The Office Ultimate kit contains not only the staples such as Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint but also a series of tools that will greatly enhance learning and collaboration in the form of Groove, InfoPath and OneNote.

The name of this promotion couldn’t be more accurate; this truely is The Ultimate Steal. Makes me wish I was a student again just so I could get my hands on it. But be quick: Who knows how long this is going to last…

To help you get a better idea of what kind of computer you should get for school (whether you are a high-school student, at university or college or even a parent looking for something for your kid), here is Dabbler’s guide to buying a computer for school.

Vital Stats

Reading ads and articles on computers it might look like you need the latest, greatest and fastest one available. Things couldn’t be further from the truth: The faster and more current the components, the higher the price. But when it comes to actual performance, the differences in the top eschelons are very small and only really noticeable if you are running benchmark programs. For the everyday user the difference between a $700 pc and a $2700 pc is negligible. This is because with everyday use you are never tapping the full potential of the components in these computers. Even watching and recording videos puts minimal drain on modern processors. The more expensive PCs are targeted towards 3D gamers and business people and by buying them you are basically paying for things you will never use. Sort of like getting a Hummer for city driving. In short, price doesn’t necessarily reflect performance.

For a student PC, the elements you should be looking for are

• quality of build and physical strength
• battery
• weight
• ease of use

Quality of Build

Since you’ll probably be lugging your PC around and throwing it in a bag all the time it’s vital that the thing doesn’t fall apart after a few months. Sadly many PC manufacturers sacrifice the physical strength of their notebooks to reduce weight. And that can cause huge problems down the line. The key here is to find a PC that feels rugged and doesn’t have a lot of pieces that seem like they can come off easily. The easiest way to do this is simply picking up the notebook in the store, shake it a bit, pick at every piece that looks loose and open and close the screen from one of the corners. If the screen bends noticeably when you open it, it’s too weak.

What to look for: A notebook that feels solid, doesn’t have any loose components and has a screen that doesn’t bend and twist when you open it.

Battery

If your notebook has a crappy battery it’s a solid waste of money. So make sure you check the battery life of the one you are looking at before buying it. There are tons of web sites out there that review notebooks and they all list battery life. Anything lower than 3 hours is unacceptable. Most notebook manufacturers offer larger replacement batteries that give you a lot more juice. But these are heavier and protrude from the body so it’s not necessarily a trade off you want to make.

What to look for: A minimum battery life of 3.5 hours on full power.

Weight

Although notebooks have gone drastically down in weight over the years they are still surprisingly heavy to lug around. And not surprisingly the larger the thing gets, the heavier it gets as well. For this reason many students opt for smaller and slimmer models – but with smaller size comes a higher price. As an example we currently have a 15 inch laptop that I find way too heavy to carry around. My sister-in-law (who is a student) opted for a tiny 12 and some inch computer and I’m now very envious of her. For my next notebook I am getting a 13.3 inch model. The downside to getting a smaller form factor is that the screen is smaller as well so you need good eyes to read what you are writing. On the other end of the spectrum there is the desktop replacements that are 17 inches and above. Although these behemoths technically qualify as notebooks, they really aren’t meant to be carried around and if you get one you should also get yourself a physiotherapist to straighten your back.

To assess the weight of the notebook, pick it up and hold it in one hand on your side as if it was a book. This way you’ll quickly see if it hurts your back to carry and you’ll get a true sense of the weight.

What to look for: As small a form factor as you are comfortable with. Anything above 15 inches is unfeasible when it comes to carrying the notebook around.

