Posts Tagged ‘social networking’
I started writing this over at MTP, but then decided all this text looked kind of out of place in a photo blog, so thus I moved my ramblings over here. Maybe it’s for the better anyways as God knows this place needs some livening up!
Recently I was invited to attend a round table discussion with Canon UK, which was organised by Canoncamerabuzz. It was an opportunity for me and a few other professional photographers to see the whole lineup of Canon’s DSLRs (including the brand new 1D MrkIV, which started shipping this week) in the same room, and hear about some of the processes behind developing new bodies and lenses.
I didn’t really have any expectations for the evening, apart from getting to fiddle with the 1Ds MrkIII (which was very satisfying indeed – I still definitely cavort over it more than the new 1D MrkIV). What I came away with was a clearer understanding behind Canon’s decisions for their line-up and who the average end user actually is (i.e. not me). As professionals, we tend to have a bit of a skewed perspective on what the next camera models should do and what kind of features they should, or shouldn’t, possess. Add to that the fact that for someone like me, coming from a film background, it’s hard to get my head around the fact that the majority of dSLR consumers these days have never even used film, which was kind of clarified to me when I was questioning why the 1D MrkIV isn’t full frame. As it goes, the market for full frame isn’t as big as I would have though. For me, it’s the only sensible thing to do but, as product specialist Mark Burnhill from Canon UK explained, the majority of dSLR users are of an age that have always shot with a crop sensor, and that’s what they find ‘normal’. To me, that seems completely perplexing! When I started my move to digital, via an EOS 350D and 20D, I felt restricted, not only in what I saw through the viewfinder, but in the fact that I couldn’t use my lenses to their full effect. So when I finally got my hands on the 5D, and subsequently the 5D MkII which I now use, it literally felt like I could breathe normally again. Until I now heard Mark rationalise the issue for me, I couldn’t for the life of me understand why someone wouldn’t want a full frame camera.
The other interesting fact was how infinitely bigger the market is for the lower end models, the pro end of the line is practically a drop in the ocean when it comes to Canon’s dSLR sales. Obviously that is going to have an affect on what the development efforts will be concentrated on. Interesting no? Perhaps this has always been obvious to everyone else, but I’ve never really even considered all of this when scratching my head about why there are so many crop sensor models, and a dizzying amount of different lower-end models with only marginal differences, about. A shocked shiver went through the room when Mark asked us what we thought of the possibility of coloured dSLR bodies, apparently that’s the latest demand from the Japanese market. Uh huh. Give me a pink Ixus to slip into my pocket any time, but please leave that sort of gimmicks out of the ‘proper’ cameras I say!
After all these ‘revelations’, my position hasn’t really changed. Ever since I started using SLR’s in the early 90’s Canon has, and always will be, the manufacturer for me, and in my opinion their lenses are head and shoulders above the rest. And the fact that even after looking at the realities of ‘where the real money is’, they keep on developing new and exciting pro gear for us to play with is a testament to Canon’s dedication to quality picture-making.
How was that for sounding like a real Canon fan girl (which of course I am)? :D
I know, I know, I need to blog about what’s been happening on the house-hunting front, about Cornwall and all the other stuff that I haven’t had time to blog aboout. Soon, I promise. Well, perhaps not a firm promise, but at least a promise to attempt!
Tags: Canon, Canon UK, canoncamerabuzz, photography related, social networking, technology
Posted by Marianne at 6:45 pm in geekery, photography related, social networking
Last night I attended another quizzy quiz organised by 3 as part of the 3mobilebuzz team.
The Alphabet Bar was decked out in a very festive manner. One of the bonus rounds involved creating a gingerbread man. Here’s my scary effort.
@michchapman & @phaslehurst
@liamgh representing.
First mince pies of the year (for those who actually like them… ie not me :P).
@liamgh, @michchapman, @pebaline and moi.
Stuff Magazine won the coveted trophy. For some mysterious reason we came last. Even though we only got like 3 questions wrong! Obviously a fix I say…
Some people get excited on night buses…
Oh and by the way, this was the first night of really testing my new G11 in some challenging conditions. Considering it was really dark, and I’m pretty pleased with how it performs. But obviously it never will beat a proper SLR with a good lens, as is clear from the previous 3popquiz pictures…
Tags: 3, 3mobilebuzz, 3Network, 3popquiz, Alphabet Bar, liamgh, London, michChapman, my life in photos, pebaline, phaslehurst, pub quiz, social networking
Posted by Marianne at 11:00 am in my life in photos, social networking
One. Adam at Quark technical support rocks!
