I’m sure by now that you’ve all heard about Steve Jobs’ new obsession, the iPad (I gave you 3 days to let it simmer). And if your’e anything like me, I’m sure you got a kick out of watching him prance around on stage trying to convince us that it’s “a truly revolutionary and magical product”. But all erroneous hyperbole aside, the real questions are – Is it a game-changer, or an epic fail? and Will you shell out the beans to get one? Here are some specs to help you decide.

What it does have:

Display: 9.7 inch IPS

Size and Weight: 9.56 by 7.47 by 0.5 inches, and 1.5 to 1.6 pounds

Processor: 1GHz Apple A4 Chip

Storage: 16, 32, or 64GB flash (4 times the size, yet no storage capacity upgrade)

Battery life: 10 hours battery life, over 1 month standby (who’s leaving it running for that long?)

Connectivity: 802.11n Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (AT&T exclusive, WTF?!)

Other Features: Accelerometer, compass, speaker, mic, 30-pin connector (wait, no camera?)

Price: “Starts at $499″ (16GB w/o 3G, $130 extra + either a 14.99/mo or 29.99/mo data plan thru AT&T for models w/ 3G)

What it doesn’t have:

No 3G support for Verizon (You’re killin’ me here!)

No new user interface

No built-in camera (Holy S**t!)

No Flash support (WTF!)

No user-replaceable battery (…)

No TV subscriptions (…not like it mattered anyway)

My Opinion:
Overall, as a device I will admit it’s pretty cool, but the lack of many core specs and features (especially, its incompatibility with Verizon users) that should honestly be a given for technology in this day and age, leaves me not quite sold. Maybe future generations or maybe even a few last minute upgrades before they hit stores might sway me, but for now, I’ll pass. Look, I’m no Apple hater (I’m still after a MacBook, and keeping my fingers crossed for a Verizon iPhone – I’m hearing July) but whenever I look at this thing, I can’t help but just see a big ass iPod (yes, I said “pod” not “phone” – and no, not “beefed-up” just overgrown). For what it’s worth you’re still better off with a MacBook or just sticking to your iPhone, as for me I’m good with my Droid.

Will ya look at this! This weeks TYFA comes courtesy of our homie Royal-Tee as he stopped in today to catch up on lost time. And he was more than happy to model a look for us. Ro’s rocking a Play Cloths “Spiffy” Flannel with the matching “Bear Cat” cap and “Cash” scarf, a False X Better Off Dead “Sickle Chanel” tee, a pair of [our favorite] APC Rescue Denim’s, and bottomed out with a pair of Silver 1/2 Cents (we still got a good run left!). Dude was so hyped to be back around and he just couldn’t wait to fill us in on the details from his recent road trip (except to drop a tweet here and there). That energy carried on throughout the shoot to the point that his seemingly never-wavering enthusiasm caused what shoulda been great shots to come out mad blurry (but don’t worry we got enough good ones to cover this post). Homie even saw it fit to bless us wit a hot 16 fresh off the top, I’ll get that vid posted as soon as i figure out how to get off my phone. Oh yeah did I mention the fit was dope too?

More pics after the jump…

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There’s a big time accessory sale going on right now @ the Factory.

All watches, belts, shades, wallets, backpacks & lids are 35% OFF!

From now ’til Sunday.

We caught up with our man Keelan as he was waiting up for his girl outside the nail salon. It seemed as if he’d been there for a while, ’cause the look on his face told about a thousand stories about the “other things” he could be doing. Needless to say, he was bored as hell. Couple that up with the crappy weather outside and my all-seeing lens and you’ve got yourself this week’s TYFA post.

This shoot took a little longer than usual due to the unforgiving circumstances, so kudos to Kee for being all game. There must have been a real occasion as he was rocking attire that was pretty atypical to what were used to seeing. His fit consisted of a Crooks & Castles “Foreman” jacket, an all black Mixer Utility woven by 10 Deep, a pair of G-Star 3301 Signature Series denim’s and a pair of Sweet Classics by Nike. As for the Amongst Friends duffel bag, I’ve got no clue what that was for.

After leaving to get a bite I returned to catch him taking snoozing on the bench. I figured it would be cool to get some of that footy on the blog as well. (He even sleeps with steez!)

More pics after the jump…

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What a way to start the year! All the fam here at Flava Factory are proud to announce that this Saturday – after much anticipation – we are unveiling our debut season (#10) as North Carolina’s ONLY official BBC/Ice Cream retailer!

This season’s featured items will showcase more of the classic BBC/Ice Cream looks and designs, as well as a few innovative re-hashings that don’t stray too far from the memorable concepts and designs that got them this huge in the first place. Those who are familiar with the line[s] past ventures have seen some of the eyebrow-raising, WTF!? pieces that caused quite an uproar within the BBC/IC fanboy community (especially the whole sportsman theme from last season – ???). But from what I’ve seen in the upcoming catalog previews it looks like Nigo & Pharrell’s mega-brand has made a few stark redirections as far as concepts and design and this season is apparently considered among many circles to be a sort of “return to their roots”. Let’s hope this holds true, as we expect big – make that HUGE things from our new far east friends.

