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Google takes Nexus 7 camping for its first ad, can afford to pack light (video)
There's more than a small amount of fervor swirling around the Nexus 7, so it only makes sense that Google wants to seize the moment and pitch its first Nexus tablet to the world. Its first commercial is a very Norman Rockwell-like, father-and-son camping trip -- if Rockwell replaced Boy Scouts with Jelly Beans, that is. The 7-inch slate handles just about every task the two could care for, whether it's learning about (and exaggerating) the local fauna as well as keeping busy on a rainy day. We'll let you witness the slight twist of an ending first-hand, although we'll add that Google is careful to use a lot of Nexus 7 features that don't demand always-on WiFi: the search giant wants us to know that we can head to the boonies without the tablet becoming a paperweight. The one shock is the absence of that all-important $199 price, which you'd think would help trigger some impulse shopping. You can reconcile your disbelief and enjoy some family bonding by catching the full commercial after the break.
Breakfast's super-speed reactive electromagnetic display is 44,000 dots of promotional awesome (video)
TNT wanted to launch its new crime show Perception, in style, and we have to give it to 'em, this is pretty cool. Working with professional technological tinkerers, Breakfast, they created a 23 x 12 foot display made up of 44,000 electromagnetic dots. Imagine those ticker boards you see at train stations, jazzed up with a little modern flavor. The dots are white on one side, black on the other, and move at 15 times the speed of their typical rail-station counterparts -- giving a real-time effect. The installation is set up in Manhattan's Herald Square until July 29th, and is fully interactive. When pedestrians walk past, the board updates to reflect their movement, and this "silhouette" interacts with words and images on the screen. Extra sensory stimulation also comes from the noise the board makes, literally letting you hear your movements. If a picture paints a thousand words, then 44,000 dots in a video paints even more. Head past the break to see the beast in action, plus more details on how it was done.
Rogers offers 6GB Super Plan, guarantees that Galaxy S III will stay busy
Cellular promos come and go. Rogers, however, wants to make sure that its 6GB Super Plan is one to remember: the carrier is offering the 6GB of monthly data that has become its summer tradition, only this time as part of a bigger plan that tucks in 200 minutes, unlimited messaging and the usual evening and favorites perks for voice calls. At $60, the combo isn't just a better deal than usual, it's impossible to build otherwise -- the closest that exists is a $73 monthly plan that tops out at 3GB. The promo's August 8th cutoff date doesn't afford much breathing room for would-be adopters, but it should let new Galaxy S III buyers milk that LTE for all it's worth.
Origin PC wants to put you 'in the fast lane' with back-to-school promo, hands you a free SSD
You know how some philosophical folks say that great things always come in pairs? Well, as it turns out, sometimes that is indeed the case. Not content with handing its fans a free trip towards the promised Ivy Bridge land, Origin PC's kicking off its 2012 back-to-school promotion with a couple of solid-state goodies to help you save some time during your every-day computer activities. The deal is quite simple: shell out some cash on one of the outfit's qualifying machines and you've got yourself a gratis 128GB or 256GB SSD -- this, naturally, includes the EON11-S, EON15-S, EON17-S and that beastly GENESIS, just to mention a few. As Origin PC points out, the worldwide deal's limited to one per customer, can't be combined with any other offer and it'll run until there's no more supplies to give. If all that sounds good, then head over to the company's site to get in on it, as well as check out the full list of units involved in the BTS promo.