Two. Starting the week with a stomach flu of some sort, not so much.
Tags: my life, quark, social networking, technology
Posted by Marianne at 10:25 pm in geekery, my life in words, social networking
I’ve been thinking about things like branding and online identity a lot lately. Or rather, they have been issues that have come up over and over again in various conversations in different contexts, with people such as Jonas and Cathie to name but a few. And for a while I was struggling over how I should brand myself/my business in order for all the different messages to be clear and not get muddled up by all the noise.
The thing is, I am interested in a lot of things. I am what could be called an enthusiast in a lot of different fields, and often those areas don’t necessarily relate to each other. So what do you do if you don’t want to alienate anyone? Is it possible to relate to everyone? While this really wasn’t such an issue before, it was something I had to get my head around when setting up my wedding photography business. It was quite clear that the business needed to be a separate entity from everything else – it makes no sense for a bride to be reading about gadgets or trips to the hairdressers. But then again, I had quite a widely spread online identity as mnoo (from dA to pretty much every other service there is), and mnoo.com was pretty established at that point in terms of showcasing my personal photography, so it would have been a waste not to use that presence to drive traffic, and more importantly, to allow for a more in-depth picture of me. And why is that important? Well, because in any business, which is built around you and your skill, and where you deal with the end customer directly, you are effectively selling yourself. You want to attract clients who can relate to you and your personality, and your clients need to feel like they ‘know you’, and thus, can trust you.
There are people out there who are very suspicious of laying it all out online. I think, in this day and age, there is really no place to hide. If you want to make the most of your opportunities, you just have to be out there. As transparently as possible. And wouldn’t you want to be the one in charge of how your identity is perceived in any case?
Right, did I have a point in my head somewhere when I started. I guess what I was thinking about today, was how my wedding customers reading my Twitter might get confused about what I get up to. And how those people coming to this blog for pretty pictures of flowers might get bored by the gadgetry things, and the gadgetry people by the wardrobe silliness. But the thing is, this blog, and especially Twitter, is just purely all the things I am about. And it’s not thought-out or aimed at any specific reader, it’s just about me putting it out there – regardless of whether it’s ‘of value’ to anyone. I am interested in a variety of things and get excited over different non-related events. And I couldn’t for the life of me edit myself down to just one clearly branded – soberly positioned – identity, with one specific interest. It’s all me, and if that’s confusing to some, then so be it.
This is me: photographer, wife, magazine designer, Finn, internet addict, cinema lover, gig goer, technology enthusiast, fashion fun (for everyone) advocate, gadget twiddler, social networking fiend, traveller, lover of words…. who loves colours, pretty things, reading books in one go, weddings, open mindedness, meeting new people and chocolate.
Tags: branding, my life, photography related, social networking, twitter, wedding photography
Posted by Marianne at 11:44 am in my life in words, photography related, social networking
Soo, I finally went through the snapshots from Saturday’s Gadget Show Live. I travelled up to Birmingham with 3mobilebuzz, as part of a small team of bloggers. We were given fun little challenges, and were sent off to roam the stands upon stands of new cool things. Not such a bad deal.
We started off from the 3 stand, above. Pictured are our hosts Seb and Matt, with a fellow blogger, Rocktographer. Our first challenge set the pace for the day really.
We plunged head first into the, sometimes bizarre, world of all things gadgetry.
All the boys really loved the Nvidia 3D gaming and Roland V-Drums demos. The Minoru 3D webcam though, not so much. I tried it with the glasses and couldn’t really understand what the point of it was. There was also a puzzling amount of all sort of ass-jiggling equipment on show, which made for some amusing viewing at times.
Above are the most useless, and the most bizarre gadgets, that I chose for my challenge. I really couldn’t understand why anyone would want to wear an ugly thing like the Swap ’smart watch’, which is a watch+phone+camera+mp3 player etc, etc, all in one, when you could just, you know, use your phone. LG had a similar product on their stand, called the 3G Touch Watch Phone (LG-GD910), which looked a tiny bit more attractive, but still, I would classify these as completely useless. Perhaps in the future, when all that technology can be packed into small enough space to look at least remotely appealing on your wrist, I might start warming up to the idea. What I found to be the most bizarre aspect of the show was the multiple stands for different companies selling electric cigarettes, such as the E-Lites. Just say no.
