Research In Motion, the BlackBerry maker, unveiled its first tablet device, the PlayBook. It has a seven-inch screen and weighs less than a pound. RIM is targeting professional consumers and the device has two cameras to enable video-calls, unlike its rival, Apple’s iPad, which has none. It will be available to retailers in early 2011. LG Electronics, Samsung, Dell and Hewlett-Packard are also launching tablet devices.
The early days of personal computing were marked by a spectacular free-for-all as companies big and small fell over one another in a mad rush to become the dominant player in a brand-new business. Now history is repeating itself as one technology firm after another piles into the fledgling market for touch-screen “tablet” computers, which are set to disrupt the computing industry. On September 27th Research in Motion (RIM), the Canadian firm that makes the BlackBerry smartphone, became the latest to announce plans for a tablet when it unveiled its PlayBook, which will go on sale in early 2011.
RIM joins a long line of businesses, including Dell, Samsung and Hewlett-Packard (HP), which have set their sights on winning a chunk of what promises to be a whopping market. Todd Bradley, a senior executive at HP, predicted this week that annual sales of tablet computers could hit $40 billion within a few years. But the firm that HP and its rivals would love to beat is Apple, which had sold 3m of its impressive iPads by June, only three months after it came to the market.
Apple’s success has triggered a frenzy of innovation. Soon consumers will be faced with a bewildering array of tablet devices, from Samsung’s Galaxy Tab to Dell’s Streak, with many different screen sizes, different operating systems and various online libraries of software applications, or apps, that can be run on them. Amazon is rumoured to be developing a tablet device that will use Google’s popular Android operating system.
The biggest challenge for firms touting tablets will be to make their devices stand out from the crowd. That is where RIM reckons it has an edge. Although the word “Play” figures in its tablet’s title, the gadget is mainly about work. The company plans to capitalise on the popularity of its BlackBerry smartphone among corporate road-warriors to promote the PlayBook as a must-have business tool. At RIM’s developer jamboree in San Francisco this week, there was much talk of “advanced security features”, “out-of-the-box enterprise support” and other phrases that make the heads of corporate IT departments salivate. The PlayBook also boasts features such as a built-in high-definition camera for video conferencing on the go.
A pad of multimedia
RIM is understandably keen to defend its turf against the threat posed by iPhones and iPads, which being stylish and easy to use are starting to make inroads into businesses. But RIM is also hoping the PlayBook’s features will help it appeal to a broader audience. The device has an impressive new operating system developed by QNX, a firm which RIM bought earlier this year, and it boasts powerful multimedia capabilities. John Jackson of CCS Insight, a research firm, reckons the PlayBook is likely to cost much less than Apple’s iPad, the cheapest version of which sells for $499 in America.
In spite of all this, RIM’s new baby is unlikely to become a bestseller because it suffers from at least two handicaps. The first is that at launch it will have only Wi-Fi connectivity built in. Users wanting to connect via a mobile service will have to link their tablets to a BlackBerry device and connect through that. This will make the PlayBook less appealing to people who are not already RIM customers.
The second handicap is more serious. Simply put, consumers will have relatively little to play with on their PlayBooks. Developers have been working overtime to churn out apps for the iPad and for the growing number of tablets that will use Android. Apple’s tablet can also tap into the several hundred thousand apps already available for the popular iPhone too. So the PlayBook’s apps library—with the exception of its business-related offerings—is likely to look anaemic alongside those of its main competitors.
There may be another hitch too. Soon after the PlayBook hits the shelves, Apple may well be ready to announce a new set of iPads that will have even more impressive features than their predecessors and almost certainly will be cheaper too. Having seized tablet-computing’s crown, Steve Jobs, Apple’s determined boss, isn’t likely to give it up any time soon. ~ The Economist ~
The introduction of ID bracelets by Speidel Corporation in the 1950s heralded a new era of bracelets for men. The bracelet as men’s jewelry remained a craze till late 1960s, after which it became a regular style symbol.
Compare to ladies' bracelet, men's bracelet are much simpler. Men often wear more of a cuff-style bracelet that have minimal or no accents. Simple bracelets make a huge difference on a man's outfit because they enhance a man's fashion.
In the picture Marc Anthony is wearing a bracelet made from mixes black diamonds with shining silver giving a touch of mystery and luxury.
The most common materials used for men's bracelet are stainless steel, leather, magnetic metal, and sterling silver. Bracelets are also available in materials like tungsten, carbon fiber, platinum and titanium.
