Gelaskins: Art meets life
I figured it was high time that I wrote about some products that are currently tickling my fancy at the moment. I know there are a bunch of PC users out there (I myself use one at my "work" office, and still have one in my home office) - but I have to admit that I'm a bit of a MAC junkie. I am not writing this to incite a war of which platform is better, or which has a better cost. I simply like the gadgetry, I'm addicted to my iBook and my nano and will soon purchase an iPhone (waiting for 2nd gen) - in January, I'll be replacing my home PC with an iMac and will also purchase the iPod touch when it's realeased next week and likely get a new iPod classic - because I am a junkie (a junkie for the genius bar when I have an issue I cannot solve, a junkie for the pristine stores and smell of new technology, a junkie for the brain of Steve Jobs...) but, I digress. My tendency is to purchase white Mac products, because they look "clean" to me. While Mr. Clean magic erasers do a fine job of keeping my gadgets close to pristine, I have often struggled to find that perfect "thing" to cover my addictive little indulgences. But, now I have. Gelaskins, available at www.gelaskins.com, are a very thin (< 2mm) protective cover for your iPhone, iPod, laptop and RAZR made with premium grade 3M vinyl and adhesive technology. Patented micro-channels within the adhesive allow for a bubble-free application. Each GelaSkin has an ultra-clear, scratch resistant coating for maximum durability and photo quality finish.
Designed by artists, these are by far the coolest and most elegant creations I've seen - form and function, without the bulk. Finally, I can protect my hardware, and do it with style.
The Elegant iPod Touch
Some of you may have noticed that I mentioned the "iPod Touch" up above - and some of you may not of heard of this new little techno-gadgetry dreamed up by those wonderfule little wizards at Apple. Set for release on September 28th, the new iPod Touch from Apple is in a class by itself. It's like an iPhone, only without the phone. It's a music player, though not your best choice if that's what you're looking for. It's a wonderful video player and Web browser, despite certain limitations. Most important, it's beautiful, and I bet it sells like crazy, even at $299 for an 8-gigabyte version and $399 for 16GB.
The Touch screams out for comparison to the iPhone, which costs the same as the 16GB version but offers half the storage. The new iPod has the same general appearance, with a similar 3.5-in. display, but is shorter, noticeably thinner, and features the iPod's trademark polished metal back. Its basic software is the same as the iPhone's, though tweaked in some interesting ways. And Wi-Fi is the only wireless option. That means no voice service, but also no commitment to pay AT&T (T) at least $1,400 over a two-year contract.
Although it's called an iPod, for music, the iPod Classic, at $249 for 80GB, is much more capacious, and the newly video-enabled Nano, $149 for 4GB, is much cheaper. Besides, devices optimized for one function—playing music—do it better than the most elegant multipurpose product. The lack of dedicated volume-control buttons on the Touch is especially annoying.
The chief attraction of the Touch is the Web browser which technology is shared with the iPhone and is by far the best on any handheld device. None of the others let you magnify or shrink the contents of a large Web page by spreading or pinching your thumb and index finger, or drag a page just by touching the screen. But the Touch shares a major defect with the iPhone: the inability to play Adobe (ADBE) Flash, which prevents many videos and Web pages from displaying properly, or at all. This would be easy to fix if Apple would just do it.
Wi-Fi can also be used to download music, but not videos, directly from the iTunes store. (The same capability has been added to the iPhone.) And the Touch can view a selection of videos from YouTube. But the iPhone's weather and stock-price applications have been left off the new device. And with no phone service, there's no text messaging, other than resorting to Web-based chat programs.
E-mail is a much bigger omission. You can use the browser to reach Web services such as Hotmail, but they are hard to navigate on the small screen. The iPhone's mail application, while not great, is much better than this. Apple apparently believes you should buy an iPhone if you want real e-mail.
Don't even think about using the Touch's Wi-Fi for a Skype-like phone service. Programmers often figure out how to add applications, as they have to the iPhone. But Apple has made sure hackers won't turn the Touch into a phone. It has neither an audio input jack nor Bluetooth wireless, so there's no way to connect a microphone.