Sony drops VAIO T from free PlayStation offer, hikes real cost of entry to $970
Remember how it seemed too good to be true that Sony's back to school promo would let you buy a VAIO T and get a free PlayStation 3 or Vita worth a third of the value of the Ultrabook you just bought? Well, it was. Sony has quietly dropped the $750 laptop from the PCs that qualify for the deal, raising the real qualifying price to $970 for a 15.5-inch VAIO S. Some will cry foul at being denied such a killer bargain without warning, but it's easy to see why Sony backed out: that's a lot of gear to give away for little in return. Dreams of heading to class with an ultraportable in hand and a PS3 at the dorm will have to be postponed, then, even if it's still an ample discount. [Thanks, Gabriel]
Sony kicks off an Xperia Ion TV ad campaign for the US, meets your daily explosion quota (video)
Sony isn't known for rolling out the red carpet when one of its phones arrives Stateside, although that's partly because US carrier-endorsed versions are few and far between. It clearly sees the Xperia Ion as worth the five-star treatment it's giving the rest of the 2012 Xperia line: the company is starting a rare TV ad campaign to pitch its 720p wunderkind to an American audience that might not have noticed the Ericsson badge going away. As you'd expect, the pseudo single-take spot ends up being as much a vehicle for pushing other Sony projects as it does for the Android phone in question; we hope you don't mind getting a brand overdose. With that in mind, there's more action and explosions per square capita than in any other smartphone ad in recent memory, so if you're upset that other smartphone ads are just too... peaceful, click Play and get your fill of danger.
Star Trek Online switches forum to Perfect World, offers account linking promotion
Starship captains awoke today to a mighty change over on the Star Trek Online forums. Perfect World notified players that in order to use the new forums, they now have to use a PWE account instead of a Cryptic account. This appears to be an attempt to coax players to abandon the old Cryptic accounts in favor of those of STO's new overlord. While there have been complaints about the move, Perfect World also announced that it is offering a limited-time promotion for all players who link their accounts: an in-game package that includes 5,000 unrefined Dilithium ore, bonus XP, a rare weapon, and various consumables. Perfect World notes that this promotion can only be claimed once per account, not per character. The promotion also applies to anyone who has previously linked these two accounts.
Hasselblad cuts H4D prices by up to 23 percent, might let you afford rent
Hasselblad is typically known for everything but price cuts, and sometimes goes in the opposite direction. As such, we're more than a little caught off-guard by a round of price cuts on what's usually considered the definitive medium format camera line. The 'entry' H4D-31 has been cut down by as much as 23 percent; we're not sure we'd call it a steal at $11,995 without a lens, but it's now an option if you think even a Nikon D800's full-frame sensor is puny. Price slashes aren't reserved for the bargain models, either, as even the 200-megapixel, status symbol H4D-200MS shaves enough off the cost (now $35,995) to be a worth look for those sitting on the fence. You can get the full details at the source link, and you won't have to survive on ramen noodles for a year to shoot billboard-sized photos.
Zero Motorcycles will pay for your first 25,000 e-motorbike miles, wants you to ride guilt-free
If you've been staring lustfully at an electric motorcycle but needed that little extra push to make the jump, Zero Motorcycles has a unique incentive in store: it'll pay for your first 25,000 miles on the road. Should you take the keys to any one of the company's two-wheelers between now and the end of May, you'll get a Visa gift card for the amount within a few weeks. Of course, the reason it can make such a seemingly generous offer is through the sheer efficiency of an electric engine: at a typical 10 cents for every kilowatt-hour, you're looking at just under $200 for what's likely several years of driving, even if you're particularly enthusiastic. Knowing that riding the same amount with a gas-powered bike practically requires taking out a small mortgage in the current economy, though, we'd say that Zero is just reminding us of an an advantage e-motorbikes already have.
New promo video for ASUS N-Series notebooks makes us want to hug it out
Nothing stokes the emotional coals like slow-mo drops of water and orchestral strings. That's at least what the team behind this ASUS promo video seem to think. Amidst the melodrama there are actually a few new nuggets of info about the rained-on N-series Notebook. There's "SonicMaster Premium" sound from Bang and Olufsen on board, which the firm claims should please the pickiest of ears, and full HD wide-view screens. A backlit keyboard and fancy touch pad are also shown off, with the latter matching the aspect ratio of the screen for "intuitive control." The claimed (up to) two-week standby time should please the infrequent user, while the impatient will like the two second wake-up time. Whether it'll have Oscar-winning performance to match the video, however, is yet to be known.
