From The Beginning

Does pink ever go out of style? I don’t think so. This perenially popular color was once again seen all over the runways, just like last spring. And for those of us who love pink, that’s good news. Manufacturers of all kinds

Dell Wasabi PZ310 Ultra-Mobile ZINK Printer The tiny (4.8″ x 2.9″ x 0.9″) Wasabi color printer is truly a child of its time: it prints wirelessly, is ultraportable and uses inkless technology. Instead of ink, you use ZINK paper (the same kind as the Polaroid PoGo printers and cameras), which has embedded crystals that, when exposed to heat in the printer, magically transform into a picture. It can hold up to 12 sheets, and produces one 2×3 sticky-back print per minute. Why it’s called Wasabi is anybody’s guess - I assumed it was because it was green, but no. It’s available in 3 colors - pink, black or blue - and retails for $99.

Mr. Pink Diana F+ Remember film? That stuff you used to put in your camera to take pictures? Some people still use it. In fact, many are passionate about it, and it’s making a comeback of sorts, not only among those of us who found ourselves with large amounts of film on the verge of expiration after making the switch to digital, but also among digital shooters who want to try something different.

If you’re in the same situation, or just want to give something different a try, check out the Lomographic Society: a worldwide community of photographers not only passionate about shooting with film, but shooting using cheap, mass market plastic cameras made in China, Hong Kong and the Soviet Union in the 60s - 80s. There is no limit to the creative ways you can use these cameras - take the lens off and make your own pinhole cover; shoot with 35mm in a 120 camera (which means the image will be exposed all the way to the edges, over the sprocket holes); advance the film just enough between shots to make one long panorama of an entire roll of film; make double exposures - you get the idea. The Lomographic Society’s shops (both online and “for real”) have tons of cameras to choose from, so you’re sure to find something that suits your style (and leftover film).

A new addition this spring is the hot pink Diana F+ medium format camera. If 120 film is not your thing (although I love the square negatives it produces), don’t worry - you can get both a 35mm and an instant back as well. This retro-cool, plastic camera with removable lens (other lenses such as fisheye and telephoto are available) gives you gorgeous, soft focus, vignetted, saturated images that have a decidedly yesteryear look. The camera is available in many different configurations, but the basic kit, which includes the camera, an external flash, “More True Tales & Short Stories” Diana Vignettes hardcover book, color gel filters (for the flash), 12 & 16-shot format frames, shutter lock, neckstrap and lenscap, costs $105.

Sony VAIO JS Desktop PC Did anyone else think “iMac” when you first saw this? I always suspected it was just a matter of time before someone else came up with the same sleek design in PC format. It not only looks great, it does save you tons of valuable space. This non-customizable, pale pink PC has a 20.1″ screen, 4GB memory, a 2.50GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core processor, a 500GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive, 2 3-watt speakers, and a built-in webcam and microphone. The price? $949.

Dell Inspiron Desktops When I started blogging about pink laptops, I was surprised to discover that there were no pink desktops on the market at all in the US. You could get one customized, but that was it. With the abundance of pink laptops, I always found that puzzling. But things are slowly changing. Now we have the VAIO JS (see above) and Dell just announced a new line of Inspiron desktops, available in 8 colors. At the time of writing, you can only get them in China, but Dell says they’ll be in available in the US later this spring.

Available as a mini-tower or a slim tower, the customizable Inspirons come in 8 different colors. The pink one is part of Dell’s “Promise Pink” series, which also includes several of their laptops, and Dell donates $5 from each sale to the Susan G. Komen foundation. Starting price for the base configuration will be $299.

Pokens Here’s something for your “what won’t they think of next” file Pokens are tiny figures (in shapes like pandas, bees, aliens etc.) with USB connectors and a giant “hand”. An electronic business card of sorts, the Poken stores your social networking profiles (you choose which ones to include) and when you meet another Poken owner, all you need to do is have your Pokens high five each other, press a button, and voila! You have exchanged all your social networking info, so that your new friend easily can find you on Facebook, MySpace, etc. Where is the pink? The “Geisha” Poken is a nice fuchsia and the “Piggy” a pale pink (although Piggy looks more like a human baby to me). They retail for around $20 and can be hard to find in the US (for now).