With the Touch, you're also getting about half a personal digital assistant. You can download your calendar from Microsoft Outlook, but you cannot edit or add appointments, nor can you get updates over Wi-Fi. Contacts are a different, happier story: You can add, delete, or edit those synced with Yahoo! or Outlook.
Apple's marketing mavens are very clever folks, and I'm sure that all of the decisions about what to include and what to leave off result from careful calculations. The omissions I've described probably won't make a dent in the soon-to-be explosive sales of the Touch. Still, it's a shame Apple has delivered such a beautiful and well-conceived piece of hardware with locked-down software that makes it far less useful than it could be. That's A-OK with me, I'll part with my precious dollars to sport this fine piece of technology anyway =). Visit www.apple.com/ipodtouch for a product demonstration.
Matthew Williamson: Spring 2008
OK - on the catwalks. Spring 2008 is ready for review, so I'll take a look at one of my favorite designers. I should note that the photos are from www.style.com. Apparently, Matthew Williamson's Spring show began with a performance by Prince. I'm not sure how this was masterminded, but apparently his company has also recently experienced a bit of a windfall in the form of cash from a pair of investment funds.
Williamson's lines always have a notable Indian influence - it might be the drape of the fabric, reminiscent of how a sari might drop to the ground, or sinuously hug a woman's curve, or one may observe it in the intricate detailing of beading and embroidery. It would seem rather than go for the overt tone, Williamson has turned toward more Navajo influences versus Mumbai, but don't let this fool you into thinking that craftsmanship or influence has swayed - it's in the subtlety of the detail. More than anyone, Williamson seems to know how to work a bead and needle, and he demonstrates it here. This collection seems slightly more subdued, but there are still some surprises, and it was nice to see him play with fabrics and his technique of tie-dye once again. I have long been a fan of his butterfly cuts, and his long dresses in general - while the butterfly cut is absent for Spring 2008, the long dress doesn't disappoint with gorgeous draping and deep v-cuts and sumptuous shows of back, Williamson knows how to make sexy subtle and delicate.
Product: MOTOROKR S9
We've seen Becks sporting one on the field, the MOTOROKR S9 is a Bluetooth® stereo headphone which can connect to a compatible Bluetooth enabled phone or iPod® Adapter. According to the Motorola website, the headphone enables you to seamlessly stream music and manage calls. One of Motorola’s most lightweight headsets, MOTOROKR S9 is durable, water resistant and sweat resistant. Easy controls, wireless simplicity and behind-the-head comfortable wearing style make them a necessity for staying connected and listening to tunes whatever you’re doing. Escape the wires with Motorola’s MOTOROKR S9 wireless Bluetooth stereo headphones.
I may have to check these out - light and durable is pretty important to me, especially when I'm out on a trail or doing something physically strenuous. While I don't exactly see myself rocking a pair of these in the commute in the car, or while sitting at a desk, I could see myself donning them on a climb or a hike. No more wires, no worries of shock through one ear, and no worries of losing a blue tooth device because it simply isn't secure enough on one ear to stay in place.
Beauty Product: Origins Calm to Your Senses
People are always asking me what scent I am wearing. While it is generally a combination of different oils (never perfumes - or very, very rarely), one of the products that absolutely gets the most attention is the Lavender and vanilla concoction made by Origins called "Calm to Your Senses." While the company has an entire line devoted to the scent, I generally stick to the body souffle. Apply liberally after bathing, and keep a small amount in a portable container to moisterize my hands or arms throughout the day.
You will find that I will often recommend Origins products, largely because the company carefully selects and meticulously extracts pure, natural essential oils, balances their many complex components according to their specific functions and mixes them up with some savvy science to create their Skin Care, Sensory Therapy and Bath and Body products. They believe that wellness and beauty are interconnected and therefore their holistic approach goes beyond physical appearance to touch, scent and surround every aspect of your being and well-being. Inside and out. They consider your moods, your emotions, your lifestyle and your state of mind. Their sensory products are simple alternatives to many of the things you’ve come to rely on to relax, have sweet dreams or get a burst of go-power. They also believe that taking serious care of yourself should be enjoyable - something you look forward to. So as serious as their products are, they're also pleasing to use.
