Monthly Archives: July 2010

Solar plane sets out on historic flight

An experimental solar-powered aircraft took off Wednesday from a Swiss airbase in a bid to make history by flying round the clock and through the night.

Solar Impulse whirred along the runway at Payerne in western Switzerland, reaching 35 kilometres per hour (22 mph) as lone pilot Andre Borschberg gently lifted into clear skies at 6.51 am (0451 GMT) on a scheduled 25 hour flight.

“This should be a great day of all goes well,” said team chief Bertrand Piccard, who made the first non-stop round-the-world flight in a balloon ten years ago.
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Andaz 5th Avenue opens in New York

Hip boutique hotel chain Andaz opened its fifth property on Fifth Avenue on July 5, in the former headquarters of fashion chain Tommy Hilfiger.

The hotel is the third opening this year for rapidly-expanding Andaz, which says that it wants to make guests feel like they’ve been welcomed into a friend’s home, rather than a hotel.

Like other Andaz properties, the 184-room Andaz Fifth Avenue doesn’t feature a reception desk, instead preferring to check people in over a drink in the lounge or whilst walking to their room.
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Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon LAPV 6.X Concept

Mercedes introduced a new armoured truck concept to the defence industry.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon Light Armoured Patrol Vehicle 6.X was shown off for the first time last month during Eurosatory 2010 in Paris.

Running a high torque common rail diesel engine, the 6.X is capable of 150km/h speeds while being able to transport 1.3 tonnes of cargo.
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Queen wears crystal-studded 3D glasses

Queen Elizabeth II has become the highest-ranking dignitary to be photographed in 3D glasses.

She wore the 3D glasses for a demonstration of film technology during a visit to studios in Toronto, Canada.

The Queen brought her own customised set with Swarovski crystals forming the letter Q on the sides.

The 84-yearl old Queen got to witness a scene being filmed in 3D, and then immediately watched it played back on a big projection screen.
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Louis Vuitton Revamps St. Tropez Store

Louis Vuitton unveiled its revamped luxury Saint-Tropez store on 18-June 2010 and launched an exclusive beach bag to celebrate.

The store has been doubled in size with the integration of an adjoining space–a former house of pottery–on rue Georges Clemenceau.

It features interiors inspired by classic Mediterranean glamour: wooden displays, stone floors and sunlight flooding in through large windows that open onto a private garden paved with Provencal briquettes and Mediterranean plants.
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Paris Hilton packs dozens of bags for World Cup

There’s only six days to go until the end of the World Cup. But Paris Hilton obviously feels she needs at least one suitcase full of clothes every day.

As she headed off to South Africa for the final stages of the cup last week the heiress posed atop more than a dozen designer suitcases.

She obviously has a passion for Louis Vuitton – the vast collection of bags all bore the designer’s unmistakable logo.
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Attention: designers are after your kids

Gucci recently unveiled its first children’s range, joining the likes of Burberry, Dior, and Dolce & Gabbana who have all introduced kids’ clothes in past years.

It is no surprise that more and more labels are moving into this market, since children’s clothes are more affordable than the designers’ main lines and can buy customers a little piece of their branded universe without splurging.

Here is a selection of children-friendly designers — and who knows, maybe that lower-priced Burberry scarf is even going to fit you.
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Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Kicherer Edition

German tuning firm Kicherer has unveiled a new styling and performance package for the Mercedes SLS AMG.

Known as the Black Edition, the Kicherer modified SLS AMG gets a matte black exterior, a front spoiler lip, a restyled rear diffuser and 20-inch RS-1 wheels.

Other goodies include an adjustable sports suspension (with a lift feature), matte black exterior accents (instead of chrome), and a Kicherer badge on the hood.
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Boucheron Reflet XL Chateau Latour Millesime 2005

The Boucheron Reflet XL Chateau Latour Millesime 2005 is a new watch made by Boucheron in partnership with Chateau Latour.

The dial is made of wood from barrels made of two hundread year old French oak in which Château Latour’s Grand Millesime 2005 vintage was aged.

The model has an automatic movement for Girard-Perregaux (caliber GP4000) with a power reserve of 40 hours.
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Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport

Bugatti revealed today its brand new Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, its latest addition to the Veyron lineup.

