If you’re planning a trip to New York, be prepared to spend all your savings on designer Blackberries and driving gloves, because Porsche Design Group, has recently opened a new Porsche Design store in New York’s SoHo district.

The new store is located in a typical cast-iron building on West Broadway and displays the entire product range of the Porsche Design luxury brand in a space of more than 250 square metres.

The SoHo boutique therefore is not only the world’s largest Porsche Design store but also offers a unique shopping experience as there will simply be no other Porsche Design store with a comparable shop concept: including amongst others an inimitably equipped shop floor, an especially designed wall showcasing the brand’s history of almost 40 years of “Iconic Style” as well as an exclusive 50 square metres VIP shopping area.

The new store on West Broadway offers the entire range of Porsche Design products, from luggage and eyewear to watches, jewellery, smoking accessories, mobile phones and writing tools.

However, the brand new SoHo store particularly highlights the Porsche Design Fashion Collection for women and men. It not only includes the men’s collection and much extended ladies’ collection with leather jackets, premium jeans and upper wear but also includes an exclusive and specially developed SoHo Collection.

The store concept offers a separate area for watches also, and a lounge area invites customers to spend some time and brings the luxury brand to life through a LCD screen.

If you’re not heading to the Big Apple in the near future, you can still check out the array of high-resolution images in the gallery below.

The voice package was developed with the help of Sesame Workshop and Locutio Voice Technologies, and is available now for all compatible TomTom devices. There’s currently no word on whether other Sesame Street characters’ voices will be released, though more could be on the way at some point.

Among the many other voice talents available for download are Mr. T, Burt Reynolds, Yoda, and even Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson. For more voices by TomTom Click Here.

Having designed everything from watches and suits, to men’s fragrances and hybrid bicycles, Porsche Design, the studio founded by Ferdinand Porsche in 1972, is now looking for its next challenge in the area of designer smartphones.

Porsche Design and Research in Motion (RIM), parent company of the BlackBerry brand, has announced the Porsche Design P’9981 BlackBerry smart phone and is the design firm’s first custom smart phone.

Aside from brandishing the Porsche Design logos across the top of its screen, the P’9981 employs many of the studio’s characteristic styling motifs. The frame is made from forged stainless steel, and sports a flat, though not quite brushed-metal, finish. The back cover is hand-wrapped in leather, and the QWERTY keyboard is sculpted to look sleeker, with the power and menu buttons flush with the touch screen for a streamlined look.

The P’9981 runs on the BlackBerry 7 operating system, and makes use of BlackBerry’s latest browser along with a Porsche Design-exclusive user interface. The phone is powered by a 1.2-GHz processor with HD video recording ability as well as 24-bit high-res graphics are also included on its distinguished list of features.

On-board memory is capped at 8GB, though memory is expandable up to 40GB with a micro SD card. The Wikitude World Browser augmented reality app is made possible by the phone’s various sensors and can display real-time images of the surrounding area, complete with user-generated points of interest and other interactive features.

The P’9981 will be available at Porsche Design stores later this year. The word on the street is that it will have a limited run with a retail price of around USD $2,000.

Dainese has recently opened its first D-Store in Kuala Lumpur of an important 97 sq.m. sales outlet in the heart of the Malaysian capital.

The exhibition space, arising from a Retail Department project, extends over a surface area of 100 sq.m., dedicated to all the Italian brand lines.

Surroundings and furnishings come together to enhance all the items of the various lines of the collection, following the lay-out which characterizes all the Dainese stores.

The opening, took place in the presence of the American Motogp racer, Nicky Hayden, 2006 world champion, who races for the Ducati team wearing number 69 and who on Sunday the 23rd of October will race the last round of the Motogp on the Sepang track.

Signing of the plaque by Nicky Haden

As a result of this opening, the Diavoletto Rosso consolidates its conquering of the Far East where recently it opened mono-brand stores in Bangkok, Seoul, Kyoto, Nagoya, Odaiba, Tokyo, Manila, the Philippine capital, Taiwan and Singapore, while shortly the opening of the sales outlet in Jakarta, Indonesia is envisaged.

D-Stores in Catania, Dardilly in France and Stuttgart in Germany have extended the sales network of the Vicenza-based brand in Italy and Europe, while recently the opening of the fantastic Ekaterinburg sales outlet in Russia took place, to be joined by a D-Store in the very heart of Moscow.

