The Mobile Technology Weblog: When you think Prada, overpriced Italian fashion may be the first thing that comes to mind but LG is about to change all that.
The PRADA Phone by LG (KE850) is a breakthrough in an industry known for innovation. The PRADA Phone by LG introduces the world's first advanced touch interface which eliminates the need for a conventional keypad An extra wide LCD screen maximizes visual impact, allowing the user to benefit from several key features of the phone, including a 2 megapixel camera featuring Schneider-Kreuznach lens, video player and document viewer capacity.
Glowing icons on the face of the phone disappear when not in use and an ultra thin (12 mm) design allows for an array of additional multimedia functions, including an MP3 player and a music multitasking function for messaging in slim form. It also boasts an external memory slot, allowing the user to increase memory capacity for images, music and film clips.
PRADA - More than just fashion [The Mobile Technology Weblog]
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The BBC is planning to invest £25m in children's TV programmes over the next three years, meaning TV Brackets and TV Mounts could be reaffirmed as positive assets to any modern environment.
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TrendCentral: Like a Facebook for fashionistas, Chictopia is an online community where users can upload photos of self-styled outfits, as well as browse their peers' ensembles. Also available are user reviews of stores and various forums to discuss designers, trends, and notable events in the fashion world
Chictopia [TrendCentral]
Springwise: Although video games and laser tag are a popular choice for kids’ parties, getting the kids to venues can be more hassle than it’s worth. Back in January, Texas-based Games2u stepped in to solve this problem with its mobile video game theatres—self-powered, climate controlled trailers that house X-Box 360, Wii and PS3 systems, enabling up to 24 players to compete head-to-head. For parents who’d rather see their children running around outdoors, the company’s Sprinter trailers contain a range of inflatable bunkers and laser guns to turn yards and fields into laser tag battlegrounds in an instant.
Thanks to its installation of multiple 50-inch flatscreen HDTV displays and surround sound, the trailer provides customers with a much more immersive gaming experience than they could create in their own homes. Each mobile theatre is accompanied by a trained Game Coach who oversees the event and keep players engaged, allowing parents to sit back and relax. Parties start at USD 199 for one hour, USD 299 for two hours and USD 99 for every additional hour.
Mobile gaming theatres pop up at birthday parties [Springwise]
Gadgets-Reviews: Another newcomer in the endless row of Apple iPhone and Apple iPod gadgets. Here is a new headphone set from Coosh to your attention. The first and the main thing to tell about it is that Coosh headset is a bargain if you are not after some very exclusive devise to be compatible with your iPhone or iPod. Coosh is as simple as that, and for the price it is asked for, presents a pretty good quality to price ratio.
Coosh headset is certainly from a teenager's world. Stylish and comfortable, it was made primarily to be as less disturbing as possible. Big hoops are designed to keep headphones holding steady while practicing sports or any other activities.
New Apple iPod and iPhone compatible headset from Coosh [Gadgets-Reviews]
Inhabitat: Knoend, one of our favorite sustainable designers, is at it again, following the success of their Lite2Go Lamps with the launch of their body-conscious Bean Rockers. I can tell you from firsthand experience that these little wonders are incredibly comfortable - and they should be, considering all of the thought that went into the design and styling of the delightful bean-shaped rockers.
The chairs were an instant hit were granted “trend-setter” status by a correspondent from the NYTimes in an article titled: “Chairs with Talking Points.” In keeping with the mantra of Knoend’s products, each Bean Rocker comes flat-packed and is composed of FSC-certified wood and an organic cotton cushion. The Bean Rockers are easily assembled by following the recycled paper manual, and they can be assembled prior to shipping if desired.
Knoend’s Bean Rockers Rock the House [Inhabitat]
TrendWatching.com: South African health insurance company Discovery has a wellness program called Vitality which is the only one of its kind to offer rewards for a healthy lifestyle based on scientific measurement. Members receive points by decreasing risk factors for illness, and the higher the points, the higher the status (bronze, silver, gold, diamond), and the greater the access to shopping and travel discounts.
PERKONOMICS [TrendWatching.com]
The Cool Hunter: Thanks to the jet-set generation, demand for boutique hotels is increasing around the world. The first boutique "chain," W, started the trend for a network of branded urbane-style properties and has just launched its latest edition - W Hong Kong.
