Joby Gorilla Mobile for iPhone 3G/S ~ perfect for those who want the versatility of both a simple black matte/rubbery case and the ability to mount their phone just about anywhere for any reason... whether that is on the steering wheel of your car (look! handsfree!), the handlebars of your bike, wrapped around a pole, or perched on the table as a tripod... or in my case, i wrapped it around the nearby bottle of scotch as a tripod. As you can see on the next page, the packaging for this one got far more apple styled with the matte white box ~ and i do love that the signature ball jointed gorillapod legs are ALL black this time! Take a peek at all the details on the next page...

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Tags: accessories - camera - gifts - iphone - shopping - technology

Freshly launched today ~ Incase's latest incarnation of their classic iPhone Slider cases ~ Monochrome Slider Cases ~ this time with glossy tops and soft touch bottoms... while at first i wasn't sure if the color palette was for me (the colors do have fun names like celery green)... when they sent samples over, the PACKAGING just blew my mind. again. as usual. I don't know, those Incase guys are pretty much my favorite packaging folks out there these days. This time it is a clear/black matte plastic sleeve with a molded black cardboard tray that slips into it, but due to the molding won't slip all the way though... And the way the contours of the white plastic liner really highlight the case so nicely! Also, the super simple subtle little S stand is awesome ~ holding up your iphone for perfect desk viewing both horizontally and vertically. Anyhow, enough with the text ~ just go see the pics on the next page already!

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Tags: accessories - gifts - iphone - packaging - reviews - shopping - technology - unboxing

TO WIN: Leave a comment ~ Tell us about your favorite shiny object! ENTER BY 12/7. WINNER: Peter in Salisbury, NC!

Yay! We're up to NOTCOT Holiday Giveaway #18 already, and i've been going nuts sitting on this one, dying to post it... so here it is! Incase sent over a special VIP Boxed set of Metallic iPhone 3G Slider Cases!!! (Actually they sent over 2, one for reviewing, and one for the winner, so don't fret, that winner's is still perfectly untouched!)

The packaging, is, as always, AMAZING. So fun to unbox, and the cases are just gorgeous. I've been drawn in further and further by the whole metallics trend the last few seasons, and it doesn't seem to be going away any time soon. I'm sure you've seen them on their site, but in person, the colors are better than i expected. Metallic finishes can be tough to photograph, so many times you end up finding them so different in person, but there are that perfect slightly matte just metallic enough without causing car accidents with the reflection, and easy to grip... and they look GORGEOUS on the iPhone ~ i stole dan's iPhone and kept switching cases and comparing them with nail polishes and outfits... Hardest part is really picking between the colors... so luckily Incase has made up a boxed set of four for one lucky winner: Silver, Gun Metal, Gold, and Copper. I tried to pick a favorite, but i just can't. So, to the winner, if you feel generous you can share with your friends, but i wouldn't blame you if you hoard them all for yourself and switch them with each mood/outfit/nail polish color... I even compared them to the Chanel Gold Fiction and Kaleidescope colors... see a full unboxing on the next page!

To win? Leave a comment about your favorite shiny object... (and no, if you don't leave a relevant comment, you're not in the running!)

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Tags: accessories - fashion - gifts - giveaway - iphone - shopping

News of this magical new battery doubling sleek iPhone case has been circulating, but only tonight (or i guess now its 4am... so morning?) did i really sit down and go through the press release and high res images ~ Not surprising, it's Incase, so it's gorgeous... and it's available in 2 days! (Nov 28!) Actually what brought the Power Slider up was talking to dan about his super early flight to Pennsylvania this morning, and how there is the possibility there will be no internet (*gasp*) and hopefully some cell reception where he's going... and how badly he wished he has the Incase Power Slider to magically double the battery life on the go!

So upon further inspection, the Power Slider deserved a full post ~ have you looked closely at it? like REALLY closely? To notice the mac inspired details like "A five-light LED battery status indicator gauges battery life and also denotes sync mode and charging." Or the subtle single leaf logo on the front bottom left? How about the deepness of the camera hole on the back? And it has my favorite matte black soft-touch coating! Also love that its converted the charging to a more standard mini-USB, much more friendly when roaming in random non-iPhone friend cars without your own charger! I am curious how the 0.86" thickness feels in my hand relative to a normal iphone... So anyhow, check out the super closeups on the next page, i think this is definitely making the list of good gifting options for the holidays...

