Why You Can Trust CNET Send someone you love a video greeting card for $35 (save $14)
Especially great for grandparents, Heirloom cards play automatically when you open them and store up to 10 minutes of video.
Heirloom's autoplaying video books put ordinary greeting cards to shame.
In the course of human history, greeting cards have evolved exactly twice. First came the embedded audio chip that played music upon opening the card. (Related: This hysterical Flight of the Conchords episode.) And now there's a card with a built-in screen that plays video when you open it. Video! In a greeting card!
Imagine the delight of, say, a grandparent who opens such a card to find 10 minutes' worth of adorable grandkid clips. That's the idea behind Heirloom, a new service offering exactly this product (which it refers to as "video books").
And I've got a deal for you: For a limited time, Cheapskate readers can get an Heirloom video book for $35 shipped with promo code CNET35. Regular price: $49. There's just one catch: For the moment, the only way to take advantage of this is via Heirloom's iPhone app. Android, web and even iPad aren't yet supported.
Assuming you've got an iPhone, the process is simple: Install the app and choose the videos you want. You can also record a new video within the app, just in case you want to add a personalized greeting.
Once you're done, you get a preview of the finished product as it'll look in the book -- a very nice touch. Then you can select a cover: Stick with the basic white "Heirloom" or choose a colorful birthday, flowers or love design.
Finally, you provide the mailing address of the recipient, along with a gift message that'll appear in the book. (Make sure to apply the coupon code on the checkout page.)
The book itself measures 5x7 inches and incorporates a 5-inch screen. There's also a speaker and rechargeable battery. The video can be user-replaced at a later date if desired.
I think this would make an amazing gift, especially for someone who's not especially tech-savvy. And I think $35 is a very reasonable price, given that you can easily spend $5-$10 for a plain old throwaway paper card that does nothing. (That's right, paper greeting cards, I'm calling you out!)
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