As the very buxom Marilyn Monroe once sang and a later day Madonna boldly reiterated - and perhaps many of today's women can still relate - diamonds are (and have been) a girl's best friend for quite sometime. And advertisers are very well aware of the fact that a large percentage of women (including myself) are turning away from the window dressings and paying a lot more attention to the internet for their shopping needs.

But, do they really know what women want?

USA Today reports a survey released this week showed that three out of four women preferred gadgets:

These are among the results of the Girls Gone Wired survey by market researcher TRU for Oxygen. TRU surveyed 1,400 women and 700 men 15 to 49 years old to compare tech attitudes among the sexes.

The findings suggest advertisers need to address a broad audience and not talk down to women. Advertisers are best served communicating lifestyle benefits of tech products by showing what's useful about them, rather than focusing on specifications, Oxygen says.

Yep - speaking as a consumer, who does NOT relate well to breast-enhanced advertising bullets - I have been a geek since...well...forever and love my gadgets (just got this cool chopper I've been Jonesing for, delivered yesterday!) and I, like perhaps millions of other internet users, click to surfing guides like Gizmodo, Engadget, iWant One of Those and Think Geek for my online reviews.

Not today.

I've been inspired to search for blogs bent on providing their readers cool gadget reviews and/or advice on technology - with a more estrogen enhanced view - so, let's hear it...from the girls!

One of the latest finds from SheFinds - Vibram Five Fingers they say is, "The next best thing to going barefoot."

Why?

"Because you love the feeling of going barefoot, but are too safety and germ-minded to go au naturale, Vibram FiveFingers is the next best thing. Designed to emulate the sensation of going barefoot, FiveFingers enhances your natural walking motion, while they “stimulate muscles in the feet and lower legs for greater balance, agility and strength.� With the Vibram sole that protects your feet from scalding surfaces and sharp objects, this alien-esque footwear is perfect for most activities that you’d rather enjoy barefoot. Some enthusiasts even wear them running! And they really fit like a glove for your feet. Once you put them on, you’ll never want to take them off. They’re a great conversation starter no matter what planet’s pavement you are pounding."

I do love to walk barefoot - but, hate the thought of stepping on something sharp and nasty, not to mention the after-effects on my heels - and this reminds me of the toe socks that were so popular when I was...ahem...some years ago.

Today, it's cell phones - and you can also find a rather large list of gadgets (and bling) to buy...for your cell...like Techie Diva's take on a new blue tooth with a rather feminine design:

The only headset I've been anticipating, is Motorola's H5 which is so small I know I'll eventually lose it, but I don't care because the thing is so discreet. Plantronics is on to something with this oh so amazing jewelry headset concept that is worn around the neck when not in use, and the pendant doubles as a mic. Businessweek's article focuses on the upcoming Discovery 655 headset designed for women. It appears analysts think mobile-phone accessories for women are the next big thing, since Motorola sold 664,000 pink RAZRs so far.

To be honest, I don't use the bluetooth that came with our family's cell phone - I hate sticking anything in my ear and the damned thing blinks like a blinking beacon - but, I would consider perhaps a smaller version of the jewelry headset, rather than pulling over and having to fight my kids for the cell phone.

Women Diary Network posts articles (including an awesome pic of Derek Jeter used in an ad promoting his signing a contract for Avon Fragrances) and lists blogs focusing on lifestyles of women, including a shopping guide for gadgets:

Sony and Luella Bartley work to create a limited edition laptop bag for Sony VAIO notebook. These bag is designed specially for girls and showed up in “Gadgets for Girl� lounge. [It's] designed exclusively for Sony VAIO notebook PCs and provides a chic alternative for women who value form as much as function.

The “Gadget for Girls� lounge offered lucky girls the opportunity to test drive Sony’s latest product offerings including the AIBO Entertainment Robot, and the gadgets.

But, one of the best gadget blogs (and one of my favorites) has to be Popgadget - don't let the name fool you - it's an innovative tech site that is run...by a bunch of girls!

Technology magazines ignore women and women's magazines ignore technology. Popgadget is a lifestyle magazine that embraces technology as a regular and essential part of women's lives. We cover topics traditionally seen in women's magazines, such as health and fitness, beauty and fashion, home, family, and entertainment, but with a unique focus on the products and people that bring exciting innovations to those aspects of our lives.

Along with their sister-publication, Babygadget, Popgadget consists of female editors (covering Asia, Europe and the U.S.) with a long list of impressive backgrounds, who also have a few "dream gadgets" of their own:

> a sound-activated microcam/high-powered taser that is attached to all car horns which will monitor, and if necessary, severely punish, gratuitous honkers.

> portable TiVo enabled digital TV set with enough memory to store BTVS and Angel's entire collection and still have a lot more free space for all the other shows I am addicted to.

> classroom chairs that will, at the touch of a remote button, deliver a mild electric shock, stunning talking students quiet or shocking sleeping students awake, all without leaving a mark.

> a stroller that climbs NYC subway stairs and brownstone stoops and a device that maps out all available parking spots in the vicinity of my apartment.

> a tiny telescoping periscope for my car so I can see beyond all those SUVs in front of me when I'm sitting in traffic.

If you're looking for a bikini-clad model straddling a Power Mac G5, you won't see it [at Popgadget] - but, if having a personal tech (who also dreams of gadgets making her life a little better)appeals to you, subscribe here.

It's clear that women bloggers are making great strides in the tech world and - as reports (like, Girls Gone Wired) seem to suggest that advertisers are attempting to...you know..."get us" - I'm so waiting for some manufacturer to come up with a universal remote...that I CAN actual work...and make it control time, while you're at it!

What's your "dream gadget?"
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Contributing Editor Elizabeth Thompson also writes for The Imperfect Parent.

[header image: Tech Digest]