The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport 16.4 comes equipped with 1200 horsepower (882kW) under the hood, with torque increasing to 1,106 pound-feet.

It also comes with a revised aerodynamic kit that allows it to maintain a perfect balance in every situation.
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Beijing pet spas turn pooches into pandas

With pet ownership on the rise in an increasingly affluent China, savvy entrepreneurs are opening animal spas offering dogs a full makeover — even transformation into a panda.

Sun Ruowen opened her pet salon in central Beijing in May. Already, dozens of customers wanting to pamper their pets — mainly dogs — have bought pre-paid service cards which can cost more than 1,000 dollars.

“People are spending more money these days, and more and more people have dogs, so I decided to open a top-end pet store which offers luxury services such as spa and massage”.
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Cruise line to unveil coolest bar at sea

Norwegian Cruise Line‘s new ship the Norwegian Epic will literally host the coolest bar at sea, the company confirmed this week.

The Epic has achieved a cruising first by introducing an on-board ice bar in partnership with SVEDKA Vodka so that guests can enjoy drinks in -8 degrees Celsius after a hot day on the deck.

The bar will be formally unveiled, along with the rest of the onboard attractions, at an inauguration ceremony in New York on July 2.

The bar is created totally from ice, with ice tables, stools, glasses and walls which are lit by LED technology to simulate the arctic atmosphere of the northern lights.
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Porsche 911 Carrera S Centurion Edition

In order to celebrate The Centurion’s 10th anniversary American Express revealed a special Porsche 911 Carrera S Centurion Edition in Hong Kong.

The sports car is exclusive to American Express Centurion members and card holders.

From now until July 31, 2010, Centurion members in Hong Kong can place their order for the Porsche 911 Carrera S Centurion Edition.

Only three of its kind will be available. Each Porsche 997 Carrera S is priced at around HK $ 2 million ($ 256,000 or € 210,000).
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Napoleon’s hair sells at auction for $13K

A lock of hair cut from the head of former French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte shortly after his death has sold for US$ 13,000 in an auction in New Zealand.

The lock was bought by an unnamed collector in London, according to Hamish Coney, managing director of auctioneers Art+Object.

The hair, in a tightly-bound circle, was cut the morning after Napoleon’s death on the Atlantic island of St Helena in 1821.
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Shanghai Tang: Limited Edition Luxe Tiger Box

To celebrate the Year of the Tiger, Shanghai Tang and LUXE City Guides have launched the exquisite, limited edition, heirloom White Tiger Chest.

Each individually numbered and engraved collector’s box is handmade in maple and ebony veneer maquetry, lined in kumquat silk satin and contains 30 Guides.

Packed full of insider information, the LUXE City Guides deliver their signature brand of witty, short and sharp reviews of destinations spanning thirty cities.
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Rio’s Christ statue gets new life with restoration

The statue of Christ overlooking Rio de Janeiro was reinaugurated Wednesday after a renovation costing four million dollars.

The renovation of the statue was financed by Brazilian mining giant Vale and the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Rio.

The Christ the Redeemer statue, which has towered over the city for nearly 80 years, is located at the peak of the Corcovado mountain overlooking the city.
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Sex.com domain name on sale

The world’s “most valuable” Internet domain name, sex.com, went up for grabs on Thursday having fetched 12 million dollars in 2006.

“It happens very rarely that an Internet address of this calibre goes on sale,” Cologne-based Sedo said. “The sale of sex.com offers the new owner a unique opportunity to became market leader.”

Sedo, one of the world’s biggest trading platform for domain names, is selling sex.com on behalf of US firm Escom after creditors filed for insolvency protection.
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Hermes Carre H Watch

Designed by French architect and designer Marc Berthier, the new Carre H watch is an avant-garde addition to Hermes’ watch collection.

Inside, the watch houses the Swiss automatic Sowind/Girard-Perregaux caliber GP3200 movement with a power reserve of 44 hours.

The case, in titanium, measures 36.5mm x 36.5mm. The crystal is an AR-coated sapphire (as is the display back) and it is water resistant to 30 meters.
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