Sharp Fashion: Louis Vuitton Taiga Collection For Men

by Shawn Star on March 5th, 2010

 

In a couple weeks’ time, winter will be out of sight and out of mind, which also means new spring fashions will be in. Our friends at Louis Vuitton are typically among the first of our favourite fashion houses to fill our inboxes with previews, which is why we love Louis so. They just gave us the heads up on their newest Taiga leather Collection For Men and we must say, we’re most charmed. Featuring some fresh new styles, colours and detailing, this collection will nicely accent your latest wardrobe whether you’re the casual kind of guy, or the dress to kill type. Ranging from over-the-shoulder bags to wallets, Vuitton’s latest collection does not disappoint. And in case you didn’t know - The Taiga Collection (originally introduced in 1993) was the first leather goods set dedicated exclusively to men, and while the designs have changed, the quality certainly hasn’t. Check out the collection here.

Sharp Music: Them Crooked Vultures

by William Martin on March 4th, 2010

A lot of the time, when already established rockers get together to form a “supergroup,” the sum is less than the individual parts. Them Crooked Vultures, however, is an exception par excellence. Featuring Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) on drums, Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss) on guitar and vocals, and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) on bass, the band blends a couple generations of rock and roll and manages to do so without sounding like they are treading old ground. Though this album came out a few months ago, it’s one of those ‘creepers’, and is only just starting to get the recognition it deserves. In fact, the self-titled record, equal parts rock, funk, blues, and psychedelic, sounds remarkably fresh and unlike much else on the market right now. Our advice: kick back, crank it up to 11, and rock out to a supergroup that finally lives up to the hype.

Sharp Tech: Jawbone ICON

by William Martin on February 23rd, 2010

Aliph, makers of the Jawbone Bluetooth, have gotten consistent praise for innovation with their quality ear gear, and with the ICON, their newest headset, Aliph seeks to continue this tradition with what they’re calling “the first truly intelligent” Bluetooth. Is it truly intelligent? Probably not, but hey, that doesn’t mean its bad.

 

It may not be a sentient being, but the product’s “intelligent” design is really more a reference to its impressive customizability. Lets start with style. The unit retains the sleek design of past models, while actually managing to reduce its size. It comes in six different colours, each with their own unique design attributes. For example, the Hero model has a dimpled exterior where the Catch has a polished smooth appearance. Furthermore, each model has its own unique and programmable voice or “personality”. The “Hero,” for instance, sounds like a beefy sports star where as the “Thinker” sounds like a stuffy university professor. The ability to change the voice of your Bluetooth is a feature of Aliph’s new MyTalk applications. The ICON is designed to work with a number of mini-applications that can do anything from customizing the headset’s voice, to dialing using voice-activated shortcuts for important numbers.  

 

All of these gimmicks and gadgets are great, but when assessing any Bluetooth, the ability to actually communicate is paramount. Fortunately, this is were the ICON excels most, sounding markedly better than it’s predecessor, the Prime, with voices’ come out crystal clear on both ends. Each headset also comes ready with Aliph’s patented “Noise Assassin” voice isolation technology, which, though still not perfected, does an excellent job of eliminating unwanted environmental noise. So, not only did they add a whole slew of new bells and whistles, Aliph’s ICON successfully managed to shrink in size while improving in sound quality. No easy feat to say the least, even for an “intelligent” headset.

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