Located in West Kowloon, the hub of the buzzing financial district of Hong Kong, the new W brings a large dose of New York style to this cosmopolitan Asian business capital.
The area is right on the commercial waterfront, so instead of luxury yachts you are more likely to look out onto imposingly large freight and cargo ships. It works though, juxtaposing the designer, luxury environment with the gritty, functional realism of the hotel's location.
Overall the hotel's design is pitch-perfect for the W brand – New-York- style interiors with the W signature quirk in the form of butterflies (butterfly motifs everywhere, we loved it) and surprising contemporary art works such as a fiberglass seal holding up a grand piano (yes, a seal holding up a grand piano, it's for real and a feat of creativity and engineering).
W Hong Kong [The Cool Hunter]
TrendCentral: If you've ever walked down the street to stares thinking you must look pretty good that day only to discover blocks later it was your fallen fly and not your fly outfit, then this gadget is for you. Designed to keep your zipper up and your nether regions covered, the ZipHolder loops through your zipper and around the button on your waistband, ensuring that no one will ever say XYZPDQ to you again.
ZipHolder [TrendCentral]
All parents know how hectic, time-consuming and frustrating driving around kids and teens can be. Especially when the apple of your eye is a socially active, extra curricular maven that's super involved in everything. In cases like these, dad generally spends his mornings and evenings carpooling & driving to schools, friends' homes, birthday parties, various youth centers, drama classes, karate, malls, science projects etc.
Fortunately, a solution has been created in order to help kids appreciate the value of their daddy's time, efforts and driving skills: The 'Dad's Cab' is a mock taxi meter that is placed on Dad's dashboard. Every time he drops off a kid at his/her destination, Dad tosses out a fare card which specifies a task, chore or favor that the child will have to return in exchange for the ride. This way children learn to appreciate their parents' time investment and discover that not everything in life is for free. When someone works for you, you have to pay for it.
From the source:
"Dad's Cab is a novelty taxi meter that comes with an assortment of forfeit cards that overworked dads can dish out to their blood-sucking children by way of a bill. Payments include ingenious tasks like 'tidy your room' and 'make dad a cup of tea' – that's no more free rides for the kids and some well-deserved rewards for dad!"
Here's to educating kids correctly and cleverly in a tit-for-tat kind of world.
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TrendsSpotting.com is a trends agency focused on developing exciting tools for Trend Spotting. We follow current trends and are constantly looking for new ones. We specialize in trends research and the social media. Dr. Taly Weiss, TrendsSpotting CEO, is a Social Psychologist, with extensive experience in branding strategy and marketing research. Feel free to explore our trend spotting tools on www.trendoScope.com.
Urbane Nomads offers interesting travel experiences, proffering locations and accompanying experiences that re-define 'the ultimate travel experience'. Urbane Nomads' travel experiences go beyond the almost-clichéd 'ski in the morning, swim in the Mediterranean sea by afternoon' itinerary. The prototypical Urbane Nomad can be found living it up in a sybaritic town of Latin America one holiday and roughing it out in an eco-resort (sans mod cons) in an undeveloped city the next.
Taking an active interest in the culture and history of the area (which goes beyond watching a 'native' dance staged with the tourist in mind), the Urbane Nomad seeks out intelligent tours that go under the skin of the place. To this end, they offer scholar-led tours for certain destinations and alternative experiences even for the most prominently featured localities on the tourist agenda. Be it a surprisingly tranquil retreat from the chaos of touristy Bangkok or watching a no-rules polo match in the highest peaks of (a much less-touristy) Pakistan, Urbane Nomads seeks to create interesting, alternative travel experiences for the prototypical Urbane Nomad.
http://www.urbanenomads.com
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Here's a fuzzy friend that'll keep you warm this fall: The Furry Pumas designed by Mihara Yasuhiro. Another Japanese style sneaker, only this time, the designer from Tokyo actually constructed "typical Converse Chuck Taylor's but with horse hair covering the heel. Upon closer examination you can see that it looks like he constructed two different shoes and then just attached them together in the middle. Even the sole is different from
the front and back."Animal hair hats and hairy ensembles were just the first indicators of furry fashions. This current style is an interesting twist on retro trends and gives your everyday items that wild animal look. Hopefully we'll be seeing some more of these unique creations towards the winter-what better way to keep yourself warm and fuzzy on the (inside) outside?
