myLED is a clever light notification system for iPhones and iPads that flashes when you have a missed call, FaceTime call, Skype call, email, Twitter notification or text message, so you know what's going on (well, kind of) without looking at the screen.

The tiny little accessory slots into your headphone jack and you simply pop it in, switch on the myLED app and specify what you'd like to be notified about, whether it's missed calls or emails. You can also customise the flashing lights too, so have it flash for a certain time or select a different pattern for different notifications.

At first we were irritated by the fact it eats up the headphone jack, WHERE WILL ALL OUR MUSICS GO? :(:(:(, but it comes with a headphones clip, so when it's not in use it can be safely stowed away and won't get lost.

The myLED team decided to create the gadget due to the fact light systems work so well with other devices:

"We used to have Blackberrys and got accustomed to the extremely handy notification light. When we migrated to the iPhone and the iPad we felt the devices had a major deficiency in the lack of external notification i.e. to check for missed activities you must switch the screen on. This can be particularly inconvenient, for example when the device is on silent mode such as in the office, at meetings, lectures or when you are in noisy environments.

"From this need we decided to find a better way to get notifications from our iPhones and iPads; so we created myLED."

They're currently seeking funding on Kickstarter and we imagine the quirky and simple light system will be a real hit among some iPhone owners, and of course annoy the hell out of others.

Check out myLed on Kickstarter now.

You can now pre-order Amazon's latest eReader, the super slim Kindle Paperwhite with a built-in light, and although it has similar dimensions to past devices we recommend you get yourself a bright, colour popping case to keep it safe, snug and pretty when you're not reading.

Here's our pick of 10 colourful cases, sleeves and protective skins for your new Kindle baby.

Apple unveiled it's teeny tiny tablet, the iPad Mini, last week and you can already pre-order one from the brand's website. But since you're forking out a fair few pennies for the latest Apple gadget, you'll want to keep it wrapped up safe in one of these new cases designed especially with the palm-sized tablet in mind.

Although we've come across a range of pens that can record audio and notebooks that can transfer your doodles to your computer, no brand has ever produced a gadget that does all of that so easily and effectively as the guys at Livescribe.

The company's pen portfolio to date features a number of different models that can record audio as you take notes and then the software works to sync the two together. This means you can replay speech, transfer both types of file to your computer or just play around with some of Livescribe's cool apps.

This week Livescribe has launched a new pen called Sky, which is the same as its predecessor, the Echo, but it can hook up to your wi-fi network, which makes transferring content and updating software even more seamless.

After you've set-up your new Sky pen and hooked it up with your special Livescribe notebooks (you can't use any old pad with one of these), you get a much more straightforward experience. There's no need to manually sync your content by connecting the pen to your computer, it happens wirelessly and automatically now every hour.

Livescribe has also done away with its previous desktop software and now uses Evernote for everything, which is much easier and great for those who already use the note-taking service religiously already.

The experience is ver similar to the Echo, but easier, quicker and much more streamlined given that everything happens automatically and Evernote is your only port of call for your note-taking activities. It's just a shame the pen is still so chunky, which is fine at first but doesn't seem to be so finger-friendly after a while.

Even if you're not a Livescribe convert yet Sky is relatively easy to get your head around and ideal for taking notes during lectures, presentations and interviews. In fact most members of the Shiny team wouldn't leave the house without one...

2GB, 4GB and 8GB Sky smartpen models will be available to buy in the next month, but we'll get you more detailed pricing and launch date details as soon as we can...

Normally we don't let ourselves venture over to Yanko Design too much because many of the amazing gizmos that are featured are only at the early prototype stages of development. However, the Identity case is available now and it's probably the cutest and most practical accessory we've seen for a while.

The case protects your camera lens with a sliding window, which also has a microfibre surface on the inside to wipe away any dust and residue, allowing you to take the clearest photos possible. There are similar designs on the market but it's just so simple, looks great and is a perfect accessory for mobile photography geeks.

The Identity case is available from iFaceMall for around 22,000원, which is around £13.

[Via Yanko Design]

The highly anticipated iPhone 5 was officially released in stores last week or sent out to those who had been busy pre-ordering online. But now you've got your shiny new handset, how should you dress it up to ensure you keep it looking smart and not getting smashed when you chuck it on the floor?

