In a recent pitch, I noticed this film scanner listed as a great gift idea for dads.  It’s a slide/negative scanner and as soon as I saw it, I remembered that we had a bunch of old family slides that we had collected from my mother-in-law’s basement.

Now, I would consider myself intermediate to advanced when it comes to computer software and hardware.  The set-up of the scanner took me between 20-30 minutes.  The instructions that came with it were easy to follow and the scanner was up and running in no time.  I have been using the scanner to turn those old slides and negatives into digital photos for viewing on the computer, sharing online or printing.

The OpticFilm 7400 works much like a regular home scanner, except it is smaller and only scans slides and negatives.  I have been having a blast scanning old film negatives that I had saved up over the years.  I had always thought that one day I would have all of my old negatives turned into digital photos, in my opinion, a much better way of preserving them rather than having photos gathering dust in boxes.

The imaging software included with the film scanner is SilverFast SE.  It’s a fairly easy program to use, again, much like the home scanner imaging programs.  It allows you to edit your scanned slides and negatives and save them in various formats.

Why would you want a film scanner?  Well, number one, if you have slides or negatives from your 35 mm film camera and would like to digitally store your photos, this scanner is a great option for doing just that.  From what I gather, this version of the OpticFilm scanner is better than its previous versions but lacks the dust and scratch correction option.  That doesn’t really make a difference to me, as I can do that in PhotoShop and quite honestly, my goal here is to preserve my original prints in electronic format.  I’m not super concerned with perfecting the images, so this film scanner is satisfactory for me.

In the world of film scanners, quality and price points vary.  I would say that the Plustek OpticFilm 7400 Film Scanner is one of the more affordable scanners, retailing for under $300 (on Amazon.com).  Like I mentioned above, this particular film scanner does the trick for me.  If you have a project you are working on that maybe doesn’t consist of the mass scanning of old slides and negatives for digital storage, then you should definitely do some comparison shopping.  To start, here is a slide scanner comparison article from Buzzle.com

If you’re looking for more in-depth information on the Plustek OpticFilm 7400 film scanner that I’m talking about here, check out this article from ScanDig.

Now, I must get back to preserving my old memories!

Here are some gift ideas for the ladies and the men – in my opinion, the more difficult family members to shop for.  Hope the things we like help you with your shopping!

Jump to:

Gift ideas for the lovely ladies
Gift ideas for the guys

GIFT IDEAS FOR THE LADIES

Ever since I made his acquaintance at Kidzapalooza this past summer, I have been a fan of Romero Britto’s pop art style and have very much been looking forward to including his work in my 2010 gift idea guide.  Here are a few of my favorites:

(Left) Romero Britto Cream and Sugar Set – $32
(Middle) Romero Britto Apple Tea Bag Holder – $8
(Right) Romero Britto Mug – $20

If you’re geeky and you know it, clap your hands (hear me clapping?)  These items will keep you charged, covered and ready to view at any given time:

(Left) iGo Charge Anywhere – $40
(Middle) Cassette Tape iPhone Cozy – $23
(Right) Epson PictureMate Show All-in-one Printer and Digital Frame – $200 (approx.)

Keep the lady comfy with this fabulous travel pillow and sleep mask and feeling special with this jewelry for mom and baby:

(Left) Little Honey Travel Pillow – $15
(Middle) Little Honey Sleep Mask – $12
(Right) Bebe AuLait Family Ties Star Bracelet Set – $75

If there is a “fancy” lady in your life, you might want to consider one or more of these fabulous items:

(Left) Ruffle-front cardigan (Peoria Emporium)- $79
(Middle) Satin-like boa with fringe (an Oprah “best pick”) (Peoria Emporium) – $39
(Right) Purple Cracked Agate & Yellow Opal Necklace – $27

Finally, for the hip, on-the-go lady.  Beautiful leather gloves, motherboard business card holders and a fish net wine bottle carrier.  Nice.

