This brand-new ultra compact from Samsung L210 boasts a 2.5 inch LCD display, as well as a 10.2-megapixel sensor with 3x optical zoom. It uses two forms of image stabilization -- both optical and digital -- meaning it's great for those moms who always end up with blurry photos (you know who you are...mom). It also incorporates face recognition technology: This detects the subject's face, automatically adjusting auto focus and auto exposure to ensure better composition and image quality in portraits. All of this is included with 10-megabytes (MB) of internal flash memory, and the ability to record MPEG-4 movies. Oh, and it comes in a variety of mom-friendly colors, including red, black, pink, and silver.

Mother's Day is upon us, and that means it's time to pay tribute and show love to those that passed us through their birth canals. URLesque has compiled their list of the 20 best moms on the web, pulling piles of wonderful videos from YouTube.

Our favorites include the wheelchair bound granny with a submachine gun (above) and the mom who "breaks" her son's arm (Moms can be bad ass). We also love the completely emasculating video of the mohawked kid getting his thrash on when his mother interrupts to offer him an egg sandwich and give him a kiss. Adorable.

Check the out the rest of the list here. [Source: URLesque]

According to a recent Consumer Reports survey, Apple took the top spot for "technical support offered by computer makers" -- for both laptop and desktop support. The feedback came from owners of more than 4,500 laptops and almost 5,600 desktops computers who contacted manufacturer with technical difficulties.

On the 100 point scale, Apple scored an 83 in the laptop survey and an 81 on the desktop side -- both of which translate to "more than very satisfied"; according to Consumer Reports, Apple was the only manufacturer to top 80 in either category, beating out Lenovo, Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, Sony and HP.

A large part of Apple's success came from the on-site service that customers receive when visiting Apple stores: Genius Bar staff provided "the best troubleshooting by far," according to the report, solving problems 90 percent of the time. "The only drawback is if you're living somewhere that there isn't a store close by or if you're in a big city where the Genius Bar is likely to be really crowded," said Donna Tapellini, associate editor at Consumer Reports.

And while there's still room for improvement at Apple, which limits its phone-based tech support to 90 days, they're fixing ass and taking names. "Apple should continue to build out the store infrastructure," Gartenberg added. "And they should continue to invest in customer training. They're doing many of these things in the store at little or no cost. Apple is becoming the Nordstrom of customer service in terms of technology."

Which actually makes us think Apple could actually sell designer jeans, and people would buy them. Apple Bottoms, perhaps? [Source: MacWorld]

Okay, so the all-singing, all-dancing iPod is great for many things: Listening to music, watching movies, and ... well, that's kinda it, actually. But, like any social phenomenon, the iPod has had its fair share of exploitation by various corporate hangers-on.

So the folks at Cracked have compiled a list of the least useful iPod accessories money can (but really shouldn't) buy, ranging from an iPod breathalyzer to a hyper-uglifying bulletproof iPod case. But the worst bang for our collective buck? It's a toss-up between the SongThong (pictured above), which was seemingly designed solely on account of the fact that the names rhymed, and the PodShave/PodShaveLady, which was designed solely on account of some designer's deep psychological delusions. Cracked succinctly summarizes the device for us:

"Great for morons and camping enthusiasts, the PodShave and PodShaveLady are electric razor attachments that utilize your iPod's battery. It costs $41.05, and supposedly can both suck up your stubble as it shaves it off, and allow you to listen to your music as you shave."

If someone gives you any of these as a gift, immediately disavow them as friends and move on with your life.
[Source: Cracked]

Before technology allowed people to communicate so effortlessly, the act of breaking up over the phone was considered too impersonal. Compared to the ways that people end their relationships now, a call almost seems polite. Whether it's because of a desire to make things public or just to cop out to avoid an awkward meeting, lovers young and old are using technology to break the news. Here at Switched, we dug up some of the harshest ways that tech-enabled breakups have been executed. Read on and you'll laugh, cringe and hope this never happens to you.


1. Rant and rave on YouTube

Few divorces are ever settled amicably, but even fewer have been detailed on YouTube for the world to witness by an angry wife. Such is the reason that the videos by Tricia Walsh-Smith created an Internet buzz covered by both blogs and mainstream media. Within the last few weeks, Walsh-Smith, 54, published two clips discussing her split with hubby Philip Smith, 77. The videos contained intimate details about their marriage and split. Unfortunately for her, she'll have to find a new place to film – a judge ruled that she can no longer make her videos in the apartment she shared with her soon-to-be ex.

