360 DEGREES Weblog

Since he signed his first big deal with ABC-Paramount Records back in 1956, Quincy Jones got used to utilize AKG equipment over the years of a legendary recording career. Finally, AKG introduces the Quincy Jones Signature line, a compact collection comprising studio-degree Q701 open-back headphones with 45-mm driver and two-layer diaphragm, the less bulky still top-notch Q460 cans for the urban commuter, and the easy stowable Q350 earbuds for the gym or the workout through the park.

Prices range from $149 $230 $480

The big Apple event on Wednesday came with not one, but two updates to iOS, but unfortunately only 4.1 is actually imminent. 4.2, which will bring several new features to the iPad in particular, will be arriving in November.

The news got kind of buried in the rush, but if you’re looking for official information, Apple’s 4.2 update page should do it.

Sure, we don’t have any idea if or when it will ever go on sale, but we want the Case-Real Elekit Tube Amp ($TBA) all the same. This gorgeous steel and aluminum amplifier features exposed vacuum tubes, two minimalistic control dials, RCA and 3.5mm inputs, an automatic sleep mode, and 10 Watts per channel output. A nice alternative to the traditional exposed wire-and-wood builds of most vacuum amps.

We’re living in the era of retail-tainment, where we’ve come to expect live music at the Apple Store, mountaineering discussions at REI and product demos at Bed Bath & Beyond. Not surprisingly, well-known talent is stepping into this area because it’s a welcoming and unique environment in which to plug one’s latest project. Marketers, who benefit greatly from the star power, are only too willing to make this all happen. (Sarah McLachlan recently played a live show in a JetBlue terminal; no word on how many fans watched the concert instead of catching their flights.) Now, soul singer Joss Stone is hitting the Nine West flagship store in midtown Manhattan on Sept. 10 for a live performance. She’ll also be at the Macy’s on 34th Street in Herald Square that day to chat with fans and sign copies of her new CD. It’s part of Fashion’s Night Out, an annual charity event in New York, and Stone’s promotion of a co-branded line she designed for Nine West. (She even wrote a song about it!) Stone’s Vintage America collection includes shoes, clothing, jewelry and other accessories. Everyone involved hopes that grooving while you shop will boost the bottom line. You have to admit, it’s catchy.

Thanks to Brandfreak

Airport terminals pride themselves at being these huge structures, that commuting from one end to the other can be time consuming and tiring; especially with a heavy suitcase. If the fun-element in you has not yet died and are up for the quirk, how about suitcase-blading (think rollerblade and scooters) the concourse? Here’s the TITAN High-roller Suitcase, which turns into a kickbike when you pull out the footrest. I think it would be funny to see head-honchos of big companies ride their suitcases for a match, and if I were to pick 2 I’d pick Steve jobs and Bill Gates….who do you think would win?

There are two known truths in the gadget world — that the iPhone 4 has a great camera for a phone, and that the Leica M9 is one of the coolest looking cameras ever. So San Francisco photographer Joey Celis is kinda a genius for designing this Leica M9 iPhone Skin. Sadly, it’s not going to be made for sale — Celis considers it a “one-off”. Definitely makes him cooler than the rest of us iPhone users, though.

There is an all new iPod Nano.  Unlike previous iterations of the device is has a touchscreen and comes in an 8GB and 16GB version for $149 and $179 respectively.  There is no home button, so to get to the home screen you simply hold down any where on the screen.  Size wise it looks smaller than all previous iterations and does sport a smaller screen (1.54-inches vs 2.2-inches).  Also expect an FM radio (with live pause up to 15 minutes), Genius, accelerometer, a built-in belt clip and a 24 hour battery life.  Like the iPod Shuffle, the new Nano will now read to you what is on screen so you don’t have to look.

The all new iPod Nano with touchscreen will ship sometime next week.

After weeks of speculation and several teaser videos, today H&M has officially announced that their next designer collaboration collection, will designed by none other than Lanvin’s Albert Elbaz.

“Lanvin is the latest brand to collaborate with H&M, with previous collections designed by the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Comme des Garçons and Sonia Rykiel. In a new twist, the Lanvin for H&M collection will be revealed to the world through a special film which will be launched on November 2. The film will be available for all to see online at www.hm.com. Following the film’s debut, it will be just three weeks before customers have the chance to get their hands on a covetable piece of Lanvin for H&M.”

Designed by Lanvin’s artistic director Alber Elbaz, and menswear designer Lucas Ossendrijver, the collection will go on sale on November 23 in around 200 H&M stores worldwide. The collection of both womenswear and menswear will be revealed to the world on November 2, just three weeks before the clothes hit the store, making the launch of Lanvin for H&M among the most anticipated fashion events of the year.

This Trebs Pasta Maker does it all. Just sling in the eggs and flour, push the button, sing an aria or two and presto, perfect fresh pasta for your waistline. You get 500g (1lb) of pasta out of every batch. £129.00.

Retailers are experimenting with numerous different ways to blend online and off for their customers, as we’ve already seen on several occasions. Curbside pickup of online orders has been the theme at both Sears and French hypermarket chain E.Leclerc, while Shutl and several others have been pushing the bounds of near-instant home delivery. The latest spotting? British Tesco, which just last week launched what it calls a “drive-thru supermarket.”

Focusing initially as a trial at Tesco’s Baldock Extra store in Hertfordshire, the new service lets customers order their shopping as usual on the Tesco.com website. From there, they choose a “Click and Collect” option and book a two-hour time slot for picking up their groceries. At any point during that two-hour window, they can drive up to a reserved area in the Tesco car park and show a staff member their shopping reference details. Without ever having to get out of their car, they can then sit back and relax while the Tesco team packs their groceries into the boot. A flat GBP 2 picking and packing charge is simply added to the customer’s shopping bill. During the trial, Tesco holds customers’ groceries in a Tesco.com delivery van for collection; if it’s successful, however, Tesco says it will explore possible ways of adapting its stores so as to make drive-through shopping a permanent feature.