right, i’m so cool i’m going to drive to swindon for the day.

tally ho losers!

The number of people that I have met that _hate_ their Blackberry devices with a passion means that they cannot be cool under any circumstances. Some level of “meh” might allow possible inclusion of them in the gadget league tables, but they are not _that_ good at what they do (iPhone better as a smartphone, laptop better at mail, etc). Personally, anything that is more “meh” than “wow” is out.

I like Aston Martin, but I would not say the whole brand is cool. Some models are cool, some not. I think that goes for just about everything on that list. Some bits good, some bad. New stuff on Google: Maybe cool for a while, then not.

You want cool, go look at niche stuff, something that has no brand, or has a brand that is unattainable to the common man. Hassleblad are cool, Porsche Spyders (James Dean, killer of) are cool. Rolex? not cool.

Vans are not cool anymore, they were but they are no longer.

I don’t think you can actually buy cool, you either are or you aren’t.

People who try to are all a bit sad, really, aren’t they?

Anyway, cool is way over rated, happiness is much, er, cooler.

Aston Martin – Look nice, but in a showy way. Not cool IMO. Too expensive and too heavy on fuel. For cool, fun car, look at the Abarth 500. Cheap(ish), economical(ish) and a huge, huge grin every time you drive it

Apple – Look nice, tactile, “affordable” and a “must use” utility – Cool, irrrespective of commonality

Harley-Davidson – Not cool, but I do like the V-twin sound. Fancied a Moto Morini Corsaro for V Twin noise and quirky looks – although of course, the exclusive price tag means unlikely to be cool.

BMW F800GS would do nicely – parallel twin, excellent utility, quirky looks, tuned to sound like the big flat twin GS

Rolex – flash and gash

Bang & Olufsen – oh, look at me, look at me…

BlackBerry – I don’t “get” BalckBerry – prob due to big hands and small keys. Too businessy to be cool, unless your an inner city looter

Google – I get where Beeb are coming from, but to me this is pure utility.

Ferrari – beauty, but at a price that defines uncool exclusivity

Nike – cr@p. Utterly uncool. About as uncool as you can get IMO

YouTube – Neither cool or uncool in itself.

I’m generally “brand”-averse.

Not rabidly anti-apple etc but I think I’d be less likely to buy anything that was generally put in the same bracket as Aston Martin and Rolex

Vans are not cool anymore, they were but they are no longer.

they’re cool if you actually skate in them…. they only become uncool when bought by some **** from JJB or schuh.

as the original skate shoe they will always hold a special place in my heart.

Im 30…

Aston Martin, New Astons are uncool, thier image is becoming what Porsches image was in the 1980’s. Maserati are cool. The Alfa Romeo 8c and 4c (concept) are cool.

Apple, uncool no matter how hard they try.

Harley-Davidson, Uncool, unless your names Bonesaw and you live in Arizona.

Rolex, uncool, but will become cool again.

Bang & Olufsen, mildly cool so long as you dont namecheck it.

BlackBerry, uncool.

Google, just a search engine.

Ferrari, Too much merchandise has devalued the coolness brand.

Nike, uncool unless your a teenager. Onitsuka Tigers are much cooler.

YouTube, indifferent.

I fail to understand this obsession with brands.

Apple must be cool – because so many people want its products.

Personally, I think cool left the Apple building sometime around G4.

Style-wise, it’s still fresher than Dell, but it’s become so utilitarian, so defined by manufacturing cost savings, the range looks pretty bland to me nowadays.

(Written on a G5 iMac)

I fail to understand this obsession with brands.

Most people* are influenced by brands to one level or another. The OP is just discussing ‘cool’ brands. There are also ‘bargain’ brands, ‘professional’ brands, ‘green’ brands…

*TJ is not a people.

I have to agree with the Ferrari merchandise thing. Hideously, hideously uncool. And when was the last time they made a desirable looking car?

When I was a kid, we loved Ferraris because they were rare and were styled by people who knew what they were doing. Now, the cars look awkward and are a relatively common sight.

As for Lamborghini, they’re the perfect car for someone who’s trying far too hard.

There are a lot of pretentious automotive brands out there trying to attain coolness, but IMHO only Alfa Romeo and possibly Jaguar have it right.

Cool brands:

Donnay Sports

Naff CO 54

Eclipse jeans

Kappa

Henry Lloyd

Rockport

Lonsdale

Nike have there moments but I would think that Adidas are cooler as are Converse.

trainers are not cool, they might be if you are 12 or you shop at JJB sports. Grenson are cool as are Trickers. Grenson is now owned by Tim Little who dragged Adidas from the mire back in the 90’s, he’s now working his brand magic with brogues.

all mainstream aspirational brands are not cool.

* suspects GlitterGary works at Sports Direct *

You forgot Spliffy jeans.

PJM1974 – Member
I have to agree with the Ferrari merchandise thing. Hideously, hideously uncool. And when was the last time they made a desirable looking car?

The 250 GT California. Possibly the most amazing looking car ever. I’ve wanted one since the first time I saw Ferris Beuller’s Day Off.

I know someone who always says things like “where are my Oakley sunglasses”, “have you seen my iPhone”.

As if anyone gives a monkeys what brand they are. Am I supposed to feel inferior & awestruck by their brand choice? 🙄

Wouldn’t most people just say “where are my sunglasses” or “have you seen my mobile”?

Wouldn’t most people just say “where are my sunglasses” or “have you seen my mobile”?

