How do I justify all the time I spend on Etsy, the sophisticated and simply brilliant marketplace for hand-crafted goods? If I didn't visit Etsy every day, I wouldn't be able to report back to you on the best shops for buying custom tech goodies. (I'm also certain that my Etsy obsession makes me a better gift giver. Friends and family, if this is not true, please keep it to yourselves.)
Without further ado, my favorite Etsy shops for iPod cozies, laptop wallets, and the like:
(Credit:
iPod Crafts/Etsy)
iPod Crafts
The name says it all. This store sells simple, sweet suede cases for all kinds of iPods, from the iPod Classic to...wait for it... the new 3G Nano. No iPhone/iPod Touch cases yet, but it's probably just a matter of time.
QuietDoing
This shop out of The OC (the county, not the show) sells more than iPod cases, but deserves mention for the sheer marvelousness of its turntable-motif iPod cases. The cases accommodate iPod Classic/5G, but you can have a conversation with the owner to request a custom-sized case for whatever your player.
(Credit:
tinymeat/Etsy)
tinymeat
Looking for a decidedly less-girly iPod case? In the iPod case aisle of the tinymeat shop, you'll find campy and ironic cases that profile monsters, religious symbols, race cars and--my personal favorite--one that proclaims what must be true but few have experienced: Bears are smelly. (Thanks to the Etsy's Most Wonderful Things blog for leading me here.)
Working Class Heroes
Classy, classy, classy. This Austrian shop makes the most subtle and elegantly designed laptop cases I've seen. Other CNET Networks authors love 'em, too.
(Credit:
Janine King Designs/Etsy)
Janine King Designs
No list of Etsy tech shops would be complete without mention of this laptop case mecca. This shop builds custom-sized laptop briefcases, totes, and sleeves in every pattern under the sun.
The deeper I dig on Etsy, the more I find. To find custom tech cozies and cases yourself, try these Etsy tags: iPod, mp3 player, cozy, laptop, and computer. Have you found a secret Etsy tech gem? Leave a comment.
CallWave sends voice mails to your phone
(Credit: CallWave)Speech recognition technologies had a moderate presence at CTIA, and CallWave had one of the biggest announcements with its new Vtxt service. Designed for busy, on-the-go types, Vtxt eliminates the need to scan through long, dull voice mails by sending them to your cell phone. After someone leaves you a voice mail, you'll receive a text message containing the person's name and phone number as well as a summary of the voice mail. The summary is composed using a CallWave-developed algorithm that scans for what it deems as important words, while leaving out any pauses or words like "uh." At present, Vtxt doesn't use live operators to transcribe messages in full but CallWave said that option will be available in the future.
Though we didn't get a live demonstration of Vtxt, we did see an example of a message summary sent to a cell phone. When we compared the summary to the original voice mail, Vtxt did get the important details correct but it had more trouble with proper names. The service still is in a beta testing phase but customers of CallWave's existing products can sign up to try it out. There's nothing to download, instead you just go to the company's Web site and enter your phone number and other information.
We're eager to try Vtxt, especially after CNET's own Rafe Needleman raved about CallWave earlier this year.
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