2 AWESOME Trailers from SDCC

Here are 2 damn awesome trailers from the San Diego Comic-Con... First up, TRON! yeah, TRON! looks damn good!

Next... Alice in Wonderland! People who have watched it, and I mean really paid attention and watched it knows that its a weird ass film (but still from Disney) and who better to direct that than Tim Burton right? Starring Johnny Depp... no question.

What MJ might have looked like sans all the surgery

Interesting... Looks hella GQ to me, even his outfit!

Funny comic of the day

Reebok ERS 5000 Maeda Reduce

John Maeda, a collaborator with Reebok since back in 2007 introduces his shoe, based on his own law of simplicity which states, "the simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction." And he does just that with these kicks. Simple and back to basics, but with a silver finish.

New running shoes anyone? Hmm... jogging in these would be pretty kickass! I might have to get myself a pair in HK if they still have them come August.

Reebok Hong Kong

Shop OT 271, Harbor City

Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

2736 7010

Eric Elms for Vans - "Elms" Sneakers

Ahh, sweet new Vans! These Eric Elms Vans give you the best of all worlds, with an all suede version, an all canvas, and a suede/canvas versions. And as well all know now, Vans have always seemed to have a timeless design, so cop these here for only $75. I'll take the black ones in size 11 please!

eYe JUNYA WATANABE COMME des Garcons 09FW Collaboration Collection

...man that's a mouthful! For those who love the high-profile collabs, here's some for ya! Collabs with brands such as Lacoste (woot!), New Balance, Baracuda, The North-Face and more! Why don't they come out with this ish here?! Oh well, there's always online shopping!

Give the images a click for larger pics!

Retro Jordan XI's coming our way?!

Arguably the most sought after Air Jordan of all time, the Jordan XI (Space Jam's) will once again hit the shelves this year... if the stocks even reach there that is! Why you ask? First, the Space Jam's will be released in limited quantities and 2nd, for those who know their kicks, people who have connections usually buy out all the stocks before some of us even get a glance, then sell it for higher... MUCH HIGER prices on the grey market. So if you want these, use all the contacts you can! They're said to be dropping this November 27th for around $175. Who knows if they'll reach our shores though.

And another Jordan XI news snippet, (you can see these are my fav pairs of AJ's) it seems like Chris Paul, CP3, took a trip to Nike headquarters and got a scoop of these... White on white Jordan XI's rumored to be the 25th anniversary version. Wait, there's more! It's not only these that are getting the white on white treatment, but from these XI's - XIV's! Now the question is, are these just samples or will they actually be released? Maybe new Jordan packs for next year? All we can do now is wait and hope we have the chance to cop these sweet kicks!

Prince of Persia: Sands of time Poster

The first official Prince of Persia movie poster is here, with a shot of the leading lady I'm guessing... who's lookin hott! Prince of Persia aims to be one of next years summer blockbusters yet there hasn't been much or any promotional materials coming our way. Lets hope that this movie isn't another videogame movie gone wrong. The casting looks to be good and hopefully a teaser will prove that to us soon.

For those who don't already know the story, its based on the massively popular series of videogames, the story sees Gyllenhaal as a 'rogue prince' Dastan and Gemma Arterton as 'mysterious princess' Tamina, who reluctantly team up to safeguard an ancient dagger that could release the Sands of Time, allowing its possessor to reverse time and rule the world. Watch out for this on May 28, 2010!

Will this be a movie hit or miss? Comment Comment!

Aston Martin Lagonda Concept

I never really liked British cars... with Jags spending more time in the shop than in your garage and screaming out pompous. Range Rovers have recently stepped it up, but the old ones suffered from huge maintenance costs and frequently busted air suspension, but Aston has really changed my mind about British sports cars. After releasing the DB7, all their cars have been a hit and in my eyes, a beautiful piece of art. Which pains me to say that this new Aston Lagonda SUV concept has been put on hold, or even scrapped. Critics have bashed Aston's first effort into the SUV market, but I feel otherwise.



...I think its BADASS! With that huge grill and unmistakable Aston Martin design. This is what the Porsche Cayenne should have been! Too bad Aston has shelved this concept because of financial reasons, which isn't really far fetched this day in age. But Aston Martin Lagonda chairman David Richards reportedly wants to get a new concept on the stands before the end of the year, and I can't wait to see that!

