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Spotting celebs with the iPhone
Obama and Lindsay Lohan are far from the only people rocking the iPhone lately -- a new site called "Coolspotters" claims to track brands and the celebrities that use them, and the iPhone is pretty cool lately. 32 celebrities have been spotted -- everyone from Mike Tyson to Heidi Klum to Rose McGowan (pictured, though that really could be anyone, couldn't it?). In fact, the Apple iPhone is actually the most popular product on the site right now -- one spot above something called the Omnipeace t-shirt (yes, but does it have a multitouch screen?), and two spots above the MacBook Air.Because everyone knows you need a site to tell you that what you own is cool, right? Of course, they are cheating a little bit -- I don't think the fact that Steve Jobs is using something necessarily makes it cool. Otherwise, we'd all have seen celebs toting around Newtons.Still, if seeing celebs use the same product you have is your thing, the iPhone's got you covered there, too. Can't say it influenced my purchase much, but good to see that the rich and famous are catching on to what's been TUAW's favorite tech-cessory for a while.[via Kottke]
Celebrities and their Apple goodies
Recently, several of you tipped us on this video of US Senator Barak Obama quickly checking something on his iPhone (it happens around the 1:00 mark). It got us thinking of our favorite celebrity Apple product sightings. Back in July of 2006, it was reported that Pope Benedict XVI had received an iPod nano from employees of Vatican Radio. The phrase "To His Holiness, Benedict XVI" was engraved on the back. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II purchased an iPod mini back in July of '05. U.S. Presidential adviser Karl Rove was seen using his iPhone in August of last year. Actress, singer and all-around role model Lindsay Lohan whipped out her iPhone shortly after they were first released in the U.S. So welcome to the club, Senator! You're in good company. We think.
Nintendo enlists celebrity aid in marketing Mario Kart Wii to Japan
Aside from advertising in the United States, another region important to sales of Mario Kart Wii is Japan, Nintendo's native country. As such, the gaming giant has enlisted the aid of Japanese celebrities to help hock their wares onto the gaming populace. Above, you can see model Aki Hoshino and comedian Medaka Ikeno having the time of their life with their Wii Wheels.Cruise on past the break to check out a plethora of Japanese ads for the game.%Gallery-4772%
Nicole Kidman the pretty face of More Brain Training DS
No, she won't be replacing the laughing, disembodied head of Dr. Kawashima, but actress Nicole Kidman will be starring in a series of print and television ads for DS's More Brain Training in Europe.According to Metro.co.uk, Kidman's a fan of the Brain Training titles, although the exact age of Kidman's brain is not known. As reported previously, More Brain Training (Brain Age 2) is due out in Europe on June 29.
Some celebrities shying away from HD cameras
It's all but unanimous that sports programming looks entirely more appealing in high definition than in SD, but for folks on the other side of the cameras, adding all that detail can be intimidating, if not embarrassing. While the "grain structure of film allows for a softness" that lends a hand in covering up the not-so-attractive signs of aging, HD cameras tend to capture that raw, unassailable truth that some celebrities are less than fond of. Diane Sawyer, the 61-year old host of ABC's Good Morning America, reportedly acknowledged that the puffiness under her eyes could no long be covered up, as viewers looking on in HD "could see every flaw." To combat the newfangled "problem" posed to many on-camera stars, makeup firms are devising new "airbrushing" techniques to add glamor and remove blemishes without looking like a shot of Botox gone horribly awry. Interestingly, reports indicated that viewers tended to enjoy the rough, disclosing look on men, but would rather see dames looking their best through those pixel-packed lenses. Nevertheless, HD cameras are making flaws more and more noticeable, and apparently causing quite the ruckus from overly concerned celebrities all the same, but hey, that's the price you pay for being in the (1080i) limelight.
