Stylish tech that’ll rev up your
fashion cred. By Walter Sim and Ramesh William
LG Prada—LG-KF
900
Why it’s
Hot: While it has its
drawbacks, the world of fashion and technology merge with
reasonably satisfying results on this sleek momma. It looks great
(the simple, stylish design is a winner) and comes paired with that
five-letter magic word that spells P-R-A-D-A.
Geek Speak:
Boasts a good 5-megapixel camera. The
touch screen experience is great, too. The phone works with the
Prada Link, a Bluetooth watch that displays caller ID and SMS
messages right on your wrist. Comes packed with Wi-Fi, 3G and 60MB
of storage.
Best
for: Style conscious
tai-tais with lots of free to time to gossip on at length and brand
whores.
$1,188
from LG Concept Store 109 North Bridge road, #04-39 Funan
DigitaLife Mall, 6339-9486.
HP Mini 1000
Netbook—Vivienne Tam Designer Edition
Why it’s Hot: How can
something touted as the world’s first digital clutch, not be
fashion cool? We love the fact that New York designer Vivienne Tam
went back to her roots and slapped a dash of Chinoiserie with
strokes of peony blooms in shades of pink, mauve, lavender and
yellow that signify prosperity and good fortune on this otherwise
ordinary notebook. It comes with a red silky sleeve and slots for
you to attach a hand strap—how suitably chi chi.
Geek Speak:
The smallish screen (10.1”) makes it
a nifty piece of kit, but the machine itself doesn’t really pack a
wallop. With 1GB ram, a processor speed of 1.6HZ and hard disk
capacity of 60GB, this scrapes the lower end of the notebook tech
specs spectrum. But hey, who cares; after all this curvy babe is a
special edition fashion statement.
Best for:
That aspiring, go-getting fashionable
young lass fresh out of university who needs something handy for
work.
$1,099 from
Courts, #02-01/02 VivoCity, 1 Harbourfront Walk,
1800-222-6868.
Philips Designer
Headphones—SHE9620 and SHE9621 for gals; SHE9550 and SHE9551 for
guys
Why it’s
Hot: You’ll find bold
colors of masculine headphones with three band accents in a high
gloss casing—a design that has been consciously chosen to reflect
music, mood and style. Best of all, they features Philips’ angled
acoustic design—developed to ensure music is directly filtered into
the ear canal. Sweet!
Best for: Fashion conscious guys and girls who just want to
listen to music without getting their ears pasted.
$49.90 (SHE9620 and SHE9621)
and $39.90 (SHE9550 and SHE9551) from Tangs 310 & 320 Orchard
Rd., 6737-5500.
Sony Ericsson T707
Why it’s Hot: It’s
hot as hell because it has a huge visual appeal with its sensual
colors, glossy skin, personalized light settings for different
callers and minimalist features.
Geek speak: A 2-megapixel camera, music player, stereo
Bluetooth, FM radio, personal organizer, USB mass storage, PC
syncing, voice recorder, and speakerphone—so it’s not just a pretty
face, its utilitarian quotient is pretty high, too.
Best for:
Stylish women with sense of
flair.
The
handphone will be out within the month, so keep your eyes
peeled.
Sony Walkman W-Series MP3
Player
Why it’s Hot: It’s
compact; looks fresh; wearer friendly; comes in a vibrant range of
colors and is as a light as dream at merely 35 grams. Let’s face
it: It’s hard not to like something heart-shaped (when not in use)
and as quirky as this. Plus, there are no annoying wires to get in
your way—yup, they’ve gone for the all-in-one MP3player/ear-to-ear
assemblage.
Geek
Speak: 2GB worth of
space and the option for a quick power zap (three minutes for 90
minutes of playback, and half an hour for the full 12 hours) when
you’re in a rush.
Best for: Joggers and sports types who just want fuss-free
tunes.
$129 from
Sony Style, 435 Orchard Road #04-01, Wisma Atria,
6733-1876.
We asked three stylish
personalities about tech gadgets that they can’t live
without:
Cynthia Chua, owner of
House
What are your favorite tech toys?
My Blackberry Bold and MacBook
Air.
What do the
products say about you?
The Blackberry Bold speaks of reliability, while Apple products
have all along been known for their innovation and creativity. The
MacBook Air is wafer-thin, modern and sleek, certainly an evolution
from ancient typewriter models. I like to accessorize my tech toys
too! I have a leather skin that goes with my MacBook Air and a
tanned leather pouch for my Blackberry Bold that I hunted high and
low for.
Jo Soh, fashion designer
of Hansel
What are your favourite tech toys?
I am really not a “techy” person as I do not actively follow the
latest trends. But must-haves for me are my Black 13” MacBook,
Nokia N95 and Panasonic Lumix digital
camera.
How do
they feature in your everyday life?
I mainly use my MacBook for work in fashion design. The MacBook is
largely associated with designers, though that no longer strictly
applies today. The Nokia N95 is the most user-friendly phone I
find. I often use my Panasonic Lumix on the go, to capture nice
shots to upload on my blog, and designs that may spark off an
inspiration. That’s why it is great that it is pocket-sized, has a
wide angle lens and can take extreme close-ups in
detail.
Jill Sara, writer and
freelance publicist
What are your favorite tech toys?
Music gadgets like my iPod and communications gadgets like my Sony
Ericsson K710i cell phone and Lenovo S10 notebook. These are things
which I cannot leave home without.
What do the products say about
you?
Being fashion statements with a lot of functions, they are
aesthetically-pleasing and pack a lot of punch at the same time. I
love pretty things. But my K710i looks more serious than the LG
Prada or Samsung Armani phones.