Google takes it a step further with Google Glass as James Rivington of TechRadar.com writes, “The core of Google Glass is its tiny prism display which sits not in your eyeline, but a little above it. You can see what is on the display by glancing up. The glasses also have an embedded camera, microphone, GPS and, reportedly, use bone induction to give you sound.

Voice control is used to control the device; you say ‘ok glass’ to get a range of options including taking pictures, videos, send messages using speech to text, ‘hang out’ with people or get directions to somewhere. You access these options by saying them out loud.

Most of this functionality is self explanatory; hang out is Google’s video conferencing technology and allows you to talk to a people over web cam, and stream them what you are seeing and the directions use Google Maps and the inbuilt GPS to help you find your way.

The results are displayed on the prism – essentially putting data into your view like a head up display (HUD). It’s potentially incredibly handy. Also rather nifty is the potential for automatic voice and speech recognition – and Google has given its Glass project a big boost by snapping up specialists DNNresearch.”

While this is certainly a huge breakthrough in technology and communication, there are some major concerns that would need to be addressed. When it comes to communtication and privacy there have always been issues with recognizing the boundaries of  being discreet and outright intrusive. With the prominence of media sharing vehicles like Instagram and Youtube, sharing  videos or photos is easier. What glass presents is a way to discreetly film or capture a photo of any and everything you see, including people who may not agree with you doing so. One could argue that you could do the same thing with a smartphone now, and while you wouldnt brazenly walk around holding your phone recording everything you see this situation prompts the recording of conversations and footage without permission through the use the wearable device, illegal in most states but not in all instances.

The glasses will offer bluetooth and wifi capabilities for web browsing and sharing. You’ll be able to use them with your current prescription glasses and they’ll be available in 5 colors. Ideally they wont be available until 2014, but some have pegged it to launch later this year.

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 Expect a spring release date

Also available is the newely released Dilla World Tour Tee. To celebrate Dilla Month 2013, The Estate of James Yancey partnered with Stussy to create the Dilla World Tour tee.

The tee, listing the six albums Dilla created in his lifetime, comes in six colorways. Worldwide shipping is available, get yours here 

Shout out to Rappcats for the links and the drop

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Carbon’s user-experience is setup in three different panels for your Timeline, Mentions, and Direct Messages. You can utilize each feature simply by swiping to the left and right, attaching photos is a breeze and it also has cool animations showing the number of updated tweets and messages

They added a new way of refreshing by sliding both thumbs down on the screen. This gives the user a 3D “Star Wars’-like effect which adds a nice touch. One thing that does take away from the experience is the longer intervals between refreshing. This might not be such a big deal for some but with so many cohesive elements it does take away from the experience. There is also no landscape mode or Tablet version available at this time. If a few minor missing features (geotagging, internal browser) dont bother you, you have indeed met your next new twitter client. Now many will say Plume and Falcon get it done too, Carbon says “yeah, but i make this look good” shout out to Will Smith, get Carbon here

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The first of the releases is the super anticipated Fire Red 5’s. Originally released in 1990 and officially retro’ed in 2000, the styling features much of the classic look including the red, black in white color scheme with all the accents of the original. The now iconic Jumpman is red against silver reflective 3M tongue, and red inner sole. There are two major changes in the look in that the “23” was removed from the side and the NIKE heel logo was not included from the “OG” 5. The icy sole adds a great finish to the look.

The second is a seasonal release themed for Valentines Day. Fittingly called the “V day” 5’s, these are strictly for the lovers of both. The shoe features shiny red panels with a light pink Jumpman against the classic reflective 3M tongue. A light pink netting adds contrast, and if you look close they added a small pink stylized heart on the back of the shoe with pink accents. You’ll likely get your choice of light or hot pink laces with this one, grey laces accent the pink nicely as well. This one will likely be a hit with the ladies, but if the 5 is your holy grail it’s a solid addition. Shout out to Marqueesole.com for the look

The third of the releases is another highly anticipated drop in 2013 .The Jordan “Grape” 5, originally released in 2006 carries many of the same features as the Fire Reds. They boast an emerald Jumpman against a Purple or “Grape” tongue with an emerald contrast and matching accents. The icy sole gives it a cohesive feel and finishes the look nicely. Look for the Grapes to release sometime around May of this year.

