Friday Video – Wild Adriatic, “Bound to Let You Go”

We love videos like this.

Junior Senior made one five years ago with “Can I Get Get Get,” where they asked their fans to send in clips of themselves lip synching the song. And now New York blues rock quartet Wild Adriatic has done a similar bit, though it’s more focused on dancing than lip synching, which is just as well, because there are some women in this clip that you will want to watch as they dance. Take, for example, the adorkable girl dancing in front of the Star Wars poster. She only shows up twice, but she’ll haunt your dreams.

As for the song “Bound to Let You Go,” the lead single from the band’s forthcoming Lock & Key EP (it comes out April 27), well, they’re a blues rock band, so the song is pretty basic, but it’s crazy catchy, employing that chord between chorus and verse that instantly reminded us of the great song “Spooky,” made famous by the Classics IV though if we’re being honest, we prefer the version Atlanta Rhythm Section recorded 11 years later. Anyway, this a fun tune, if a bit oversung here and there (Jeff Buckley would not have made a good blues singer). And the clip is a trip. We love you, Star Wars Girl.

  

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Rockport truWALKzero T-Toe Sport Review

Rockport has been expanding its reach and continues to innovate and modernize its footwear collections, and the new truWALKzero T-Toe Sport Review will expand their customer base starting today. The T-Toe is one of the most lightweight shoes that Rockport has ever developed and you get the sense of floating at times when walking or exercising in them. Our test shoes were black and orange with uppers that are made of a combination of synthetic/textile mesh that wicks away moisture and enhances breathability. The shoes are also extremely flexible and the Lightweight EVA cushioning in the footbed conforms to the shape of the foot for a personalized fit.

I spent considerable time in the T-Toe Sports and felt they pretty much looked good with whatever I chose to wear, and that’s a major plus for any style shoe! The answer to the comfort side of these shoes is the truWALK Architecture that provides a natural full range of motion, from shock absorption at heel strike (adidas adiPRENE®) to forefoot flexibility during push off (adidas adiPRENE®+) for a responsive, springy, energized stride. And your feet will thank you for it! Sometimes you have to see things to believe them, so check out the launch video below.

The truWALKzero T-Toe Sport for men is a sleek, low profile, lace-up sneaker with leather/mesh uppers available in black/charcoal. The truWALKzeroWingtip is a dressier low profile, lace-up sneaker for men with wingtip detailing, available in black/charcoal and dark brown/orange. All the styles include contrasting soles for an added color pop. We really like these new entries from Rockport, so check them out here. truWALKzero footwear have suggested retail values between $120 and $140, and can be found at Rockport retail stores worldwide and select mid-tier retailers, as well as through Rockport.com beginning right now!

  

Mobile continues to vex Microsoft

Imagine, just for a moment, a world without the iPhone. It’s tough, I know. Essentially every touchscreen experience you’re having today has been fundamentally shaped or directly influenced by Apple’s smartphone. But today, let’s take a quick step back to early 2007, when Apple had yet to introduce its industry-changing device.

Back then, Microsoft had nearly 40 percent of the mobile market share. The OS it hawked was nothing compared to Windows Phone 7, and not just by direct comparison. Even for its time, Microsoft on mobile was a clunky, frustrating mess. But still, it had 40 percent of the market. Fast forward to today. It’s more than a year since Microsoft unveiled an ambitious, stylish operating system on some very strong hardware (the initial HTC handsets were great) and its market share is plummeting, down 50 percent from the same time last year. According to comScore, Microsoft’s mobile share is down to 3.9 percent of the total market this year, and it isn’t going up.

Microsoft’s modern mobile operating system wasn’t too little. In fact, it’s pretty damn solid. It’s just too late. Way too late. Redmond is still trying to find a way to make things work but everything is a non-starter. Even the deal with Nokia, which has already turned out a device that can rival the iPhone, will do nothing to save Windows Phone 7, and it’s easy to see why. There is no reason to switch.

