An airplane skywriting “Marry Me Sue!”? So old, so analog.
The world is digital now, and moving fast. Every new gadget that comes out is an opportunity to ramp up the romance. This Valentine’s Day, to prove that geeks have a heart, we present a roundup of over-the-top, high-tech romantic overtures.
We’d love to hear your tale of tech-enabled declarations of affection — big or small, successful or otherwise. Share them in comments or head to the Yahoo Tech Facebook page for the lovefest.
Game of drones
Sure, what one might consider a romantic gesture, another could construe as a gross invasion of privacy. Still, just this month,Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress Zhang Ziyi accepted a proposal from her rocker boyfriend via a DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ dronehoisting a hefty 9.15-carat ring in a white basket. (Yes, DJI, maker of the quadcopter that dodged White House radar and landed on the lawn.)
Sure, what one might consider a romantic gesture, another could construe as a gross invasion of privacy. Still, just this month,Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress Zhang Ziyi accepted a proposal from her rocker boyfriend via a DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ dronehoisting a hefty 9.15-carat ring in a white basket. (Yes, DJI, maker of the quadcopter that dodged White House radar and landed on the lawn.)
Photo: via Twitter.com / People’s Daily,China @PDChina
Of course, while that could be a first in China, the U.S. had a jump on it back in 2013: San Francisco resident Jason Muscat not onlyarranged to have an RC hexacopter deliver the engagement ring but also had it record the moment for YouTube.
Reaction shot
Not everyone can afford a pilot who does wedding photography — and wearing a GoPro before you drop to one knee is kind of a spoiler. That’s where Ring Cam comes in: Four students at Hope College in Holland, Mich., came up with a jewelry box that comes with its own built-in camera. Their testimonial page features several teary-eyed, open-mouthed reactions — and ladies, the low-angle shot’s more flattering than you’d think. Despite earlier reports that you could own one for $249 (a good deal for serial monogamists), the company now does only a three-week rental for $99. (By the way, keep the “I do”s to daylight: The Ring Cam doesn’t yet come with night vision.)
Not everyone can afford a pilot who does wedding photography — and wearing a GoPro before you drop to one knee is kind of a spoiler. That’s where Ring Cam comes in: Four students at Hope College in Holland, Mich., came up with a jewelry box that comes with its own built-in camera. Their testimonial page features several teary-eyed, open-mouthed reactions — and ladies, the low-angle shot’s more flattering than you’d think. Despite earlier reports that you could own one for $249 (a good deal for serial monogamists), the company now does only a three-week rental for $99. (By the way, keep the “I do”s to daylight: The Ring Cam doesn’t yet come with night vision.)
Hunt and peck
If you think about it, a drone’s kind of passive. An old-fashioned scavenger hunt, on the other hand, not only shows how much thought goes into picking each sentimental spot, it also proves the worthiness of the one who completes it. In 2009, one Bryan Haggerty created an iPhone app called Romantech, which sent Jeannie Choe roaming throughout San Francisco before ending up on a hill where he proposed. The next year, Aussie engineer Sahba Idelkhani did the same thing, although he paid a Texas game developer $1,500 to design his iPhone app. While his girlfriend explored more than 100 miles around Sydney, the app posted Facebook updates so others could follow along.
If you think about it, a drone’s kind of passive. An old-fashioned scavenger hunt, on the other hand, not only shows how much thought goes into picking each sentimental spot, it also proves the worthiness of the one who completes it. In 2009, one Bryan Haggerty created an iPhone app called Romantech, which sent Jeannie Choe roaming throughout San Francisco before ending up on a hill where he proposed. The next year, Aussie engineer Sahba Idelkhani did the same thing, although he paid a Texas game developer $1,500 to design his iPhone app. While his girlfriend explored more than 100 miles around Sydney, the app posted Facebook updates so others could follow along.
Bewitched, bothered and bejeweled
In another example of programmers fighting their soulless stereotype, New Jersey resident Bernie Peng fiddled with the coding of girlfriend Tammy Li’s favorite game, Bejeweled, for a month. Not only did he make the game Nintendo DS-compatible, he also hid a virtual ring and proposal that would appear when she hit a certain score. She made that level and said yes. His story reached Bejeweled makers PopCap. Instead of cracking down on the hacking, the Seattle-based companyhanded out $1,000 for wedding decorations (Bejeweled-themed, natch), another $5,000 worth of Bejeweled 2 Deluxe games as favors, and an all-expenses-paid trip to its headquarters.
In another example of programmers fighting their soulless stereotype, New Jersey resident Bernie Peng fiddled with the coding of girlfriend Tammy Li’s favorite game, Bejeweled, for a month. Not only did he make the game Nintendo DS-compatible, he also hid a virtual ring and proposal that would appear when she hit a certain score. She made that level and said yes. His story reached Bejeweled makers PopCap. Instead of cracking down on the hacking, the Seattle-based companyhanded out $1,000 for wedding decorations (Bejeweled-themed, natch), another $5,000 worth of Bejeweled 2 Deluxe games as favors, and an all-expenses-paid trip to its headquarters.
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