Retro Transformers

Check it out, just a retro pic from one of the first, if not the first, Transformers Comic from way back when. It's cool how a lot of the characters stayed true when they moved to the small screen (G1). They must have looked so high tech back in the day, so modern. No wonder the G0-Bots didn't stand a chance!

Modern Warfare 2: Prestige Edition -Top 5 Reasons to get it!

Seems like a lot of games are coming out with special edition bundles, which I find totally useless unless they are over the top, just like this Modern Warfare 2: Prestige Edition package. Screw those who put little figurines or picture books and call them "limited edition," because for me, limited edition should be something you can't just buy later on, something thats different and makes you say, "wow, thats bloody awesome!" And the Prestige Edition gives you just that with its fully functional night vision goggles! Yes you heard it right, fully functional night vision goggles which I'm sure will make those perverts out there very happy!


Thus, here are Vantage's top 5 reasons to justify that hefty $150 (~P7200) price tag!

1) IT'S REALLY A BARGAIN IF YOU LOOK AT IT - If you truely enjoyed the first installment or just COD for that matter, considering what it comes with, the price isn't actually that bad. Its basically the Hardened Edition (which comes with an art book & special tin packaging) which is $80, and then you get Modern Warfare branded night vision goggles which then come out to be around $70. And your typical run of the mill night vision goggles already cost over $100, so this is a bargain.

2) IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BADASS! - Yes, I can already imagine going downstairs for a midnight snack, going all Sam Fisher mode just to get some food. Experiencing black-outs in your area? NO PROBLEM! No lights necessary here! It will even save you a lil on your electricity bill!

3) F#*K AROUND WITH PEOPLE - When you pull practical jokes on your friends and it works, nothing else gives you that little surge of joy and happiness. With these NVG's, you can do just that. Camp out somewhere at night and kick the shit out of them or scare them like no other!

4) GO COOP ON SOMEONE - Both you and your friend have $150 lying around? Whats more fun that messing with people? Messing with people with a friend! I can think of so many stupid things you can do with these, but thats reserved for another "Top-series."

5) SEX WILL BE... INTERESTING - Granted you will look stupid if you had these on, but think about all those times when you wanted to have sex with the lights on but your girl was insecure or just didn't allow it. Say goodbye to those days!

T-Swizzle is HOTT!!!

A lil old, but I never got around to posting it, so check it out... T-Pain with T-Swizzle (damn shes hot)! I think Taylor Swift could actually have a future in hip-hop and R&B, but thats just me. And did I mention she's hot?

PS3 Slim: Real or Fake?

...You be the judge. I'm still calling this one fake though cuz I'm the type of person who wont believe it til i see it (and right now, no ones seen it! haha). But if I am wrong and the PS3 Slim did get leaked and looks like this... its looking pretty sweet. It's said to be around the same size (if not smaller) as the first-gen PS2. Though it would 10x better if the casing was polished instead of matte.

Let us know, why do YOU think its real or fake?

Vantage Road Study: Hybrid Cars... may not be so friendly on the environment and on your pocket

Nowadays, when we hear that someones driving a hybrid car, we may think, wow, this dude's conscious about the environment, oil prices and CO2 emissions, but that may not necessarily be true according to a recent study done in the US of A. Yes, a simple side by side comparison between hybrids, diesels and gas powered cars will show you that the hybrid is more efficient on a mile to mile basis, BUT it seems that according to the study by Quality Planning, hybrid owners drive more than non-hybrid owners which may negate all the benefits of having a hybrid in the first place.



Some may be thinking, what kind of study these guys at Quality Planning do? Well, they tested over 360,000 cars through 2007 and 2008 and analyzed their driving habits which yielded a pretty interesting result. According to the survey, hybrid and non-hybrid drivers have statistically similar commutes, but hybrid owners drive their vehicles 25% more (2,000 miles) in non-commuting scenarios.

Dr. Raj Bhat, president of Quality Planning, thinks part of the reason for these findings has something to do with the fact that high mileage drivers are typically more interested in hybrids than infrequent drivers.

