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Samsung does some awesome face projection to push Galaxy Y Duos (video)
So, imagine that you're Samsung, and you're looking to promote your double-SIMed Galaxy Y Duos smartphone. How to go about it? How about performing a cool light show on some dude's face? That's the approach of this spot brought to you by the Portugal wing of the hardware maker. The model in question reportedly had to sit still for "up to" three hours straight as his face and upper body were used as a canvas for the same sort of video mapping we've seen applied to the sides of buildings. The result is a little strange, a bit spooky and generally awesome, even if your Portuguese is a bit rusty. Check out the video after the break.
Sony Xperia's 'Made of Imagination' TV spot, directed by Wes Anderson (video)
Sony certainly has its fair share of legendary commercials, but its first major spot since taking over the smartphone torch from Sony Ericsson is a real gem. Dreamed up by an eight-year old longing for understanding of what happens within a pocketable computer and directed by the famed Wes Anderson (you know, the guy responsible for The Royal Tenenbaums and Fantastic Mr. Fox), the 'Made of Imagination' ad features a gaggle of robots powering Sony's Android family. The rest, of course, we'll leave to you to enjoy. Head on past the break for the clip, and have a peek at the TechCrunch via below for a bit of the backstory.
Sony plans largest ad campaign in 'many years' to launch new Xperia smartphones
Sony didn't just reveal some new smartphones at its Mobile World Congress press event today. It also took the opportunity to announce that it will be launching what Sony Mobile CMO Steve Walker describes as "by far the largest brand advertising campaign that we have run for many years." He went on to say that Sony would be "significantly increasing" its marketing investment in 2012, but failed to get any more specific than that, noting only that the company would be "engaging consumers in new and very creative ways." There's also no word on when that campaign might start, but the company's two latest smartphones are slated to roll out sometime in the second quarter of this year.
Samsung's Smart TV SDK reaches 3.0 with support for USB controllers, payment and ads
Even though all signs indicate Samsung will be joining the Google TV party shortly, it's not going to give up on its own existing Smart TV platform just yet. We don't know if it will run the two side by side as it has operated with Yahoo! Widgets, but the Korean manufacturer has announced it plans to release version 3.0 of its SDK January 5th. The new Samsung Apps toolkit supports mobile devices and TV sets, and lets developers build in support for remote controls, as well as USB mice, keyboards or gamepads. Of course, not all devs will work for free, so they're also adding a way for them to get paid through the built-in payment system or advertisements. Currently, Samsung claims 25,000 developers from 140 countries in its forums, but we'll have to wait until CES 2012 to find out if its products live up to the hype and attract more innovative software to the segment.
Vizio flashes a sleek new HDTV design in Rose Bowl ad, we'll see more at CES (video)
For the second year in a row, it looks like Vizio has taken advantage of its sponsorship of the Rose Bowl to tease a new product -- last year it was an Android tablet, and the 2012 game brought this new display design. It flashes around :25 into the ad (embedded after the break), and while there's no details on exactly what it might be, we know Vizio had plenty of Google TV tech to show off last year, and after a year of development plus the release of Google TV 2.0, it may have decided to match Sony's funky TV setup with an interesting stand of its own. Whether there's Android, OLED or any other new tech to be found in the flat-panel we'll surely find out more in just a few days once CES 2012 gets underway.
Samsung Galaxy Tab ad credits Apple for its popularity
Samsung's not letting its minor victory over Apple in Australia go unnoticed. The handset manufacturer mentions the Apple lawsuit in a recent advertisement promoting its Galaxy Tab tablet. In the headline, Samsung says the Galaxy Tab is "The Tablet Apple Tried to Stop". It's a bold move by Samsung, espcecially since the ad appeared in the Sun-Herald, an Australian newspaper. This ad appeared around the same time Samsung Australia's vice president telecommunications, Tyler McGee, was gloating about the lawsuit and all the attention it has brought to the Galaxy Tab. He credited Apple for making the tablet a "household name" and hinted the tablet got more press from the trial than from its own marketing.
Google outs two new Galaxy Nexus commercials, touts Face Unlock and Hangouts (video)
Go figure -- it's Galaxy Nexus day. Again. And as such, Google has just pushed out two new commercials in its "Calling all..." series. The new spots tout the new smartphone's Face Unlock feature as well as Google+ Hangouts, where Ice Cream Sandwich is proudly showcased. We'd bother explaining more, but we're pretty sure the two play buttons after the break are more than sufficient.