Ease of Use

If your notebook is hard or annoying to use you’ll be kicking yourself for buying it. Therefore it is imperative that you feel comfortable with the way the notebook works before you buy it. I am thinking here specifically of the feel and layout of the keyboard and track pad. Surprisingly different notebook manufacturers choose different keyboard layouts and some of them are quite counterintuitive, especially if you are used to a full-size keyboard. There are also a myriad of different types of keys that feel and work quite differently. Some are heavy to press while others are light, some make a lot of sound while others are quiet, some are indented while others are flat. This is all down to preference and before you decide on what notebook to get you should always try to type out a few sentences or even paragraphs to make sure you like what it feels like. Same thing goes for the positioning and functionality of the trackpad. Although for the most part these navigational tools work the same way, the positioning of buttons and other extra features differs between manufacturers and not all of them are convenient.

What to look for: A keyboard that “feels right” when you write on it and has a button layout that makes sense to you.

But what about all the other stuff?

What you’ll notice is that none of what I listed above is actually listed in ads and store shelves. Instead they list processor power, RAM, hard drive space and other technical features. The reason why this is secondary in your choice of notebook is that unless you are getting a really cheap or really expensive one (or a netbook – see below) they are all pretty much the same across all manufacturers and models. Nevertheless you need to know what you are looking for so here is a full rundown:

Processor:

Get an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Anything else is sub-par and old. Intel’s competitor AMD is lagging way behind when it comes to performance and quality and even though these processors might be cheaper they are not worth the money.

RAM

Since all new computers come with Windows Vista installed you need at least 1GB of RAM for it to run properly. Most notebooks these days come standard with 2GB of ram with the option of extending it to 4. 2GB is ideal. Anything less than 1GB is unacceptable and a rip off.

Hard Drive

Hard drives are dropping in price at an incredible rate. Therefore you can get a lot of storage space for very little money. Look for a notebook with a minimum of 230GB of hard drive space. This gives you ample room for files as well as movies and music and whatever else you want to cram into it. If that’s not enough, consider getting an external hard drive. A 500GB one should run you no more than $150.

Other stuff

The notebook must have Wi-Fi, a DVD burner, a minimum of 3 USB 2.0 ports, VGA and audio in and out. When it comes to Wi-Fi, Wireless-N is not strictly necessary but could be an advantage. Bluetooth, IR and other fancy stuff is only worht it if you are going to use it (which is highly unlikely). Some newer notebooks come equipped with HDMI and DVI ports but these are wholely unneccesary unless you are going to hook your notebook up to a 1080p HDTV and use it to watch movies. And even then you can get away with using a regular VGA port so it really isn’t something that should be a deciding factor in your purchase.

What about those nifty netbooks like the EEE PC?

The Asus EEE PC was a shocking success last winter that turned the PC world upside down. Who would have thunk that tiny, underpowered and feature weak PCs would become so popular? On the heels of the EEE’s success almost every PC manufacturer is now pushing out netbooks and tiny desktop alternatives. These tiny computers are ideal if all you are doing is word processing, code writing, web, im and email. If on the other hand you want to run heavier applications like image-, audio- and video editing you are out of luck.

What to look for: If you are considering a netbook, wait. In the coming months a myriad of these small form-factor machines will be hitting the market and prices will plummet as performance, storage space and screen qulity will go up. There is a reason why RBC is giving the EEE PC away for free with the opening of new accounts: Even though it’s only 8 months old it is already obsolete and unsellable. I wouldn’t buy a netbook until some time in early 2009.

I hear Macs are great student PCs. Why haven’t you mentioned them?

You’ve probably heard that Macs are great student PCs, that they don’t crash, that they “just work”, that they can stop global warming and that by owning one you instantly become a better person. All of this rubbish is just ingenious marketing from Apple Computers and has little merit in the real world. The fact of the matter is that pound for pound Macs, and especially MacBooks (Mac notebooks), are massively overpriced compared to PCs. In addition with a Mac you are forced to buy Mac software which again is more pricy than PC software. And Macs are proprietary meaning that if something breaks you can’t just take it anywhere to get it fixed – you have to take it back to Mac and their customer support and replacement parts are also overpriced. All in all I wouldn’t recommend a Mac to anyone unless they were very rich and had a lot of money to waste.

