iHeart Locket Digital Diary Necklace

I had a diary when I was a kid. In fact, I journaled more or less regularly until I started my blog in 2004, although what I would write in my diary and what I write on my blog are pretty different things. My daughter has started and abandoned diaries a few times and she loves any app that will let her customize something (I'm shocked how much enjoyment she gets out of creating cakes and pretending to eat them on any Apple device), so I said, "SURE!" when the folks at DANO asked if I'd like an iHeart locket for my girl to try out.

Dear Diary, my tech is now off the hook.

You have to have an iPad in order to use the iHeart locket. I won one a while back, and even though technically I won it, I'm the family member who uses it the least. My daughter uses it the most, with my husband coming in a close second as a classic second-screen user (I don't think he's capable of watching TV without it any more).

Though not my kid, I like how this photo is rendered realistic by the

three ponytail holders around her wrist.

Like most apps, my nine-year-old instantly figured out how to use the locket to open the diary. I told her she could write whatever she wanted in total privacy, but she showed me what she did, anyway. It was very easy to use and very cute. The privacy hook is fun for kids, and it's very handy that they can use the iPad's camera to snap photos and take videos to illustrate their entries. It's a diary on crack, I tell you.
My daughter doesn't actually wear the locket. She keeps it in a special place in her room. And you really can't bust into the app without the locket, at least not in a very easily discernable way (I'm not a hacker). The invisible ink is totally cool and my daughter's favorite part. The voice recognition software is voice recogniation software. (Sorry, Siri, I think any kind of voice recognition software is pretty bad.) The pricepoint is around $25, iPad not included.