Display Comb 4

/ featured media, post meta, title, read more link and full content

The Microsoft Surface 2 launch party with deadmau5

The new Microsoft Surface 2 | Photo: John Tan

The new Microsoft Surface 2 | Photo: John Tan

Yes, Microsoft’s new Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 do still need a mouse. But not just any mouse will do. How about Joel Thomas Zimmerman? AKA deadmau5! Our hometown, world-renowed EDM producer was tapped by Microsoft for the Canadian launch of their new tablets at the KoolHaus for a surprise show.

All day long Microsoft street teams wandered downtown Toronto to demo the new tablets and give out wristbands for the launch event. Two-hundred fifty wristbands were also won via contests through social media outlets Twitter and Facebook. Many people also lined up, some for several hours, before the show, to get one of the coveted wristbands.

No doubt, the software giant is targeting the younger demographic by choosing deadmau5. Zimmerman put on a heart-pounding, energy-filled ninety minute set to the delight of the glowstick-sporting crowd.

What about the tablets? No they don’t actually require a mouse, but you can use one if you want to. The Surface 2 is faster, lighter, has more battery life and a higher resolution than its predecessor. The hardware looks sleeker with the new magnesium finish, and the built-in kickstand now opens at two positions. At an entry level price of $449, it’s also less expensive than the original Surface. The Surface Pro 2, on the other hand, attempts to bridge the tablet and laptop worlds. With a more powerful processor and more storage, it is capable of running full desktop-level applications. Its starting price is $899.

Both tablets come preloaded with Microsoft’s newest version of its operating system, Windows 8.1 (RT version for the Surface 2), which has a host of usability improvements, and better integration of Microsoft services such as its app and music stores, cloud services, and Bing search. Microsoft Office is also pre-installed.

The tablets are now available for pre-order, with in-store availability beginning October 22. Windows 8.1 launched on October 17, 2013

Photos from the launch party by Nick Lee except where indicated
Deadmau5-Microsoft-Surface-2--BestofToronto-2013-019
Deadmau5-Microsoft-Surface-2--BestofToronto-2013-017

Ian Hardy (MobileSyrup), Fatma, Dan Levy

Ian Hardy (MobileSyrup), Fatma, Dan Levy

Deadmau5-Microsoft-Surface-2--BestofToronto-2013-031

Deadmau5-Microsoft-Surface-2--BestofToronto-2013-011

Deadmau5-Microsoft-Surface-2--BestofToronto-2013-014

 

Our full gallery here

Here is the Microsoft Surface 2 commercial

RELATED ARTICLES
The latest in Samsung TVS: UHD and Curved OLED with Multi View

Justin Nozuka at the Samsung TV preview at Corus Quay

Justin Nozuka at the Samsung TV preview at Corus Quay

Photos from the Samsung Galaxy S4 Preview Party with Walk off the Earth, Feist
Walk off the Earth at the Samsung Galaxy S4 party

Contest: Win tickets to Captain Morgan’s Rock the Boat Party with Classified

captain-morgan-rock-the-boat

UPDATE: Thank you for all the contest entries via Facebook and bonus ballots via Twitter! And now we are glad to have selected these 5 winners. We have contacted them and await email confirmation before finalizing them as winners:

  • Lillian T.
  • Dennis P.
  • Rachel C.
  • Katrina S.
  • Shannon S.

We’ve teamed up with Captain Morgan to give away FIVE pairs of tickets to Captain Morgan’s exclusive Rock the Boat party taking place at the Phoenix Concert Theatre on November 8th!

The night will include a live performance by Juno-award winning artist, Classified, multiple interactive experiences, samplings of Captain & Cola… and so much more!

For a chance to win a pair of tickets you must enter through our Facebook registration form. For a BONUS entry via Twitter, tweet “@BestofTorontoTV I want to win tickets to Rock the Boat with #CaptainMorgan #CaptainRocks http://on.fb.me/1cD4KBf“.

Contest ends November 1st at 2:00pm.

Best for GTA residents. No transportation provided. No cash value. Valid ID required, must be 19+ to attend.

Good luck and hope to see you there!

Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is now open

At last, Toronto has a refreshing new tourist attraction in the form of Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada conveniently located near the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre. With over 16,000 marine animals and 450 different species of fish and invertebrates (and one species of reptile – the sea turtles), this is a monumental attraction that must be seen to be believed.

