Last week I had the opportunity of covering the Olympic Games courtesy of Samsung Mobile from the new Galaxy Note…thats right no laptop…no press centers. Patriotic fans, pin collecting, and the odd Samurai. Have a gander after the cut.

follow DEREK on twitter

Samsung Mobile – Website / Twitter / Facebook

London is playing host to the 2012 Olympic Games (for those living under a rock) and some argue that it has been the first digital end to end installation of the world’s greatest sporting event. Prior to ‘Digital Era’, missing events due to being away from a TV screen was common-place however thanks to advances in technology and social media I have been glued to my live-feeds and regular updates since the Opening Ceremony (Kudos to Danny Boyle) however I did not fathom the idea that I would be privileged enough to get my hands on any tickets.

We were approached and offered the amazing opportunity  to take on the London 2012 Games alongside 4 fellow bloggers armed with nothing but the new smartphone with the purpose of putting Samsung’s Galaxy Note through its paces and and to capture the essence of the games. Mission Accepted.

In the build up to the games like any Londoner I was exposed to the transformation the city had undertaken to accommodate to the global community but I was unprepared for the overwhelming hospitality on my first visit to the Olympic Park. The the sea of purple uniform wearing cheery volunteers and patriotic fans bearing their nation’s colours. Subconsciously I had regretted not dragging my DSLR along as I was sceptical about using a ‘phone’ not matter how smart to capture all the sights. Retrospectively I am glad I left my bulky Canon at home.

Check out my photo story using the Samsung’s Note 8MP camera and photo editing suite.

Britannia

Underneath the ‘Orbit’. Tallest art installation in Britain

Make shift broadcasting center on top of shipping containers. Kudos

Pinterest. An interesting sub-culture of the Olympics was the swapping and collecting of past & present Olympic Pins (Badges). I admit I was drawn into the weird and wonderful world and was even offered a set of rare pins in exchange for my Olympic TeamGB bag. No Chance

Fancy wining an around the world trip and a Galaxy S3.

Collect all 49 Samsung Olympic pins available at the Samsung pin stores (Olympic Park, Hyde Park, Westfield, Spitalfield) to be entered into a prize draw to win Global Travel Ticket and the first 100 people will also will a Samsung Galaxy S3

Secret Disney Cult…?

The Olympic Park is also home to the Samsung Pin store. Like any other big kid I am a fan of interactive workshops especially when they revole around physical and digital mashup. Augmented reality games to Digital postboxes which allowed you to take a picture and have it sent as a physical postcard anywhere in the world.

WeAreSocial with Olympic Mascot Wenlock

The lovely folk at Samsung surprised us with t-shirts bearing our twitter profile images all drawn on the Galaxy Note by professional caricaturists.

Velodrome

The end of a great day. London 2012 Olympics with a Tokyo Diet :]

The Pilgrimage up to Manchester United’s Old Trafford has been sitting on my bucket list for years so you imagine the excited when it was announced we would be attending the Olympic football quarter finals to watch none other than my adopted home nation Japan vs Egypt.

Live-feeds of the Olympic Games on the Galaxy Note’s 5.3-inch screen made the 2 hour train ride bearable.

Rocking my Japan flag, I was greeted with cheers of ‘Nippon Gambatte’ by fellow Japanese supporters.  I couldn’t resist the chance to practise my Japanese *Shrugs*

Who’s your daddy…I mean Mummy 

Busy with the Galaxy Note

The team being interviewed on our post match thoughts.

The atmosphere was incredible, 73,000 supporters engaging in what was probably the world’s longest mexican wave…Japan winning the match 3-0 was plus.

The panoramic shot setting on the Galaxy Note allowed me to capture the entire stadium roaring with celebration at Japan’s 2nd goal. My favourite shot.

A massive Thanks to Samsung Mobile & WeAreSocial for the incredible Olympic Experience.