Maybe you’re juggling an Internet bill, a cable bill, and a phone bill at once. On top of that, you’re adding monthly or yearly fees for services like Netflix or Hulu Plus. It’s not just that it all adds up – it’s also a pain to deal with. Merge by Windstream, a service from Windstream Communications, aims to address that by lumping in high-speed Internet service, nationwide calling, and both free and paid streaming Internet-based entertainment into one monthly payment. Because it uses a Roku box to connect to the Internet, it could also be an attractive service for those who don’t want to pony up for a Smart TV just yet.

Merge’s Internet service should be more than up to the task of handling all of that streaming. The Merge service is scaled by download speeds, the lowest of which is 3 MB/s, which should be more than enough to handle most of the streaming entertainment available on the Web right now. Streaming won’t be the only benefit, though. Merge is trying to upgrade your television into a Smart TV, without requiring you to go out and buy one of those still pretty expensive Smart TV units on the market. Internet connectivity from the Roku box and Merge will allow for access to social media, photos, personal videos, video games, and anything else that you can store online.

Merge is also looking to add flexibility to your life. The Roku box isn’t limited to the television – you can stream anything you want to any device in the home, on demand, thanks to Wi-Fi compatibility. And, if it isn’t dead already, the old way of watching television programming on regular schedules will have the final nail put in its coffin, thanks to the wide-ranging on-demand services that Merge includes, like Netfilx, Hulu Plus, and Crackle.

A lot of these features aren’t new to the market. What might be novel is the ability to pay for everything with one monthly bill, rather than having to juggle five or six separate payments. The overall price for all of these services might even be a little lower if you go with Merge, depending on what level of download speed you opt for. Merge’s greatest asset is convenience – it should allow you to access whatever entertainment you want whenever you want it, with only one monthly bill to manage.

Leveraging the Roku box in order to provide one convenient dashboard for access to entertainment could be what seals the deal for many. The Merge service opens at $53 per month for 3 MB download speeds, and goes up from there. Windstream Communications also offers quarterly promotions for new Merge customers. Their current promotion includes six free months of Hulu Plus, one free month of Merge, and free installation.

If you’ve ever wondered how sales and marketing companies get your mailing address, the answer is probably thanks to a company like infofree. Infofree has a staggeringly large database of consumers and small businesses in the United States – the company’s founder, Vin Gupta, estimated that Infofree has information about upwards of 200 million people in the United States during a 60 Minutes interview. That information includes names, ages, mailing addresses, phone numbers, household size, home value, price paid for that home, and when the purchase of the home took place. The company’s goals is to provide easy sales leads.

Somehow, Infofree also has records of people’s interests, gleaned from unknown sources. Using the database software, you can add multiple filters and use those interests to narrow search results down to something resembling your target demographic, if you’re part of a sales or marketing team or handling those duties for a small business. For independent bloggers, similar listings with details of small businesses can be browsed. Specialized bloggers can find small businesses in their area of interest and contact them to offer their services, and the promote the benefits of a blog for a business. For a more personal touch, you can use the software to contact the businesses directly to set up in-person meetings. To that end, bloggers can search for businesses by area code, to find local opportunities and build strong, person-to-person working relationships.

Infofree is currently targeting its services toward bloggers, offering a “blogger special” price of $39.95 per month. Included in that deal is over 50 databases, unlimited search, views, and downloads of database entries, unlimited business credit profiles, unlimited view and print of emails sent to database entries, a map showing locations of search results, a list of people 65 years of age or older (or near to it), a list of businesses and individuals who have recently filed for bankruptcy protection, and a search option for area codes. In order to get the “blogger special” price, use the coupon code BLOG39 when signing up at Infofree’s website.

2012 and beyond isn’t looking too hot when it comes to privacy in the digital world. Fortunately, you’re not totally up a creek when it come to privacy in the old world of paper records and receipts. It’s good to remember that shredders aren’t just for corrupt CEOs and backroom-dealing investment bankers – they’re useful for anyone who wants to protect their personal information from the old-school brand of identity thieves – dumpster divers.

The Fellowes 79Ci is at the forefront of the shredder world, with features that make your shredding sessions reliable, effective, and safe. Jamming is always a big problem with shredders – and while that might be because of an impatient decision to try to shred 20 papers at once, it doesn’t make the experience any less unpleasant. The 79Ci stops jams before they happen by using a sensor near the mouth of the shredder, which shuts down operation if too thick of a stack of papers is placed in the shredder. If the sensor doesn’t stop things, the shredder itself will, automatically sending the stack back up to you if an imminent jam is detected.