Here are some of the gadgets that managed to raise my pulse somewhat. I really liked the look of the Emtec Movie Cube S800, attractive and useful, what more could you ask for in a gadget. I gave the ‘most innovative’ title to the Wattson energy monitor (no picture of that sorry!) from DIY Kyoto, which was an absurdly sleek looking for such a ‘green’ and sensible device. Oh and also, the Sony OLED TV’s were pretty damn impressive. But what I found most sexy and desirable (as per the challenge) though, was the Vita audio system, possibly mostly for it’s absolutely beautiful design. And the dude demonstrating it for me wasn’t half bad either! :P
My second challenge was to find something that could take my photography to the next level. I must say, the camera gear on show didn’t do an awful lot for me, but then it wasn’t a camera show and not aimed at professionals. The top model there was the 5DmkII, which I already use. I did drool over the Canon PIXMA 9500 at the Warehouse Express stand though (never mind that they didn’t have the Canon PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II on show), it would be kind of great to be able to make A3 prints, but I could never find the space for such a monster! I did manage to make two purchases though, in the shape of a Gorillapod and a mini umbrella/flash bracket kit for my 580EX II.
The most dense gathering of geeks was around these pretty cool RoboSteel sculptures, which are hand-made from scrap metal auto-parts. They were pretty slick I must say, but then again, I was part of the gathering! :P
The girl in me really warmed to the different sleeves for gadgets on show. While DigiSkins had the widest selection of skins on their stand – some of them really cool designs – I for some reason preferred the smaller stand for Wrappz. Their skins seemed somehow more durable, and also they were the only ones offering software for completely customisable skins, which I think is pretty rad. I got a few samples from Wrappz and thought I’d give them out as I don’t own either of the devices they’re for. If you want to win a skin for either a Sony PSP 3000 or an iPhone 3G, comment on this entry with your preference and I’ll draw a winner sometime next weekend (unless no-one’s interested that is!).
We wrapped up the day in the Sony Super Theatre, where we got to enjoy a live show hosted by the presenters of The Gadget Show: Jason Bradbury, Suzi Perry and Jon Bentley. For the first time in my life I was a VIP, which meant I got to sit on a blue seat instead of a green one. :D Awesome. The show was good fun, with a lot of interactive games with the audience. It was a nice way to end the day.
It was a long old day (and I know I whined enough about getting up at such early hour!), and train delays meant I wasn’t home until after 9pm. But it was all good fun – I got to see a lot of toys, and got to know new interesting people. So I’d say it was well worth it!
Tags: 2009, 3, 3 network, 3mobilebuzz, 3Network, Birmingham, Gadget Show Live, social networking, technology
Posted by Marianne at 7:00 am in geekery, social networking
Last night I attended a pub quiz organised by 3, titled Spring Flings and Social Butterflies. T3 walked away with the trophy (they had a huge team, mind!). Our INQ1 Timelines team of bloggers came 7th out of 9 teams, which was a bit rubbish. I did own the celebrity babydaddy round though, possibly something not to be proud of. Anyways, it was good fun, and turned into a longer night than I expected. This week has me so beaten that I can barely string a sentence together at the moment, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
@michChapman
@kaichanvong
@rem0te
@naiveLondonGirl
We were allowed to use our phones to ‘cheat’.
Clever people were filming the video round. Not sure why that bloke from CSI was there though.
@Matt_Paradise
Tags: 3, 3 network, 3Network, Crown and 2 Chairmen, INQ, INQ1, kaichanvong, London, Matt_Paradise, michChapman, my life in photos, naiveLondonGirl, pub quiz, rem0te, social networking, Soho
Posted by Marianne at 8:59 pm in my life in photos, social networking
I’ve been testing my little INQ since Christmas now, and to be honest, I have grown quite fond of it. There’s something about the ease and convenience of the applications, that I miss on my Nokia 6500s. I still don’t really use it as a ‘phone’ as such, but rather to check up on Facebook and gmail, and to use Skype. I know I’ve banged on about this many times before, but the Skype application on it is really what makes it for me. I can’t understand why the Skype on my Nokia is so cumbersome to use. With the INQ it’s always connected and the chat function (which my Nokia’s Skype app doesn’t even have!) works like a charm.
