Virtual pinboard community Pinterest has really taken off over the past few weeks. If you haven't heard of it, been sent an invite or seen 473,589,476 updates about it on Twitter, then it's a visual inspiration and curation website where you can "pin" content to virtual boards. Yes, there are similar concepts out there, but something about it just makes it really easy-to-use and simple to manage.

As more and more users sign up to Pinterest, many are beginning to question what it's really for and how the majority of the community are using it. The general consensus is that it's more popular among women, meaning an abundance of crafty, cute and kitten-related photos. Although we'd argue that it can be used for much more than that, this stereotype means that a new content curation tool has emerged to give men a much more masculine alternative, called Gentlemint. Yes, really.

On a basic level Gentlemint is very much like Pinterest, you post content, add comments, like other people's images and can share everything to Facebook and Twitter too. However, the key difference is the content you're encouraged to share, which is all stereotypically very manly.

There isn't a check on your gender when you sign up (that'd be a huge pain to enforce), but the front page is full of (supposedly) manly things, like cars, fighting and lots of moustaches.

It's not like anything seen to be overtly 'girly' is banned, but the creators want you to share certain kinds of content. One of the site's co-founder's Glen Stansberry told Mashable:

"It really has less to do with being a male or female, or kittens or bacon, and more to do with encouraging users to add stuff around that theme."

We wonder whether encouraging users to behave in a certain way will lead to a dedicated and active community or whether it'll just make them really frustrated?

But here's a newsflash, guys can use Pinterest too you know. We checked. It doesn't have to have a moustache on it to make it manly. We're not sure whether we're taking this too seriously and should just see it as a fun site, because in many ways it really is. But many are now saying Pinterest is for girls and Gentlemint is for guys and that seems a bit too much doesn't it? Doesn't it?

At the moment the community just exists online at Gentlemint.com, but according to Mashable, iOS and Android apps are on the cards for the future. If you fancy signing up and adding all of your favourite masculine snaps, then you do have to request an invite, but they seem to be arriving in inboxes pretty quickly.

[Via Mashable]

Yes it's a total cliche to feel a bit blue in January, but what can we say, it's hit us hard. Whether it's the gloomy weather here in London, the post-CES comedown or the agressive commuters that elbow-barge us into oncoming traffic, we're all a bit down and need some picking up.

So here are some of our favourite gadgets, accessories and neat little tech tips that should (hopefully) lift your mood just a little because they're colourful, practical or just plain silly.

Ahh Pinterest, we've professed our love for the quirky virtual pin board website many times in the past, but over the last few weeks it's gained a huge following very very quickly.

It's always had a fairly active community, but now everyone (and we mean everyone) has woken up to the site. If you don't believe us, then log into that Pinterest account you registered then swiftly abandoned a few months back and we bet you've had a sudden influx of new followers, despite the fact you have no idea what 'pinning' really is.

There's been a lot of speculation about why Pinterest has become such a big hit, but whether it's due to the fact it's been featured on a tonne of "networks to try in the new year" lists, because the site has started giving out more invites, or everyone's decided to follow our social media resolutions for 2012 (we know this is the real reason), there's no hiding from it.

What is it?

Pinterest is best described as a "virtual pinboard", so you collect content you've found from across the web and then "pin" it to different boards. You can create as many different boards as you like (like say "Tattoos" or "Travel), attach as many pins as you want to them and then browse the boards of others.

Why does it rock?

The 'Pin It' button that you can add to your browser makes pinning all kinds of images and photo content really easy. Once you've done it for a few days it'll come as second nature when you see anything that interests or inspires you.

You can use it however you please. Even though many non-users make fun of Pinterest for being all about cute things and crafts, there are really no limits to how you can use it, and as more and more users sign up, the content added by the whole community gets even more diverse.

It's so easy to re-pin content that others have uploaded. Although we wouldn't advise you only re-publish images from other people, Pinterest makes it so easy to share among the community.

You can tag, like and comment among the community, which makes it a great place to share ideas, find relevant content and make connections with those who have similar interests.

It has a simple and intuitive interface, which puts great looking content at the centre of the site and doesn't waste any space or fuss on unnecessary details.

How do I get started?

It's pretty simple, which is another reason we think it's just so awesome. Once you've signed up for an account, added your details and uploaded a photo, you need to start making boards.

To add boards, simply click "add" in the top right hand corner and go to "create a board". This is where you can give your board a name, a category and then decide whether it's just you who can pin to it or other contributors.

To add pins you need the "Pin It" button and then as soon as you see an image you want to pin you simply press that, select the right image, select the right board, add some tags and then decide whether you want to share it with your Facebook or Twitter followers.

To find the right images, it's best to name boards and tag pins in an explicit way. However, sometimes a board called "Eats & Treats" is much more fun than one just called "Desserts".

To search for content or people, use the "search" bar in the top left hand corner and you can find other users, pins and you can even search within your own pins too.

Related: Pinterest: Is it just full of crafts, cookies and kittens?