Stainless Steel Bracelet
Stainless steel bracelet suits the heavy duty styles such European bracelet style. These are made either from stainless steel alone or sometimes with black carbon fiber. You can get contemporary designs to sleek styles, both signifying men as strong and powerful
Leather Bracelet
Leather bracelet make men look ruggedly handsome. Some of the common designs are braided genuine leather bracelets, Ruby Celtic cross leather bracelet, studded wristband (studded with your favorite gemstones), fish style non-dyed Christian bracelet, Dove Dyed in leather bracelet and many more.
Magnetic Bracelet
Magnetic bracelet normally comes in strands of two or three or more, depending on what the wearer likes. The black matte finished strands are connected by polished connectors in gold plated cobalt magnets. The other common styles are gold and silver bricks attached by neodymium north magnets, Magnetic chain link fence styled bracelet, gold and silver fury magnetic bracelets (designed like the strap of watches) etc. most of these designs come with clasp closure and suit a wrist of any size.
Sterling Silver Bracelets
Sterling silver barcelets are the most exquisite of materials used for bracelets. Although these are harder to maintain than most other bracelet materials, these men’s bracelets impart a class and image to the wearer like no other. Most of these come with link clasps and are intricately designed, without compromising on the manliness of the wearer. Other metals common used with sterling silver bracelets are gold, platinum and yellow gold. ~ dLoewi ~
Pearls always elevate an outfit to a certain sophistication and status that other jewelry cannot achieve, according to dLoewi.
The classic string of pearls is getting an instant update. Layering long pearl necklaces with metal chains or with even more pearl strands of different sizes give a funky mix-and-match vibe. Some artists, such as Katherine Heigl, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Sandra Bullock, and Rihanna, do a fabulous job at pairing simple pearl necklaces, long pearl necklaces, and chunky pearl necklaces with the right outfit. In various public appearances, Heigl channels the Hollywood glamour of the 50’s and 60’s with a modern twist. To show off the elegance of her timeless pearls, Heigl has been seen wearing a classic up-doo to harmonize with the circular show stoppers. She is a master at accessorizing both hair and jewelry to complement one another. For The Ugly Truth movie premier, Heigl radiated in a multi-stranded chunky pearl necklace along with her Lanvin dress.
Rihanna is another artist who has an extreme sense of style. She showed up at the London premiere of Inglorious Bastards wearing, about a thousand layered pearl necklaces. Rihanna took pearls to the edge by piling them on in varying sizes and lengths.
When wearing a pearl necklace, it is important that everyone see the entire arrangement from front to back. Subtle pearl shine is hard to come by, so make sure to show it off all the way around your neck. Keeping hair down takes away your pearls from the fancy fashion.
Pearl jewelries truly bring an element of the past to the present and are great for any occasion, big or small, move premier or movie date night. Pearl jewelries are classic and beautiful. Celebrities and ordinary folks reach the same level of beauty, with or without millions of fans, once that pearl necklace is clasped and glowing delicately around our necks.
~ dLoewi ~ Affordable fashion jewelry isn't difficult to find. There are plenty of places to shop for attractive jewelry. You can save money on all types of jewelry, classic gemstone pieces that you'll wear year-after-year and less pricey costume jewelry that might only be hot for a couple of seasons. Tuck those trendy pieces away though, because nearly everything comes back around again.
Fashion jewelry
Fashion jewelry is sometimes referred to as costume jewelry because it began in the form of jewels pasted onto theatrical costumes.
Nowaday fashion jewelry features the creative elements that add interest to everyday clothes. When you're tossing clothes and fashion accessories onto the bed, trying to put together an outfit, and you need just one more bit of sparkle or punch of color, throw some fashion jewelry into the mix.
Fashion jewelry includes the must-have jewelry of the moment and the unique fashion designs that accentuate personal style. Fashion accessories and designer jewelry can reflect the latest trends or vintage designs that outlast the whims of fashion. Trendy jewelry and accessories are available under many designer brand names too. Designer jewelry can be intricate and dramatic or simple and elegant. Most important, fashion jewelry is designed to be worn with just about anything.
Fashion jewelry is becoming so popular due to several reasons.
1. She can take her fancy jewelry on vacation; no longer fear theft or misplacing her favorite pieces when she is away from home. 2. She doesn’t need to purchase expensive insurance for her jewelry. 3. Jewelry is an accessory and is fashion; if she becomes bored with it after several years, she can put it in her drawer with no guilt that she has spent thousands of dollars.
Buy Jewelry
Large department stores often have hefty markdowns on fashion jewelry, especially when the next season's shipments are just in or about to arrive. Sales racks are always an excellent place to find trendy jewelry, and the majority of styles don't typically change too much from one season to the next.
