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"Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" uses Macs to solve mysteries
If you happen to have gotten caught up in the phenomenon known as the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, then you know that the computer of choice for these world-class computer genius hackers is made by Apple. I screened the film version of the story, and MacBook Pros are visible throughout as the the tool used to solve mysteries. It's a good film as well, as far as taut thrillers from Sweden go. In fact, I found it a refreshing take on the thriller (with a little social commentary thrown in) and was unsurprised to find it was based on a highly-regarded novel. The lead character, Lisbeth Salander, actually uses her MacBook Pro to hack into all manner of places, just as Macs have managed to appear in all sorts of movies. There's even a Flickr group dedicated to chronicling the appearance of them in film and TV. If you got a kick out of Hackers back in the day, Lisbeth will be a little familiar, but she's a nice modern spin on the "cool hacker" type. TUAW is part of a "blog hunt" for clues to win prizes for the movie, and you can find out more on the next page...
Stephen Colbert has an iPad... (video)
...and he took it to the 52nd Annual Grammys. Nice product placement, Apple. Video of the whole thing after the break. Say, what kind of pocket did that come out of?
iPhone is first smartphone to visit alien mothership, gets reception
Good news folks. When the aliens arrive our iPhones will work on their ships, at least according to the new V television series [iTunes link]. The iPhone has been seen twice on the show so far, both times being toted by the human traitor Tyler Evans, the second time when Tyler flies on up to the mothership floating over NYC. Admittedly, he is using the iPhone to take pictures of the alien lizard hottie Lisa, so his treason might be forgivable under the circumstances. But come on Ty, you've got video recording on that 3GS. Next time she does this, how about a little filming?
Nokia, cheesiness featured in new Star Trek movie
Do you like your Star Trek movies riddled with Beastie Boys songs and Nokia product placements? Yeah, neither do we. Still, if you've been to see the reboot of the franchise, then you probably noticed the outrageous spot for the Finnish phone-maker. Said ad comes in the form of a futuristic "Nokia ring" coupled with a large, touchscreen device placed in the dash of the totally tubular Corvette a young James T. Kirk is about to smash up but good. Seriously. Do yourself a favor and check it out in the soon-to-be-pulled-by-the-studio clip after the break.
Screen Grabs: Lil' Kim "Download" video features sampling of Acer products, samples Zapp
Oop, looks like whoever was in charge of product placement coordination at Acer forgot to double-check Lil' Kim's new video for "Download" -- is that iChat and an iPhone sneaking in there? Regardless, most of the primary action between Kimmy, T-Pain and Charlie Wilson seems to be going down on an Acer Aspire One, and there's a prominent shot of the Acer M900 smartphone at the beginning. Oh, and the entire song is built around a sample of Zapp's "Computer Love," so we'll forgive the lyrics. Both videos after the break.[Thanks, Anthony R]
Top Chef challenge winner gets MacBook Pro
If you're a fan of Bravo's Top Chef and you haven't watched last night's episode yet, I won't spoil it by telling you who won the challenge and who got eliminated. I will tell you, however, that the elimination winner received a MacBook Pro 17" as the award for the best performance in the challenge. Not too shabby.Considering the consistently high level of product placement on Bravo's shows, it's not all that surprising to see a Mac in the mix -- style maven Tim Gunn even sports a MacBook Pro on the host desk for his new show. What I wasn't expecting was the high level of enthusiasm the winner showed for the prize -- jumping up and down with glee, and the other chefs writhing in disappointment. Very nice.Thanks, Heidi.
Rip Slyme sells his soul to Sony in latest music video
Here at Engadget, we've got no qualms with a jumpin' beat, and we certainly have no issues with Sony's svelte lineup of (admittedly pricey) Vaio lappies, but even those two shameless endorsements can't hold a candle to Rip Slyme's latest vid. Presumably funded entirely from the linings of Howard Stringer's own pockets, the music video for I.N.G. seems to mock a typical Sony end-of-quarter board room meeting, but after 30 seconds or so of dancing around with Sony laptops (the C-series in particular), we get the feeling this just might be for real. While the artist could've just looped his tune behind a large Sony billboard and got the same message across, the "product placement" here would make any marketing professor quite proud, and while we have no real way of verifying, we'd speculate that Mr. Slyme's producers used a few Sony-branded machines to do the tweaking. So while all these words might not make much sense just yet, click on through when you've got a tick and watch the whole thing through -- now this is a Sony fanboy.[Thanks, Louis S.]
Arabic product placement in COD2
Is there anything more symbolic of our age than gunning down foreign peoples under the banner of the homeland's favorite carbonated beverage? Not in Call of Duty 2. Reader Rick sent in this in-game shot from COD2 and an inset picture of an Arabic Coca-Cola can. Points for authenticity and multi-lingual product placement. Enjoy.
South Park kids love slurs, wired controllers
In a product placement coupe sure to please the Microsoft marketing department (and anyone with a zest for ethnic humor), the Xbox 360 makes an appearance on South Park. Xbox-Scene provides screen grabs and a capsule summary:The episode, titled "Tsst", tells the story when Cartman's mom realizes she can't control her son anymore, she gets help from an expert. Cesar Millan, "The Dog Whisperer" takes on the challenge and while he might have what it takes, Eric Cartman's not going down without a fight.Of course, a perpetually winter-clothed and construction paper cut-out like Cartman would have a Core System (note the wired controllers), though he apparently sprang for a USB hub—and a "Fony"-brand TV.[Thanks GP2S]
Stewie Griffin: Mac user
Last night on Fox's Family Guy, Stewie had a little fun with his Mac. While practicing for the Olympics, his brother Chris interrupted his "training" (don't ask). Stewie responded by knocking Chris unconscious with a book, and using his motionless body as a landing platform for his pole vaulting practice. Delighted, he announced, "...That was even cooler than playing with the speech function on my Macintosh."Cut to Stewie in his high chair in front of a laptop:Stewie: So, computer, what are you thinking about right now?Mac: Stewie is cool.Stewie: Yaaaay![Via TVSquad]
Washington Post on Apple and product placement
The Washington Post has an interesting article about all the 'free' product placement Apple has apparently received in TV shows and movies in recent years. The article states that Apple doesn't pay for all that publicity, but the company won't discuss how their products end up helping CSIs track down their suspect or how the iPod helps employees of The Office land a punchline.However, the article goes on to mention that product placement is often "arranged through some kind of barter in which the show provides exposure in exchange for products or services" - doesn't that mean the placement is still being paid for?Semantics aside, let's hope the Hollywood writers and Apple's tech evangelist don't go too overboard; the producers of NBC's The Office "pride themselves on being real" and seem to understand proper placement: "Indeed, actors on the show's drab workplace set do not use snazzy Apple computers, but rather black, generic desktop PCs." Hooray for the real world.[via Slashdot]