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TrendsSpotting.com is a trends agency focused on developing exciting tools for Trend Spotting. We follow current trends and are constantly looking for new ones. We specialize in trends research and the social media. Dr. Taly Weiss, TrendsSpotting CEO, is a Social Psychologist, with extensive experience in branding strategy and marketing research. Feel free to explore our trend spotting tools on www.trendoScope.com.
The Flipper toothbrush holder is a special kind of product. It takes brushing and shaving – normally mundane activities – and turns them into a daily delight, whether you are six years old or 60 years old. From function to form, the Flipper toothbrush holder is a simple addition that will change the way you go about your morning routine.
Using the Flipper toothbrush holder is a snap, even on your groggiest morning. All you need is one hand.
1. Patented snap-open mechanism makes retrieving your toothbrush or razor both easy and fun, whether you’re a kid…or an adult!
2. Patented snap-closed mechanism adds a little bit of magic to your day. Insert your toothbrush or razor, and watch the Flipper toothbrush holder automatically close on its own.
3. High-quality suction cups allow for reliable adhesion to a variety of smooth surfaces, including bathroom mirrors and tile surfaces.
ProductDose.com: To fill out your faux-woodsman motif, this fireplace from Michael Hilgers evokes the log fire you could never build because you dropped out of Boy Scouts when the woods got a little too dark for your frightened child's heart. Yah, I never made it past Cub Scout so I'm venting all my urban frustrations. It's not so much the critters and the lack of electricity that frightens me about going "wild." It's the lack of modern plumbing. The woods is no place to bare yourself. This wilderness free urBonfire uses odorless and smoke-free bioethanol.
urBonfire [ProductDose.com]
CoolBuzz: Sleeping in public commuters can always be a problem! Not that you cannot just sleep, indeed, more often than not, people dose off without realization if it is a long journey. It is the embarrassment part which is bothersome and therefore, a lot of people hold back, eventually making the journey tiring. All this is now bound to change with impressive designs like the Dreamdive from designer Mario Weiss gaining popularity. As far as utility is concerned, the Dreamdive is a simple hood that covers your face whilst you take a catnap in a public commuter.
Dive in to your nap publicly with the Dreamdive [CoolBuzz]
The Cool Hunter: Great surroundings will not camouflage poor programming in movie theatres. No matter how swanky the theatre, if it shows poor movies, we just won’t go. Which isn’t to say that we have given up on movie-theatre design. We still wish that one day, somewhere, someone is going to design a decidedly different, interesting and exciting movie theatre. Glimpses of brilliance are visible in the new Light House Cinema at Smithfield in Dublin, Ireland designed by Dublin’s award-winning DTA Architects Of course, you really need to design — and judge — a movie theater so that it looks and functions best when people are using it.
Light House Cinema, Dublin [The Cool Hunter]
Springwise: Graze encourages consumers to do just that by offering a wide variety of natural foods in snack sizes for regular delivery by Royal Mail. Consumers can select from three types of standard snack collections: the grazemini, which combines fresh fruit with dried fruits, nuts or seeds; the grazeclassic, which adds vegetable, savoury and bakery options to that mix; and the grazeluxury, which includes deli and sweet indulgences. Focused nutritional selections are also available, chosen by Graze's team of nutritionists for energy, well-being or workout enhancement. Whichever box style they select, consumers then tell Graze how they feel about the various food options in that mix—whether they like, love, or would like to try them.
Customers then indicate how often they'd like to receive their boxes, on which days of the week, and in what sizes. Following that schedule, Graze will send a rotating selection of snacks designed for variety and good health. All food offered by Graze is hand-picked from the finest producers, the company says, and free of artificial colourings, flavourings and preservatives.
