As you may know, I love tea. I find it a relaxing little pleasure that can be inserted into a hectic high tech day. I love many different kinds of tea, especially flavored teas. Although I often drink Red Tea because it seems to help my rosacea, I also drink white, green black, oolong, etc.

So I was excited hear about Teavana’s new contest, called Tea Master’s Challenge. You create and submit your favorite blends of their various teas, then you can vote on all the submitted variations. It could be fun. Click on the logo below to check it out!

Tea Masters Challenge - Teavana.com

I love the Nintendo DS, so it was with great anticipation that I opened the new Nintendo DSi. The size and shape were very similar to the old DS, but Nintendo has added two cameras, support for a removable storage card, and added audio capabilities. This new hand-held gaming device has a great new interface that is easier to use than the old one. And it now supports WPA, so you can use it with your home wireless network. Unfortunately you still cannot play online with others on a WPA encrypted network.

The new DSi plays all of the DS games, so I didn’t have to give up the Nintendogs game that I love to play with my grandchildren. We each have a DS with a Nintendog game so we can send gifts to each other’s dogs and our dogs can visit each other. It’s great fun. I simply substituted the new DSi for my old DS and everything worked as before.

Playing with the cameras on the DSi was great fun. Not only can you take pictures, but you can easily add frames, stars, kisses, and other nifty objects. You can also manipulate the photos in fun ways….make a nose bigger, make a mouth turn down, etc. Yes, for grown-ups it can get old quickly, but it is still provides an occasional smile.

The DSi also lets you record your own voice and manipulate it just as you do the photos.

There are not yet a lot of games out that take advantage of the DSi’s new cameras and microphone. I can’t wait for them to start appearing, as they should be really fun. The DSi is currently $30 more than the DS. I think it is worth the price.

Here are my pros and cons:

Pros

• Two cameras & software add to the fun
• Can be used to play music
• Audio recording
• Excellent new interface
• WPA support
• DSi Store
• Can play large selection of DS games
• Replaceable battery

Cons

• Games can currently run only from internal memory
• Audio clips are limited to 10 seconds
• Pictures can’t be easily emailed or posted online
• WPA support doesn’t allow online play
• Supports only unencrypted AAC files

You can read my full 7-page review with pictures at HardwareSecrets.

Nintendo Nintendo DSi (Blue)

Nintendo Nintendo DSi (Blue) Experience a world of sleek and powerful portable gaming and so much more. Nintendo DSi builds on the DS Lite with a succession of new and enhanced features designed to appeal to both gamers and casual users. At a mere 18.9mm thin, the almost effortlessly portable DSi fits conveniently into your pocket and your life, making it easy to play games on the go, take a quick mental break in the middle of your busy day or even share favorite photos and music with friends. The 3.25″ screen of the DSi brings images to life with even greater depth and clarity for intense gaming or convenient photo showcasing. Two built-in cameras, one on the interior and one on the exterior, make it easy to snap photos of yourself or your friends, and a variety of photo-related functions let you compare facial photos, edit colors, distort shapes and other fun activities. Indulge in your favorite music with the DSi music player, which lets you play favorite music saved on an SD card, adjust the pitch or speed, view imagery generated by the Music Visualizer, edit audio files you’ve recorded using the DSi microphone and more, and the improved speaker volume and sound quality make music and gaming audio even more immersive. You can even use Nintendo DSi Points to download DSi-exclusive software, such as the DSi Browser (which lets you browse the Internet) and Mini DSi Brain Training (which offers fast and convenient mental challenges) for additional fun and convenience.

Microsoft has just announced a Windows 7 Upgrade Option program. This allows PC makers and retailers to offer free upgrades to Windows 7 for any PC purchased with Windows Vista Home Premium, Vista Ultimate, or Vista Business. The program starts June 26 and ends January 31, 2010. The upgrade will be provided by Microsoft when Windows 7 is released on October 22, 2009.

This will allow you to buy that new computer now, and still get the newest operating system when it is released. The upgrade should be relatively easy, so I wouldn’t hesitate to get in on this offer. Just be sure that the place you purchase your new computer is offering this option and be sure to inquire about what paperwork you need to keep and/or to process now for your upgrade.

Microsoft is already striving to get through its Vista debacle and to create widespread acceptance of their new operating system, Windows 7. This is apparent in their new offer.