The answers to our Mac celebs quiz
Well, we're impressed! You all did very well with our Mac Celebrity quiz. Here are the official answers: Steve Wozniak, Co-founder of Apple, designer of Apple and Apple || Guy Kawasaki, Macintosh evangelist Gil Amelio, one-time CEO of Apple. Let's just move on to #4, shall we? Jonathan Ive, designer of the iMac and iPod Al Gore, member of Apple's board (he also worked as Vice President of the United States for a while) There are two possible answers for #6. We'll accept Ellen Feiss, beloved switcher; also Ellen Hancock, former Apple CTO Jean-Louis Gassée, former Apple executive who wanted Apple to adopt his BeOS, and not Steve's NeXT. Bill Atkinson, creator of the great HyperCard Jef Raskin, Macintosh designer Rupert Lissner, creator of AppleWorks (That one was tricky) Thanks for participating, and congratulations to everyone who got it right! You'll receive...the satisfaction of knowing you got it right. Sweet.
Cingular offering "personalized" celebrity Answer Tones
How do you make an annoying service even more unbearable? In the case of Cingular's Answer Tones (better known as ringback tones), you give customers the option of torturing their callers with "personalized" celebrity greetings to go along with the current catalog of low-quality song snippets. The wireless services provider has just a launched a program called "Say My Name" that offers subscribers the dubious ability of having celebrities like Juvenile, Ice T, Jamie Kennedy, and a bunch that we never head of, repeat a $2 canned message -- complete with the owner's first name (if they're lucky enough to have one of the 40 or so names deemed popular enough for this promotion, that is) -- while they're digging around pockets and purses for their phones. Note to our friends: the first time we hear a "Wassup, this ya boy Juve the Great..." when we call one of you, you'll be immediately kicked out of the Circle of Trust.[Via Mobiledia]
MMO players convene after E3
Those of us heavily invested in massively multiplayer games are part of a community, just as FPS clans have a brotherhood borne out of hours of playing together. Events like BlizzCon provide an opportunity for MMO guilds and players to meet up -- for the unknown to meet the infamous.E3 may have been over, but that didn't stop NCsoft arranging a player get-together last Saturday. Over 400 players signed up, some travelling from as far as Arizona for this one evening. While NCsoft had rented out a LAN centre for the event, players spent just as much time talking as they did playing, with a sizeable contingent of developers and community managers on hand to help the event along. NCsoft celebrities including Richard Garriott and Matt "Positron" Miller attended the event, showing a pleasing commitment to the player base.
Paris Hilton creates a mob scene [update 1]
While we wouldn't exactly call ourselves fans of the hotel heiress, we have to admit that we were still intrigued by the idea that Paris Hilton would be making an appearance at E3 to promote a new game with her name splashed all over it: Paris Hilton's Jewel Jam. We stopped by the Gameloft booth to see it all go down. Er, you know what we mean.
Xbox Movie Showcase launches
Microsoft and Paramount Pictures have struck a marketing deal that will bring Paramount movie trailers like Mission Impossible 3 and Nacho Libre to Xbox Live starting April 12, not to mention the opportunity to sqare off against Tenacious D: The Xbox Movie Showcase content includes HD movie trailers, exclusive theme packs, and graphics allowing Xbox gamers to customize their gaming experiences, theming their Xbox Live experience to "M:i:III" and "Nacho Libre." In addition, as part of this first-of-its kind agreement, stars of Paramount films, including Jack Black, will participate in Xbox's "Game with Fame," where gamers can enter for a chance to play a game online against their favorite celebrities. Taking the program off-line, Paramount's DVDs will be featured in a Digital Entertainment Lifestyle video promoted across Xbox kiosks in 30,000 retail stores worldwide. Real movie stars on XBL, eh? Is there any chance Scientology-crazed A-lister Tom Cruise will stop jumping on the couch long enough to pick up a wireless controller? I'd like to know what L. Ron Tom and his silent birth bizarro bride thought about the Epsilon Program in GTA: San Andreas.
Mac-wielding celebrities
ifoAppleStore is pointing to a great Flickr find today: A (blurry) snapshot of John Stewart bringing his iMac into the SoHo Genius Bar for service (how he managed to get an appointment there I'll never know). The picture reminded me of these shots of John Krasinski from NBC's The Office checking out an iPod in an unidentified New York Apple Store. Since we don't venture out of our secret TUAW offices in the gymnasium of the abandoned parochial school with any great regularity, we don't get to see many Mac-toting celebs in the wild. So, we're posing the question to you: Have you ever made such a sighting?
