Dreaming of a home theater?  We’ve discovered an ingenious gadget that lets you turn your iPhone 4 into a movie projector and any white wall or smooth surface into a screen.

The Pocket Projector ($229.99) has a super-bright 15-lumen LED projector lamp that delivers clearer, more brilliant images than other pico projectors. It has a 640×360 native display resolution which projects up to 50″ images and an integrated 0.5W speaker to deliver your audio.

And another smart feature…..the Pocket Projector doubles as a back-up battery for your iPhone 4 when not being used.

So plan a movie night or use the projector to add some event decor.  It could project a work presentation but how boring would that be?

PHOTO CREDIT:  Courtesy of Brookstone

While Emily Post may dictate that a handwritten printed invitation is de rigueur, Lazy Hostess says, “If it’s gorgeous and makes your life easier, go for it.” Not only is it a convenient and inexpensive (if not, free) alternative, but sending a digital invite is très eco-chic.

To begin, give your event a name and then choose an image from the pingg gallery (which includes artwork from renowned artists and photographers found in their Designer Series) or upload your own. Next add your event details and choose your delivery method via their proprietary software surroundSend™ which allows invitations to be sent via email and Facebook or, for a nominal charge, via SMS ($1.50 for 20 text messages) or print ($1.50 per card including postage).

For your flaky or forgetful friends (you know who you are), we suggest sending reminders the day of your party with date, time and address right to their mobiles. For unresponsive guests, we like sending personal messages to encourage (or coerce) them to attend. All events can be downloaded into iCal or Outlook and maps are provided for easy reference.

Extra perks include the ability to upload a video or photos to the event web page or to set up a charity gift registry with Changing The Present.

While the idea of sending a digital invitation or managing your RSVPs online isn’t new, using pingg is certainly an upgrade. And, as we’ve found with all of the finer things in life (first class, Louboutin heels and Apple iPods), once you experience the best, there’s no turning back.

Eco-Chic Entertaining is a special series for the month of April that is dedicated to the best green vendors, products and services.

Dubbed the “Playstation Portable for music,” the Pacemaker ($760) from Swedish company Tonium is so small it fits in the palm of your hand. It features a 120 gigabyte hard drive to store all your music, a built in mixer for seamless transitions between songs and runs solely on batteries. Aspiring and professional DJ’s can use the free desktop software to create and record mixes from digital files on their computers. The device is available online starting in mid-February.

Numark, a longtime manufacturer of professional DJ equipment, has launched the iDJ2 ($600), a lightweight mixing console and portable DJ system with professional features including real time scratching, balance outputs, pitch control, key lock and seamless looping. The innovative iPod docking station allows users to play and mix two songs simultaneously.

Both are great options for event planners who have limited space for DJ booths or for the home entertainer looking for a simple, no-fuss set-up. And, when the music can travel, party-hopping will have a whole new dimension…

For more information, read For Disc Jockeys as Well as Desk Jockeys [NY Times]

Notes on a Party collaborated with Dina Kaplan of Founders Club and NBCU Digital to host a blow-out bash (their last one of the year) for the top entrepreneurs and players in the tech industry. And, let me tell you, the event was anything but your typical meet-up.

THE VENUE: the hallowed halls of SNL

THE HOSTS: Dina Kaplan (blip.tv), Jessica Schell (NBCU Digital), Jason Rapp (IAC), Auren Hoffman (Rapleaf), David Kidder (Clickable), Marc Cenedella (The Ladders), Josh Abramson (CollegeHumor), Joseph Varet (LX.TV), Graham Hill (Treehugger), Joel Smernoff (Paltalk), Daniel Klaus (MusicNation)

THE GUEST LIST: A mix of old guard and young talent (aka “wantrepreneurs”) as well as big media and press (including a few sharp-tongued bloggers)

THE SURPRISE: 80′s popstar, MC Hammer (founder of the upcoming DanceJam.com)

THE SPONSORS: NBCU Digital, Clickable, TheLadders, Bain Capital Ventures, Paltalk and Silverjet

THE DESIGNER DRINKS: Classic CEO Martinis by Chopin Vodka

THE TRENDY MENU: mini-burgers and BBQ chicken wings

THE GIVE-AWAY: Copies of David Kidder’s New York Times bestselling book The Intellectual Devotional and, for one lucky winner, a round trip business class ticket to London on Silverjet.

THE CRASHERS: stuck in the lobby of 30 Rock arguing with the NBC pages

The energy of the event was fueled by just enough industry drama with whispers of funding, launching, acquiring, poaching, and even suing. After a few too many martinis, there may have even been a bit of “canoodling.”