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Tags: accessories - gifts - iphone - phone - shopping - technology

DEAL for NOTCOTers - 20% off all Hulger Products until Sept 14th! (just click through, they'll take care of you.)

Next up ~ on the next page i have a full reverse unboxing of the Hulger Penelope*Phone and USB Base in Black and classic P*Phone & USB Base in Red... While the Penelope is sexy and classy and oh so modern designy retro... i couldn't resist the red P*Phone... ok this is going to sound pretty silly, but i was wondering whether having an "official work phone" on my desk would somehow make me more professional on the phone... something about wandering around the house on the cell phone, i just have a tendency to get far too casual + friendly... It's like the new NOTCOT Hotline! Less in that Moscow-Washington Cold War sort of way, and more in the playful Powerpuff Girls from the Mayor's office to Pokey Oaks Kindergarten sort of way. I guess for NOTCOT, its more like ad folks to me hotline... So have been messing with the vinyl cutter and at the moment i have it filled with a black notcot logo texture inside and a little notcot on the front, have considered covering it with random textures or some fun pirate dinos...

Oh, and for those curious why i went corded over bluetooth ~ i'm terrible with charging, and the Hulgers are already far too large to get away with for the driving/talking handsfree laws, so this makes for a really fun desk phone, whether plugged into my monitors via USB, or into my curve. Anyhow, see a full unboxing of how awesome the packaging is on the next page! (And some old 80's red phone ads as well...)

p.s.
yes, i do seem to feel more serious when on an old school phone, especially a red one, how silly is that?

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Tags: bluetooth - gifts - iphone - packaging - phone - reviews - shopping - technology - unboxing - usb

Ok packaging lovers... you will definitely want some AIAIAI headphones, iphone/curve headsets (headphones + mic/button), and the new laptop sleeves (but more to come on that in a future post!)... These danish designers don't mess around, their gorgeous headphones (you have to feel these cables to realize how nice the quality is) come in these incredible thick plastic tubes (think perfect for pens/pencils/paint brushes) where the ends aren't just plugs but little containers with their own caps (they are like little pill boxes) with alternative ear pieces! As you can see, they have great attention to detail ~ and the Y-com model is named so for its signature Y shaped center piece where the L and R are labeled... some even have a playful behind the ear coil...

As for how they work ~ well i tried them hooked up to my blackberry curve for the 5.5 hour drives up and down to/from SF/LA this weekend, and it was great (driving with only one side in of course, since both sides in the sound is so good you can't hear the world around you). Also, see the fun flashy page flipping AIAIAI Catalog here! See pics on the next page to get the full experience!

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Tags: gifts - iphone - music - packaging - phone - reviews - shopping - technology

Our favorite felt/leather technology carriers, Working Class Heroes, has evolved and is now known as Hard Graft. And honestly, nothing has changed, other than their moniker, and the quality and designs are, if anything, better than ever! So i've got an exclusive sneak peak for you of the latest line (and quite possibly my favorite yet)... here's
The Dapper Collection!

I've always loved their leather pockets on felt, which my original laptop sleeve from them had, and now they've brought the motif back as the signature feature in
The Dapper Collection. Also, they've mastered the Kindle case (see pics of a prototype i've been playing with on the next page), and it has a pocket which perfectly fits the iPhone. Honestly, its the perfect little bundle to grab when you're off to read in the park or at the beach. They've also got an adorable iPhone case, which has a pocket for some cash/cards... and a revival of the laptop wallet with top buttons and a new larger pocket also perfect for iPhones! So check out more pics on the next page, and see the full collection for purchase at Hard Graft!

