360 DEGREES Weblog

Nothing brings a living room together quite like a coffee table, but as the modern designs look into multi functionality of furniture, we are but perplexed at the site of so many choices. However, this concept table dubbed Sony Fusion is a standout and makes life easier as it exemplifies taste with practicality. Derived from fusing technology and furniture, the Sony Fusion is a desktop infused with a coffee table to serve both function of being a sleek, multipurpose table and a high performance desktop. Crafted in matte black aluminum with a sleek chrome lining and supported by arched chrome legs, the Sony Fusion just takes a push of the button to convert the table into a work station with sleek touch sensitive keyboard and adjustable screen. The table top effortlessly splits in half and soundlessly slides apart to reveal the LED outlined keyboard, screen and DVD drive on the side of the table. Priced at $3000, the Sony Fusion will be available in three different colors – blue, white and red — when it goes into production.

We’ve seen several efforts recently to bring Facebook photos into the offline world, such as HotPrints’ free, advert-supported albums. Now bringing such capabilities to brick-and-mortar stores comes a new initiative from Kodak that lets consumers print online photos from Facebook and Picasa using its in-store kiosks.

Starting this summer, users of Kodak Picture Kiosks will be able to access their web albums on Facebook and Picasa as well as Kodak’s own Kodak Gallery service. The kiosks will make 4×6in (102×152mm) prints of the photos, provided the resolution is high enough to make a quality print. Kodak says it also intends to connect with other social networking sites around the globe.

Given that more than 3 billion photos are uploaded to Facebook alone each month, there are plenty of opportunities for forging OFF=ON connections for consumers whose memories increasingly reside in the virtual world.

Thanks Springwise

We are seeing more and more stores and services dedicated solely to the fine things in life for men. Salons, shops and spas are realizing that men have been treated like second-class citizens when it comes to luxurious, beautiful retail environments.

There are millions of sports bars, car dealerships, gyms and hardware stores, but that is definitely not all that men need and want. At New York Fashion Week, British luxury men’s brand Alfred Dunhill showcased its Winter 2010 collection in a vacant Meatpacking District warehouse transformed into a pop-up shop.

With aluminum panels and projection technology, London-based design workshop Campaign created an environment that brought a little bit of Dunhill’s London flagship store to New York.

Thanks Coolhunter

Pink is the color of love and in February, it’s also the flavor of the month! And which girl you know would turn down a chic looking pair of pink designer sun glasses? The Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2010 runway show unveiled Ella Sunglasses which are the product of innovative laser-cut aluminum frame with fluorescent visors. With the touch of feline eyes, this is one cute possession! And if you’re a new age peace loving style icon, you can opt for the green shades too. Priced at $600, this one is a real steal!

We’ve been haters of traditional condiment packets for as long as we can remember, so we couldn’t be more happy about the new Heinz Dip & Squeeze. Holding three times as much tomatoey goodness as a regular packet, the Dip & Squeeze offers two ways to open the bottle-shaped container: either lift at the top for squeezing the ketchup onto your food, or open at the bottom for dipping french fries, nuggets, and other finger-friendly foods.

With all the online profiles many consumers maintain these days, there’s a greater need than ever for flattering photos. Which is why Estée Lauder is offering customers a free makeover and online photo of the result.

Late last month, Estée Lauder offered shoppers at the Carson Pirie Scott store in Orland Park, Illinois, a chance to get a free professional makeup job and photo for use on a social networking page, website or blog. Consumers had only to book an appointment and come into Estée Lauder on Jan. 30; no purchase was necessary. In addition to the makeover and photo—which, it should be noted, included the Estée Lauder logo in the background—participating customers also received a complimentary 10-day supply of foundation. Similar events were held last fall in other Estée Lauder spots around the U.S., beginning with New York’s Bloomingdale’s in October, StyleList reported. More are planned over the next few weeks in select locations in Canada.

Combining free love, tryvertising and sympvertising into a palette with unique off=on appeal, Estée Lauder’s effort is one that could be replicated by any beauty-focused enterprise.

Thanks Springwise

Mattel has come out with a new concept for Barbie, teaching little girls early on in life that what every woman really needs is the perfect little black dress. Most women would agree with the company and most likely the all new Barbie Basics™ Collection will be a resounding success. Mattel has paired up with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to celebrate the launch of the dolls which are wearing little black dresses and come with accessory kits.