From research papers, new companies and industry rumours, we always knew 2012 was going to be a big year for fitness gadgets and technology that gives us the power to take control of our own health in a way we've never quite experienced before. Here at Shiny Media we've even set up a dedicated sister site called Connected Health, focused on exploring ways we can monitor our well-being and live happier, healthier lives. What a lovely vision.

But the big question is, are any of these products really innovative or are they just jumping on the "improve your life" bandwagon?

Well, here's our pick of the ten best health and fitness gadgets of 2012 so far that we think are more than just faddy gizmos. We've seen a few at CES, we've only heard rumours about the others, but they could well shape the way we view our personal health and fitness over the next twelve months.

1. The Basis health and heart rate monitor

From the Jawbone UP bracelet to the Fitbit, we've come across all kinds of monitoring devices in recent months that promise to give users detailed stats about their health and fitness.

The Basis works on that same kind of principle, but its watch design would make it much more practical for most users and the simple interface you use to look through your data is the cleanest and most intuitive we've seen so far.

Check out our video demo of the Basis watch and its computer dashboard from CES 2012.

2. Striiv pedometer gadget

Striiv is a cute little device, which is being billed as a handy personal trainer for your pocket. It takes the features of a basic pedometer and builds on them to create a device that gives you all kinds of readings about how much you move during the day.

As you'd expect, it's a small gadget that you attach to your belt and has a colour screen, which not only allows you to track your steps, but lets you play games and encourages you to be more active along the way.

To find out more about the device, check out the post Striiv - a pedometer on steroids over on Connected Health.

3. Ideal Life's connected health system for the home

Ideal Life's booth at CES was less about a specific gadget and much more focused on how to integrate a connected health system into your home.

Primarily devised for those already living with a medical condition, Ideal Life's products and services allow you to use gadgets, like pedometers and blood monitoring devices in your home. These gadgets then send the readings that are taken throughout the day to a dedicated patient portal, where users can monitor them. This data is also accessible via a clinical area, where medical professionals can keep a close eye on their patients too.

Check out our video demo of Ideal Life's connected health home system from CES last week.

4. STMicroelectronics' smart suit prototype

STMicroelectronics has recently unveiled a new kind of smart suit technology with sewn in sensors that track movements and turn them into a digital model. It all sounds a bit sci-fi, but the technology used in the suit could help to improve outcomes in clinical and sports medicine applications. The technology is still in the early stages of development at the moment, but watch this space for Tron-style light suits over the next year.

5. Valencell's fitness monitoring in-ear device

We've seen a number of new gadgets that utilise in-ear technology to give users the best readings recently, and at CES we came across Valencell, a company which aims to give you a better workout by providing you with detailed health and fitness data from within your ear.

Valencell's technology currently exists in small earbuds that contain sensors to collect important data, which is then delivered back to a mobile device.

Check out our chat with one of the Valencell team about the in-ear technology and how it could evolve in the future.

6. The Fitbit ecosystem

At CES last week we had a demo of Fitbit's new Aria scales, which give you accurate information about your weight, body fat and BMI. Although the scales are pretty cool, it's the ecosystem Fitbit is building up around its products that we're particularly interested in. Now you can track everything you do with the Fitbit Ultra and then see your results with the Aria scales, as well as share everything among friends, set challenges and store all of your data. So the devices themselves are certainly interesting, but its the way everything connects together that we think will make Fitbit a big player in the health and fitness arena in 2012.

7. Qualcomm AliveCor iPhone ECG device

This ECG mobile device from AliveCor has been making the headlines recently because it was used to save someone's life on a flight. Despite the circumstances, that's a pretty brilliant testament to just how well it can detect heart problems.

We spoke to one of the AliveCor team at CES, who explained the basics behind the technology and how it was used to diagnose someone in the real world.

8. Iqua Beat fitness gadget

Like the Valencell earbuds, the Iqua Beat tracks your exercise and fitness through little buds in your ears. We particularly love the fact that the device comes with a way to answer calls and intuitively skip music tracks with a simple swipe. It's less of a ground-breaking device and more of a handy gadget for fitness fanatics ho want to know more about their workouts.

Check out our video demo of the Iqua Beat from CES last week over on Connected Health.

9. Wahoo Fitness Bluetooth heart rate strap

Although many devices measure your heart rate, this strap from Wahoo claims to be the world's first Bluetooth Smart heart rate strap made for the iPhone 4S (and also other Bluetooth Smart Ready devices). It's also pretty clever because it works with a range of different fitness apps too, like RunKeeper and MapMyRide.

10. BodyMedia's adhesive patch

BodyMedia already has a new personal health system and part of it consists of an adhesive patch, which when placed on the skin can be left for several days to record as many as 500 data points each minute including calories burned, steps taken, activity levels, and sleep pattern.

Although BodyMedia's system looks great as a whole, we're interested to see whether an adhesive patch is more or less convenient than the straps, watches, clothing devices and ear buds we've seen from other companies.

Day two of CES 2012 is in full swing in Las Vegas now, with more gadgetry goodness pouring in. The UK Tech Digest team is rolling in for the night, but before we do that, here's a round up of all today's big CES stories.

