StreamZoo Photo Booth Contest Winner

Drum roll please!

We're happy to announce that the winner of the StreamZoo Photo Booth Contest is Lynne Watanabe!

Congrats Lynne! We can't wait to see the pictures you'll be taking with your new Holga camera from Urban Outfitters!

On the day of the Happy Go Techy Expo she took this picture and wrote:

"The things an entrepreneur has to do to get attn #Happygotechyexpo #StretchySuit #Seattle #StartUp"

Not only did she seize the opportunity to take a photo of the blue DealSpringer man she also talked about entrepreneurship which is one of favorite topics here at Happy Go Techy. The picture captured everything we were looking for - geekiness, fun, and community!

Do take a look at the other great photos that were taken at the event using StreamZoo here. While you're checking things out, do learn more about the DealSpringer app as well. They were showcasing their mobile app at the expo but just in case you weren't able to make it you can learn more on their website.

The app empowers you to promote special offers instantly right from your phone or computer at your terms in real-time. Deal Springer updates your Facebook Fanpage, Tweets & Emails your offer, updates your mobile store page and sends alerts to people nearby!

the Happy Go Techy Expo!

Thank you to everyone who was a part of the very first Happy Go Techy Expo this past Saturday. The day was filled with excitement, creativity, and surprises! There were so many events going on at the same time so we really appreciate you taking the time to come out and show your support. We couldn't have done it without you.

We especially wanted to thank the following people:

Sponsors! StreamZoo, Handmade Spark, Things People Make, GeekWire, Meylah, Mission Hot Mama, Alex Lim Photography, Urban Craft Uprising, Schmancy Toys, Unanimous Craft, MindMeister, Tango Card, and Women 2.0!

Mobile Apps and Vendors!  Thank you for taking the time to share your art, creativity, and entrepreneurship at the expo.

Note to attendees: Don't forget, you can still download and purchase items from our vendors online. Here is a full list of our vendors and mobile apps.

Here are a few photos from the event. Check out the entire gallery of photos here.


Staff member, Calvin Nguyen, showing off some snazzy iPhone cases by EXOvault and Jon Eicher and the ever so awesome bamboo MacBook Pro case by Silva LTD.


Free social media give aways!


Stephanie of Zaarly Seattle showing off their amazing mobile app!


Internet icon pillows by CraftSquatch & geeky tshirts by Good Joe!


Twitter Love:









We ran a lot of contests during the expo and will announce the winners next week. Stay tuned!

Jenni Hogan: Twitter Celeb & Hot Mission Mom!

Tech fashionista, Jenni Hogan's bio pretty much speaks for itself:  

"This Australian native is currently the most followed local TV anchor on Twitter in the nation. In 2011 she was named one of 6 finalist in the worldwide Shorty Awards, the “Oscars” of Twitter and she currently holds the title of Top Twitter Personality in the Seattle NBC affiliate’s Best Of Western Washington awards, voted on by the consumer. The Huffington Post just name her one of the top female geeks in the world and she sits in the 2nd position as the most influential top media brand in Seattle, right behind the Seattle Times. Jenni uses her online platform to empower her followers to better themselves or to help others."

We are green with envy of her tech accomplishments!  She truly is an inspiration.  What more can we say other than "Jenni, keep up the good work being a mentor to the many women and moms you reach through your personable online network."

If you'd like to connect with Jenni you can follow her on Twitter @jennihogan.

Recently, we teamed up with Jenni to offer her network of moms on Mission Hot Mama a Techy Fashionista Giveaway.  There are prizes for mom, dad, and baby, too!

• a Zune HD package, includes a device, accessories and a case
• your choice of a beautiful handmade Kindle case or iPad 2 case
• PLUS we can’t forget the rest of the family! You’ll also get..
• an awesome leather iPad 2 case (for your hot husband)
• and fun twitter pillow for the baby (this is too cute)

If you know of any moms who love tech and fashion, please tell them about this giveaway as it's right up their alley!

P.s.  Even Jenni's one year old daughter tweets!  She got it from her mission hot mama!

Geekiest Possession Contest

Follow these five easy steps to be entered into the contest!