One more thing:

You keep hearing about how unsafe and unstable Windows Vista is and how your PC is basically going to blow up in a nuclear meltdown from all the malicious software and viruses it will contract. All of this is untrue: Vista is a great operating system and works extremely well. It is also far safer than Windows XP and harder to hack into than Mac OSes. And when it comes to viruses, 99.99999% of them can be blocked by doing three simple things: Turn on Windows Firewall, download the free version of AVG anti-virus and buy yourself a cheap router to put between your notebook and the outside world. The router will work as a firewall and block pretty much every malicious attack coming from the evil people out there. If you do these three simple things, the only virus you’ll get is the one you download and install yourself either from the web or from an email.

Questions, comments, tips or concerns?

Have any questions, comments, concerns or tips you want to share with us? Drop us a comment and we’ll answer them as quickly as we can.

With the introduction of Windows Vista Home Premium with its built in PVR (Personal Video Recorder) capabilities, the PC has taken a giant step toward becoming a permanent fixture in your living room. But who wants a huge and ugly PC tower propped up next to their TV? Sure, there are custom Home Theatre PC cabinets for sale (at exorbitant prices) but they are designed with the HTPC enthusiast in mind and rarely find their way into the homes of normal people. But now all that is about to change.

Dell Studio Hybrid

This week Dell announced their newest offering: The Studio Hybrid. This computer marks a whole new chapter in the way PCs are designed and intended to be used. The Studio Hybrid is a tiny and sleek unit about the size of a regular external hard drive that has everything built in – massive hard drive space, DVD or Blu-Ray player, DVI and HDMI, digital audio and lots of other options. And not only is it small, it’s cheap and effective. The base model is selling for $499 (though if you want to use it as an HTPC you’ll end up spending over $800 for an upgraded model) and Dell claims it uses 70% less energy than a conventional PC.

But what makes this computer interesting is the incredibly small and stylish form factor. Its curved design is accentuated by the ability to choose between a multitude of colored shells including a real bamboo housing. It is also designed to be placed either horizontally or upright to accommodate any space. Finally it has a slot-in disc drive so there are no annoying disc trays that can pop out and break off.

As far as I can tell, the Studio Hybrid’s small design is achieved by using laptop parts. This would also explain the low power consumption and cost. Of course it also means that you are severely limited in upgrades and expansions: For one you cannot install a TV tuner card in the computer so if you want to use it as an HTPC you have to get a USB tuner card for it (can be added to the order during purchase from Dell.com) and you can expect the computer to become sluggish and hard to use after a couple of years.

Is the Studio Hybrid for me?

What are you looking for in a computer? If you want a basic computer to do web surfing and word processing that also looks nice, this is definitely a good and cheap option. In addition it also looks great on any desk or table and ups the coolness factor of your house. If you want a basic HTPC running Windows Vista Home Premium one with a few upgrades like a better processor, more ram, a bigger hard drive and the USB TV tuner will work splendidly. If you are doing hard core video editing however, you should look elsewhere.

Let me put it this way: If I didn’t already have several defunct computers lying around my house I would probably buy one of these and use it in my living room. Though I’d wait until around or right after Christmas to buy it to let the prices come down a bit. That way Dell will also have time to smooth out whatever kinks are present in the early models.

On the outskirts of Silicon Valley lies LS9, a company that may just have found the solution for the world’s present oil crisis. The term ‘renewable petroleum” may sound like an oxymoron but to Greg Pal, Senior Director of LS9 Biofuels Company, it’s tangible reality. The dark substance in the jar above is remarkably, diesel fuel produced by genetically modified bugs. That’s right folks, someone has found a way to reproduce crude oil (which can be refined into other products like petroleum or jet fuel). Quite unbelievably, LS9′s bugs are single-cell organisms, invisible to the naked eye and start out as industrial yeast or nonpathogenic strains of E. coli, the DNA of which are modified so that when the bugs feed on agricultural waste like wheat straw or woodchips, the microscopic wonders excrete a substance that is almost pump-ready.