(Left) Lots of Luxe Gloves – $65
(Middle) Motherboard Business Card Case – $29
(Right) Fishnet Wine Tote by Built – $15

GIFT IDEAS FOR THE GUYS

Now, I got a man who is way into whiskey and anything hip pertaining to hosting with alcoholic beverages, so you will see that reflected in my gift ideas for guys.  Here goes:

(Left) Stranahans Colorado Whiskey – $60
(Middle) On the Rocks Set – $30
(Right) Leatherman New Wave Multi-tool – $60 +

I love my Built Laptop Sleeve, so it’s easy to recommend this messenger bag.  If your guy is kind of outdoorsy, techie-geeky, he might totally love these upcycled wool arm warmers and the Gorillamobile for the iPhone4:

(Left) Built Neoprene Soho Laptop Messenger Bag – $80
(Middle) Upcycled Wool Arm Warmers – $32
(Right) Joby Gorillamobile for iPhone 4 – $37

Is your man a little “green”? Then, check these out:

(Left) Belkin Conserve Valet (charging station) – $40
(Middle) The Bamboo Original (water bottle) – $25
(Right) Koostik – $85 +

Time-teller/music-listener?  Burger flipper?  Beer drinker?  Well then, here ya go:

(Left) HEX Watch Band for iPod Nano Gen 6 – $30
(Middle) Adjustable Burger Press from Williams-Sonoma – $36
(Right) Beer Savers – $7

(Left) Areaware Wooden Bottle Opener – $20
(Middle) Beer: A Genuine Collection of Cans – $14
(Right) Recycled Bike Tube Belltown Card Case – $25

Congratulations to our winner, commenter #125, Eileen!

What you see pictured above is MobiGo, the brand new hand held touch learning system from VTech.  I was sent a MobiGo to check out and talk about here at ParentSphere.  What you read below is completely my opinion.

There is a July 2010 release date for MobiGo (MSRP $60) and it’s going to be a load of interactive fun for your 3 to 8 year old.  My daughter is 4-1/2 and when I introduced MobiGo to her the other day, she was hooked.  She’s at that age where she can follow instructions and has a basic understanding of electronics; in this case, fun, learning activities.  I’m predicting it’s going to be a big hit this holiday season.

MobiGo has a touch screen, much like mom and pop’s smart phone.  The screen slides back (with a smooth transition) to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard to get your son or daughter familiar with using a computer.  I am so digging this.  Here is Hailey playing some games from the Touch and Learn game cartridge:

Using the QWERTY keyboard:

Using the touch screen:

As you can see from the videos, this new hand held learning system is right on par with today’s high-tech gadgets.  A feature included is connecting online to share scores and track progress.  A+ in my book.  That’s what I’m talkin’ about.  I am highly anticipating the other titles (11 to start) soon available for MobiGo.  You can order your MobiGo online at ToysRus, where you can also view a list of the current software titles.

View more images of MobiGo:

We are fortunate enough to be able to offer a brand new VTech MobiGo to one of our readers.

Enter our VTech MobiGo giveaway!

I will choose a winner from the comment section of this post (using Random.org’s number generator) on Friday, June 18th.  Giveaway open until midnight PST (you must be located in the continental US) to enter.

You can do any or all of these things to enter.  That means, you have four chances to enter.

Entry chance option 1:

Leave a comment on this post letting us know if  you own any other VTech products.

Entry chance option 2:

Tweet about this giveaway. Then, come back to this post and leave a comment with the link to your Tweet and your Twitter “handle”. I’ll make this part easy, you can copy and paste the following text for your Tweet (it fits, I checked):

I just entered to win a MobiGo touch learning system from @vtechtoys and @ParentSphere http://bit.ly/cnygMF

(Just make sure you mention @vtechtoys and @ParentSphere in your Tweet!)

Entry chance option 3:

Follow VTechToys on Twitter. Come back to this post and leave a comment letting us know you and VTechToys are Twitter buddies.

Entry chance option 4:

Become a fan of VTech on Facebook. Come back to this post and leave a comment letting us know you’re a fan.

