David Farrow, who overcame his own challenges with dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder to become a World-renowned speed reader and Guinness World Record-holder for memory, will live and read his way through 30 days (or 720 hours) in a front window display space at a Manhattan electronics retailer (Datavision) located at 445 5th Ave. at E. 39thSt. in New York City. to coincide with National Book Month. CNET recently wrote a story about Sony displaying live webcams of the event at their website and its really amusing to watch people on the street as I adore everything about NYC. The outside camera has no microphone, but the inside camera does and they are using a good mic so its easy to pick up background chatter. It didn’t take long for things to get interesting..
It’s fun to watch the outside view if you’re a people watcher. Some people pass by without any concern at all for this demonstration as they probably have numerous woes to worry about or somewhere they have to be, and then you see the jubilant and curious stop and stare. If one person stops, then another one will and so forth and eventually they all break up at random. This occurs over and over again throughout the busy NYC afternoon. After a few minutes of watching, a cute blond chick and her guy friend stop by alongside a few other people. And in less than a minute, it quickly becomes a training video-esque demonstration of how to court a possible Reader buyer.
Is that Robert Redford? If this is this guy’s girlfriend, then my perception of denim shirts is out of touch. If it’s his daughter, then accept my humble apologies. So in this capture you can see Sony will speak to those who take an interest long enough, apparently. Sony is really showing the company is interested in selling the product and getting it out there, because there are still many out there who don’t know about it. I wonder if Farrow gets commission..
So, Redford impersonator checks it out, there is some more chit-chat, and they part ways. I miss her already. Blondie never really looked at the device, probably because the weight of her shopping bag was too much of a burden to part with, or she simply didn’t care. Things after that got a little boring so I switched back to the inside view. Well, it didn’t take long before someone volunteered to sit in for Farrow – which is another aspect of this event that could become the greatest possible target for a prankster to take advantage of..
e.g. My friend Esco said someone should volunteer to sit down in the chair and say sonyinsider.com over and over with while they read, for example.
A couple came in to sit in the booth, and it become cuddle time at Datavision NYC. The Sony Reader creates closeness, apparently. She sat in his lap, and they read pages to each other while she touched the back of his neck..
It was so sappy and weird I had to turn it off after a bit. But hey, I can guarantee you that guy scored some points tonight..
p.s. Sony – The mic is too close to the chair, and gets distortion when Farrow speaks sometimes which is jarring. Also, you should allow people to take screenshots and have a best-of gallery, because I can already tell that this is going to get good.