Shiny Shiny will be continuing to post Stateside through the night, so be sure to keep a track of their findings from the show floor, as well as the constant stream of updated CES video content hitting our YouTube channel! Also, be sure to check out yesterday's round-up for all the pre-show and day one news!

Dell will try again with tablets in 2012

Can they learn from the disastrous mistakes they made with the Dell Streak?

JVC announces GY-HMQ10, world's first 4K camcorder

Ultra-high definition recording is no longer the reserve of Hollywood!

Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 mobile chips more powerful than Xbox 360

Another blow for dedicated handheld gaming devices.

Griffin turn your iPad into a music studio with StudioConnect

Because all the best songs are written on the road.

Panasonic's VT50 plasma is the 3DTV to save the pennies for

Probably the best plasma screen TV in the world today.

Parrot Starck Zik NFC headphones launched

Do you really need NFC tech in your headphones? The answer is yes. Yes you do.

Polaroid SC1630 - Is it a camera? Is it an Android phone?

Half Android, half camera. If my maths are correct, it all rests on whether it's half smartphone too...

VIDEO: Razer Project Fiona is a gaming tablet with controller handles

The maddest CES 2012 launch so far, and definitely one to keep gamers happy.

VIDEO: Lenovo IdeaCenter A720 All-In-One hands-on

Giant transforming touchscreen PC heading to a tabletop near you soon.

VIDEO: Lenovo IdeaPad YOGA hands-on

More flexible than a contortionist made of Play-Doh.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

As well as announcing the ThinkPad Yoga device, at CES this week Lenovo also shared its IdeaCentre A720 All-in-One PC with us, an all-singing-all-dancing desktop computer that's slim, light AND can lay flat like a huge tablet. Hmm you weren't expecting that last bit were you?!

Measuring 27 inches diagonally, it packs in a Core-i7 Sandy Bridge CPU, 8GB of RAM, up to 1.8TB of storage space (with SSD options), a 2GB discrete graphics card and a Blu-ray drive. Just like the Yoga tablet, the IdeaCentre A720 also supports ten-finger multi-touch and it's got a full HD screen at 1920 by 1200 pixels.

However, the A720 is also super flexible and it can stand tall like a regular all-in-one desktop machine, or it can be folded flat and used as a massive tabletop tablet device.

We got the chance to see a product demo of the IdeaCentre A720 with one of the team at Lenovo's Aquaknox suite, which really showed off the device's intuitive multi-touch screen and cool flexible design.

Shiny Shiny is attending CES as part of a press trip organised by Lenovo, (but just so you know, we only write about products that we think are genuinely awesome).

During the Lenovo press conference yesterday at CES, the brand unveiled one of its most innovative products yet, the IdeaPad Yoga, a tablet/ultrabook hybrid which aims to bend, twist and flex its way into our business and personal lives.

The IdeaPad Yoga has a a 360 degree flip-and-fold design, which gives you a portable and easy to use 13.3" multi-touch tablet with the high standard of functionality you'd expect from an ultrabook.

We got the chance to see a product demo of the IdeaPad Yoga with one of the Lenovo team before playing around with the clever computer ourselves, take a look at its four different modes (or the yoga positions its perfected), the tablet, notebook, stand and tent. That's one supple and talented little gadget.

Shiny Shiny is attending CES as part of a press trip organised by Lenovo, (but just so you know, we only write about products that we think are genuinely awesome).

Hello Shiny Shiny readers, sorry it's been a bit quiet over here, but there's a good excuse. I promise. On Sunday I travelled to Las Vegas for the annual CES (Consumer Electronics Show), a massive trade event with lots of new product announcements, hands-on time with the latest gadgets, keynote speeches from big names in the industry and even a few celebrities thrown in for good measure.

So on Sunday night after a few long fights, a bit of time in Philadelphia for manic transferring and tonnes of cheesy romcoms on the plane, I arrived in Las Vegas. I'm staying at the big and very 'pirate-y' Treasure Island hotel and as it's my first time in Las Vegas the bright lights, crazy performances, replicas of monuments and 7am gamblers have me a bit overwhelmed.

But don't worry there's plenty of interesting things to come here on Shiny Shiny over the next week. As the lovely people at Lenovo brought me out to Las Vegas and have given me a great opportunity to speak with the brand's CMO David Roman, get hands-on demos and access to a very exciting press conference, I'll have lots of exclusive videos and sneak peeks at some of Lenovo's new gadgets and announcements over the next few days. Then, towards the end of the week expect hands-on reviews and news from the main CES floor, covering demos of new products from big brands to quirky smaller gadgets that we know will get Shiny Shiny readers excited about the year ahead in tech. On that note, if there's anything you'd like me to take a look at, review and make a demo about, then let me know in the comments section below and I'll go check it out for you.

And last but not least, in true Shiny Shiny style I'm documenting the trip in Instagram photos, so follow @shinyshiny and @beccacaddy on Twitter for more snaps of Las Vegas, CES and anything else shiny and interesting that catches my eye.

All the best from Vegas!

