Like it or not, these days mobile phones can be seen as so much more than just communication devices. And like all things, there's a lot of choice out there. How do you decide what kind of phone to go for? Design? Ease of use? Or is price the most important factor?

We're offering you the chance to win one of five 4 GB Apple iPod Nano Videos just for completing a survey on this very subject.

It'll take about five minutes of your time and everyone who enters their details at the end will be entered into the prize draw. The closing date for entry to the draw is 31st January.

Take the survey here

Terms and conditions apply - see them over the page.

A new book, which aims to set the record straight on what's green and what's not when it comes to everyday life choices, hits our shelves today. But unlike most guides to greeness, this one recognises that there are often grey areas between eco-sainthood and eco-ignorance -- and that most of us fit somewhere between the two.

When I first picked up this book, my response was 'oh no, not another guide that's going to fudge the issue even further' -- fearing that people will soon simply throw up their hands in defeat at the news that yet more green 'rules' would have to be unlearned -- but soon found that the book is far more helpful than that. Yes, there are sections that will tell you a bath is not necessarily less green than a shower, and that organic tomatoes are in some senses less 'green' than their conventionally-grown counterparts. But in doing so it simply explains the science behind the advice we've all had rammed down our throats for years in a way that helps us interpret it sensibly and in ways that suit our priorities.

We've got a copy of Shades of Green to give away to a hippyshopper reader. To enter, simply send us an email with the subject header 'Shades of Green', with your full name and postal address in the body.

Here's some good news if you were hoping to enter our Media Talent Award in association with LG. We've heard that a few would-be contestants would like a little longer to answer that elusive question 'what is style?' so in the spirit of festive goodwill, we've extended the entry deadline to 1st January.

The standard of entries so far has been very high, and we're having a lot of fun arguing chatting amongst ourselves about our personal faves. Here's one that I felt deserved a mention:

Once we've seen all the entries, three people will be shortlisted from each category: that's video presenters and video editors. If chosen, you will need to be able to attend a judging date on week commencing 14th January at the Shiny Media office in London.

Please take a couple of minutes out of your day to fill in our lovely reader survey. if you do, you are in with a shout of winning a shiny new Apple iPod Touch 16GB, courtesy of our friends at Play.com. It's worth £250 but you could net one for nothing.

Click here to take the survey and enter!

Terms and Conditions

We're still running our video talent competition with those eco-friendly washing machine and phone people at LG, and entries are coming in thick and fast, getting more varied, more adventurous and just plain wacky in their answer to the question 'what is style'. This one, which comes all the way from Finland, cites 80s movie The Neverending Story as the definition of style. And who are we to argue with that?

If you'd like to work with us either as a presenter or video production person, click the link below for instructions on how to send your own video masterpiece.

If you know anyone who aspires to be a TV presenter (and let's face it, we've all met a budding telly star!) Point them towards the competition that Shiny Media - home of Hippyshopper and many other fabulous blogs - is running in association with LG.

We have two 6-month internships available, starting from January 2008; one for a budding video presenter and one for a video production person. It's a unique opportunity for or someone you know to break into this fiercely competitive market, while having a lot of fun in the meantime. Here's another video sent in by a would-be presenter...the question is can YOU do better than this?

If so, Click here for instructions on how to enter! All videos submitted will appear on our competition YouTube channel.

Yesterday we brought you one of the first entries in our LG Video Talent search for a video editor, and today I thought I'd share one of my favourite entries to the 'presenter' category.

We're still accepting entries, so if you think you can impress us even more, get out the webcam and get talking! We want to hear all about you, what you do and why you want to come and train with Shiny Media. Click here for instructions on how to enter! All videos submitted will appear on our competition YouTube channel. Click here for instructions on how to enter! All videos submitted will appear on our competition YouTube channel.

Along with LG, makers of eco-friendly washer-dryers and (of course) stylish, sexy phones, we are offering the chance a budding video editor and presenter to train with Shiny Media's top video blogging team and develop skills in presenting or filming/editing. Since we started taking entries two weeks ago, we've seen all kinds of styles and ideas coming through, including the video below. Can you do better than this? If so, you might be in with a chance of winning this unique opportunity.

Click here for instructions on how to enter! All videos submitted will appear on our competition YouTube channel.

