Great Looks, Great Sound

by Alison - on January 2nd, 2013

When you hear “Bang & Olufsen” what comes to mind? I am willing to bet “stylish”, “high-performance”, maybe “pricey.” B&O has been making some of the most reliable high-end a/v products for just under 90 years. Never one to get caught behind the times, they launched their B&O PLAY line as stand-alone products designed to fit into our more mobile a/v world.

The newest addition to the line proves to make the B&O family proud. The BeoPlay A9 offers quality sound and sophisticated design. Built for wireless or wired connectivity use wi-fi or Ethernet and Apple Airplay or DLNA or go old school and use the mini jack or phono connector. Since control happens on your music device there presents no need for buttons and bells. Simply wave your hand over the top sensor to control volume.  A9 design is obviously key to its appeal. Let it stand on its 3 screw-in legs or mount is on the wall. And though it comes in white, optional covers in 5 colors help it fit your décor. Performance wise, do not fret. The bass reflex design paired with the woofer, mids and tweeters will fill your life with soothing sounds. Looks and performance together have won the A9 some prestigious honors too: 2013 iF product design and CES Innovations Awards. If this look fits your life then treat yourself. The A9 is available for £1699 or $2,699 so save your pounds, dollars or what not. But for those with the right environment the A9 seems a perfect solution.

Keep Those Shoes On and Look Good

by Alison - on January 2nd, 2013

Go take a look in your closet. I’ll bet there are a few pairs of lace up shoes that still have the laces tied. When we buy a new pair of sneakers we always have the best intentions of fully untying and re-tying them. But somewhere along the way, usually when rushing around we end up just kicking them off and slipping them back on without tying.

Brookstone wants to help encourage tie-free shoe use with HICKIES elastic lacing system. Opposing eyelets on a shoe are connected with these stretchy devices. Connect as far as you choose, slip your foot in and HICKIES elastic properties allow your foot to comfortably move while the shoe goes with it even during high impact activities. They literally turn any lace up shoe into a slip on. What makes them unique, however, is the array of colors so you can select one that meets your color coordinating needs. Match to your shoes or go crazy and clash. Your choice.  The ‘stretchiness’ also means one size fits all. For $19.99, a pack includes 14 HICKIES in 1 of 16 color combinations plus 2 extra HICKIES in a surprise color â€" plenty to set up an average pair of shoes. Unsure how it will look? Download their app and snap a photo of a virtual pair on your current shoes or get instruction on how to put them on.  So go ahead and keep the laziness up, but look stylish and keep the feet in the shoes with HICKIES.