Mother's Day Tech Gift Ideas

When tech manufacturers try to catch a woman's eye, the color pink is often involved. Gina Hughes writes about one of the latest gadgets to take on the pastel hue in time for Mother's Day, the Microsoft Zune. But I have to admit, sheathing a gadget or anything in pink has never done it for me. As a mom, I think the perfect tech gift is one that helps me stay in contact with my family, up to date on work messages, and on top of our ever-changing family schedule.

I also want tech that will help me record the images of our family time together during these years that are flying by. So, sure tech can look good while being functional, but my perfect Mother's Day tech present does not have to be pink.

No one knows the mom in your life better than you, but I've pulled together a few tech-related Mother's Day gift suggestions. They range in price to fit whether you've got the budget to splurge or your thoughtfulness and love outweigh the contents of your wallet.

Splurge

BlackBerry 8800 - The newest BlackBerry with the pearl trackball slims down the traditional BlackBerry but makes use of the full QWERTY keypad not found on the BlackBerry Pearl. Priced at about $300, this new model gets Chris Null's esteemed nod, though it does not come with a camera.

Nikon D80 - For a mom who would love a digital SLR camera, this 10.2-megapixel model helps an amateur photographer make the move from point-and-shoot to single-lens-reflex camera smoothly. Expect to spend about $1,000—I told you it's a splurge.

Heavy on thought, light(er) on purse

Photo Book - Pull together photos that create a theme for a photo book: A special vacation, holidays, a family reunion, are a few ideas. Shutterfly has some book offers ranging between $30 and $55 on this page. And, yes, there is some pink in all of the designs.

Stylish gear bag - She's lugging around her laptop here and there, you can help her do it in style. This Crumpler - The Skivvy bag is one way to carry tech and look good doing it. ($58).

Creative personal gifts (inexpensive and not necessarily pink)

Mom's favorite tunes - It doesn't cost much to make a CD of her (and your) favorite songs to play in the car to and from work, sporting events - you name it. Guaranteed, the time put into this will mean more than any expensive gadget.

Say it in a movie - Make a short video telling mom what she means to you and include some video clips of the kids or your time together. (TiVo owners can try out One True Media's service for free this month, as Robin Raskin suggests.) You can also burn the video on a DVD for less tech-savvy moms, or post it on a site like Yahoo! Video or a family sharing sites such as Amiglia.

Those are a few ideas. Feel free to add your own favorite tech gift ideas for moms to the mix.