Thursday, March 24, 2011

Luxury Freebie (yes, really)

We all love receiving freebies every once in a while (okay, maybe more than once in a while), and if it's a luxury freebie, that's even more exciting. If there is also an occasion to celebrate, all the better.

It is in line with this spirit of sharing that Luxe Corp has decided to give away a glam evening clutch 'minaudière' by celebrated French designer Sylvia Toledano, to mark the re-launch of its corporate website on 30th March 2011. To participate in the competition and challenge your lucky star, click here or on the image above and follow the instructions. Bonne chance!

Monday, March 21, 2011

The Cyber-Resident Takes Center Stage at Club e-Luxe


I don't know if anyone remembers this but in 2006, TIME Magazine’s choice of its annual “Person of the Year” was “You”, the online user. Four years later in 2010, the magazine chose the Founder of Facebook as its “Personality of the Year”,  following earlier nominations of world leaders,  reformers and personalities that have shaped the world and influenced the course of humanity.
What does this mean in today’s online and offline worlds? Definite change!

It means that the online user otherwise known as the “Cyber-Resident” has emerged to be one of the key influencers of our world today. It also means that the state of the digital economy resounds in every aspect of the cyber-resident’s existence in both the physical and virtual worlds.  In short, the online user has become the winner of the world wide web, particularly in the context of the vastly connected social web.
It means that the online user otherwise known as the “Cyber-Resident” has emerged to be one of the key influencers of our world today. It also means that the state of the digital economy resounds in every aspect of the cyber-resident’s existence in both the physical and virtual worlds.  In short, the online user has become the winner of the world wide web, particularly in the context of the vastly connected social web.
This also means a lot for the luxury sector. But luxury needs to get its homework straight. 

Photo taken at the Club e-Luxe Breakfast Seminar, 13th January 2011, The Ritz Hotel Paris
First, luxury has to take time to understand this audience, luxury must dig deep into their psyche and know what moves them and what makes them tick. In short, luxury must get into their skin and walk around it and feel the very beat of their emotions, psychology and actions online.

In addition, luxury must also master the tools that enhance their cyber-world and use these to delight them while ensuring that their evolution is respected. Luxury must also feed them through branded content and engage them through exceptional services and offerings. Then luxury must continue to evolve in order to lead them online as well as offline. 
Photo taken at the Club e-Luxe Breakfast Seminar, 13th January 2011, The Ritz Hotel Paris
This sounds like a lot of work. Can luxury rise up to this challenge? Well, I personally think so, but there are steps (perhaps strides) to be taken before luxury can get there.  These challenges will be dissected by practicing experts at the 5th edition of the Club e-Luxe International Summit to take place on Tuesday 31st May 2011 at the Ritz Hotel Paris. To find out more, click here.  

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Here Comes HP's Wireless Pack!

As every tech and digital buff already knows, HP recently announced the launch of its tablet PC, aptly named the Touchpad and two smart phones, the Pre 3 deviced for work and life and its baby sister, the Veer, created for interactivity and experience.

In addition to the integration of the much talked about webOS intuitive system that powers all the three devices, they all have excellent navigation and multi-tasking features. For example the Pre 3 and Veer phones enable the viewing of multiple web and doc pages that can be alternated via simple light swipes of the finger. It's intuitive "Just Type" system is capable of pulling up a selection from the phone's contents including apps, messages, address book etc just by typing a word randomly. Above all, the data sync function is excellent. Content can be shared, transferred and experienced from one device to another by simply tapping them together. In other words you can begin watching a video on the phone and continue watching it on the Touchpad without interruption, by tapping them together. Does this call to mind a certain movie called Minority Report? It looks like future is here.


HP's Fashion Laptop Clutch designed by Vivienne Tam

The look and feel doesn't disappoint either. The pure and fine form of all three devices calls to mind objects that could perfectly fit in a contemporary art gallery. This is hardly surprising if we recall HP's delectable fashion laptop clutch series created in collaboration with Vivienne Tam, that marked the entrance of tech products on fashion runways. This is what excites me about technology - its multiple possibilities for exceptional experiences.

So while anticipating the launch of  the Touchpad, the Pre 3 and the Veer this spring, I can't help thinking that the James Bond girl experience isn't that far off. The HP trio will be previewed and experienced at the 5th Club e-Luxe International Summit to take place on 31st May 2011 at the Ritz Hotel Paris. More info will follow shortly.