Latest CES 2012 stories:
CES 2012: Sony Xperia Ion drops Ericsson, adds LTE, HD and 12MP camera
CES 2012: Verizon Motorola Droid 4 revealed, Stormtroopers lay down their weapons
CES 2012: Sharp super-sizing 8K screens
CES 2012: HTC Titan 2 boasts titanic 16MP camera, LTE speeds
CES 2012: Canon PowerShot G1 X is compact in size with APS-C size sensor
CES 2012: Huawei Ascend P1 S is world's thinnest smartphone, needs a Bic Mac
CES 2012: LG's EM960V 55-inch OLED TV to hit UK in 2nd half of 2012
CES 2012: LG LTE Spectrum with IPS HD screen headed to Verizon
CES 2012: Lenovo IdeaPad U310 and U410 ultrabooks revealed

Yesterday US President Barack Obama went and got himself an Instagram account (or at least his team got one for him). In an official blog post about him, the Instagram team writes that the social network will become an interesting place in the run-up to the 2012 Presidential Election, with news organisations like NBC News and The Washington Post already sharing a behind-the-scenes peak at debates across the country. It's really fascinating that a photo-sharing app and social network used to showcase photos of cats and food can also be a useful tool in the run up to important political events. As if you needed another excuse to start using it more?!

So here's our list of five (relatively new) newbies that are worth following:

1. Barack Obama

The US president signed up for an Instagram account yesterday and already has more than 10,000 followers. We're expecting big things from Team Obama and can't wait to see how they utilise Instagram over the next year.

Follow: @barackobama

2. Zooey Deschanel

Quirky American actress, funny girl and singer/song-writer Zooey Deschanel joined Instagram late last year and has since shared a number of cute and hilarious photos of her personal life, her nails and the other celebrities she meets. We just want her face/hair/job/talent now please.

Follow: @zooeydeschanel

3. Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany's shares the kind of beautiful and dreamy photos you'd expect from the iconic jewellery brand, with some product promotion, plenty of behind-the-scenes snaps and lots of lovely festive photos from over Christmas.

Follow: @tiffanyandco

4. Justin Bieber

We know, we know, he definitely shouldn't be in the same list as the US President but if you happen to be a huge Bieber fan then you'll love following his Instagram feed for personal photos and behind-the-scenes shots. There's obviously plenty of cheesy promotional stuff thrown in there for good measure too.

Follow: @justinbieber

5. Jamie Oliver

Another celebrity who may not be everyone's cup of tea, but does regularly update Instagram with lovely, personal and very well-taken photos.

Follow: @jamieoliver

For more well-known users, check out Instagram's Notable Users Directory, it may be a bit US-centric but it's a pretty interesting and comprehensive list.

The new year isn't just about throwing out your Christmas tree and eating a few salads to make up for all the mince pies you stuffed your face with. If you really want to be more happy and efficient in 2012 you're going to need to give your online life a bit of a tidy up too.

Here are a few online ideas to make this year the best yet, after all, you should never under-estimate the impact a messy email inbox or an annoying Facebook friend can have on your happiness!

1. Use Pinterest to keep all your favourite images safe and organised

Every time you see an image online that interests or inspires you what do you do with it? Sure you can save it to your computer, but what if you want to reference it later? Or find similar images from the same blogger?

Pinterest allows you to 'pin' content to virtual boards, so you can collect together all kinds of images, keep them super organised and then share them with your friends. This is invaluable for making collections of photos that inspire you, creating mood boards or storing pictures you want to use in blog posts at a later date.

Of course you don't have to use Pinterest, but find an image curating and bookmarking tool that lets you add a bookmarklet to your browser so you're much more likely to actually use it!

2. Clear out your Google Reader

If you actively use Google Reader (or any other RSS reading tool), then chances are you've been collecting together lots of interesting sites and blogs over the past few years.

However, this means that sometimes you can wake up with 1000+ unread articles that you're never going to get round to reading. So sort through your Google Reader and if a blog isn't useful, interesting or inspiring to you anymore, then unsubscribe.

3. Get rid of Facebook and Twitter 'friends' that wind you up/annoy you/just aren't relevant

How many times have you heard someone say they hate Facebook or Twitter? Really they don't hate the social network (not usually anyway), but they're sick of friends and followers who post boring and irrelevant updates.

I think we've all gotten over the fact we get unfriended and unfollowed from time to time, so just bite the bullet and get rid of anyone who writes anything that's annoying or offensive.

Yes it sounds a bit harsh, but you'll start to find more interesting content, connect with the people that matter and see Twitter and Facebook as useful rather than just time suckers.

4. Find the blogging platform that suits you...

In our opinion if you want to write lengthy posts and use an intuitive interface then Wordpress should be your new BFF. If you prefer short pieces of content that's SUPER easy to publish then try Tumblr. Or, if you want to try something new and love big, beautiful images then try Jux. It doesn't matter which you choose, just set up an account and get blogging!

5. ...then actually use it to blog

It's easy to set up a blog, make it look lovely and write that witty, engaging and all important 'about' page, but then you need to actually write something and keep it up throughout the year.

