Ovi: Music, GPS and Games

by Tim Yu

By now, you've most likely heard all the Nokia buzz today—great new phones, the N95 is finally coming stateside and the gaming industry continues to go more mobile. We love the expanded 8G memory in the N81 and N95 which allows us to hold more music, photos, games etc. This brings me to what, in my opinion, is subtly some of the biggest news from Nokia in awhile—the announcement of their new music store and the launch of Ovi, the company's newly-formed internet services brand name.

The pioneering Nokia Music Store allows users to purchase and download songs directly from their phones and synchronizes automatically with PCs or with up to five Nokia devices. The Windows media, DRM-based system will run about €1 per song and €10 per album. PC streaming will also be available for about €10 per month. It will hit Europe before the year's end but should come stateside in 2008. We're also looking forward to a Mac-friendly version.

In addition to the music store, Ovi will bring N-gage services and Nokia's GPS-enabled maps into one single convenient suite. When Ovi launches users will be able to access all their music and games in one place. It will also be open to web communities, enabling people to access their content, communities and contacts, again in one place. It will launch in English by year's end and other languages in the first half of 2008.

Win a Wii from ThisNext and Cool Hunting

by Ami Kealoha

If you're one of those who wants a Wii, but is too busy reading Cool Hunting to go out and get one yourself, you have until this Friday, 31 August, to win one from CH and This Next. All you have to do to enter is contribute to Cool Hunting!

Just head over to ThisNext, create an account, recommend items, and—most importantly—tag your recommendation "Cool Hunting."

Mimoco x Spear Collective: King and Queen Mimobots

by Ami Kealoha

Our friends at Mimoco joined forces with our friends at Spear Collective (SC) to make a Mimobot all dressed up in royal gear. SC member Undoboy came up with the design that interprets traditional playing card graphics and the drives come loaded with wallpaper, graphics, animations, etc. so you can geek out on his work. The second in Mimoco's artist series, they're limited to a production run of 2,000, so don't waste any time. Both the King and Queen are available through Mimoco starting at $40 for 512 MB.

The Fit: Sunglasses

by Roseanna Roberts

Many of us here at CH are sensitive types who wear sunglasses year-round. Arguably, come fall, as the sun sits a bit lower in the sky and leaves fall from the trees, wearing something to protect your eyes is even more important than in summer.

Of course, summer or fall, the age-old problem is finding a pair that not only looks good, but looks good on you. Rather than the usual face-shape corollary, we decided to consult someone who's familiar with the many different faces out there. We asked portrait artist Chad Robertson, whose paintings (right) capture the "moment between moment gestures," and used his advice to put together an alternative fitting guide.

Above left: Paul Smith 386 ($300)
"A larger oval face is needed to support these sunglasses. At the least a nose with a long bridge so the lenses don't make you look like a barn owl."

Above right: Colab Claw Money Gazelles ($250):
"Some one with short hair and high cheek bones would look great in these. I imagine them being worn by a lady posing on the set of a Duran Duran or Robert Palmer video shoot."

Above left: Colab eBoy Dreckig ($210)
"A round face would be best for these sunglasses. I like the exposed pins which give it more of an industrial look. I could picture someone like Yoko Ono, who by the way loves white, in these shades."

Above right: Mosely Tribes Kapelle ($220)
"These skinnies always look good on long lanky faces, facial hair might help too. Definitely need a long nose bridge to help keep these in place up over the eyes."

Above left: Paul Smith 385 ($300)
"These give off a serious Jackie O vibe of classic, chic beauty. A square more angular face would complement the roundness of the glasses. I think a pill box hat would go nice..."

Above right: Mosely Tribes Pilot ($220)
A chrome frame with polarized lenses, "these are a sleek alternative to your everyday aviator glasses. You definitely need a square jawed, rugged face and short cropped hair is a plus."

Above left: Oliver Peoples Prentice ($285)
Also with polarized lenses, "a retro look, I see a longer, skinnier face sporting these. A thin face will accentuate the side flares of the glasses."

Above right: Oakley Nanowire 3.0 ($200)
"Because of the lack of a frame one would need a good size square head to make these work. Most likely on some guy speeding around town on a motorcycle, these would also complement a helmet well."

Left: Oakley Speechless ($200)
"A thin countenance will allow these glasses to properly wrap around the entire face. In my opinion, the glasses will dominate your look, but it's sort of the point with these.

See more of Robertson's portraits here and be sure to check out his most recent works at "Moonrakers" a group show of contemporary portraitures running until 3 September 2007 at OK OK Gallery in Seattle.

With contributions by Tim Yu

Nike Four Guardians and Tech Pack Series

by Tim Yu

I haven't bought a pair of Nikes in a long time, but new releases coming this fall, including the Tech Pack and Four Guardians series, have me reaching for my wallet.

A collaboration with Horitaka (an apprentice of Japanese tattoo sensei Horiyoshi III), Nike SB recently announced the Four Guardians series. At the heart of both Chinese and Japanese mythology are four spiritual animals, each representing a cardinal direction, season and color—the turtle (North, winter, black), dragon (East, spring, blue), phoenix (South, summer, red) and the tiger (West, fall, white). Following this theme SB will release four different shoes in four consecutive seasons. First up is the white tiger, a Classic SB in white with black details and the animal on the insole.

The newest and my favorite release under the Nike Tech Pack umbrella is the reintroduction of the bouldering/approach shoe, Air Okwahn. Versatile and incorporating some more advanced materials like sticky rubber, the rugged design has a low profile making it at home on rock or concrete. Be sure to check out the Tech Pack Jackets, as they're on-point too.

Both sneakers should be in stores next month.

Alsop's Filmport

by Lost At E Minor

British architect Will Alsop's design for the new Filmport complex in Toronto has just been unveiled and is set to be one of the largest film studios on the North American continent. The building is a giant sectional arc, its outer face wrapped by punctuated Cor-Ten Steel and its inner face a glass curtain wall that, with the arc, bends to form a large outdoor space. The building, as Alsop says, "curves as it rises." A primary goal has been to create public space in the surrounding emerging neighborhood—an admirable one, though we do wonder how much steel, and how much embodied energy, will be used.