nyc

Craving NYC: Toy Wishes Holiday Preview

I'm practical, no-nonsense, and down-to-earth, despite what other people who write for this blog may tell you. So when our local CNET TV honcho, Rich DeMuro, told me I might want to check out the Holiday Preview event held by trade magazine Toy Wishes earlier this week, I kind of rolled my eyes. I'm not really one for kid stuff. And indeed, the entertainment tie-ins and crazy web-enabled light-up flashing gadgets are kind of insane. I'm still not understanding the appeal of a Darth Vader action figure that morphs into the Death Star.

But you kind of … Read more

From the floor--ShowStoppers NYC

ShowStoppers is billed as "Hot products. Cool Companies." This show was in NYC this week, playing off the buzz of DigitalLife and showcasing some neat products.

The good thing about shows like these is that you get to see a lot of stuff all at once. Plus, you get the meet the people behind the e-mails that you've been getting all year long. There are even a few people who thank you for featuring their product in The Queue.

magicJack is one of them. I can't remember how I originally heard about this, but I think … Read more

Craving NYC: Holiday gift gadgetry, in September

What do you call it when people have started to bust out the fake snow and start talking about holiday gift buying before you've even begun to plan your Halloween costume? I'll tell you what you call it. You call it scary.

But such is our culture. Last week, Jeff Bakalar and I went over to the "Holiday Spectacular" event held by Pepcom, that company that has turned a combination of open bars, schlocky decoration themes, and display cases of cell phones and cameras into a cottage industry. I saw cool gadgets. Enough said.

But Jeff, … Read more

Craving NYC: Poker and pedicures

I know it sounds a little trite, a little stereotypical, a little girly, etc., but I really did find the idea of learning the ropes of mobile poker to be slightly more accessible when I was told that I could have a pedicure in the process. That was the thinking behind an event to publicize Hands On Mobile's latest release, World Poker Tour: Texas Hold'em 2, which introduced a handful of curious females to the seemingly boys-only world of poker by providing lessons and demonstrations in the context of an afternoon of spa treatments at midtown Manhattan's … Read more

Craving NYC: The censored CNET videos

Our esteemed CNET reviewers are always making those "First Look" videos, in which they talk about the latest smart phone or LCD flat-screen TV or overpriced home theater system. Well, here's a look at one of the First Looks that the CNET overlords deemed unworthy of a second look. It's somewhat shocking, really. I had no idea that our seemingly mild-mannered reviewers could stomach that sort of thing. If you don't believe me, I guess you'll just have to watch it.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. We here at Crave would like … Read more

Bluetooth billboard beams free ringtone

Would you accept a free ringtone from a billboard? Westin hopes so. They've installed a Bluetooth-enabled billboard in the subway stop below Grand Central Station in New York City. The billboard beams a free ringtone to those passing by.

The interactive ad is part of a $30 million push for their "This is how it should feel" campaign. Instead of pictures of plush beds or in-room workstations, there are steps converted into waterfalls, image shifting ads with a boardroom meeting on one side and sky diving on the other and the entire insides of subway cars transformed … Read more

Craving NYC: Table tennis, anyone?

There's a storefront in Manhattan's Lower East Side neighborhood called Grand Opening, home to a table tennis venue that's actually a design studio, but won't be a table tennis venue for too long because then it's going to be turned into something totally different after July 1.

Oh, and there's a live webcam.

Confused? Just watch the video.

Craving NYC: Return to ITP!

The Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) at NYU is very close to my heart. First, because it's one of those few magical places where you can say something like "That is so steampunk of you!" and actually have people know what you mean. Second, because its winter 2006-2007 student show was the setting of my very first video blog. Awwww!

So, this time around, I went over to the ITP spring semester show, which was held in one of NYU's building spaces on Tuesday and Wednesday, to see what the students over there have been coming up … Read more

Craving NYC: So anyway, I heard this Apple rumor...

Well, um, I'd like to treat you to some interesting footage that I took on Friday afternoon while hashing over a bunch of random Apple rumors that had surfaced throughout the course of the week. It was kind of driving me nuts. iTunes subscriptions? Leopard delays? The Beatles? I mean, I've got stake in this. I'm a potential iPod buyer, as you'll see in the video. I'd like to be confident when I purchase a new iPod that Jobsy won't just roll out the next generation of 'em the next day. (Knowing my luck, … Read more