Well here's our pick of 15 iPhone 5 cases, from the sleek and professional to the loud and silly.

If you have a personal phone AND a business phone it can be a bit of a pain to carry both around with you all the time, then you forget which is which and start drunk calling from the business phone, then you accidentally use the personal phone on a work trip, then you have to claim some calls on expenses, then you try and just use one phone but switch the SIM cards round, then you lose one of them... You get the picture. It's annoying.

Well now a new phone case from quirky gadget retailer thumbsUp! aims to solve all of your SIM-related problems because it allows you to swap between them with the flick of a switch.

To make the magic little case work properly you simply need to slide an adaptor into one of the card slots and then insert your SIM card. There are two compartments and two adapters available for your SIM cards, whether they're standard or micro versions. The durable cover on the outside then slides over both of the SIMs to protect your iPhone against any knocks and scrapes too.

Wojtek Kolan, the Head of Business Development at thumbsUp!, said:

"We're really excited about this product. After talking through the annoyances of having multiple phones for work and personal use, we realised how much easier it would be if you could swap between the two, using only your iPhone. It's an ideal tool for those who hate to feel cut off, and a perfect example of using technology to make life simpler and cheaper!"

The Dual Sim Card Case will be available for the iPhone 4 in September 2012 and will cost around £29.99.

The Samsung Galaxy Note has become one of Britain's, and the worlds, bestselling "Phablets" (a cross between a phone and a tablet). It's outstanding speed and quality make it a tough competitor for phones like the iPhone.

However, no phone, tablet, or phablet in this matter is perfect without its accessories, and we've searched the web to give you the top 5 accessories for the Galaxy Note.

The powerful Samsung Galaxy S3 comes with some very interesting accessories, although as the S3 is still in its early days, the best accessories are most likely to still be in production. Nevertheless, we've scoured the web and brought to you 5 of what we think are the best accessories in everyday use. They have been selected from a range of uses, such as headsets and portable battery chargers.

The S3 has some outstanding features, but nothing makes a phone complete without its accessories. Obviously some accessories may appeal to some and not to others, and so it is recommended that you look around the web after reading this article for a better chance of getting the accessory you most need.

Ten great apps to download onto your Samsung Galaxy S3

It's no secret that we're big fans of Case-Mate's Barely There range here at Shiny Shiny and now the brand has collaborated with designers and launched a bunch of new cases that we just can't peel our eyes away from.

You can check out the whole range of Case-Mate's designer cases over on Amazon (they're all £24.99), but scroll through the gallery below to see our favourites.

Whether your dad always has the new iPhone before you or he had to have his old 3210 prised from his hands, a new phone case would make a simple but useful present come the 17th.

Here's our pick of five practical, tough and unusual phone cases.

We've noticed that more and more lucky iPad owners are throwing caution (and their cases) to the wind and using only a smart cover, screen protector or NOTHING to protect their lovely tablets. This kind of behaviour may be a little risky, but it's totally understandable. Why wrap a gadget designed to be super slim in layers of bulky protection?

But, you'll still need a way to keep your iPad safe when you're carrying it around all day before you get it out and use it nakey the rest of the time, so we've collected together our top 8 ways to keep your gadget safe in style.

Today Logitech has launched a new gesture-enabled mouse called the Logitech Touch Mouse M600.

Set to take on the Microsoft Explorer Touch Mouse and Apple's Magic Mouse, the sleek device has a touch-sensitive top surface, allowing you to swipe and scroll through web pages and image galleries.

The mouse is also designed for ambidextrous use, meaning both left and right handed users can swipe away in comfort, with the left and right mouse buttons easily configured through the bundled software.

Todd Walker, brand manager at Logitech, said:

"People are growing accustomed to using fingertip gestures to navigate on their smartphones and tablets.

"In fact, for many people these gestures have become second nature. The Logitech Touch Mouse M600 reflects this evolution in how we interact with the digital world and extends to the computer what have become natural, intuitive motions."

The Touch Mouse M600 is set to hit Dixons group stores exclusively for a three month period and will cost £59.99.

Although even the toughest cases may keep your phone scratch-free, they're certainly not invincible, and if you're as clumsy as us you end up working your way through them at a rather fast pace. Well now Nissan aims to bring the clever paint technology it uses on some of its cars to a phone case near you, ensuring it stays in pristine condition and can even heal itself if it gets scratched.