With older shredders, piecing papers back together was, though difficult, still possible. Cross-cut shredders have been the solution, chewing up papers into nearly unrecognizable chunks. While cross-cut shredder blades are by no means a new innovation, the 79Ci features a particularly good set, turning one sheet of paper into 399 pieces. That’s a jigsaw puzzle very few are going to be willing to attempt.

Keeping with sensor technology, the 79Ci also features SafeSense technology that shuts down operation if human hands are detected near the blades. Then, there’s maybe the most important feature of the 79Ci – SilentShred technology. Anyone who has spent over five minutes shredding papers knows how bad that sound can get when heard over and over and over again. The 79Ci makes things a little easier on the ears.

Shredders aren’t exactly the most exciting topic, unless you’re talking about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but, as long as bills and paperwork with your private information exist, those paper annihilators are going to remain important. It’s not a fun job, but, if you have to do it, might as well make it as bearable as you can, right? So is there a technology inside of the Fellowes 79Ci that excites you most? Leave a comment about it!

This post brought to you by Vonage. All opinions are 100% mine.

Vonage has released a new app for their VoIP service, and it has the makings of a must-have app for just about anyone who owns a smartphone. The Vonage Mobile iPhone calling app is available for iPhone and Android phones, and replaces the Time to Call app (which as of now is no longer available on the iTunes App Store) that offered cheap international calls in 15 minute increments – a money saving app that was a little awkward to use. The Vonage Mobile app makes the pricing system and interface more like other VoIP services, but with a few key improvements that help set it ahead of the pack.

The Time to Talk app featured excellent sound quality, something that continues in the Vonage Mobile app. The new app uses a high-definition codec for calls, which makes for crystal-clear calls. The app works using either Wi-Fi or a 3G/4G connection, so call quality will depend a lot on the quality of reception. Also, the Vonage Mobile enables free texting, though that is only to other people who are using the app. Similar to Skype, calls are also free to fellow Vonage Mobile users – even if those users are in other countries.

Vonage Mobile also gets a boost from some user-friendly choices. First, for Caller ID, the app uses the existing mobile number of the phone on which it’s installed. That is a significant improvement over Skype, which requires users to purchase a Skype phone number separately. Furthermore, no Vonage account is required to use the app, so users can just download the app and start using it right away without signing up. Those who are Wi-Fi-only users should note that a 3G/4G connection is required during set-up, because Vonage sends a confirmation text to the phone during the process.

The app imports address book contacts automatically, and marks the contacts who have the app installed, so users quickly know who they can call and text for free. The app is also designed to fit in with the user interface of iOS and Android, respectively, so that getting around it is extra intuitive. And, in a carry-over from Time to Talk, all minutes are paid for via in-app purchases in blocks of $5 and $10, which is very fast and convenient for those who need to make spontaneous phone calls. Plus, from within the app, you can see country per minute rates, and the remaining credit you have while on an international call. Finally, another advantage is that the app doesn’t need to be running for users to receive calls and texts from the app since calls and texts come through as push notifications.

Speaking of paying up, there is even more good news when it comes to rates. Time to Talk’s international rates were competitive, but not clearly cheaper than other VoIP services. Those rates have been cut since Time to Talk, and are now cheaper across the board for Vonage Mobile than most other equivalent services. Many calling card services are still cheaper, but with the extreme ease of use that Vonage Mobile offers, it would be very tempting to take the saved time over the saved money. Vonage Mobile’s international rates even manage to beat Skype’s rates. All in all, if you need more international options for mobile calling, Vonage is probably your best VoIP bet right now.

There is a big red flag that needs to be raised here for those concerned about cost-efficiency, though. If you are using a 3G or 4G connection to use Vonage Mobile, calls are going to count against your monthly data plan. With that HD codec, the Vonage Mobile App could drain as much as 40 MB per hour of calling. If you were grandfathered in on an old unlimited data plan, or are a Sprint user, you have nothing to worry about. Also, if you can manage to only use the app with a Wi-Fi connection, you’re in the clear. Those who use a 3G or 4G connection with this app and do not have an unlimited plan, though, need to use caution, or data overage charges could spiral out of control quickly.

Another downside is that, as of now, there is no Bluetooth support. That is a little perplexing considering how common that is in communications apps, but I would guess the oversight isn’t lost on Vonage – it’s possible Bluetooth could come in an update later on.

Overall, with Vonage Mobile, Vonage has managed to one up an established mobile calling app like Skype in many ways. And, if you needed another reason to download it, for a limited time, Vonage is currently offering free calls to all mobiles and landlines in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Just be careful that if you use the app on a 3G or 4G connection, you might find a nasty surprise waiting for you inside your next wireless bill. Other than that, Vonage Mobile is looking out to be a fantastic mobile VoIP service that works well and will save you money.

