If you get the feeling it won’t be long until everyone in the world has a smartphone, you’re not alone. The allure of an all-in-one device that makes calls, takes photos, accesses the web, plays music, and does pretty much anything else you can imagine is pretty hard to resist. And with the unveiling of the new HTC Radar™ 4G phone, our friends over at HTC are making it even harder. Featuring a sleek, polished-metal design and 4G speed, it uses the Windows Phone platform to offer innovative functions like Live Tiles for your updates, People Hub for your contacts, and Threads for your conversations. But that’s not all it offers: With the Windows Phone Marketplace at its disposal, it gives you access to thousands of awesome apps. While some of them — Facebook, Twitter, Angry Birds — you don’t need us to tell you about, we’ve rounded up ten of our favorites that may not already be top of mind, so you can put them at the top of your list.
It’s a bit staggering to think of the number of bands — not to mention entire movements — that have seen their rise and fall since Ladytron released their debut album 604 in 2001. In the world of electronic pop, longevity is far from a common trait. However, a decade later, the quartet is not only still releasing gorgeously constructed analogue/digital musical hybrids, but doing so without a break or misplaced step. The traditionally black-clad foursome — Daniel Hunt, Reuben Wu, Helen Marnie, and Mira Aroyo — dropped their fifth album, Gravity the Seducer, last month; we caught up with Wu and Aroyo during soundcheck at New York’s Terminal 5 for our latest Flavorpill Interactive Interview, in which they talk about the record, the secret to long-term success, and how they found themselves in Ozzy Osbourne’s old house with Christina Aguilera.
You’ve probably never heard of Ebru, but it’s an amazing artform that everyone should be made aware of. The opposite of traditional water colors, this technique involves applying paint to water and then adding more water or paint to upset the water’s surface and thus, change the art design. While the finished result is gorgeous, this is one of the handful of art techniques that is actually even more fascinating to watch being created than it is to examine the final product.
That’s because the artist can change the design over and over again until she feels it is just right. At that point, she just drops a piece of paper onto the surface of the water, sealing in the design for eternity. See a video of the process and more examples by clicking through.
Our original video series Stomping Grounds, presented by PUMA, is back with a look at another great band and how its rock-’n-rolling members spend their nights out. Our third episode introduces the Postelles, a group of NYC retro rockers who got their first break thanks to Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. Join drummer Billy Cadden and lead axeman David Dargahi as they hit some of their favorite New York City nightspots, including Lower East Side club Fontana’s and the always popular bar/restaurant Spitzer’s Corner. Along the way, they explain exactly what a Postelle is, reveal a band tradition that sounds surprisingly similar to a recent Foo Fighters revelation, and try to convince us they play cricket in the city streets at night. Watch the Postelles Stomping Grounds video now, then tell us who you’d like to hit the town with in the next one.
Emma-Lee Moss, aka Emmy the Great, is one of those artists whose music creeps up on you, seemingly unassuming in its soft-spoken approach, only to leave you aware you’ve become hopelessly ensnared in its complexity without even realizing it. The UK-based singer/songwriter’s second album, Virtue, is a strikingly poetic rumination on mythology, spiritualism, and lost love, rooted strongly in modern folk and fleshed out with intricate pop orchestration. In our latest interactive video interview, Emmy recalls her time singing backing vocals with Florence Welch for Lightspeed Champion, shares her harrowing personal experience of the UK riots, and explains why she doesn’t mind being overly confessional in her music. She also tells us why global charity WaterAid is so close to her heart, and provides further proof that you really shouldn’t believe everything you read on Wikipedia.
For the past two weeks, we’ve been teaming up with mike’s hard lemonade® to put athletes of all stripes on the pedestals they deserve. Our Backyard Hero video interview series introduces some of the most dedicated players of the endless variety of games out there, in honor of the mike’s® HARD SPORTS video contest — which offers a chance to win personal glory and up to $10,000, among other prizes. (Vote on your favorite entries in the contest now!) Our final hero is Expedition Impossible star Eric Bach. Last week, we put the spotlight on his teammate Taylor Filasky; today, we get Eric’s tips on the modern-gypsy lifestyle, succeeding on the disc-golf course, and most importantly, helping others in need.
When it comes to sports, we prefer to play hard and keep things a little more interesting. That’s why we’ve joined mike’s hard lemonade® to put athletes of all stripes on the pedestals they deserve. Our Backyard Hero video interview series introduces some of the most dedicated players of the endless variety of games out there, in honor of the mike’s® HARD SPORTS video contest — which offers a chance to win personal glory and up to $10,000, among other prizes. This installment features Taylor Filasky, KanJam aficionado and member of the Modern Gypsies, the current leading team on ABC’s Expedition Impossible. Find out about his greatest personal sports feat, discover the game he helped invent on the beaches of San Diego, and learn how you too can be a modern gypsy.
When it comes to sports, we prefer to play hard and keep things a little more interesting. That’s why we’ve joined mike’s hard lemonade® to put athletes of all stripes on the pedestals they deserve. Our Backyard Hero video interview series introduces some of the most dedicated players of the endless variety of games out there, in honor of the mike’s® HARD SPORTS video contest — which offers a chance to win personal glory and up to $10,000, among other prizes. Our second interview features dodgeball queen Mandy Gabriel, who tells us what it means to take a hit — and shares her thoughts on the game’s less-than-serious portrayal in popular culture.
When it comes to sports, we prefer to play hard and keep things a little more interesting. That’s why we’ve joined mike’s hard lemonade® to put athletes of all stripes on the pedestals they deserve. Our Backyard Hero video interview series introduces some of the most dedicated players of the endless variety of games out there, in honor of the mike’s® HARD SPORTS video contest — which offers a chance to win personal glory and up to $10,000, among other prizes. Our first interview features broomball champ Christopher Diercksen, who shares his insight on what it takes to make it on the field — and explains what broomball actually is.
Summer isn’t showing any signs of cooling down, so we’re left with two options: hide away anywhere we can find good A/C, or get out there and play hard. This year, we’ve been more inspired to go with the latter, thanks to mike’s hard lemonade® and their mike’s® HARD SPORTS competition. To celebrate the backyard heroes and dedicated practitioners of all the games people play — from frisbee golf to badminton to wiffle ball — mike’s is giving away $10,000 to the person with the best video submission displaying their unique skills. There are plenty of other prizes up for grabs too, including sporting gear and a chance to appear in a mike’s hard lemonade® ad.
To give you some of that extra inspiration to upload a video of your own, we scoured the web for some of the most amazing left-of-center sporting feats we could find. Check out the clips after the jump, which include everyone from high-stepping hacky-sack pros to the King of Cornhole.
, is a strikingly poetic rumination on mythology, spiritualism, and lost love, rooted strongly in modern folk and fleshed out with intricate pop orchestration. In our latest interactive video interview, Emmy recalls her time singing backing vocals with 
