I spotted these adorable (said in a French accent, btw) earbuds on our senior web editor Natalie Bahadur’s desk and I fell in love upon first sight. Mixing music, tech and glitzy style all in one? Doesn’t get much better than that folks. Here’s what Natalie had to say about them:
“I adore anything that’s got a touch of bling and these earphones from chicBuds are fantastic! They’re so girly and stylish and are adorned with Swarovski crystals, which instantly takes them from ordinary to extraordinary. But they’re not just about form; they’re big on function too. The earphone wires are rolled onto a retractable wheel (also adorned with crystals!) that keeps them from getting tangled. And as I’m sitting here listening to my iPod, I’m amazed at the sound quality. Crisp, clean, clear. Perfect.”
Check them out for yourself (chicbuds.com) — tons of colours and designs to pick from!
If there are two things I learned this weekend, it’s that: a) I love Boston, and b) if ever in Boston, the Copley Square Hotel is the only place to stay. Located in the Back Bay area of the city, the Copley Square Hotel is one of Boston’s oldest hotels (built in 1891), but the interior is nothing short of modern chic. The building’s re-opening in January 2009 after a year of renovations shows a hotel with exquisite attention to detail and comfort as a main priority (seriously the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in).
Along with all of the fab comforts that the hotel offers was the great selection of tech goodies found in the rooms. For such a historic hotel, I was surprised to find complimentary WiFi available in every room, not to mention a sleek LG flat screen TV. Even the Sunbeam iron was the best I’ve ever used! However, the coolest thing was the iHome iPod speaker dock on the bedside table. The hotel had thought of everything I might need to feel at home – music, TV, Internet. If it wasn’t for the fabulous city waiting outside its doors, I might have just stayed in the hotel the whole time!
For more information and to book reservations at Boston’s Copley Square Hotel, please visit their website.
Oh, how I love pretty things! And when those pretty things come in the form of tech-y goodness, I fall deeper in love. These uber-stylish portable speakers from Sony would look sleek and sharp sitting on a bookshelf, but could also add a bit of oomph to a boring old desktop. Want to know what’s even better? They sound great!
With a whole lot of bass and a heck of a sexy simplistic design, this portable set is perfect for plugging in to your laptop at a party or hooking up to your mp3 player on your backyard patio. With a powerful subwoofer, two satellite speakers, and availability in four colours, Sony has hit all the marks on this one.
Price: $80 each
Available at: Sonystyle.ca
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Since I live in a 500 sq. ft. apartment, I’m always on the lookout for ways to save space. While I love my mp3 players and cranking out tunes from my iMac, sometimes I need to get things a little louder (which I’m sure my neighbours love).
Both of these reasons are why I adore this wall-mounted CD player by Muji. It takes up no horizontal space, and would look super sleek and stylish in any area of the home (think kitchen, where counter space is sacred). The function buttons are on the top of the player and you simply tug the power cord to turn it on and off.
Visit the MoMa Store to purchase, and start spinning your favourite jams!
Price: $178 US
When you’re decorating a small space, clear Lucite furniture like the Louis Ghost Armchair or IKEA’s Tobias chair (which I have in my kitchen) is a great option because it doesn’t take up too much visual space. So why not carry that philosophy through to other items in your home, like computers and speakers? I like Dell’s Crystal 22-inch LCD monitor, which will look smashing atop any desk. And can you imagine how sexy your home office would be if you paired it with Ferguson Hill’s über-sleek FH007 Mini Speaker System (which sounds great by the way)?
LEFT Dell Crystal 22-inch widescreen flat-panel LCD monitor with built-in webcam, monitor and speakers. Price: From $1,219. Available at: Dell.
RIGHT FH007 Mini Speaker system (includes two 17-inch-high horn speakers, two eight-inch-round bass speakers, and 6-inch cube amplifier). Also connects to iPods and most stereo systems. Price: $549.99. Available at: Ferguson Hill.
Speakers have come a long way since those big ugly black boxes – we’re no longer limited to squares. I like the mod spheres of Orb Audio’s Classic Two Stereo Speaker and the futuristic eye shape of Bang & Olufsen’s BeoLab 4000. Both are small in size but big in sound, plus they come in a variety of colours.
LEFT Classic Two Stereo Speaker in Metallic Black Gloss (also available in Pearl White Gloss, Mettalum Hand-Polished Steel, Metallum Hand-Antiqued Copper and Metallum Hand-Antiqued Bronze). Price: $698 US per speaker system (includes two speakers and a subwoofer). Available at: Orb Audio.
RIGHT BeoLab 4000 in red (also available in black, white, silver, dark grey, yellow and blue). Price: $2,800 per pair. Available at: Bang & Olufsen.
Built-in computer speakers aren’t known for their audio quality, which is why, if you spend any time at all watching online videos or listening to tunes while you work, it’s worth it to invest in a decent subwoofer and speaker set. I like Edifier’s E3350 for its clean design and the shot of colour it will add to any home office set-up. Bonus: it includes a headphone jack and an input for MP3 players.
Price: $99
Available at: NCIX.com; Source by Circuit City; Wal-Mart
