LG V300 all-in-one Desktop Packs

Electronics has simply introduced its latest all-in-one desktop, referred to as the LG V300. Key feature of V300 desktop could be a 3D Film-type Patterned Retarder (FPR) show that capable to vivid and crisp 3D pictures, likewise as enable to 3D viewing via light-weight polarized glasses.

LG V300 all-in-one desktop packs a 23-inch LED-backlit IPS panel with Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution and multi-touch support, WiDi (Intel Wireless Display) likewise. This slim V300 desktop is powered by an Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processor (Sandy Bridge), up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, an Intel HD 3000 integrated or Radeon HD 6650M discrete graphics, and up to a seven50GB arduous drive with Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit pre-loaded.

The LG V300 passive glasses 3D-ready is supplied with a DVD or Blu-ray drive, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet LAN, a 5-in-1 card reader, Bluetooth two.1 or 3.0, a 720p webcam, SRS Sound or SRS Wide 3D sound, one HDMI 1.4 output, two USB 3.0 ports, and optional TV tuner.

Dimensions of LG V300 are 561.75 x 346.2 x 44.65 mm and have white color. The LG V300 slim sleek desktop are debut in South Korean in June 2011, whereas Europe, the center East and Asia are soon.

Ramsign Giveaway

Much like jewelry on a beautiful woman, the right accessory on a house can really pull an entire look or design together. Details matter!

Ramsign, a small Danish company that has been producing porcelain enamel house signs for years has generously offered to give a house number plaque to a lucky reader here on ArchitectDesign.

The winner will be selected on Wednesday, June 8th in celebration of my birthday! To enter, simply leave a comment saying which house number you would pick if you won. Receive 1 extra entry for posting a link to the giveaway on twitter or facebook. Good luck!

p.s.This giveaway is international, so don't hesitate to enter!

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 16.1 Mp Compact Cameras

Panasonic increasingly expanding Lumix compact digital camera family with the release of their latest product, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7. DMC-FH7 offers 16.1 Mp camera sensor RGB CCD Image sensor type that dipasaangkan lens with 4x optical zoom Lumix DC Vario0Elmar species with range 28mm to 112 mm. Size 3-inch LCD screen with 230,000 dot resolution and this camera has 8 points, multi-area autofocus system which also includes a single point focus mode.

ISO range from 100 to 1600 and can dieksten up to ISO 6300 in High Sensitivity mode. Ada29 scene modes that can be selected or Intelligent Scene Selection function for automatic mode selection. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH7 is also capable of recording 720p resolution video at 30 fps and video recording 640 x 480 pixels (VGA).

There are 84 mb of internal memory in this camera and a USB 2.0 connection and battery 660mAh Lithium Ion rechargeable battery pack. Not to forget PHOTOfunSTUDIO Panasonic also includes software v6.0, Quicktime, and Adobe Reader

Blackberry Torch 2 Appears Photo With The Blackberry OS 7

Blackberry Torch is indeed a best-selling smartphone because it features a larger screen than the other BB type and screen is kind of touchscreen. Well this time RIM will update the product of this type of BB Torch 2 with better hardware specs but with the same screen size.

Torch 2 next screen will have a resolution of 480x640px with 1.2 Ghz processor, 768 MB RAM memory and 8 GB internal storage capacity that can be added to the SD Card. Torch 2-resolution 5MP camera and can record 720 P HD video. And the most fun also features the newest OS BlackBerry OS 7.

Let's see the pictures of the BB Torch 2 is:

Samsung Chrono Cheap Flip Phone Review

Samsung and US Cellular simply launched its low cost flip phone within the US market, known as the Samsung Chrono. it's designed to use as a straightforward phone not sort of a mini pc. Samsung Chrono has options a 2-inch internal show with QVGA (240 x 320) resolution, 512 MB of internal storage, a VGA camera, and Bluetooth.

This handset has additionally support for ringtones, contacts, wallpapers, and text messages. Size of Chrono clamshell phone is one.83 x 3.7 x 0.67 inches and weighs three.14 ounces. Its battery is nice for up to four.5 hours of speak time. US Cellular is giving the Samsung Chrono for priced at $19.99 on a pre-paid set up, or free with a replacement 2-year contract.

McCormick Apartments

The evolution of a building is natural, much bemoaned by strict preservationist but it is the nature of time, particularly in cities; another topic for another day. A building which started out as the most luxurious apartment building here in Washington, DC now finds itself a distinguished office building holding none other than the National Trust for Historic Preservation.I was lucky enough to have a tour of the building a few months ago and while many changes have been made to the interiors to accomodate offices, it's extraordinary how many of the original details have been retained. Construction began in late 1915 when a mansion previously occupying the site, the Belden Noble residence, was torn down (seen below). The sturdy looking 3 story mansion was built in 1880, meaning it was only 36 years old when torn down. I was just talking to a friend just recently about how some things never change; so many of us still regard many buildings as temporary, even fine specimens such as this (yet again a subject for another post).

