SouthFlorida.com | Teen Link South Florida

Sharpie, Can We Use it in Fashion?

Sharpie is a special kind of permanent marker that can be used on paper, plastic, wood – really anything except for clothing. On clothing, the ink runs and washes away, ruining your shirt and your design.

But the new Sharpie marker Stained actually does as it says. It stains the fabric permanently, not letting the color bleed out and ruin your design or your clothing.

The tips of the markers are brush tipped, giving you the feeling as if you were painting on the fabric, like an artist.The brushes work well on fabric like shirts or pants. Still you have to overlap the colors if you want to get a darker color.

The markers are more difficult to use on shoes or rough material. You have to overlap many times for the colors to show. It also ruins the tips of the marker to put so much pressure on them.

But the designs stand up well to washing. The colors start to fade after a few washes, so touch up your designs to keep them in place. $11.99/pack on amazon.com

– Jessica Montalvo, McArthur High

Twilight Ornament

For the vampire-loving, drooling-over-a-shirtless-werewolf and twist-on-horror-film fan, Hallmark has the "Bella, Edward and Jacob" ornament from "The Twilight Series: Eclipse." The ornament shows the conflict between the vampire Edward, Bella and Jacob, who is a werewolf. This ornament is perfect for any teen in love with the series.

It can be hung or placed on any flat surface, giving it the versatility to entertain fans well past the holidays. $19.95

– Nicholas Droleski, Plantation High

Lighting the night

The new flashlight LINK by Icon incorporates durability and portability into one sleek design. The built-in clip, waterproof exterior and 4-inch length make it the ultimate portable flashlight and an excellent gift for any active teen. Although it's small, its high-beam setting illuminates more than 50 feet. It also has a low-beam setting for when all that brightness isn't necessary.

LINK comes in a bright orange color named "Pumpkin," perfect for the season. Wherever you are, LINK can come in handy. $27.99

– Yasmin Santos, St. Thomas Aquinas

booqpad keeps iPad safe

The iPad has applications enough to make it the perfect device. But what is a perfect device without something to protect it from evil?

The booqpad is a case designed to protect the iPad 2 and serve as an organizer of sorts. The exterior is made with 90% recycling PET fabric and post-consumer materials. The case comes with useful slots to insert a pen or pencil, a notepad, business cards, cash, etc.

Best of all, the case includes a notepad with 50 sheets, and booqpad offers notepad refills in a variety of styles. This case and notepad are great tools for the classroom. One can jot down notes while watching a video or researching on the web. The notepad is also perfect for sketching.

The booqpad combines iPad protection and the ease of a notepad in one, and its elegant design comes in four different colors. $49.95

– Sabrina Pimentel, West Broward High

Soft Kitty singing sensation

The singing "Soft Kitty" plushie and T-shirt combo gift pulled from an episode of "The Big Bang Theory" is cute, but juvenile.

When you press its paw, the 10-inch, gray-and-pink plush cat sings a song featured on only one episode of the quirky television show (when Sheldon gets sick). The form-fitting gray T-shirt pictures the kitty and the lyrics of the song. As a gift, the combo is childish unless you are a big fan of the show or of cuddly cats in general. Whimsical? Yes. But it misses the mark for anyone except the biggest "Big Bang" fans.

– Anika Reed, Everglades High

Ask me a question

The 20Q, a simulation game that'll play 20 Questions with you and guess with reasonable accuracy what you're thinking of, is a great gift for anyone who likes to match their wits against technology.

Warning: it will not fall for it if you just answer "no" for everything, and it will guess your simple nouns with ease and be vaguely stuck-up about it. Its one weakness: it cannot deduce its own existence.

– Max Van Zile, Fort Lauderdale High

M&M's make it yours

Do you know a chocoholic with a naked iPhone 4? Get them the Incipio "dotties" lightweight protective case to cover it up. It makes the perfect gift for your sugar-crazed friend or family member. With four background colors and interchangeable, multi-colored M&M's for decoration, you can pick the color combo that most suits you. Incipio's cute product is a useful holiday or anytime gift that even comes with a screen protector and cleaning cloth.

This case comes in red, blue, white and black with red, blue, yellow, green and orange dots. Satisfy your special-someone's holiday craving with this sweet little iPhone 4 gift.

– Sharon Ghelman, David Posnack School

Bluetooth technology taken to a new level

Phones are lost in an instant. Here's where the ZOMM comes in.

The ZOMM uses bluetooth technology to create an "electronic leash." By simply connecting the ZOMM device to your keys and then to your phone's bluetooth, you reduce your chances of losing yet another cellphone.

The ZOMM is a poker-chip-sized device with a simple bluetooth antenna inside, a speaker and single button. When you (and your keys) walk away from your phone, the ZOMM lights up, beeps and vibrates to remind you not to forget it.

To silence the ZOMM alarm, you press the center button. In case of emergencies, you can hold down the button to start the alarm, and if you hold it down after that, it calls 911 for you. Another convenient feature of the ZOMM is the ability to use it as a bluetooth speaker phone. The speakerphone is slightly muffled, but its quality is good for the small size and weight of the product.

Overall, the ZOMM proves to be a convenient way to keep an extra eye on your cellphone and keys. $99.99, www.zomm.com

– Stephanie Hochstein, Sagemont

Beauty and the Beast, like never before

Beauty and the Beast tells the story of Belle, a French young woman, and a once-handsome prince tuned into a beast by a witch.

This time-honored tale about defying stereotypes and change is revamped in Disney's Diamond Edition. Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition comes with Blu-Ray 3D, Blu-Ray, DVD, digital copy, and a music video by Jordin Sparks.

The Blu-Ray 3D version brings the characters alive in your living room, making the experience more personal. The quality of the movie is surprisingly not lessened by the 3D aspect.

Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition is digitally restored, has a Broadway beginning, deleted scenes, an alternate beginning, and a sing-along mode. There are also two games: "Bonjour - Who is this?" where players use their cellphones to answer questions, and "Enchanted Musical Challenge," where players search the Beast's castle and answer trivia.

Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition supplies an overwhelming amount of features, one to please everyone.

– Stephanie Hochstein, Sagemont

Paint goes green

Glob's Natural Botanical Paints are perfect for the budding environmental artist in your life. Besides providing much entertainment as good-quality watercolor paints, these organic paints are made with all-natural materials.

But this paint kit won't suit those who put serious time and effort into painting. The hues are too light, and it takes a lot of work (mixing the powder and water) to make a small amount of paint.

Anyone who paints as a hobby, however, the Glob paint kit would make a great gift. $15, www.globiton.com/paints.html.

– Veronica Mingrone, American Heritage

Crushproof case

The Pelican i1010 is a water-resistant, crush-proof personal-electronics case that claims to protect your iPod or mp3 player from all damage.

It has a headphone jack with an external output so you can still listen to your music while your iPod is safely tucked away inside the case. But it isn't as iPod friendly as it claims. Although the case says it is able to be used for all iPods, it does not fit the iPod touch no matter what generation.

You can squeeze your iPod touch into it, but not the audio jack that comes inside the case. The case is also very bulky. It has a clip to attach it to your pants or purse, but it is too large to stay there comfortably. The case bounces up and down on your thigh or bag, which is annoying and attracts unwanted attention.

The most frequent question will be "what's that?" and after about 10 times, you will want to take it off. If you are a lifeguard or are just overprotective of your (non-touch) iPod and have a penchant for pink, the Pelican i1010 would be perfect. If not, it might not be the best choice. $37, www.Pelican.com.

– Patrice Stuart, Hallandale High

All-in-one case

The Callet, a soft phone case made for the iPhone 4, takes an innovative step, allowing people to travel lighter. With two pockets on the back, The Callet is designed not only to protect the iPhone, but also to hold one's cash, credit cards and ID.

The concept is a good one, but this phone case just isn't practical. The two pockets in the back make the case bulky and hard to fit into one's pocket, and they aren't even that useful because it is difficult to slide cash into the rubbery pockets.

While the case provides a way to carry around your small but important possessions, it also makes it easy to lose them if you leave your phone behind somewhere. For that reason, it might be more logical to stick to the traditional method of carrying a separate phone and wallet. $19.99, TheCallet.com.

– Paige Levin, Cypress Bay High

Zazzle's got your back

Zazzle's iPad case is sturdy and hugs the first generation iPad perfectly, leaving the perfect spaces for the buttons.

It only covers the back of the iPad, which is advantageous as there's easier access when you set it down on a table, and the super-soft fabric on the back prevents it from slipping.

The design has a sort of vintage feel, but it lacks the triangle structure that some cases have to adjust the angle of the iPad when you're typing, which bothered me since I'm used to that sort of thing.

The best part: You can personalize it with the almost limitless design possibilities available, as you can create your own or choose from the uploaded artwork online. $49.95, Zazzle.com.

– Andrea Pulgar, North Broward Prep

Color Studio; a virtual coloring book

If I had an iPad growing up in the '90s, I'm sure my parents would have avoided so many crayon-related incidents involving paint jobs and headaches.

Crayola's Color Studio HQ is a virtual coloring book. It's kind of like having paint on your iPad, except that in addition to free draw, it offers pre-made coloring pages and a make-your-own coloring page option. It has a decent variety of colors to choose from, and you can overlap colors if you're not satisfied with a particular shade.

You can draw with markers, pens, colored pencils and crayons for different textures in different widths. The marker glides on the iPad, but there's a lag between the marker and the app. It registers shapes, but it isn't very precise.

Because of the inaccuracy, it can be kind of hard to draw the particular shapes you mean to draw, but the stay-within-the-lines option and bucket mode help when coloring. You can share your work via email or Facebook, should you feel the need to share.

Overall, I really enjoyed the app, although it's mostly marketed for young children. If you're secretly still into coloring (for stress relief purposes, of course), then this app might be a discreet outlet (sans Facebook sharing). It might be difficult to create serious artwork, though; as you can't really create shading effects or draw precisely.

– Andrea Pulgar, North Broward Prep

iPod protection

The PELICAN Company came out with a product Pelican i1015 Micro Case made to protect an individuals belonging, such as, iPod, iPod touch, cell phones, and other devices that you can use for music purposes. Many people keep their valued devices in cases in order to prevent them from damage. For instance, dropping the MP3 player on the ground accidentally and as a result, the device is either cracked or unable to function properly. So to avoid these incidents, PELICAN has invented a compact case that is not capable of smashing, even with a hammer (supposedly), as well as, waterproof.

After having the product for a good two weeks, I noticed some positive and negatives. For one, on a positive note, the case has a clip on the back of the case so that way the individual can connect it to their belt hook so it can stay on them at all times. Also, the fact that it's waterproof and unbreakable is definitely an advantage. For instance, being able to listen to music while in the pool without worrying about the defects the device might have because water got inside; this case protects it from any kind of liquid. But on the other hand, the fact that the case is so huge, compact - in order to prevent damages, it tends to get annoying, having a 10 pound case on their hip or in their possession taking up so much space.

Furthermore, adding another outlet for more headphones would be a great idea to benefit this product. Usually, teenagers share their headphones with another peer and listen to music together. Wouldn't it be great to have the ability to listen to music at the same time without having to spare an earpiece?

Other than these suggestions, after making a few adjustments, this PELICAN case holder will definitely improve in value and enhance along the years. I wouldn't mind having a case that is completely unbreakable.

– Britney Philippeaux, McArthur High