I get it. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel when the common wheel works just fine. But why is it that everyone is copying Apple’s iPhone? Is there a certain sense for excitement, for something new and better only at Apple? Add Google to the list of iPhone imitators: If you don’t like the arrogance of Apple, but are jealous of all those flaunting their iPhones, the Nexus One from Google is probably the best you can do. That is, of course, if you don’t depend on texting and if you don’t like Blackberrys.

Let’s be honest, calling an Apple computer ‘affordable’ is an oxymoron, so please excuse my sensationalism in the headline. But Apple is to the generic PC what Lexus is Toyota, they are both more than likely to take you from A to Z, but the Lexus is more comfy and will do it in a more stylish way. Now it seems that Apple will soon be revealing the computer equivalent to a Lexus that is stripped down to the bones. It is likely to cost a lot less than current Apple computers, but it won’t be able to take you all places. Will you prefer this Lexus with a weak engine over a similarly priced Toyota that will get you everywhere?

I’ll take a good guess and just assume that you are among those 300 million Facebook users and there is a reasonable chance that, since you are a single parent, you are among the 60 million who actually use the site on a daily basis. Given the massive impact the site has on our lives – according to Alexa.com, it is the Internet’s second most web site worldwide – any changes potentially should matter to you. Especially if Facebook modifies its privacy options and recommendations. You may have noticed the founder’s note on the Facebook main screen last week, but I wonder: Do you really (have to) care?

There is quite some activity in the cellphone space: Many big carriers are dropping their fees for certain plans. Especially the all-you-can-eat voice plan, that is now available for as little as $45 per month, down from as much as $130 just a few months ago, has created enough incentive for carriers to make their plans more attractive – which is very much welcome by single parents who depend on those unlimited voice and data plans. But if you are stuck in a 2-year plan, changing plans or switching carriers can be very expensive and result in early contract termination fees. Consumer Action has released helpful tips how to cut down the impact of those fees if you want to switch.

Sometimes, simple ideas are great ideas. We just heard about a product that we believe is worth passing on to our readers. There is a Just-out-of-Reach light switch extension for kids that may be a simple solution for some of the headaches you are facing with small kids in your household.

I have been a technology journalist for more than 14 years and despite I believe I have seen it all, I am still amazed at the astonishing progress that has been made within a few years. We are keeping contact with our kids via cell phones, we are connected day and night to our work (ok, that may not be so much progress) and friends, we are purchasing virtually any product from the comfort of our family room couch, we are carrying tiny music players that store tens of thousands of songs and we have cell phones that can snap pictures and record videos when we want to.

There is a fascinating new portable device out today that I believe is worth mentioning on Single Parent Gossip. It is about the size of a compact navigation system, fits in the palm of your hand and includes the entire content of the English-language Wikipedia dictionary (about 3.5 million articles according to the manufacturer.)

Called the WikiReader, the device is controlled via a touchscreen as well as four physical buttons. The on/off button, a “search”, “history” and a “random” button. Typically you will start your search with the search button, which shows an onscreen keyboard to input search terms. The history button stores all visited Wikipedia pages and serves as a “back” button.

Single Parent Gossip is giving away three WikiReaders. Read the article for details.

Review Nokia N97 Smartphone – What matters most in a cell phone? For the single parent, it is no secret that you will need a device to keep in touch with your children and your ex-spouse. Typically, you would be shopping for a smartphone that has great texting capabilities, a decent camera, and is overall easy to use.

Apple’s iPhone may be the obvious choice these days, but there are interesting alternatives as other manufacturers are trying to catch up. We have had a chance to play with Nokia’s N97 smartphone, which imitates key characteristics of the iPhone and packs the most features you can buy in a cell phone today. At $600, it is also one of the most expensive cell phones you can buy. But is it worth it?