Reader meetup
Latest
BlizzCon 2009: WoW.com meet-up, The Aftermath
What a night! Last night, the Anabella Hotel in Anaheim, CA played host to the WoW.com BlizzCon Meetup, and WoW.com readers turned out for the festivities. And festivities there certainly were! Master of ceremonies Mike Schramm ran some great giveaways with gear from Creative and other WoW-themed items, Daniel Whitcomb drank too much and confessed his undying love for me, 1400 readers joined in on our live Ustream show ... and then the cast of The Guild showed up and the place exploded. Not literally, but metaphorically. Oh, and over 1200 of you showed up at the meetup throughout the entire evening. There was that too. (And the WoW.com crew out there were beyond thrilled to see so many of you.) Felicia Day (pictured above with our very own Zach Yonzon) and pals seemed to enjoy themselves quite a bit as they hung out with fans and fellow gamers, posing for photos and poundin' brews with the WoW.com crew. Thanks to everyone who came out, and I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves despite my conspicuous absence. A special, 25-man-sized thank you to our own Mike Gray for working tirelessly in the weeks leading up to BlizzCon to make this meetup happen.Check out our shots of the meetup in our gallery below! %Gallery-70630% BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
Live Ustream of the WoW.com reader meet-up
Live Broadcasting by Ustream Looks like the gang's getting started at the Tangerine Patio of the Annabella Hotel, and we've got the live Ustream feed here so you can hang out virtually!If you're in the Anaheim area, swing by to say hello to the gang, and we've got prizes and giveaways from Upper Deck, Steelseries, WoWTCGLoot.com, Swagdog, and Creative Labs in addition to guests, a (we hope functional) kitchen and a cash bar! We may be able to give prizes away to virtual attendees as well, so hang tight. More updates will follow throughout the evening.UPDATE: Yup, audio's lousy, we're working on it. Turpster apparently has another microphone. Now if only we could find Turpster...Additional notes and updates beyond the cut. BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
BlizzCon 2009: Don't forget to look for us
BlizzCon 2009 officially starts tomorrow and most of Team WoW.com are either in Anaheim or heading down there as we speak. As you make your way through throngs of people this Friday and Saturday, keep your eyes peeled for our intrepid crew. But how do you spot them? Granted, they're not like cosplayers. Although follow the throng of adoring women and you may just spot Turpster. The rest of the team are known for their ability to Shadowmeld instantly so we've had to equip them with some very special gear this BlizzCon.You can get a good look at team at the meetup tonight, but if you can't make it and need a visual cue you can spot them on the convention floor by looking for their special BlizzCon gear: a Legendary and totally epic, limited edition T shirt (with +50 visibility) featuring a certain crab and that long-promised equine mount. So don't forget to mark them off like the rare spawns they are and come up and say "hi". They may even have a little something for you. BlizzCon 2009 is coming up on August 21st and 22nd! We've got all the latest news and information. At BlizzCon you can play the latest games, meet your guildmates, and ask the developers your questions. Plus, there's some great looking costumes.
Reminder: WoW.com BlizzCon meetup tonight at 7:30pm
This is it. The day has come. This evening at 7:30pm on the Tangerine Patio at the Anabella Hotel in Anaheim, we'll be hosting our annual BlizzCon meetup, and trust us: it's sure to be amazing. There's the people, for one thing: many of your favorite WoW.com writers will be in attendance, ready to talk some shop with you. Many of our friends and neighbors in the WoW community will be stopping by as well -- we can't name names, but let's just say that if you've ever seen or heard them on WoW.com, they'll probably be there. Then there's the prizes: Upper Deck, Steelseries, WoWTCGLoot.com, Swagdog, and Creative Labs are all bringing some sweet swag by the meetup for you readers to take home for them. And there'll be a cash bar (all attendees should be 18+ or accompanied by a parent) with an open kitchen as well, and we promise the bartender will be faster than the slowpoke last year.Plus, for the first time ever, those of you at home will get a chance to attend virtually. Starting at 7:30pm Pacific, we're going to be streaming live video and audio from the party over on our Ustream page, and you'll be able to chat with us, our guests, and anybody else there who wants to chat with you. If you're good, we might even give away some prizes to virtual attendees.It's going to be a blast. And hey, we even hear there's some kind of convention going on in Anaheim this weekend, so that should be fun, too. If you're in Anaheim, we'll see you there tonight, or if you're at home we'll see you on Ustream. Can't wait! BlizzCon 2009 is coming up on August 21st and 22nd! We've got all the latest news and information. At BlizzCon you can play the latest games, meet your guildmates, and ask the developers your questions. Plus, there's some great looking costumes.