Healthy snacks, delivered by mail in serving sizes [Springwise]
Iconowatch: Rolling in the mud, jumping in a lake, riding a smelly horse: all things that brides are doing in their beautiful white gowns as part of a new wedding photo trend called Trash the Dress. After the ceremony, brides (and sometimes grooms) pose for photo shoots that leave the dress in less than perfect condition.
Pro photographers from Pennsylvania to Arizona are posting their TTD pics on TrashTheDress.com. The trend has even spread overseas. Brides say it changes the dynamic of the day from stuffy and traditional to fun and lighthearted. Plus, it provides a reason for another new tradition: selecting a second dress for the reception!
Brides “Trash the Dress” for fun photos [Iconowatch]
TrendCentral: Umbrellas may come compact enough to throw in your purse or satchel, but unless you're hauling a duffle bag in lieu of a computer case, galoshes aren't exactly practical to lug with you. But for those cold, cloudy mornings when freezing rain seems imminent, you no longer have to forgo your favorite kicks for fear of plunging into a muddy puddle of slush. Available for men and women, these rubber overshoes protect your footwear from ruin. Hopefully the prototype designed for high heels, which was recently spotted at a Milan trade show, will hit the production lines in time for winter.
Overshoes to brave the elements [TrendCentral]
Professor Alan Snyder believes that has devised a means to create creativity on demand. The "Thinking Cap" works by zapping the left side of the brain with with carefully targeted magnetic pulses. After a duration of approximately 10 minutes, studies have shown that people begin to display in creased levels of creativity, awareness and the ability to more accurately estimate the number of dots displayed on a screen for a short period of time.
Snyder has said that he believes that "each of us has within us non-conscious machinery which can do extraordinary art, extraordinary memory and extraordinary mathematical calculations... My theory is that there is a lot happening and maybe you could see it by shutting off that conscious part of the brain... Imagine if I could temporarily give you a child's look at the world."
The concept is fantastic, and if Snyder can successfully reproduce these effects he plans on using the device as a tool for enabling instant creativity.
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Christopher Aceto currently heads Thottfield Inc., a small multimedia and communications consultancy based in Toronto, Canada. Always on the hunt for innovative and exciting ideas, his passion for the creation and production of ground-breaking technologies and services has granted him the opportunity to act as a creative consultant for various companies and industries throughout the world.
The Gadgets Weblog: Sure, all of us have a cellular phone that needs constant charging. Some of us live in homes with several types of phones, so it would be good to have a charger for all of them.
This is what the USB Charger from Brando is designed to do. This charger comes with eight different connectors: Motrola I, Nokia I, Samsung, Motorola II, Nokia II, Sony Ericsson II, Siemens, Sony Ericsson I, and mini USB. It also comes with a travel bag, and a USB retractable cable.
You should be able to get the USB Multi-Cellular Phone Charger for about $18.00 on the Brando site.
USB Multi-Cellular Phone Charger [The Gadgets Weblog]
The Sunday Morning Herald: Hudson Meats could be mistaken for a gourmet boutique. Shelves of pasta, cabinets of cookbooks, fridges of fine cheese and baskets of fresh fruit and vegetables are elegantly displayed in a chic, cutting-edge interior.
The meat counter has all the hallmarks of a high-class restaurant menu: grass-fed beef, Spanish jamon, toulouse sausages, aged Tasmanian ox, organic chooks, Byron Bay pork and Flinders Island lamb. Welcome to the world of the new butcher.
This year's winner of best butcher in The Foodies' Guide To Sydney awards, Hudson Meats is at the leading edge of a constant and conspicuous upgrade in Sydney's butcher shops over the past decade.
These new-wave butchers don't just sell meat, they sell the story - where the animal came from and how it was grown - and the means to turn meat into a meal.
Butchers go boutique [The Sunday Morning Herald]
Inhabitat: Bottled water is anathema to many hardcore environmentalists. Taking water from the land and sky, putting it into containers made from oil, and shipping it around the world defies core eco-friendly values in many ways. Yet premium bottled water producer FIJI Water is aggressively marketing itself as green. You may have seen ads with the slogan “Our Promise, Our Progress” or “Every drop is green” and images of a bottle of FIJI Water next to a big green earth. On the bottle itself, the iconic hibiscus flower is now joined by a prominent green water droplet, and the back of the bottle invites you to visit FIJIGreen.com to find out more about the environmental impact of the water you’re drinking.
