The tech news sites have been aflutter with details for the T-Mobile G1, the first phone to run Google's mobile operating system -- dubbed "Android". The phone packs loads of features and looks like it will give the iPhone a run for its money, especially if all applications are as useful as ShopSavvy, which was chosen as one of the 10 winners of the Google Challenge, and which will be offered for free when the G1 launches.

I haven't had a chance to use the ShopSavvy application yet, but after watching the demo, which is embedded below, I'm ready to get a G1 today! This little program looks to do more on your phone than most full-fledged price comparison sites. Checking the price is as easy as scanning the product's barcode with the built-in camera. From there you can see local and web prices as well as set a price alert in case you're waiting for the product to fit your budget. If you plan to buy the item in a local store, as determined by GPS, ShopSavvy enables you to map their location or give them a call.

If the price is cheaper online, you can email yourself the link or visit the product page right from your phone. Speaking of online features; you can even create your own wish lists just by scanning the items with the camera. I wish we would have been able to use this feature when we were building our wedding registry a few years back. The fact that ShopSavvy helps you avoid clunky in-store systems plagued with downtime all while publishing the items to the web for guests to buy wherever is freakin' genius!

BT Group had grand plans to get rid of the iconic British red phone box, but for some reason it never banked on the Brits' sense of nostalgia. The company wanted to get rid of about 4,500 of its remaining 12,000 red phone booths, saying that the boxes weren't profitable anymore in this age of ubiquitous cell-phone use.

But after the uproar the announcement caused, the company grudgingly agreed to let villages and townships keep their beloved red boxes by "adopting" them for about £1 (about $1.80). Of course, that was for the box. Not a working phone inside.

A working phone costs extra -- an annual fee of £500 (about $900).

I've lost two cellphones to water, one from a washing machine, one from a wave. I gave up on having more nifty gadgets on my phone so I could get one of the rare waterproof phones on the market, the Casio G'Zone. I really like it, but it is a bit clunky.

Now there's a new product coming on the market that may allow me to get a phone like everyone else and still not worry about water exposure.

The Northwest Maritime Institute, which offers boating related classes at its campus south of Cape Cod, came up with Golden Shellback. The company cautiously call it a splash-proof coating, but then demonstrates it doing things like protecting a iPod Touch video in a bucket of water.

Golden Shellback Waterproof Coating from gCaptain.com on Vimeo.

The coating isn't simply a spray-on application. The clear waterproof polymer coats everything inside, too. So water can wash in and out of the phone or whatever and not hurt it. There are two big catches: it won't be out for a few months and it has to be professionally applied in a vacuum.

There sure are a lot of tech and gadget minded people out there. From true geeks to just the tech interested people on the user end, we abound in gadget literate people. The bloggers on our sister blog, DIYLife have done a great deal of touring around the blog-holds of the Internet and I would now like to bring you on a tour involving six tech, do-it -yourself, and gadget blogs which they've introduced to us or have helped us to become more familiar with.

There's something in my blog list for almost everyone, you'll have to look at them all to decide which ones are for you. I present them in no specific order of value. Some of these blogs are from our own Weblogs Network and the truth is that they are all great. I'm also providing links to some outstanding material from and about these blogs for you to review.

As a writer, I need to be able to talk to people at their convenience, and sometimes record our conversations so I can report accurately. Of course, I want these capabilities as cheaply as possible.

Therefore, I'm glad a friend recommended the free Internet service GrandCentral. Shortly after I began to use it, the company was bought by Google, but the service hasn't missed a beat in the transition.

GrandCentral gave me a new phone number, in my local area, free. I give out this number, which I chose to have automatically forwarded to both my cell and land lines so I can pick up either to take the call.

Since the call goes through GrandCentral's server, it can record the call for me simply by my pressing 4 on my keypad. After the call is complete, GrandCentral sends me an email with a link to the conversation, which I can replay at my leisure, a godsend for someone like me who can't take legible notes.

GC also includes an answering service to take a message when I'm not available, one I can access online from wherever I am, including by phone. Another cool feature I haven't used yet is the ability to customize different greetings for different callers.

The price is right; free, and the service is a great aid for anyone on the go all the time. Check it out.