Top Story: Apple Event
Apple teased the industry with invitations to their event that read, “We still have a lot to cover.” However, this past Tuesday, the Apple Event ended without the wow-factor it usually presents.
The event lacked the usual gusto for surprise and delight as the iPad took center stage. The company debuted the new “iPad Air” and the “iPad Mini with Retina Display,” but there was nothing game-changing in sight.
Instead, the company just modified their laptop offerings for the iPad. With a sleeker design, lighter build, faster processing, better wi-fi and same pricing structure, the iPad Air is a solid upgrade in the iPad lineup. The iPad Mini with Retina Display has the same technical specs with a sharper display.
Crimson Hexagon looked at the sentiment data behind tweets about the Apple event and found that 73% of the more than 1.5 million tweets in the 24 hours following the event were neutral, meaning people were merely passing along news without expressing opinion.
Do you think Apple is losing its ability to dazzle?
Tool of the Week: eBay’s Curated Collections
With Amazon racing ahead in the e-commerce race, eBay has been falling behind. This past Wednesday, eBay debuted its newest attempt to get back into the game. In the effort to make your shopping experience more streamlined, eBay is taking cues from sites like Pinterest that fuel content discovery and sharing.
eBay has integrated curated collections where guest curators search eBay for products they like and organize them into collections. Essentially, these curators are weaving through the clutter to find the good stuff for you.
In a press release eBay describes these curators as “ top trendsetters across a variety of interest areas, who create beautiful collections on eBay to help easily connect you with items you’ll love.” In the first wave of this initiative, Ebay has recruited some big name celebrities among its list of “expert curators” including Solange Knowles, Pharrell Williams, and Todd Selby.
“Shopping on eBay is unlike shopping anywhere else – it’s a place to discover things you love and things you never knew you needed,” said Pharrell Williams on being an eBay curator. “Now, anyone can create their own collection on eBay and fill it with all their dream items.”
You can choose to follow collections, curators, other eBay users and interests that inspire you. Each user will also have a profile page where they can share their own collections, interests, people they follow, etc. On top of that, eBay has launched eBay today, a new page where eBay’s Chief Curator and Editorial Director Michael Phillips Moskowitz selects the best collections of items every day so you have easy access not just to the interesting items themselves, but the stories behind them as well.
Will you use eBay more?
Under the Radar: Vine plays Catch-Up with New Features
Vine released two new features in its most recent update: Sessions and Time Travel:
- Sessions lets you save any video post as a draft and return to it later. This means that you can work on multiple Vine projects at once, without having to finish one before moving on to the next.
- Time Travel lets you edit videos by removing, reorganizing, and replacing video clips. This means that you are no longer constrained to shooting continuously without mistake, but rather you can go back and make the changes you want.
Instagram Video already has both of these features. What Vine still lacks that Instavid offers is the ability to import video clips from your gallery, but we bet that’s not too far off.
Around the Hub: Halloween Happenings in Boo-ston
There are so many Halloween events happening this weekend. Here are just a few:
Friday, October 25:
No flashlights allowed! Be led through the spooky forest, explore the old stone ruins, and hike over hill & dale under the moonlight.
- Where: Franklin Park
- When: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
- Price: Free
Sponsored by The Seaport Hotel, this event begins at TOMA Bar where adult trick-or-treaters will be picked up by duck boats and be shuttled to nine different Halloween-themed parties in the Seaport District.
- Where: Seaport District, Starts at TAMO Bar at the Seaport Hotel
- When: 7-10 p.m.
- Price: $5
Sponsored by the Boston Ski and Sports Club, this event is held at Lir on Boylston Street complete with a costume contest with cash prizes, tarot card readings, Halloween-themed apps and drinks, and goodie bags.
- Where: Lir, 903 Boylston St
- When: 9 p.m. – 1 a.m.
- Price: $25
Saturday, October 26:
Show off your pup in his or her Halloween best, then celebrate with Dick’s special “Master & Me” cocktail, pumpkin carving contest, and more.
- Where: Faneuil Hall
- When: 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
- Price: Free
Come dressed as a superhero, leave feeling like one.
- Where: Pacific St. Park, Central Square, Cambridge
- When: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- Price: $40 for Individual, $80 for Heroes vs Villains, $130 for Fantastic Four, $220 for Magnificent Seven
- Registration: Saturday at the Asgard in Central Square and Sunday at Pacific St Park
11th Annual Mayhem and Madness Halloween Bash
Sold out the past ten years, this party includes five drinks, cash prize costume contest, psychics, apps, candy, and a DJ.
- Where: McGann’s
- When: 8 p.m. – 2 a.m.
- Price: $40 in advance, $50 at the door, Tickets here.
Zoo Howl (Saturday and Sunday)
This annual event includes trick-or-treat among the animals, candy, crafts, games, costume contests, hayride and even a haunted maze!
- Where: Franklin Park Zoo, One Franklin Park Road
- When: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Price: $11-17
Sunday, October 27:
The last outdoor SoWa Sunday of the season will have Halloween-themed products, a costume contest with cash prizes, and more.
- Where: 460 Harrison Ave
- When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Price: Free
Bring your kids out for store-to-store trick-or-treating, face painting, magic tricks, and more.
- Where: The Shops at the Prudential Center
- When: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Price: $4 donation
Where will you be getting into the Halloween spirit this weekend?