Aside from buying a ring, asking her father's permission, and stressing over her answer, one of the hardest parts of a marriage proposal for a man is coming up with a unique way to do it. Luckily, technology offers up a slew of options and -- starting below -- we recount the tales of eight creatively geeky guys who found new ways to pop the question. If you're the sentimental type, now's the time to break out the Kleenex.


So There Are Rewards for Playing Video Games

Knowing your girlfriend's favorite hobbies is a great start for planning a proposal. For Bernie Peng, that meant using the game 'Bejeweled' to ask Tammy Li to marry him. Peng, a financial software programmer, spent a month tweaking the game so when Li reached a certain score, a ring and the proposal popped up on the screen. We know what you're thinking, and so does Peng – "I thought it was pretty cool, in a nerdy way," he said. Fortunately for him, she said yes.

We already knew that people love uploading pictures of their pets online, but we had no idea how many gadgets and toys are available for our animal friends. From the bizarre to the practical, there's tons of tech out there that's designed to benefit owners and the pets themselves. Check out our list of some of the best gadgets available for pets, because it's time to stop spoiling ourselves with shiny new toys and treat our little companions instead.

GoDogGo! Automatic Fetch Machine

Busy. Tired. Neglectful. Whatever you are, sometimes you just can't play fetch with your dog. Unless, of course, you pick up the automated fetch machine, GoDogGo! Take this gadget, load it up with tennis balls -- six of which are included -- and start firing away. You can manually fire the balls or set them to launch automatically every 7 or 15 seconds between 15 and 30 feet. Set it up in your yard with the included AC adapter or run it at the park with six D batteries, and you'll have an easy, lazy solution to playing with your "best friend."

We already knew that people love uploading pictures of their pets online, but we had no idea how many gadgets and toys are available for our animal friends. From the bizarre to the practical, there's tons of tech out there that's designed to benefit owners and the pets themselves. Check out our list of some of the best gadgets available for pets, because it's time to stop spoiling ourselves with shiny new toys and treat our little companions instead.

GoDogGo! Automatic Fetch Machine

Busy. Tired. Neglectful. Whatever you are, sometimes you just can't play fetch with your dog. Unless, of course, you pick up the automated fetch machine, GoDogGo! Take this gadget, load it up with tennis balls -- six of which are included -- and start firing away. You can manually fire the balls or set them to launch automatically every 7 or 15 seconds between 15 and 30 feet. Set it up in your yard with the included AC adapter or run it at the park with six D batteries, and you'll have an easy, lazy solution to playing with your "best friend."

Grandmas get Boca Raton, but most gadgets aren't fortunate enough to live out their last days in the sun. According to the EPA, those electronics that don't rest in peace (or pieces) at the bottom of a drawer end up cramped in a landfill with the other 4.6 million tons of electronic waste that are dumped each year. Fortunately, there's a home for most any device to expire with dignity.


Computers

Most of the major computer manufacturers offer a recycling program for their own systems -- as well as their competitor's systems -- through their Web sites. At ComputerTakeBack.com, you can see each plan spelled out alongside any sweet trade-in incentives that manufacturers, and even some retailers, are offering. Just be sure to thoroughly erase the data on your hard drive, though.

With its relatively simple, intuitive tools, the Nintendo Wii's create-an-avatar feature has been a hit, spawning countless spoofs and homages, including our personal favorite, The Mii Lebowski.

Now the fine slobs over at Slobs of Gaming have compiled a Mii "Best of" list, which includes Nintendo-fied renditions of such celebrities as Tom Selleck, one of the 'Star Wars' Storm Troopers, and Jesus H. Christ.

They're all pretty spot-on, except for Barack Obama, who looks more like Bryant Gumbel.