Online auctions like eBay can be a good source of affordable jewelry. Always check a seller's feedback ratings and be sure to consider shipping costs before placing a bid as some sellers inflate shipping costs to increase profits.
The internet is packed with jewelry online-stores selling everything from inexpensive trinkets to high-end gemstone jewelry. And while their wares are very different, they nearly all have occasional or ongoing sales. Crafter sites like Etsy are an excellent source of hand-crafted jewelry and other items. Users are allowed to rate their purchases, giving potential buyers a heads-up on a seller's products and customer service practices.
As you buy online, don't forget to check shipping costs and be sure to review refund and replacement policies so that you'll know what to expect if an item goes missing during transit.
Base vs. Precious Metals
Nearly all costume jewelry is made from a base metal. That's a term used to describe a substance that does not contain a precious metal like gold or sterling silver.
Metals used in less expensive jewelry can be coated with a precious metal. Gold filled jewelry has a thicker, more durable gold layer than gold plated pieces. You'll encounter some sterling silver plated jewelry, but if an ad says "silver plated," the coating is probably not the more desirable sterling.
Costume jewelry from well known designers can be pricey; you're paying for a name, and not necessarily quality components.
Lab Created Gemstones
Lab created (synthetic) gemstones won't necessarily fall into the cheap jewelry category, but their styles typically cost less than jewelry containing the same-sized gems that were found in nature. Lab created gems have all of the characteristics of a genuine stone, but with one difference; they are sometimes more perfect, with excellent clarity and color. Much of the birthstone jewelry you'll encounter is made from synthetic gems.
Treated gemstones can be a money-saving option. These gemstones are nature-created gems that been enhanced to improve their appearance. Reputable jewelers always disclose that gemstones were either treated or synthesized in a lab.
The most expensive paintings belong to the Modern and Post Modern artists. The summary, published by dLoewi.com, does not represent the most expensive paintings by itself but the most expensive paintings that have been sold till now. For example, the Mona Lisa is considered to be worth significantly more than the ones on the top list.
The artists represent the movements Abstract expressionism, Cubism, Symbolism, Pop Art and Postimpressionism.
Half of the top paintings were sold at the peak of the art market boom in 2006. Of the top list, three paintings are works of Picasso
1. No.5, 1948 (Jackson Pollock, Abstract Expressionism, Year : 1948, 96" x 48", Oil on Fibre board, Year of Sale : 2006, $140 million)
2. Woman III (Willian de Kooning, Abstract Expressionism, 68"× 48.5" , Oil on Canvas, Year : 1953, Year of Sale : 2006, $137.5 million)
3. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (Gustav Klimt Symbolism, 54"x54",Oil, silver, and gold on canvas, Year :1907, Year of Sale : 2006, $135 million)
4. Nude, Green Leaves and Bust / Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur (Pablo Picasso, Cubism, Year: 1932, 64"×51", Oil on canvas, Year of Sale : 2010, $106.5 million)
5. Garçon à la Pipe / Boy with the pipe (Pablo Picasso, Mordernism, 39.4"x 32",Oil on canvas, Year :1905, Year of Sale : 2004, $104.2 million)
6. Eight Elvises (Andy Warhol, Pop-Art, 12' Canvas, Silk screen printing, Year: 1963, Year of Sale: 2009, $100 million)
7. Dora Maar au Chat (Pablo Picasso, Cubism, 50.5" x 37.5", Oil on canvas, Year : 1941, Year of Sale : 2006, $95.2 million)
8. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II (Artist Gustav Klimt, Symbolism, 75" x 47", Oil on canvas, Year: 1912, Year of Sale: 2006, $88 million)
9. Triptych, 1976 (Francis Bacon, Figural Expressionism, 78 x 58 in, Oil and pastel on canvas in three parts, Year : 1976, Year of Sale : 2008, $86.3 million)
10. Portrait of Dr.Gachet (Vincent van Gogh, Post Impressionism, 23.4" x 22", Oil on canvas, Year: 1890, Year of Sale: 1990, $82.5 million)
Pearl is the birthstone for the month of June and it is generally accepted as the wedding anniversary gemstone for the 3rd and 30th years or marriage. The pearl has been a symbol of sacred power and the goddess of love for hundreds of years. In the ancient Mediterranean world, shells and pearls were often symbols for the great goddesses. As the pearl is born from the oyster so was Aphrodite born from a marine conch.