Despite me trying everything in my power to synch the INQ with my computer, I just could not get it to work. Not sure if it was the truly craptastic sofware, my Windows Vista 64-bit, or both, but after hours of tearing my hair out I just gave up. It’s a shame really as I really wanted to love all sides of the INQ, but in order to use it as a real phone I just need to have all my contacts and calendar synched. Same goes for getting pictures and music in and out of it. No matter how many times I was told I could connect it as a portable hard drive, I could not copy anything to or from the phone. Meh.
Given all the synching problems, I’m actually quite surprised how I much I do use it though. The fact that you can be connected to people without having your whole traditional phone book on your phone, goes to show how the idea of the INQ is very much on the right track. Social media is such a powerful tool for keeping in touch these days that you almost don’t miss the traditional ways of communicating.
One thing where the people behind the INQ have seriously missed a trick though, is with the design of the phone. It’s been given this generic metallic hi-end mobile device look, not far off from my Nokia 6500s for example. However, when you pick the phones up, the difference becomes obvious. The INQ just feels so much… cheaper. Despite the metallic look, it has a plastic-y, light feel to it, instead of the feeling of a quality product. With a product that you hold in your hand it’s not enough to just ‘look’ a certain way, and with the INQ the look and the feel just don’t correlate. I’ve been using it for less than two months and already the metallic coating on the navigation button is showing signs of wear – not good.
Taking into consideration the ethos of the phone – young, forward-thinking, affordable – I have no idea why they have gone for this mock hi-end design. I think the designers should have gone completely the different direction. If the INQ came in pretty colours (and maybe also in white), reminiscent of the original mini ipods, but with a Japanese-gadgets-inspired hard plastic with rounded corners as material, I think it would be an instant hit with the younger demographic who are most likely to be interested in the INQ in the first place. Also, since they went to all the trouble of commissioning artists to create original artwork, which was used on the ‘manual’ cards (how many times will anyone look at those? Once, I bet – the first time they open the box.), why not take that idea one step further and have the artwork actually on the phone? I think all of the images would work great on the handset, either as hard plastic covers or even as changeable picture under a clear plastic cover. Now there’s a unique product that would interest just the people the INQ is aimed at…
The ultimate most annoying thing about the INQ however is something a lot more practical, or not, as the case may be – battery life. Taking into consideration the fact that I’m not even making phone calls, it’s incomprehensible to me that the battery hardly lasts a day. I charge the handset every night, and even so on some days it dies on me before the day is through. That just seems completely unacceptable to me. Also, let’s not even go into the decision to have just a usb connection for the charger and the headphones… what silliness.
Kind of annoyed that I can’t offer any more in depth reviews on the camera and music side of the phone. But for what’s it worth, even in it’s half-baked state, the INQ has proven to be a useful little part of my gadget family.
And I guess it’s gotten a few other people hooked as well since it just won GSMA’s award for Best Mobile Handset at the Global Mobile Awards 2009.
Tags: 3 network, 3Network, facebook, INQ, INQ1, review, skype, social networking, technology
Posted by Marianne at 10:35 am in geekery, social networking
Sorry for the onslaught of memes. :D I just found a txt file where I had gathered stuff I was supposed to do at some point. I think this one was actually going around on Facebook. Oh well. Not sure if these really make any spooky sense at all. :D
(Just remembered I’ve done a similar one before a couple of years’ ago.)
1. Put your iTunes/Napster/Zune Player/WinAmp/etc on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 or more friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you got it from.
IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
I can’t believe it’s not love!
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Reacharound
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Grey gardens
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Bloodbeat
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Silent all these years
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Better do better
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Losing my mind
WHAT IS 2+2?
Free until they cut me down
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Children in bloom
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Get home
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
The rain must fall
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Passing by
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Open your eyes
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Talking to strangers
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Unsung psalm
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Hypnotize
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Sweet religion
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Martha’s foolish ginger
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Close up
WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
False alarm
HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Help me Mary
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Confessions of a teenage girl
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Dark side
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Primitive
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
No cheap thrill
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
The letter
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Special needs
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Chasing cars
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Calling love
WHAT WILL YOU RE-POST THIS AS?
Pleading my time
–
I’ll pass this on to anyone who feels like doing it!
Tags: social networking, surveys etc.
Posted by Marianne at 9:30 am in social networking, surveys etc.
As a side note, if I was ever to be unfaithful to my baby, it would be with this gorgeous Vivienne Tam Special Edition HP Mini 1000. Just look at it, how gorgeous can this tiny beauty be!