1. Download the Streamzoo app on your phone
2. Take a picture of your geekiest possession using the app
3. Enter hashtags #happygotechy & #geek as well as Twitter handles @happygotechy & @streamzoo in the description area
4. Click on the Twitter icon on the same screen to share your picture on Twitter
5. Follow @happygotechy and @streamzoo on Twitter 

{example}

Submissions will be judged based on "geek level" & number of likes on Streamzoo.  If you drop by the expo this coming Saturday, maybe you'll find a new, fun geeky possession there you can enter into the contest!

The Fine Print

Contest Timeline
Monday, June 20, 2011 - Contest begins at 12:00am PST
Monday, June 27, 2011 - Contest ends at 11:59pm PST
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 - Winners will be notified and announced

Rules

• You may only submit one entry. If you submit more than one, every title after the first submitted will not be counted.
• Abide by Twitter’s and Facebook’s Rules and Terms of Service.
• Derogatory, profane, crude, and inappropriate submissions as deemed by Happy Go Techy will not be accepted. 
• Submission of any entry acknowledges the right of Happy Go Techy to use it for exhibition, promotion and publication purposes in any medium.

Mobile App: Flick+Share

Flick+Share is an app developed by Cloud 8 Studios.  It makes sharing photos on your Windows 7 phone a cinch - or should I say, a flick!

It's easy to use:

If you're in Seattle next weekend, drop by their booth and say hello to them at the expo!

Fashioningtech.com: Where Fashion Meets Tech

Fashioningtech.com is the perfect site for the techie fashionista. It features wearable technology, fun DIY tutorials, photos, videos, and more! I love perusing spunky new designs and crazy ways technology is being integrated into the fabric of our lives - definitely fashion forward to say the least!

The brains behing Fashioningtech.com is Syuzi Pakhchyan. A little bit about Syuzi:

"Syuzi is an experience designer whose work investigates the intersection between code, cloth and culture. Her design and research interests include wearable technologies, physical and soft computing, and interactive textile design. 

Her book "Fashioning Technology: A DIY Intro to Smart Crafting" explores the emerging creative practice of soft circuits and soft technologies."

Some fun things I found on the site.

{DroidDare: Mocktail Making Dress}

{Soft Circuit DIY Kits: Salt n' Peanut Tutorial}

So techie and cute!

Mobile App: MapBox

"MapBox makes it easy to design beautiful custom maps, and fast to integrate them into websites and mobile applications. Whether you want to visualize census data in Chicago, monitor seismic activity in the aftermath of the Japan earthquake, plot drone strikes in Pakistan, or analyze election results in Afghanistan, MapBox will help you make more sense of your data."

MapBox radically lowers the barrier to entry for making custom base maps and overlays. Now data analysts can become mapmakers without GIS expertise, and GIS experts can become cartographers without first mastering design."

{How To Video}

Beautiful, functional, and fun! 

We love it! Come to the expo and drop by their demo table!

MindMeister: Mind Mapping Software

In elementary school when I first started learning how to write essays, I remember I hated the format of outlines.  They were linear and boring - just didn't work for me.  Eventually, in 5th or 6th grade we learned how to make mind maps (I don't remember what they were called back then) - mind maps presented information in a way that was much more easy to visualize and in which connections could be made more intuitively between all the "bubbles of thought."  Problem was... there was never enough space on a small 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper.  Once again,  stifled creative thought due to technical limitations!

You can imagine my enthusiasm when I grew up and discovered MindMeister a few years ago!  An online mind mapping tool that not only allows you to visually gather your thoughts, it also lets you do things like add icons, pictures, and links as references. And, they have a mobile app as well!  We're so excited to announce that we will be showcasing their app at the expo. Not only that - Mindmeister has gifted us 100 subscriptions as expo give aways.  Stay tuned to learn how you can get one!

Check out an example of a MindMeister map below:

Handmade Spark Give Away Winner: Rogue Theory

{6th Generation Nano Cases}

I've been admiring Rogue Theory's cases & covers for a while now.  So happy they've been chosen as  the winner of the Handmade Spark & Happy Go Techy vendor package give away.  

See more of their designs here.

Thanks Handmade Spark for connecting us!

Mobile App Demo: Hmmm...

DreamTimeStudioZ will be demoing their new app at the expo - so excited!  :)

They will demoing Hmmm..., a social version of their current app, HearMarkZ.  HearMarkZ is "the ultimate memory app, (iPhone and iPod touch 2G) is an iPod enhancement app that creates an unlimited number of bookmarks AND text/audio notes for any kind of audio recording in your iPod library: audio books, podcasts, songs, seminar recordings, and more."

