Sony

Post image for What Has Happened to Continuity?

Was it something I said or did? Why aren’t you talking to me any more? Did I not do everything you asked? No, I’m not talking about dating here, although, in some way I sort of am. I am talking about being “dumped” by a brand. This is particularly painful if you are a blogger or content creator. Breakups are really hard, especially if you worked diligently to maintain the relationship. When it comes to commitment, you need to think about another word as well – continuity.

I have been very lucky. I have worked with a lot of amazing global brands like Sony, Ford, Intel, AT&T, Trend Micro, IBM (see some of the programs by clicking through the links) and plenty of smaller brands and firms. Some of these were longer-term projects and some were much shorter. Some were with other groups of bloggers or content creators like the Cast of Dads and other groups put together by brands or PR firms.

There is also another set of brands and vendors that I have worked with that are slightly different. These are sort of like the “summer time romances” where they are active for a while and then go away until the next project comes out. They provide me with new products to review from time to time or new experiences to participate in. Some of these brands are LG, Belkin, Microsoft, Logitech, D-Link, Jabra, Honeywell, Hyundai, Klutz, Nintendo, Norelco, and even Apple, among many others.

Continuity

Continuity

There is still one thing really irks me though. It’s when these brands go quiet…for a long time. They may come back, but often it is after an extended silence where much of the momentum and excitement that was originally present is lost due to a long period of “inactivity.” Don’t get me wrong though, I place an extremely high value on each and every program that I have participated in (or am currently involved in), regardless of whether they are long or short term.

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Post image for Wii U – Will U? I Will! Why I like the Nintendo Wii U

I’m not a hard core gamer. I do have an Xbox (original & 360), a PS3 and the original Wii. Now I have the Nintendo Wii U. I’m more of a social family gamer, that is to say, I only game with my kids (or occasionally when I have a free moment at night and then it is FPS and car racing games). But, for the most part, my game consoles are a bit dusty.

Recently, Nintendo came out with the Wii U, and I, not being a hard core gamer, thought that it was brilliant. When I first tried the original Wii, I knew that it would be powerful and literally, a game-changer. It got you out of your sofa and jumping around the room. Nintendo seemed to be the first that understood that it was important to do more than just move your thumbs. Active participation in a game was different. It was fun. It was engaging. And it was for the entire family. And it was new.

Nintendo WiiU console

Nintendo WiiU console

Other major platforms followed the lead of getting people out of their chairs. And, alas, the poor original Wii was a bit left behind. The other platforms were more powerful, had more games, supported HD formats and probably had more marketing dollars pushing them forward. And then the Wii U was announced. And I thought that once again, Nintendo was pushing the envelope by making a dual screened device. (Yes, I know there is a similar systems by Sony…but I haven’t had hands on with the Vita so I won’t be doing that comparison.)

HTD Girls at Wii U Launch Event

HTD Girls at Wii U Launch Event

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Post image for A Solid, Tech-Filled, All-Around Performer – 2011 Ford Explorer Test Drive

A few months ago, Sony and Ford Motors invited the Cast of Dads out to the East Coast to participate in a variety of events, one of them was driving a 2011 Ford Explorer (note, link is for the 2012 model) from Boston to NYC. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the event, and boy was I jealous. Part of my envy came from the fact that I couldn’t drive the Ford Explorer (you can read more about the excursion over at the Cast of Dads). Luckily, over the 2011 holidays, I did have the pleasure of getting behind the wheel of the 2011 Ford Explorer for a road trip to and from Los Angeles from the San Francisco Bay Area.

HTD-Ford-Explorer-2011-841

I’m pretty familiar with Ford and their push to enable technology behind the wheel. I have test driven the Ford Flex and the Lincoln MKX (which is essentially quite similar to the Ford Edge). But being able to experience the Explorer first hand was pretty important to me since it has been a long running model for Ford since 1990.

Explorergen1

Image source: Wikipedia.com

Well, we are already in 2012 now, so how does the 2011 Ford Explorer stack up? Pretty darn well. It has plenty of technology to make a gadget-drooling dad happy as I barreled down the super boring stretch of the I-5. (If you haven’t driving the I-5 ever, you definitely aren’t in for any type of treat. It’s really boring and at times your auto is filled with the lovely stench of cow manure as you pass the cattle farms – you can also almost take a nap without turning the wheel as the I-5 seems to stretch on indefinitely.)

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Post image for HighTechDad’s 2011 Father’s Day Gift Guide – Products I Have Reviewed & Like

Father’s Day is almost upon us and I wouldn’t be doing my part for the Dads out there if I didn’t put together a Father’s Day Gift Guide. Gifts are obviously very personal in nature so I can’t tell you what to get your dad. What I can do, however, is provide some ideas on some things that might make your dad smile a bit more and potentially appeal to the “HighTechDad” inside of him.

Fathers_day_collage_2011

I won’t be recommending things that I haven’t actually tried, used, reviewed or have myself. That would, honestly, be quite silly. I might recommend some things that I don’t actually possess but know a lot about, but I simply won’t recommend something I haven’t tried first hand. Also not everything that I reviewed is on this list; some gadgets or electronics are just a bit better than others. In most cases, the items below will be linked to my reviews (check the object title for the link to my review) so that you can get details on just about every gadget on this list. But, since blogging is interactive, I encourage readers to leave a comment recommending some other gadgets or consumer electronics that they think are worth mentioning. And who knows, I might see something there that I actually WANT.

The following products are in no particular order or preference or anything apart from being grouped by price range. Do note, the Amazon price listed is as of the day of the writing this article (6/1/11) and is linked to the Amazon listing of that product (an Affiliate link and yes, I get a couple of pennies with each purchase…but that is what keep this blog running!).

Note: all links within the descriptions below are to reviews that I have done in case you want more details and my thoughts on that particular product.

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Sony, Ford and NYC Auto Show Videos from the Cast of Dads Roadtrip

May 11, 2011
Thumbnail image for Sony, Ford and NYC Auto Show Videos from the Cast of Dads Roadtrip

A few weeks ago, Ford and Sony invited the Cast of Dads on a really cool experience – a road trip from Boston driving a 2011 Ford Explorer down to New York International Auto Show. Unfortunately both Max and I were not able to attend, but Jeff, CC and Brad produced a ton of content [...]

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Video Gaming – Ballerina Style!

May 3, 2011
Thumbnail image for Video Gaming – Ballerina Style!

People play video games in all sorts of ways. And there are many gaming consoles and devices available to use for it. As a parent, it’s a fine line to walk when it comes to your kids playing video games. When the weather is nice, how do you pry them away from the game controllers [...]

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Ford & Sony Bring “Cast of Dads” Members Together (Almost) – “Family Road Trips”

April 29, 2011
Thumbnail image for Ford & Sony Bring “Cast of Dads” Members Together (Almost) – “Family Road Trips”

I’m encouraged that big brands out there are starting to listen. There is a difference between simply pushing your product traditionally, and using real voices, people and opinions to create stories around these products and brands. The first is a traditional method that frequently gets lost in the clutter of all of the other brand [...]

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Hang In There Sony…And Thanks for Your Continued Innovation

April 27, 2011
Thumbnail image for Hang In There Sony…And Thanks for Your Continued Innovation

It happens to the best of us. We plan for the worst, do all of our due diligence, prepare for the unexpected, test and re-test and cross our fingers a lot. But inevitably, there is always something that we didn’t think of. I could be talking about the recent Amazon Web Services outage or the [...]

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