Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Microsoft Launch of Office 2013 and Office 365 at Bryant Park


Tonight I stopped over at Bryant Park for Microsoft's launch of Office 2013 and new Office 365 subscription plans, targeted at consumers and small businesses. Office 365 Home Premium can be used across 5 PCs or Macs, including the basic set of applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook), 60 minutes of Skype calls per month and SkyDrive + 20GB storage for $99.99 per year subscription, or $9.99 per month. If you don't need an entire Office bundle, you can also buy individual Office applications such as Word, Excel or Outlook for $109 each. You can check out all of Microsoft pricing options here

The launch of Office 2013 and Office 365 will be going on all week at Bryant Park, so stop by to learn more and check out the demos, activities and tips!





- Kim Weling

Saturday, January 26, 2013

7 Years Younger: The Revolutionary 7-Week Anti-Aging Plan


Back in November, I got a first look at 7 Years Younger, the revolutionary 7-week anti-aging plan by the editors of Good Housekeeping, which kicks off with a 7-day Jumpstart plan. The event at Hearst Tower's Good Housekeeping Research Institute (GHRI) was hosted by Rosemary Ellis (Editor-in-Chief), Miriam Arond (Director, GHRI), Nina Judar (Beauty Director) and Samantha Cassetty (Nutrition Director, GHRI). 

I was able to participate in breakout sessions pertaining to nutrition and diet, fitness, brain health and beauty, skin care and hair care. What's great about the book is that you can pick and choose what sections of the book you want to focus on - it's all about customizing your own plan. This book is full of tips, tricks and tools for including anti-aging meal plans, better before-bed habits and at-home exercises you can do on your own time. 

The beginning of the year is a good time as any to make some healthier choices and 7 Years Younger can act as a useful blueprint to fighting aging and looking younger. 7 Years Younger just launched earlier this month. To learn more and where you can get your copy of the book, click here

Samantha Cassetty introduced us to recipes and dishes straight from the book, with foods that boost calcium and protein levels, from chicken and lean beef to Greek yogurt.


Roast Beef Sammy


Veggie Wrap


Pita Pizza




Makeovers with the Laura Gellar team


Always great to see Laura Geller!


A look at Good Housekeeping anti-aging 2010 award winner picks

- Kim Weling

Friday, January 25, 2013

Monday, January 21, 2013

2013 International CES Highlights

With the International CES being the world's largest trade show for consumer technology, there's certainly a lot we didn't get to see. In addition to the iPhone 5 external chargers, cases and iPad accessories I was scoping out, here are some memorable highlights and must-haves from instant cameras to tablets and TVs. 

I can't wait to get my hands on some of the products from the Panasonic Pocket Beauty Series, including the Nail Gel Remover, Heated Eyelash Curler and a flip Precision Body Shaver - all in pink and perfect for travel!

COBY Bluetooth Portable Speakers with Rechargeable Battery, $19.99 - sleek and modern petite speakers  with speaker-phone function 

COBY 7.0 Inch Android 4.0 Tablet - the perfect size to throw in my bag and a must-have for fashion week! 

The Fujifilm Instax 210 is a fun, easy-to-use instant camera with great photo quality and picture size. A modern version of a Polaroid camera with extra features and settings

Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 - fun colors and smaller-sized pictures

I've been looking for some fashionable camera bags and Fujifilm definitely has some good ones!


It gets tiresome carrying around my Canon T3i on a daily basis. The Fujifilm X-E1 would solve my problems with a smaller and lighter body, while allowing me to switch out the lenses.

How cool are these Polaroid iPhone / iPad lens cases and telescopic lenses for enhanced photography?