Tags: HP, social networking, technology, vivienne tam
Posted by Marianne at 6:51 pm in geekery, social networking
I could get some of the office Christmas party pics from earlier today off the camera but I’m on the sofa with my laptop, and watching Eddie Izzard, so can’t really be arsed. Maybe tomorrow. :P
I’m so tired that everything aches, not sure how long I’ll manage to stay up for. Doesn’t matter though. I’m treating today as the start of my Christmas holiday, even though I still have to go in on Monday. I’m thinking I will treat Monday as ‘popping up to town to have lunch with Layla’ sort of thing. Sounds much more inviting that ‘going to work’.
I’ve been playing with my INQ a lot yesterday and today, and am getting to like it more and more. Funnily, this being a mobile phone trial, I’ve actually used very few traditional phone functions, like making calls or even texting, in the past two days, since I can pretty much satisfy most of my communication needs via other methods. There are certainly a lot of things I like about the INQ, but also some niggles that could do with a bit more work in my opinion.
Last night after work I headed up to a very snazzy office in the West End (oh it was quite lovely to be back at my old stomping grounds!) to meet up with Matt from 3mobilebuzz and to find out a bit more about what’s actually involved in the mobile trial. It also gave me a chance to share the biggest gripes I’ve had with the handset so far, which Matt then forwarded to INQ/3, which is kind of cool. Not sure if my user experience is going to make any actual difference when it comes to the future INQ models, but here’s hoping.
But yeah, the things I really like about it so far:
- It’s really easy to switch between all the different networking clients, which means you can be writing on people’s walls on Facebook, having a skype or live messenger chat and checking your mail, all practially at the same time.
- The facebook client is really handy as you can write messages and update things even when outside of network coverage, it will then post everything once you are connected again.
- Skype works like a charm. On my Nokia you have to keep on connecting to skype every time you need to use it, which makes it less than ideal, but on the INQ it is actually always on and connected (as long as you have network coverage). I’ve used the skype chat a lot instead of sending text messages and really like the ease of it.
- It’s cool to be able to merge all the instances of the same person from skype, msn, facebook etc. into one contact. That way you can always see if they are online with some client and thus use the most convenient way of communicating. Can’t wait to see how easy (or difficult?) it’ll be to really get all the contacts integrated when I get the phone synched with my Outlook.
- I like the pared down simplicity of everything. It does the things you want it to do and there’s no ‘fluff’ to confuse you.
Then the negatives:
- The build of the phone feels a bit cheap and flimsy.
- There’s very little control over sounds in different clients, for example the skype incoming chat message is driving me nuts, and there doesn’t seem to be any way of turning this off.
- The facebook client is missing one crucial navigational aid from the top menu – ‘home’. At least for me this is the page I want to generally start from, but to get there you’ll have to go to a submenu menu and ‘jump to’ the homepage.
- The phone keeps buzzing (especially in the middle of the night) to inform me of some sort of event or message, but when you have a look there’s no actual way of knowing what the hell the buzz was for. Quite annoying.
- The window turns horizontal in a very random manner. Browsing some websites it’ll suddenly turn sideways at a slight flick of your wrist, but it’s impossible to actually make it do this on command. I have no idea why and when it happens, and whether it’s supposed to do it every time you turn the phone sideways.
- Why no blogger or generic blogging client?
Hmm. I guess that’s it for now. I’m still waiting for the software that will enable me to synch the phone with my calendar and address book. I also haven’t put any music on it yet so can’t comment on sound quality etc. yet.
Sometime next week there’s something a bit exciting happening regarding the trial. Will tell you more about it when it’s live.
Uhh I think I’ll have to give up now and go to bed. Hopefully will have a lot more energy tomorrow, have shedloads to do. And also, we’re having a little xmas do with Sooz before she’s off to Finland (sniff) for Christmas.
Tags: 3 network, 3Network, facebook, INQ, INQ1, my life, social networking, technology
Posted by Marianne at 11:14 pm in geekery, in review, my life in words, social networking
Today didn’t start very well. Waterloo was in chaos and getting on the tube was a right palaver. And not just in the usual way. While waiting on the platform for the (5th) tube that I might fit in, I got a bit annoyed by the person behind me getting a bit too close (and that’s saying something with the way people were packed there). He was very short though so I assumed it was a kid, they don’t generally have a similar sense of personal space as adults tend to. Finally there was a train I could squeeze into and the person behind me pushed me in with such force that I had to swear out loud. Once we were all squeezed in I realised the someone had their arm practically around me. Trying to turn my head wasn’t very easy as the car was so crammed with people, but I did realise that it was the same shortarse from the platform, who had now squeezed himself behind me. I then realised that he wasn’t a ‘kid’ at all, but indeed some mutherf*****g pervert trying to get off by humping my leg! Eugh! All I could do in the tight space was to elbow him in the chest really hard. I later hoped I’d said something to embarrass him for good, but I was too shocked to speak at the time, besides, he was behind me so it was a bit difficult. After I elbowed him he got off the train at the next stop… only to move on to the next carriage. Uhh. I still feel violated!