Unless you blog for your day job, for many blogging should be a retreat from the big nasty world of work. However, approaching a blog as "just a bit of fun" often means many people don't keep it up or stay disciplined. Therefore, don't make it a chore but schedule in some time each week to make sure you've got something to publish.

6. Don't waste away the day stalking and aimlessly browsing

We waste an insane amount of time stalking old photos and scrolling through tweets. If you're still finding yourself getting distracted after culling a whole load of people, then read our post about how to stop procrastinating online and get blocking those time sucking websites.

7. Embrace a new network or cool app

You're probably thinking that you can't squeeze another social network into your day, but you may find you like something much more than what you're using at the moment. If you haven't tried them already check out some of our favourites, Instagram, Path and Google+.

8. Get the new Facebook timeline and sort through it

Everyone should be able to activate the new Facebook timeline by now, so go get it and sort through your old stories and any embarrassing photos you don't want anyone to see.

9. Organise your Twitter followers into lists

If you're following lots of people, sorting them into lists can take so long, but it's worth it in the long run and makes Twitter so much easier to digest once you're done.

10. Unsubscribe from emails and updates you don't need

If you've bought anything online, chances are you've been forced into getting a newsletter at some point or getting updates from social networks or discount websites. Instead of just deleting these annoying emails every morning force yourself to unsubscribe.

[Image via Pinterest]

As it's the beginning of January you can guarantee that everyone is thinking about, talking about and trying to stick to their resolutions for the new year. So, over the next few days we'll be looking into gadgets, apps and online services that help you stick to those resolutions, you just need the will power to actually make them work in the long run, because there's unfortunately not really an app for that...

Although you can guarantee eating healthily and getting fit are a few of the top resolutions, a big one in the Shiny Media office is to stop procrastinating online, whether you find yourself reading too many blogs, stalking Facebook photos, being brainwashed by celebrity gossip stories or aimlessly scrolling through tweets, just think about how much time you'd have spare to do actual work if you could really reign in your online browsing.

Well luckily a few developers have realised just how much we procrastinate on the web and there are a number of solutions to limit your time on certain websites, warn you when you go somewhere you shouldn't or even block certain sites altogether.

StayFocusd

StayFocusd is an extension for Google Chrome, which aims to limit your time on certain websites.

You add a list of blocked sites and then specify how much time you can spend on them throughout the day. You can then only browse for that amount of time on all of the sites combined before the extension blocks your access.

If you're worried you'll log in and just change the settings or amend the time then there's a 'Require Challenge' that you can enable, which means if you try to change anything you have to complete a challenge first, which will presumably put a lot of people off and kick them back into gear.

You can specify the days and times the restrictions will be in place and there's also a 'Nuclear Option' which completely restricts your access to a list of block sites for a certain period of time.

As StayFocusd only works with Google Chrome you can obviously open a new browser and stalk, tweet and procrastinate away your day, but maybe as you open up a new browser you hate you'd realise just how silly you're being. Hopefully.

Tea and Kittens

Tea and Kittens is a very simple extension for Firefox, Chrome and Safari which completely blocks your access to the Daily Mail and Daily Express websites.

Not all of us will openly admit it, but the Daily Mail's over-the-top celebrity gossip stories can be pretty addictive. On certain days it gets so bad that we can reel off the names of the celebrities that have recently split up, had surgery or worn a tight dress but yet can't name one thing we've done in the past hour. How sad.

If you download Tea and Kittens your access to the Daily Mail will be completely blocked and replaced with pictures of (you guessed it) tea and kittens, to calm you down and keep you away from distracting, sensationalist and mind dumbing celebrity gossip.

Nanny

Another Google Chrome extension, which is really comprehensive and allows you to block sites, block groups of sites and even track your time.

You can block websites at certain times of the day, which is useful if you want some time to let your mind wander over lunch time but then ensure you're productive for the rest of the day.

You can also block big sets of websites too, so you can create lists based on which are the most disruptive to your day.

If you're a sucker for a particular topic or person, let's say kittens, then you can also block websites that contain lots of "kitten" mentions too.

The extension also has a statistics page and it allows you to track how much time you spend on certain sites, which could be a bit of an eye-opener and possibly more useful in the long run than just blocking everything.

LeechBlock

LeechBlock is an add-on for Firefox and although it isn't particularly pretty, it's very popular and does the job, allowing you to specify when you want to block time wasting websites.

It's a good choice for Firefox lovers who need a simple solution and have the will power to leave the settings alone as all you require is a password to change them.

It's edging closer to the big day at a scarily fast pace, so why not have a calm and prepared Christmas this year rather than charging around on the 24th, shoulder barging pensioners in an attempt to get something really rubbish for that relative you forgot you had.

Whether you're looking to buy a tablet computer, a singing polar bear or a festive sex toy we're here to help with the very best of what the crazy world of technology, cute gadgets and mobile apps has to offer. Even if you don't have a clue what to get anyone quite yet we'll be pulling together lists for loved ones, geeky ones and annoying ones to give you some inspiration too.

Every time we write up a new gift guide we'll be adding it to the list below, so you don't have to go searching here, there and everywhere for what you need either.

