in design. The i2i Stream consists of three main buttons that will be used to operate the device. There is a send button on the top portion of the device, a receive button on the bottom, and a channel button that is smack in the middle. The fact they included two i2i Streams is very handy and there is a point to it which I will explain later. The lanyard included is black and so is the clip because everything looks good in black!

If you want a fast paced, adrenaline pumping game that doesn't require you to be an ace shooter but one that incorporates great graphics and running and jumping to save your own skin, then Mirror's Edge is the game for you. This is a one of a kind game, which to my knowledge has never been made before. Welcome to the very first, first person running game. Don't bother to fight back, shoot, just stay in the flow and keep running and complete the mission at hand. Let me begin first with some background on the game. You play the game as Faith, a kick ass 'runner' who delivers packages ...

Nevoma AthleticBands are meant for those who love to get in shape while doing bench presses to their favorite tunes. We see these kind of accessories all over, especially in the summer/spring on joggers, bicyclists, or power walkers. If you have an iPod and are somewhat athletic, chances are you have an armband for it. So it only makes sense that other companies jump on the band wagon and Nevoma has created their own version of the ‘Athletic Band.’ How special could an armband be right? Well the ones we received: the iPod Video AthleticBand, iPod Nano – 2nd and 3rd  generation AthleticBand, and iPod Touch/iPhone AthleticBand seemed to all have something a bit more special than your average armband. Slipping it on your arm is easy, especially when the Velcro strap is adjustable. The material is made out of a lightweight neoprene which is perfect for when you really work up a sweat. But if you do it is washable. A clear plastic mask protects your iPod screen from stones you may kick up as you run run run or just from other elements like rain etc… Another nice touch is the extra 2 compartments for carrying keys or some money, as well as a special compartment for carrying a cell phone. As we all know tight athletic wear never seems to include any pockets. This leaves your hands free and not worrying about loosing anything.

Everyone these days is hung up on making sure that a mouse is ergonomic or optical or even just fashionable. So it's nice when a mouse is made that isn't necessarily any of those things but just FUN. Road Mice offers a wide range of mice that are shaped as cars. Not just boring fake looking cars either, but ones that resemble a ChevyZ06 Corvette, Dodge Charger SRT8 Patrol Car, Chevy Camaro Concept, and a Ford Mustang GT. When we first received the wireless Ford Mustang GT mouse we weren't quite sure what to expect. But upon opening the package, we could tell that this was going to be one fun mouse. The Black Ford Mustang GT is classic and timeless, so I was impressed to see that the design is better them most die cast model cars you can purchase assembled. It is well built and seems like it can last a while. Another nice feature is when you left or right click on the mouse, blue LED's activate the headlights. Depending on which button you click or even if you click it together it lights up. The set up was very easy, it comes with instructions and is plug and play. Just plug in the USB wireless receiver into your USB port and insert the batteries included and you are basically done.

For those familiar with Pandora, Slacker is very similar. Slacker is basically a form of customized internet radio. Slacker lets you select the custom stations you want to listen too, and when a track plays that you either like or don't like you can rate it accordingly to your taste. Sick of hearing Chris Daughtry - click on the 'Ban' button and you'll never hear one of his songs again! As wonderful, as Slacker is, we can't carry our computers around with us all the time. So Slacker came out with a portable radio player. Unfortunately the first gen Slacker portable player had an assortment of bugs. But ...

There has been a ton of hype surrounding the T-Mobile G1 AKA the Google Phone. Being the first phone to run the Android OS is a lot of pressure. Despite all the hype, we were skeptical about the G1. I've been a smartphone user for years - I was using them back when Windows CE and Palm were the major players. However, I got the iPhone on launch day and never looked back. When people started calling the G1 an iPhone competitor, I kind of scoffed - haven't we heard that one before. Almost Everytime a new touch screen smartphone comes out, they call it an iPhone competitor, but none have ever really stood up to it in terms of exceptional usability and features.

Moshi's new neato is a simple eco-friendly product that aims to keep your computer screen clean. The neato is there to wipe off fingerprints, grease and dust particles. Neato is made of microfiber and Terahedron which excels at managing to keep your screen clean without scratching or damaging a screen's sensitive anti-reflective coating. The other "neat" aspect of the neato is that it's able to adhere to many different types of surfaces, including the side or back of your display so you can reach for it to clean easily. This "stickiness" tech powered by what Moshi calls the GeckoPad so that neato is able to be attached over and ...

Monster is at it again with creating headphones that not only allow you to listen to music, but to feel it. Earlier in the week we announced the new pair of in-ear headphones from Monster named Turbine In-Ear Speakers. These new set of 'earbuds' will bring back to music the quality and depth that was lacking in your run of the mill earbuds, or so Monster claims. Design When Monster designed the Turbine In-Ear Speakers it was obvious they had in mind their very own component cable. When you first look at Turbine's design you can definitely see where the inspiration came from. The metal housing of the earbud that a passerby would see, resembles the ridges of the famous Monster component cables, and right in the center is the Monster logo. The right ear speaker has a red lining on it and then the left one has a blue lining. When I held the pair in my hand it was pretty light. I was afraid though to smack them around too much in my hand that I might chip the metal but I didn't. Another impressive feature which is a similar design element to the Shure E4c earphones is the earplug-like design. Included with the Turbine is an assortment of 4 pairs of rubbery eartips. Each pair is larger or smaller to fit into your ear canal comfortably. If you pick the right one for your ear, not only will you enhance your listening experience but you'll also eliminate the noise around you. Overall, the design detail alone of the Turbine has the essence of the Monster branding and quality all over it.