Come to the expo to check it out and learn more!  

Happy Go Online Shopper Contest Results!

Thanks to everyone who submitted entries for the Happy Go Online Shopper Contest!  For the best online shopping site we narrowed it down to two entries based on fashionability and site design: 

Hautelook

and ASOS!

The fact that the two sites do not have brick & mortar stores was a plus.  We decided to go with Hautelook for it's unique internet-based business model and high-end yet affordable sassy styles!

We had 3 entries for Hautelook so we threw everyone's name into the "Random Thing Picker" (love the simplicity of it) and the lucky winner of a $25 Tango Card is...

Ms. Sai Liou!  Congrats, Sai!  We'll be sending over your card shortly!  

Happy Go online shopping or donating with your Tango Card!

A special thanks to Tango Card for sponsoring this contest!

Meet, Greet, Create, Collaborate!

Our friends over at Handmade Spark are stirring up some really exciting things these days! They are currently building a companion site called, “Things People Make” that will allow buyers and sellers to give feedback on products they are in the making. Think of it as a working studio, but online! Before a seller releases their product to the world they can use Things People Make to refine their product by getting feedback from other sellers and buyers. Things People Make will be a social site where people can share their items before they post them on online marketplaces like Meylah and Etsy.

Signup for email updates regarding their launch if you don’t want to miss a thing at www.thingspeoplemake.com! They are currently in hardcore development mode so stay tuned for lots of exciting things to come from Things People Make!

Welcoming Meylah As A Happy Go Techy Expo Sponsor!

We’re so happy go announce that Meylah, the ever so awesome and powerful all in one e-commerce platform and marketplace, will be joining us as a sponsor at the Happy Go Techy Expo on June 25h.

Meylah is devoted to building an online creative community for individuals to learn, share and support each other’s business growth online. They know how hard and time consuming being an entrepreneur can be so they offer the tools to help creative business entrepreneurs succeed.

Here are the things you can do on Meylah:



Meylah's Online Marketplace to Drive Sales for Their Sellers:



It’s been a great pleasure getting to know the founding team at Meylah, they are truly devoted to helping their sellers gain visibility and I especially love the story about how Meylah got started:

“Once upon a time, a group of creative individuals who, perhaps like you, hold down serious day jobs — decided it was time to create a new kind of creative community. Having found that it is hard to get your bearings in the online creative world, we imagined a place for like-minded people to share and advance creatively, while getting step-by-step directions to turn our passion into a business.”

The artists on Meylah are phenomenal. Check it out today and stop by their booth at the Happy Go Techy Expo!

Handmade Spark Connects & Promotes. You Design & Inspire.

Handmade Spark is a awesome SEO and marketing service for Etsy sellers, and a creative blog for the indie and handmade community. They fuel the creative process and give members product pages, a mini-site, social marketing tools, directory listing, high traffic volumes, and google analytics/SEO insights. All this for just $6.00/month.

They are constantly promoting on social networks, blogs, and sites, generating even more visibility for the sellers!



Example of a Handmade Spark Mini-Site:



Today we launched a contest to find the most geeky of crafters on Handmade Spark to give a free virtual vendor package to the Happy Go Techy Expo! You can see complete details on the contest on Handmade Spark’s blog post.

It’s easy to qualify.

All you have to do is sign up for a paid Handmade Spark membership in the Geekery category by midnight Thursday, May 26th, and you’ll automatically be submitted to win a virtual booth in the upcoming Happy Go Techy Expo.

Everyone in the Geekery category will be considered, so if you’re already a member, then you’re golden. (Though it never hurts to spruce up your shop with geek-centric treasures.) Submissions will be reviewed based on relevance to tech & geekery, craftsmanship and uniqueness.

What are you waiting for, go to Handmade Spark and join today!

LinkedIn's IPO Is No Bubble - PCmag.com

A great take on LinkedIn as a company and its IPO today.  

A few lines from the article:

LinkedIn has always been like the more mature, smarter and neater brother to the plethora of other social-networking environments that sprung up over the last decade. It's not messy or confused like MySpace or overly friendly like the dearly departed Friendster. It's not about family and friends like Facebook or brief, pithy posts like Twitter. LinkedIn can plug into other software, like Microsoft Office, but unlike Twitter, it's never been cannibalized by its own third-party APIs. The LinkedIn site is a true destination.

