Gadgeteer Spotlight articles are short informal interviews with some of this industryβs most influential and interesting people. Gain some insight and learn some interesting facts about the people behind some of our favorite gadgets, gizmos and gear.
Today we sit down (virtually) with Peter Rojas (Editorial Director) and Ryan Block (Editor-in-Chief) of Engadget.comβ¦
Peter and Ryan, gadget rock stars
When was Engadget first started?
Peter: March of 2004.
Peter, did you originally start Engadget with Ryan or did he come along once it was already established?
Peter: I originally started Engadget, and suckered Ryan into writing for me in June of 2004.
Ryan, did you already know Peter before you joined the site?
Ryan: Yeah, we knew each other from around town, mutual friends. Pete and I have different versions of the story of the night we met, but both stories more or less involve he and I getting in a fight about laptops, and not really liking one another for a while. We should have read the signs β we were obviously way more similar than different!
How many employees does Engadget have now?
Peter: Four full-time editors and an amazing crew of freelance contributors and columnists.
Ryan: β¦we actually just hired our fifth full time editor this week! I donβt think Pete counted himself, but thatβd be sixβ¦
I know Peter had a stint on HGTV demoing gadgets for the I Want That! Tech Toys show. Any plans for more face time on TV?
Peter: No, but perhaps at some future point. I like doing TV, but it totally doesnβt come natural to me. I find it to be a LOT harder than blogging.
Ryan, do you have aspirations to be in front of the camera too?
Ryan: Iβm with Pete, on-camera work is a lot harder than it looks. Iβve been doing some video for Engadget lately, but I know my strengths arenβt in hosting. I do hope Pete does some more TV though, if Iβm anything to go by then heβs pretty frigginβ talented at it.
Peter where do you call home?
Peter: I live in Manhattan, but have been spending most of this summer in California.
How about you Ryan?
Ryan: I spent a while in New York, but I moved to SF just over a year ago β Iβm still getting adjusted to the pace, but I really love it out here.
I know you both are constantly playing with new phones all the time, just like I do, but what phones do you keep coming back to and use on a daily basis?
Peter: Iβm still using a Treo, currently have a Treo 700p, which I tolerate more than I love. Itβs sort of the least bad option for me given what I need out of a phone, it seems like thereβs a trade-off with every smartphone out there these days.
Ryan: For a while the device I kept coming back to was the HTC TyTn / Hermes. And then along came the iPhone, which has so many issues of its own, but so many things I instantly couldnβt live without (like visual voicemail, the browser, etc.). I still look longingly at the Hermes on my desk, though.
What is your primary computer?
Peter: When Iβm at home I do most of my writing on a beat up old HP that Iβve tricked out, but Iβm on the road for two months this summer, so right now my main machine is a Dell X1. Itβs served me well.
Ryan: Well, on my desk right now I have a Vista Ultimate box (with Drobo) next to a MacBook Pro β but obviously itβs the laptop that walks out the door with me.
What is your favorite gadget right now?
Peter: The Xbox 360, even though I never have enough time to get at any of the games I buy.
Ryan: Tough call. Itβs so easy for me to say my Sharp HDTV, since thatβs the conduit all these great devices are pushed through β but if you wanted to be really specific, my TiVo Series3 and Xbox 360 are at the top of the heap for favorite gadgets that donβt leave the house. I know you didnβt ask, but my least favorite gadget was the POS Comcast HD DVR the Series3 replaced. That thing caused me so much frigginβ heartache.
What is your all time favorite gadget?
Peter: I donβt think Iβve ever given a consistent answer to this question! Might be the 14-hour Series 1 TiVo I got when it first came out. Totally amazed everyone who came over that I could pause live TV. Still works, too, I gave it to a friend of mine a few months ago. Though Iβd have to say that my favorite was the Sony D-88 Discman my dad gave me for Christmas when I was 12, it was designed to play 3-inch CD singles.
Ryan: Tough call! On the nostalgia tip, it might have to be a tie between NES, SNES, and original Game Boy. I think those were instrumental in my gadget lust, they were just so different from everything else out at the time. Remember the N64 kid? ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=pFlcqWQVVuU ) That was totally me for the original Game Boy. If I had to pick something else, it might be these crazy Japanese robotics sets that my parents got for me as a kid. To this day I still donβt know what they were (it wasnβt Macross or anything like that), but Iβve always been obsessed with robots.
What car do you both drive?
Peter: Iβve never owned a car.
Ryan: No car! Iβm actually waiting for a mass-market electric, or at very least an hybrid with an electric drivetrain, like the Chevy Volt.
Which gear bag do you use and what is in it right now?
Peter: I bit Ryanβs style and got a black Jack Spade messenger bag. Usually carries my X1, my Sansa e280, a Sprint USB EV-DO modem, and a notepad for jotting down ideas (for some reason I prefer taking notes on paper than on my Treo).
Ryan: I have this totally nondescript Jack Spade messenger bag, which actually makes for a fantastic gadget tote. Youβd normally catch me with my laptop, Panasonic point and shoot, EV-DO modem, a bunch of expense receipts, and whatever seven phones Iβm testing that week. And a few pens β Iβm totally with Peter, itβs hard to imagine something replacing a pen and paper.
Outside of the running Engadget, what are your other interests / hobbies?
Peter: Right now Iβm spending most of my spare time on RCRD LBL, this new all-digital record label Iβm starting with the guys from Downtown Records, but when I do have a free moment I like to read (real, actual books!) and go to the movies (NYC is great because it gets every independent and foreign movie).
Ryan: Iβm fairly average in my extracurricular pursuits, I guess β a bit of city biking, exploring SF parks (plus the occasional movie in the Dolores park, which is always a good time), some Xbox when the mood strikes, slowly trying to work my way through countless books I probably should have long since read. I also spend a lot of time in local coffee shops, itβs kind of like the new bar hopping.
Thanks guys! Engadget is one of a few sites that I visit multiple times each day. Keep up the exhaustive onslaught of gadgets!
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Engadget tends to rock.
You must be a rock fanboy. I say they roll! π
I guess you are right.
I love them. Fantastic site. I would like to know if they designed their site themselves – it is a great layout – or if they do any dabbling in web design. I do blog customization and build templates – would be interested to know what their interest is there – or if they do any seo work (their PR is unreal!)