nouveau magasin apple en paris

This is why we love Apple. Not only because they deliver powerful, easy to use, and beautiful products. But because they don't stop until they can get as close to perfection as possible. They have an eye for design, a wow factor, something no other company has. They aren't cold or sterile, and the staff are (usually) friendly and helpful. When was the last time you saw a Dell store that looked like this? I think I'm in love! This store just opened in Paris, and I have to say that it is truly worthy of La Ville des Lumières!  link

toshiba's attempt at a tablet... the ipad isn't so bad

  This is the Libretto, obviously an attempt to compete with the iPad. It's just a concept but is scheduled to be released before Christmas. Except there is a problem.

davone ray

These designer speakers resemble the iconic Eames chair. Davone makes the speakers with the best quality materials that so they produce great quality sound. They look great too, a nice warm alternative to Bang & Olufsen. link\6000

via Gizmodo

tip: easily send pdfs to ibooks

This quick little tip will have you syncing PDFs with iBooks in no time. Hassle free.
1. Find your iTunes folder (~Music> iTunes)
2. Right click the iTunes folder and click "Make Alias"
3. Name the alias "Save PDF to iTunes"
4. Open a new finder window and navigate to the "PDF Services" folder (~Library> PDF Services) If there isn't one there, simply create one with that exact name.
5. Drag the iTunes alias to the PDF services folder
6. Press command+P, then press the PDF dropdown window and select " Save PDF to iTunes" On anything you want to save as a PDF to iTunes.
*This will work with saving a PDF to any folder. Simply create an alias of that folder, name it what you want it to say in the drop down menu, and drag it to the PDF Services folder.

via TheAppleBlog

holga d

This minimal camera is not for sale and might not ever be. It was designed by Saikat Biswas, inspired by the vintage Holgas. It features an intentional lack of features; a departure from the digital trend. The camera is digital, there is an SD card that needs to be inserted near the batteries. Just like in the good ol' days, you have to wait to see what your pictures will look like, creating a "delayed gratification". The camera has a 12mega-pixel sensor, which is also out dated. I like how it displays the "remaining frames" as if it was a film camera, nice touch. Also, the fact that the display is e-ink will keep power consumption at a minimum. You can choose the aspect ratio, shutter speed and ISO . There is a slot for accessories like flash and a viewfinder, which is something I see gradually disappearing in cameras. I would mush rather use a viewfinder than a display, and it would have been something I would have liked to see here. Otherwise, you're just shooting blindly which seems kind of pointless. I think this is a slight case of form over function. Still, I want one. link

via Minimalissimo

apple of my eye

This video has been completely shot and edited on the iPhone 4, by Majek Pictures.

magritte

I love this sticker by Hu2 for the MacBooks. It's so clever! I'm not the type of person to put a sticker on mine, but I just adore this. link\£20

v lock

The V Lock is a concept designed by Junjie Zhang. The way it works is simple: the "V" shaped design helps guide your key into the hole without effort. Simply brilliant. Why has it taken so long for an idea like this to surface?

via Yanko Design

new mac mini

The Mac Mini got quietly updated last week, and went mostly unnoticed due to all the hype about iPhone 4. As you can probably conclude from the picture, it finally fits in with its family with the new unibody construction. The grapics are 2x faster with a NVIDIA GeForce chip, an easily removable bottom panel to access it's internals is new, and a HDMI port too. The price has been increased as well, by $200, which is a tad confusing. link\700

burning love

Burning Love has some really great felt tech accessories!

iphone 4

If you haven't watched the video yet, you probably should. It'll get you even more excited.
The hardware
The iPhone 4 will have its very own A4 chip, made by Apple. Very similar to the one in the iPad. If you own an iPhone you know how horrible the battery can be. Well, it has ben fixed; up to 7 hours of straight talk time and 6 hours of straight 3G internet usage. The camera has received some much-needed attention as well, it's now 5 megapixel, with LED flash. It can also shoot full HD 780p video. If you haven't already heard from the leak, there is also a front-facing camera for video chat, but there isn't any specs available yet for it. The body is now encased with optically laminated aluminosilicate glass with an oleophobic coating. In English, that means it uses super hard glass (30x stronger than plastic) with a built-in screen protector and a no-smudge coating. There is a steel band that goes around the device, with no new buttons. The new Retina display has the highest resolution display ever on a mobile device; 326 pixels per inch! There are two new microphones to help with noise cancelation–the one you put to your ear, and another on the bottom by the speakers. The new memory sizes are 16GB and 32GB, so more room and more speed.
Everything else
The feature that everyone is talking about is of course, the multitasking. Double tap the home button, and the screen slides up to reveal running apps; it's that simple. A new app being released by Apple is iMovie for $5.99. From what I can see from the website, it looks quite intuitive, and there most likely won't be too many features, as it should be. The iBooks app is no surprise, but it will also be available for download, probably for free. The front facing camera can be used in the Camera app, so it's much easier to take a picture with yourself and a friend now; before it was practically impossible, searching for the tiny shutter button. FaceTime works as an addition to the Phone app, and video calls can only be made with other iPhone owners. Hopefully third-party apps (like Skype) will have access to video-chatting, but it would be just like Apple to hold off on that and release it later as a "new feature". The folders feature works by simply holding an app until it jiggles, and then dropping it onto another app. The folder is automatically named with what category they were in in the App Store. There is also a orientation lock that can be enabled, but there isn't a physical switch like on the iPad. Mail now has a (much anticipated) unified inbox, and conversations can be ordered by thread. Unfortunately there were no updates to the iPod, Safari, or Maps applications. I was looking forward to the Turn-by-Turn directions, or a more feature-rich Safari. It will be available for pre-order on the 15th, and to buy on the 24th for the same old $199 price.