Who better to inspire budding pre-teen designers than some of the big names themselves. Twelve of the CFDA fashion and accessories designers have created one-of-a-kind Barbies that showcase their unique talents and tastes. These Barbie dolls are currently up for auction on eBay and all net proceeds will go to support CFDA’s educational initiatives and scholarship program. The designers include Issac Mizrahi, Betsey Johnson, Rachel Roy, Justin Giunta, Lorraine Schwartz, Alex Bittar, Monica Botkier, Deborah Lloyd of Kate Spade, Tory Burch, Albertus Swanepoei, Philip Crangi and Devi Kroell. The dolls went up for auction on January 28th and will be available to bid on through February 7th.

As of January 31rst some of the bids were up to as much $3,500 for Lorraine Schwartz’s Barbie with Diamonds followed by the Kate Spade Barbie at $800. For those who don’t have the funds to bid on the designer e-bay Barbies, Mattel will be giving away one of the new Barbie Basic dolls and accessory pack on Twitter from February 1st - 16th.

I do my best to avoid McDonald’s whenever I can. No, it has nothing to do with eating healthy or anything like that. Rather, I spent the better part of my teenage years working at one of those fine establishments and as a result have had enough of their food to last a lifetime. I will say that I now have a good reason to visit the golden arches; the free Wi-Fi.

On Friday McDonald’s opened up their Wi-Fi connections at 11,500 of their 14,000 US stores. That means there’s a good chance you’ll have unlimited free internet at your local McDonald’s restaurant. If you want to be absolutely sure before packing up your laptop and heading out, you can double-check which stores in your area are giving away free internets using their handy online tool.

We’ve seen myriad examples of hotels partnering with non-hotel brands, including W Hotels’ collaboration with Puma for in-hotel fitness services, as well as sponsored rooms in various hotels. Now taking the branding even further is La Casa del Camino Hotel in Laguna Beach., Calif., where every one of the hotel’s 10 newly renovated suites features a different, immersive branded experience.

Billabong Suite 206, for example, is designed to be a surfer’s paradise, with artwork including a 3D piece that tells the company’s history through images of surfers, palm trees and the Billabong logo cut into reclaimed wood. Glacéau Suite 315, meanwhile, features aquatic hues and fabrics made, appropriately, from recycled plastic bottles. Other brands involved include Rip Curl, etnies, Roxy, Quiksilver, L* Space and Lost International. A different designer was recruited to create the theme in each branded suite; together, they are all part of the Casa Surf Project in the Riviera Magazine Design series. Pricing for each suite begins at about USD 250 per night, and a portion of the proceeds is donated to charity during the hotel’s first year. Pets are welcome.

Whereas many of the in-hotel branding efforts we’ve covered have amounted to tryvertising initiatives, this one is closer to a collection of brand spaces, offering patrons an immersive look at each brand’s signature style. In addition to tapping into the name recognition of those brands, of course, La Casa del Camino’s use of corporate sponsorship also no doubt helped subsidize the costs of renovation.

Imagine you are an iconic camera company, and in your glory days your film was an essential for both fashion photographers and fashionable party-goers. You were so popular that your product’s name became synonymous with instant pictures.

Then the world turned digital, and you found yourself as washed up as the rock stars you once documented. You struggled to make yourself relevant, and failed, patronizing your loyal fans by offering them crappy product after crappy product. What do you do? You turn back the clock.

The company is, of course, Polaroid, and it is set to launch a new range of film cameras. After its hideous attempts to combine a digital camera and a printer in a single (huge) box, the company will step back in time and make cameras which use Polaroid 1000 film. The range is called PIC-1000, and the devices resemble the Polaroids of yesteryear.

This makes perfect sense. The Polaroid’s USP was instant prints. The odd quality of those prints were what made it an icon. And if film handles it so well, why even bother changing to digital which is, in this case, clearly inferior? Sure, Polaroid will never be the mass market success it once was, but there’s a good, retro niche for weird analog cameras, currently occupied by Lomo.

The cameras should go on sale this year. They will have flash, red-eye reduction and even a self timer, and come in wood-effect or blobby silver. Price TBA.

Read More http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/#ixzz0cToV72RN