Luxury Gadgets For The Design Geek

Mikimoto-Beans ' all new 2007 iTheaterV
Price: $379.99

Mikimoto-Beans Japan introduces the all new 2007 iTheaterV, high quality and stylish video glasses for iPod video or other devices with AV outputs. Featuring 2 high resolution TFT displays with improved VGA resolution of 640 x 480 (increased from the previous model of 320 x 240 pixels). Experience watching a 65" high resolution TV from just 2.5 meters away with the new iTheaterV (previous model is equivalent to a 50" TV). iTheaterV also has 2 built-in earphones, so when the user is watching a movie through iTheaterV, the sound is produced to stereo audio. iTheaterV is light weight and it stays comfortable around the head. Includes a unique converter that allows i-Theater to work on other devices through AV connection. Designed with a sleek outfit; the new red stripe gives it a futuristic look. Up to 5 hours of playback time using batteries. Smaller and lighter than the previous model. A great gift idea for friends and family or just an excellent travel companion for those long flights (in style, with privacy too).

Mikimoto-Beans' iTheaterV is a friendly i-Pod accessory and also an one-of-a-kind device for iPod Video. Available in silver only.
Buy it here.

Segatoys HomeStar Pro 21st Century Home Planetarium
Price: $289.99

Segatoys announced a new and improved version of HomeStar Home Planetarium. The high quality "HomeStar Pro" is the 21st Century Home Planetarium. It features high brightness white LEDs that is 3 times brighter than HomeStar. HomeStar Pro can rotate the plates in slow motion and show shooting stars. With a full dark environment, HomeStar Pro allows you to focus and project sharper images. Adopts an adjustable stand for variety of shooting angles. It comes with a Full Moon sidereal original plates, one of the unique plates that only comes with HomeStar Pro. A great gift and present for friends and families to enjoy a clear night view right at home. Available 2 stylish colors.

NOTE: This product is a Japanese import. Packaging and instruction manual are in Japanese. However, operation is very straight forward and does not require the knowledge of Japanese.
Buy it here.

Amadana PT-108 Wireless Telephone Clad in Leather
Price: $399.99

PT-108 is Amadana's all new classic yet futuristic wireless telephone. Features genuine leather, a natural material, on the handle part of the receiver. In both red and brown, the leather gives the feel of warmth and comfort. Designed with a compact body size to reduce space use. Amadana PT-108 introduces 4 special ring tones for better and enjoyable sound to the ears. Available in black and white.
Specifications: Rated voltage 100V
Dimension:-Telephone receiver: W43.5 x D30.5 x H180 mm
-Cradle: W107 x D117.5 x H59 mm

Buy it here.

Zyken NightCove
Price: $2,500

One of the few designer sleep aides that doesn't come in a pill form, Zyken's NightCove alarm clock lulls high-octane executives to sleep with scientifically-calibrated lights and sounds designed to improve sleep quality.
Five years in the making, the futuristic-looking clock was developed in partnership with Damien Léger, president of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Sleep and Alertness in France, and leading international light and chronobiology expert Dr. Claude Gronfie.
The NightCove uses a patented sleep system with 20 pre-loaded programs combining sound and light of varying color, wavelength and intensity that's tailored to improve sleep cycles and regulate the body's melatonin levels. Simply set the alarm, press the sleep button and the gizmo strategically rotates through purple, red, blue and other hues to help the body fall asleep faster, sleep more deeply and awake rested. Consider it the gift that keeps giving.
Buy it here.

Les Paul Robot Guitar Price:$2,500

Jamming with tech moguls like Roger McNamee -- the co-founder of Silicon Valley's Elevation Partners who also performs with the semi-pro band Moonalice -- requires more than talent. It demands the Les Paul Robot Guitar, a high-tech guitar with an automatic tuning button.
The limited edition robot guitar eliminates the hassle of lowering the pitch of every string by hand, and then strumming and tweaking. Produced by Gibson Guitar, the instrument arrives programmed with several popular open tunings such as Open G and Open D, as well as tunings for six classic hits including Led Zeppelin's "Going to California" and "Voodoo Child" by Jimi Hendrix. It can also be programmed with customized tunings.
Buy it here.