bill amberg herald laptop bag

I really like this laptop bag by Bill Amberg. It features calf leather, a vibrant red interior, a nice big elastic strap for your laptop, and plenty of room for some papers/ pens, and a cell phone. Link: $390

the impossible project

The Impossible Project is a company that restores vintage cameras to their original condition, so they would be the same as they would be if you bought it new, back in the day. My favorite is shown above, the Polariod SX70 Original ($332). They are always out of stock though, and the prices start at well over $150. Link

hlaska ipad sleeve

Hlaska is a company that does things right; italian leather rather than fancy vinyls or ballistic nylon. They just released a new iPad sleeve, and I have to say it's pretty slick. It's basically just a vegetable-dyed Italian leather pouch with a metal clasp, and a soft interior. Link $175

apple, on flash

Steve Jobs' essay on Flash

iphone os4

Okay, I know this is very overdue, but Apple has released a preview for the iPhone OS 4.
First, I'm sure you heard about that guy who worked for Apple who was nesting the iPhone 4, and left it at a bar. A guy proceeded to pick it up and sell it to Gizmodo for chrissakes. The whole story is here, and the new iPhone is here. They can't turn it on though, because Apple conveniently remote-wiped it.
There are a few little looking new touches. Like the place where you keep those four apps that are always handy in any screen: that mesh aluminum kind of background has been replaced with a glassy like reflective table, like one on a Mac. Encrypted e-mail too, so you'll have the option to be required to enter a pin to go into the Mail app. Exchange Server 2010, and VPN support too.
Homescreen Background
All the those whiny teenagers won't have to jailbreak anymore in order to change the background of their homescreen. I don't think that it looks very finished, but at least Apple is listening to their customers.


Multitasking
Jobs claims that the reason that it took them so long to come out with multitasking, is that they were trying to develop a way to multitask without straining battery life, or reducing performance, and they have (apparently) finally achieved this. I'm going to have to see it to believe it. It works by double-tapping the home button: the screen will rise up, and you can select an open application from the menu. It's kinda like Quicksilver for the iPhone. You can even use your iPod controls in your lock-screen with Pandora running in the background. You can receive Skype calls, and do other things while talking. Imagine how cool this will be when coupled with the front-facing camera as seen on the prototype? You can even receive calls while in the lock screen. This is BIG. This is innovative. Why couldn't they have done something this cool with the iPad?

Folders
You can organize apps however you please. Just hold your finger on an app until it starts to jiggle, and the drop it into another app. Voila! A cool feature here is that it notices, say, if you are making a folder of games, that you have two game applications, and automatically names the folder. You can, of course, rename it as well. Tap the folder, the screen slides up, and you just select the app you want to launch. It's that simple. You can now have 2,000 apps on your phone now, thanks to Folders. (and Spotlight, thank you Jesus)

Unified Inbox
Business owners rejoice! There has been a huge demand for this. Now you will be able to have all your emails from all your email addresses in the same screen. Also, threads to follow conversations easier, adn multiple exchange support.

iBooks
It's just like the iPad. "e-Reader in your pocket". Not much to elaborate here. Free Winnie the Pooh, too!

iAd
Wins the award for worst name in the history of advertising, it even beat the iPad! So now developers will have a easier way to fill those "light" apps with advertisements. It works by making an ad pop up after a specified amount of time. Pop-ups: there's an app for that. Oh, and Apple gets 40% of the revenues. "It's all done in HTML5, by the way" Jobs said, which got a laugh out of the developers.

The majority of these features won't be available for the previous iPhones, and most of the iPod touches; the hardware just can't support it.
This is a general overview, but there is much more! Watch the Keynote- Watch / In HD

keyport

This little contraption is pretty self-explanitory. A very clever way to keep track of your keys... and no annoying jingling sound in your pocket. Link: $80+

t jays

The new headphones by JAYS, and up and coming sound company are really cool looking. Link

the drunk engineer

If you haven't heard already, an apple employee that was testing the new iPhone left it at a bar, a guy picked it up, and sold it to Gizmodo for 5k. Here is the down-low. Story iPhone
There is a ton of new stuff including:
-A new aluminum body. It isn't the unibody design though, you can see the seams in the picture.
-A front facing camera. That's right, two cameras on this phone. Perhaps for a new iChat app?
-Much better camera, with flash.
-New chips made by exclusively by Apple itself. Obviously much faster and bigger.
-A much higher resolution screen,
-The design is slightly smaller, but Gizmodo says its a tad lighter and feels much more sturdy in the hand. This is obviously due to the new aluminum.
-The back is still plastic though, making the whole thing aluminum would cut too much of the reception range off.
-Multitasking, even though I think it's over-rated, it's a good feature to have.

ipad heritage case

Awesome! Hard Graft has finally came out with their iPad case, and of course it looks awesome. It's got the usual wool with the tanned leather. Link: $80