Meet Animal. He loves to eat and sleep. His snore is louder than my husbands.

This year Animal turns 11. While he still manages to scare people with his burly looks, he really is a softy (that sheds).

Earlier this year, I wrote about the awesomeness of Google Voice. I have now been using Google Voice for about 9 months now and still heart it.

Google has just announced it is opening the flood gates and letting the masses in! You no longer need a Google Voice invite -- it’s free for all!

Hop over to Google Voice- get your FREE account and give it a whirl.

What do you think of Google voice?

Let’s talk eReaders.. Do you own one?

Forrester projected that the $150 price point would jump start e-reader sales. That price is just about here.

Yankee Group estimates that 6 million e-readers will be sold in 2010. By 2013, 19.2 million e-reader units will be sold a year. Wondering if that includes iPad sales. As of June 2010, it is projected that 2 MILLION iPads have been sold. crazy.

Anywhoo… in talking price, let’s talk fairy tale…

There once was an eReader called the Kindle. It was released by a company named Amazon, who controls the online ecommerce-land . It provided you a black and white way to read digitally.

Seeing the direction of publishing, a brick and mortar retailer named Barnes and Noble developed an eReader called the Nook. The Nook was pretty. People liked the Nook because it wasn’t the Kindle and it looked shinier.

Then one day, the all mighty brand above all brands named Apple decided that it wasn’t going to miss out on opportunity in the new digital publishing frontier. Apple waived their magic wand and produced a more than an eReader product called the iPad. With a silly name, a fancy setup and a high price – Apple was sure to beat up its competition (mainly Kindle and Nook).

OH NO! What to do! Amazon and Barnes and Noble had no choice. They must fight to win and since they can’t produce a shiny product like Apple – they can win by lowering the price on their products.

So just in time, before Apple launches a new product into the market place, Kindle and Nook went down in price.

Kindle vs Nook

Kindle

Original Price: $259

Kindle Specs:

• Display: 6″ diagonal E Ink® electronic paper display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 16-level gray scale.
• Size (in inches): 8″ x 5.3″ x 0.36″.
• Weight: 10.2 ounces.
• System requirements: None, because it doesn’t require a computer.
• Storage: 2GB internal (approximately 1.4GB available for user content).
• Battery Life: Read on a single charge for up to 4 days with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to two weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content. In low coverage areas or in 1xRTT only coverage, wireless usage will consume battery power more quickly.
• Charge Time: Fully charges in approximately 4 hours and supports charging from your computer via the included USB 2.0 cable.
• Connectivity: EVDO modem with fallback to 1xRTT; utilizes Amazon Whispernet to provide U.S wireless coverage via Sprint’s 3G high-speed data network. Check our wireless coverage map for availability. This expanded coverage is only available for Kindle. See Wireless Terms and Conditions.
• USB Port: USB 2.0 (micro-B connector) for connection to the Kindle power adapter or optionally to connect to a PC or Macintosh computer.
• Audio: 3.5mm stereo audio jack, rear-mounted stereo speakers.
• Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), TXT, Audible (formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; PDF, HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.
• Included Accessories: Power adapter, USB 2.0 cable, rechargeable battery. Book cover sold separately.
• Documentation: Quick Start Guide (included in box) [PDF]; Kindle User’s Guide (pre-installed on device) [PDF].
• Warranty and Service: 1 year limited warranty and service included. Optional 2 year Extended Warranty sold separately.

Specs provided by Amazon.com

Nook

Original Price: $259

NEW Price: $199 for the Nook 3G and just released – WiFi for $149 (thanks AGAIN Apple!)

Nook Specs:

Height: 7.7 inches

• Width: 4.9 inches
• Weight: 12.1 ounces (343 grams)
• Display: 3.5 inch color touchscreen LCD with one touch control and navigation and E ink Vizplex electronic paper display reads like the printed page
• Connectivity: Free wireless from Barnes & Noble via AT&T, the nation’s fastest 3G network; Wi-Fi ( 802.11 b/g); Free Wi-Fi in all Barnes & Noble stores.
• Storage: 2GB (approximately 1500 eBooks), and expandable microSD slot
• Audio: MP3 player , holds 26 hours of audio; Built-in mono speaker; Universal 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack
• Battery Life: Read up to 10 days
• Battery: Installed Rechargable battery.
• Charging time: 3.5 hours from wall outlet, Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter.
• Supports: EPUB, PDB, PDF, EPUB (Non or Adobe DRM), PDB (Non DRM), PDF
• Graphics: JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP

Specs provided by Barnes & Noble

Which eReader do you like and why? (I still choose the iPad. It’s an eReader, plus more. I SO want to play Words with Friends on it!)