*Make sure each of your entry comments on this post are separate or they will only count as one.  Good luck!

By the way, there are a TON of MobiGo giveaways happening right now.  Just check out the list of sites hosting them on VTech’s Facebook page.   (If you enter any of the other giveaways that request leaving a comment on VTech’s Facebook wall, please note they have a special giveaway discussion board, instead of flooding their wall with giveaway feedback.)

It would be crazy to not let you all know about this Mother’s Day giveaway.

Starting Monday, May 3rd at 8:00 am PST, you can “Tweet” for a chance to win this super cool music system for your house.

Sonos is a “jukebox” type, wireless music system that gives Mom the ability to stream unlimited music – all her favorite songs, albums and artists – from her iTunes library, Rhapsody, Pandora and Sirius to over 25,000 free internet radio stations worldwide, in any room of the house, even outdoors, by the palm of her hand using an iPhone, iPod Touch or touch screen controller.

This is what you need to know in order to enter:

All you have to do to enter is Tweet and include the following hashtags in your tweet: #Sonos #MomRocks So, your tweet could be something like, “My #MomRocks because she brought me into this world” #Sonos“  (That’s mine, so, don’t use it!)   I kid, I kid.

But seriously, get creative and tell everyone why your #MomRocks.  She deserves the recognition.

So, literally, for 140 characters or less, you have a chance to win this prize package worth $2,000:

Four Sonos ZonePlayer S5 (high-performance wireless music system) – one each for FOUR rooms in your house (MSRP $399/ea)

A Sonos ZoneBridge (MSRP $99) (connect the ZoneBridge to your router to instantly activate the SonosNet wireless mesh network)

AND…last but certainly not least, an iPod® touch to wirelessly play and control a world of music all over the house.

Ummm, hello rad giveaway?! Remember, this is NOT a ParentSphere giveaway.  You have to Tweet to enter to win.  No need to comment on this post about entering…BUT you can still comment on how cool this sounds (or how cool it would sound if this system were yours).

Visit: http://www.sonos.com/momrocks for complete details.

You can enter by Tweeting with the above hashtags anytime between: Monday, May 3rd at 8 a.m. PST to Thursday, May 6th at 12 p.m. PST   The winner is going to be notified via Twitter sometime on May 6th.

Why are we telling you about this giveaway?  Simple.  We love music and giveaways like this one.  Heck, we’re going to enter, too!

Now, I’m off to put some new music on my iPod so when I win, I’m all set to rock out anywhere in my house.  ;)

Good luck to all!

Congratulations to our winner, commenter #2 – Melanie!

It’s the digital age and if you don’t own a digital camera, well, your excuse better be that you’re a photographer and you still love going into the dark room.

With the price of digital cameras coming down all of the time, you probably do have one.  If you’re anything like me, you take zillions of pictures and they sit on your computer’s hard drive, a disc or an external drive, collecting electronic dust. (Huh?)

A project has been on my mind for a while to compile a bunch of my photos from over the years and set them out for all to see, especially me, the one who took them!  Unfortunately, a broken digital frame isn’t helping much.

I will soon be able to proudly display my beautiful photos of my girls, scenery, etc. on this ideal digital photo frame.  When the friends and family come over and catch a glimpse of my photos, I can easily print them out with Epson’s PictureMate.

Don’t you think your mother would love to be able to do the same?

Well, here is your chance to treat her or yourself orrrrr….husbands, boyfriends, partners, brothers, daughters, sons (are ya pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down here?) – treat that lovely lady otherwise known as a “mama” to this fabulous compact photo printer and attached digital photo frame.

You can enter to win Epson’s PictureMate Show (pictured above, MSRP $299.99) right here, right now.

I will choose a winner from the comment section of this post (using Random.org’s number generator) on Thursday, May 6th.  You have until midnight PST (you must be located in the continental US) to enter.  Wouldn’t this make an excellent Mother’s Day surprise?!

Here are all of the ways you can enter (pay close attention so you can maximize your chances at winning).

