Articles by Judie Lipsett Stanford


Intel and Visa Look to Make Cash a Thing of the Past

Intel is talking NFC here in Barcelona, and it looks more and more like 2012 will see the breakout of mobile pay via smartphones. In fact, Visa also took to the stage with Intel’s Paul Otellini to discuss a multi-year alliance that will result in Visa PayWave contact-less payment system being part of a variety of Intel powered phones. We’ve discussed whether or not we would want our smartphones to serve as our wallets on the site, but it is looking more and more like this is inevitable. And, thanks to Intel’s work with Visa it looks like it will…


Intel Goes Mobile at MWC in Barcelona

While the focus has been on Intel’s partnership with various companies on the creation of the new Ultrabook category of laptops here at MWC they are talking about a very different kind of partnership. This time, they are talking about new partnerships that will grow their presence in the exploding worldwide smartphone market. Just one example of this is the Intel/Orange partnership that will see the release of an Intel phone in France and the UK this summer. ZTE will use processors in their smartphones and, India’s Lava will release the XOLO X900 in partnership with Intel as well. Let’s…


Create.Work.Inspire., a Creative Destination Brought to You by Dell and Intel

Dan and I are at Dell and Intel’s third “Create.Work.Inspire” event! This time the XPS 13 Ultrabook™ is a key player in the creation of a music video!  Find more info here. If you’re in the NYC area, come by and see Dan and me as we live blog and watch the event unfold. UPDATED February, 26, 2012: A Conversation with Mindy Seegal Abovitz, creator and editor of Tom Tom Magazine. UPDATED with Behind the Scenes at the Creation of the Suzan’s Ha Ha Ha Video Using the Dell XPS 13 CHECK OUT THE END OF THE POST.


Dell and Intel Use the XPS 13 Ultrabook to Create. Work. Inspire., and We’ll Be There!

  This Thursday Dell and Intel head back to NYC for their third “Create.Work.Inspire” event; Dan and I will be there! This time the XPS 13 Ultrabook™ will be a key player in the creation of a music video.  Find more info here. If you’ll be in the NYC area, come by and see Dan and me as we live blog and watch the event unfold. The Create. Work. Inspire event will be going on February 23rd-24th from 9AM to 9PM, followed by an RSVP event on February 25th from 1PM to 9PM. Want to go? You can! Or you…


iFrogz Boost Near Field Audio Amplifying Speaker, One of Dan’s CES Faves, Is Available Now!

When we were at CES, Dan couldn’t wait to show me the pre-release iFrogz Boost Near Field Audio Amplifying Speaker that he had scored, and to say I was impressed would be an understatement. This little box didn’t need to connect to a mobile phone to produce a much bigger sound; you could simply place any phone on the box, and it would pump up the volume so that it could actually be enjoyed! See what I mean in this video Dan shot … The iFrogz Boost speaker allows users to amplify their device’s sound by simply placing their smartphone, or other…


Synthetik Park’s Wall Aquarium Is Eye-Level Gorgeous

Watch how my thought process goes … 1. We have a Beta fish named Brad; he lives in a goldfish bowl that sits on our credenza, and every chance she gets, our cat Avah likes to drink water from his bowl. She’s not trying to eat Brad, or at least we haven’t seen her try, but she seems to love his fish flavored water. This bothers me, because she has been known to lap his water down to less than half a bowl when we have been away. 2. In order to really see Brad I have to bend down,…


La Plata Time Rings Are a Low-Tech Puzzle for these High-Tech Times

You can only sling so many angry birds at chortling pigs before your mind goes numb and you want something … different. Sometimes the simplest things can captivate the imagination; a case in point would be this lovely low-tech and natural puzzle made from a slice of cypress. The puzzle is made from the wood of Cypress trees, that died naturally and it does keep me wondering about the history of the tree and its surroundings. Unfortunately I didn’t find this object too near to the region of the Patagonian Andes lakes, where it actually comes from. I simply never been there,…


Checking Out Windows Phone Speed, Apps, Camera, Music Player and Games

Judie: Our saga began when Dan and I received HTC Titans at a Microsoft sponsored dinner while attending CES; it’s hard to believe that on the 11th it will have been one month ago. You can catch up on our previous posts before starting with this one by clicking the following links: Considering the Move from an iPhone 4S to Windows Phone Titan Comparing the iPhone 4s Hardware to the HTC Titan and Dipping into the Windows Phone User Interface In that month, my iPhone has never left my gadget drawer. Although I can think of a few times I…


iPhone Backs from The Brooklyn Bakery Store Will Make You Swoon

If you hate putting your iPhone in a case, but you still want it to look unique and interesting, then you might want to consider one of the imaginative adhesive leather backs from The Brooklyn Bakery Store. Made to resemble natural and unnatural skins, these leather objects of art will really make your iPhone stand out.


Get a Grip on Alder & Co’s Maple Salad Hands

I think that we can all agree that sometimes it’s the little things which make a meal special, and these solid Vermont maple ‘Salad Hands’ by Alder and Co. look like they could instigate a few appreciative comments from around the dinner table. For $34, they can handle your greens. Alder & Co. — Maple Salad Hands.