Each Hello Kitty plush dolls feature a T-Shirt with school colors and a school logo, as well as a bow that matches the shirt and the school color. Plushland’s Hello Kitty Collegiate Collection begins shipping in March. They certainly fit in with Plushland’s slogan: “Huggable. Loveable. Fun.” Hello Kitty, in all of her school pride glory, will be available in two sizes: 6″ and 11″. Each doll will retail for $10 and $20 respectively, and should soon be available for purchase from Plushland.com. What better way to show off your school flair?

Plushland.com also offers the ever popular Hoodie Sock Monkey as well as Hoodie Bears as members of their collegiate collection. Hoodie Sock Monkey is available from keychain size all the way up to 40″, for those who take hugging to new heights! Hoodie Sock Monkey and Hoodie Bear are also featured for a variety of sororities. They are currently available for purchase from Plushland, along with a miriad of other fun and plush items.

Many of us have already forfeited paper calendars for digital ones, but the On This Day, Heat Sensitive Perpetual Calendar is so cool, we might consider going back to killing trees for our calendars. That is because this very unique, onlonged-shaped calendar is actually heat sensitive. The text on each day of the calendar is actually hidden by black squares. In order to reveal the text, you need to press your finger on that day. The text will turn to grey, and eventually to white, revealing information about some historical event that occurred on that day.

But what if you want to write your own notes and events down? You can use a permanent marker to write brief notes on one of the sides of the square. And because the calendar doesn’t actually include the day of the week and month, the calendar is actually a Perpetual Calendar, which does sound kind confusing – but also neat at the same time.

The On This Day, Heat Sensitive Perpetual Calendar retails for $27.89 and measures 39″ x 15.4″.

One thing is for sure – celebrities seem to really love the HP TouchPad. If you haven’t sped through your commercials lately – you will notice that Russell Brand, Lea Michele, and Manny Pacquiao have all put their face on the HP TouchPad and given it a little glitz.

However Russell has really taken a shine to the HP TouchPad because his videos also show you how he multi-tasks with the device, in that special Russell Brand kind of way.

I mean didn’t you ever want to get schooled by a Brit on technology? I know I have. Take a gander at the videos below to see why these celebrities really like the TouchPad A LOT.

So why did Sawaya go to the effort of making a Superman LEGO sculpture? Well last year he was commissioned to make a LEGO creation for the Hero Complex Film Festival – and looking at this year’s attendees, Richard Donner, the man behind the original 1978 Superman movie, was honored at the fest this year. So of course what would a brickartist do? Make a sculpture of Superman of course to honor Donner, and throw in a Green Lantern for good measure.

Sometimes an accessory comes along that is so disturbing, we just aren’t sure if we should be laughing about it, or crying about it. Such is the case with the iBoobies iPhone 4 Case. Like the Booty Call iPhone Holder case that came before it, this obscene case is all about using your iPhone 4 like you’re an inappropriate frat-boy.

The case is of-course, made of silicon and it’s also both soft and squishable. Oh, and it also doubles as a stand. The iBoobies iPhone 4 Case retails for $9.95, although we spotted it on Amazon for as little as $3.95.

LEGO Patience and Fortitude each consist of 30,000 LEGO blocks – 60,000 in total. However, these incredible sculptures certainly don’t outshine the original lion kings that stand in front of the library, and they are set further back near the entrance as to not overshadow the originals.

LEGO Patience and Fortitude will sit proudly flanking the library entrance for this entire weekend before moving inside. When speaking to Sawaya he stated that he was “honored” to be able to create these sculptures for the library and if they end up in the children’s area of the library or wherever… he was just thrilled to be asked.

So if you happen to be in the NYC area – I highly suggest stopping by and taking a look at this impressive feat and who knows – you may actually read a book while you are there! Now the New York Public Library will be famous for at-least two things… Carrie’s failed first attempt of a wedding, and LEGO.

No, this isn’t some weird reproduction of Johnny number 5 from Short Circuit. The 8 Dot 8 Dot Opti-Bot is a tabletop robot constructed out of an old camera, along with parts from a View Master, and old camera parts. The camera in particular is actually a vintage Brownie Hawkeye Kodak. The little sprouts of hair are made from pieces of wire that are able to stand on end.  Lastly, a Remington electric razor is what makes up the mouth. How can you look at this little guy and not become enchanted? This artistic feat was created by artist Gregory Steele and currently retails for $69 on Etsy.