You can do any or all of these things.  That means, you have 1, 2, 3 chances to enter:

Entry chance option 1:

You can leave a comment on this post letting us know how you’re planning to spend your Mother’s Day.  Would you surprise the mama in your life with this printer/frame?  We’d love to know!

Entry chance option 2:

Tweet about this giveaway.  Then, come back here and leave a comment with the link to your Tweet and your Twitter username.  I’ll make this part easy, you can copy and paste the following text for your Tweet (it fits, I checked):

I’m trying to win an @EpsonAmerica photo printer-digital frame for my mom (or myself) @parentsphere : http://bit.ly/c7t87M

Entry chance option 3:

Follow Epson on Twitter.  Come back and leave a comment letting us know you and Epson are Twitter buddies.

*If you plan on taking advantage of all three chances to win, make sure each of your comments are separate.  Don’t post all of your chances in one comment. (Defeats the purpose of having three chances to win, right?)

You can do everything at once or maybe, s p r e a d out your chances a bit and stop back three different days for each of the above entry chances.  ‘Sup to you.  I’m just sayin’

Good luck!

I’ll be back next week to talk about (and show) how I’m using my Epson PictureMate Show.

I have used three different Epson All-in-One printers over the past several years and quite honestly, none of them have failed me.  I have owned and used other name brand printers and they’ve been alright but truthfully, I have preferred the Epson All-in-One printers over anything else that I’ve used.  I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to try them out.

Besides the Epson WorkForce 610, I have used the Epson Stylus CX8400 and the Epson Artisan 800.  All three are considered “all-in-one”, which means they are a printer, scanner, copier and fax machine all in one unit.  The WorkForce and Artisan both have WiFi capability, so you can connect wirelessly.  This is one of my favorite features, as I’m not always in a position to connect the printer directly to my laptop.

I worked on several projects over the holidays and was quite pleased with the WorkForce 610.  My projects printed out quickly and the quality of the print was not compromised.  Although, I do prefer the Artisan over the WorkForce for photo projects.  I also really like these printers because of their ease of use.  They’re sleek and the technology is there.  I believe all of the printers I have mentioned here retail for under $200 (with the use of mail-in or instant rebates).

For you iPhone and iPod Touch users, Epson has an app called “iPrint”.  Print directly from your device to your wireless printer.

If you’re in the market for a new printer, I would recommend checking out the WorkForce 610 or one of the other Epson All-in-One printers.

Graco sent us the imonitor Vibe to try out with our new family member (who was born on 7/8/09).  I’ve been pretty busy with said family member, hence the lack of updates lately.

So far, we’ve been really pleased with the sound quality of this monitor.  I can’t believe that for three and a half years, we dealt with annoying static and occasionally picking up the cry of someone else’s child nearby.  If that doesn’t freak you out, I don’t know what would.

Unless we have the washer or dryer running or someone is upstairs, we can’t even tell the monitor is on.  Before Teagan arrived last month, we were using the imonitor vibe with our 3-1/2 year old.  We could finally hear her sweet little voice with complete clarity.  The monitor vibrates if you want it to and you can turn the volume completely down and still see if your baby or child is making noise by looking at the sound lights on the parent units.

We definitely recommend this monitor.  We’re also fans of other Graco products, such as their playards and booster seats.  In our opinion, you can’t go wrong with Graco products.

Alright, this awesome product was sent to me a while ago and finally, I was able to find some time to actually sit down and check it out.

I have one thing to say.  It rocks.  I needed this kit a looong time ago.  I am happy that I have it now though, that’s for sure.  This is the Roxio Easy VHS to DVD kit and the name speaks for itself.  You can quite easily convert your VHS tapes and camcorder video tapes to DVD.  I did have to purchase a cable to connect my VCR to the connector that comes with the kit, I think it was about $15.

So far, I have transferred some old Disney movies to DVD and I have a ton of old home movies that I need to transfer.  I have been pleased with the results.  I have ordered myself some DVD cases from Amazon.com and Google searched the covers, printed them out and stuck them in with our DVD collection.