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. ~Phyllis Diller

This week’s theme is “BABIES”. Who doesn’t love a darling little new face.

From Bargain Mama

Subscribe to Popular Photography Magazine for a year – and it will only cost you $4! Yes, that’s right, get the latest and greatest in photography news, camera reviews, inspiring images and how-to’s – for 4 bucks.

To get this great deal on Popular Photography Magazine:

• Visit Discount Magazines
• Add Popular Photography Magazine to your cart
• Use code: 1512 on the basket screen and you will see the $4 subscription fee

Ready to take better pictures? Want to buy smart, when it comes to digital and film cameras, lenses, printers, and other essential gear? Popular Photography & Imaging is packed with great photos, how-to tips, lab tests of the latest equipment, and expert advice on getting the most out of every shot.

This week at I Heart Faces, the challenge is PLAY.

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both.” -- James A. Michener 

The importance of PLAY slapped me in the face while hearing Kevin Carroll speak at Blissdom. Kevin is an author, speaker and all-around awesome dude. His story is one that will make you cry because of sadness -- and then out of happiness. If you ever get the opportunity to hear him speak live, DO IT. Until then, you can watch Kevin online:

Check out additional I Heart Faces photos on "PLAY".

Google TV is a new experience made for television that combines the TV you know and love with the freedom and power of the Internet. Watch an overview video below, sign up for updates, and learn more about how to develop for Google TV.

Coming soon to a telly near you -- GOOGLE TV! Google TV will enable your television, thru a internet-ready television or an appliance type device to watch anything on the web -- on your TV. Better yet, Google Chrome will be built-in letting you surf the web -- all while watching the latest and greatest from the web.

Your television is also no longer confined to showing just video. With the entire Internet in your living room, your TV becomes more than a TV — it can be a photo slideshow viewer, a gaming console, a music player and much more.

Do you know how stinking cool this is? We currently use our PS3 as a media server. We can surf and watch videos -- but it isn’t user friendly and the average joe would not know how to use our setup.

While this is possibly a knock-off of Tivo -- Google will prevail. And even if they don’t -- it will surely knock down the price of Tivo.

How Much Will a Google TV Device Cost?

Google TV is rumored to cost around the $200 price-point. Considering how much we blow each month on our cable bill -- I’m looking forward to purchasing a Google TV device and saying ADIOS to the cable company.

When Will Google TV Launch?

An official launch date hasn’t been announced -- but it’s looking like Google TV will be here in time for the holiday shopping season. (Adding to my Christmas list — hey it’s never to early to start that!)

Leave it to Google and it’s brillance to launch the next new new thing.

Read more on Google TV

Wrinkled newborn feet – just minutes after being introduced to the world. So soft and untouched.

Over the years these feet will walk thousands of miles, but my kid will have shoes.

Consider donating a pair of shoes to Soles4Souls. They give soles to souls.

Barefoot Week at I Heart Faces!

To all those who loved the original Nintendo and the pixel art it introduced us to, watch this. Here’s an 11-minute documentary exploring the merits and impact of pixel art, animation and chiptune music.

Interviews with: 
Jason Rohrer, Joe Brumm and Alex Yabsley

By Simon Cottee

Mainstream radio in my car is a thing of the past. I always have my iPhone plugged in and listening to either tunes on from the iPod or Pandora. So when I saw that Pioneer is putting Pandora functionality into cars, I couldn’t help but smile. It looks like there is still some work to do, as you still have to have an iPhone – but this is one step closer to internet radio in your car rather than the typical FM airwaves.

Pioneer is taking a big step in bridging the two landmasses of Internet radio and vehicle entertainment. By utilizing a free iPhone app, Pandora Link, the company is bringing Pandora to two of its latest systems, the Pioneer AVIC-Z120BT and AVIC-X920BT navigation systems. Simply run the app and connect the iPhone to head unit with the USB cable; the in-dash radio system will then displays all of Pandora’s trademark functions like thumbs up and thumbs down formatted in Pioneer’s great-looking interface.

Read the full article on Tech Crunch