"What we don't know is whether owning a hybrid vehicle encourages people to drive more miles each day or take more pleasure trips. High-mileage drivers appear to be attracted to these vehicles, so insurers should take steps to verify the intended use of hybrids and validate actual miles driven wherever possible."

The study also shows that hybrid owners are significantly more likely to receive traffic tickets. According to the survey, Toyota Prius owners received .38 tickets per 100,000 miles driven, versus a non-hybrid average of .23 tickets per 100,000 miles. That's a 65% differential. One possible explanation for the ticket disparity has to do with where hybrid owners live. Quality Planning found that hybrid owners are more likely to live in an urban setting, where tickets are more frequently issued.

Though not much of those have much bearing in the Philippines because first, the ones who have cars aren't likely to commute at all and cops, we just run away from. But here's where it gets good... HYBRIDS COST SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TO REPAIR! The Ford Escape Hybrid, for example, costs 31% more to repair than the gasoline-only model, while repairing the Toyota Highlander Hybrid will reportedly add 45% more cost!



This doesn't look good for hybrids. Especially with Toyota Philippines bringing in the Prius, MAN, to anyone who knows their cars, thats definitely a bad move. As the study shows, they cost more to fix, and coincidentally, cars in the Philippines tend to suffer wear and tear faster than developed countries. And with its P2M+ price tag, anyone in their right mind would buy something else because we've learned that hybrids just aren't that efficient once you look deeper than the sugar coated numbers they show you. My advice, just buy a car that you really want. Don't settle for a crappy looking Prius just because you feel pressured to save the environment. Screw hybrids and use as much gas as you can while supplies last! Lets not forget, a Prius actually is more environmentally damaging than a Hummer H2! Why? Because no one considers where & how the "fuel" for the hybrid is processed/coming from... AH-HA!

Nokia sets sights a little lower

Okay, when I said "lower," I meant, LOW, and Nokia is taking respectable measures, to put it nicely. The world's largest mobile phone maker just announced a 66% yearly drop in Q2 profit, as well as lowering its market share target for 2009. Nokia is definitely feeling the pressure from its closest rivals, Apple, RIM and Samsung, which coincidentally, lead the smartphone market.

This looks to really spell trouble for Nokia. They had actually expected their market share to rise in 2009, but it looks like they set their sights a little too high. Nokia had probably expected an increase in market share because of the successful launch of its flagship phone, the N97, but other than the S60 groupies, the N97 hasn't actually received critical acclaims... not even anywhere close. With their trump card, the N97, receiving bland reviews (probably because it was launch after its competitors with no real advantages or revolutionary features) and with nothing special being announced by Nokia, their troubles may have just began.

Sony Ericsson posts $299 million Q2 loss, but a gain for us... Playstation Phone coming Q4?

I'm sure it comes to no surprise that many, MANY companies are suffering losses nowadays, but for Ericsson, it's not all that bad, at least not as bad as its recent $382 million loss. Sony Ericsson also believes this is due to the waves of smartphones that have been coming out that their losing out on their mid-tier mobile phones. For SE fans, all isn't lost, SE said that they are working in that direction and their higher end devices should smack us in the face this Q4. But wait, theres more... one of their devices thats said to be hitting this fourth quarter is rumored "to integrate with Playstation." What that means, only time will tell. Will we have our coveted PSP phone, a phone that just has similar OS and look to the Playstation, or even just a device that allows for remote-play?

I'm most definitely rooting for a PSP phone, but even s smart phone that integrates the Playstation OS' look and feel, and actually looks good is always welcome competition for iPhone lovers such as myself and fellow Vantage bloggers. More competition usually equals good news for consumers like us. But one thing is for sure, we probably wont be seeing anything for the next 3 months (since nothing's coming out in Q3) except for another Sony Ericsson loss. Good luck to you guys at SE!

PS3 Slim in the Philippines?!

For the gamers out there, I'm sure you've already heard, the PS3 Slim has been spotted in the Philippines, coincidentally where we're from. I know, I know, we're late on the news, but I've actually been following a thread on the Pinoyps.com site (local PS3 forum) for updates and someone was actually supposed to check it out yesterday so I was hoping to wait for the news and post it here right away. But it seems that someone bought it before our contact could check it out.