I’m pretty anxious to continue working on this project and hopefully get more done before the baby arrives next month…because then, I’ll have many more videos to transfer!

So, check it out.  The kit retails for about $60.  I’m sure if you research a bit, you can find it a bit cheaper.  It’s worth every penny.

Our winner has been notified via email

I fully admit, I am caught up in the prettiness and sleekness of the expensive Apple and Microsoft mp3 players but hey, it is really just about the music, right?  You really don’t have to spend a ton of money on an mp3 player to be able to listen to your favorite tunes.

For instance, the Omnitech mp3 player (pictured above) retails for $39.99.  It’s small, so it’s easy to use while you’re exercising.  If you’re anything like me, occasionally dropping or banging electronic gadgets, you’d be more likely to use something small and lightweight while on the treadmill.  This Omnitech mp3 player fits the bill.  Here are the features:

* MP3 power at a fantastic value
* Available in 2GB (Blue)
* Provides up to eight hours of playback time
* Includes FM radio tuner/recorder along with voice recorder and 1.0” screen for easy viewing and navigating
* Available in Staples retail locations beginning Holiday 2008

Lucky for you or the person you would gift it to, we’re giving one of these Omnitech mp3 players away.

To enter: leave a comment on this giveaway post (comment section is located below the post, under “Category” and “Tags”.  In your entry comment, let us know if you win this mp3 player, if it’s for you or if you will give it as a gift.

A winner will be chosen at random and emailed the day after the giveaway closes.  Last day to enter is Wednesday, December 17, 2008 at midnight PST. Be sure to check your SPAM folder so you don’t miss the email notification.  This post will also be updated with the winner’s name and blog/website (if provided).

Psst: Eric is giving ANOTHER one of these mp3 players away over at CanYouSeeTheSunset.com
Grab some fun Christmas tunes while you’re there to put on your player if you end up winning!

*While you’re waiting to hear if you’ve won, check out Staples “Gift it for Free” sweepstakes going on now until December 24th.  10,000 winners!

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*Take me back to the Holiday Giveaway Guide so I can enter more giveaways!
*Hosting a giveaway or posting a gift guide at your site?  Make sure you link to it on Mr. Linky HERE
*Do you “Twitter“?  We’d just adore you if you would “Tweet” about this giveaway!

Our winners have been notified via email

Where should I begin?  I LOVE this tiny digital camcorder!  I am completely addicted to my Flip Ultra Digital camcorder.  It’s the perfect size that I can tote around with me wherever I go.  I’m always recording something or other (that’s me – total randomness).

I have recorded concert footage and actually received feedback about how excellent the sound and video quality is.  You can record up to an hour of footage on The Flip.  It is so easy to plug in and transfer videos with a few clicks of a button to sites like YouTube, AOL video, Myspace and other websites.  I have been uploading some of my videos straight to NewBaby.com.  Works like a charm every time.

There are three Flip models on the market: The Flip Ultra (pictured above), the Flip Mino and Mino HD (just a tad smaller than the Ultra) The newest model is the Mino HD.  It records in, you guessed it, High Definition.  Ultimately, the features on each model are very similar in comparison (price point varies).

We’re so thrilled to host a giveaway with Flip for TWO Flip Ultra Digital Camcorders (colors vary).

To enter: Fill out the giveaway entry form on this giveaway post and click “SUBMIT”.  If you successfully entered, you should get an auto email response (Check your spam folder).

A winner will be chosen at random and emailed the day after the giveaway closes.  Last day to enter is Friday, December 12, 2008 at midnight PST.  Be sure to check your SPAM folder so you don’t miss the email notification.  This post will also be updated with the winner’s name and blog/website (if provided).

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*Take me back to the Holiday Giveaway Guide so I can enter more giveaways!
*Hosting a giveaway or posting a gift guide at your site?  Make sure you list it HERE
*Do you “Twitter“?  We’d just adore you if you would “Tweet” about this giveaway!