The neighborhood, Dupont Circle, was the heart of the cultural center of the city at the time (and some may argue still is) and the new building was designed to fit into this city beautiful movement stretching across the country.The owner of the property, Stanley McCormick, hired local architect Jules Henri de Sibour (designer of many of the most beautiful mansions in the Dupont area now housing embassies) to design a large Beaux-Art Louis XVI styled building which would house 6 luxury apartments with servant quarters for up to 40 employees.The apartments are palatial and were rented out at prices that seem high, even today. Because of this, the tenant list reads as a veritable 'Who's Who' of the DC social scene from the era. Most famously, Andrew Mellon lived in the penthouse apartment while Secretary of the Treasury and later while building his art collection which would eventually become the foundation of the National Gallery of Art (an interesting story for my next post related to the building).

In 1941, the building was leant to the British Army for use during the war for purchasing and since has had many commercial tenants including NCARB (National Architectural Accrediting Board, Inc) , the national AIA, the American Council on Education and has been home for years now to the National Trust for historic preservation (who recently tried to unsuccessfully sell the building).

Despite having lived longer as an office building than as an apartment house, the building fortunately retains much of its early detail. One enters a rounded corner at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and 18th Street NW into a small round lobby seen here.

Unlike luxury apartment buildings in the city today, there were no shared amenities per say. Rather, the public spaces, while beautiful, are small and efficient. No swimming pool , roof deck or gym were offered to the tenants!From the entry lobby, one stepped up into a marble lined vestibule which contained doorways into two smaller apartments, 3 seperate elevators (one for service staff) and the main staircase (which wraps around the primary elevator).The plaster work in the lobby is astounding and even more amazing is that it has survived intact for so many years.The marble floors are an added bonus in Washington as it gets rather hot here in the summer and this was built pre-air conditioning. However, most of the tenants were here only during the winter 'season' and would not have had to worry about this inconvienence.The marble main staircase, while wide and gracious, is rather utilitarian with simple moldings but originally had windows opening onto an air shaft for natural light and ventilation which has since been enclosed.

The landings outside of each apartment continue the simple moldings and 12" square black & white marble floors.Join me next week as I show details from these original apartments, a typical floor plan is below to whet your appetite!Color photographs are my own but the historical images come from the book "Massachusetts Avenue Architecture, Volume 1" produced by the Commission of Fine Arts in 1973.

Chinoiserie automaton

While working on a more in-depth post of a fantastic building I visited recently, I wanted to leave you with something just to let you know I'm still around! Located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a collection of ingenius bejeweled objects known as automatons. These machines, popular in the mid 18th century (as so many of my favorite things were!), were mechanical moving devices; a sort of early day robot! Often they were more than a mere toy and incorporated something useful, such as the clock seen here. Made by James Cox in London, 1766, this device still would fascinate and amaze the most ardent anti-antiquarian!

My updated dining room

You may remember a few years ago I purchased an antique set of caned chairs and table made by Baker -see the post HERE. While the caning looked great, it wasn't very comfortable or practical and I had decided to have cushions made.

I used Aku Merali at Marketplace Interiors in Alexandria, VA. He is a well respected upholsterer here in DC used by everyone, including the White House. He recommended attaching a pad on a wooden base to the chair instead of seperate cushions and I followed the experts advice! I am so pleased with the result and couldn't be happier. The fabric I chose is Ralph Lauren Home's English Riding Velvet in Lovat -a beautiful muted turquoise.

After picking up the chairs on Saturday morning (thanks Mark!), I decided to host an inaugural launch and had some friends over for some fresh strawberry shortcake and champagne. I bought the Paisley Table Throw from Potterybarn which coordinates beautifully with the chair fabric. To go with the dessert theme, I used my Strawberries and Cream china by Royal Doulton and some Adam styled antique silver from Ms. Pixies.

I am so happy with how it all turned out and even more pleased to share my small changes with you all.

Superstitions

Do you hold any superstitions? I don't mean picking up pennies and avoiding black cats, this is a design blog after all! While going through some photos I took in the Metropolitan Museum of Art earlier this year, I noticed that these wall lights had the candle wicks left unburnt. I've always been taught that tapers should be charred before being left in a candlestick; not sure why, but I've always followed this rule. I know it comes from some unknown superstition but I can't seem to find what would happen if I didn't burn them! Do you follow this practice?
These rococo wall lights are manufactored by the Royal Porcelain Factory in Berlin in the 1760s.

Vizcaya: Goyesca

Adjacent to Giudecca and sharing a bathroom in the southeast tower is the guest room Goyesca. Named after the Neoclassic murals which cover the walls which depict Roman styled grotesques, I'm not sure the theme is the most appropriate or restful for use in a bedroom but they are none the less lovely!

Despite the pink lined bed canopy and delicate plaster ceiling medallion, I think this room has a decidely masculine feel to it, don't you? Maybe it's just the restrained neoclassical decorations which appeal to me.

The advantage of a tower bedroom is multiple exposures; here facing the bay as well as the gardens.

Other guest rooms feature just as much detailing in the wall coverings, such as the one below which has a strong chinoiserie influence.

So many guest rooms, could you possibly just choose one? I wonder how many guests would switch rooms weekly to experience them all!