According to dLoewi.com Pearls are an organic gem, called organic because they are created by living creatures. Each pearl begins its existence as a piece of grit or other particle that makes its way into the shell of a marine or freshwater mollusk, some types of oysters and clams. A defense mechanism kicks-in and coats the particle with layer after layer of a substance called nacre, or mother-of-pearl1, which eventually becomes thick enough to form a pearl.
Pearl Origin
Natural Pearls Natural pearls are formed when an accidental intruder enters a mollusk's shell and continuous layers of nacre grow like onion skins around the particle. Natural pearls vary in shape depending on the shape of the piece being coated.
Natural pearls have always been considered rare and are quite expensive. They are usually sold by carat weight. Most natural pearls on today's market are vintage pearls.
Cultured Pearls Like natural pearls, cultured pearls grow inside of a mollusk, but with human intervention. A shell is carefully opened and an object is inserted. Shapes of objects vary, depending on the final shape of pearl that's desired.
Over time the object becomes coated with layers of nacre. The depth of the nacre coating depends on the type of mollusk involved, the water it lives in, and how long the intruder is left in place before being harvested. As nacre thickness increases, so does the quality and durability of the cultured pearl.
Cultured pearls are sold by their size in millimeters.
Saltwater Pearls Saltwater pearls originate within a saltwater mollusk. Saltwater pearls can be either natural or cultured.
Freshwater Pearls Freshwater pearls grow inside of a freshwater mollusk — one that lives in a river or a lake.
Pearl Shape
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and this is certainly true when it comes to Pearl shapes. Pearls are natural organic substances, they can occur in a wide variety of shapes, many of which are quite unique and interesting. The round pearls you most commonly seen and are by no means the only shape in which pearls are found!
Perfectly round pearls are actually quite rare. The eventual shape of the pearl is determined by a number of highly variable factors which occur inside the oyster as the pearl is developing. The pearl often assumes the same shape as its nucleus (the irritant which was placed inside the oyster to initiate the formation of the pearl). If the nucleus is not perfectly round, the resulting pearl is likely to reflect this irregularity. The pearl's positioning within the oyster also plays a role in determining its shape. For example If the pearl develops against the shell, it will become more flattened on that side.
There are three broad categories that pearl experts divide Pearls into, based on their characteristics:
Spherical pearls: These pearls are round, which is traditionally the most desirable shape. They are the "classic" pearl shape that is most familiar. The rounder the pearl, the more expensive its price tag.
Symmetrical pearls: This type include pear shaped pearls and other shapes that have symmetry from one side to another, but are not round.
Baroque pearls: Barouque pearls are irregularly shaped pearls. They are often the least expensive category of pearls, but are unique and quite beautiful.
Within the three broad shape categories, pearls can be classified into seven basic shapes:
Round: Round pearls are perfectly spherical -- the shape most people think of when they think of a pearl. Because of their relative rarity and "classic" nature, they are highly desirable. Round pearls fall into the spherical category.
Near-Round: These pearls are not perfectly round. Instead, they are slightly flattened or elongated, rather than being a perfect sphere. Nonetheless, they are so nearly perfect that they, too, are classified as spherical.
Oval: These pearls are shaped like an oval -- narrower at the ends than they are in the center. Ovals are categorized as a symmetrical shape.
Button: Button pearls are flattened to some degree, making them resemble a button or perhaps a disk rather than a perfect sphere. These pearls are often used in earrings, where the flattened side can be attached to the setting. Buttons are also categorized as symmetrical.
Drop: Drop pearls are pear or teardrop shaped. The drop can either be "long" or "short," depending on its proportions. These pearls make attractive earrings or pendants. This is also a symmetrical shape.
Semi-baroque: These pearls are slightly irregular in their shape. For example, a pearl which might otherwise be considered an oval, button, or drop pearl, but which is not symmetrical in nature, would be considered semi-baroque. Semi-baroque pearls fall into the baroque category of shapes.
Baroque: This is a pearl which is both non-symmetrical and irregular in shape. The baroque pearl can be purely abstract in its shape, or it can resemble a cross, stick, or some other shape.
Within these basic categories and definitions, there can be many variations. Some pearls, for example, develop with one or more grooves or rings encircling them. These pearls are known as ringed or circled. This adjective can be attached to the primary shape in order to more fully describe the pearl, such as "circled round" or "ringed oval."
The shape of the pearl is one of several factors which determine its quality and value. Round and near-round pearls are the most valuable, because of their rarity. Symmetrical shapes are generally considered to be more desirable than baroque shapes. Baroques, however, can be extremely unique, thus increasing their desirability more than might be expected based on their shape alone.
