Japan phones built to survive showers, toilet-drops
(BARCELONA-AFP) – Japanese women are so fond of their phones, they even use them in the shower, say manufacturers. This makes waterproofing a must — also good against rainstorms and accidents while texting on the toilet. Panasonic and Fujitsu are touting their waterproof and dust-proof phones as they seek to charm the overseas market at […]
In China, all that glitters is most likely gold
(HONG KONG-Relaxnews) – It’s unmatched as a symbol of wealth and prosperity and though gold has been favored by China’s well-to-do for centuries, it appears the country is currently experiencing an unprecedented passion for the precious metal. Fuelled by the onset of the Year of the Dragon — traditionally a time celebrating and spending on […]
Top trend: Bows
8 photos (Relaxnews) – Whether adorning jewelry, hairbands or blouses, bows have been making an impact on style sharing community Polyvore. See how users of the site have been offering versatile takes on this ultra feminine accessory. ©paint-it-black/Polyvore Special uses : Use only Top Trend: Bows/Polyvore Spots Top from houseoffraser.co.uk, blazer from veryeickhoff.com, David Koma skirt, boots […]
New Apple TV to switch on at March 7 next-gen iPad event: rumor
(Relaxnews) – Apple has confirmed that it will host a press event on March 7 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco where the company is largely expected to announce its next generation iPad, aka the iPad 3. Rumors suggest that the iPad won’t be the only product to be unveiled […]
Microsoft launches ‘new generation’ Windows
(BARCELONA-AFP) – IT giant Microsoft launched Wednesday the test version of a new generation of Windows operating system, which is designed to run seamlessly on computers and rapidly-growing tablets. “Windows 8 is a generational change in the Windows operating system,” said Windows president Steven Sinofsky. “It’s Windows reimagined,” he added, on the sidelines of the […]
‘Harry Potter’ e-books to be available for lending worldwide
(LOS ANGELES-Relaxnews) – Now that the Harry Potter film franchise has ended, author J.K. Rowling announced through the website Pottermore this week that the Harry Potterbook series would live on as e-books and digital audiobooks to be made available in schools and public libraries through OverDrive, a British global digital book lending service. This arrangement will cover e-books […]
Celine Dion cancels US shows due to voice problem
(LOS ANGELES-AFP) – Grammy-winning singer Celine Dion announced Tuesday she had canceled a string of upcoming shows in Las Vegas due to a virus-triggered problem with her vocal chords. The Canadian-born star was due to sing at Caesars Palace in a series of shows through March 18, but has called them off after being ordered […]
Twitter expands ad program to mobile users
(SAN FRANCISCO-AFP) – Twitter said Tuesday it was expanding its advertising program to mobile users, the latest bid by the short-messaging service to boost its money-making efforts. The San Francisco-based company said users of Apple’s iPhone and Android devices would begin seeing “Promoted Tweets” in their timelines in the coming weeks. Promoted tweets are sponsored […]
Justin Bieber fans go for social media record
(Relaxnews) – Plugged in fans of teenage pop star Justin Bieber are attempting to give the Canadian singer a special gift for his 18th birthday on March 1 by setting the record for the most social media messages sent in a 24-hour period. The Guinness World Record attempt is being organized by AgencyNet, the creators […]
Gwyneth, Reese, Cameron and Beyonce in ‘One Hit Wonders’
(LOS ANGELES-Relaxnews) - Glee creator Ryan Murphy has signed Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man), Reese Witherspoon (This Means War), Cameron Diaz (Bad Teacher), and Beyonce (Dreamgirls) to his latest film One Hit Wonders, reports Deadline Hollywood. The musical comedy focuses on three singers (Paltrow, Witherspoon, and Diaz) who each sang a hit song in the 1990s before their careers went […]
The world’s biggest car makers in 2011
(PARIS-AFP) – An expected venture between General Motors of the United States and French group PSA Peugeot Citroen is set against the background of severe restructuring by many groups in response to the recent global financial crisis. In the last 25 years, takeovers, deals and alliances have periodically changed the landscape of the global auto […]
Olympics: Giant rings mark 150 days to Olympics
(LONDON-AFP) – Giant Olympic rings were launched on the River Thames in London on Tuesday to mark 150 days until the start of the 2012 Games. The rings — 25 metres (82 feet) wide and 11 metres (36 feet) high — travelled on a barge along the Thames, which runs through the centre of the […]
The Simpsons – America’s best-traveled family?
(Relaxnews) - The Simpsons celebrated the 500th episode last week, with a special episode which saw them banned from their hometown Springfield. To celebrate the milestone and the Simpsons’ latest forced migration (the family have a history of being sent away, often to apologize for a misdemeanor), Slate Magazine has compiled a round-up of all of the […]
Consumers place more value on hard-to-pronounce wines
(Relaxnews) – If you’re easily seduced by the names of exotic-sounding wines, you may not be alone. A study of consumer wine habits out of Canada suggests that oenophiles place more value on wines with tongue-twister names, in the subconscious belief that bottles with unfamiliar and “disfluent” names are rarer, reported industry publication Decanter magazine last week. […]
Cookbook buyers predominantly young, upper-middle class consumers
(Relaxnews) – Cookbook buyers are largely between the ages of 30 and 44 and make more than $75,000. That’s the finding of industry tracker Bowker, which found that the majority of US consumers who buy cookbooks tend to belong to the upper-middle class. As reported byPublishers Weekly last week, 28 percent of cookbook consumers are between […]
PlayStation users invited to vote on 2011′s best
(Relaxnews) – Visitors to the North American PlayStation Network Store can cast their votes in the 2012 Gamers’ Choice Awards starting February 28, with results announced March 6. Effectively, users of the PSN Store are voting on upcoming sale titles, as each category winner will then be given a one week discount of 30% from […]
PC download charts: ‘Wargame,’ ‘Alan Wake’ prosper, ‘Skyrim’ falls
(Relaxnews) – The Cold War army arranging of Wargame: European Escalation and a PC version of Xbox 360 title Alan Wake fare well, while Skyrim falls from the Steam Network’s top five during the week ending Monday, February 27. Wargame: European Escalation is the next game from the French studio behind PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 strategy affair R.U.S.E. The sequel of […]
New York museum to honor Italian fashion legends
(MILAN-AFP) – The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will hold a retrospective honouring Italian fashion legends Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada this spring, organisers said on Friday at Milan Fashion Week. The show runs from May 10 until August 19 and will include the designers’ most iconic models, as well as drawings and […]
In the mood of Corrado de Biase: ‘The Addams Family are my fantasy runway stars’
(Relaxnews) – To celebrate Paris Fashion Week (February 28-March 7), Relaxnews presents a new feature, “In the mood of…” quizzing designers on their style secrets and sources of inspiration. Ahead of his February 28 Fall 2012 presentation, we enter into the world of designer Corrado De Biase. Relaxnews: What in your opinion is the most essential accessory […]
Mozilla goes after Android, Apple with cheaper phone pledge
(BARCELONA-AFP) – Mozilla, which brought the free web browser Firefox to the masses, now wants to do the same for mobile users, with a new open source operating system that could drastically slash smartphone prices. The non-profit group’s so-called Boot to Gecko project will go after Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS, to create an alternative […]