If you buy an upgrade copy of Windows 7 between June 26th and July 11th in the US and Canada, you can get a 50% discount over the estimated retail price for the two mainstream consumer editions. In the United States, you’ll be able to buy a Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade for $50 or get Windows 7 Professional upgrade for $100. Microsoft just announced the retail price for those two versions to be $120 and $200, respectively. There are varying dates and prices for other countries.

The offer is available online from Best Buy, Amazon, and Microsoft’s own website. In case you’re wondering. The official release date for Windows 7 is October 22, 2009. I’ve been trying the pre-release versions for a few months and am loving it.

If your computer is currently running Vista, you should be able to upgrade to Windows 7 with little difficulty. If you are running Windows XP, install and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft’s website.It will scan your PC’s system, programs and devices and show you whther or not your computer meets Windows 7 requirements. It will also pinpoint any known compatibility issues with your programs and devices.

I am disappointed to see a retail price of $100 on Windows 7 Home Premium. I think it is too expensive. But I guess that Microsoft expected many of us to say that — so they have thrown us a bone with this offer.

A few weeks ago Apple announced that it would charge just $29 for its newest operating system, Snow Leopard, which is due in September.

Many of us were holding our breaths, hoping that Microsoft would follow suit. But they didn’t even come close. Today Microsoft announced the prices for their new operating system, Windows 7:

Windows 7 Home Premium will cost $120 for an upgrade, $200 for a full version

Windows 7 Professional will be $200 for an upgrade, $300 for a full version

Windows 7 Ultimate will be $220 for an upgrade, $320 for a full version

Reuters and others have reported that Microsoft has lowered the price of the new OS. That is true. Currently an upgrade version of Vista Home Premium costs $130. The upgrade for Windows 7 will be only $120. So they lowered the price a whopping $10.

When you look at Apple’s prices for a comparable operating system, you will also see, that, as in the past, Apple will offer a family version of Snow Leopard. This will include five licenses to use the operating system on five different computers. The cost for that will be $49. Apple also has only one version of the software that does everything. Microsoft instead has a the complex system of multiple versions that do different things. Only the Ultimate version of Windows will do it all.

So, a family who want to upgrade their five computers running the current Apple operating system to the best (and only) version of the new Snow Leopard operating system will pay $49. A family who is currently using five computers running Windows, will have to pay $1,100 to upgrade to the best version (Ultimate) of Windows 7.

Let’s face it. That makes Microsoft’s prices outrageous — 22 times Apple’s price. So, as usual, Microsoft makes a $$$ statement that will ire many. It certainly has made me mad.

The G1 is the first of Panasonic’s entries that is a cross between a digital SLR and a point-and-shoot camera. The G1 is smaller than most digital SLRs and looks more like a professional camera than one you can put in your pocket. However, besides the usual black, the G1 comes in red and blue, making it truly distinctive.

It is smaller because they have removed the mirror box that is typically used to reflect the picture into the view finder in a digital SLR. Instead Panasonic has added a live electronic viewfinder. While previous electronic viewfinders leave a lot to be desired, this one is terrific! The camera also has a 3″ flip-out rotating LCD display.

The G1 is based on a Micro Four Thirds lens system that also uses smaller lenses. All-in-all, the camera is more complex to use than a simple point-and-shoot, but it takes great pictures and may be a good entry into the semi-professional world of digital photography.

The G1 has a big brother called the GH1, which also takes high-def videos. Here are my Pros and Cons on the G1:

Pros

• Very good image quality
• Sturdy build
• Excellent electronic viewfinder
• Small & lightweight
• Snappy performance
• Automatic Settings
• Great dust reduction technology
• HDMI output
• Excellent LCD screen that flips out and rotates
• Comes in body color choices
• Good selection of features like digital red eye reduction, face detection
• Good image stabilization

Cons

• Limited lens selection
• Complex controls
• No movie mode

You can read my full review and view pictures on the Hardware Secrets website.

Today I had the privilege of speaking with Ian Fette, the Product Manager for Google Chrome. Rich Rushforth and I spoke with him earlier this year on a podcast that you can listen to on the Compu-KISS website.