According to a Times Online article that I read, the company claims that this “Oil 2.0″ will not only be renewable but also carbon negative – meaning that the carbon it emits will be less than that sucked from the atmosphere by the raw materials from which it is made. But then it points out that LS9 has only been able to produce one barrel a week in a lab that takes up 40 sq ft of floor space. This means that with America’s weekly oil consumption of 143 million barrels, you would need a facility that covers about 205 square miles, an area roughly the size of Chicago.

33-year-old Pal claims however, that construction of a commercial-scale facility will be well underway by 2011, with the resulting oil production costing a mere $50 a barrel! Considering that existing oil deposits take what? 10 lifetimes to form? and are the biggest pain to dig for, extract, and transport, this is one lofty promise. But if this is all true and possible, I think ABC has found its next Bachelor.

Original article from Times Online.

Click on to see more of this fully sustainable, zero emission ecopolis!

One of my mother’s favourite lines to me when I lived at home was that if I ever walked into a hotel room that looked anything like my hovel at home, I’d complain wholeheartedly to the concierge and immediately ask to switch rooms. Again, by nature I’m really not a dirty person; I just have a severe aversion to housework. I’ve gotten better over the years (I swear Mom), but vacuuming has remained my least favourite chore. My current vacuum is as loud as a bus and weighs a ton.

The Dyson Ball DC24 is the latest in a line of super vacuums. Not only is this puppy smaller and lighter than the competition (weighing in at 5.3 kg), but contrary to other vacuums out there, it also offers the ability to maneuver around a room with ease. It sits on a ball rather than having fixed wheels like a conventional vacuum, so it not only looks cooler, but they say it’s easier to use too. For $499.99 (SRP), its brushbar spins faster than a hummingbird’s wings, and sucks up dirt like it’s its job…Right. Moving right along.

The reason for the two test sites is to get the complete experience of this little wonder. At work we have carpet and at home laminate, so I really got the full spectrum. Upon removing it from the box, it took about ten minutes to assemble (so you’ll probably be up and running in about five). Relatively easy to put together and to get started.

Question number one with vacuums will always be suction. Dyson’s main claim to fame is that their brand doesn’t lose suction like others do, as evidenced by one of their incredibly creative tag lines: “Dyson. The vacuum cleaner that doesn’t lose suction.” Riveting. When it came to this category, the brand lived up to its rep and sucked just as well as the next guy. So many places that could go. But I digress.

Because the vacuum doesn’t have fixed wheels, it allows you to pivot and turn rather than having to pick the vacuum up to change directions. Now, I’m not sure if it’s just because I’m used to the crappy old vacuums, but I found it very difficult to get used to the way this thing moves. I got stuck in spots and ended up getting frustrated and picking it up anyways. I have a stubborn streak though, and I tend to resist change so I got someone else to try it out too. After a little practice and a housework dance à la Mrs. Doubtfire, we had our answer.

So, the verdict is in. It sucks just as well as the rest of them and has a snappy swivel and pivot to boot; maneuvers like a dream around corners and tends to cause seemingly perfectly sane people to channel Robin Williams if the right music is playing. So if you’re looking for a vacuum that will do the trick quickly and easily then the Dyson Ball DC24 is the one for you. Yes, it’s pricier than the competition but think about how long you’ve had your vacuum at home. I’ll be stuck with my tank of a vacuum for far longer than I care to be but I guess that’s just value for your money.

For this dirty apartment dweller, if Dyson’s making it this easy, you may just see me sauntering through my apartment without socks on sometime soon.

Today: Download free Zune software and join the Zune online community site at www.zune.ca

June 13, 2008: Zune players available in stores across Canada

Zune 80GB: SRP $249.99 CDN (available in black or red)
Zune 8GB: SRP $189.99 CDN (available in black, red or pink)
Zune 4GB: SRP $139.99 CDN (available in black, red or pink)

Details after the jump.