DANGEROUS LAGOON
One of the main attractions is definitely the “Dangerous Lagoon”, with a glass viewing tunnel the length of a football field. Inside the tunnel there’s a moving glide-path sidewalk so you can choose to walk or stand under the swimming sharks, green sea turtles, sawfish, and moray eels.

PLANET JELLIES
Another big attraction is the wall of jellyfish (Pacific sea nettle) that are illuminated in various colours including a vibrant, bright red. The words mesmerizing and hypnotizing are used to describe the experience here. They’re contained in the world’s largest kreisel tank.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF RIPLEY’S AQUARIUM OF CANADA

Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada boasts to have the biggest shark collection in North America, one of the world’s most extensive jelly fish exhibits, 100+ year old giant lobsters, extremely rare electric blue lobsters, sting ray and bamboo shark touch pools and frequent daily live diving shows. It was fun to sit beside all the children and watch the diver feed the sting rays.

So there’s plenty to see that will satisfy guests young, old and everyone in between. Ripley’s Aquarium is expected to draw in over 2 million visitors per year. Be sure to check it out!

Here’s some quick facts about Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada:

  • Over 16,000 marine animals
  • Includes 450 species of fish and invertebrates and one species of reptile (sea turtle)
  • 5.7 million litres of water
  • 12,500 sq m (135,000 sq. ft)
  • 50 live exhibits
  • 97 Life Support System pumps
  • Over 100 interactive displays
  • Marine and freshwater habitats from around the world
  • 6 play zones for children including Ripley’s explorer research submarine
  • Ripley’s Café and Cargo Hold Gift Shop

Ticket prices start from $29.98 for Adults, $19.98 for Youths and Seniors, and $9.98 for Children (Ages 3-5). Children ages 2 and under receive complimentary admission when accompanied by an adult. In comparison the annual prices are a great deal and I would recommend it. The good news is that you can use the admission of a single-day ticket towards an annual pass later, so you don’t have to commit before checking it out!
Adult Annual Pass: $100.00
Youth Annual Pass (ages 6-13): $60.00
Child Annual Pass (ages 3-5): $25.00
Senior Annual Pass (ages 65+): $60.00

Check out Toronto Star’s video about the Ripley’s Aquarium opening

ABOUT THE RIPLEY’S AQUARIUM OF CANADA TEAM
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is also home to a highly-experienced animal husbandry team of more than 20 marine biologists and aquarists. Under the leadership of Director of Husbandry, Andy Dehart, the team is responsible for the long-term care of the animals in the exhibit, as well as overseeing water chemistry, animal nutrition, and animal enrichment. The Aquarium strictly adheres to the standards of animal welfare, veterinary care, wildlife conservation, scientific research, education, staffing, and safety, as regulated by Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA).

For more information, visit www.ripleysaquariumofcanada.com

Michael Chan, Rob Ford and more inside the replica Megalodon jaws at the grand opening on October 16, 2013

Michael Chan, Rob Ford and more inside the replica Megalodon jaws at the grand opening on October 16, 2013

A diver feeding the stingrays. They get fed 3 to 4 times a day.

A diver feeding the stingrays. They get fed 3 to 4 times a day.

Pacific sea nettle jelly fish

Pacific sea nettle jelly fish

Ripleys-Aquarium-BestofToronto-2013-061

Ripleys-Aquarium-BestofToronto-2013-013
Ripleys-Aquarium-BestofToronto-2013-036

Australian spotted jelly

Australian spotted jelly

Medusa

Medusa

More photos from the grand opening here

The 2014 Cadillac CTS debut at Shangri-La Toronto

It was a unique way to celebrate the 2014 Cadillac CTS debut to Canada which involved using a crane to hoist one of these cars up to the third-story terrace of Shangri-La Hotel. Industry, media, bloggers and socialites came out to the launch for the latest iteration of Cadillac’s mid-size luxury sedan. The evening featured champagne, an icebar of oysters, cocktails by Barchef, Ossington’s Philip Sparks making custom bow-ties on site for guests to take home and much more. It was great to be able to rub elbows with General Motors representatives and the auto media folk.

