I’m delighted to say that i’ll not only be blogging for The Brand Detective but I was approached last week to write tech articles for Price Runner’s new Tech site which is sure to keep me out of trouble:)

You’ll be able to see my articles here: http://pricerunner.co.uk/switched-on-tech/users/nikki-dean

I chose to write my first article for them on Marvel Comic’s new Augmented Reality app and even filmed a quick demo as it’s so amazing I wanted to show how it worked too….

Here’s the article:

‘Marvel’lous Augmented Reality app launched for comic fans

http://youtu.be/FE4uPnk1zUI

When I heard about the proposed Marvel Comics Augmented Reality App they announced at this year’s SXSW I was very curious to say the least. I find AR absolutely fascinating but can be frustrated that it’s never really taken off as I feel it should have done

The Marvel AR app as it’s called is free to download and available for Android and iOS and I couldn’t wait to get my grubby mitts on it and test it out for myself to see if it will live up to my expectations.

The app, powered by Aurasma, will work with comics bearing the AR logo and uses your device’s camera to scan the page. Once it detects the logo, which all happens rather quickly and painlessly, it’ll play the additional video and audio content which will include interviews with the creators, virtual 3d Characters and a behind-the-scenes peek into the creative process – pretty much like the ‘extras’ you get on a DVD.

It’s part of Marvels ReEvolution initiative which is exploring the digital arena and essentially has two parts to it. Firstly, the AR App which will allow those who purchase a physical copy of their comics to be rewarded with free content on those pages with the AR logo, and secondly it’s upcoming line of infinite comics that can be downloaded from the free Marvel App

The Marvel AR app certainly brings a whole new meaning to judging a book by its cover and is hugely exciting. I have to admit I wasn’t successful at getting it to work on my iPhone 4S but it loaded up a treat on the iPad2 immediately, and I was blown away by how simple it was to use and impressed with the content I saw – in fact so much so I made a short demo video you can feast your eyes on.

Wowzers! It’s official, I’m excited to see more….Nuff Said! J

www.thebranddetective.com

@Brand_Detective @nikkideano

   After three months training it was finally time to challenge myself in my very first half    marathon at the legendary Silverstone racecourse….yikes!

   Admittedly, I’m not a natural distance runner (short and fast is more my thing ) but      after a good friend and work colleague passed away last year to cancer and two of my    closest friends being effected by this horrible illness I wanted to do something to      show my support and raise some money for Cancer Research in the process.

I knew that it wasn’t going to be an easy task but hey – things worth achieving often      aren’t

It was a beautifully sunny day for the race and the atmosphere was incredible – I don’t consider myself an overly emotional person but I wasn’t prepared for how moving the whole day would be. So many inspirational runners of all ages and abilities all there for one reason – to raise awareness and money for their chosen charity.

Reading people’s vest with messages of love for those they were running for – I have to admit I was teary on more than one occasion and had a lump in my throat the majority of the 13.1 miles. It was this that spurred me on when it felt like hard work (and my playlist I spent the night before carefully planning )

It was an honour to have been involved, a real achievement and my very small way of showing those special friends of mine that I care about them enormously.

I’m pleased to report that I completed it in 2 hours, 18 minutes and 23 seconds with no stops AND raised £510 so far in the process which will go towards helping this wonderful charity….and I’m already looking into when I can do my next one. I definitely have the bug – who’d have thought?

Fancy running next years Adidas Silverstone half marathon? visit the site for details http://adidashalfmarathon.co.uk/

Part 1 – (10 – 6)

December 11th 2011

The lovely Ruth Jones of Gavin and Stacey fame joined myself and Tim to take a look at Kids Christmas Present ideas – here what we featured…

1.Ride in Dalek – £200 (age 3-6 years)

Quite possibly the coolest present of 2011, and one that’s bound to make quite an impact on Christmas day, is the Ride-In Dr Who Dalek. The inflatable creature, available in blue or red, comes with 360 degree movement and drives at up to 3 km per hour. It has 10 in-built scary sounds and phrases and is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The 128cm tall dalek also comes with a soft bumper to protect furniture from over enthusiastic driving! The toy comes with a 6v rechareable battery and a full charge will last for over an hour of continual use. At £200, it’s a very pricy piece of kit, but your child would be the coolest kid in the playground.

2. Barbie Design Printables – £30 (age 6 +)

Barbies have been a Christmas stocking mainstay for the past 50 years and this year is no exception. For Christmas 2011, she has been reinvented with printable hair extensions that children can design and print themselves. The hair extensions are stuck onto card that can be fed through an inkjet printer and printed with any design or photo.

