mySimon Shopping Picks

How cool - or hot - is this LED shower light? It's an attachment for your shower head. When you turn the water on, the light shines blue. Once the water gets up to 89 degrees, the light turns red. All you need now is a disco ball. Anyway, the light doesn't require any special tools to install, fits a standard shower pipe, and might just make you want to take showers in the dark.

Calling all students and laptop users on a budget: Sony has released an entry-level Vaio laptop that offers both strong performance and long battery life. The Sony Vaio NR430 has a 1.86GHz Intel Pentium dual-core processor, 15.4" screen, 160GB hard drive, built-in CD/DVD burner, and 802.11a/b/g/n wireless LAN. It ships with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium. And right now Best Buy has it for $600. More budget laptops.

New from Creative: The X-Fi, a 32GB personal media player that stands out a) because it's the size of a credit card and b) because it supports Wi-Fi, which means you can stream music and photos wirelessly from your computer to the X-Fi, and you can use the X-Fi to send instant messages via Yahoo! or MSN messenger. Other features include a 2.5" display, X-Fi technology that restores the quality of compressed music files, SD/SDHC memory card slot, built-in speaker, FM radio, voice recorder, and free video and audio podcast channels on www.zencast.com. The X-Fi also comes with high quality earphones with noise isolation.

What's even harder than traveling with kids in tow? When those kids you're towing are in turn towing their own suitcases. Enter Trunki kid suitcases. Made from the same hard plastic as adult-sized luggage, Trunki suitcases not only have enough room for all your kids' clothes and toys, but they also double as sturdy and safe ride-ons for kids ages 3-6. So you can grab the long leash strap and pull both kids and bags down the concourse. The less time you have to make the plane, the faster you'll run, and the more they'll enjoy the ride.

Hey Heroes fans, did you know Mezco makes Heroes action figures? The first series includes 7" articulated versions of Hiro Nakamura, Peter Petrelli, Claire Bennett, Sylar, and Mohinder Suresh, all with plot-appropriate accessories (Claire comes with an alternate damaged head and alternate damaged arm). If the show continues to win Emmy awards, we're thinking these figures could be worth something someday. Then again, we thought the same thing about our Spice Girls action figures. Speaking of action figures, we found a site where you can have one made of yourself for just $160.

Take your camera to the beach or the pool and not worry about destroying it. The Pentx Optio W60 is a compact, 10-megapixel, dust- and sand-proof camera that is waterproof in up to 13 feet of water for up to 2 hours. So you can conduct photo shoots in the deep end of the pool, document your snorkeling vacation, or bore your friends with more photos of baby in the bathtub. Other features include 5x optical zoom, face recognition, smile capture, and blink detection. Though we're not sure how well those last 3 work when photographing fish. More weatherproof cameras.

We get so tired of telling people to mind their own business when we're trying to update our Facebook profiles in the coffee shop. Maybe we need these Targus laptop privacy filters. When you stick one of these screens, which look like "tiny vertical blinds," onto your laptop display, nosy neighbors won't be able to see what you're typing - or, ahem, what sites you're visiting. Targus says these screens also block glare and reduce eye strain. Choose from several different laptop sizes.

We're only 3 weeks into summer, but stores are already getting ready for back-to-school shopping. This supercool fridge from PBTeen (a younger, hipper, more affordable version of Pottery Barn) just made Oprah's "O" list, because you can also use it as a minibar in your office or bedroom. The fridge comes in several sizes and colors, and looks a lot nicer than those compact fridges you rent from the guy with the truck outside the dorm. More compact refrigerators.

We just found out about this Barack Obama action figure. It doesn't talk, but it does have 8 points of articulation so you can "pose him presidentially." We'd like to see a companion Michelle Obama figure, so we could pose them together doing the "terrorist fist jab." (Speaking of which, check out the latest New Yorker cover.) If you're a McCain supporter, sit tight: The McCain action figure hits stores next month.

Do not buy these UGG Cardy knit boots, no matter how cute and warm and comfortable they look, right now. Wait until tomorrow, when the semi-annual Nordstrom Anniversary Sale starts. These boots regularly cost $140, but Nordstrom will have them on sale for $99.90. The boots fold up and down (they're down in this photo), so it will be almost like getting 2 pairs of fall boots for $100.

