Pig out with this iPod dock

Manufacturers are going hog wild over iPod accessories -- and with more than 160 million of these digital devices sold to date, you can understand why.  So now we have the iPig ($139.99; Speakal), a compact iPod dock in the shape of a…well, I think you can figure that out.

But these pink, yellow, or white swine also try to distinguish themselves in audio clarity: The iPig delivers 25 watts of total power from five speakers, including an integrated 4-inch subwoofer.

Touch volume controls are located on the ears or you can use the bundled wireless remote to crank it up, add 360-degree “sound spreading,” or extra base.

The unit ships with a handful of iPod cradles to fit various iPod sizes (supporting all models except for the Shuffle), plus an auxiliary input jack lets you connect non-iPod MP3 players.

At the very least, it’s a heck of a conversation piece when left on your desk at the office.

Hard to beat free when it comes to these programs

Penny-pinching tech junkies looking to save a buck in today’s ailing economy can scour the Web for a bounty of free software -- for word processing, online storage, and more.

Dozens of downloadable or online-only applications are available at no charge. Although many are scaled-down versions of paid programs, you’d be surprised how feature-rich these freebies can be. The catch? Some of these apps may be ad-supported and won’t offer extensive tech support, if any.

Here are a few worth considering:

Word processing and spreadsheets
The online-only “Google Docs and Spreadsheets” and downloadable “Open Office 2” are both free options for word processing and spreadsheet creation. These programs support multiple document files (.doc and .odt) and spreadsheets (.xls and .ods) or create or import presentations (think PowerPoint) and allow you to collaborate with others online in real-time. While you need to be online to use “Google Docs and Spreadsheets,” “Google Gears” users can save documents (but not spreadsheets) to a hard drive to work offline or sync files with a compatible mobile phone (such as a BlackBerry).

Transferring files
Even if your Internet service provider allows you to email a file of up to 10MB in size (enough for a few photos), it’s not proper “netiquette” to do so, in case the recipient has an inbox storage limit. Instead, consider free file-transfer services such as “YouSendIt” or “Sendspace,” which allow you to send files of up to 100MB or 300MB in size, respectively. If you need even more space, Windows users can take advantage of Microsoft’s new “Windows Live SkyDrive,” which offers up to 5GB of free online storage.

A high-tech teddy for the littlest geeks

Consider it a cross between a teddy bear and a video iPod. The iTeddy -- which has already garnered numerous international toy awards -- will be available for U.S. preschoolers early next month.

We got our hands on one and were impressed with this hybrid invention. Manufactured by the UK’s Vivid Imaginations and distributed domestically by Zizzle, the iTeddy is a plush beige bear with an orange shirt. When you lift up the garment, underneath you’ll find a color LCD screen, speakers and a few white buttons. That’s because the iTeddy, as the name suggests, offers multimedia playback, including video clips (MP4 files), music, children’s stories (MP3), photos, and games.

A handful of videos, photos, and games are already on the bear, but a proprietary USB cable that's included with the toy connects the iTeddy ($89.99) to a PC, and you can use it to change the digital content and recharge the media player at the same time.

The embedded memory maxes out at 512MB, but an SD card can be installed by twisting the console counterclockwise and using a Philips screwdriver to open a compartment on the back. In fact, the entire media player detaches from the bear and can be used on its own.

While we would’ve preferred a larger screen than the 1 x 1.8-inch display, my three young kids (twin 6-year-olds and a 4-year-old) didn’t seem to mind the tiny viewing area. My kids also caught on to the button layout fairly quickly: volume (up and down), forward and back, play and stop.

While not advertised, the same port used to sync iTeddy with a PC can be used as a headphone jack, too (perfect for the backseat).

For those of you aiming to be the best-loved aunt or uncle around, the iTeddy is a Target exclusive and will be available in early October.

Kingston's new 32GB Flash memory card is ideal for camcorders

Ideal for the latest crop of flash memory-based camcorders, Kingston Technology has just announced the availability of its 32GB Elite Pro SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) flash memory card.

This new 32GB card ($308 MSRP) offers the largest capacity in Kingston’s lineup, capable of storing roughly eight hours of video (for 6Mbps HD long-play recording) or more than 6,000 still images (taken with a 10-megapixel camera, for example).

When used with SDHC-compliant MP3 players, a card with this capacity can store approximately 8,000 high-quality songs (with 4MB files).

This Speed Class 4 card (4MB/second) is backed by a lifetime warranty and 24/7 live technical support.