Bossa Blog

Taking their moniker from the 60s new wave of cult French cinema, Nouvelle Vague are a French musical collective put together by arrangers Marc Collins and Olivier Libaux. On their first album, “Nouvelle Vague” the group resurrected lost classics from the 80s “New Wave” music era, and reinterpret them in a saucy bossa nova style. The songs were stripped back to acoustic arrangements with lithe shaker rhythms achieved by gathering a parade of chanteuses from all over the world (six French, one Brazilian and one New Yorker) to sex up everyone from XTC and Modern English to The Clash and The Undertones.

Nouvelle Vague returns June 26th with their second album 'Bande à Part'. They are still resurrecting 80’s new wave and punk songs but this time it’s not so much in a Bossa Nova style but more as dreadlocked reggae artist strumming his guitar in Kingston, Jamaica. Songs on ‘Bande A Part’ include covers of ‘The Killing moon’ by Echo and the Bunneymen, ‘Dancing by myself’ by Billie Idol and ‘Heart of glass’ by Blondie. These songs, along with eleven other mesmerizing reinterpretations, now grace Bande à Part, the next chapter in Novelle Vague's beguiling, retro-futurist odyssey.

Listen to Nouvelle Vague mp3's

Posted by Mike at 04:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Zero 7, aka Sam Hardaker and Henry Binns, are back with their third album, The Garden. Continuing to build on their established sonic blueprint, this album incorporates some more organic elements, such as acoustic guitar, into their chilled and down tempo sound. It features vocal performances by Swedish-born folkie Jose Gonzalez, Sia Furler and Henry Binns. The band’s previous albums, Simple Things and When It Falls, were critically acclaimed and rooted them firmly in the chill out and lounge category. The Garden sees Zero 7 take a fresher, more upbeat musical direction while still maintaining their trademark sound.

Their production still sounds richly detailed and beautifully executed, but there are some unpredictable twists this time around. Futures begins with a gently strummed acoustic guitar and the lilting voice of González, but ends sounding like Underworld. The Pageant of the Bizarre is a playful ride that concludes with a shift into Beach Boys-style harmonizing.

The Garden is different enough from their first two albums that it might surprise some listeners who are expecting the same chill sounds. However, with The Garden, Zero 7 have shown that can change direction and style without the burden of expectations and feeling pigeon-holed.

Listen to Zero 7 mp3's

Posted by Mike at 05:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

According to Motorola, it's the thinnest, lightest and coolest QWERTY on the planet. Well, we’ll finally be able to find out for ourselves when the long-awaited Q is released this week. Boasting flexible mobile email featuring Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software, advanced cellular phone technology, rich multimedia capabilities and an easy-to-use one-handed navigation thumbwheel, the Moto Q looks and feels unique.

It measures 11.5 x 6.3 x 1.1cm and sports a 2.4in, 320 x 240, 65,536-colour job, and the handset also incorporates a 1.3 mega pixel camera with a flash. There's a Mini SD slot for memory expansion, and Bluetooth for wireless connectivity. The keypad is backlit, and Motorola has built in speakerphone capability.

At this point it looks like the Q will only be available from Verizon, but Sprint is talking about having the Q too. A Cingular version will not be out until the end of the year. Time to switch carriers again!

Posted by Mike at 08:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The HomeDock Deluxe adds a new twist to the iPod by displaying your iPod’s music content onto a TV - allowing you to navigate, select and play your songs using the included 18-button remote control. Browse through Playlists, Artists, Albums, Songs, Genres and more.

Watching ipod videos on your TV?

The Homedock Deluxe also takes the video on your iPod and puts it on the big screen. It has two distinct modes: On-Screen Navigation Mode (for music interface on your TV) and iPod Mode (to play videos or photo slideshows on your TV directly from the iPod). You can quickly switch modes with a push of a button to watch and control videos and photo slideshows from an iPod, or browse and play music with on-screen navigation.

Sit back, relax and control that latest Jessica Simpson video on your iPod from your couch.

Posted by Mike at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This tiny, stylish alternative to the iPod Nano looks great and possibly does more than the player it’s trying to dethrone. The Clix is equiped with 2 GB of flash memory, a unique, intuitive interface and comes with extras such as an FM radio; a voice recorder; an alarm clock; support for OGG files and subscription content, photo, video, and text viewing. The Clix includes SRS Wow sound effects, up to 25 hours of battery life, and it's priced competitively at $199

Posted by Mike at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The LG KG800 cell phone is better known to many people as the Chocolate phone. Don't bother looking for any hidden meaning - quite simply, it's bar-shaped and the best-selling version in South Korea is a dark brown chocolate color! It's become a favourite phone for the rich and famous, appearing in the hand (and pocket) of top celebs. Why? Well, the phone cleverly blends modern styling with useful features. When the slide-up design is closed, you'll notice a high-quality display screen and a handful of touch-sensitive keys for controlling essential functions. They glow red when they're being used and fade into the background when they're not needed. Slide the phone open and there's a standard keypad, along with a wealth of useful functions including an alarm clock, calendar, calculator, photo editor and games.

The LG KG800 is also an MP3 player, with 128MB of memory providing plenty of storage space. In addition, the back of the phone contains a 1.3 megapixel camera for photos and videos. All this and Bluetooth connectivity as well.

If you're looking for stand-out style without compromising on usability, you'll appreciate the LG Chocolate KG800. It certainly is a tasty little camera phone!