The day didn’t get much better once I got in the office. We still have no internet/server access due to problems that have now been going on for a month. The atmosphere at work is very tense as people as just so over not being able to do their work and just having to sit there and wait… it’s soul destroying. And to add insult to injury, we’re supposed to get the issue to press tomorrow. Hey ho.
There were some positive points to the day though. Since going to the INQ launch party, I was chosen to test out the new handset for a month, and I received my review copy today. It was good timing as I really could use some distraction at work, which playing with the phone provided. In this short space of time I have already grown to like it quite a lot. All the social networking tools are easy to use, and dad already managed to phone me on skype while I was on the train. :D
I think I mentioned after the launch the original artwork created for the cards that work as a manual. They’re super cute.
I’m not quite sure how I can synch the phone with my address book and calendar, something that would be vital for me if I was using the phone for real. For now it grabbed all my facebook contacts and added them into my phone book. Note sure if that was the way I wanted to go about things. :D I think I’ll have to have further play with it to figure out what’s the best way to do things. I will let you know my thoughts over the month.
Tags: 3, 3 network, 3mobilebuzz, 3Network, driedonpaper, facebook, INQ, INQ1, London, London Underground, my life, social networking, technology
Posted by Marianne at 7:36 pm in geekery, in review, my life in words, social networking
Soooo, you’re probably dying to hear what the answer to the mystery of the driedonpaper party was. Turned out it was a party organised by 3 to celebrate the launch of a new ’social mobile’ called INQ (pronounced ink – explains the mysterious invitation I suppose), which was announced earlier in the day.
The venue, Shoreditch Studios, was very nice (now I wouldn’t mind a studio like that!) and done up in a pretty snazzy way, Fifteen took care of the food and there was plenty of free tipple to go around. The main attraction was of course the phone, and there were several people walking around with the handsets, handing them out for guests to try.
My very first impression of the phone was that it looked cool in an understated way. The size was nice, smaller than the brick that is the iPhone, and even though this made the screen smaller, it was bright and clear and easy to look at.
The INQ1 is marketed by 3 as ‘the Facebook phone’, but it’s a bit more than that. Facebook, Skype and Live Messenger, among other things, are integrated in the operating system, so you can sync your contacts with all the social networks they belong to, integrating images, messages and details to your phonebook. As it’s client and not app based, you can schedule posts, facebook messages etc. even when the phone is offline, allowing it to update when you’re back in the reach of a signal.
The interface was quite intuitive to use and thought had definitely gone into how to collate and streamline people’s fractured online presence in a sensible way. I do really dig the idea behind that. Of course it will mean that you are never offline as it were, since you’ll always be contactable in one way or the other. Another thing I wonder is whether everyone really has the same circle of friends in all of these mediums, and if not, would a device like this make that akward? Perhaps I’m overthinking.
There’s also a widget manager, which includes a selection of interesting apps such as Weather, RSS feeds and Google, all which will update automatically. New widgets, such as eBay, will be introduced later this year.
One of my favourite things was how the mediaplayer had last.fm support for instant scrobbling, that’s a pretty forward-thinking idea in my book.
What might be somewhat surprising is the target market the INQ is aimed at. With a campaign like this, it’d be easy to think that this was a high-end product. Not so. On a 3 contract, you can get the INQ free, with all the bells and whistles of free skype et al. included, for just £15 a month. In the Guardian review of the INQ1, INQ’s chief executive Frank Meehan is quoted saying that the new device is designed to bring the mobile internet, and especially mobile social networking, to a much wider audience. ‘The 85% to 95% of the market that did not buy the iPhone and cannot afford an expensive smartphone has been frankly forgotten,’ he says.
Considering that the price point puts INQ at the low end of the market, there has been some clever thinking happening with the way it’s been branded and packaged. Several artists were commissioned to create original works of art (which were also displayed on the walls at the venue), which were used in snazzy easy-to-use cards that functioned as the manual for the phone. No boring booklet to be found in the box, but gorgeous little works of art instead. I like.