All Zune players support video, audio and pictures, have FM tuners, and the ability to sync and share songs, playlists and pictures wirelessly. The Zune player family launching in Canada includes:

• Zune 80GB, with a bright 3.2-inch screen and premium in-ear noise-isolating headphones.
• Zune 4GB & Zune 8GB, with a slim ultra-portable design.
• Zune Originals: The option to purchase and customize the player with personal text options and laser-engraved designs from international artists.

Distinctive Features

• Wireless Sync: Set the Zune to automatically sync to your PC collection via a home wireless network whenever it’s placed in its dock or plugged in to charge. You can also manually start a wireless sync from your device as soon as you are within range of your wireless network.
• FM Tuner: Listen to your favourite FM radio stations, or tune into television audio at the gym. Zune will even display the name of the song and the artist, using Radio Broadcast Data System (RBDS) information from stations that broadcast it.
• Wireless Sharing: Share select music, pictures and audio podcasts with other Zune devices nearby. You can listen to any received song up to three times with no time restrictions and even pass it along to other friends with a Zune.

Zune Software

You can download Zune software to organize and enjoy music on a PC, create playlists, manage podcasts and burn CDs. Once the players are available, use Zune software to easily drag and drop music, videos and photos to sync content to a player. Zune software features include:

• Auto Playlists: Create an auto playlist that updates itself automatically based on your criteria.
• Editing Album and Track Information: Edit track or album information (metadata) quickly with multi-select and drag-and-drop features. This feature makes it easy to edit multiple tracks or survey albums and artist information.
• Organizing Collections: Sort by artist, album or genre. While browsing by genre, sort further by artist, album or release year.
• Gapless Playback: Listen to an album without the brief gap between tracks, both on Zune players and in the Zune software.
• Sync Groups: Create custom groups for music, pictures and videos and sync to multiple Zune players.

Zune Online Music Community

Built around the inherently social nature of music and aimed at helping people discover new music, the Zune community exposes members to what their friends are listening to. In a recent study commissioned by Zune, 55% of Canadian consumers surveyed expressed frustration when trying to find new music, saying they didn’t have enough time, didn’t know where to look or that they felt they ended up wasting money on music they didn’t like. At the same time, 87% said they would trust a friend or family member’s musical recommendation over a music critic’s. (Source: Kelton Research, April 2008)

The Zune community is built around free, customizable Zune Cards which automatically reflect the music people are listening to on their Zune player or on their PC. Features include:

• Embeddable Zune Cards: Easily paste your Zune Card to Facebook, blogs or other websites where it will automatically update to show others what you’re listening to.
• Artist and Album Reviews: Write and post your own reviews for artists and albums.
• Artist Pages: Check out biographies and find new music by seeing what other artist fans are listening to.
• Windows Live Connections: Windows Live Messenger buddies will now be able to see what you’re listening to; clicking on the song will take people to that artist’s page in the Zune online music community.

As the newest addition to the Photoshop family line, Photoshop Express has taken much of Adobe’s best image editing technology and made it simple and accessible to a new online audience. It allows users to store up to 2 gigabytes of images online for free, make non-destructive edits to their photos (i.e. you always preserve the original image), and share them online in creative ways, including downloading and uploading photos from popular social networking sites like Facebook.

Whether removing blemishes and red-eyes, converting to black and white, cropping and resizing, and much more, no experience is required to add special effects that will impress friends and family. In keeping with its one-click approach, Photoshop Express offers tricks like Pop Color which selects an object in an image, mutes the background color of the photo and allows the user to swap the object’s color so it jumps off the page. Sketch effects help photos look like drawings and the Distort feature allows you to distort facial features or objects within the images for a comical or artistic effect. Even users with limited photo editing knowledge can simply select what looks best from a line-up of sample photos with visual hints showing different variations of the added effect.

