John Colucci

Engagement Editor

He began his career in media as a teen correspondent for CBS News and a show called Studio Y at the age of 17. College led him in a different direction, doing project management and marketing for Old Navy and Virgin America, before shifting back into media when he joined Engadget. He's interviewed Cookie Monster and the woman behind Sesame Street, iJustine, and appears regularly on HuffPost Live and speaks on panels like his most recent one at SXSW on social media and brands. His main job though is keeping our readers engaged. (With the site, that is, because couples counseling isn't his forte.)

Articles by John Colucci

Austin, get ready... Engadget Live is coming!
We've heard that it's going to be hot in Austin on June 20th. Sure, one could say that's just a typical June day in Austin, but we'd like to think it's because we're coming to town. Our Engadget Live series kicks off at 7PM at the famous Austin Music Hall. Previously, we announced that attendees can expect to see Chaotic Moon, Re3D, Charmed Labs, Techjango and Zero Motorcycles. But that can't be all, right?
Engadget Live is coming to Austin on June 20th!
Austin, we love you. We mutually understand that things should be kept weird (otherwise, life would be boring). With that in mind, we're kicking off the Engadget Live series in the live music capital of the world: 7PM on June 20th at the Austin Music Hall! Austin's Chaotic Moon, the people behind this damn electricity-shooting helicopter will stun you with another incredible creation. Perhaps you want a life-sized replica of Oprah printed? Re3D's got you covered with the world's largest 3D printer. Building a robot? Charmed Labs' Pixy is a sensor that can teach it to find things and you'll get to check it out. Techjango, which brought us the Darkmatter Xbox laptop, will show off even more gadgets for makers. If that wasn't enough, AF1 Racing will bring its totally electric (and fast!) Zero Motorcycle so you can experience it yourself.
The gadgets that changed your life
When we asked you to tell us which gadgets changed your life, our goal was to arrive at a simple list of important devices. Instead, we learned how some of the products we talk about on Engadget every day make such a profound impact on your life. Remember when Facebook bought Oculus VR a few weeks ago? The news led to heated conversations about how VR technology would lose its edge and become a vessel for "branded experiences" (or in layman's terms: fancy ads). But we've seen actual life-altering uses of the Oculus Rift as well. For example, before Roberta Firstenberg passed away (and far too young, we might add) this technology gave her an opportunity to relive her younger years and see the sun one more time.
Which gadget changed your life?
When we ask readers like you to help us rank the top gadgets, we usually focus on the best (and sometimes the worst). Recently, you selected our Readers' Choice winners for the 2013 Engadget Awards, but in the spirit of our 10th birthday, we wanted to try something a little different. Do you have a gadget that's changed your life? Perhaps you made a leap from the LG enV VX9900 feature phone to the mystifying world of smartphones and scooped up an iPhone 3GS (like this author did in 2009). Or when you decided to move to the other side of the world and your Mom bought a Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 to keep in touch and see your darling face over Skype.
We're live from SXSW Interactive 2014!
We're live on the ground at South By Southwest (#SXSW for short), the annual event that brings together everyone and anyone who's invested in the interactive arts. Those artists include the minds behind emerging startups (like Twitter was here in 2007), as well as established innovators like Mark Cuban and even Grumpy Cat. We're already off to a great start: we've seen a man get stunned by the Chaotic Unmanned Personal Intercept Drone and had a chance to punch virtual sharks with the Oculus Rift and Leap Motion. But, there's more to come over the next few days, including riding MarioKart in real life, separate virtual conversations with Edward Snowden and Julian Assange, Shaq and much more. Here's how to keep up with us at SXSW, after the break.
Engadget is live at CES, here's who to follow on social media
Here we are, #EngadgetCES. We'll be your home for all things #CES2014, but what if you're hungry for even more tidbits of information? Never fear, the unfiltered world of social media is here. Not only can you keep up with Engadget itself, but stalk our cracker jack team as they mill through events at the Las Vegas Convention Center, as well as the iconic Strip. Also, have you heard of Engadget Mini yet? It's our new app available now for iOS, Android and the web. Mini offers you the best of our headlines, photos, videos, picks for the best tech news from around the web and interesting things from the social media universe. Here's who to follow to keep up with us, after the break.
Join us at Engadget Live in San Francisco this Thursday!
