Michael Stipe’s Sculptures and Rogan’s Clothes

Two great events in one post? Fashion designer Rogan is opening a new boutique in New York, and New York magazine reports that R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe will be having an art show there, exhibiting some bronze sculptures he did of cameras and music devices. Said Stipe:

“The radio alarm clock … changed forever the fragile state between sleeping and waking, allowing you to wake to your favorite radio station … The polaroid revolutionized photography by providing instant images available to anyone … Cassettes provided portable, compact music, altering forever the influence of radio as the individual became their own disc jockey.”

The items are not for sale but if you show up on the 27th you can pick up a Rogan Stipe T-shirt.

Read the full article here

Christian Dior Cell Phones

It’s official, these $5000 phones manufactured in partnership with ModeLabs feature a touchscreen display, camera and mini-phone extender called My Dior. About the size of a USB key, My Dior is linked to the main one by Bluetooth technology and allows you to take/make calls. It is meant to clip onto the outside of your handbag (tsk tsk to those women who put their cell phones into their Gucci bags full of make-up).

Remember how the Japanese and Korean make crystals on phones popular? The Dior phone also embeds Swarovski crystals, so it says something to the Swarovski lovers out there too.

Touch Diamond

Mobile phone manufacturer HTC this week launched the Touch Diamond, an iPhone like Windows Mobile device that has been lauded for its looks.

“All the most important functions are accessible from the home screen using a simple gesture based touch interface; the graphics and animation are gorgeous. While the faceted physical design is innovative, its little nuances, like turning the phone over to silence an incoming call, that make this a device worth noting.”

Read the full article

Photographers Bitter Over Polaroid’s Demise

Several weeks ago, the Polaroid Corporation announced it will quit the instant-film business in 2009 (not surprising given the rising of digital photography.)  However, photographers and artists are not happy about this at all.

New York Magazine reports; “Now what the hell am I supposed to do?” asks John Waters, who’s shot a Polaroid of each person who’s come into his apartment since 1992—friends, interviewers, delivery men, everyone. “Digital isn’t instant gratification, and those cameras don’t make that sexy sound.”

I sense a Save Polaroid campaign coming. Save polaroids, save the world?

The long awaited images of BlackBerry Kickstart

The Boy Genius is showing images of the upcoming BlackBerry Kickstart. It comes in a clamshell, has a Pearl-esque keyboard, and apparently utilizes both an internal and LCD screen. Read the full article.

Depends on how you look at it. To me is either a BlackBerry that looks like a phone or a phone with BlackBerry functions. Anyhow my Nokia 5310 XpressMusic looks better, you agree?

Karl Lagerfeld Appearing in Grand Theft Auto

It’s just been announced that the designer/photographer will be playing a role in the newest installment of Grand Theft Auto, where he’ll DJ on air at the game’s K109 The Studio station.

According to WWD “Players can pick from multiple radio stations for the soundtrack, ranging from licensed songs to new ones. Lagerfeld picked his favorite electronica and dance music and peppered the selection with some of his rapid-fire commentary. ‘They had written a politically incorrect dialogue,’ the designer said. ‘I loved it, [particularly] in a time when everybody wants to be so politically correct when they talk.’ He didn’t have to dig too deep to find his music selection. ‘Music is part of the life of fashion, too,’ he said. ‘Through the famous sound stylist Michel Gaubert, I’m very much ‘au courant’ and know what’s going on.'”