Posted by Mike at 01:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just came across the slick new Nokia 770. This device is meant to be a home Internet appliance and it's not what you would expect from Nokai......it’s not a phone!

That's right; the 770 has no mobile phone inside. Instead it relies on its Bluetooth v1.2 and WiFi (802.11b) support to connect to the Internet either through your home WiFi router or via your Bluetooth compatible mobile phone. Nokia envisions the 770 as an inexpensive (about US$350) and convenient replacement for the 2nd or 3rd PC a family might have at home. The mobile phone industry calls it “the third screen,” a smaller successor to the TV and PC.

Thanks to the 770's massive 4.13" diagonal, 800x480 pixel display, browsing and email should be quite comfortable. In addition to the Opera web browser and the built-in email client, the initial release of the 770 will also ship with a RSS news reader, an Internet radio, various media players, a PDF viewer, and Flash v6 compatibility. There’s also a user installable software upgrade that will introduce Voice Over IP (VOIP) and Instant Messaging to the mix.

The little package does have some drawbacks. The biggest: no keyboard, not even a way to connect an outboard Bluetooth model. You’re stuck with a skinny stylus to tap on an on-screen keyboard.

However, if your phone doesn’t have a high speed connection with web browsing or a media player, the Nokia 770 can be your cool looking gateway to online info, photos, music and video.

www.nokiausa.com/770

Posted by Mike at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The new PlayStation 3 (PS3) will hit Japanese stores on 11 November, with the US and Europe following less than a week later, Sony has announced.

The console will come in two versions. The system with a 20GB hard drive will cost $499 in the US, while a model with a 60GB drive will cost $599. Sony announced the prices on the eve of the E3 games expo in Los Angeles.

The PlayStation 3 is powered by the "Cell" processor, which Sony boasts makes the machine 35 times more powerful than the PlayStation 2. It will support Blu-Ray storage devices, which hold significantly more data than today's DVDs, as well as seven wireless controllers, and has outputs for two high-definition televisions (HDTVs). The PS3 will also offer a free online network.

Japanese gamers will be the first to get their hands on the PS3 on 11 November. The console will arrive in the US and Europe on 17 November.

Sony currently dominates in the home, having sold more than 100 million PlayStation 2s, so it has much riding on the new console. It had originally planned to launch the system in the spring, but was forced to delay due to issues with its new Blu-ray DVD drive.

The two models have very different specs. As well as different hard drives, the cheaper machine will not have in-built wireless or an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) connector necessary for hooking the machine up to a High Definition TV or monitor. Howwever, both systems will come with a new controller. Sony has abandoned last year's boomerang-shaped prototype and reverted to a design similar to the current model for the PlayStation 2.

In order to satisfy gamers wanting a PS3 for Christmas, Sony said it planned to have two million units available at launch worldwide, with a further two million by the end of the year.

Sony will also face competition from Nintendo's new machine, expected out later this year.

Posted by Mike at 02:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Finally the design age has reached the ubiquitous power strip. The Power Sentry PowerSquid power multiplier easily and conveniently multiplies outlets with more flexibility than a standard strip by converting 1 grounded outlet to 6 grounded adapter-ready outlets. It looks a lot like a squid and has six tentacles, each with an outlet on its end, allowing the PowerSquid to accommodate AC adapters without wasting outlets.

* Master on-off lighted switch with a 15-amp circuit breaker
* 4 foot power cord
* 6 flexible receptacle cords in lengths of 6, 8 and 10 inches
* Available in a variety of colors

Four models will be available in June. Price $49.95 - $79.95

www.powersquid.net

Posted by Mike at 03:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Airstream has partnered with Nissan Design America to produce the BaseCamp, a trailer for the ringtone and iPod generation

This stylish trailer, designed to be both low cost and flexible is also envisioned as a travel vehicle that's a springboard for outdoor adventures rather than a living room on wheels.

The BaseCamp pays homage to Airstream’s past, taking styling and content cues from the original “Torpedo” concept developed in the 1930’s. The attached tent extension, engineered by outdoor products giant Kelty, provides a lightweight way to double the available living space. Coming in around 2,000 lb and ultra-lightweigt, the Airstream BaseCamp can be towed by most conventional passanger cars.

The BaseCamp comes equiped with aggressive styled 20” wheels, wrap-around windows, low profile stance, and Airstream’s trademark aluminum skin. All these features give BaseCamp a look like nothing else on the street.

Release date is set for July and MSRP is expected to remain under $20,000. Plan your get-away now.

Posted by Mike at 03:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It is only natural that VOIP Skype communications would make its way into the conference rooms of tech-savvy businesses, so it’s no surprise we’re seeing a variety of products competing in the market. The Polycom Communicator is one of the latest to enter the field. The Communicator is targeted to the 30% of Skype users who use it in the workplace. The Communicator offers hands-free, headset free conversation to small office and home office users. While it will work fine in larger settings, it's optimized for individual use as opposed to conference rooms. It should support small meetings of three to four people without difficulty.

In addition to the core speakerphone capabilities, the Polycom Communicator also offers high-quality audio output for playing music, games, etc. from a laptop or desktop PC.

The Polycom Communicator connects to any PC with a USB connection and is powered by Skype software. It features a full duplex, feedback-minimizing speaker and two logically placed microphones to allow four users to converse. All in all, this is a great product for a small business owner.

The Communicator will be available in June US$129.

Posted by Mike at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)