Google Chrome is a relatively new web browser that some are turning to because of its simplicity, speed, and security. Chrome has the cleanest, most uncluttered interface of any browser that I’ve seen. It also has some power features that I’ll talk about later in my full review.

Ian gave me a little insight into the goings-on at Google. They are working hard at taking Chrome to the next phase. This phase will include an extension system for Chrome. This is a system that will allow users to take the simple interface of Chrome and to add only the icons, features, and tools that they feel they will use. This is very similar to what Firefox calls “add-ons”, and it has made Firefox very useful and very popular. Firefox, however, has a pretty complex interface. When you choose additional add-ons, it can get fairly crowded-looking. With the simplicity of the Chrome interface, the addition of extensions could make it a very appealing web browser.

I’ll keep you posted as I hear more, but if they do it right, you can expect Chrome to give both Firefox and Internet Explorer a run for their money.

Those of you who follow my writing know that I am an iPhone owner. The new iPhone that Apple just announced, the iPhone 3GS will have a few of the features that I’ve been longing for. I would love to have the voice-activation, the built-in compass, and the better battery life.

However, other new features like the faster processor, the improved camera, MMS, and the ability to capture video don’t mean much to me. The faster processor would be nice if I wasn’t stuck on the slow Edge AT&T network most of the time. A year ago, AT&T said that 3G service would be in my area very soon, but that hasn’t yet materialized. So for me, and thousands of others, AT&T charges us the same monthly fees, even though we can’t get high-speed service. For those of us in this position, it would be ridiculous for us to upgrade to the new iPhone 3GS because instead of the “S” standing for “speed”, we would find that it stands for “slow”.

I am not unhappy with my iPhone. In fact, I still think it is one of the best choices out there. The problem is that AT&T hasn’t kept promises of an expanded 3G network They charge exorbitant amounts for SMS messaging on the iPhone, and they delay rolling out new features so they can make more money.

I understand that when Apple announced the new iPhone, every time that AT&T was mentioned the crowd roared with laughter. Although the new iPhone will handle MMS messages (the ability to send and receive picture and video messages like text messages), AT&T will not support this until later this summer. Tethering, which is the ability to use a phone’s Internet to power the browser on a computer, will be supported by 29 carriers in 76 other countries, but evidently will not be supported by AT&T.

On top of that, since I am only one year into my AT&T contract, I would have to pay the full price for a new iPhone. So I won’t be upgrading my iPhone this year. My only hope is that by the time the next iPhone comes out Apple will have ended their contract with AT&T and the iPhone will be available from other carriers.

I don’t know about you, but I hate the hard flat-faced earbuds that come with today’s iPods and most other MP3 players. Not only don’t they stay in my ears, but they hurt!!

I just found an great solution. Someone at a company called Burton Technologies came up with the brilliant idea of creating a soft in-ear

flexible overlay for the hard ear buds. They are called Acoustibuds. You simply pull them on over the hard earbud. They are flexible and can be angled so they can be adjusted to fit the shape of your ear canal.

Acoustibuds on iPod Earbuds

Acoustibuds on iPod Earbuds

It took me about two minutes to angle them properly for my ear and I immediately found them to be comfortable and to have a very secure fit. In fact, I even wore them while I worked up a good sweat on a treadmill and they still stayed in place.

I was also amazed by the fact that the music sounded better, although after I thought about it, that might have been expected. Since the Acoustibuds fit better in the ear, the sound obviously goes into the ear better. Also, they block out outside sounds better.

These would be perfect with the iPod Shuffle since you must use the hard Apple earbuds with the Shuffle. I also found that I can use them with my Jawbone and other Bluetooth headphones.

For $19.99 you get two different sizes in the box. One fit my ears, the other fit my husband’s, so they were perfect for us.

At last, a simple idea that works!

If you want to try a new tea, but you don’t want to spend extra for shipping and handling, this Memorial Day weekend is your chance. From now until Monday at midnight, Eastern, you can order anything you like with no shipping or handling charge. Just click on this Tevana icon and type in MEMORIAL in the coupon code box when you order.

I know I won’t be able to resist.

If you are reading this after Memorial Day, you missed the free shipping — but you can still try some great tea and Teavana’s new offer — a free subscription to Martha Stewart’s Body & Soul magazine.

Body & Soul magazine w/ $30 Teavana purchase