Firstly, girls use online software to design the extensions and then print them off. They then brush through the extensions and attach to their hair (or Barbie’s) with a clip. The set comes with 16 hair extensions, 6 funky hair clips and of course a Barbie doll, dressed in pink jeans and a sparkly black top.

3. Character Building Army Battleship (£49.99) and Tank (£29.99) (for ages 6+)

These Armed Forces construction brick sets are bound to keep kids entertained this Christmas. A great gift for children who want something a bit different to the well-known Danish brand, these sets are more reasonable in price as well.

The Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyer is a 516 piece replica set enabling kids to build the largest and most powerful destroyer in the Navy. As well as building the ship itself, complete with rotating gun turret and opening hold doors, you also get a helicopter and five H.M. Armed forces micro-figures.

Or alternatively, why not go for the Challenger 2 construction set, which is a replica of the British Army’s main battle tank. The playset comes with a rotating cannon, opening turret hatches and two micro-figures. With its fully working tank treads this armoured battle tank can handle any rough terrain and move across a variety of surfaces. It even features an opening engine bay with removable engine.

4. Gelarti Gel stickers and studio – £20 (age 5+)

Every girl loves pretty stickers and the Gelarti portable design studio is a funky and much more creative alternative to buying normal stickers. Budding artists simply colour in the sticker sheets with Gelarti paint pens to create beautiful translucent stickers that can be stuck anywhere. Children can use the four included glittery pens and the marbling tool to blend colours together or create beautiful swirls on the stickers. Once painted, they can add 3D accessories and gems, and then leave them to dry before sticking them everywhere!

The Gelarti design studio contains
30+ stickers
4 Gelarti paint pens,
1 double-ended marbling tool,
6 3D accessories,
12 gems, and Activity Book.

5. Hexbug Nano Elevation Habitat Set – £34.99

Hexbug Nanos are tiny little crawling machines that behave like real bugs. Kids can use the included ramps, bridges and one-way gates to build a habitat on multiple levels, and then watch their Nanos skitter and flip around the environment, racing each other and fighting in the hexagonal stand-off areas. When the kids get bored, they can tear it down and build something new. As they add more pieces to their set, they can make the construction more elaborate, building the habitat higher and higher.

This is the ideal gift for kids that already have some Hexbug Nano creatures, but is also a completely self-contained kit for first-timers. Each Elevation Habitat Set comes with 2 Nano mutations and 52 easy connect pieces, giving kids the freedom to get creative and customize your habitat.

6. Fijit – £54.99 (age 6+)

Fijit Friends are interactive toys that chat, dance, joke and perform, and have been touted as the top gift for Christmas. The toys are made with a durable plastic head, cute removable ears and a squishy rubber shell, allowing them to boogie to the beat of your favourite music. Their bodies and heads turn, bounce and wiggle, and even their LED face and eyes will light up in response to stimuli. The beat sensors recognize what type of music you are playing, so the toys will change their dance depending on whether you are listening to ballads or rock music.

Fijit Friends can recognize 30 words and respond with over 150 built-in phrases and jokes. When you wish them ‘good night’, they will start snoring while their tummies glow softly like nightlights. Fijit Friends come in four different options: Sweetie pie Serafina, Trend-setting Willa, Soprty Logan and Adventurous Sage.

7. Angry Birds speakers – £50-£70

Building on the massive success of the Angry Birds franchise, Angry Birds speakers are great for children and adults alike, and are a great idea for older kids that have grown out of toys. Three different speakers are available in the range: Red Bird (£49.99), Black Bird (£69.99) and Helmet Pig (£69.99).

8. One Fine Day Children’s Name Art – £60 (up to 5 letters, £70 (6-11 letters) including frame

This fully personalized children’s name art print is a great gift for a newborn or as a Christening gift, as well as being a beautiful present to adorn a girl’s wall. You can personalize the picture with a baby’s birth weight or child’s date of birth, and choose to have the name depicted in one of five styles (animal, boy thing, fairy girl, mouse and pixie).

Each animal or character represents the letter it depicts, so for example an ‘H’ would have a heroic scene in the ‘Boy thing’ style or a fairy twirling a hula hoop in ‘Fairy Girl’. This gives the added advantage for younger children of teaching them the alphabet.

Each one is a print taken from a hand-painted original, and the company promise to never make more than 250 of each name in each theme – so you won’t see all your kids’ friends with the same design on their walls.

(My gorgeous dress is from the fab team at Miss Selfridge  - I got so many compliments on it and it’s perfect for Christmas)