With that said, congratulations to our good friend Michael (Phongzie) Nguyen!  We're so happy for you!  I'm off to polish off my Linked-In profile now...

Happy Go Online Shopper Contest

All you have to do is share the online shopping destination with us in less than 140 characters.

Submit your entry by:

following us on Twitter and tweeting it to @happygotechy using #happygoshopper

example: @happygotechy I love to shop on Swirl by Daily Candy http://bit.ly/3pvENB #happygoshopper

or

liking us on Facebook and posting a comment to discussion thread titled "Happy Go Online Shopper Contest" on our Facebook Page.

Submissions will be judged based on fashionability and site design.

Call to Bloggers!  Post this contest on your blog and send us the link to info@happygotechyexpo.com and gain exposure for your blog by receiving a complimentary Happy Go Mini sponsorship ($150 value) for the Happy Go Techy Expo. 

The Fine Print

Contest Timeline
Tuesday, May 17, 2011 - Contest begins at 12:00am PST
Friday, May 27, 2011 - Contest ends at 11:59pm PST
Monday, May 30, 2011 - Winners will be notified and announced

Rules

• You may only submit one entry. If you submit more than one, every title after the first submitted will not be counted.
• Abide by Twitter’s and Facebook’s Rules and Terms of Service.
• Derogatory, profane, crude, and inappropriate submissions as deemed by Happy Go Techy will not be accepted. 

Terms and Conditions:  Submission of any entry acknowledges the right of Happy Go Techy to use it for exhibition, promotion and publication purposes in any medium.

Dress Up Your Tech & Can't Live Without It! Mobile App Contests Results

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the "Dress Up Your Tech" & "Can't Live Without It! Mobile App" contests.  The entries were fantastico!  :)

(Drum roll, please.)
And, the winners are...


Dress Up Your Tech

Mr. Ethan Schaffer for submitting the Dodo Case for iPads - definitely unique, finely crafted, and useful!

Ethan won a Kate Spade iPhone case and a $25 gift card to Urban Outfitters.  (Ethan, maybe you can gift the iPhone case to a lucky lady friend...)

Can't Live Without It! Mobile App

And, for most unique and useful day-to-day app, the winner is Grocery IQ - submitted by Ms. Helen Chang.

Helen won a $50 Amazon gift card.  Can't buy groceries with it, but you can buy yourself some nice cooking/baking supplies.  :)

Congrats guy & gal!  We'll be sending you your prizes shortly!

Don't just build a mobile app. Build a business.

Our friend, Wayne Pan, speaking at the Google Developer's conference about how to leverage Mobile App Ads.  Very informative!



Great job, Wayne!

Welcoming Streamzoo As A Happy Go Techy Expo Sponsor!

We are super excited to announce that Streamzoo will be joining in on the Happy Go Techy Expo fun as a "Tech-A-Photo Photo Booth" sponsor. Thanks to Streamzoo, expo attendees will have tons of free, nerdy photo booth fun!

We're big fans of their app.  It allows you to share and discover #streams of mobile photos & videos (yes, videos, too!).  It solves the problems of consolidation of pictures amongst friends and family for social functions such as  birthdays, weddings, bridals showers, parties, trips, etc.   You can  now see pictures immediately via streams as they are being uploaded by people at the same social function.

Not only is it a fantastic way to share photos & videos, it allows users to discover new things by seeing what others are up to via their streams and the live trending feature.  Discover new cities, food, products, pets, and more by looking at consolidated streams in which a variety of people contribute to.  Everybody has their own take on the world, it's a great way to see what others are noticing that you might be missing.

 See how it works:

Download the app and check it out. 

 

(Kudos to them for developing for both the iPhone and Android!)

Capture, share, and explore! ;)

Tango Card Makes You the Best Gift-Giver Ever

Tango Card makes giving and managing gift cards easy.  It's like a gift card on steroids.

When you give a Tango Card to someone they can use it online and in store at Amazon, Gap, Groupon, Home Depot, Nike, Pottery Barn, REI, Rixty, SpaFinder, Starbucks, Target, and Zappos.  They can easily manage their balance and add other cards to manage with the Tango Card mobile app.

My favorite part of this service is that it allows you to donate your balance to a variety of charities or redeem it as cash.

Next week we'll be giving away a $25 Tango Card as a contest prize.  Remember to stay tuned!