Lastly Jordan Brand is also releasing the 2nd Fire Red 5’s. These were also released in 2006 along with the “grapes” as retros. They feature the red Jumpman on the black tongue with the red contrast with black and red accents. Early images suggest these will retain the 23 on the side towards the back of the shoe as in the design of the 2006 version. This one also finishes with an icy sole for a sleek update. These are expected to release, sometime in September of this year. Shout out to osneaker.com for the bottom look

The last is the more mystifying idea of what may come to be. The “elephant” Jordan 5 color way first appeared as sample in April 2012. The shoe is completely covered in elephant print made popular by the design of the Jordan 3. the sample sneaker is accented with two shades of light blue seen on the midsole and tongue branding. While it was just a sample it managed to cause a whirlwind of interest in the sneaker head community. Slated to be released sometime around the second half of 2013 we’ll just have to keep are eyes open on an official release date.

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As a designer and business owner i’m always looking  for ways to make things easier and add new resources to make things flow better in business. Funding can be a bit cumbersome but this company has a great way to help. If you’re a designer, a filmmaker, musician, or someone who needs support for your project, a great way to fund it is KICKSTARTER. It’s a company out of New York that helps you bring your ideas to life. The way it works is through the efforts and support of others you’re able to bring your project to life. It’s a great way to utilize the influence and energy of social media. Spreading the word about your project to your friends and family give it momentum getting you closer to your funding goal and also gives your supporters updates about your progress. These projects are organized and executed by the creators themselves. When the project is complete it’s launched with the full support of its backers. Once a project is successfully funded a 5% fee is collected. This is an excellent way for anyone to get help launching your ideas and spread the word about it.

Makes sure you follow Kickstarter or twitter here

Listen and download here

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“I wonder what @MsMalcolmHughes thinks of “Cruel Summer,” can Ye do no
wrong?”
This is a tweet that greeted me the evening the long anticipated album from G.O.O.D. music dropped. As a self proclaimed, and generally agreed upon, hip-hop fanatic, with a critical ear, I pondered on my answer to this question; can Kanye West in fact do no wrong musically? As much as I would like to argue that Chicago’s reigning hero is incapable of doing wrong, it simply is not the truth. Upon initially listening to the album I had one lone emotion, disappointment. So this was it? This was what us hardcore fans had been waiting for? This was the album to be the epitome of G.O.O.D. music? In retrospect my initial reaction of anger may have been a tad bit harsh, but I expected so much more. Due to my dissatisfaction I didn’t listen to the album again for another week. THEN something happened.
5:30 a.m. on a rainy morning I found myself needing inspiration to get out of bed. In a desperate attempt I grabbed my laptop and scrolled through iTunes. As my eyes skimmed my playlist I ran across “Cruel Summer” and figured why not give it another try. Upon pressing play I immediately found myself grateful that music had again provided me with another easy escape. “To the World” came on and I smirked pondering how only Kanye would be beast enough to bring back the “pied piper” of R & B after such after such a hiatus. I found myself nodding, but I wasn’t completely sold yet, nor was I out of bed. However, “Clique” came on and I found myself full out smiling and rapping along with the chorus. As a die-hard, tried and true, Jay-z fan this song absolutely made the album for me. Honestly, what would the album be without a feature from Hov? Even the released singles were magical and had me enthralled.
By the time “New God Flow” came on I was up and showering. What caused me to dismiss the album so immediately the first time around? As “The Morning” introduced itself I began to gently sway, still incapable of figuring it out, but this musical high did not last for long. Fly past “Cold” and land in “Higher”, it is at this point that that word comes back to mind, the word that came to mind the first time…MIXTAPE! My problem upon first listening was that it felt too much like a mixtape. Not to discredit or minimize the dope collaborations on the project: John Legend’s superb voice, the genius of Raekwon, hip-hop accredited stamping of Common, harmonies by The-Dream, and silk melodic voice of Marsha Ambrosius, but overall the album simply left me feeling unsatisfied.
Yet, in the times of a plethora of subpar “rappers” making albums, the cd does reign supreme. Overall, it comes down to what you’re looking for. If you are seeking conscious, thought provoking lyrics then you will find yourself yearning for the fulfillment of the G.O.O.D. music potential and prophecy. On the other hand, if you are looking for great beats, with decent flows, while getting ready to hit the town for the night then enter into fall with the memories of “Cruel Summer” blasting out of the stereo.