ZMP Miuro iPod Speaker
Price: $1,299.99

Introducing "Miuro" from ZMP, the all new one-of-a-kind iPod boom-box in the market. It is special designed with an egg shape and built-in with multiple high quality sensors. ZMP's Miuro is not an ordinary speaker; it is categorized in the Robot section because it actually follows the user around the house while playing music. It comes with a private joystick that allows the user to control and adjust the motion and audio. Miuro adopts a 4ch digital power amplifier with multi-channel drive, producing crystal clear sound and superb bass. It corresponds with 4th Generation iPods. Miuro can also become a wireless speaker for PC. With a high resolution VFD screen to display the text and the title. Designed with a simple yet unique outfit, Miuro is stylish for the 21st century world. A friendly iPod accessory. Available in 4 different colors.


NOTE: This is a Japanese product and user manual and software are in Japanese.
Buy it here.

Robovie-M V3 (Big-Max) Humanoid Robot Kit (and he's gold)
Price: $2,699.99

Robovie-M V3 is the current hottest Humanoid Robot in the market for research institutes and the battlebot world. It is designed with a strong and well-balanced body kit. Robovie-M V3 has a total of 22 joint angular sensors, it is capable of doing basic moments, throwing objects, punching, somersaulting, doing handstands, side stepping, and playing soccer with other Robovie-M V3s. When it falls, it automatically pushes itself back up to a standing position. It comes in 2 stylish colors and a full metal body outfit. It includes 70 predefined programs.
Buy it here.

Mod Mickeys: The Modernization of Disney's Mickey Mouse

The first and early images of Mickey Mouse:


above left: the very first Mickey Mouse in 1928's SteamBoat Willie and above right, The Mickey Mouse with which most of us grew up.

"For at least a half-century Mickey Mouse, ears and all, has served as one of the most potent icons in contemporary visual culture. The poster boy for everything from cinematic innovation to American cultural 'imperialism,' the animated rodent is freighted with a veritable encyclopedia of inference. Not surprisingly, artists the world over -- and especially Mickey's countrymen and -women -- have fixated on the simply, distinctively drawn figure. But however much that (deceptively) ingenuous face and unique silhouette turn up in Pop paintings, social-commentary cartoons, and even abstract sculpture, writers and historians have let Mickey's ubiquity pass without substantial comment. Until now. Defying the perils of post-modernist close reading, pop-culture fetishism, and the fabled wrath of Disney Corp., Holly Crawford proffers an exhaustive documentation, classification, and analysis of Mickey's many appearances in the visual art of our time. Her study fills a gap in the critical history of recent art, not to mention in Mouseology." —Peter Frank, Critic and Curator


above: Andy Warhol's Mickey Mouse was one of the first modern interpretation of Mickey that those of us born before 1980 experienced


above: Gottfried Helnwein's portraits of Marilyn Manson as Mickey

Above: Gottfried Helnwein : Midnight Mickey, 2001, 200 cm x 300 cm
oil and acrylic on canvas

The above painting is one of the modern interpretations of Disney's Mickey Mouse in Holly Crawford's book, Attached to The Mouse.


ATTACHED TO THE MOUSE, DISNEY AND CONTEMPORARY ART
Those who have used the same or multiple forms of the image many times over many years include Lichtenstein, Helnwein, Oldenburg, Pensato, Ospina, and Chagoya. The facade of Disney and America in the guise of the Mouse is one of the things that Helnwein and others present to us. Claes Oldenburg took the facade to its literal extreme when he proposed a flat Mouse's image for a facade to Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, and produced a flat Mouse sculpture. Helnwein, Oldenburg and others are using the Mouse to make social and cultural comments about our society, in the broadest sense, but with humor. Paperback: 194 pages. University Press of America (July 28, 2006) Buy the book here.



This past summer, Disney & Wa-Qu, A Japanese Design Firm teamed up for an exhibit that incorporated Mickey into interior lifestyle elements such as wallpaper, chopsticks, lacquer dishes and more.



above: Wall coverings incorporating the famous mickey outline for Wa-Qu's Disney exhibit. The exhibit has ended but you can see some of it online here.
More Exhibit info here

Some other unusual and collectible modern interpretations of Mickey are shown below. With links to purchase.

Artist David Flores' Mickey:

above: David Flores Mickey Mouse, Vinyl Collectable Doll (VCD) by Medicom.
Stands 14 CM's tall. Due for release late December. Japan Import. pre-order/buy it here

Three new "modern" Mickeys are available, manufactured by Tomy for Disney of Japan. Released a few months ago; The Punk, Pass Da M.I.C., and Take Off sell for approximately $45 USD each:



Buy the Punk Mickey Here.
Buy Take off Mickey here.
Buy Pass DA MIC Mickey here.