Samsung takes aim at Apple with Australian Galaxy Tab ad, credits Cupertino for its popularity
Now that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been cleared for sale in Australia, Samsung is taking the opportunity to publicly celebrate its courtroom victory, at Apple's expense. Exhibit A: a local newspaper ad that flatly brands Sammy's slate as "the tablet Apple tried to stop." The spot, which ran in the Sun-Herald this week, came just a few days before Samsung Australia's mobile head openly credited Cupertino for making the Galaxy Tab a "household name." Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Samsung Australia's vice president of telecommunications, Tyler McGee, declined to say how much his company lost in sales revenue due to Apple's temporary injunction, but was more than willing to laud the iPad maker for inadvertently turning the spotlight on the Galaxy Tab. "At the end of the day the media awareness certainly made the Galaxy Tab 10.1 a household name compared to probably what it would've been based on the investment that we would've put into it from a marketing perspective," McGee explained. The exec went on to say that the manufacturer is bringing to market "as many units as we can," since it expects the device to be in "short supply against the demand." To the courtroom victor go to the spoils -- including, apparently, bragging rights.
Ads will possess your phone using subliminal sound waves
Er, we don't want to sensationalize this or anything, but your phone could soon be at the mercy of inaudible sound pulses that trigger location-specific ads, sales promotions and other potentially demonic notifications. Unlike normal advertising within apps, and also different to sound-responsive apps like Shazam and Shopkick, a new platform called Sonic Notify is meant to work discreetly in the background, without the need for any user activation. Its creators, NY-based digital agency Densebrain, plan to attach small high-frequency sound-emitting beacons to store shelves, which will "set people's phones off" when they stand in front of a particular product. It's not clear how the platform might affect your battery life, or why you wouldn't just disable it at the first inopportune alert, but drug stores, TV networks and big players like Proctor & Gamble are nevertheless said to be gripped by the concept.
Kogan advertises Samsung LCDs in its HDTVs, Samsung would rather not take credit
It won't be shocking to most in the electronics industry, but the rest of the world probably doesn't realize that many products use components from other manufacturers and even direct competitors. So much like most hard drives are made by one of only a few companies, there are only about four LCD panel manufacturers. But just because it's Samsung inside doesn't make it the same, and in that vein Samsung took pause with the Australian value-minded brand, Kogan, when its commercial very plainly exposed just who makes the panels in its TVs . The cease and desist notice didn't sit well with Ruslan Kogan, who claims his company never agreed to obscure that fact and that he wouldn't "conceal the truth from the public." While we usually wish everyone could just get along, we can totally see where Samsung is coming from on this one, as there is far more involved in making a quality TV, beyond sourcing a great panel.
Samsung teases flexible, transparent display in concept video
Samsung's flexible display technology isn't slated to hit the market until 2012, but the Korean manufacturer is already giving us a glimpse of how it may transform our lives, with a freshly released concept video. Yes, it's just a concept ad, and a relatively brief one at that, but it still paints a pretty mouth-watering portrait -- one full of transparent, flexible screens, smartphone-tablet hybrids, and augmented reality. Check it out for yourself, after the break.
Dell posts inaccurate graphics card comparison, promptly removes it and apologizes
Dell's latest attempt to promote its high-end GPUs has fallen flat among online consumers, all because of a rather misleading comparison. The snafu stems from the above image, originally posted on the company's "Help me choose" feature -- an online assistant designed to help users customize their Optiplex desktops. At left is a desktop with a normal graphics card, juxtaposed with an identical machine packing Dell's "high-end" GPU. Both are displaying a Windows desktop at the same resolution, but the render on the left looks noticeably blurry. As many Reddit users soon pointed out, even the most prosaic of graphics cards would be able to transmit a blur-free Windows desktop, implying that the PC manufacturer may have taken some unfounded liberties with its imagery. PC Pro notified Dell of the discrepancy, and the graphic has since been removed. The company also issued the following apology, claiming that it had no intention of bending the truth: Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Dell endeavours to help customers to make the best decisions regarding their purchases. It was never our intention to mislead customers, and we apologise for any confusion caused. We have now removed the image from our Global sites. Dell remains committed to delivering the best possible experience to all our customers.
Verizon's LTE-enabled Galaxy Nexus priced at $200?
We're still not sure when the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will arrive on Verizon, but a new flash ad may have just revealed its price. Spotted by Smart Keitai, the above ad has reportedly been making the rounds on sites like Android Police, Phandroid and Droid Forums, offering an LTE-enabled version of Sammy's new handset at a price of $200 on a two-year contract -- notably lower than previously rumored, and well below Verizon's price points for its other high-end devices. At the time of this writing, the page's "Learn More" link isn't activated, but its URL appears to include an inexplicable November 29th dateline, suggesting that the ad, if indeed legit, may have leaked earlier than intended. We'll obviously have to wait a bit longer before we know whether this rumored pricing holds up, but we'll be sure to keep you abreast of the latest. [Thanks, Eagon]
World of Warcraft 'law enforcement guide' leaked, new commercial released
Have you ever wondered what kind of dirt law enforcement officers would be able to dig up on you if they went to World of Warcraft developer Blizzard for information? Well, wonder no more. An 18-page document has been leaked to the internet thanks to the notorious organization known as AntiSec. The document is two years old, but it outlines what information Blizzard will disclose to law enforcement officers under given stipulations. And in completely and utterly unrelated news (well, Chuck Norris played a Texas ranger, so I guess there's some kind of connection), the game has revived its celebrity-laden advertisement series with a new commercial featuring none other than the hero of Barrens chat himself, mister Chuck Norris. As expected, the short clip is full of WoW-modified Chuck Norris jokes because apparently that horse hasn't been sufficiently flogged yet. To see the ad for yourself, just click on past the cut.