All in all, it was a pretty interesting evening, and the INQ is certainly a pretty interesting product, and I’m glad I did manage to go. And as a bonus, at the end of the night we got to take a poster, a t-shirt and an usb stick home with us.
Tags: 3, 3 network, 3mobilebuzz, 3Network, driedonpaper, facebook, INQ, INQ1, last.fm, launch, London, party, social networking, technology
Posted by Marianne at 2:57 pm in geekery, social networking
I feel like I ought to let you know that MTP now has a facebook page, just in case you feel a strong urge to become a fan! :D
In other news, I’ve sent a strongly worded letter to London Underground today, as this morning I’d just had enough! I’ve had to walk from Waterloo every morning this week because of disruption on the Jubilee line. What exactly is the point of paying for a season ticket if you can never get on the train?? But yes, I expect they will jump into action any minute now, after receiving my letter. I can only wonder how many zeros there will be on my compensation cheque. :P
Tonight’s the night of the mysterious driedonpaper launch party. Sooz is coming with me, and we’ve been pulling our hair out trying to figure out what it might be for – with no success. Is exciting! I hope it’s something good after all this suspence… will let you know tomorrow.
Tags: 3, 3 network, 3mobilebuzz, 3Network, driedonpaper, facebook, INQ, INQ1, London Underground, my life, photography related, social networking, technology
Posted by Marianne at 2:11 pm in geekery, my life in words, photography related, social networking
I received this mysterious package in the post today.
The contents looked even more mysterious…
Hmm…
Turns out it was a print-yourself-invitation to… something. :D
There’s not much information, just that it’s a launch of some sort and that Disco Bloodbath and the Unabombers are performing. The website doesn’t give many clues either. Hmm intriguing! Not sure if can make it on Thursday night though… but my curiousity has certainly been sparked!
Tags: 3, 3 network, 3mobilebuzz, 3Network, driedonpaper, event, INQ, INQ1, London, music and gigs, social networking, technology
Posted by Marianne at 1:03 pm in geekery, music and gigs, social networking
Oh man, what a palaver. I finally bit the bullet and changed my hosting company (yes, I have talked about this for years), and of course (mainly because of my own stupidity) I managed to upload old files instead of the most current ones and have now spent a jolly evening trying to sort out what to upload again and what to chuck. Ho hum. I think everything’s fixed and working now. Let me know if you spot something funny and I’ll have a look.
In the meanwhile, while the blog’s been out of action, I received this lovely rose award from Kutri. Thanks very much!
I also received this ‘art award’ from Bisquits for best photography, for which I’m very honoured! (I later received another one of these from Lehtokotilo, thank you!)
I’d like to pass both of these awards onto couple of my favourite blogs. For gorgeous photography to Kortteja Kaliforniasta, Unikuva and Liivian talossa. And for entertaining me with their hilariously funny and brilliant writing, Dallas Pullaa and Tyttö sinä olet rätti.
Despite the hosting kerfuffle, it has been a pretty good week so far. I’ve got possible clients lined up, Jenni’s coming over on Thursday and we’re off to see Antony and the Johnsons on Friday. Yay.
Right, have to try to sort some dinner out now.
Tags: social networking, surveys etc.
Posted by Marianne at 8:08 pm in social networking, surveys etc.
Follow my blog with bloglovin´. Not quite sure how it works yet, mind.
Tags: social networking
Posted by Marianne at 11:45 am in social networking
I was testing out ping.fm for posting blog entries and status updates earlier today. It all seems quite straightforward, and will probably help with the angst of trying to keep up with different social networking sites. Not that ideal for posting a blog entry though, as the input window is really rather small, and the text huge, so you don’t get any sort of idea how big your entry is or what it looks like… Also, not so ideal is that the blog entry I typed out never got published, but seems to instead have disappeared somewhere into the ether. So thumbs up for keeping your status updates, well, up to date, but boo for losing my blog entry.
This week seems never ending. I will be sooo glad to see the back of this issue of the magazine! Miikka landed at Heathrow a few hours ago and is currently entertaining himself with the TV and beer back at the flat. It’s kinda weird to think he’ll be there when I get home. Strange thing this air traveling huh.