For those who are still in the dark, news thus far is that the one who was selling it said it came from the States and now, the unit has been sold to someone for around P22k ($460), most likely to be re-sold at a much higher price (that's the way the Philippines works). A group of curious cats on the pinoyps.com forum have said that they will go today and look for it, finally validating whether or not this is a hoax.

BUT, since this is Vantage, it's never complete without our point of view... and I call BULLSHIT! Although I dont really need to explain myself, I will anyway. Some of my major arguments is that if it is indeed out, leaked, stolen or whatever, and is in the hands of someone out there, why hasn't Sony said anything? This news is out on probably all the major gaming sites, yet Sony has kept quiet. Why? Cuz its probably fake! If its already out and someone has it, how can Sony not acknowledge or confirm it when its already in someones hands? And out of all the places in the world for it to be leaked, why the Philippines? I mean no offense to our country, cuz after all, its my home too, but why not China, Japan or Korea? Correct me if im wrong, but aren't PS3's made in Japan or China? Why would it be leaked in the States and go as far as to be brought here?

Another argument is that hey, this is the Philippines, the land of fake stuff! There are PSP hand held look-a-likes that aren't real, Vii's, iPhones that claim to be iPhones but are fake, Nokia 6300's from China that hella look like the real deal, and even a Nokia N98.... yeah, N98, what the F#@K is that?! And for the guy who has it not to post pics or something on the net is also very suspicious.

Another thought is that it could be a "re-pack." What I mean by that is that someone got a hold of the fake/leaked casing from a few months ago, and just transfered the internals of the original PS3 into that one. Also maybe switching out the harddisk to a bigger one and making the power supply external, much like the PS2 Slim.

Anyway, I could go on and on about why I call this one a big hoax, but hey, I COULD be wrong. These are just my reasons why I don't think its real. I've gotta see it to believe it. Anyway, only time will tell, after those who have ventured to the land of the fakes to look for the coveted Slim PS3.

My Day Job: Battery Kingdom

Wasup guys! Sorry for the lack of updates from me, just been really busy with my day job, and staying on that topic, here’s what I’ve specifically been busy with, our new website. www.batterykingdom.net, our little way of making your battery needs, whatever they may be, a little easier to deal with and find. Give our site a click to find a branch near you and to see what products and services we offer, or drop me a line at info@batterykingdom.net for any inquiries.

Anyways, as for Vantage, expect more regular updates with news, music, fashion, gadgets, and more reviews so stay tuned and spread the word!!!

Alterations Plus... bunch of dumb-asses!

Alterations Plus is a well known place where you can have all sorts of clothing altered, but is it any good? I'm sure you can already tell from the title that its not. Okay, fine, they aren't bad in the sense that the finished product gets pretty close to the way you want it, but their service and personnel are bloody stupid.

Let me now specify that this post is to the Shangri-La Plaza branch. I haven't been to the other branches so it wouldn't be fair to judge, but if anyone from Alterations Plus reads this post, you guys should have your personnel at that branch re-trained, learn some proper english, or better yet, replace them entirely!

The major problem there is that they just don't deliver on time! As the customer, I'm already putting up with the higher prices (with hopes for better quality), moody sales ladies and longer due dates, so at least deliver my item on time! This is already the 2nd time that i've gone to pick something up and have them say its not done yet. And mind you, this is in a mall... where you have to pay for parking. 

The first time this happened, they just flat out said "its not done, can you come back at 7pm?" The pick up time was at 5pm. Already it takes them a 1-3 days longer to finish altering your clothing and now you say its not yet done?! The 2nd time (which was just today), I went to pick up my jeans and what did they say? "It's not yet done, the pick up time is at 5pm." Yes, I went at 3pm (straight after work)... BUT... I clearly asked when I dropped them off, if I can pick it up ANYTIME on Saturday. "Yes," they replied. Knowing their pick up time is at 5pm, I asked again, and they repeated, "yes, anytime on saturday." And how long does it take to alter a pair of pants? For these, I had to wait 4 days! 4 days to alter jeans?! 

So my suggestion to you Alterations Plus... get some new sales ladies that are better looking, friendlier, more accommodating AND deliver on time!!! I know its not the sales ladies fault if its not done, but its their responsibility to clearly tell the customer when it will be and when they can pick up the item. Time to take my clothing somewhere else. 

Ingglisss

Errrmmmm....