New Android users in India offered 1GB of free data, courtesy of Google and Reliance
In an effort to stir the interest for Android smartphones in India -- and, to let new customers test drive its 3G network -- the carrier Reliance Communications has partnered with Google to provide 1GB of data usage for all new activations of CDMA Android handsets. The promotion is available to both pre-paid and postpaid customers, who may take advantage of the deal now through June 15th. Once aboard, subscribers will have 30 days to burn through their allotment and discover the joys of a smartphone. Additionally, the carrier will extend a similar offer for new GSM Android activations, which is set to begin on May 5th. Reliance plans to drive its promotion with an ad campaign that sports an Android bot in the carrier's colors -- though, we're still partial to green. Just sayin'.
Sony partners with Scion, makes MotorStorm RC free for PS Vita
Getting set up with Sony's latest handheld can be an incredible drain on the wallet, what with the cost of pricey, proprietary memory cards and actual games to play. Consider this then the company's way of tossing early adopters a bone, because for a limited time US-based Vita owners can download MotorStorm RC gratis on the PlayStation Store starting today. Don't send those imaginary thank you cards to the electronics giant just yet; this special promo comes courtesy of a partnership with Scion (Toyota's Gen Y offshoot) and, as such, is pre-loaded with an exclusive, playable version of its subcompact iQ. Yes, you're being pandered to, but who cares? It's free, it's fun and it'll give your thumbs and Nathan Drake a mini-break.
Mobile Miscellany: week of February 6th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This week, we've learned that T-Mobile is offering some of its best phones free after rebate (today only), and we've also spotted a new power management feature that seems destined for BlackBerry 7.1 OS. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride. Let's explore the "best of the rest" for this week of February 6th, 2012.
Sprint launches early upgrade promo, wants you to stay and chat awhile
In an industry where customer churn can be likened to the fearsome troll under the bridge, Sprint has launched a program designed to keep its favored subscribers around for another two years. While not everyone is eligible -- those who've upgraded less than eight months ago, corporate outfits and those in collections need not inquire -- the program lets customers buy their way out of their current commitment and become eligible for a new, subsidized handset. The promotion begins February 12th and is set to run through the 14th of April, where the amount you pay correlates to the time since your last upgrade. So if you're currently pining for the Epic 4G Touch or the iPhone 4S, just give your local Sprint store a call this Sunday. They just may be able to hook you up.
Barnes & Noble offers discounted Nooks with one-year subscription to The New York Times
In the market for an e-reader and a subscription to the digital edition of The New York Times? Then Barnes & Noble has a new promotion you might want to consider. From now through March 9th, it'll give you a Nook Simple Touch for free or a Nook Color for $99 if you also sign up for a one-year New York Times subscription at a rate of $19.99/month. That's a savings of $100 in both cases, and the subscription also includes access to the New York Times website in addition to the Nook version. Alternatively, you can get $50 off the Nook Tablet (bringing it down to $199) with a subscription to People, which will run you $9.99/month. Complete details are at the link below.
China Unicom offers iPhone 4S free with subsidy, really just wants your commitment
The leaders at China Unicom are placing their bets on the iPhone 4S in a very big way. With a new promotion that begins January 13th, the nation's second largest mobile carrier will offer both the 32GB and 16GB versions of Apple's latest iPhone free on-contract. To score the high-end model, consumers must sign a three-year agreement with a minimum monthly cost of 286 yuan ($45). Alternately, those looking to avoid the long-term commitment may pick up the 16GB version on a two-year contract with a minimum price of 386 yuan ($61) per month. With the obvious price differential, one thing is for certain -- China Unicom definitely wants its customers to stick around.
Postcard on the Run giveaway: discounts, free postcard packs and a personal card from Selena Gomez!