New from Vizio, the VP422, an "entry-level" 42" wall-mountable plasma TV has an integrated NTSC/ATSC/QAM HDTV tuner, a native resolution of 1024 x 768, 3 HDMI ports, 2 built-in speakers, a dynamic contrast ratio of 30,000:1, and a lamp life of 60,000 hours (which works out to about 27 years). The MSRP is $799.99 but Walmart is selling it for $747. The Vizio VP322 is a 32" version of the TV for $649.99. See all Vizio TVs.

The 250GB Iomega eGo portable hard drive may look like a military flask, but it stores data, not hooch. A lot of data - up to a million photos, 4600 hours of music, or 375 hours of video. Not bad for $130. It has a USB 2.0 interface, so you just plug it into your computer, using software you download (free for PCs). It's less than an inch thick, and measures slightly smaller than 4" x 6", so you can take it anywhere. Best of all it has a Drop Guard so it can withstand a drop of 60 inches without losing data. See all Iomega eGo portable hard drives.

In case you haven't seen the graphic novels or clothes with her image, Emily the Strange is a fictional, hard-to-please, 13 year-old girl with 4 black cats, a dark world view, and one-liners like "wish you weren't here." And thanks to Epiphone, she's now got her own guitar. The limited edition Emily the Strange electric guitar is an Epiphone G-310 with Emily graphics all over it and the included guitar gig bag and strap. This is when we wish we had little sisters and nieces. More Emily the Strange products.

You'd think today was the Second Coming of something other than the iPhone, the way bloggers are babbling about it. But if you don't want to shell out $200 for the new iPhone, or if you're already a Sprint customer, you might want to take a look at the $130 Samsung Instinct. The 3G phone offers a touchscreen display, web browser, Bluetooth, integrated GPS, 2-megapixel camera, text and multimedia messaging, and music player, and it's a bestseller for both Sprint and Best Buy. More Sprint phones.

Sometimes when given a choice of A or B, you pick C. For example, our answer to "Who's better, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?" is "The Who." And now, when someone asks you "Paper or plastic?" you should reply, "I brought my own." But if you don't already have a pile of ugly canvas tote bags left over from conferences, we suggest using Envirosax. These cute, waterproof bags hold up to 44 pounds of stuff and roll up so small that you can fit them in your pockets. Plus they're polyester, which is Latin for "machine washable."

If companies can sell push-up bras to insecure women, then they can probably sell padded underpants to insecure men. Either one is better than implants, right? Go Softwear's line of padded butt briefs is, to quote the company, "an innovative solution for men who want to enhance their rear view" and "perfect for guys who want to look good both coming and going." Well, at least you no longer have to take that stadium seat cushion to the baseball game...

We don't write about many "status watches" here because a) they all look the same to us, b) we can't afford them anyway, and c) in this economy, who would spend thousands of dollars on a watch? No, we prefer to call your attention to affordable watches with more interesting designs. For example: Vans watches. We had no idea the shoe company did accessories. The "Bay Blocks" '80s-looking model shown here comes in several different color combinations and costs less than $40. Wear it with the classic Vans checkerboard slip-ons.

New from New Balance: Sesame Street sneakers for kids! They're basically smaller versions of the classic New Balance 574 running shoes, with leather uppers and rubber outsoles, except they're decorated with Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch, complete with peeking eyeballs, fuzzy tongues, and inside designs. Yet another reason we want to be kids again.

The last time we tried to serve fresh pineapple, it was a total disaster. (We tried to "shave" off the outside of the pineapple using an electric carving knife. Then we couldn't hold on to the slippery beast long enough to cut it up into pieces. Did you know that pineapples bounce?) If only we had known about these pineapple slicers. Think of them as corkscrews that both core and slice pineapples into pretty little rings - in about 30 seconds - leaving the shell intact. And saving you quite of bit of effort and frustration.

The Tour de France begins this weekend, reminding the lazy among us that we actually have bikes in the garage, and that we should really ride them more often. Avid cyclists have no doubt heard about the Giro Ionos road bike helmet, which was tested by 27 riders over 50,000 miles in last year's Tour. After 3 years in development, the Ionos is finally available to the rest of us. What makes this helmet so special? It's Giro's toughest, coolest, and lightest helmet to date. The in-mold carbon (we know how bike geeks love carbon) reinforcement gives it unmatched structural support, 21 vents and "internal exhaust channels" keep your head 15% cooler, and it weighs a mere 9 ounces. Available in several sizes and colors. More Giro cycling helmets.