Following the openings in Orange County and San Francisco, Dainese wished to strongly confirm its presence in the United States: last October, the new mono-brand store in Chicago opened its doors and soon a sales corner in San Diego will arrive with the must-have products of the collections of the Vicenza-based brand.

All Dainese fans can find the most highly qualified staff and exclusive services for all needs at Dainese outlets: from the creation of made-to-measure articles of clothing, to assistance and reconditioning of damaged articles.

The Dainese D-Stores are large mono-brand sales outlets, located in the most important metropolitan areas at international level and in strategic point in the cities.

They are also centres for the experimentation of new trends, event and special venture theatres for Dainese racing driver and athletes, a genuine window looking into the Dainese world.

The new Dainese D-Store is located at JR Apparels Sdn Bhd, TTDI Plaza A-1-7, Jalan Wan Kadir 3, Taman Tun Dr Ismail 60000, Kuala Lumpur. For more information, please call JR Apparels Sdn Bhd number at 603-7724-1808 – 603-7724-1876 or email at sales@jrmalaysia.com

Another milestone has been set for NAZA World as the newly appointed Malaysian distributor for Two Brothers Racing (TBR), a company renowned and famous for their after-market exhaust system and high performance accessories for bikes.

Founded in 1985 by Craig Erion, Two Brother’s Racing grew from a factory-backed AMA Superbike team to a world-recognized leader in the sales of after-market motorcycle exhaust systems and other high-performance accessories for sporting motorcycles, ATVs, and road bikes.

Speaking at the announcement during Bikepalooza, Datuk Wira SM Faisal, Joint Group Executive Chairman NAZA Group said “NAZA World’s decision to partner Two Brother’s Racing is timely as the market for big bikes has increased almost three-fold since 2009, and we are expecting the volume for big bikes in 2011 to surpass 5,000 units, the highest ever volume to date.”

“In line with the growth in big bikes sales are the demand for after-market exhaust systems. With the full inventory of TBR’s product range to be offered to the market, NAZA World is confident that this will appeal and grow the demand for TBR products even further,” he further added.

The new association with Two Brothers Racing adds on NAZA World’s long list of internationally recognized brands such as Harley Davidson, Ducati, Aprilia, Vespa, Gilera and Piaggo, as well as the Indian Motorcyle brand that was also launched last weekend.

Mobiado, a premium phone designer based in Vancouver has teamed up with British luxury automaker, Aston Martin, to release an insanely upscale phone called the Grand 350 Aston Martin.

Unlike any regular mobile phones, the Grand 350 Aston Martin is made from CNC machined, aircraft grade, anodized aluminum. The frame is subsequently inlayed with sapphire crystal. The same is used for the keys of the handset, in combination with stainless steel.

The phone is held together by stainless steel screws as well. There are three colors available for the Grand 350 Aston Martin; black, black satin, and silver.

Alluring technical features are included in the Grand 350 Aston Martin, which integrates GPS, quad-band network adjustment, 3.5G, HSPDA and WLAN internet connectivity, a 3.2 megapixel camera, video and music player with a 2.5mm AV connector, a 2.36” display with 16 million colors as well as Bluetooth and micro USB connectivity.

So if you want to stand out from the mobile crowd, you’ll want to pick yourself up the new Mobiado Aston Martin Grand 350 cell phone. There’s no word on the price yet, but you can expect it to be a especially out of reach for most.

If you are looking for a tint that would allow light in, but keep heat and UV radiation out and the same time not reduce visibility at night, 3M’s Crystalline films is definitely what you are looking for.

This new tint is several shades lighter than your average window tint — almost clear, in fact — and are claimed to reflect just as much energy if not more. According to Jon Hanbury, Marketing Manager for 3M’s Renewable Energy Division, clear window films were developed mostly for drivers who wanted the benefits of tinting without having to darken their windows, which could potentially reduce visibility at night.

Although it’s been on the market for about four years now, 3M’s clear window films haven’t gotten much attention from the automotive press. While perhaps not as exciting an innovation as something like an eight-speed transmission, the development of a clear window film such as this is significant nonetheless.