Polaroid's Z2300 Instant Digital camera with ZINK Zero Ink Printing Technology - view and crop images or add a border before printing. Prints 2x3' full-color sticky back prints in under a minute

Gaming fun at the Hisense booth

Sam checking out Nyne's Home Audio Series, including the NH-6500 speaker with Bluetooth, that doubles as a iPhone / iPad / iPod docking tower and guitar amp

iLuv Executive iCK838 folio cover with detachable Bluetooth keyboard - I love the slim design - great for travel or everyday on-the-go


 
My favorite amongst Samsung products will always be their TVs, which was the headliner of their press conference at International CES and amazing setup at their booth, featuring the 110" UHD TV, F8000 Smart TV featuring S Recommendation with Voice Interaction, curved OLED TV and OLED TV - Multi-View (3D)


Samsung LED F8000 - S Recommendation with Voice Interaction

From Samsung: the world's first curved OLED TV

Samsung OLED TV - Multi-View (3D), allowing you to enjoy two different 3D experiences from the same TV at the same time

So glad I dropped by the Red Touch Media booth, showcasing their retail kiosks for downloading movies, music, games and e-books. Guests were able to "demo" the kiosks and download free content. Red Touch processes more than 2 billion digital media downloads per month on it's platform. Learn more at redtouchmedia.com


Resting and re-charging at the Red Touch Media Lounge

- Kim Weling

Sunday, January 20, 2013

FOX's The Following: Clips from New York Comic-Con


The anticipation is almost over! If you watch FOX, by now you should have seen numerous trailers on FOX's new serial killer thriller by creator/executive producer Kevin Williamson, The Following, premiering Monday night at 9pm ET/PT.

At New York Comic-Con 2012 back in October, I attended The Following panel and pilot episode screening. The panel included executive producer Marcos Siega and series stars Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Annie Parisse, Natalie Zea and Shawn Ashmore.

The pilot episode had me on the edge of my seat, as former FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Bacon) is drawn back into a string of gruesome murders masterminded by serial killer Joe Carroll (Purefoy), who put an end to  Hardy's career years before. Carroll escaped from prison a month before he was supposed to be executed, and now has cult followers helping him carry out his plans and gather his victims. It is amazingly chilling how Purefoy brings Carroll's disturbing and brilliant, yet charming character to life. The Following is dark, suspenseful and creepy - you can't help but get drawn into all the psychological drama.


Check out the clips from the panel I attended:




- Kim Weling

Saturday, January 19, 2013

HSN Celebrates Digital Redesign


On Wednesday, January 16th, HSN.com held their re-launch party at the redesigned Marquee, which just re-opened to the public on Friday. The HSN.com re-launch is part of a multi-platform digital redesign that enhances the customer experience to be faster, more efficient and more social on their e-commerce site as well as across all mobile devices, including tablets, android and Windows. Check out the site - the editorial imagery looks great!

Celebrity and VIP guests at the party included Martha Stewart, Kelly Rutherford, Ric Pipino, Olivia Culpo - Miss Universe 2012, Kelly Bensimon, Deborah Lippmann and more.    

Guests enjoyed music by DJ Alexandra Richards while experiencing beauty treatments from LORAC cosmetics, manicures by Deborah Lippman nails (two of my favorite shades are a copper-colored Phoenix Rising and a gunmetal Hit Me With Your Best Shot), hair styling by David Evangelista and a look at Beautisol tanning products. There was also a tech bar to interact with the updated website and app first hand. 


Kelly Rutherford and Ric Pipino


Deborah Lippmann





- Kim Weling

Thursday, January 17, 2013

BCBGMAXAZRIA Valentine's Day Favorites


Whether you have a hot date for Valentine's Day, celebrating anti-Valentine's Day-style with your girlfriends or treating yourself to more well-deserved shopping, BCBGMAXAZRIA is full of chic dresses and accessories, from color-blocking and rose gold to studs and spikes.


1) Pave Stud Earbuds, $38     2) Spiked Apple Jewelry Box, $78           3) Harlow Textured Envelope Clutch, $78     4) Twill Scarf, $48           5) Runway Hex Color-Blocked Sandal, $325