FIJI Water became the first bottled water company to publish its carbon footprint in 2007. Since then, the company has emphasized its commitment to the environment and transparency.
FIJI Water says its product is actually carbon negative, claiming the production of a single one-liter bottle equals results in the reduction of 115 grams of CO2 equivalent units (eq). The company plans to reduce its CO2 emissions by 25% over the next three years, convert to 50% renewable energy by 2010, and is pursuing recycling and reforestation programs on the island of Fiji.
Environmental stewardship has always been a core value for FIJI Water. The breadth and depth of our sustainable growth program cannot be thrown together in the course of a few months in response to a magazine article. You can’t save the largest rainforest in Fiji overnight – not if you want to do it right!
Fiji's commitment to environmental stewardship is why the company decided over a decade ago to make the bottle square instead of round – to be able to pack more product into a shipping container. The square bottles result in 10% fewer shipping containers than would otherwise be required.
IS IT GREEN?: FIJI Bottled Water [Inhabitat]
Gizmodiva.com: All the geeks know how easy it is to stay glued to the computer and how hard it is to peel yourself away from it, be it work or play. Well, here's something from MOD Design in Taiwan that might entice you to take a tea break and still feel like you are close to a computer.
This nicely crafted crockery includes little porcelain cups and circuit board saucers. Reset has the three most important keys on a PC in both black and white sets with matching drip trays that are etched with the pattern of a circuit board. Ctrl, Del and Alt of course. This fun and geeky crockery was on display at Maison et Object in Paris. Buy this 'geeky-licious' crockery from MOD design and display your personality even during break times.
Take a tea break with these Ctrl, Del and Alt cups [Gizmodiva.com]
"Nubrella is no ordinary umbrella, it stops rain, wind, snow and extreme cold- and keeps your head, face and shoulders drier than ever. It offers more protection, guaranteed! Yet, nubrella went one step further and is changing the game forever. With nubrella’s new patent pending “shoulder straps” and “offset handle” you can now be completely hands free!"
What else can I say? Nubrella has officially launched their "hands-free" umbrella. You can pick one up for about $65 from their website.
* * *
Christopher Aceto currently heads Thottfield Inc., a small multimedia and communications consultancy based in Toronto, Canada. Always on the hunt for innovative and exciting ideas, his passion for the creation and production of ground-breaking technologies and services has granted him the opportunity to act as a creative consultant for various companies and industries throughout the world.
There are many schools of philosophy that lay behind intelligent designs. Beyond user centered, use centered or KISS design (keep it simple stupid), there's that clever design based on the non-wasteful doctrine, that aims to construct a responsible product-one that utilizes all of its parts, including its packaging. There are designs built upon environmental considerations to help save mother earth and spatial calculations to facilitate habitual elements. But a new type of design philosophy has caught our eye-the Creativeans design. The Creativeans believe in therapeutic designs, ones that serve as not only functional, but also conversational pieces that can help express our innermost beliefs and the understanding of our emotions. They strive to reduce stress, anxiety and depression in a hectic and chaotic world. Featured here, (image below) the Sqoosh Bench, is 'Inspired by the rising trend of anti-socialism. Sqoosh is ideal for waiting in lounges and public spaces where (you have to admit) strangers don't really like to sit with each other. The ripples [in the center of the bench] act as a physical and psychological barrier, while functioning as a magazine rack at the same time'.
This school of good and healthy design is an inspiration to us. Discovering that furniture is not just an aesthetic piece-but a portal to our souls. It can beautify and improve our stressful lifestyles and serve as a tool for personal growth. The Creativeans use their passions to make our external AND internal world a better place. With an attitude like that, their method will conquer the design cosmos. Because apparently design, is the best medicine.
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TrendsSpotting.com is a trends agency focused on developing exciting tools for Trend Spotting. We follow current trends and are constantly looking for new ones. We specialize in trends research and the social media. Dr. Taly Weiss, TrendsSpotting CEO, is a Social Psychologist, with extensive experience in branding strategy and marketing research. Feel free to explore our trend spotting tools on www.trendoScope.com.
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