According to 3M, the company’s clear films will allow anywhere from 40 percent to 90 percent of visible light into a car, depending on which grade is chosen. Also dependent upon which grade is chosen is the amount of solar energy rejected, which ranges from 34 percent to 60 percent. To put that into perspective, the darkest conventional tint 3M offers only rejects 45 percent of solar energy while allowing only 6 percent of visible light in. Although the amount of light and heat let in varies, 3M claims that all films in the Crystalline line reject 99.9 percent of UV radiation and 90 to 97 percent of infrared radiation. Because these films significantly reduce exposure to UV rays, they are recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation as an effective defense against ultra violet radiation — which it identifies as a leading cause of skin cancer.

Reducing the heat allowed into a car’s interior by 60 percent could mean the difference between being greeted by a bearably warm seat or burning your hand on the gear selector. It’s conceivable, then, that a cabin that doesn’t get as hot wouldn’t need to run the air conditioning as frequently or as high. If the AC system doesn’t have to work as hard, then the engine doesn’t have to work as hard. While it’s true that reducing AC usage would improve fuel economy, 3M currently has no data on just how much. However, 3M’s Jon Hanbury says that quantitative fuel economy testing may be taking place at one of the company’s international facilities.

Installation will cost between USD $500 to USD $800.

With its timeless fun look, the new MINI goes further with its customization by offering a new, limited and numbered series called “MINI Mat Edition.” These 250 unique MINI’s will be made available exclusively in France with a few variants to choose from: the Cooper, Cooper D, Cooper S and John Cooper Works.

The special factory offering is exclusive to the land of baguettes and white flags, and comes with a black matte-finish vinyl wrap, checkered mirror shells and special side grilles.

Mat rendering is obtained by applying a film on the whole vehicle – which has the advantage of easy maintenance and the possibility of returning to a tinge of classic body at any time.

The matted film, 2-year warranty, and add on’s that make up this limited edition will be offered with just 2800 € (approximately RM12 000) extra (as though it’s JUST loose change). I guess we’ll have keep our eyes peeled for that.

20 years after McLaren launched the iconic McLaren F1 road car, and 26 years after McLaren’s Formula 1 team joined forces with TAG Heuer, a unique and limited edition chronograph watch has been displayed today alongside the McLaren MP4-12C at the TAG Heuer Mastering Speed Exhibition at Halle Secheron in Geneva. The TAG Heuer MP4-12C Chronograph combines both companies’ innovative, high-performance and precision manufacturing principles.

McLaren and TAG Heuer enjoy one of the longest-running sponsorship agreements between a racing team and a brand in the history of Formula 1, dating back to 1985. Both companies lead their fields in developing new technologies and design concepts, whilst the tradition of high-performance car buyers appreciating great watches is long and mutual: teaming up on this project, whilst celebrating their 26th anniversary of their partnership, was a natural step during the launch of the new MP4-12C sports car.

In 2011, McLaren Automotive will deliver the first in its new range of bespoke and ‘pure’ McLaren sports cars for the world, offering new levels of performance based on bespoke technology, a revolutionary carbon chassis and integration with Formula 1: a combination never before presented in a road car. That focus will be matched on the 12C driver’s wrist as McLaren Automotive and TAG Heuer have combined forces to design a watch suitable for owners of one of the world’s most innovative sports cars.

The TAG Heuer MP4-12C Chronograph matches in its characteristics the unique colour, materials, and design of the new 12C: the carbon dial is inspired by the 12C’s carbon fibre MonoCell – an engineering solution inspired by the team’s Formula 1 car chassis that makes the 12C incredibly light, safe and brings new levels of performance to the € 200,000 sports car segment. The watch’s movement is visible through sapphire inserts on the dial, revealing the “engine” behind the watch face. Of particular use to pilots and track drivers, the Flyback function allows the chronograph to be reset to zero, and immediately restarted by pressing only once on the push button.

A specific instrument used in motor sports, the tachymeter, indicates what distance is travelled, and the chronograph records the time intervals between two locations. Other details reflect the 12C further, such as the Titanium case that minimises weight and the alcantara leather strap that was inspired by the 12C’s interior materials. The orange superluminescent markers on the hands and the orange stitching of the bracelet reflect McLaren’s historic and traditional road and racing car colour. The final detail comes with the McLaren speed mark logo on the watch’s crown.