Photoshop Express offers a variety of creative sharing options, including uploading and showing off photos and slideshows in your own online “Gallery” hosted by Adobe, or conveniently embedding or linking photos to social networking sites and personal blogs without having to leave the application. Slideshows never looked better with animation that makes photos float and fly across the screen, allowing for viewer interactivity and unique presentation styles.

Users may experience slow performance if accessed outside of North America. Future plans include availability in other languages and countries.

This was a tough assignment. I am, admittedly, not the most technical person on the planet. Don’t get me wrong, I can use Word, surf the net, and check email like no other, but when it comes to introducing new technology into my life, I get nervous. Microsoft is promising me everything I have and more by introducing the Zune. The question isn’t whether I’ll like it, but rather, can they convert me? Unfortunately for them, that’s the issue all around as there is already a heavy favourite in this category. Can Microsoft beat Apple at its own game?

They’ve got their work cut out for them, but on paper and in practice, the Zune has it all. It comes in three different sizes, 4, 8, and 80GB (the 30GB unit is being phased out for Canada), and they range in price from $149.99 US to $249.99 US (Canadian prices TBA). Available in a range of colours, there are also ways to customize your Zune to make it truly “you.” The larger capacity version comes with a 3.2 inch colour video screen to watch videos or check out your pictures, and they all have wireless syncing capabilities. They even have their own touch control pad to compete with the iPod’s ever popular click wheel. I’m telling you, they’ve covered all the bases. You can watch the latest episode of The Office, tune into cheesy morning radio banter, and rock out to What is Love by Haddaway on repeat, all on your way to work.

Technical bits aside, with the Zune comes access to Zune Social. This is where it pulls away from the iPod. A Facebook-esque application that focuses on music, you can add friends, send them messages, see what they’re listening to, update your profile and status, see the most played songs on Zune Marketplace, and post comments to various Zune, and non-Zune related forums. I personally spend enough time on Facebook to write a real book, so adding yet another distraction to my day probably isn’t registering into my plus column. For today’s generation however, this is a major selling feature. Who doesn’t want to know what their crush is listening to at this very moment? Love In The Club by Usher? Swoon.

Zune Marketplace is the iTunes of the Zune world. You can purchase songs, videos and podcasts by getting a Zune Pass or purchasing Microsoft points. A Zune Pass allows you unlimited downloads with unlimited plays on up to three computers or devices and as long as you keep your Zune Pass account up to date, you can keep everything you download, for $14.99 a month. Purchasing Microsoft points allows you to buy things one by one, should you prefer it. And if you’re not sure if a song is worth the buck, but you know it’s on your friend’s Zune, he/she can actually send it wirelessly to your Zune so you can sample it (free) for up to three plays.

The device itself looks pretty slick. I even pulled it out a few times on my way to work just so that other people would think I was cool. This of course makes me incredibly not cool, but hey, it’s all I got. It was easy to use, pretty intuitive in its setup, the sound and video quality were really good, and the battery life? Just as good as my iPod i’d say, if not better. I’ll admit though, I saw someone pull an iPod Touch out beside me once and immediately felt trumped.

Zunes are slated to hit Canadian shelves within the next couple of months but Zune Marketplace won’t be available until the Fall. This makes absolutely no sense to me. Didn’t Microsoft learn the perils of non-simultaneous releases with the Apple iPhone debacle? I guess not. At least you’ll be able to complain about that with your fellow Canadian users on Zune Social, which will be available with the player’s release.

So, the verdict is in. For a first time buyer, the Zune is a completely viable option. It’s cool, full of features, and the quality you’re getting is great. Microsoft has the full package going. The problem of course is that everyone, including my 11-year-old nephew, already has an iPod. I think the fact that I’ve referred to everything in this column in terms of its equivalent speaks volumes.

For this music lover with an iPod and various iAccessories in her iPurse at all times, I don’t think you’ll have much iLuck with the iConversion.