The special paint, called Scratch Shield paint, is able to repair any kinds of scratches (we assume this means small scratches and not a massive crack) on its surface within a matter of hours because it's made from polyrotaxane, which reacts to any damage and fills in the gaps.

This Scratch Shield paint has now been added to the exterior of a new iPhone case made from ABS plastic to protect it against scratches, scrapes and falls down the stairs (we've never done that, honest). It also makes the surface better to grip and hold on to as well.

It may sound like some kind of device from the X-Men, but we imagine it's a slow and limited process, meaning you can't whack it with a hammer and expect it to magically reform straight away. However, it's certainly very cool to see technology from the automative industry being used to keep our over-priced gadgets looking lovely.

[Via CNET]

All kinds of brands are increasingly pioneering recyclable products, we particularly love the efforts from shoe companies like Urshuz, but we haven't seen much recyclable tech in the past few years that really impresses us.

Well today we came across these lovely headphones on Springwise and couldn't believe that they're recyclable and look good too. The over-ear headphones, called Noisezero O+ Eco edition, are a collaborative project between designer Michael Young, music tech brand EOps and French online retailer Colette.

Noisezero i+ Eco buds already exist, but these are the first over-ear designs that have been made from cornstarch bio-plastic, stainless steel and aluminium, which are all recyclable materials.

The fancy over-ear headphones with a conscience work with iPhones, iPads and iPads and come with a microphone, remote control and volume buttons too.

Unfortunately they're currently sold out on Colette, but will usually retail for £118.47.

[Via Springwise]

Both Starbucks and Paypal are pioneering new ways to let you pay for food and drink with your mobile phone, many retailers are now allowing you to tap your credit card on a contactless reader rather than entering a pin and the world of tech just can't shut up about NFC technology. So will we all be paying for things with taps, swipes and mobiles rather than cash, cards and PIN numbers very soon?

Well we're really not sure, but we do love the slightly different approach from Watch2pay, because instead of being preoccupied with adding contactless payments to our credit cards and mobile phones, the service gives us that same kind of technology inside a wrist watch.

Developed from a partnership between watch manufacturer LAKS and MasterCard, Watch2pay allows users in the UK to tap their snazzy new watch against a contactless reader, which you'll apparently find in more than 70,000 UK retailers, without the need to hand over cash, a card or even enter a PIN number.

Yes they're very clever, but obviously we're excited about the fact they come in a range of bright and zingy shades too, there are currently eight different colours available and we have our eyes on the red one.

It's hard to say whether the whole contactless payment revolution is going to be groundbreaking or disappointing, especially when a load of colourful watches are at the forefront here in the UK. The safety issue also worries us a bit, so if someone took our watch or phone they'd have access to our wallets? Isn't that the reason PIN numbers were invented? Maybe we're just being a bit old-fashioned and like many we're not willing to part with our wallets and pennies quite yet.

Do you think contactless payment is the way forward or have you got a firm grip on that lovely leather wallet of yours?

The watches are available from Watch2pay for £99.

Now that our smart phone cameras are so advanced (see just how good the iPhone 4S is), it's perfectly acceptable to use your mobile to take good looking photos and tweak them from the palm of your hand.

If you know someone who's constantly asking you to pose then taking mobile snaps and adding filters to their creations with the likes of Instagram, then check out our list of cool phone accessories especially for mobile photography geeks.

Don't think that mobile phone cases are cheap and rubbish Christmas presents. This collection of our favourite designer and high-end iPhone 4 cases proves that tech accessories can be fancy, stylish and unfortunately quite pricey too.

Roxy, the women's line of popular extreme sports brand Quiksilver, has teamed up with Proporta to launch a new range of accessories to keep all of our pricey Apple products safe while we're on the move. We love that all of the cases are bright, fun, but also built to withstand a few knocks and falls, which is in keeping with Roxy's stylish but functional ethos.

Earlier today we wrote a big round-up of our favourite iPad apps for all kinds of note taking, drawing and brainstorming. Although many of them work well if you use your finger tips to type and doodle, a separate stylus or keyboard could make it much easier to get notes and ideas down quickly and easily.

Here are 7 of our favourite iPad accessories, a mix of comfortable styli and compact keyboards.

Related: 7 iPad apps for note taking, drawing and brainstorming