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Tags: accessories - felt - gifts - iphone - kindle - laptop - leather - shopping

When at the Wall-E midnight showing on Thurs ~ walking out at nearly 3am, i felt like we were nearly venturing into the world of Wall-E as we lined up to feed the ticket in the machine to validate, then lined up in our cars again, sitting, idling, waiting to get out... and the other thing that stuck in my mind was ~ enough cross over Apple placement, Pixar? From the sound every time Wall-E had to reboot, to the ipod he played his movies on... and why was i SO drawn to Eve? And then i was reminded... Eve is a product of Jonathan Ives... Apple helped design the robots of the future... and remember the Automator icon? How cute is he? He looks like he might be Eve's grandpa, they certainly have quite a few things in common ~ that glossy white skin, and that face looks like she could definitely have evolved from him! See many more images of them all on the next page ~ as well as some Eve icons for Adium.

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Tags: animation - apple - iphone - ipod - movie - pixar - robot

On collabs i didn't see coming... Courvoisier is going all out on their new Exclusif Cognac! Including a multi-city tour (LA, SF, Houston, Miami, NY) this spring to show off an exclusive line designed by urban/skate brand LRG, inspired by Courvoisier... including a Napoleon Rubberband Jacket.

Ok, but seriously, we both know that's not why i'm posting this. What grabbed me is that they even customized some limited edition gadgetry - iPhones, Blackberries, and iPods to be specific, and i'm surprised, but i'm kind of loving the the napoleonic/spy logo thing thats going on, and while orange isn't usually my color, this shade is kind of interesting on electronics... check out more sneak peeks after the jump!

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Tags: blackberry - drinks - iphone - ipod - technology

Over at Engadget Mobile, they've gotten their hands on one of the future Blackberries... the elusive 9000! Which looks like a blackberry that got with an iphone and a PSP... this chimera has the body of the iPhone, the glossy ui of the PSP, and the brain of a Blackberry... with a very impressive result that makes me slightly sad when i look at my new curve now.

Basically the exterior design seems very iphone like with its sleek black face and chromed out edge... and the simple white on black icons (down to the style) and the way they glow is much like those sexy infographics seen on the PSP and PS3... does that wavy wallpaper seem very sony/apple as well? See some of the images of the slick UI after the jump, as well as a video... i can't wait. i'm drooling already.

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Tags: blackberry - iphone - phone - ps3 - psp - technology

iHole... yes, someone has gone and done it - made use of that gorgeous iPhone box and turned it into a camera! Scot Hampton announced "the world’s first iHole™; the revolutionary analog photographic device constructed from the recycled packaging of digital technology." (i wonder if he really trademarked that?) on his blog Feb 13th... see more of the fun pics after the jump. He suddenly has me overflowing with silly homemade cameras from recycled packaging ideas... like a collection of portraits of products as taken by their packaging?

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Tags: camera - iphone - packaging - phone - photography - technology

Incase: A better experience through good design. The UPS and FedEx guys always seem to make my day. Today it was the delivery of the Incase press kit that has my love of packaging design gushing. With a tagline like "a better experience through good design", you would think it would be hard to live up to... but apparently not, from the time i sliced the tape open on the box they continued to surprise me with impressively high quality new products for 2008, incredible attention to detail in the catalog/boxes/design, extremely efficient use of space, and ultimately the whole press kit experience was like a designer's babuska doll of surprises. So come unbox it with me in the photos after the jump! And more to come on the incredible macbook pro hardshell case soon...

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Tags: incase - iphone - ipod - laptop - mac - packaging

There's a little something special for anyone who adds the NOTCOT sites to their iPhones! So when you save a Web Clip of NOTCOT.com, NOTCOT.org, TasteSpotting, or NotCouture ~ we've designed custom Web Clip icons for each of them! And for those of you who haven't checked out org, tastespotting, and notcouture on an iPhone yet, it looks pretty sweet! Also, i made a quick walkthrough of how to put a Web Clip on your Home Screen after the jump... much shorter than the long update video.

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Tags: iphone - phone - technology

Ooooh a sneak peek at potentially a new reason for me to be amused by the iPhone (currently iPhysics is still my main source of iphone amusement)... but imagine if this sneak peek of a Vans Finger Fracture Skateboarding game for iPhone is real? Spotted over at the trendwatch - you can rate and view the project at NewCreatives, art direction by David Aronson & Juri Zaech for agency: Miami Ad Shool Europe... more presentation snippets after the jump, click to view larger!

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Tags: games - iphone - skate - software - technology