At the Las Vegas Speedway with a 2013 Lexus GS 350 F Sport and an LFA

This is not the car I was driving when I won my title 😉 How did you  spend your Saturday? I spent it behind the wheel of a 2013 Lexus GS 350 F, ultimately winning the title of “Fastest Woman in Vegas” while driving on a closed course at Las Vegas Speedway. The GS350 really impressed me because it was the best of both words — fast and sleek like a sports car, but large enough for a family and totally decked out.


Off to Vegas for the Lexus GS Superbowl Event

Kev and I are headed to Las Vegas to spend a day at the Motor Speedway and watch the superbowl, where Lexus will run their first-ever Super Bowl commercial for the 2013 Lexus GS, called “The Beast”. The :30 second commercial features the all-new 2013 GS as it breaks free from containment, illustrating the company’s move in a new design direction for the brand. The spot also hints at the additional new vehicles Lexus will unveil later in the year, which are waiting in the wings for their turn to burst onto the scene. “The all-new Lexus GS is showcased…


Comparing the iPhone 4s Hardware to the HTC Titan and Dipping into the Windows Phone User Interface

Judie: For those of you who missed it, in our last article, Dan and I talked about the circumstances behind how we — two iPhone 4S users — each came into possession of an HTC Titan [you can click here to read it]. We also gave some of our initial thoughts about the operating system and why we might have been hesitant to make the change. In this installment, we dig in further into what we like and don’t like about the Titan specifically when it’s compared to the iPhone. Because our Windows Phone experience is occurring on the Titan, the hardware is directly influencing how…


Considering the Move from an iPhone 4S to Windows Phone Titan

Judie: I recently reviewed the Nokia Lumia 710; even though the lower-end phone’s hardware wasn’t the greatest, I came away with a new respect for the Windows Phone operating system. About a week later, Dan and I were at a Microsoft-sponsored CES dinner where we were both given an HTC Titan to try. Maybe it’s because at 4.7″ the Titan’s screen was so amazingly large when I laid it to my iPhone with its 4S 3.5″ screen, maybe it’s because I was at CES and had been looking at new phones for days, or maybe it’s because I was looking…


WeWood Makes Wonderful Wearable Wooden Watches

I love unique and quirky watches, and today I found some that definitely fits the bill. WeWood makes watches that are encased in different varieties of wood; each watch is a piece of art — almost guaranteed to get a second look!


Jerod Gibson’s Wordy Art Prints Bring Movie Phrases to Life

Pulp Fiction One of the things I most love about certain movies are the iconic quotes they contain;  phrases like, “Bring out the Gimp!” from Pulp Fiction, “May the Force be with you.” from Star Wars, and “I’m not even supposed to be here today!” from Clerks. Say those words, and anyone whose seen the movie will immediately know which one you are talking about. So how could I not be intrigued by the text art created by Jerod Gibson?


JumpFromPaper Makes Real Life Feel Like a Cartoon with Seriously Ridiculous Bags

I loved the way “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988) and “Cool World” (1992) mixed cartoon elements into a real-world backdrop. I enjoyed the same effect as a kid, watching older Disney movies such as Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and Song of the South. There’s just something quirky and irresistible about imagining a world where cartoons can come to life; anything can happen! Evidently the minds behind JumpFromPaper feel the same. Created by Taipei-based design duo, Chay Su and Rika Lin, JumpFromPaper is a bag company that has produced a line of travel, camera, laptop and general gear bags which look like props from…


The Phosphor Appear Rose Gold Crystal Watch with Clear Nylon Bracelet Review

I reviewed the red Phosphor Appear last year, and I had so much fun with it that I bought one in black. Recently Phosphor began combining their popular Appear watches with nylon bracelet wristbands, and the result has been a bit of a transformation. Before, the Appear relied upon a leather wristband that had to be bucked — in my case on the last hole; now there is a lightweight and fashionable bracelet which can be sized (by removing individual links) to perfectly fit even the smallest wrists. The bracelet Appear features a modern, fashionable resin band finished with a metal deployment…


Wilson Electronics New Sleek 4G LTE Universal Cellular Signal Booster Rocks!

I’m a big fan of Wilson Electronics Cellular signal boosters, and I got to spend a little bit of time Joe Banos (their CEO) checking out their new 4G LTE Universal Cellular Signal Booster and learning about what’s going on in the booster market. Joe sees 2012 as the year that carriers will acknowledge that customers want better signals on their mobile devices by  embracing cellular signal boosting technology. Verizon is the first carrier to get fully on board, and Joe said another carrier is expected to do the same in the next few weeks. Wilson has just released a universal…


Here’s an Original Use for the BenQ GP2

While visiting with Texas Instruments DLP PICO, we discovered that they had a familiar product — the BenQ GP2 — set up to do something we thought was pretty mind-blowing … So you set an iPhone in the BenQ’s cradle, and then you can use another iPhone or an iPod touch (connected by WiFi) as a gaming remote control, with the action being displayed on the wall for everyone to see. That’s a pretty cool and offbeat use for what might otherwise seem like a very straightforward piece of equipment. What do you think? =) BenQ GP2