While December brings no shortage of events to attend in the City by the Bay, we're hosting one of our own, minus the mistletoe. This Thursday, we're bringing Engadget Live to Temple Nightclub in the heart of San Francisco. Engadget Live is a casual gathering that brings gadget lovers and tech brands together under one roof. We'll have some of the biggest names in technology on hand for you to interact with, including Nokia, Slingbox, TiVo, Gogo and many more. Western Digital is even bringing its Creative Masters, Mikel Paris, to perform throughout the night. Since we'll be at a nightclub, we're setting up a few themed lounges for you to explore. In one, our friends from the CEA (who put on that little shindig in Vegas called CES) will show off the latest in UHD TVs. In another, Chevrolet will help you #FindNewRoads. And in yet another, Sony will be on hand and letting you go hands-on with the PS4. The best part about Engadget Live is the cover charge: $0. Temple is close to BART and Caltrain, so getting there from any part of the Bay Area should be simple. Grab your ticket here and we'll see you there on Thursday night beginning at 7:00 PM.
Join us for Engadget Live in San Francisco on December 5th!
Having just wrapped up Engadget Expand New York earlier this month, and with CES fast approaching, you'd think our Events team would take a breather. Fortunately for those of you in the City By the Bay, we can't stop ourselves from putting on a show! On December 5th, we're heading to Temple Nightclub in San Francisco for Engadget Live (formerly known as Engadget + gdgt Live). While we may have a new name for the event, we'll be celebrating the 5th anniversary of the first gdgt Meetup taking place right there in San Francisco. Engadget Live is a unique event that isn't a conference or tradeshow -- it's designed to bring gadget lovers and tech brands together in a fun environment where they can get to know each other a little better. Best of all, it's free! We'll also have plenty of incredible tech brands at Engadget Live ready to show you their newest products and get your feedback on the spot. Speaking of products, we'll also have tons of great swag and chances to win some amazing gear. Just look out for the flyer at the door to find out how to win. Since music is a key part of the vibe in San Francisco, our friends at Western Digital are bringing its Creative Masters friend Mikel Paris to perform throughout the night. Did we mention the event is FREE? Grab a ticket and don't be shy about passing on the good word to your friends. One more thing: If you want to be a part of the behind-the-scenes action at Engadget Live, we could use a few volunteers at the event. To learn more and to apply, head over to the volunteer form.
Top 10 reasons to come to Expand New York
In just a few days, our second Engadget Expand event will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. We're recapping the highlights of the show we have planned on November 9th and 10th right here, so you know exactly why this is a show you don't want to miss.
Be a volunteer at Engadget Expand from November 7-10!
Are you the kind of ham who likes to be a part of the show? Does the sound of free tickets strike your fancy? Most importantly, do you like to work hard and have fun? Then you just might be a candidate to volunteer at Engadget Expand New York! We're taking over the Jacob K. Javits' Convention Center in New York City for four full days, November 7-10 (though the 7th is for us to prepare, and the 8th is open just to press). We're looking for a small army of folks to cover one or more of these shifts: Thursday - 2pm to 6pm (One day ticket for Saturday or Sunday included.) Friday - 8am to 6pm (Weekend pass included.) Saturday and Sunday - 9am to 6pm (Weekend pass included.) As a volunteer, we'll likely ask you to help out with tasks such as: Registration Ticket scanning Helping with giveaways Assisting sponsors with load in/load out Lending a hand with an assortment of errands Feeding someone's pet rabbit While we'll be asking for preferences on tasks, we can't promise that you'll get what you're after. Conversely, if there are any tasks you can't help with or aren't comfortable doing,let us know and we'll work something out! (And we're kidding about the rabbit). Once you apply to volunteer at Engadget Expand, we'll confirm your attendance and give more details over email. If you have any questions about volunteering, drop us a line at events AT engadget DOT com.
Announcing Engadget's #ScaryGadget Costume Contest!
Tomorrow is Halloween, which means from offices to classrooms, to banks and the streets of your hometown, people will be donning all sorts of costumes. Sure, you could be like everyone on the block and dress like Miley Cyrus, or try to score discount burritos at Chipotle, but why not go for something even more creative? Here's our challenge for you, our creative and engaged readers. If you're dressing up as a gadget, app, or really anything that is a nod to technology, we want you to snap a picture and tweet it out or pop it on Instagram while mentioning us (@engadget) along with the hashtag #ScaryGadget. Maybe you'll dress up like the Snapchat ghost (before his face was officially removed), or as one of your favorite characters from Orange Is The New Black. Or maybe Microsoft's Panos Panay, complete with headset and Surface 2? Whatever route you choose, we'd like to see. We'll pick the best and over the next day will pop those onto our Instagram (yes, we have one of those now) and write up our favorites later in the week. The prize? Fame and notoriety as one of the most creative costume geniuses of our times.