We’ll keep you updated as we are expecting more and more ongoing shipments in the near future.

Also be sure to hit up BBC/IC’s official website & blog @ bbcicecream.com & bbcicecream.com/blog/

Check a preview of our first drop after the jump…

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Though not as monumental as 09’s grand finale, Jordan’s 2010 premier shipment look to keep the momentum going through the start of this year. And following the pattern of groundbreaking releases we saw Q4 last year, this drop features a trifecta of heralded drops. Like they say, if it aint’ broke don’t fix it.

The Air Jordan Spizike “Do You Know?” marks the comeback of the Spizike in its original sneaker form. The creative colorway sports 2 different elephant prints and some subtle accents making it a startling favorite among the hybrid’s dedicated fans. Keep an eye out for the “Fresh Since 85″ pair next month.

Next up is the Air Jordan Alpha 1. Other than some play with colors and materials, the shoe that started it all hadn’t seen too much variation over the years. Until now. The Alpha 1 is the result of the AJ1 undergoing a total overhaul in design and construction, sporting some major upgrades to give the longtime classic the chops to hang with some of the latest on-court technology we see in b-ball shoes today. Among the hook-ups are a full length Zoom Air bag, perforated high-density leather, almost no stitching whatsoever, and a silky smooth mesh interior. This facelift was long overdue.

And last but certainly not least, the varsity red Retro VI’s. JB’s follow up to the Space Jams couldn’t have been any better. To put it bluntly, these are sick, even if they aren’t infrared. The icy sole, the sleek nubuck (thank God they didn’t use that dull shit from the Flu Games, yuk!), just the shoe overall is incredible. A definite must cop for those looking to bolster their AJ rundown with some heat. But don’t look now, if you’re a Jordan purist like me, then you’ve probably already heard the rumors about what’s [supposedly] coming this June…

Jordan definitely got this one right, with the re-emergence of the Spizike as a sneaker, a total revamping of the Air Jordan 1, and a sexy variant to a longtime favorite (my fave), this is probably the best overall drop we’ve had thus far (not counting the ‘Jams, that’s a whole ‘nother animal). And it doesn’t hurt that the set also features some pretty dope t-shirts to complement. Well done JB, well done.

More pics after the jump…

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We went in a different direction with TYFA this week. As you’ve probably seen in previous posts, we’ve mainly focused on streetwear for our past go rounds. But LB (being LB) decided to push for a more contemp/fashion set up. So, just to give us a glimpse of his “infinitely creative sensibility”, he donned this fit.
Consisting of a mismatched jacket/jean pairing by G-Star (Slim Taylor Jacket & Radar Jeans) with a plush Stapleton Vest by Penfield, all over a Lumbering Jack flannel shirt by 10 Deep, and finished off with a pair of black and copper Deckard Mids by The Vael Project.
A little punk, a little street, a little hipster, yet all fly, this look is fit for a red carpet appearance. Unfortunately our shoot never quite made it full swing thanks to a phone call that came up literally seconds after LB finished his fine tuning in the mirror (just my luck).

I would suggest coming through to pick up this look quick, because if copper Vaels can make this “pop”, then I wonder how those other copper shoes will look…

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Thursday thru Sunday…

30% of All S-L Outerwear and Woven Shirts
Buy-One-Get-One for 50% off All Tees S-L
Buy-One-Get-One for $20 on All Jordan Spizike Boots, Leroy Smith 1’s and 60 Plus
Buy One Get One for 50% off All other Nike Products
*Taxes applicable on all sales*

Come in early cuz people have been asking!

Only @ Flava Factory South

For the first TYFA of the decade, yours truly decided to don the garments and step out from behind the camera (a rarity as of late). I decided to highlight some of our more obscure and slept-on pieces for this one. Keepin it monochrome (save for my orange Nixon, oops!), I tried out the Black Lines hoodie by The Hundreds, pulled up some extra baggy Raw Needle jeans by False, squeezed my foot into a half-size-too-small pair of Foamposite Boots by Nike and packed my shaggy-maned melon in an Old Timer’s cap by New Era X UNDFTD. The fit proved to be pretty comfy as I went about the shops opening chores (although after about only 5 or 6 minutes i had to take a seat ’cause the boots were killin me!). Like all the looks we put out here on TYFA, this is definitely one worth a cop. And shout out to Kirk for showin off his skills with the third eye!

Check the look after the jump…

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Alright!

The 1st first shipment of the new yearrrr-uuhhh – no. Play Cloths was one of the major brands that we rode out the last cycle with, but this shipment wasn’t exactly packing the BANG I was expecting (especially not for the first shipment of the year).This set was more of a re-up than an actual release, bringing back some faves from the last major drop we had, in addition to one or two new items. PC’s pulled these kind of pump-fakes before, but it’s definitely intended to be a teaser, just to get us all salivating for what’s coming up next. ‘Cause you know, PC’s always got something cookin in the kitchen (word to Clipse).

More pics after the jump…

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