2017 Tech Trends from from @WeAreWearables & #CES2017

Last week I was on a panel at We Are Wearbles TO Meetup. Five journalists took the stage on a panel to talk tech trends from CES 2017 earlier this month. I was at the conference in Vegas and there was definitely lots to see.  If you’ve not been to CES, IT IS HUGE.  Imagine Toronto’s MTCC x 10 with other demo areas set up in massive hotels (ex. Aria). During the panel we talked about trends and products we saw on the CES floor. Mostly sensors, wearables, VR/AR, fashion, hearables, & smartwatches. A really cool sensor I saw at CES was the Corning ‘Glassie’  a smart mirror class that has a camera in it and can take your photo. Perfect for those OOTS amirite?! Next evolution of the selfie is GLASSIE. @Corning Glass just took a video selfie of me and it was so cool. NEED FOR HOME ASAP. #CES2017 pic.twitter.com/RoBw8ueAMn — CASiE STEWART (@casiestewart) January 5, 2017 I learned about the Nex Band that has 5 customizable buttons unlike any other smart watch wearable. The Nex band is ‘a smart band that lets you create custom hacks in seconds, with no coding required!”. Very cool, like to try one of these out.  [?? waves hiiiiii!] Lowdown Focus is the latest from Interaxion, makers of the Muse Headband. I wrote about using the Muse here. The glasses are packed with sensors including EEG, EOG and EMG technology, they also have a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyro, 3-axis magnetometer, UV sensor (UVA and UVB), temperature gauge and a pressure sensor. Pretty incredible considering they look like a totally normal pair of glasses. The Lowdown Focus is the brain-child of Safilo, the Italian eyewear giant that produces sunglasses, sports eyewear, and helmets under its five house brands, including Smith Optics and 22 licensed brands like Dior and…

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TRAVEL | Vegas, Baby! #CES2017

First trip of 2017 starts bright and early tomorrow morning. I’m heading to LAS VEGAS! I’ll be joining a bunch of journalists + influencers from North America for CES and my trip is sponsored by Harman Kardon (JBL, Bang & Olufsen etc). They’re hosting us at the Hard Rock Hotel and on Friday night they’ve got STING playing a concert in the hotel bar. I AM SO EXCITED.  Aside from my set itinerary, I’ll be exploring the conference floor, attending talks, and rounding up all the hottest tech trends. ▶︎ Later this month I’m speaking on a panel at WeAreWearables Toronto about tech trends from CES. Get a ticket for it here! I’m also checking out VR stuff for Sean’s company Occupied VR. I can’t wait. CES is so freaking exciting. I went a couple years ago, tech heaven! It’s also a bit warmer there than Toronto. I’m also hoping to check out the Neon Sign Museum and maybe do a helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon. After Vegas, I’m driving to LA with a friend and staying in Venice Beach for the week. I can’t wait to document this trip.

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Talking Influencer Marketing on the #UrbanizeTHIS Podcast

This week I was a guest on the final episode of the UrbanizeTHIS Podcast with Matthew Slutsky & Ara Mamouran. We had a blast recording and a bunch of laughs before and after. I chatted about the web, influencer marketing, social media, and real estate. Click the play button below to listen!  I got to try on my first pair of Spectacles from Snapchat since Ara has a pair. I AM SO JEALZ OMG. I didn’t connect my Snapchat to test out recording but they felt cool. These glasses allow you to handsfree record videos and post directly to Snapchat. FOLLOW ME ON SNAP: CASIE STEWART   I am hoping to try and track down a par at CES in January! I’ll also be in LA so if the Snapchat Bot is anywhere near, I WILL FIND IT! Subscribe to the UrbanizeTHIS podcast here. I you have a topic suggestion or guests you’d like to hear from Tweet @aramammo or @iSlutsky. (Yes that’s his REAL NAME! ?)  

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Visiting the Google Shop within a Shop + $250 Best Buy Giveaway

About a week ago I was out the door bright and early one morning for the media preview grand opening of the first Google shop in North America at Best Buy in Mississauga. I love going to this type of event! Ever since I was a little kid, my dad used to take us to stroll around Future Shop, look at all the gadgets, test stereos and TVs. I think I have him to thank for my lifelong love of tech. Google Shop is a ‘shop within a shop’ that’s got all kinds of Google goodies and product demos. I visited one of my favourite beaches in new Zealand via the Portal, tried Fantastic Beasts in w/ Google Daydream VR, and was sent home with Google Chrome. ?? I thought this was a neat thing to do over the holidays! Hangout with Santa in the Google shop. Select your city at g.co/instore to find your closest location. Before touring the store I chatted Best Buy’s Angela Scardillo, VP Marketing & Communications. The main thing I learned from her was how they’re really trying to make tech approachable. Their new round of ‘experience stores’ have a more immersive experience where you can touch, feel, test things. The new store design has raised access flooring that expands and contracts expand so they can actually move the store around and change the shopping experience. The new flagship Google shops are now open at Best Buy locations in Mississauga, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. Angela also showed off her Google Pixel phone and I really want to try one. It takes great photos and organizes them in your phone like Google Images. I’m still thinking about it days later… To celebrate the new Googley space at Best Buy, we’ve giving away a $250 gift certificate.  To enter leave a comment, visit FB, follow us on Twitter, or send a…

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Capital One Canada – What Type of Leader Are You?

A couple weeks ago at the Enactus World Cup with Capital One Canada I did a survey to see what type of leader I was. I love doing these types of tests. (I have a tattoo based on a personality test I did a few times in high school & university.) What I love about the Enactus program is how it’s helping create young leaders around the world collaborate, implement, and celebrate, ideas. Their businesses are having an impact on global food, water, and sustainability. These leaders are socials conscious innovators, who take matters into their own hands, they look at the world and think ‘how can I make a difference?’ Aside from being super inspired by this experience, it was also awesome that Canada WON the competition on home soil in Toronto. Read about their innovative hydroponics system that’s bringing fresh produce to Canadian communities HERE. My first result in the Capital One Survey survey was ‘Visionary Leader’ but I think there’s characteristics of all the different types I can identify with. What kind of leader are you? Take the survey below to find out! My Test Result – Visionary Leader: Big goals + big picture = big payoff! “The dreamer who likes to operate at 30,000 feet. You have a vision of what the world will be like in the future and you set about to make things happen. There’s no idea too big for you to tackle.” I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. In primary school there was a rule implemented where you needed a gym bag to put your clothes in for class. So, I went home that night and made a bunch of drawstring bags on the sewing machine with mum. The next day I had three sizes and sold them to kids at school.…

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