Welcome to 2008, where the Mii face is the new O face. [Source: Slobs of Gaming]

1. Lolcats
Lolcats are funny pictures of cats doing dumb things with broken, misspelled English captions placed over them. The result is often hilarious, such as a cat jumping out of a toilet with the following caption: "I'M IN UR TOILET USIN' UR FACILITIES." The central hub for all things lolcat, icanhascheezburger.com, is currently enjoying a resurgence of popularity after a few months of hype-trend-overload. The site has been online for two years and now includes a constellation of sites for lolcats, loldogs and political lolz -- the same thing, but for dogs and politicians. If you're wondering how to make your own Lolcat, which is as simple as taking a goofy picture of your cat, adding a caption, and uploading it here, then check out the site's "wiki" tutorial designed to help people learn lolspeak, the broken English used on the site. The site also has a "lolz builder," which allows you to create your own lol-based-image with minimal effort and no software (they even supply pictures for you to caption). This means that there are new lolz posted all the time, which makes Lolcats the ultimate place to go for hilarious cat humor.

Nowhere is the phrase "there's a sucker born every minute" given more credence than on the Internet. Hoaxes, scams, and pranks abound in cyberspace due to anonymity and the fact that there are lots of gullible people out there. To celebrate April Fool's Day, we present some of the more bizarre incidents where people were duped into actually doing something because of what they read online. Some are sad, some hilarious, and all of them will leave you shaking your head, wondering how people are so easily deceived.

Everything Must Go

Last week, a farmer's house was cleaned out after Craigslist ads said that all his possessions were being offered up for free. The man lost thousands of dollars worth of his stuff, and, unfortunately, this isn't the only incident of its kind. Last year, a woman's niece posted a similar ad, which led to people stripping everything from the aunt's empty apartment, including light fixtures. And recently, someone tried the same thing on a Massachusetts family, but they happened to be home when the gatherers arrived.

Tech Digest has posted a list of the most irritating songs ever according to a One Poll survey of 5,000 people. The survey was global... but seeing how the results tend to be UK pop hits we can only deduce that the survey is overrun by the Brits.

Sure, the list includes classic American annoyances like 'Mmm Bop' and globally irritating songs such as 'My Heart Will Go On,' but the majority of the list includes tracks most Americans would be unfamiliar with -- 'Mr. Blobby'? 'Birdie Song'? Even James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful' didn't make nearly as big a dent here as it did in the UK.

Before skipping over to Tech Digest for the rest of the list, here are some suggestions that our US readers might be more familiar with:

Baha Men - Who Let the Dogs Out
We're convinced this song is written by Osama Bin Laden himself. The chanting, the barking, the grating cartoon backing track. This song is the ultimate in aural war fare.

Lou Bega - Mambo No. 5
Americans seem to find Latin-flavored dance music irresistible when wrapped in a bubbly, exaggerated, painfully safe package.

Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney - The Girl is Mine
One formerly great artist, and one artist at the top of his game. Together? Crap. Absolute crap. Whats with the spoken word bits? What were these two thinking? The doggone girl is not going anywhere near you Michael.

Creed - With Arms Wide Open
Do we really need to explain this? Take one lousy Pearl Jam rip off band, add one egomaniacal Eddie Vedder rip off. Then write a song about conceiving a child. The world certainly doesn't need histrionics like this anymore.

Uncle Kracker - Follow Me
Kid Rock hanger-on, Uncle Kracker, was annoying enough just based on his association with said rap-rocker. Then he had to release a saccharine-sweet tune about convincing someone to cheat on her significant other. Nice. Real nice.

From Tech Digest

Related links:

• The Scariest Google Street Views
• New Services for Finding New Music
• The Switched Questionnaire: Hanson

Most of the time, our gadgets are our friends. But occasionally, due to manufacturer screw-ups, faulty parts, or user incompetence, they can turn on us in events that can be scary, tragic, and, at times, hilarious. Here, Switched presents a list of gadgets and how their evil ways are wreaking havoc on unsuspecting victims.



iPods kick out the jams -- and the flames!

Obviously one of the most popular gadgets around, the iPod was due for some problems. A string of incidents occurred with the nano's battery catching fire, including an airport worker whose pants caught on fire. This malfunction most likely occurs because of the lithium-ion battery in the first-generation devices, and now the Japanese government is ordering Apple to investigate the problem. More recently, Engadget received blurry photos showing two iPod Touch players that allegedly caught on fire. We're still not sure what's up, but if your iPod feels hot, be careful.