When I have time, I should try to answer this challenge, which was thrown my way. For it, you’ll have to think about what you think you would be like as a man. :D Should be quite fun. The challenge was really pointed towards DLB, but I was told I can do it in either blog! :P
Talking of DLB, I’ve been thinking about whether I should move my wardrobe images over there as surely that’s a bit more appropriate place for them. Then again, I don’t really want that blog to be so personified on me, but rather a hub for anyone looking for, and wanting to share, tips and stuff. I don’t know. What do you think?
Tags: my life, social networking
Posted by Marianne at 4:10 pm in my life in words, social networking
My train was delayed, the Jubilee line was suspended and I had to walk to work from Waterloo in the pouring rain. Not an ideal start to the week. Even though the weekend was nice enough, all the traveling back and forth from Waterloo on both days made it feel a bit like I didn’t get any break from the commuting. Next weekend I definitely won’t be going anywhere.
It’s no wonder people are so obsessed with the weather here, it certainly has a huge impact on your general mood. On a lovely sunny morning the walk from Waterloo for example is almost a joy, but on a miserable windy and rainy morning like today, it makes you wish you could just disappear. The greyness is a bit overwhelming today.
I’m thoroughly fed up with the internet regulation here at the office. How is reading a few blogs on quiet moments going to affect the way I do my job? Probably in a positive way actually, as feeling more content and connected to the rest of the world would make me feel better about being in the office in the first place, thus resulting in better work morale. Currently I’m just sitting here feeling a bit depressed, typing out moan-y blog entries which I’ll have to publish by email (oh by the way, if anyone knows how to add tags/labels to a post when publishing via email on blogger, do let me know!), and trying to avoid any sort of work whatsoever.
Talking about jobs, Stu accepted a new job offer last week. :D He gave his notice on Friday and will start at the new company on 18th of August. The offices are in Reading and he’s already dreading about his commute getting longer. Well, it’s probably hard to go from a 20-minute drive to over an hour… Possibly as difficult as it was going from no commute at all to over an hour – so I feel for him there. But at least he gets to sit in the comfort of his car and not on an overpacked train! :P Anyways, I hope the new job will be a good move and that he’ll be happy there. At least that would make one of us!
I signed up with Technorati, mainly in order to try to get some (non-finnish) action to DIVA Look Book. I was very annoyed when I realised the nick ‘mnoo’ was already taken and grudgingly went with another nick, only to realise today that hey, actually, I was the one who had already signed up with ‘mnoo’ sometime last year. Erm. Well, how are you supposed to remember everything?? Anyways, in case you wanted to add this blog to your favs you can as well, although I’m not that bothered, as long as you add the Look Book! :D Thanksplease.
Busy making other plans: 
DIVA Look Book:
Tags: my life, social networking
Posted by Marianne at 11:22 am in my life in words, social networking
Well, health wise the weekend was a total washout. I really should stop having these colds, it’s such a waste of time. Although having said that, I did manage to get quite a lot done. After a fever-based epiphany on Friday I certainly made the most of being stuck inside all weekend and sitting by the computer with woolly socks on and hot lemon at hand. On the train home from work on Friday I had this idea and a flash of inspiration, and by the same evening I had a domain and hosting sorted. During Saturday and Sunday I pretty much built the site up from scratch, with technical help from Paul and handwriting help from Sooz (thanks guys!). And despite there being a few little kinks to straighten out, it’s now live.
So what is it, you may ask. Well, as some of you may have gathered I quite like clothes, and playing dress-up in general. I’m always on the lookout for inspiration and tips from magazines and online resources and I follow a lot of style and fashion blogs. What I’ve struggled to find though, are any style blogs that would cater for us curvier girls as well. And on Friday something just snapped and I decided that if it isn’t out there, I will have to put it out there. Thus came the idea for the DIVA Look Book. I’m stupidly excited about it, which is kind of weird as on Thursday the whole concept had never even crossed my mind! I have no idea where I’ll find the time for it (seeing as I have another idea, which has been brewing for much longer, in the works as well), but I will try my darnest to keep updating it on regular basis. And hopefully it will eventually work as a source of inspiration for a lot of girls out there, what ever size they may be. So go ahead and have a snoop around. There’s obviously not much content up yet, but I’ll try to keep posting regular features on almost daily basis. Do share any ideas you might have as well, that would be much appreciated! Actually, I was thinking about putting up a little goodie bag contest on Friday in order to get wishes and suggestions from potential readers, so you might want to keep an eye out for that.
Tags: my life, social networking, what I wore today
Posted by Marianne at 10:11 am in my life in words, social networking, what I wore today
