In 2001 Apple launched the iPod. Why bother, everyone said, there were already hundreds of different digital music players at the time and most people dismissed the idea out of hand. Three hundred and ninety-nine dollars for a music player? Too expensive. No FM radio or a microphone. It will never catch on. Well, as we know now, it turns out they were wrong on all counts – and how. Apple shares were $9.51 the day before the launch – today they are around $160. But enough of the history lesson. Here are five reasons why the Kindle is the next must-have gadget akin to the iPod or PSP.

1. It actually addresses a real problem

Who needs to carry 80 books around with them? Well, I don’t, and I’m sure most of you don’t either. What about a thousand – now you’re just being silly! Sony’s failed e-book reader boasted enough memory to carry around a small, or even medium sized library. Great if you’re a professor who needs to reference his life work while on the move, but just a bit over the top for most of us. Me, well I just want to read one book at a time. Still, that doesn’t mean to say that when I finish my book I always go to sleep – sometimes I want to read another. Sometimes I’m in the mood for something different to the book I just finished. Sometimes it was even so good that I want to read something else by the same author. Well, Kindle is the first ebook reader with its own cellular wireless connection that lets you get new books anytime, almost anywhere whenever you like. It’s not wifi so you don’t need to find hot spots — it’s like a cell phone. Magazines and newspapers – no problem, your digital paperboy will deliver them fresh to your (digital) doorstep in an instant.

2. It has a ready made library of good quality cheap material

Any new gadget will ultimately fail or succeed on the fuel that drives it – content! Well, with Amazon throwing its weight firmly behind the Kindle, you needn’t worry about the availablility of material. Until now, some ebook readers have failed miserably in this vital aspect with narrow choices of material, and downloads often costing more than their traditional paperback equivalents. Kindle scores on price – most of its material costs around 10 bucks and many are less – this is cheaper than a normal book. Wait, I hear you cry, but the cellular wireless connection must cost a fortune. Nope – its included in the price of the device and the downloads. Sp, what about periodicals? Big savings are to be had here as well as publishers throw themselves onto the digital bandwagon. A year of the Wall Street Journal in print is $249 versus $9.99 a month ($120 a year) via Kindle – and you can still read it in the loo!

Getting your own documents onto the Kindle can be done via email but this does, admittedly incur an extra charge, although it is just 10 cents a go. The email service supports several formats of open-source books as well as Microsoft Word and text-based, the only real omission that I would like to have seen included is PDF support. No doubt this will be forthcoming, and there are workarounds available in any case

3. Jeff Bezos is a proven visionary

Ok, its not a rock solid guarantee of success bit just look at the guys track record. First he built his online superstore beating out thousands of more established competitors – anyone not heard of Amazon here – I thought so. Amazon.com got so many things right, including the important focus on reader reviews, cheap shipping and giant selection. I’d put my money on him to make this to a success.

4. Its smart and well designed

As I’ve pointed out its packed with gadgets like free wireless cell connection a real keyboard to let you search in a book or document, page turning buttons on both sides of the screen – Ned Flanders will definitely be stocking these in the Leftorium. But another major decision will also help Kindle take off. It’s not hanging off your computer. You don’t need to sync it with a computer. Purchases are backed up online by Amazon so you can delete and recover any book you bought. Basically, it does everything it was designed to do in a simple elegant manner – remind anyone of a certain MP3 player?

5. It’s cool

There are potentially millions of consumers who will buy Kindle for this very reason. Just like PSP’s, IPods and IPhones before it – the take up of the next cool gadget is normally a huge success if the distributors get it right, and when it come to product distribution Amazon rarely fail. If you still don’t believe me, go and watch the video on this website. This is a nifty gizmo that elegantly solves real problems for consumers.

 

Entertaining small children on rainy days can be a real challenge. A great way to keep them happily occupied can be to give them a coloring book. In this day and age, some parents choose to plug their children in: they turn on the television, a video or even a video game. Choosing a coloring book engages more of their mind.

There are so many different types of coloring books you can choose for your little one. There are coloring books with animals, people, buildings, cars/trucks and even fantastic imaginary creatures from space. Perhaps your child loves teddy bears, then you can easily get them a coloring book featuring these cuddly toys. Or if your child loves the ocean, you can get them a coloring book full of the beauty of the sea.

Coloring books can also be an easy teaching tool to use with your children. Most children learn by being exposed to images of things. They see a picture of something and they learn the word for it. Giving your child a coloring book of anything you would like to teach them would be ideal. It can be a fun way to build their vocabulary and encourage them to learn more about the world around them.

Stress tests have discovered that simple coloring of pictures actually relieves stress. It is easy to understand that this activity when given to children would most likely put them in a calm and tranquil mood. Giving a child a coloring book for twenty minutes could be a great way to get them to settle down. Some children have such a challenging time setting down during the day.

Coloring pictures together is also a great way to spend time with your child. This is a low-cost activity to do with your child and it is also something that most children enjoy. Your child will have fun drawing pictures and then sharing them with you. You can even color in pictures together, having fun selecting the colors and selecting the colors as you go.

An inexpensive way to make a coloring book for your child is to enlarge images from clip art and print them from your computer. Most clip art can be created in black and white and then is available for your child to color. This is a great way to create your own coloring book if you don’t have time to run out to get another.

Holiday coloring books are a fun way to celebrate the holidays. This is also a great way for your child to learn more about the traditions and celebrations that surround that specific holiday. Holiday coloring books can be used during quiet time before or even after the holiday. A Christmas coloring book can be fun to prepare for this popular holiday. Most children have heard of Santa and they would have fun coloring in pictures of his jolly red suit and white beard.

Coloring books have been used by children for years. Your parents colored in coloring books and it is certain that your children will color in coloring books. Coloring books are an ideal activity that just about every child will enjoy!

During the last decade or two crime has risen to epidemic proportions. It wasn’t long ago when you could let your kids play outside without worrying that they might disappear. You could take you family to the park and watch from a short distance while your kids played o the swings and other toys. Unfortunately, that is not the case anymore.

We hear about child abductions every single day. Even the most remote, tiny and crime-free towns have been targeted and children taken from their yards, their rooms, the bus stop and more. Many of us don’t let our kids – even the older ones – go to the mall or other places without us.

Many of us have been looking for reliable, non-lethal self defense weapons that will stop a predator in their tracks without killing them. The idea is to get the situation – and the predator- under control so that you can get to safety and call the police.

There are some powerful and affordable tools on the market today. There are more choices and better choices of self-defense weapons that have been made available to the public in the last few years.

Some of the most effective self-defense weapons are stun guns, tasers and pepper sprays of various kinds. Stun guns will attack an individual’s nervous system, rendering an intruder or attacker incapacitated long enough for you to get away and get help. Tasers are similar, but more powerful. Instead of simply interfering with the perpetrator’s nervous system, a taser will actually override it and leave the individually incapacitated for longer, giving you more time to get away and call for help. Tasers are designed to stop even the most aggressive attackers.

Another effective and powerful self-defense weapon is pepper spray. There are varieties of pepper spray, pepper gel and pepper foam. They all work in a similar way by causing the attacker to close their eyes, which makes them burn more, and cough and choke. If you re using pepper gel or pepper foam, there is an added discomfort. Both of these will get on the skin and start burning and stinging. Though pepper spray comes in containers small enough to fit in your pocket, it is an extremely effective, non-lethal self defense weapon.

No matter what kind of self-defense tool or weapon you are looking for to keep yourself and your family safe, you should be able to find one that fits your circumstances.