Withings New Smart Scale Measures More Than Weight   

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Image: Withings, available in black and white,

I now have a better excuse to step on a scale a dozen times a day.  I’m always hoping that  the numbers will go down, even after I just ingested two slices of pizza.

Withings, a well-respected name in the digital health business, has just introduced a scale that measures your heart rate and pulse wave velocity. 

Wikipedia defines pulse waves velocity as a measurement from the amount of time a wave, created each time your heart beats, takes to travel through your arteries. “The faster the wave, the stiffer your arteries are, in turn indicating an increased risk of health issues. The slower the wave, the healthier your heart is.”

Of course,  Withings warns that nothing replaces a thorough medical examination, but some people like check their measurements at home as well. For those potential customers, the Withings’s latest smart scale retails at  $179. 

 Mashable gives a few more details.

The Homlish/O’Shea Wedding  

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What a night. I felt like I was in a scene from the Great Gatsby. My friend Marty (also a former client) and his wife Joanne, hosted a wedding party for their oldest daughter, Caroline, on their 12-acre estate, Marths’s Vineyard. They have four children. Caroline, Christian, (their only son who just became a father five weeks ago), Katy and Kimmy.

Marty had a brilliant career at JVC, Sony, SAP, and Hewlett Packard. He was either VP or Chief Marketing Officer at these companies. He hired me several times for projects. We had great times together.It’s so nice to see a someone from the consumer electronics industry do so well. 

The New York Times

Our First Visit To Martha’s Vineyard  

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It’s difficult to believe that Eliot and I have traveled all over the world but we have never been to Martha’s Vineyard. We are here for five days because the oldest daughter, of our long time friend and former client, Marty Homlish and his wife Joanne, is getting married on their estate tomorrow night. Joanne and Marty have four adult children. 

Marty has had a brilliant career in tech. He was one of the top executives at Sony, SAP, and HP. I met him almost 40 years ago when he was a marketing manager at JVC. All six Homlish’s vacationed with us a number of times in the Hamptons. We are thrilled to be celebrating with them.

Cecilia, the first Homlish grandchild born five weeks ago.


We have been touring around a lot but absolutely fell in love with the Queen Anne architecture in Oak Bluffs. Even though we are devoted fans of contemporary design, we do appreciate the details of the style that was so popular from 1880 to 1910. 

The first house we were swooning over belongs to Peter Norton, the successful computer programmer, software publisher, author, and philanthropist. 


Norton’s house draws tourists from all over the world. Many people try to enter because they think it’s a hotel. He had to post a sign at the entrance that says  “Private Home” in order to keep strangers from congregating on his porch. 



Other houses we admired below. All photos: Eliot Hess.

Make Your Photo Come To Life 

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I don’t know if you are aware of it, but there is a new trend to print digital photos. Young people love printing their photos. Everything old is new again. 

LifePrint is a wireless photo printer. It works with most smartphones. LifePrint is very much like the Polaroid Zip Instant Mobile Printer. LifePrint is $129 and Polaroid Zip is $129.95. 

The big difference is that LifePrint can print videos. If you want to print from a video, or a moving image, you get to select the exact still frame you’d like to have printed. 

Moving images that get printed as still photos are referred to as HyperPhotos. You can use the LifePrint app’s augmented reality viewfinder to bring these HyperPhotos back to life.

It’s really wild.  Watch the video.

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CE Reunion At CE Week

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After weeks and weeks of planning, 50-plus consumer electronics veterans got together to celebrate our careers and relationships. Some of us know each other almost 50 years.

We held the event at CE Week, a trade show in the consumer electronics business. Event organizers Eric Schwartz and Robin Raskin provided the lounge area at the Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC.  Thank you again.

It was so much fun to watch old friends greet each other. Some of us havent’t see each other for decades. A few cried. Everyone hugged. We all went home feeling a little bit more connected.



B&H Superstore Hosted Opening Night Party For CE Week

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 The tech industry is gathering this week for a mini trade show called CE Week. Held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea, NY, the event features exhibit booths and conferences.

I will be working the show tomorrow and hope to bring you nifty new gadgets.

Our client Allen Hirsch of HandL is determined to change the way we hold cell phones.


The site of the party

Jason Henriques of HWH PR surrounded by clients Astell&Kern Katie Springer and Owen Kwon.

Eliot visits with Larry Gerson and Michael Sommer of FOX LA

Former HWH PR client Brett Hunt of Westinghouse is so tall that i had to turn the camera sideways.

Robin Raskin is flanked by audio royalty, Stephen Baker and Robert Heiblim.

Barry Myers of getgeeked, Susan Schreiber, industry anslyst, Larry Magid, tech writer, The Mercury News and CBS.

B&H staff

B&H executive

Watching video games

Passing On News Without Reading  

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I was not that surprised this morning when the Today Show announced a big misconception.  A new study finds that nearly 60 percent of the links people share on emails and social media have never been read by the sender.

If you click here, you can watch the Today Show announcements. 

That explains the ridiculous and insane political emails I receive from people who I thought were my friends. The study suggests they read the headlines of a story and have no patience to read the rest. 

Researchers say “this suggests that people tend to form an opinion, without bothering to get the full story.”
That’s a scary thought. 

Father’s Day At Grand Banks

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It was an absolute delight spending Father’s Day with Whitney, Fredrick and Eliot onboard the Grand Banks. It’s a schooner restaurant docked at Pier 25, Hudson River Park. Fredrick is the General Manager. We dined on oysters, lobster rolls, and designer drinks.

Photos by Eliot and Whitney Hess 

What could they be talking about?

Are we in New York City?

The official hello

Loving every minute

Eliot’s order

Weekend crowds

Not allowed to mention the celebs

There’s something for eveyone on Pier 25.

Overseeing the production

Downtown Manhattan is like being in a new New York.

Here come the waves.

Rocked me to sleep

A New York Kind Of Day

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Today, I sent the first satellite text in NYC on a cell phone. Here I am with client Rob Reis of Higher Ground. Woohoo. 

Sitting on the terrace of friends who overlook Central Park,

It was just one of those picture perfect nights.

Happy Fathers Day.

I’m Still Celebrating 

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It all started with an email. I needed an unique location for a Waterpik press conference. I didn’t want to go the usual hotel, restaurant, or club route. That is so ordinary. 

I came up with the idea of using a magnificent and expensive coop or condo unit because many members of the media never get to see the inside of some of these homes. A few years ago, I used a gorgeous penthouse in Tudor City. 

This year I couldn’t find an appropriate location, so I sent out a series of emails to friends asking if they had any ideas. Lucky me. Entertainment executives/producers Jillian Crane and Al Kahn offered their townhouse in the sky. Hana Alberts of the New York Post showed up for the press party. Hana took one look at this unique home and decided it had to be featured in her newspaper. Here it is.