Cell phone apps or applications connect users to the features of their smart phones to create new or convenient experience. Apps are a staple in the way we live our everyday lives. Whether you are editing a photo to add to your portfolio, video chatting a friend in another country or making last minute changes to a power point presentation, you’re able to accomplish these things through apps. Apps have made it possible to do things on the go once thought to be impossible or too inconvenient to further develop.

Though the brilliance of these apps have enveloped consumers there are far too many to examine each one for what it offers. For the music producer you may enjoy SoundCloud, for the photographer you might like Instagram and for the gamer you may enjoy Gun Brothers.

What I’ve done is list my top ten android apps.These are must-haves for the app enthusiast and casual user alike. Running a small t-shirt company I use these apps to accomplish all my business and personal needs.

Here are the top ten apps for Urban Knowledge Tees,

#10/ Google Analytix HD

This app is great at analyzing data from traffic thru your website. It breaks down traffic with the same data native to Google Analytics, page views, mobile traffic, top key words, etc. but with a more colorful visual experience especially on tablets. There is a trial version but the app is just $2 in the Play Market.

#9/Google+

For the social media user who wants a lot more networking and a little less well social bravado, this is the app for you. This app is perfect for the Google user and those fully absorbed with Google media like, Gmail, Google Voice, YouTube, it has it all. You can set up a profile and create “circles” of contacts, personal, business or otherwise. You can share pictures or message friends and even video message other users through the integrated “Hangout” feature from phones or tablets on the go. You can get news and info on whatever “circle” you choose or all of them at once so it’s a great news feed. What I like most about it is how the circles separate your associate and the way you communicate and not just lump them all up as “friends”. It’s currently free in the Play Market.

#8/Pulse News

If you’re like me you don’t like to keep opening your bookmarks and searching for that great site for kicks or be the last to know about a not so new song. The Pulse News app can help with

that. This app allows you to add and categorize all the sites you enjoy and create a great visual display of sites you enjoy. All you do is add the rss feeds of your favorite sites you follow and Pulse does the rest. The sites are categorized and stacked so you can view topics from each one. The pictures give you a brief description of the article and you can read it just by touching the picture. You can set the update interval to up to the hour and even add a scrollable widget to your phone or tablet if you choose to. It’s currently free in the Play Market.

#7/Plume for Twitter

Everyone you know, met, will meet, friended, unfriended, is probably on twitter and they probably use this app. Plume is a twitter client app that uses an intuitive UI to create a seamless and engaging twitter experience. It features a fully customizable home screen that lets you change the color and style of your timeline feed and mentions. It caches and populates your followers so you aren’t bumbling around with crazy twitter names. It has a pull-to-refresh screen and has pretty snappy updates so you don’t miss a tweet. It lets you share photos through all the major clients YFrog, Plixi, Lockerz, etc…It also features scrollable widgets which is great for tablets as well. It’s currently free with ads but there is a premium version with no ads for $5. Get them both in the Play Market.

#6/MX Player

Don’t you hate when you go to watch a video or a clip and you get that message cannot read file or does not support this video format, this is app gets it done. The MX player will play any file in any format whether music or video. It comes with a multitude of codecs and separates the files by folders so you don’t have to go looking for them. It has great user interface and provides either touch controls or standard buttons. It’s currently free in the Play Market.