If you'd like us to review a certain product, pull together a specific kind of gallery or write up a buying guide about how to choose the best kind of product, then let us know in the comments below or get in touch with us on Twitter @ShinyShiny.

1. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: 8 Pantone pressies for design geeks

Although Pantone's proprietary colour matching system is just a way to make identifying certain shades easier for designers, there are lots of lovely rainbow bright Pantone products available for your desk, bathroom and even your Christmas tree.

Our favourite product: The cushioned foldaway Pantone chairs.

2. CHRISTMAS APP GUIDE: 6 Apps and services for finding the right present

There are a number of apps and services that have been specially created to take the stress out of present buying. Some are great for suggestions, others are all about joining together and finding the right present, but hopefully one will work for you so you're not tearing your hair out on Christmas Eve.

Our favourite app: No More Socks for super organised Christmas shopping.

3. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: 6 Silly animal speakers for your iPhone and iPod

We've ditched the high-end, regular speakers and have collected together a list of our favourite animal speakers, including dancing cats, little koala bears and of course some angry birds. Some dance, some sway, some sing and some are just cute present ideas for kids and adults with a sense of humour.

Our favourite speaker: The Kuchi-Paku penguin.

4. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: 10 Quirky, sparkly and colourful lights for your home

In a bid to give you a few more serious and grown-up gift ideas for the home, we've collected together ten quirky, sparkly and colourful lights that are exciting enough to be wrapped up under the tree, but are a little more grown up than singing, dancing speakers.

Our favourite light: These Fairy Jars from Red5.

5. CHRISTMAS APP GUIDE: 10 Christmas apps for kids for the iPhone and iPad

We know, we know, it really does seem a little early to be filling your phones with cheesy, singing Christmas apps. But, as soon as kids realise there's less than ten weeks until Christmas day, that's usually all they can talk about. So, to make the wait less agonising, here are 10 fun Christmas apps for kids for your iPhone or iPad.

Our favourite app: The Night Before Christmas animated story app.

6. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: 15 Kitchen accessories for geeks

If you know someone who prefers to keep their inner geek hidden away at work, then make sure their kitchen is filled with all kinds of geeky treasures, like a singing egg timer, onion goggles, pac-man oven gloves and Star Wars chopsticks.

Our favourite geeky kitchen gift: The YumBots robot cupcake moulds.

7. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: 10 Gadgets to keep you warm and toasty

You no longer have to depend on thousands of layers and a pretty unflattering (and frankly quite ridiculous) trapper hat to keep warm in the winter months. There are plenty of gadgets and cuddly little inventions to keep frosty toes, fingers and bodies toasty that would make ideal gifts this Christmas.

Our favourite snuggly gadget: It has to be the microwavable little Cat Hottie.

8. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: Top 7 high-end, designer leather iPhone 4 cases

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.

Our favourite fancy iPhone case: It's really hard to choose, but we'd have to go with the Capulet Emma iPhone Wristlet.

9. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: 20 Gadgets, accessories & games for fitness fanatics

Every week we come across all kinds of weird and wonderful health and fitness gadgets, from Jawbone's UP bracelet which tracks everything you do, to the ear lighting system Valkee, which stops you getting down in the winter months.

We'd argue that nothing can beat a pair of good trainers and the open road, but fitness gadgets, accessories and games can make brilliant (and super thoughtful) gifts, whether it'll help a loved one feel more motivated, give them a way to track their work outs or just equip them with a fancy new gadget to accompany their run.

10. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: 10 Luxury gadgets & accessories for girls

For most of us Christmas shopping isn't just stressful because we have to carry lots of bags around, wrap everything up and then transport it across the country before the festivities begin. It's just so damn expensive. If we don't spend crazy amounts on loved ones we feel like we're just not good people and the list of those we're expected to buy for gets longer every year (can everyone just stop having babies already!?).

However, if money is no object to you, you've made peace with the fact you'll be paying your credit card off for the next 40 years or you're just looking to really spoil that special someone, then we've collected together a list of ten luxury (and obviously expensive) tech products that are all rather sparkly and / or gold to bump up that price tag.

11. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: The best Android tablets for every taste & budget

If you're buying a present for a die-hard Apple fan then you may find that nothing could ever compete with their beloved iPad, but there's a lot of choice from a range of different manufacturers that it's really worth shopping around to find something that may be more suited to their needs and your bank balance.

We've divided up some of the most popular Android tablets of the moment based on who you're buying for this Christmas and the kind of price you're hoping to spend. Make sure you scroll through to the last page to see our three favourite all-rounder tablets too.

12. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: 12 Gifts & gadgets for coffee lovers

A mix of high-end, affordable and silly gifts and gadgets for the coffee monster in your life.

13. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: 15 Gifts & accessories for aspiring photographers

Here's our list of gifts and accessories for beginners who may already have a camera but need a little helping hand when it comes to everything else. From necessary bags and straps, through to lenses and silly novelty gifts, it's an aspiring photographer's ultimate wish list.

14. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: 10 Phone accessories for mobile photographers & Instagram lovers

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.

Our favourite mobile photography accessory: The very clever (but a little bulky) iPhone Lens Dial.

15. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: 5 of the best iPad 2 cases

We've collected together our top five cases for the iPad 2 that will keep tablets safe and dry, but also make excellent Christmas gifts. There's a mix of fancy, shiny, tough and practical, so take your pick!

Our favourite iPad 2 case: The whole Maroo range!

16. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: Our favourite headphones of 2011 for every taste and budget

Here's a big round up of our 20 favourite headphones of the year, some are brand new, some have been around for ages, some are incredible, some are just cheap and cheerful, but hopefully there'll be something in the list that'll suit your budget.

Our favourite headphones: They may be a bit pricey, but wow we love these Blue Ant Embrace Stereo Headphones.

17. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: Our pick of the best digital cameras for beginners

There are so many different cameras on the market at the moment that it can be hard to find one which is compact, affordable, easy-to-use and produces great results too, after all if you're just getting into photography you don't want to drag around a huge device and loads of kit from the start if you're not sure what to do with it.

So if you're buying for a wannabe photographer this year then let us introduce you to three of our favourite cameras the Olympus PEN E-PM1, the Fujifilm 600 and the Samsung MV800.

Our favourite camera: We do love the Pen MINI, but the Fuijilm 600 is just a little more budget-friendly.

18. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: Quirky tech toys & gifts for kids

If you're spending this Christmas with family, then it's important the littlest relatives have plenty to do throughout the day so they're not distracted, pulling down Christmas trees and putting tinsel on the cat.

There are plenty of quirky toys and tech gifts for kids available at the moment, from the teeny tiny alternative to Lego, Nanoblocks, to dancing animal speakers. Just make sure your choice of present doesn't make them even more irritating and excitable, like the Snowball Blaster...

19. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: Our 5 favourite smart phones for creative types, teens & photographers

As every big mobile tech brand competes with bigger, better, faster and shinier handsets it can be hard to find the right smart phone among a sea that all look, sound and feel the same.
So, here's our five favourite smart phones of the moment that'll make great Christmas presents. Check out our recommendations about who each will be best for too, but remember to do a bit of sneaky research yourself, if the person you're buying for is a die-hard Apple fan nothing else is likely to cut it in their eyes.

20. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: Best beauty gadgets for looking fabulous

Go and Google "beauty gadgets" and you'll be shocked, there are all kinds of contraptions and devices that look like they've been shipped in straight from the set of Saw.

When it comes to tech designed to make us look good, the general rule is that if it seems a little too gimmicky, creepy and too-good-to-be-true chances are it'll be all of those things and stupidly expensive to boot.

So here's our pick of the best beauty gadgets for Christmas presents this year. Some may look a bit unconventional but they're all about making the best of what you've got, not hurting your hair, manipulating your skin and excessively whitening your teeth within an inch of your life.

21. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: The best fun video games for all the family

Christmas is the perfect time to get everyone from your brother to your grandma playing video games as one big happy family. So, here are some of our favourites for the little ones, the oldies and the boys regardless of which console you've got...

22. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: Last minute presents for the geeky guy in your life

Our sister site Tech Digest has been collecting together all kinds of Christmas gift guides for geeky guys and tech fans over the past few weeks. Our particular favourites are these retro presents and collection of geek chic apparel, but here's our pick of the best presents for the geeky guy in your life.

22. CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: 10 Last minute high street gadgets & accessories

A lot of large retailers will still deliver gifts to your door right up to the night of Christmas
Eve, but if you'd rather not risk it, then actually head outside away from your computer (we know, we know, crazy talk) to do some last minute Christmas shopping on the high street.

We've tried to collect together our favourite gifts, gadgets and tech accessories that you
should (we're not making any promises) but able to find in most big towns.

Today the prologue to the highly anticipated final instalment of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, was shown to a (very lucky) select few at IMAX cinemas across the nation.

According to online sources, the six minute prologue was impressive, action-packed and well worth the trip, despite some saying bad guy Bane's voice was a little muffled (but don't worry fans that should hopefully be rectified in the actual film).

But it's not just the prologue that got people talking today, but the fact that 40 of the lucky attendees also got their hands on a limited edition The Dark Knight Rises Nokia Lumia 800. Yes, really.

There's been no official word from Nokia or Warner Bros, but a few images of the phones are now online and from what we can see they're normal Nokia Lumia 800 black handsets with a bat logo etched into the back. Very nice.

Some online commentators have been criticising the design, suggesting the phone should be a little more unusual and the bat on the back is far too subtle, but we think the understated design actually makes it much more desirable, fitting with the dark scenes we've seen of the film so far and much more impressive than some all-singing-all-dancing, cheesy gimmick.

There's also Bane wallpaper on the phone too and an un-named source has confirmed to us that this is in actual fact an alert system to tell the owners of the fancy new Lumias when the next Dark Knight Rises activity is about to kick off. After all, remember this is only the start of the lead up to the film's release in summer 2012, we're expecting a lot of additional activity if The Dark Knight is anything to go by.

But don't get too excited just yet, you're not likely to ever get your hands on one because our source also told us that the 40 handed out today are all there is. Ever. Anyone else wishing they'd broken/blagged their way into the IMAX today too?

