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Angry Birds Toons premiering this weekend in Angry Birds apps
Rovio has long been threatening to bring Angry Birds into other media, and this weekend they're finally doing it -- kind of. Angry Birds Toons is a brand new cartoon series featuring none other than the frustrated fowl that iOS gamers have known and loved for so long. But you won't find it on a TV station or in a movie theater: Instead, the cartoon is premiering inside the Angry Birds apps, so if you have any of them installed, you can jump in and you'll be able to watch the series starting this weekend. Why are the birds so angry? Why do the pigs love the eggs so much? Rovio promises this series will answer all of those pressing questions fans of this game may or may not have. We have one of our own, however: Will iOS players ever get tired of tossing birds into badly-built structures? We may need more than a cartoon series to get an answer to that one.
Virgin Media coats millionth TiVo in Gold (Gold!), always believed in your soul
Companies might not be able to mention that big sporting event, but that doesn't stop them from being clever. Virgin Media UK is one such enterprise, which decided to award its millionth TiVo customer with a gold medal in the form of a similarly-colored TiVo box. Rather than risk the ire of the IOC's lawyers, the company used the moment to (perhaps sarcastically) celebrate the release of Spandau Ballet's Gold. Bundling bassist-turned-soap-star Martin Kemp into a van, he turned up at the door of customers Allan and Christine Ward with the glistening PVR and a 3D-ready TV to surprise the couple. We don't know if he told the husband and wife from Nottinghamshire that the HDTV market is like a high prison wall, but we hope the gift of a new home entertainment system leaves them standing so tallllllllllll...
Kraft vending machine teases children with adult-only pudding dispenser (video)
We've seen odd and law-swerving vending machines before, but none as meanspirited as Kraft's collaboration with Intel that only gives pudding samples to adults. The unimaginatively titled iSample denies the youthful its sweet nectar by taking a facial scan and determining dessert deservedness based on biometric data, like how far apart your facial features are. Part experiment, part publicity stunt, Intel is trying out technologies that could recommend products based on age. The company also claims it may retrofit the technology into existing machines to let companies study who's buying its products; Kraft is clearly in it just to deny children some pudding. To see if you have spent enough time at the fountain of youth, head down to Chicago's Shedd Aquarium or New York's South Street Seaport, and take your place in the line of parents ordering one for their progeny. Check the promo video after the break to see the machine wiping disappointment all over the kids' little faces.
The Daily Grind: Do you think leaks are publicity stunts?
Recent information leaks from game studios are becoming more and more frequent these days. That likely mean that either security isn't tight and leaks occur behind the backs of game publishers, or they're intentionally enticing the public under the guise of a super secret "leak." Either way, these leaks do get our attention. When we're under the impression that information isn't meant to be seen by us, we want to see it even more. Recent examples include CCP's internal memo leak, Diablo III's beta leak, and just about anything to do with World of Warcraft's upcoming content. So my question to you this morning is this: Are you suspicious of info leaks on upcoming games? Do you see leaks as genuinely secret information, or does your Spidey sense tell you that it's all to build hype for the game? Let us know your opinion below. Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
iPads at TJ Maxx were bought at retail
Just in case you missed it, here's a resolution to the whole question of where those iPads at TJ Maxx came from. A high tech tablet isn't really the usual fare for the discount clothing retailer, and Steve Jobs himself confirmed that the chain wasn't an "authorized reseller" of Apple's magical, revolutionary device. But TJ Maxx says in an official statement that it has its ways: "Earlier this week, a small number of T.J.Maxx and Marshalls stores received a very limited quantity of first quality electronic tablets that were sourced from a retailer," the chain tells Fortune. In short, they bought the iPads from someone who was authorized to sell them, and then resold them (losing about $100 off of the standard retail price) to whoever came in the store and found them. Why? The "coming in the store" part was the important one -- for around $8000, according to analysts, TJ Maxx picked up a sizable amount of foot traffic from people just coming through the doors on the weekend before Black Friday, not to mention a flurry of publicity on Apple blogs like, say, this one. In short, it was a publicity stunt. Honestly, as publicity stunts go, selling iPads for $400 is a pretty good one. Steve himself wasn't real happy about it, but if any other retail chains want to pick up the banner, we'll follow the charge. [via App Advice]
Google's 1Gbps broadband offer brings out the crazy in municipal officers around the States (video)
You'll be aware by now that Google's cooking up an experimental high speed broadband network, which is currently in the process of collecting applications and nominations from interested communities. Given the limited coverage planned -- anywhere between 50,000 and 500,000 people -- there's understandably a lot of competition to get your small town on Google's radar, and city officials all around the USA have been doing their utmost to grab some publicity for their locale. Duluth mayor Don Ness can be seen above taking a dip in Minnesota's icy Lake Superior (with his unfortunate underling Richard Brown taking a fish to the face), while others have held parades, danced, invented a "Google Fiber" flavor of ice cream, and even swam with sharks for the sake of that precious fiber. Duluth, however, is the only place officially endorsed by a senator, and you can see Al Franken promote the city's virtues on video after the break. [Thanks, b3ast] Update: We've now also got video of the actual dip in the water, slide past the break to see it [Thanks, TheLostSwede].
Breakfast Topic: A trip down memory lane
While browsing the General Discussion forums the other day, I noticed a recently-resurrected 2007 thread collecting players' oldest screenshots. Due to the age of the thread, some of the links (mostly on the first two pages) are dead and gone, which was really disappointing because some of them sound great, but there are plenty of good ones. Among the best are the character creation screen during beta, the old Troll epic mount, and -- according to Gorhendizzle of Bloodhoof on page 5 -- the first publicity screenshot Blizz ever released. I don't know whether that's true, but trying to figure out what the screenshot is of is driving me nuts. It looks like Elwynn, but I can't tell where.My own oldest screenshot (see above) is fairly tame by comparison; I had just turned 41, and was proudly astride my new kodo on a starry night outside Orgrimmar. What (if anything) prompted you to start snapping ingame pictures? Are there any historical gems buried in your own screenshot folder? Search your hard drive; you know it to be true.
Fischer regrets 'geeks and otaku' comment, Jaffe sticks oar in
The internet, as it tends to do on occasions, went and got itself in a great big tizzy last week, after Nintendo of Europe's Laurent Fischer suggested that only "geeks and otaku" cared about the Wii's storage issue. It wasn't the smartest move of Fischer's career, and it attracted considerable bile -- and not just from Nintendo fans.God of War creator David Jaffe, as he tends to do on occasions, got narked, and expressed his annoyance over the comment in a colorful entry on his blog. After dedicating a hefty part of his amusing rant to comparing Fischer's remarks with 1987 film Can't Buy Me Love, Jaffe accused Nintendo of "arrogance [...] that should make the company very ashamed," and suggests that Fischer "has no real clue" about games -- all while getting Fischer's gender wrong (" ... she really needs someone to sit her down and explain to her ... "). Brilliant.Anyway, just as Jaffe was about to hoisted onto the shoulders of Nintendo fans everywhere, Fischer went and spoiled all the fun by apologizing ... sort of. "I have huge respect for those who, like me, share a common passion for Nintendo and want to make it clear that I would never use and I didn't use this terminology in such a context or way to cause offence," Fischer blubbed. "I regret that this misunderstanding has created such offence and disappointment within the community."It's not the most heartfelt apology we've ever heard, but we'll take it. Now give us a hard drive, Fischer.[Via Eurogamer]