The iRiver MPlayer is also known as the Mickey Mouse player. The gadget is now available for pre-order in Japan and is scheduled to ship on the November first. The MPlayer does not have display screen. It connects via USB and comes in 1GB capacity. The iRiver MPlayer will be available in five different colors for $87. Buy it here.

Runaway Brain Mickey:

Above: This version of Mickey Mouse was featured in the animated short, Runaway Brain, is a super hot collectible vinyl figure for any Mickey Mouse fan. Produced by Medicom.4 inches tall
Buy it here

Clash Mickey - a tribute to The Clash London Calling album Cover(also called Guitar Mickey):


Designed by ROEN, and produced by Medicom Toy, this is the new VCD (Vinyl Collectible Dolls) series Clash Mickey, released exclusively in Japan. Clash Mickey plays as a cool tribute to the Clash, based on their famous 'London Calling' album cover. Standing 6 inches tall, Medicom Toy's Clash Mickey also comes packed in a neat collectors window box.
Buy it here.

BIRD IS THE WORD - White Munky King exclusive by Frank Kozik. White. Vinyl. 16 inches tall. Only 50 produced. The infamous founder of Communist China sporting the symbol of America's cultural imperialism...Mickey Mouse ears?

Frank Kozik's controversial reinterpretation of Chairman Mao stands 16 inches tall in white, reminiscent of the plaster of paris busts of yesteryear but this is pure rotocast vinyl. Comes packaged in a beautiful red box with gold foil printing Buy it here.


Frank Kozik's Mao Mickey Bust also comes in limited edition colors as well as flocked.
Buy them here.

Mickey has also made some appearances in haute couture lately. Here are a few examples:

Manish Arora


Jean Charles de Castelbajac (JCDC):

see more fun JCDC collections here.

And nowadays Disney has their own couture, where you can find many wild Mickey Mouse items, including their own artsy Mickey Mouse toys like those by vinylmation shown below:



There are literally hundred of contemporary artists who have 'updated' Mickey in their own visions, too many to list. But browse or search Behance, Coroflot, Deviant Art or ebay for "Mickey Mouse" and you'll see many more.

Of course, traditional Mickey always has his appeal as well.
For traditional Mickey Mouse items, click here.

Cool Ways To Heat Up: Focus Fireplaces of France

The amount of beautifully designed fireplaces created abroad really impress me (for examples, be sure to check my side bar links to amazing fireplace and radiator designers and manufacturers).

One of them, Focus, manufactured exclusively in France, has over 50 stunning wall-mounted, freestanding and custom fireplaces, all designed by Dominique Imbert.

Imbert's designs vary. Some swivel 360 degrees, some look like they are torn from the wall, others have adjustable hoods, and still others are clad in leather.

I'm going to show you a few of my favorites from the collection, you'll have to visit the site to see the rest yourself.

Below are examples of this 'torn metal' look which I think is so interesting. Very primitive yet modern at the same time.


Above: the Eclat Giant


Above: the Omega

And then this unusual little protrusion from the wall takes up hardly any room yet is impossible to ignore:


Above: the Mio


Above: The Elliptofocus is actually covered in leather as opposed to the usual metal housing.



Their site, www.focus-creation.com has optional language choices, company history, a bio about the designer and distribution info.


Above: the designer, Dominique Imbert

Want to see more? Check them out here.

Now, if only they'd redesign that logo......

The Million Dollar Christmas Gift. Okay, So It's Actually The $950,000. Gift

Now, this is what I call the ultimate gift. Time and Travel.

You get four audaciously gem encrusted watches plus a trip for 4 to the rain forest (stay in 3 different luxury accommodations) and throw in a $30,000.00 charitable deduction to boot.

All for the price of $950,000.00 USD.


Zadora Timepieces has partnered with Robb Report Beginning November 8th 2007 until January 8th 2008 to offer the Robb Report Limited Edition Zadora Timepieces Rainforest Collection and Rendezvous.

Package Description:
The Zadora Timepieces’ Robb Report Limited Edition package begins with four bejeweled, rain forest–themed watches, continues with a rain forest eco-adventure in Costa Rica, and culminates with a $30,000 donation to the rain forest preservation organization of the purchaser’s choice.