Selena Gomez, Postcard on the Run, and TUAW have teamed up for an awesome promotion for all our readers, as well as the chance to win some pretty sweet prizes to boot. Postcard on the Run is an iOS and Android app that allows you to bring a physical touch to your digital memories by letting you turn any image on your iOS device into a physical postcard that can be mailed by the postal service to anyone, anywhere in the world. Besides being a great app, Postcard on the Run has some serious star power behind it with investor and creative advisor Selena Gomez. You can check out my review of Postcard on the Run here and read my interview with Selena here. Then be sure to leave a comment in this post to enter the prize giveaways. Just what are those prizes? A little something for everyone. Everyone reading this post can use the promo code "TUAWSG" when ordering postcards through Postcard on the Run. All you need to do is download the free app, then enter the code after you've customized your postcard and are ready to check out. The promo code is worth 30% off your order. The code is good until January 15th, 2012. 10 First Prizes: We're also giving away codes for 10-postcard packs to ten lucky readers. Each prize gives a single winner a code for ten free postcards they can create and mail for free through the Postcard on the Run app. Grand Prize: One lucky winner will receive a personal postcard from Selena Gomez. The winner will be the envy of her 25 million Facebook fans and 9.1 million Twitter followers. And chances are it will be the coolest postcard you've ever received. So, want to win 10 free Postcard on the Run postcards or a postcard from Selena Gomez herself? Here are the rules: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter simply leave a comment on this post. The comment must be left before Thursday, December 29, 2011, 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. Ten First Prize winners will be selected in a random drawing. Each winner will receive one Postcard on the Run promo code good for ten free postcards (Total Value: Up to US$19.99 per winner). One Grand Prize winner will be selected in a random drawing. Winner will receive one personal postcard from Selena Gomez. Click Here for complete Official Rules. Winners will be contacted by email after the conclusion of the drawing. Now leave your comment below and good luck!
Verizon Wireless kicks off trade-in program for southern US residents, offers up to $300 credit
If you're drooling over a new phone and happen to live in the southern United States, we thought you might like to know that Verizon is literally paying prospective customers to jump ship. All you have to do is bring in a mobile phone, regardless of carrier, where you'll qualify for up to $300 toward a new handset from Big Red. If you're curious, we're told that non-smartphones will automatically receive a $50 credit, while more advanced devices will need to be evaluated by an in-store rep. The program is expected to last through the end of the year, and extends to residents of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Didn't make the list? Well, uprooting your family is always an option -- although, we'd probably advise against that.
iPhone 4S promo video the year's "most viral tech video"
Apple's ads and introductory videos have long set the standard for clear, concise, and exciting tech promos. Now Web video tracker Visible Measures has announced that the 5-minute iPhone 4S promo video was the most viral tech video of 2011. The video (see below) was not only replayed millions of times on both the Apple site and YouTube, but generated spinoff unofficial uploads and parodies. The total impact of the promo was estimated at a whopping 28 million views. Runners up included the Google Chrome "The Web is What You Make of It" campaign featuring Lady Gaga (22 million views), the YouTube/Lenovo Space Lab promo (17 million views), the Sony PS3 "Michael/Long Live Play" ad (15.8 million views), and Freddie W's Samsung "Gamer Commute" ad (11.5 million views). The fascinating thing is that all of the other ads feature either dancing and music (Lady Gaga) or special effects (the rest of 'em), while the Apple video features nothing more than Apple executives and demonstrations of the technology. It appears that reality and stellar products make more of an impact than explosions or lousy 2-minute musicals -- Hollywood, take note.
Android Market's big sale hits Day 8, sense of deja vu increases
Is the Android Market running out of apps to offer its sales-hungry users? Several of today's downloads have already seen their prices snipped at some point last week -- at least you now have a second chance to grab them. To ameliorate the disappointment of the slightly samey selection, the little green one's pushed the boat out to 12 different apps. Instant Heart Rate Pro could be worth a ten cent investment, if only for some medical showboating. But is it too much to ask for a cut-price Shadowgun before the end? C'mon Google, give us an early Christmas miracle.
