Peter Chun

Vans is expected to release another collaboration with a fashion icon, just like with Marc Jacobs. This time it will be with Paul Smith. The Liner of the Vans will feature Paul Smith’s trademark multicolored stripes.

As of now, confirmed models of the Vans x Paul Smith are the Sk8 hi and Chukka, but it is said that the Slip and Era will drop too. Releasing Spring 2008, via Footurama.

The Jordan Lifestyle collection takes the best of Jordan footwear and apparel and flips everything for off-the-court style. The newest collection features the Air Jordan Retro 8 and a full complement of apparel including hoodies, t-shirts and jackets. The Members Only Store got to sit down with Josiah Lake, Nike Footwear Product Director, and Gemo Wong, Design Director of Nike Apparel, to discuss the latest Jordan Retro Lifestyle offering.

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Equal parts a slide and a performance basketball shoe, the Nike Clogposite has slowly become a cult favorite since its release in 2000. The formula was simple: repurpose the Air Flightposite 1 into a functional slide, throw some crazy colors on it, limit the distribution and amplify the exclusivity.
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Website-creation tool Doodlekit is over a year old but has somehow managed to fly under the radar, even after releasing its free version this past October.

Several similar services are out there: Weebly, Synthasite, Jimdo, Google Pages, SiteKreator, and Sampa to name a few. They all intend to make it possible for non-techies to make modestly attractive and functional websites without touching a line of code.

Doodlekit succeeds in this respect, but it goes even further by providing a suite of advanced features, all of which can be set up with a few clicks of the button: forums, customizable forms, shopping carts, advertising, user accounts and profiles, restricted areas for approved members, file uploading, full site search, RSS feeds, photo albums, blogs, basic site statistics, and domain mapping. Some of these features are available for free, but many will require that you pay $15 or more per month. See this pricing sheet for how the service packages break down.

All in all, it’s nice to see a website creation tool that appreciates the fact that many low-level users won’t be satisfied with flat pages anymore. They want to collect data from their users, support small online communities, publish rich media, etc. Doodlekit is moving in the right direction while others (with the possible exception of SiteKreator) continue to provide a fairly limited range of dynamic content possibilities.

As the WYSIWYG market develops, I’d like to see companies like Doodlekit leverage easy database creation/management tools like upcoming Blist. Then, a wider range of people will be able to collect, manage, and publish their organizational data online without needing to rely on web developers. As for more short-term improvements to Doodlekit, it would be nice to see an even better WYSIWYG HTML editor (I have yet to find any online that doesn’t end up frustrating the hell out of me). They could also take some tips from Weebly and implement drag-n-drop editing functionality, which I find more intuitive and satisfying than clicking through several pages to make changes.

Suggestions and long-term visions aside, Doodlekit strikes me as a solid offering in its current incarnation. The company says it has reached 1,700 hosted sites since starting to offer a free version six weeks ago. I expect that number to increase substantially as the word gets out.

Doodlekit

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Sampa

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Synthasite

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Weebly

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Jimdo

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Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

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U.K.-based peer to peer lending startup Zopa is gearing up for their U.S. launch. Reports of the launch have been circulating for some time (WSJ), but now it seems only days away. The service will be available at us.zopa.com, but is currently under password protection.

Zopa’s peer to peer lending service differs from U.S. rivals by working with credit unions to offer person-to-person loans instead of a loans coming directly from lenders on the service like Prosper and Lending Club (works through Facebook). GlobalFunder.com is a yet-to-launch competitor. With Zopa, lenders will place their money in Zopa branded CDs that are then loaned out online. Borrowers apply for loans through their online community by posting their case for the loan and filling out relevant details about their credit risk. Interest rates on five year loans can range from 8.75% to 16.99%, depending on their credit risk.

It’s worth noting that Zopa’s investor, Benchmark also invested in Prosper. The lending market is anticipated to be very large. According to the research firm Online Banking Report, around $100 million in new P2P loans will be issued this year, mostly by Prosper, with new loans growing to as much as $1 billion in 2010 and $9 billion in 2017. Prosper already registered an S-1 with the SEC and reported $96.4 million in loans.

Adding further details to the launch, Allen Stern received an email outlining some differences between the U.S. and U.K. (which TCUK covered) versions. The key differences listed are:

• No risk for investors.
  Your funds will be federally insured. No more worrying about whether your borrowers will pay your loan back.
• Pick who you want to help.
  Investors will choose exactly who they want to help.
• Set your rate.
  Investors will choose how much they want to earn, up to a ceiling.
• No waiting.
  Borrowers will get their loans immediately upon approval.
• Lower your monthly payment.
  Borrowers can actually reduce their loan payments after they’ve borrowed. They’ll do that using rich profiles…

Prosper

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Zopa

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Lending Club

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Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

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After several successful Marc Jacobs x Vans series', Vans is set to collaborate with another critically acclaimed and widely popular High End Fashion designer, Paul Smith. As part of this series, Paul Smith is set to lend is trademark syncopated stripe pattern to several Vans styles including, the Vans sk8 Hi. The "Paul Smith" Vans sk8 His feature a solid Suede Sepia upper with Smith's stripes on the inner lining. In addition to the sk8 His, the Paul Smith x Vans collaboration will bring with it a pair of Chukkas, Slip-Ons, and more.
 
The Paul Smith x Vans Collection is set to release in 2008.
 
Discuss the Paul Smith x Vans sk8 Hi in the KATC Community by clicking the "Add/View Comments" button, or, by clicking [HERE]
 
Images: [Footurama]
 
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In addition to releasing the ["Phoenix Away" Nike Air Force 1 Low CB Basic], Nike is set to release the "Phoenix Home" Nike Air Force 1 Low. Like the "Phoenix Away", the "Phoenix Home" AF1s pay tribute to Sir Charles' three amazing years playing for the Phoenix Suns. The "Phoenix Home" Nike Air Force 1 Low CB features a 3/4 split colorway with a predominantly Stealth base and an Orange gradient heel. The "Phoenix Homes" also feature an Orange Swoosh with Grey contrast stitching, an orange toebox, a Grey midsole with Orange contrast stitching, and a light Grey outsole.
 
The "Phoenix Home" Nike Air Force 1 Low is set to release on 12/8.
 
Tech Info:

12/08/2007 Air Force 1 Low CB
317295-081 Stealth/Orange Blaze-Natural Grey
$80
 
Discuss the in the KATC Community by clicking the "Add/View Comments" button, or, by clicking [HERE]
 
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