A Peek at Stasia’s Current Playlist:

No Air by Jordan Sparks & Chris Brown
1234 by Feist
Foundations by Kate Nash
Touch the Sky by Kanye West featuring Lupe Fiasco
Piece of Me by Britney Spears
Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks
Ruby by Kaiser Chiefs
Clumsy by Fergie
Smile by Lily Allen
The Long Way Around by Dixie Chicks

What we’re working on…

Next week, Stasia‘s got The Goods on the new Outlast All-Day Lipcolor + LashBlast Volume Blasting Mascara, both by CoverGirl.

Got a great new product that you think could make it on Stasia’s shopping list?
Email us and tell us about it!

I’ve pretty much just reduced myself to living with stress, anxiety and worry on a daily basis. It’s not that I have a terrible life or anything. I just worry. About everything. All. The. Time. It really was quite a burden at first. After a while though, I learned to live with it through the use of faulty defense mechanisms, retail therapy, and wine. So when the claim of easy stress relief came to me via my Dabbler Editor, I was totally game.

Nestled in its Apple-esque packaging, the StressEraser is a small biofeedback device that measures slight changes in your parasympathetic nervous system through the reading of your pulse. By monitoring this, in concert with the pattern of your breathing, the machine “teaches” you how to breathe deeply, inducing a state of deep relaxation by telling you when it is optimal to exhale from a deep, smooth breath. The claim is that if you use it every night for a minimum of 15 minutes, you’ll notice a difference in your stress levels within two weeks, and within a month the change will be significant and you’ll go back to a life virtually free of stress.

With the science out of the way, I put my finger in the sensor and started breathing away all my worries. Well, not right away. I had some trouble trying to find the right spot for my finger to activate the sensor. It would work for a second, then tell me to insert my finger again. About six times we went through this little song and dance. Whether this was my fault, or the machine’s, I have no idea, but I can guarantee that my stress levels were rising.

Take 2: After I found the optimal spot, the deep breathing began. Once I got used to the tempo of my breathing, I would say it took me about two minutes to get almost every breath even, smooth, and deep enough for the machine to deem it acceptable.

Is this what I have been reduced to? Striving to be accepted by machines? I mean, I know my self-esteem isn’t the tops or anything, but my effort to achieve the “right” deep breaths was so palpable it was embarrassing.

I breathed deeply for about 15 minutes, as suggested, and I ended up bored by the end. Is being bored a branch of being relaxed? I suppose that by the end of it I did feel a little more relaxed, if not a little more light headed, and the StressEraser’s work was done. I continued diligently with the Relaxing Nights Program for a few nights and in all honesty, didn’t notice much of a difference.

Here’s the thing. My quest for stress-free living did not start with the StressEraser. It’s something I’ve done a little research on and one of the very first things I learned was that relaxation through deep breathing is imperative to reducing stress. This of course in combination with exercise, healthy diet, vitamins, and in some cases therapy and medication. The best book I’ve read on the topic cost me about $20*.

So, the verdict is in. For someone who requires a large outlay of cash to act as motivation to do something that’s good for them anyways, the StressEraser would likely be helpful. For me though, it reeks of year-long gym memberships that started and ended with one sweaty, painful trip to the elliptical.

For this stress case with a defense mechanism for everything, I’d be better off spending my money on a book, a really nice bottle of wine, and a new pair of shoes.

* The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, Fourth Edition by Edmund J. Bourne

Another suggestion (though untested):

The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook by Martha Davis, Matthew McKay, and Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman

There’s no magic solution folks. To rid your life of anxiety, you need to either root out the source of your stress, or learn the coping methods that are taught in books like these.

What we’re working on…

As promised, after a month of trials, Stasia‘s got The Goods on the Zune by Microsoft. To find out if it’s really the “iPod Killer,” tune in next week!

Got a great new product that you think could make it on Stasia’s shopping list?
Email us and tell us about it!