The pride of Indonesians to wear batik till the present day has preserved this art of textile.
Although the process of decorating cloth through the process of batik is found in several regions in Africa or India and even in some South East Asian countries, the batik of Indonesia is unique and unequaled. Indonesian Batik is made in several regions, but the center of the art is Central Java, in cities like Yogyakarta, Solo, Cirebon, Pekalongan and Indramayu.
The beauty of Batik is a tribute to the patience, creativity of the woman of Java, the main island of Indonesia. Credit should be also given to men who prepare the cloth and handle the dyeing and finishing process.
Batik is generally thought of as the most quintessentially Indonesian textile. Motifs of flowers, twinning plants, leaves buds, flowers, birds, butterflies, fish, insects and geometric forms are rich in symbolic association and variety; there are about three thousand recorded batik patterns.
The word "batik" is Indonesian in origin, even if the concept was known by Egyptians and Indians. It is known to be more than a millennium old, and there are evidences that cloth decorated through some form of resist technique was in use in the early centuries AD in several West African, Middle-Eastern and Asian communities.
The word Batik is originally an Indonesian-Malay word and means to dot .This art of textile is spread in the Hindu and Malay world, but Indonesia is certainly the heart of the Batik. This way of painting and coloring textile has reached its higher degree of excellence in the Island of Java , in cities like Solo, Yogyakarta, Pekalongan or Cirebon. From Java this 'batik' cloth was exported to other islands of the archipelago and to the Malay peninsula.
On the 17th century, the Javanese sultanate of Mataram accorded important ceremonial functions to the Batik clothes. Sultan Agung of Mataram is known to have dressed in white cotton decorated with Indigo blue, and his court dancers wore kain kembangan colored with a red organic dye.
During the past two or three centuries batik has become one of the principal means of expression of the spiritual and cultural values of Southeast Asia.
The art of "batiking" is similar to the one of drawing or painting on a piece of cloth.
The main tool, the canting ('tjanting'), is used instead of a pencil or brush, and liquid instead of paint.
Finely detailed designs are first drawn freehand with a pencil on the textile. Then hot liquid wax is applied. Here above, a Javanese woman applying wax in the intricately involved patterns with a canting (tjanting), a small copper container with a long slender spout. From time to time she blows on the tip of the canting to secure an easy flow of the wax. Areas not slated for coloring are filed with the wax. The cloth is then passed through a vat of dye. The wax is removed with hot water, scraped from the portions of the dried material still to be dyed. The parts that were covered by the wax did not absorb the dye and thus remain white (or whatever color the original cloth was previously dyed). Since the wax behaves as a resisting medium, this process is called resist-dye process.
Next, other areas are waxed over. This is repeated during each phase of the coloring process, up to four or more times, until the overall pattern and effect are achieved.
A canting with more than a spout (it can be up to seven) is used for patterns with dot forms. Basically, as an art, batiking is painting. The canting is used to produce the picture; its size depending on the type and degree of fineness of the lines or points desired.
Because of Indonesia's location on the trade route between North and South as well as from West to East, the North coast of Java was often visited by foreign vessels.
It results in a lively exchange of a variety of goods including ceramics and silks from China and the cinde or silk with the patola motif from the west of India. The foreign art and culture were absorbed and fused with the existing Javanese one, resulting in new works of art with their unique beauty. Merchants from all over the world came to the Indonesian archipelago: Chinese, Indians, Portuguese, Arabs, Dutch, and British.
The growing importance of the region as a centre of trade between China in the East and India and Arabia in the West saw the emergence of a great Southeast Asian empire, the Srivijaya. Textiles were already among the major items of trade, like silk, brocade and damask brought from China, and cotton from India.
Chinese traders had been settling on the islands long before the arrival of the European powers (British, Dutch, in particular). Each of them have influenced by their own taste the design of batik.
Although Central Java is the centre of Javanese Batik, the design evolves according to the part of the region where it is manufactured. We are introducing the different kind of designs which are related to the usage in the day-to-day life as well as in the celebrations and finally their characteristics by location as Yogyakarta, Surakarta or Solo, Pekalongan and Indramaju.
Research In Motion, the BlackBerry maker, unveiled its first tablet device, the PlayBook. It has a seven-inch screen and weighs less than a pound. RIM is targeting professional consumers and the device has two cameras to enable video-calls, unlike its rival, Apple’s iPad, which has none. It will be available to retailers in early 2011. LG Electronics, Samsung, Dell and Hewlett-Packard are also launching tablet devices.
