only a plane-ride away

"the heavyweight credit card. now heavier."

- american express platinum

instead of putting your distant cousin/ex-colleague/high-school frenemy's address on your "ships to us only" purchases, you can now adopt an address with people there who will actually forward on your package to you immediately. why didn't anyone think of this until now? from now until 31 december, american express cardmembers can even enjoy 10% off each shipment they place through borderlinx. look out sephora.

freddie says so

"i will have naught to do with a man who can blow hot and cold with the same breath."

- aesop

YESSSS!! the hong kong observatory is reporting a drop in temperatures this week with the mercury falling below 20oC on both tuesday and wednesday owing to a cold front which is crossing the south china coastal region. whip those boots out, girls!!

gucci application

"apps are the new virtual accessory, so i approached the design of gucci's first app in the same way i do with a bag or a shoe from my collections. i looked to provide the essence of the gucci lifestyle experience in a way that takes full advantage of the technological capabilities of the revolutionary iphone and ipod touch. of course, mark ronson's contribution ensures that the gucci app is truly unique."

- frida giannini

chanel iphone application

ralph lauren iphone application

gucci iphone application

have you joined the iphone bandwagon yet? if not, here's another reason to hurry up and do it. gucci has just released their own iphone application, following in the virtual footsteps of chanel and ralph lauren. it features a 24 hour music channel, hotel and restaurant tips but hottest of all is mark ronson's playlist and the opportunity to buy an exclusive style from his limited edition sneaker range. download it free from itunes.

canto typing

"you might be saying, 'i love you' to your girlfriend in cantonese, but it will still sound like you're fighting. it's just our tone. we always sound like we're in a shouting match. mandarin is so mellow. cantonese is strong and edgy."

- howard lee

for those of you who, like me, have minimal cantonese reading/writing capabilities, online cantonese is perfect. "ngor oi lei" instantly becomes "我愛你".

what a gem

"basically he never went to work and didn't have a job. of course I thought he did. i thought he was on the phone doing business deals instead of borrowing money from people."

- christie brinkley

sony ericsson jalou, dolce & gabbana edition

sony ericsson is issuing a limited edition dolce & gabbana version of their jalou in q4 of this year. designed to look like a cut jewel, the phone will be released in rose, amethyst, aquamarine and onyx with 24 carat gold plated accents and come with satin bags and branded headsets. two particularly fun features are the button which turns the two inch screen into a mirror and the walk mate step counter. the quad-band gsm phone also has support for 3g.

call me

"i had this guy leave me a voicemail at work, so i called him at home, and then he emailed me to my blackberry, and so i texted to his cell, and now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies.  it's exhausting."

- drew barrymore as mary in he's just not that into you

the hong kong telecommunications authority announced on 10 july that telecommunications operators may provide fixed mobile number portability service on a voluntary basis.  what this means is that consumers will now be able to choose between landline and mobile service providers for all lines.  for instance, your home number could be a mobile or vice versa.  although this is a commercial decision for the operators, the ta believes this will be a more efficient use of scarce public resources (there is only a finite amount of telephone numbers) and also beneficial to consumers as it will promote cross-platform competition.  this may not make dating easier but maybe we can all save on phone bills.

net-an-iphone

"i think it's romantic when someone offers me a seat on the subway."

- carrie bradshaw in sex and the city (the series)

net-a-porter is now available on your iphone via net-app.  shop, make a wish list, browse new arrivals and read up on weekly fashion news anywhere, anytime.  taking the mtr has never been more productive.

chocolat pour coco

"fashion fades, only style remains the same."

- coco chanel

not to be outdone by prada and armani, designer fred de garilhe has come up a mobile telephone vision for chanel.  the chocolate-bar-like device is said to be "extremely slim and compact, with a screen that appears from behind a 16-key grid that utilises optical fibre technology to display an image between two glass parts." it works by "integrating an optical fibre system that displays images between two glass parts." when active, the keys illuminate to display a typical numeric layout, with call and menu buttons aligning themselves with the display.  want one?  don't hold your breath - the dream has yet to be realised.