Announcing the third annual WoW.com BlizzCon Meetup
It's here! For months now, we've told you that we'll be having our third BlizzCon meetup on August 20th, the night before the big event in Anaheim, but we haven't yet told you exactly where. But now, we've finally confirmed our location and we can tell you where to go: We'll be meeting at the Tangerine Patio in the Anabella Hotel at 1030 W. Katella Avenue in Anaheim, CA. That's right behind the Convention Center (between it and Disneyland), and within easy walking distance from anywhere in the area. We'll begin the festivities at 7:30pm Pacific (local Anaheim time) on August 20th, and the Anabella will have the kitchen open and a cash bar ready for all of the eating and drinking you'd want. We're asking that attendees be 18+ or accompanied by parent, but other than that, just be a reader of WoW.com -- many of our writers and editors will be in attendance for you to meet and greet, and we'll be giving away some swag and speculating at just what we'll see later that weekend at BlizzCon.And if you aren't able to make it to Anaheim, don't worry: we'll have audio and video up and streaming to our Ustream page, so you'll be able to attend virtually and chat with everyone else there. And we're planning on having some Ustream-specific giveaways as well, so you won't be left out of the loot, either. All of our reader meetups in the past have been tremendous, and this one is set up to be our biggest and best event yet. We'll see you there!BlizzCon 2009 is coming up on August 21st and 22nd! We've got all the latest news and information. At BlizzCon, you can play the latest games, meet your guildmates, and ask the developers your questions. Plus, there are some great looking costumes.
Engadget Podcast 122 - 12.20.2008: NYC reader meetup Q&A
With all the planning and rushing around, we thought we wouldn't get a chance to get a podcast out this week. Luckily, we had an amazing and candid time with readers during our Q&A at the reader meetup / holiday party -- and we recorded it! Check out the gang getting loose and nimble with our totally bodacious readership. We promise you'll be in serious like with it. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel, and Josh Fruhlinger Producer: Trent Wolbe Guests: Ryan Block, David Kim, ant man, CJ, Andy, Ryan, Tim, Freddy, Fernando, Sia, Dingo, Verse, William, Victorious, Faye. Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.
Thank you NYC!
Well that was nuts! The Engadget NYC reader meetup has come and gone, and it was a blast. Diehard readers braved seriously nasty weather and long lines to get inside, but we still managed to reach capacity at Hiro Ballroom. We're really, truly blown away by the excitement and enthusiasm we saw from the folks that were there, and we hear you loud and clear -- there's more of these in store, with bigger venues and lots more to see / do. We gave away a ton of gear, met some amazing people, and had an absolute blast hanging out with everyone. Thanks so much for coming out guys -- you rule.And to all the vendors / sponsors / friends that were showing off their stuff, and all the companies who offered giveaways: thank you from the bottom of our mechanical hearts. We couldn't have done it without you!You can see some Ovi-streamed pics of the event right here and read the lineblog here. If you have pictures you took and want to share, add them to our Flickr pool here, and if you've got video, post a link in the comments below!
Live from the Engadget Holiday Party!
Alright, it's that moment you may or may have not been waiting for! The Engadget Holiday Party / Reader meetup / NY snow-in is officially underway, with folks streaming in as we speak. We'll do our best to give you live updates from the show, with an Ovi slideshow, live fed by a few lucky ninjas equipped with some Nokia-provided N96, N85 and N79 handsets, and a no-guarantees Ustream.TV feed fed lovingly to the internet by an Engadget editor's very own harried laptop -- all after the break.
Engadget Holiday Party / Reader meetup lineblog!
Okay, we had no idea we'd have to liveblog this, but we're setting up for the meetup tonight and there are already six people in line. Four hours early. In the rain and snow. In other words -- yeah, this sucker is still on, and we're going to rock it. We'll be updating as company reps get here and start setting up, check it out after the break, along with all the info you need to brave the elements and party with us tonight.Update: We're working on setting up the Ovi slideshow, peep the last set of line pics after the break and check back in a few for the live streaming action!
Engadget's NYC reader meetup / holiday party is tonight!