Each of the four bespoke watches depicts a different rain forest inhabitant, cased in 18-karat gold as follows:



Zadora Frog Prince Timepiece - executed in textured 18-karat yellow gold; the body is set in pavé tsavorites studded with blue sapphire cabochons. The frog’s feet are detailed in diamonds, and its eyes are ruby cabochons.



Zadora Poppy Flower Timepiece – executed in platinum and palladium 18-karat white gold. The flower is meticulously set with pavé of pink and white diamonds, rubies, and pink sapphires, giving an ombré effect to its voluptuous petals, while the pistils are minutely textured in black patina on platinum.



Zadora Ladybug Timepiece - adorned with a micro pavé of richly colored rubies and black diamond details, and encased in 18-karat yellow gold. The ladybug’s eyes are emerald cabochons.



Zadora Snake Timepiece - made of patinated palladium and 18-karat white gold. It is covered in black and canary yellow diamond pavé. The serpent’s pear-shaped eyes are emeralds, and it clenches a baroque South Sea pearl in its mouth.

Zadora Timepieces' precious quartet is a fine complement to the travel portion of this rain forest rendezvous package - a six-night, seven-day adventure for a family of four that includes:

Round-trip transportation on a Gulfstream V and all land transfers & ground transportation



One night in a Master Suite at the Costa Rica Marriott Resort (breakfast included)



Private visit to the Rain Forest Aerial Tram & Adventure Canopy Tour



Two nights in a deluxe ocean view bungalow at Lapa Rios Rain Forest Lodge with:
Three extraordinary meals daily-
Three guided tours: Rain Forest Waterfalls Hike; Horseback Riding; and the Osa Trail Jungle Walk



Three nights in a premium at the Four Seasons Papagayo Resort with: -Three extraordinary meals daily
-Round of golf
-Spa Therapy

Click here to download the actual itinerary.

For more Information and details of purchasing package please go to Robb Report by clicking here.

Smart Fortwo Arrives in the US in January

Daimler Chairman Dieter Zetsche confirmed today that the Smart Fortwo will go on sale in the U.S. starting in January.

He also said he could "well imagine a large-scale project in cooperation with a partner city in the U.S. to test the electrically powered Smart Fortwo, similar to the project that is currently running in London," according to a statement by Daimler.

Previously, Smart had only said that the Fortwo would arrive in U.S. showrooms in the first quarter of 2008.

Zetsche formally introduced the Fortwo to the U.S. market at a press briefing in washington D.C. earlier today. The minicar makes its debut with a three-cylinder 1.0-liter gasoline engine. "Other engine types and sizes, including Brabus modifications, may become available in the next few years, though no specific timeline has been outlined," according to the Smart USA Web site.



A Few Smart Facts:
•DIMENSIONS The smart fortwo that will be available in the United States will be:
8.8 feet long
5.1 feet tall
5.1 feet wide

•TOP SPEED The top speed of the smart fortwo is 90 mph (Electronically limited).

•GAS MILEAGE Engineering and testing continues to take place on the vehicle that will be produced for the United States. The vehicle is designed to achieve 40 plus mpg under normal driving conditions and current standards. The gas tank of the smart fortwo is 8.7 gallons.

•SAFETY The safety management system of the smart fortwo will set new standards in its class, and is designed to achieve a 4-star crash rating in the USA.



The highlight of the safety management system is the tridion safety cell. The safety cell is made from steel, half of which is high-strength material, especially in highly stressed areas. The cell is designed to keep occupants protected. The reinforced steel and the design of the car allow for the displacement of impact and redistribution of crash energy. Because of the size of the vehicle, most crashes will also involve one of the wheel bases which also displaces energy.

Both doors are also designed for easy access during rescue.

The smart fortwo, which will be for sale in the United States in 2008, will come standard with four airbags (two full-sized front and two side for head and thorax protection). Other safety features such as esp® (electronic stability program) and ABS brakes are also standard.

•STORAGE The smart fortwo has a rear storage area that can accommodate active lifestyles. Surprisingly, the fortwo has 8 cubic feet of storage space – 12 feet if you load up to the roof line. This area can easily fit numerous bags of groceries, gymbags and other items that are commonly transported every day, including golf clubs! The rear storage area can also accommodate many sizes of luggage making trips to the airport convenient.

The front passenger seat also folds down creating additional space for other items such as skis.<

•PRICE The smart fortwo pure will start at $11,590, the smart fortwo passion couple will start at $13,590 and the smart fortwo passion cabriolet will start at $16,590.

Go here to learn more about Smart.