We've got an extra special prize on offer today: the chance for you to come and work with us at Shiny Towers, home of Hippyshopper and a host of other exciting lifestyle, technology, fashion and sport blogs. We have two 6-month internships available, starting from January 2008; one for a budding video presenter and one for a video production person. So, if you're a keen blogger who'd like nothing better than to make a career of your favourite hobby, this could be the perfect opportunity for you. Watch the video below from Tech Guru Susi Weaser to find out what you need to do:

The chosen candidate will get the chance to train and work with Shiny Media, the UK’s top video blogging team. This opportunity will allow unique insight into how we plan, script and shoot up to 80 videos every month. The Shiny Media videos are watched by an audience of around 50,000 every week, and this internship offers you the chance to gain skills that will help you develop your career in the video media industry. Click here for instructions on how to enter! All videos submitted will appear on our competition YouTube channel.

Have you seen any interesting or unusual green goings-on in your local area? Spotted someone on the street in particularly cool eco-friendly gear? Perhaps you're the talk of the town with the latest green wheels? If so, here's your chance to share it with the rest of Europe in brand new photo blog, City Clickers.

We’ve teamed up with the network, and are looking for two UK photo bloggers to help us by taking portrait snaps of those who you think best reflect the true essence of green style in the UK. You can see some of the photos that have been submitted so far on the left, including images from Germany, France, Spain and The Netherlands in this exciting pan-European moblog.

Winners will receive a brand new LG Viewty phone and will have their bill paid for two months. To find out how to enter and to see what other people have photographed, click here. Admittedly you'd need to have a keen interest in fashion, and be out and about on the streets of this fine country often, to snag photos of people, but isn't winning an iPhone killer worth it?

Just a quick heads-up to remind you that you can still win a gift set worth £30 from natural beauty retailer Touch My Face.

The set contains a paraben-free handcream, bath soak, body wash and body oil, all 100ml bottles, along with a little candle. All products are made by Laidbare, a collection of pure, natural and beneficial skin and body products. Sourced from fresh, living plants, the superior essential oils and natural extracts are expertly blended with vitamins into a luxurious skin food that promises to be always beneficial, never artificial – even the preservatives.

If you'd like to enter our competition, simply drop us an email, with the subject header Touch My Face, your name, and postal address. Results will be announced on the site in two weeks' time.

After yesterday's news on the forthcoming plastic bag bill, it's time to start thinking more seriously about carrying a shopping bag with you at all times. Not convinced? Just imagine your dismay at spotting an object of desire in a shop window and having nothing to carry it home in! Doesn't bear thinking about, does it...

So to make sure you've always got somewhere to put your shopping, we've joined forces with Catwalk Queen to give away some of the hottest new eco totes out there. Made by underground label Little Sister, the silk-screen printed pen-and-ink designs on these organic, fairtrade totes are already appearing on the arms of ethical fashionistas in the know. We all know what happens when a bag makes it big, so to be there at the beginning, simply send us an email with the subject header "Little Sister" and you name and postal address. Good luck!

If you're vegetarian, have you thought about Christmas dinner yet? I always find it such a pain to identify anything suitably festive to go with the trimmings, and there's no way I'm rustling up a nut roast while the rest of the family open their presents and get merry on bucks fizz...

With that in mind, Redwood Foods can help. They're offering you the chance to win a celebration roast hamper - a kinder, more ethical alternative to turkey - which is suitable for vegetarians AND vegans and packed full of mouth-watering Christmas treats. You can sit back and relax on Christmas morning with this hamper, as it comes with ready-sliced turkey style roast, with delicious Vegi-Deli gourmet sausages wrapped in Redwood’s award-winning Streaky-Style Vegetarian Rashers and mouthwatering turkey flavour gravy. Free from animal ingredients, lactose, cholesterol, hydrogenated fats, GMOs and artificial colours/preservatives.

Sounds good? To enter, simply email me with the subject header "ho ho ho"

Continuing in our noble attempt to detox the nation's makeup bags, we offer you a gift set worth £30 from natural beauty retailer Touch My Face.

The set contains a handcream, bath soak, body wash and body oil, all 100ml bottles, along with a little candle. All products are made by Laidbare, a collection of pure, natural and beneficial skin and body products. Sourced from fresh, living plants, the superior essential oils and natural extracts are expertly blended with vitamins into a luxurious skin food that promises to be always beneficial, never artificial – even the preservatives.

If you'd like to enter our competition, simply drop us an email, with the subject header Touch My Face, your name, and postal address. Results will be announced on the site in two weeks' time.

We're delighted to announce that we've chosen a lucky hippyshopper reader to win our £60 beauty detox set from Florame.

Victoria Wilson of Tunbridge Wells will soon be getting her hands on the goodie-bag, which contains Florame's Derma Stress botanical hand cream, body lotion, face masks and more, all guaranteed organic by Ecocert. We hope Victoria enjoys the products, and hope it'll mark the beginning of a goop-free beauty regime!

Keep reading for more great prizes and reader offers.