The 2014 Cadillac CTS version aims to be sportier than before by being lower and also longer and lighter resulting in a closer to 50/50 weight balance. The base MSRP starts at about $50,895 and the 3.6L V6 RWD twin-turbo starts at $74,495. For more info visit www.cadillac.ca

Cadillac-CTS-Reveal-BestofToronto-2013-008

LucieTic from Bellosound

LucieTic from Bellosound

Cadillac-CTS-Reveal-BestofToronto-2013-018

Barchef

Barchef

Caroline Torti

Caroline Torti

More photos here

Check out this instagram video of the Cadillac being lifted by a crane onto the Shangri-La rooftop terrace.


Birdseye view of the #Cadillac #CTSReveal

Video of the Cadillac CTS being hoisted by Dwight Crane Ltd

Details about Eat to the Beat 2013

  • October 9, 2013
  • food, gala
  • Comments Off on Details about Eat to the Beat 2013

eat to the beat

In it’s 18th year, Eat to the Beat is set to be another superb foodie extravaganza with 60 female chefs in support of women with breast cancer. With each of these 60 chefs having their own booth, guests get to try an extraordinary variety of amazing culinary delights. You will get full pretty fast if you’re not careful. So be sure to come hungry.

It all takes place at Roy Thompson Hall on Tuesday, Oct 22nd at 7pm. Tickets are still on sale for $175 (tax receipt), which is very much worth it for the amazing food & beverage experience, the live entertainment, silent auction, raffle, and of course the opportunity to support women with breast cancer.

Here’s some of the participating chefs:
Linda Haynes (Ace Bakery); Nicole Rumball (All the Best Fine Foods); Vanessa Yeung (Aphrodite Cooks); Leyla K (Art Square Gallery & Café); Arvinda & Preena Chauhan (Arvinda’s Healthy Gourmet Indian Cooking); Jennifer Perusini (BerBer Lounge); Cynthia Beretta (Beretta Farms Inc.); Karen Rachlin (Bite Catering); Melissa Fox-Revett and Julia Young (Blue Plate); Vanessa Le Page (The Cake Lady – Edible Art); Joanne Lusted (Clean Eating Magazine); Anna Janes (Cocomira Confections); Cathy Beneway (Creative Catering by Cathy); Chef Véronique (Crêpes à GoGo); Trish Sheen (Crush Wine Bar); Brenda Kwong Hing (Delicious! Catering); Dufflet Rosenberg (Dufflet Pastries); Lili Sullivan and Kimberly Humby (East & Main Bistro); Cynthia Peters (From the Farm Cooking School); Katherine Hall and Kitt Ritchie (Hall’s Kitchen Inc.); Jayne Dunsmore (Jayne’s Gourmet Catering); Nuit Regular (Khao San Road); Elaine Wong (The King Edward Hotel); Lisa Shamai (lisa shamai cuisinière), Kyla Eaglesham (Madeleines, Cherry Pie and Ice Cream); Eden Hertzog (New Moon Kitchen); Mali Fernandez (Pachuco ModMEx Restaurant); Joan Monfaredi (Park Hyatt Hotel); Robyn Perlmutar (Pauline’s Pastries); Rossy Earle (Pimentón Spanish and Mediterranean Fine Foods); Emily Richards and Tina Fernandes (Professional Home Economist); Jacqueline Lo (Ruelo Patisserie); Alexandra Feswick, Samuel J. Moore and Lindsay Haddock (Scaramouche Restaurant); Angela Panigas (Sultan’s Tent); Michelle Edgar (Sweet Escape Patisserie); Alida Solomon (Tutti Matti); Karen Viva-Haynes (Viva Tastings); Wanda Beaver (Wanda’s Pie in the Sky); Catherine O’Donnell (Willow Cakes and Pastries) and many more.

“Eat to the Beat is a mecca for urban foodies, and those who want to be, to experience the best Ontario’s culinary scene has to offer,” states Barbara Track, Eat to the Beat Chair “It is the only event in Canada that exclusively features the talent of 60 female chefs – women supporting women, it doesn’t get any better than that and it’s an evening that should not be missed!”

For full details visit www.eattothebeat.ca

EattotheBeat-055

Photos from Eat to the Beat 2012

Check out our photos from last year’s Eat to the Beat 2012

 

Here’s a video from Eat to the Beat 2011:

ABOUT WILLOW BREAST CANCER SUPPORT
Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada is a national not-for-profit organization that provides free support and information today for those who cannot wait for tomorrow’s cure. Click here to learn more.

1 … 257 258 259 260 261 … 313