#5/Play Music

For music lovers looking for variety, organization, convenience, usability, and overall dopeness, this is the app for you. Google Play Music has all the features that music enthusiast enjoy all in one place. It’s a music player that uses offline syncing across all devices, plus adds the use of online storage so you’re never without your music collection. Music purchases from Google play automatically appear in the app. You can add up to 20,000 of the songs from your personal library plus you can share songs with the people in your “circles’ already on Google+. The app has a carousel affect and the tablet version is as visually stunning. Create a playlist on one device and that playlist appears on all devices and the laptop. You can add a widget player to the screen and play songs straight from your playlist. It is currently free in the Play Market.

#4/Kingsoft Office

If you’re a student or run your own business this is a great app to have. Kingsoft gives you all the abilities of you standard Microsoft Office and its “offices” but FREE. As most of us have discovered, there are many document reading apps but very few which allow you to edit all documents or even open them. You can only view and share documents which makes them pretty useless. This app allows you to make significant changes to word documents, excel spreadsheets, and even PowerPoint slides. One of the cool features is the ability to edit your business documents like billing invoices. The file manager automatically organizes your documents and it does work well with mail applications. It’s currently free in the Play Market.

#3/Drop box

This is easily one of my favorite apps of all-time as I use this one nearly as frequently as the next two. Drop box is a cloud storage app which allows you to store music movies, documents, photos and pretty much any kind of file you can think of. When you sign up online you get 2GB of storage for free and 500 GB for ever person you refer. When you add the app to your phone laptop and tablet, you can upload access and share any file from all three devices ON THE GO. It even has applications for Mac and Linux. It lets you free up any file you wanted to keep but just not on your laptop. You can organize your files into folders edit documents, and it even lets you pass code your apps so your files cannot be accessed from you devices. It’s secure and it’s great for photo and music sharing. It’s currently free in the Play Market but can be upgraded for more space.

#2/Astro File Manager

This is one of the apps that truly define mobile access and organization. Astro finds all the files on your mobile device, organizes and opens them for you smoothly. What makes this app so important is you can literally open, close, edit or delete it on your phone. If you download a photo but can’t find it in the gallery, Astro caches it in the download folder and lets you open it straight from the app. One of the key features is it lets you backup your apps so if you change phones or lose your phone you’ll still have them. It supports networking Bluetooth, and also lets you stop processes that are battery hogs. I use this app to manage my music folders and organize my documents from emails of companies and customers to invoices and other business documents. It’s a must have app for small business owners or droiders just getting started. It’s currently free in the Play Market.

The number one app recommended by URBAN KNOWLEDGE TEES IS….

ZIPWHIP!

This is THEE absolute best app for mobile users who rely on communication to stay in tune with everything. Zipwhip uses what’s called cloud texting to relay texts sent to your phone across all of your devices at the same time. Registration is super easy and all you need is your cell phone. I do lot of work on my laptop which is usually when my phone is charging but I’m still receiving texts and texts for alerts the whole time. The thing that makes this my favorite is if I’m working on the laptop and listening to music or watching a movie on my tablet I can’t always hear my phone, I can send and receive messages and picture mail through the pop up window and leave my phone on the charger. When you receive a text message, a small window appears on your laptop, sort of like a chat box, which also appears on your tablet. You can reply, open and view picture mail, and it even syncs your contacts from your phones native message app. It works for Macs and Linux and uses your existing data plan. So if you have unlimited, your aces but if not it’s the same as if you were texting directly from your phone. If your tablet does not have a data plan then it will sync when you get in a open wifi area. It is currently free in the Play Market and I hope you choose this one if you’re as busy as I am.

I hope this helps with wading through the sea of apps for our devices and bring you a little bit of convenience too. Feel free to comment if you know of any useful, convenient or fun apps to download. The links are posted and as always PUSH IT FORWARD!!

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