This is it! The Engadget reader meetup / holiday party is happening tonight in New York City! All of the information you need is below, but we'd like to stress a few points: The venue capacity has a limit, so make sure you get there early, and plan to wait in a bit of a line. It is snowing like crazy in New York -- so please bundle up and come prepared for the elements! We'll do everything we can to move people inside as quickly as possible, and there's a coat check at the venue for your heavier gear. Bring your ID! Without it, you can't get in! And the rest of the details about the event: We're giving away tens of thousands of dollars in gear! Including... SanDisk 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB microSD cards for the first 200 people through the door! Free food, and free drink tickets for the first 500 people Live Q&A session with Engadget editors Music for the evening will be provided by Justin VanDerVolgen (of !!! and Outhud) The event is 18 TO ENTER / 21 TO DRINK, AND YOU MUST BRING AN ID. ADMISSION IS FREE. Sorry younger readers, but we'll do a follow-up all ages event soon! The venue capacity tops out at a tiny bit over 1000, so you if you're coming, be sure to get there early! When: Friday, December 19th, 7:00PM to 12:00AMWhere: Hiro Ballroom, 371 W. 16th St., New York, NY. 10011You can discuss plans for the event on Facebook here. View Larger Map For media interested in attending, please ping us at: nycreadermeetup [at] gmail [dot] comNote: space for media is very limited as this is a reader event. Readers, you're all set -- no need to email us.
Engadget NYC reader meetup, December 19th: new giveaways, more info
By now you should have heard about the Engadget NYC reader meetup / holiday party taking place TOMORROW, Friday, December 19th. If you're not clued in to all the happenings, this should bring you up to speed. We'll have participation (and giveaways) from the following companies: Nokia, Microsoft (Zune and Xbox), T-Mobile, Palm, HP, SanDisk, Peek, VIA, Sling, Bug Labs, Neat Receipts, Panasonic, Livescribe, Rhapsody, and Make.Some new additions (to the already large stack of items): VIA has just handed over an Artigo A2000, Peek is going to be flooding the event with a whopping 12 handhelds to give out (celebrating its 12 days of Peekmas), Bug Labs is offering a BUGBundle, and Livescribe has provided us with a Pulse (courtesy of Target)! And remember, those are just a few of the goods on offer.Remember, feel free to bring any hacks, mods, or other generally awesome tech you want to show off to us and other Engadget readers -- you don't get the chance too often!Here are some super-important details about the event: We're giving away tens of thousands of dollars in gear! Including... SanDisk 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB microSD cards for the first 200 people through the door! Free food, and free drink tickets for the first 500 people Live Q&A session with Engadget editors Music for the evening will be provided by Justin VanDerVolgen (of !!! and Outhud) The event is 18 TO ENTER / 21 TO DRINK, AND YOU MUST BRING AN ID. ADMISSION IS FREE. Sorry younger readers, but we'll do a follow-up all ages event soon! The venue capacity tops out at a tiny bit over 1000, so you if you're coming, be sure to get there early! When: Friday, December 19th, 7:00PM to 12:00AMWhere: Hiro Ballroom, 371 W. 16th St., New York, NY. 10011You can discuss plans for the event on Facebook here. View Larger Map For media interested in attending, please ping us at: nycreadermeetup [at] gmail [dot] comNote: space for media is very limited as this is a reader event. Readers, you're all set -- no need to email us.
Engadget Podcast 121 - 12.12.2008
Ah yes -- another refreshing installment of the Engadget Podcast! This week the boys get in touch with their deep feelings on Palm's potential New-ness, Nokia's mystery touchscreen phone, fresh additions to the Open Handset Alliance, and news on the forthcoming reader meetup. You also get to hear Josh, Paul, and Nilay mix it up about their hopes for the future, next jewelry purchases, and Gmail contact syncing nightmares. Sounds badical, right? 01:20 - Palm's New-ness, coming to CES 13:38 - Mysterious T-swivel handset appears on Korean site, keeps us guessing 15:43 - Mysterious new Nokia touchscreen interface and handset unveiled (sort of) 26:39 - Open Handset Alliance signs up 14 more Android-lovers, including Sony Ericsson, ASUS and Garmin 51:00 - Reader meetup update: 'Fallout 3' bundles, Nokia N-Gage / Ovi, Make, and more! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, and Nilay Patel Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Doctor Octoroc - Carol of the Belmonts Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.