Last March I was given an HTC Inspire for review. It was my first serious experience with Android and I fell in love. The integration with Google products, the notification bar that has since been cannibalized by Apple, the flexibility and power in different handsets and ROMs – I loved all of it. I dropped my iPhone and haven’t looked back. What does Microsoft have? Bing? Xbox Live? The first might be a joke, but Xbox Live is pretty serious business. If there’s one place Apple and Google fail, it’s social. Could Microsoft find a way to take the world’s most volatile gaming network and turn it into a mobile powerhouse?

Maybe, but it’s hard to imagine users suddenly abandoning app stores for whatever Microsoft might throw together. Of course, it was also hard to imagine a world without Symbian but here we are. Even so, a compelling social offer probably wouldn’t be enough, and Xbox Live is too niche to really carry Windows Phone. Unfortunately for the good people in Redmond, “just as good as those other guys” is not going to be nearly good enough. If Microsoft wants to regain market share of any kind, they need to something huge–I’m talking smartphones embedded on human retinas and eardrums huge–to be relevant in the mobile universe.

  

NFL Draft kicks off tonight

Football fans everywhere will be glued to their TV screens tonight as the NFL Draft starts at 8 PM EST on ESPN and the NFL Network. Millions more will be following the action on Twitter, which has become the ultimate meeting spot for sports fanatics. You can follow me our NFL guru, Anthony Stalter, during the draft on Twitter @AnthonyStalter, and you can follow me @clevelandteams. Yes, I’m a tortured Cleveland Browns fan, so the draft is my annual Super Bowl.

Cleveland will be one of the pivotal teams in the draft with the #4 pick, and many are predicting that they will take running back Trent Richardson. But the Minnesota Vikings are making noise about trading out of the #3 pick, and that could mean Richardson goes to a team at #3. These tow teams will be pivotal in a draft that could be very hard to predict after the first two picks.

You can follow Anthony’s NFL draft coverage at ScoresReport.com. You’ll see his mock drafts along with analysis of the top draft prospects and sleepers.

There are so many mock drafts out there these days that you can OD on all the various projections. Of course Mel Kiper and Todd McShay at ESPN has some of the best information out there. Here’s a 7-round mock draft at NFL.com that would make me and other Browns fans very happy. Michael Lombardi’s first round mock draft would be even better, as he has the Browns getting Richardson and then Micheal Floyd dropping down to them at #22.

Search around and you’ll find plenty of information and speculation about your own team. Then you can load up on beer and munchies, invite some friends over and enjoy the show tonight.

  

Will a modern Mustang be a hit for Ford?

The 50th anniversary of the Ford Mustang is coming up, and Ford is planning some radical changes for the 2015 model that will represent the anniversary Mustang. It’s a big risk for Ford, which kicked off the retro revival of the Mustang back in 2004. That redesign offered a brilliant interpretation of the original Mustang and became a huge hit. It also started a trend, as Chevrolet and Chrysler became inspired to create retro versions of the Chevy Camaro and the Dodge Challenger. These pony cars were also big hits, and the Camaro has surpassed the Mustang in sales in recent years.

Ford has definitely milked quite a bit of success from this retro Mustang, but then they were faced with a huge decision going into the 50th anniversary. Do they create the ultimate retro car to cap off this great run, or do they take a risk and go with a modern design? Well, it looks like the modern look is in, and it will be based on the Evos concept pictured about that was unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show. Don’t worry, that’s not THE car that will be the new Mustang, but it’s the starting point. It looks nice, but it doesn’t make you jump and say “I want to sell my car!” It looks way too much like a generic, Japanese sports car. But, there were some renderings out on the web of what this might look like after the Mustang lights and accents were added in, and it did look pretty cool.

A new, edgy Mustang is a huge risk, but car companies can’t be successful by playing it safe. At least they learned that much from the disasters of the last 30 years. We’re anxious to see what they come up with.