Frank Stephenson, Design Director McLaren Automotive: “I love watches and have always wanted to design one myself. The TAG Heuer MP4-12C Chronograph was a particularly interesting project as we have combined our passion for precision technology, engineering and performance and included some of the most outstanding design features and materials that can be found in the MP4-12C.”

The TAG Heuer MP4-12C Chronograph will be produced as a limited edition of 1,000 pieces and will be exclusively available for purchase through McLaren later in 2011.

GIVI Asia, the local market leader in motorcycle accessories manufacturing, today celebrated its 1 millionth GIVI box hitting the road in Malaysia.

The occasion was commemorated in the company’s 100,000 sq. ft. factory (Bukit Beruntung) in conjunction with the conclusion of th 1 Million GIVI-ng Away campaign.

The campaign, which spanned over 3 months at the end of 2010, was an initiative to reward patrons of the brand and to recognize the continuous support OF GIVI dealers throughout the country. VIPS present at the celebration were Mr Vincenzo Visenzi, Vice President of GIVI Italy, Mr On hai Swee, managing Director of GIVI Asia Sdn Bhd and Mr Joseph Perucca, Overseas Operation Manager of GIVI Asia Sdn Bhd.

Out of thousands of participants, one lucky individual, Mr Mohd Zulkifli bin Itam Ahmad, stood victorious as the winner of a brand new GIVI-accessorised Kawasaki ER-6f! In fact every customer that purchased a GIVI box (from a selected range as part of this campaign) emerged as a winner with each box holding a surprise gift from GIVI; such as a helmet, gloves, riding gear, rainwear, and other motorcycle accessories.

The campaign also enabled participants to test their creative ability with the GIVI – complete the slogan contest which was incorporated into every contest form found within each GIVI box. GIVI proudly announced the winning slogan that wold be used in all GIVI brand communication materials to be ‘Miliki GIVI dan nikmatilah keselesaan dan kepuasan dengan produk bertaraf dunia’ (Possess GIVI and enjoy the comfort and satisfaction with world class products). The slogan was submitted by Mr. Surendra Kumar S/O Mohan and earned him a cool RM1,000 GIVI gift voucher. Mr. Muhamad Sazeli Mohd Nazir was runner up; winning a RM800 gift voucher. Finally, Mr. Wan Amiruddin Bin Wan Ismail also received a GIVI gift voucher wirth RM500.

However, it wasn’t just GIVI’s patrons walking away with gifts galore. In appreciation for their unwavering support, GIVI simultaneously held a contest among its dealers throughout the nation. Weng Tat Enterprise, Penang was awarded RM5,000 worth of GIVI goods for being the outlet to sell the 1 millionth box. Kiong Sheng Motor, Johor was recognized as the top selling GIVI dealer in the country and thus was awarded with RM3,000 worth of GIVI products. Eng Huat Motorsport, Selangor earned itself RM2,000 wirth of products, followed by Golden Beacon Motor Parts, Penang which received RM1,000 worth of GIVI goods.

“1 million…and counting! It is immensely gratifying to see that growing support for the GIVI brand in Malaysia. We are thankful for everyone who has directly or indirectly contributed to the achievement of 1 million boxes being sold. We credit our ever-ready team and all of the dedicated dealers throughout Malaysia for their commitment to making GIVI a household name. We wish to express our appreciation to all members of the press for their fervent support throughout the years. And of course we wold like to thank the discerning customers for their patronage – without them the success of this brand would not be possible.” shared Mr. On Hai Swee – Managing Director of GIVI Asia Sdn Bhd.

He continued, stating – “We’re just a business; altogether we’re a family with a passion for developing practical and stylish products which can enhance the safety of motorcyclists on out roads. We look forward to providing more Malaysian and others around Asia with the highest quality of motorcycle accessories that have led us to become recognized as the leading manufacturer for such goods in the region.”

Guests were treated to a GIVI-style fashion show and then entertained by a live band performance as they enjoyed the buffet spread. In addition, the audience were provided with a sneak preview of the innovative Dr. Moto Television Series (of which GIVI Asia is a main sponsor) that focuses on the lifestyle of motorcyclists; specifically road safety.