[Image via @jonchoo]

When was the last time you felt excited about sitting down and writing up that document, creating that powerpoint or editing that photo? We can do amazing things with our shiny new computers and laptops nowadays, but it's all got a bit routine and dull, dull, dull.

Well, back in September we got our sticky fingers on a Wacom Bamboo Fun Pen & Touch tablet, which in many ways changed our experience of day-to-day working, adding in ways to annotate documents, navigate around our desktops with ease, draw, write and even doodle when no one's looking (shh). Not only does the Bamboo Fun Pen & Touch tablet have multi-touch functionality, so you can use gestures as well as the precise pen, but it also has wireless capability to make it even more versatile.

So, we're really excited to announce that we've teamed up with Wacom to give two of our lucky readers the chance to win a Bamboo Fun Pen & Touch tablet worth £89.99, which also comes with Photoshop Elements 8, ArtRage 3, the Bamboo Dock and wireless kits.

Bamboo is all about "you are what you do", so to enter, simply tell us what your new year's resolution is and a Wacom Bamboo Fun Pen & touch could be yours!

To enter, drop us an email with your most inventive ideas at shinymediacomps@gmail.com, or write us a message on our Facebook page, and be sure to leave relevant contact details (email address, phone number, etc, etc) so that we can get in touch should you be one of the two lucky winners.

You've got until 5pm on Friday 16th of December 2011 to get your emails, messages and resolutions over to us, so get thinking!

Make sure you've read our Shiny Media Terms & Conditions before you enter too.

We've teamed up with the Loccit team to give all of our UK readers a chance to try Loccit's photo greetings card service themselves for free*.

Simply go to the Loccit and Shiny giveaway website, make a note of the voucher code and click "Get FREE Card". You'll then be taken to the Loccit store where you can pick cards for any occasion - including Christmas - and personalise them with photos directly from your computer or those you already have on Facebook.

Loccit also specialises in allowing you to bring photos from your social networks into the offline world. So you can visit the Loccit store to add Facebook photos to all kinds of things, like cards, photobooks and posters.

*You will have to pay 79p for postage and packing.

You can get your FREE card here.

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

The iPad's compact size, quick responses and multi-touch screen means it's an ideal tool for all kinds of note taking, brainstorming and scribbling. Whether you want to use a colourful stylus to take notes from a lecture or use your finger to quickly draw a diagram in a board meeting, there are plenty of apps and accessories to help you.

So ditch your notebook, your post-its and your dictaphone and try out some of these iPad applications, created to make note taking quick and easy.

Related: 7 iPad accessories to make note taking and doodling easier

To help raise money for popular moustache growing charity Movember, Blue Hive is launching a new iPhone application called Picamo later today and the Shiny Shiny team got to have an exclusive sneak peek and a play around with how we'd look with a load of crazy moustaches!

Basically the app allows anyone to get involved in the Movember fun, so girls who are feeling a little left out can still see what they look like with a bit of facial furniture.

You can choose from 30 pretty realistic moustaches, line one up on the screen with your face and take a photo. Simple. You can then share to Twitter and Facebook (if you're feeling brave), or just to your email address to keep and smile at for when you're having a grumpy day.

There are a few other apps on the market that let you add all kinds of silly things to your face, but downloading Picamo means all proceeds go towards Movember, an event held each year in November to raise funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer.

Nick Hearne who works at Blue Hive and came up with the idea for Picamo, says:

"Now even follically-challenged men, girlfriends, pets and babies can get involved with the Movember fun. Help us raise some money for this great cause and make the world a hairier place."

Available from iTunes in an hour for £0.69.

Over the past few weeks we've been sharing some of our favourite entries from our mobile photography competition with you, which we've launched with our friends at Orbitsound to celebrate our Instagram fortnight and give one reader the chance to win a fabulous T12v3 speaker bar, as well as lots of iPhone related runner-up prizes.

Instead of giving you a normal round-up of the great entries we've been receiving, with only a day to go we thought we'd share five of our favourite 'leafy' photos.

DON'T FORGET: You've still got a whole day to submit your entries, we'd LOVE to see some of your Halloween photos! Just share your images to Twitter and tag them with #ShinyAutumn.

1. From @lizardbush

2. From @elisabethLDN

3. From @Joel_Hughes

4. From @JoannaHassPR

5. From YHZgirl

If you want to enter the competition yourself all you have to do is take a photo with an Autumnal theme and share it on Twitter along with the hash tag #ShinyAutumn. You can be as creative as you like with your entries, so take a picture of a crunchy leaf or a really imaginative Halloween costume, we really don't mind. Just make it good.

Visit the #ShinyAutumn competition post to find out more and read the Terms & Conditions.

If you're on the move this Halloween there are LOTS of scary games for your iPad or iPhone that are just as heart pounding as playing on a console. So, we've picked our creepiest 13 edge-of-your-seat games to celebrate the big day, whether you want to shoot monsters, run from ghosts, outwit zombies or just play a Halloween-themed version of Angry Birds.