Zelda-branded Nintendo 3DS coming to US GameStops?
Is Nintendo's Zelda-branded 3DS making its way to the US? It certainly seems to be, based on the above GameStop ad. Spotted by one of our eagle-eyed tipsters, this leaked Black Friday promo offers the gold-and-black, Hyrule-emblazoned console as part of a bundle deal that also features The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. This can all be yours, apparently, for the price of $200 (or as little as $100, if you're willing to part with one of your older consoles). Nintendo has yet to issue an official word on Zelda's stateside arrival, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as we hear more. [Thanks, Colin]
Editorial: The problem with bad product names and what we can learn from it
Product names generally fall into one of four different categories: good, safe, meaningless and bad. There may be better categories to group them in, but we'll use these for the purpose of this editorial. In the first category I'd put something like Kindle, arguably one of the best new product names of the last ten years. iPhone and iPad, and their subsequent suffixed versions, are in the safe category. They're perfectly fine names for a cellphone and a tablet, but they're not as original or distinct as iMac or iPod were, which I'd consider good (iPod nano, shuffle and touch, on the other hand, are all safe names). In the meaningless category are things like the MSI GT683DXR or ASUS XU6280, one of which I just made up. Some meaningless names can also be good in their simplicity -- like the Nokia N9 or Nikon D3S -- but they are still basically nothing more than differentiators. This is an acceptable option. The names aren't just bad -- they're noise. In the bad category are the majority of smartphones released in the past few years. Rezound. Rhyme. Vivid. Epic. Sensation. Thrill. Skyrocket. Conquer. Triumph. Enlighten. Infuse. Prevail. Arrive. Can you name the company behind each phone? And those are just a few examples from this year. The names aren't just bad -- they're noise. Some names might fall into a fifth, slightly murkier okay category, but there are certainly more phones (and, increasingly, tablets) in the bad category than any other, and I'd argue that's a sign of a larger problem.
Kevin Butler honors 'Legit Btness' with festive dance
After kicking open the doors on PlayStation's "Hall of Play" last month, Sony's vice president of often hilarious video advertisements took to YouTube this week and honored Killzone 3 player "Legit_Btness." But not because "Legit" is a pro or anything, but because of his dutiful late game Helghast stabbing. Bravo!
New Samsung Galaxy Note ad: freedom's just a stylus away (video)
Ever wanted to soar majestically through the clouds? Good news, freedom from your earthly ties is a 5.3-inch display and S Pen away. All that and more in the Galaxy Note ad after the break -- though as we can attest, the whole creating beautiful landscapes thing isn't quite as easy as Samsung's simulated images make it out to be. No one ever said freedom was simple.
Gears of War 3 will have 'live' TV ads in the UK
Microsoft must be confident in early Gears of War 3 sales numbers, because the company has announced a new initiative to have "live" TV ads market the game. What this means is that during commercials, Microsoft will display the current number of players online in what we can only assume is an attempt to entice people who only want to play games that a lot of other people are playing. The ad campaign kicks off on September 23 and will run until October 3 in six different 30-second advertisements. Stephen McGill, Microsoft UK Xbox marketing director, says Microsoft is spending the big bucks to advertise Gears. "It is on the scale of what we did for Halo Reach and Halo 3 -- television is the main centrepiece of the campaign." Gears of War 3 launches worldwide today. [Thanks, ugotamesij.]
Looking back at Apple's 1984 ad
Ars Technica has an excellent interview with Steven Hayden, former creative lead at advertiser Chiat/Day and one of several people behind Apple's iconic 1984 ad. Hayden sheds some light on the behind the scenes negotiations that went into this advertisement. It's well known that Apple's board of directors did not like the ad and threatened to fire advertiser Chiat/Day, but, according to Hayden, it was supposedly Steve Wozniak's faith in the project that helped bring it to fruition. Hayden also revealed he had to interview with Scott Ridley's mother in London before the famed director agreed to work on the American commercial. For additional quips like this, check out the rest of Ars Technica's full interview here. It's worth the read.