Reader meetup update: 'Fallout 3' bundles, Nokia N-Gage / Ovi, Make, and more!
Say there, perhaps you've heard about that little Engadget NYC reader meetup / holiday party happening on December 19th? Well we've got a little more info for you (and some important details) that might be of note. First we wanted to show off some of the stuff we're going to be giving away, and we thought there would be no better illustration than these amazing Fallout 3 "Nuclear Winter Survival Kit" bundles from Microsoft (pictured above). Some details:PC bundle Alienware Area 51 m15x laptop Fallout 3 Collector's Edition (PC) Fallout 3 Token (redeemable for Operation: Anchorage premium downloadable content in January '09) SideWinder mouse Wenger Impulse Notebook Case by SwissGear Emergency blanket Xbox 360 bundle Xbox 360 Elite console Fallout 3 Collector's Edition (Xbox 360) Fallout 3 Token (redeemable for Operation: Anchorage premium downloadable content in January '09) 1-yr Xbox LIVE Gold Subscription Emergency blanket These are just two of many, many succulent giveaways you could walk away with if you attend. Nokia has also graciously offered up some free N-Gage content. If you're an N-Gage user, you can bring your device to the meetup and they'll hook you up with a free game! The company is also outfitting a handful of readers with Ovi-equipped devices during the event so they can stream live content. Five (5) readers will be selected -- if you'd like to be one of the chosen few, leave a comment on this post, and we'll contact you with more info!Additionally, our main homeboys from Make are going to be in attendance with some projects and magazines, as well as a pretty cool surprise to show off that we're awfully excited about.Just added: LIvescribe will be giving away a Pulse (courtesy of Target), Palm is handing out a Treo Pro, and Neat Receipts has graciously offered up 3 Neat Desks!Read on after the break for more details about the meetup!
Engadget reader meetup / holiday party in NYC, December 19th!
This is the one you've been waiting for, Engadget fans. We've decided to end the year on a high note with a big reader meetup and holiday bash for our faithful readers! On December 19th, we're blowing it out at the completely amazing Hiro Ballroom in Manhattan. We'll have a big selection of gear and giveaways on hand, including products (both to play with and to win) from: Nokia, Microsoft, T-Mobile, HP, SanDisk, Peek, Sling, Rhapsody, and more! And believe us, there really is more to come. Here are a few details: We're giving away tens of thousands of dollars in gear! Including... SanDisk 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB microSD cards for the first 200 people through the door! Free food, and free drink tickets for the first 500 people, totally awesome music all night Live Q&A session with Engadget editors The event is 18 TO ENTER / 21 TO DRINK, AND YOU MUST BRING AN ID. ADMISSION IS FREE. Sorry younger readers, but we'll do a follow-up all ages event soon! The venue capacity tops out at a tiny bit over 1000, so you if you're coming, be sure to get there and get in line early! When: Friday, December 19th, 7:00PM to 12:00AMWe're still working out details as well as adding to our roster of giveaways and companies which will be in attendance, so expect updates as we move towards the event. If you're planning on coming, shout it out in the comments!Update: Super exciting news! Music for the evening will be provided by Justin VanDerVolgen -- who you just may know from his bands !!! (chk chk chk) and Outhud!
BlizzCon 2008: WoW Insider's second annual BlizzCon Reader Meetup
We had our second annual Reader Meetup last night here in Anaheim at The Lost Bar, and it was a blast. Tons of people showed up (maybe 200?), and every single reader we met was completely awesome. We introduced all of our bloggers (Adam Holisky, Daniel Whitcomb, Alex Ziebart, Krystalle Voecks, Elizabeth Harper, Dan O'Halloran, and myself were all there), we drank plenty of libations (the bartender, unfortunately, wasn't moving as fast as we would have liked), and we gave away a bunch of swag, to all kinds of readers, for everything from answering trivia questions to just saying hi.The Horde, I have to say, seemed to have the higher population, but Alliance made a good showing as well. And a few full guilds came out to see us: shoutouts to Thee Unforgiven on Destromath (the good folks above), Keine Neuen on Malganis, and Dread Pirates on Blackrock, not to mention all of the other awesome readers and guilds that stopped by. They're all in our gallery below -- thanks to everyone who came out for making it such a great time.%Gallery-34196%
Reminder: Meet WoW Insider tonight at The Lost Bar at 8pm
Don't forget -- if you're in Anaheim for BlizzCon tonight, our meetup starts in just a few hours at 8pm. We'll be over at The Lost Bar -- you can follow the map above, and from the convention center entrance (where you're grabbing your passes today), it's just about a 10 minute walk north and then west of Disneyland. It's a big open air bar -- we'll be sitting, chatting, and drinking, so walk right up and say hi (just look for the folks going through the BlizzCon goodie bags greedily and talking about the latest beta changes).We'll be there late this evening (and later on, we'll do some trivia and giveaways), so even if it's kind of late and you've just made it into your hotel, feel free to come by and say hello (and if you're stuck at home, stay tuned for a post live from the meetup later on this evening). And don't forget that even if you can't make it to the meetup tonight, we're taping our podcast in front of a live audience (with WoW Radio and The Guild) tomorrow evening, so make sure that's on your schedule as well.Have a safe trip to BlizzCon if you're coming down, and we'll see you at the Lost Bar this evening!
