#SMWNYC Global HQ New York - February 21, 2013

Sony Playstation Vita 3G / WiFi

Being a longtime Playstation Portable fan, I recently joined the ranks of being a new owner of it's successor, the PS Vita. The PS Vita physically resembles the Playstation Portable from almost 8 years ago, but features dramatic technological improvements such as a 5 inch OLED touchscreen display, available 3G wireless capabilities (as in my version), front and rear cameras built right in, and the benefit of a quad core processor to rival its console stablemate, the PS3, in computing power. Sony recently made their premium online service Playstation Plus available for Vita owners, featuring a host of flagship downloadable game titles available for free for subscribers. This truly sweetens the deal of being a new PS Vita owner, and tipped the decision in favor of buying one for myself. :)

BMW i. Born Electric Tour : New York City - November 14, 2012

The BMW i. Born Electric tour is here in New York City from November 14th through the 18th, and features the amazing "carbon fiber hybrid-electric BMW i8 Concept Spyder and the fully-electric next generation BMW i3 Concept" as highlighted by BMW press materials. Check out this gallery and take in the sights!

Samsung Chromebook Unboxing

I ordered a Google Chromebook a couple days after it was introduced in late October, and fast forward to the second week of November, long story short, I finally have my hands on very own Samsung Google Chromebook. I was very intrigued by the first models introduced over a year ago but the retail price always seemed a bit high for me to dip my toes into the world of purely 'Cloud' computing, the paradigm championed by the Chromebook. When this sleek little number was introduced with the attractive price tag of only $249, I knew I had to nab one for myself. I'm quite impressed with the build quality of the system despite the all-plastic shell, and hope this little guy lasts as long as the 2 years of complimentary 100GB Google Drive storage provided free with device. All in all, a sleek and tidy computing package that almost looks like a head turning new model from another computer company who shall remain unnamed. :)

The Sound of Touch - HP Windows 8 Launch Party - October 24th, 2012

Windows 8 has launched with a splash, and HP celebrated the much anticipated debut of the new operating system last night by throwing a private party at Terminal 5 in New York City, highlighted by the groundbreaking and critically acclaimed hip-hop electronic group from Los Angeles: Far East Movement. The excitement was palpable as soon as guests entered the venue, with HP themed blue lighting effects splayed across the walls as digital lightshows danced across the ceiling to the beat of the DJ spinning tunes throughout the acoustically excellent Terminal 5. The first part of the evening included an Artist Talk event hosted by none other than the official celebrity Grammy music blogger himself, Arjan Writes, who held an engaging and in-depth interview with the amazing members of Far East Movement right on the performance stage, alongside their musical equipment. Guests attending the Artist Talk session were treated to their very own copy of Far East Movement's latest creation, their new album titled Dirty Bass, which is sure to be another chart-topping disc from the same group that brought us the unforgettable beats from Like a G6 from a couple years prior. The party then swung into full gear throughout the hall, which was decked out with the very latest touch-enabled Microsoft Windows 8 offerings from HP, in staying with the theme for the night "The Sound of Touch". A life-size HP Envy Touch notebook was the centerpiece of the event and drew countless fascinated guests to its movie-screen sized display to play a music trivia game with a fun and novel twist: the answers were to be selected by stepping on Paul Bunyan-sized keys on the laptop's square-foot filling keyboard. A digital photobooth nearby allowed everyone to mug with a facsimile of Far East Movement and their favorite urban-gear props, such as a classic boombox or rad gold chains. As the refreshments flowed and everyone got into the groove of the evening, the lights slowly dimmed and spectators were treated to another surprise: a circus act by aerial gymnastic performers. They ascended up their white cloth ladders up to nearly the ceiling of the event space, twisting and turning and tumbling with the greatest of ease, and at one point even playfully balancing a bantam-weight HP tablet in their hands. The main event soon followed, with Far East Movement taking to the stage, and performing the latest tracks from their album Dirty Bass, and of course, their awesome hit, Like a G6. It was an exciting evening for all the attendees including myself, and I want to personally thank Cherrytree Records and HP for my invite to this amazing event. Enjoy the accompanying slideshow for snapshots to relive the experience!

Asus - "In Search of Incredible" Launch Event - October 23rd, 2012

ASUS debuted a completely new range of all-in-one Desktops, Tablets, and hybrid tablet-laptops at their press event held in New York City today, all optimized for use with the forthcoming Microsoft Windows 8 operating system. One of the most innovative (and unique) offerings on display included the breathtaking Taichi convertible laptop. This new, groundbreaking product features a dual-display system, with a touch-screen display both on the front and the back of the laptop lid. It turns the argument of whether to take a laptop or a tablet with you on its head, affording you the ability to transform it from one to the other by simply closing a lid (no twisting or turning involved.) The Taichi machine was clearly the star of the show, and as you can see from the slideshow, it grabbed the lion's share of interest from all the event attendees. Taken together, the new products all featured Asus' signature attention to design details and demonstrated their usual strength in engineering prowess, and will surely appeal to consumers and business users alike shopping for new Windows 8-based systems.

NFC tags

A collection of NFC tags (MIFARE Classic compatible) for use with the Galaxy SIII