But, it was only fitting that the uber-exclusive venue lifted its velvet ropes to some of tech’s most exclusive – and by invitation only – properties. Representing the elite, members-only category, Joe Robinson, Greg Brody and Sabine Heller of the social networking site, ASMALLWORLD; Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilson of the newly launched, fashion shopping site Gilt.com; and, Scott Galloway of the virtual (millionare) men’s club, Carbon.

For more scoop on Founders Club and industry gossip, check out the following posts by:

Henry Blodget and Peter Kafka of Alley Insider, Caroline McCarthy of CNET, Nicolas Carlson of Valleywag and Thomas Farley of New York Insider.

PHOTO CREDIT: Angus McIntyre

Whether you are planning a conference, meeting, wedding or dinner party, where you seat your guests can make a huge impact on their enjoyment and your peace of mind. Figuring out the right chemistry and compatibility among your guests can be an arduous process. I discovered an online service called Simple Seating that will make the whole task of seating and managing RSVP’s a little easier. Here’s how it works:

1) Add your event (name, description and # of guests)

2) Add your guests (either upload a CSV file or manually enter)

3) Provide info on guests (RSVP status, guest name, type of meal)

4) Put guests into groups (by company name, groom’s family etc)

5) Choose your table configurations and placement (round, rectangular etc)

6) Assign seating with the easy drag-and-drop feature
(drag names and groups from guest list right over to each table)

7) Preview, edit, print or export your seating chart

RSVP’s are color coded for easy reference – YES is green, MAYBE is yellow and NO is red (which shows up on your list but not on your chart). And, you can access your account from any computer with Internet access. The service is free for events up to 50 guests. Other packages allow you to seat events for up to 350 guests including Basic ($19.95) for 2 events, Plus ($49.95) for 5 events or Pro (call for quote).

Simple Seating is a great way to stay organized and connected with your clients, wedding planner or even your Type-A mother-in-law who will, no doubt, ask to see each revision to your seating chart!

Thumbnail Photo by Design Within Reach.

From my best friend’s wedding to our safari in Africa, I would spend hours on albums – arranging prints, gluing corners by hand and writing captions in pencil. Choosing an album to house all the images was just as much of a production. Would it be the Smythson leather or linen-covered from Kate’s?

Now that everything has gone digital, it was easier than ever to capture memorable moments of birthday parties, baby showers and weekend trips to the Hamptons. But, I always cringed when I went to share them with others. The photo sharing sites were either covered with banner advertising or endlessly spammed all my friends after they signed up. And, did they really think I wanted to silkscreen my face on a T-shirt or have my dog’s photo on a coffee mug?

Thankfully, I found a stylish alternative – Phanfare, an online photo and video site, creates and shares chic looking albums without any trace of advertising for a low fee that ranges from $6.95 per month to $54.95 per year.

Besides having a much cooler interface, some of my favorite features are:

• Unlimited storage (protects your albums if you computer crashes)
• Allows images up to 20MB and videos up to 10 minutes long
• Allows guests to download full sized images from your album
• Uploads music from iTunes for slide shows
• Doesn’t hijack your albums if you don’t buy prints
• Has advanced password systems so you can share only the albums you want (Girl’s Weekend in Vegas doesn’t need to be sent to your boss or your boyfriend!)

Now you can give your most precious memories the home they deserve.

As a professional event planner, you would assume that I have an extensive collection of music neatly organized into lists for every occasion but it is quite the opposite.

While I have worked with the best DJ’s in the business for all my clients, my personal music library is a bit of a mess and obviously neglected. What few mixes I have are limited to chilling out at home or kick-boxing at the gym.

Ironically, I have DJ’s Coleman Feltes and Ursula 1000 on speed dial but still no music for my Saturday night dinner party. So, like any New Yorker, I decide to order in…

Audiostiles is an amazing music styling company that creates playlists and compilations for any type of event. The founders are music aficionados who have worked in A&R at music labels and their team of programmers are made up of industry insiders who have worked as DJ’s and in radio.

Not only can they create the perfect party mix, they can give your iPod a total make-over by keeping your collection current and introducing you to new artists. The whole process is simple and easy.

1) First you fill out a questionnaire about your music needs (occasion), personal taste and how much music is needed.

2) You give them your shipping address and iTunes account info.

3) They send you a container for your iPod which you send back to them.

4) They download all the music into programmed playlists and send your freshly loaded iPod back to you in 3-5 days (not including shipping time).

Customized music is $50 per hour ($15 for actual music costs billed to your iTunes account and $35 for their styling fees)

Preprogrammed mixes are $35 per hour ($15 in music costs and $20 in fees). One of my favorites is “Guess Who is Coming To Dinner” – that features music from Zero 7, Everything But the Girl and Bebel Gilberto.

Now I have a music library with lists for every entertaining occasion from cocktail parties to 80′s night to Sunday brunch with the parents. Everything is perfectly arranged….just please stay away from my dresser.