Doctor Who never dies? Or does he? Well just in case he does, Creative Coffins has prepared a special coffin for him or you.  Yes, if you want to leave a mark when you leave this earth, then Creative Coffins is the ideal place for you to do such a thing. These coffins are not just your average pieces of wood nailed together. No sir, they are good for the environment and they offer a range of creative designs that exemplify what your passions were while on earth. If you were a avid Doctor Who fan, well they have a coffin for you. If you happen to be a famous DJ being laid to rest…well they have the perfect casket for that too. If you don’t care for their designs, you can make your own or add a special message to an existing pattern. Currently the service only seems to be available to those in Europe but I’m sure if you pay enough, you can be buried in a Doctor Who coffin without a problem.

As the crisis in Japan continues, help from all over the world is pouring in – whether it be in terms of funds or military help. But amongst the people around the world helping Japan, robots will soon be pitching in too. iRobot is sending four robots into Japan that are shipping out of Bedford, Massachusetts today. iRobot was asked by the Japan Ground Self Defense Forces – Special Ops group, to help, and a team of iRobot employees will be flying to Japan this weekend to support the robots in the field. The iRobot soldiers, AKA PackBots and Warrior robots and the iRobot crew plans on training the Japan Ground Self Defense Forces on how to operate the robots from a protected vehicle.

The robots might actually be useful in many ways. The Packbot’s HazMat payload can determine how dangerous the radiation levels are in the area surrounding the nuclear plant. Where as the iRobot Warrior could be used as a “firefighter,” by pulling hoses into “hot zones,” allowing cold water to be delivered to where it is needed inside the nuclear reactors. This is actually one of the applications iRobot developed the robots for.

Update: iRobot has let us know that they do not know for sure yet if, upon arrival, their robots will actually be used in Japan or not. But as far as they are concerned, they’re ready to get their robots out on the field to work.

Images below of the robots being prepped for Japan.

Today is the the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, a day which supports women’s causes and celebrate women’s achievements, especially for those women who are engaged in the struggle for human rights. In honor of the day, Google has set up a site which lists hundreds of events around the world that are celebrating International Women’s Day. They also have listed a group of donation-worthy organizations that are working diligently to improve the lives of women worldwide.

And the last way to celebrate International Women’s Day? Check out our list of the Top 13 Women Who Impacted Technology in 2010.

Update 03/08/2012: Check out the Google doodle that celebrates International Woman’s Day for 2012.

The Clinique counter at Bloomingdale’s flagship store in NYC is the latest retail space to now offer the Microsoft Surface experience. Microsoft’s Surface table has been integrated in Clinique’s Smart Bar as a new interactive way to experience the Clinique products. Customers can place specially tagged Clinique products on Microsoft Surface in order to access additional information like user reviews and how-to-videos. If they then decide to make a purchase, they can then print out a barcode and bring it to the express service counter. And to top it all off, users can also share their virtual shopping cart directly via email or Facebook.

(Via the Microsoft Surface Blog)

That’s right, a superyacht. When a mere yacht for your sweetheart just won’t do, the superyacht turns it up to a whole new level. So, if you’ve got a spare $50 million laying around just collecting dust, you can buy the love of your life the Strand Craft 166 superyacht, designed by the award-winning firm Gray Design. Why is this superyacht being featured in a tech blog? This superyacht is actually controlled by a publicly available custom made iPad app. I know I keep using the word superyacht. I just can’t believe there exists such a thing as a superyacht.

But, it’s called a superyacht for a reason. This thing is sleek, and looks ridiculously good on the water. It measures a staggering 166 feet long. Inside, you’ve got the basics. You know, just five staterooms, a retractable carbon-fiber front deck, a sports bar that seats eight, and a large jacuzzi. The craft has three engines that can propel it as fast as 40 knots, too.

So, where does the iPad come in? Basically, it controls almost everything on the craft. The app itself can be customized, with different options for colors and style, to match your lover’s tastes perfectly. The app controls the LED 3-D televisions, audio systems, mood lighting, retractable deck and climate. More importantly, you can check on your baby 24/7 with security systems and GPS. You can download the app without the craft, and get a look at this extravagant vessel that costs more than I will make in my lifetime. On the other hand, if you get the craft without having an iPad (an unlikely scenario), no worries! Three iPads are included in the superyacht.

If you want to be high roller and a big winner this Valentine’s Day, get your sweetheart the greatest and most tech savvy water craft ever conceived. It’ll certainly be a day to remember, and hey, if your better half ends up getting seasick, you can just dock and take the supercar for a spin. Oh, did I forget to mention that the superyacht comes with a 620 horsepower supercar inside? My bad. There’s that, too. Don’t worry, though, the app keeps track of the supercar’s engine and repair details, just in case. Truly, this is the pinnacle of Valentine’s Day 2011 gifts.