Being the technology loving connoisseur that I am, I never knew a subculture existed for laser pointers and the people that use them! I mean, I can vaguely remember attending my share of conferences, where the person giving the presentation used a laser pointer. Suffice it to say, the only thing that kept my attention at some of these gatherings was the colorful glowing beam of light that illuminated from the laser pointer! The folks at Wicked Lasers go through great lengths on their web site and in their marketing literature to distinguish themselves from the run of the mill laser makers, by referring to their lasers as revolutionary. We here at Chip Chick never turn down an offer to review a product, and took Wicked Lasers up on their offer to take one of its lasers through its phases!

HP's Pavilion laptop is a truly affordable laptop aimed at consumers looking for a laptop that is able to handle serious multimedia tasks as well as gaming. Configurations for the dv5z start at $579.99, so we were doubtful that a sub $1000 laptop could handle such tasks, but we went ahead and gave the dv5z a spin to see if it could actually be an affordable laptop that doesn't sacrifice too much performance wise. We ended up being pleasantly surprised. Design / Build Quality The overall design of the HP Pavilian dv5z is sleek yet professional. It's combination of onyx/chrome glossy styling makes it look like an entertainment notebook with professional ...

Digital picture frames are so typical these days. No design is really out of the box and they basically do all the same things, the main differences between any of them would be switchable frame plates, larger internal memory, or the ability to also play MP3s. So it was nice to get a chance to review the GE PhotoPhone which is an all in one wireless landline phone and a digital picture frame. This makes the PhotoPhone unique and actually useful, instead of having a plain old digital frame hanging around that you'll tire of uploading photos too eventually. Setup: For anyone who has a digital picture frame, most of them ...

There is a small price to pay to feel like a true rock star in your living room, the Starpex guitar from Peak Products delivers that experience 100%. If you felt that jamming on the plastic guitar that came with the Guitar Hero or Rock Band games was fun but just didn't quite complete the inner rock star in you, well this guitar will certainly add the polish you need. So when we got a chance to review the Starpex guitar we jumped at the oppurtunity to rock out on a guitar that promised to not feel like a plastic toy but more like a true axe. [gallery=73] Setup: The box alone ...

Being a blogger and one that travels quite often, you really depend on a good bag that is lightweight, durable, and will carry just about all your electronics and the many adapters along with them. Until now I was basically shoving (and carefully I might add) all my junk into typical laptop backpacks. My laptop in the designated laptop area, iPod, USB cables, adapters, USB keys, a book and a D/SLR in a separate camera bag. It is a tight fit but I managed, and I have to admit going through airport security was a bit hellish. Recently I discovered the Kata Bags and I have to say it was with great pleasure that I got to review both the Digital Rucksack DR-467-WY and Sensitivity V. FINALLY! A bag meant for those always on the go with pockets specifically made for all the junk we gadget obsessed folks carry.

After spending several hours reviewing (code word for playing!), The Enhanced version of the Witcher PC game (Windows XP and Vista), I can safely say that this is one role playing game (RPG), that has lived up to its intended purpose and reputation in providing a truly wonderful and totally immersive game playing experience of epic proportions! There were times, when I had to literally put the game on pause to control my amped up adrenalin and to marvel at the almost flawless cinematic journey. The Enhanced version of The Witcher (2008) is a marked improvement over its first release in 2007. In addition to the game disc, the ...

Several weeks ago we reviewed Rock Band 2 and were only able to experience it with the 1st generation drum kit and guitars. However as an update to that review we recently got a chance to try out the 2nd generation drum kit and guitar. Would they be more impressive and intuitive this time around? We were about to find out. Guitar: The Fender Stratocaster is once again the guitar of choice for Rock Band 2. What is different this time around is that it's now wireless, it has a body that resembles a nice wood cherry finish, it also sports quieter buttons, a less squishy strum bar, and is overall just a more sturdier and well made 'guitar'. The wireless aspect is especially the best part for me. I can wander anywhere with the guitar around my living room and not get tangled in cords and the freedom it allowed me as far with play is wonderful.

At first glance, the Sirocco laptop bag seems like a big and boxy tote bag. But sometimes big and boxy is just what you need and you didn't even know it. It easily fits my 13" inch MacBook with ease and room to spare. It can hold up laptops up to 15.4" inches. The exterior is made out of a crinkly nylon material that reminds me of a ripstop material. It makes cleanup a cinch if you're a klutz like me, should you accidentally spill something. The bag is lined with a nylon interior all around. [gallery=67] If you've read my past reviews, you'd know how much I love pockets; the ...