We have a winner in our Gogo High Above sweepstakes and more tickets to give away
We're excited to crown the winner of our Gogo "High Above" sweepstakes, and his name is David Simkins. He will be heading out to Chicago first, where he'll hop aboard "Gogo One," the private laboratory that Gogo uses to test out the latest inflight wireless technology. We'll be with him on this journey to Engadget Expand in New York City. Bummed out that you didn't win? We're still ready to give out a treasure trove of tickets to Engadget Expand, being held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on November 9th and 10th. We'll be giving away 50 passes to the event (valued at $30). For a chance to be one of those 50 lucky people heading to Expand for free, enter our giveaway using the widget below. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Hitch a ride to Engadget Expand aboard Gogo's private jet
The team at Gogo is flying high lately both in the sky and on the ground thanks to its new hybrid GTO technology, which brings in-air download speeds up to 60 Mbps. To test the future of in-flight WiFi, Gogo uses the "Gogo One," a flying laboratory that comes outfitted with some pretty intense equipment.
Engadget Giveaway: More Tickets to Expand NY!
Engadget Expand is heading to New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on November 9th and 10th. Sure, you could buy your own tickets (and at a pretty low price, we might add), but you can also win passes for free. For a chance to be one of the five lucky readers attending the show on our dime, enter our giveaway using the widget below. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Engadget Giveaway: Tickets to Expand New York!
We're not too far off from our Engadget Expand event taking place in New York City November 9th and 10th. While you can get your own tickets at a rather low price, we're always in the giving mood around here at Engadget and want to offer some lucky readers gratis tickets. All you have to do is enter using the widget below. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Help us decide who deserves free tickets to Expand NY
Last week, we flipped the switch on our #ExpandThrowback contest from the submission phase to the voting phase, meaning the winners of our contest are in your capable hands. What is this contest about again, you ask? Simply put, we wanted to see what old technology our readers could dig up in their garages, attics, closets, glove compartments, et cetera, thus paying homage to the old as we prepare to celebrate the new at this November's Expand NY event. One lucky winner gets an all-expense paid trip to the event and four runner-ups get a $250 gift card to update their old technology.* What are some of the old gizmos found in the top 20? Here's the list, complete with WikiLinks (not WikiLeaks) to fill your thirst for knowledge on tech before we could : 16/35MM Recorder 8-Track Tape Apple Lisa Atari Video Gaming System AT&T EO Blickensderfer #5 Coleco Telstar Commodore VIC-20 Datapoint 2200 Motorola Bag Phone MS-DOS DIskette Original IBM PC Original Microsoft Mouse Polaroid Model 150 Portico Miracle PC Sega Game Gear Studer 3/4 Tape Machine Teddy Ruxpin Timex Sinclair 1000 Toshiba T3100 We'll let you hop on over to the contest and vote for your favorite, and make sure to do so by September 19th. Then, on the 20th, we'll announce the winners. You also can see the whole smattering of #ExpandThrowback submissions that didn't make it to the final round here. *Prizes mentioned in this article are bound by the official rules of the contest.
Help pick the best retro tech for our #ExpandThrowback contest
We've received hundreds of thousands (of kilobytes) worth of submissions for our #ExpandThrowback contest and we want to thank those who valiantly opened up their closets, garages, attics, or just pivoted to the other side of their desk and snapped photos of their best in retro tech. We've gathered as a team at Engadget HQ and winnowed the pickins' down to our top 20 favorites. Now it's time to turn the decision on who wins over to you. Here's how it works. Click here to jump right to our contest page on Facebook. Peek through the pics and vote for your favorite. To keep it fair, we're only allowing one vote per Facebook account. On September 20th, come back to see who won. What will the winners get? First Prize Winner: All-expenses paid passage for you plus one to Engadget Expand in New York, including airfare, hotel room, transportation and food (ARV $3,000)* (4) Second Prize Winners: We'll give you a $250 gift card so you can finally ditch that StarTAC and pick up a shiny new phone (they even have touchscreens now!). Don't forget, if you're not already connected to all things Expand, stay tuned to our Expand hub for the latest news. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. *Prizes mentioned in this article are bound by the official rules of the contest.
Show us your old tech for a chance to win a trip to Expand NY!
On November 9th and 10th, Expand NY will bring you face to face with the future of tech -- but how did we arrive at a world where we're wearing computers on our faces? With your help, we'll be reliving that journey. Help us find the coolest vintage tech, and you could find yourself with a trip to Expand NY on us -- or a chance to let us update that old tech for you. So, what's hiding in the back of your closet? An Apple II? Commodore 64? A transistor radio or Motorola StarTAC? Maybe you cuddle with Teddy Ruxpin each night? Whatever the case may be, snap a pic of your most retro piece of technology and upload it to Instagram starting today. Tag us (@EngadgetExpand) and use the hashtag #ExpandThrowback in your post. Then, enter the official contest on our Engadget Expand Facebook Page, so we know where to find your photo.