Announcing the second annual WoW Insider BlizzCon meetup
Yes, folks, it's almost October, and that means it's time to start making those big plans for BlizzCon. And when you do, don't forget to include us -- just like last year, we're having a blowout reader meetup right near the Convention Center in Anaheim. Save the date for the second annual WoW Insider BlizzCon Meetup: Thursday night, October 9, at 8pm PST in The Lost Bar near the Disneyland Hotel (1150 W. Magic Way, same place as last year). If Blizzard does things the same way they did last year, badges will be pick-up-able that Thursday, so we'll all be awash in our goodie bags and passes already, and excited about what the rest of the 'con holds.Just like last time, we'll bring lots of prizes (and you may even get another round of trivia questions from me), plus you'll get the chance to meet and greet all your favorite WoW Insider bloggers (and commenters). And as you know if you were there last time, The Lost Bar has lots of great food and drink. And little boats to race!So if you're headed out to BlizzCon and will be in town on Thursday night, October 9th, at 8pm (or are in town anyway and want to come say hi), definitely come by our second annual reader meetup. And stay tuned for more -- we're planning on having at least one more live event at BlizzCon (we have to record the WoW Insider Show sometime that weekend, right?), so we'll let you know more about our schedule there soon.
E308: The Joystiq / X3F reader meetup recap-o-pix
Last night, we went out of E3 in style and on our own partying terms by hosting a Joystiq and X3F Reader Meetup event in Santa Monica, California. The turnout was great (something close to 300 readers attended), we ate some pizza, chit-chatted some, gave out a couple hundred pounds of swag and the highlight of the meetup was Rock Band 2. You read correctly, the guys from Harmonix showed up with Rock Band 2 (which is freakin' amazing btw) and new instruments in hand to let everyone try out the new setup. All in all it was a great way to close out the E3 week and for those who attended, we send a gigantic "thank you!" your way. Without your support we'd be nothing but a few sad and lonely fanboys.Check out the photographic reader meetup recap below and for more meetup coverage, jump on over to Joystiq and browse their photos too.%Gallery-28049% Gallery: Joystiq Post-E3 2008 Party
We've got Nuka Cola and a SimTek 1000 viewer
As we perused Fallout 3 today (more on that soon) Bethesda treated us to some refreshment in the form of Nuka Cola. But did we ingest the only known post-apocalyptic soda? No, dear reader, we did not. We left its dark mysteries bottled up in the hopes that we could pass the bottles along to you at Thursday's Joystiq Reader Meet Up Party.A similar fate will befall the other Bethesda swag we nabbed, a SimTek 1000 holographic ... OK, it's a ViewMaster. But it's got Fallout 3 three-dimensional screenshots, so you won't hear us complaining. If you want a crack at it make sure you attend the shin-dig.
Thanks for coming out tonight, San Francisco!
We're floored! Over a thousand people braved lines to join us at tonight's Engadget reader meetup in San Francisco, our biggest ever event by far! We're completely humbled, but you're not out of the woods yet. Do us a favor and share your photos and video from tonight, would you? We'll post 'em up tomorrow for everyone to check out. Thanks again, SF!Please add your pictures to the Engadget Flickr pool here.And please add your videos to YouTube with the tag engadget2007sf.We'd also like to thank the premium event sponsor of our San Francisco event, the Bluetooth SIG, who really helped us make this whole thing happen!