Depends. How many sunglasses and mobiles does your chap have?

trainers are not cool, they might be if you are 12 or you shop at JJB sports. Grenson are cool as are Trickers.

It is uncool to stylise trainers beyond a certain age but it is cool to stylise shoes and this demonstrates a maturity, no?

*Considers binning Grensons in favour of Sambas*

As if anyone gives a monkeys what brand they are. Am I supposed to feel inferior & awestruck by their brand choice?

Repeating the same point over and over = Uncool. 8)

Edit:

Spliffy jeans

Kickers

Ellesse

There’s no such thing as a cool car.

Modern motors can’t possibly be cool as they’re just big domestic appliances built to meet cynical marketing data, and old motors that might have some cool points (Citroen DS & SM, Saab 96, SWB series Land Rover, perhaps Rover P6) would be cool but for the fact they’re classic cars, and classic car ownership isn’t cool – it’s a geeky expensive nightmare of an enthusiasm dominated by hard shoulder stops, oily hands, spanners, WD40 in the glove box, phoning round for limited mileage insurance, endless washing, waxing and never driving in the rain. And, horror of horrors, waving to fellow enthusiasts.

Motorbikes are just the same. No such thing as a cool modern motorbike – especially the modern retro ones, they’re painfully desperate – and classic bike ownership is for beardy men with dirty fingernails who either don’t like their wives and need something to get them out of the house, or haven’t got a wife so use the living room as a garage.

And to be honest, except for the black cab you flag down in the street, in 2011 anything with an internal combustion engine has got a real struggle on to be cool.

In fact I’d go so far as to say anything you have to tax and test, that you have to do lessons and a government sanctioned two part test to be able to drive or ride, and have to stop at a big gaudy filling station complete with Spar or Londis to fill with petrol every few miles ruins any sort of spontaneity required for being cool.

Boris bikes are the coolest thing on british roads right now by some margin. In fact they’re the only cool thing I can think of on british roads right now.

MrSmith – Member

all mainstream aspirational brands are not cool

’bout sums it up for me 😉

if you can ‘click to add it to basket’ or if it’s ‘off the shelf’ then not cool,
if it requires measuring/fitting/pre ordering or involves any degree of specification customising then it’s got a good chance of being cool.

The very fact that a bunch of middle aged cyclists are discussing whats cool on an internet forum is laughable.

Apple are officially now more evil than Microsoft.
Assuming the reports of Microsoft having taken down it’s 3rd Botnet of the year… whilst Apple have just issued a whole load of patent suits.

Blackberry is out of date – current market share spiralling down in favour of Android phones (so I guess Android phones must be cool).

Hmmm has no one mentioned Abercrombie&Fitch – I thought that the yoof were queueing up for it?

Defiantly not in a position to comment on the status of “cool”, but if cool is portraying an image that is regarded as such without giving the impression of trying to be “cool” then brands that sell products only on the merit of their image cannot be cool. For example I’d categorize Apple users into two category’s,the ones that have one product because its good (for example the Ipod is a good product) and the majority that are buying the image (and hence every item in the shop, I’d bet you all know a few people with 6,7,8 apple products) the product portrays. How can the latter be cool? Same goes for all brands. Therefore no individual brand can be cool.

Iain

Gary_M:

The very fact that a bunch of middle aged cyclists are discussing whats cool on an internet forum is laughable.

Well, what do you want to talk about then, smart guy?

Kittens? They are fluffy and cuddly

No they aren’t. 😈

Blackberry is out of date – current market share spiralling down in favour of Android phones (so I guess Android phones must be cool).

Popular does not = Cool

In my head, it’s cooler to own something less common, even if it’s not considered to be the ‘best’

The very fact that a bunch of middle aged cyclists are discussing whats cool on an internet forum is laughable.

Dammit. Is it no longer cool being middle aged and a cyclist?

All those brands are equally cool or uncool to me. They are all essentially neutral. But then again, I have a special helmet (not a cycling one!!!) which protects me from all advertising and marketing. I am above all that hype!

Am I unusual in buying some thing because the product is good, and not because the brand is cool?

I’m cool and I think Nike 6.0 are cool but not the rest of the stuff they sell. Here is a picture of the Nike’s I’m wearing now just to prove that I am cool.

Untitled by i_ache, on Flickr

Dude a dirty trainer and Dell?

And it’s unlucky to put a shoe on the desk, the sky will now fall on your head.

Everything I have is cool, most of it I can’t tell you about because you are all clearly uncool (especially trainer dell desk dude)and probably not good looking.

But I’ll let you into my cool watch, because it’s very sunny here, a great day and I feel much better thank you.

Edit: Oh I nearly forgot it’s cool because it has stuff that pilots use and I haven’t got the foggiest idea how to work it because I’m not clever, just cool, cool people are not clever, they told me that when I bought it.

Actually its a Dell monitor plugged into the little Sony laptop on the left.

More cool points for running two monitors off one computer. 😀

More uncool geek points for running two monitors off one computer.

FTFY. 😉

What are all those cool buttons on the wall in back.

In my head, it’s cooler to own something less common, even if it’s not considered to be the ‘best’

Like this? This is cool. Way cooler than an Android handset with built-in iPhone.

Bang & Olufsen….not sure on this, i’m going with not cool, i think this marks one out as a stereo nerd/geek.

No it marks someone out as having too much money and knowing nothing about stereos.