Earlier this year Microsoft put all their ($300 million) eggs in one basket and signed with much lauded Colorado-based ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky. The first set of ads from CP+B was a very strange ad with Seinfeld and Bill Gates that got very mixed reviews. There were a second round, which no-one noticed, and these are the third series of ads. Personally, I think playing defense to Apple’s Mac vs PC campaign only legitimizes the reasons people are switching in droves to Mac OS. If I were Microsoft, I would have simply created ads that highlight the many things that are built into their operating systems, things that just say “Our products do this!”

If I had $300 million, I could probably get Pharell to say he was a Republican. (If you look at the video closely, you’ll see most of the people are crossing their fingers behind their backs, so it doesn’t count.)

TAGS: Reviews, Product Reviews

Behind the label KLING by KLING, is a girl named Karolina Kling with dreams as big and bold as her designs. She started studying product design and graphics at the University of Gothenburg, before turning out a clothing collection as her final work. Riding on her success, she moved to London and produced two more collections—I Scream and V I R U S. Prints and patterns are always central, “even if I’m getting more and more dressed in the cuts of the styles,” explains Kling. Due out this fall, her third collection, The Land of Dreams, is built around characters from Karolina’s own daydreams whom she’s named. The style is a little bit of Japanese street culture with elegance, craziness, and fantasy—a place Kling says is between dreams and reality. With duvet covers, pillows, and wall vinyl in the collection, she’s also incorporating interior design to help highlight the feeling of being surrounded by the patterns, “like you’re inside the Land of Dreams.” Working as a freelance pattern designer she’s also worked for various labels such as Nudie, H&M, and Libero. Lookout for her patterns to appear in the shoe label Cheapo, in Spring/Summer 2009. 

TAGS: Reviews, Product Reviews, Things We Like

If you’ve ever wondered what happens to all those old skate decks once they’ve cracked, withered, or snapped, you’ll find your answer in skater-cum-designer, Hiroshi Ito.  Finding inspiration in the piles of discarded decks at skate shops, five years ago Hiroshi started making his sketches into an array of unique and wearable accessories. Well past 1,500 decks used, Ito repeats the same process—rigorous removal of grip tape, cleaning, drawing his design, finely sawing through the seven plys one by one, and finally sealing with a Japanese lacquer for a smooth, presentable finish. Through Harvest, Hiroshi continues to find plenty of use for the pile of over 500 decks currently sitting in his atelier in Tokyo’s quieter East end. Restless imagination has led him past the exhausted ‘skate chair’ of ‘skate-design,’ to more artistic sculptural works. One of his signature pieces, a skull made from a painstakingly accurate cross section of layered decks, sold for 150,000 Yen (about US$1,400). Ito’s creative designs evoke the limitless creativity of skateboarding. He is open for custom orders. Look out for upcoming collaborations with Burton and FTC. http://www.harvest-re.com

TAGS: Reviews, Product Reviews, Things We Like

Leather Freehands

Our friend, Coolhunting’s Josh Rubin has started a fantastic new company called Freehands. The company produces flip-back fingers so you don’t have to take your gloves off when you have to use your cellphone in the winter. With the season right around the corner, this might be the perfect gift for someone you know that just can’t tear themselves away from their cells - or just like to keep their hands warm. Leather gloves for $40, and Stretch gloves for $30 at Freehands.com.

Stretch Freehands w/ Magnet Detail

TAGS: Reviews, Product Reviews

The slightly larger DSi screen

Tokyo, October 1, 2008.
Nintendo of Japan announced today that an update to their wildly popular portable game unit, the Nintendo DS, will be available in Japan starting November 1. Enhancements to the new unit, called the DSi, include a larger screen (3.25” instead of 3") a more lithe frame and not one, but TWO 0.3 megapixel (640x480) cameras - one on the inside and one on the outside of the case. The DSi also features an SD memory card slot, making it possible to take pictures with the DSi and then view them on a Nintendo Wii. The DSi features a built-in browser, and it’s possible to download games and keep them on the DSi.

TAGS: Reviews, Product Reviews