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'Spider-Man' is the latest big-budget flick to get a VR tie-in
Peter Parker and his web-slinging alter ego seem to be everywhere these days. Sony showed off a lengthy gameplay sequence from the upcoming Spider-Man video game at E3 this year, and the company's reboot, Spider-Man: Homecoming, arrives in theaters this July. It's no surprise, then, that Sony Pictures has decided to hype the movie with a free "multi-platform promotional VR experience" developed by CreateVR and available on Oculus, Vive and PlayStation VR platforms June 30th.
UK advert police explain to vloggers what an advert is
Vloggers, bloggers and social media celebs have captive, loyal audiences that make them prime partners for marketers. Like it or not, most new media stars dabble in advertising of one form or another -- you can't live on YouTube kickbacks alone now, can you? -- but it's not always easy to tell regular content from promotions. Not all product plugs are as blatant as Kim Kardashian's recent Instagram mishap, for instance. According to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), vloggers and kin have been seeking clear rules on what constitutes promotional content, and how it needs to be labelled. And to help them play by the rules, the ASA's Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) has today published new "vlogging advertising guidance," also known as the "common sense handbook."
Twitch seeks transparency for promotional broadcasts
Twitch will begin instituting new policies that clearly label sponsored broadcasts on its channels, the video streaming platform announced on its blog. "We want complete transparency and unwavering authenticity with all content and promotions that have a sponsor relationship," Twitch wrote. Copy and graphics for future Twitch-driven campaigns will now have labels to indicate that they are promotional in nature. For instance, the front-page video carousel will include a new "sponsored" graphic when applicable, and Twitch will add sponsored labels to its content newsletters as well. Future tweets from the streaming platform's official accounts will also include language that indicates if the broadcast is promotional as well. Twitch isn't the only company opting for more transparency in how sponsored content is listed; Valve introduced new policies for Steam Curators to openly disclose paid recommendations this week as well. [Image: Twitch]
UK regulator proposes crackdown on misleading Facebook and Twitter ads
While Twitter and Facebook are enjoying returns from their native advertising platforms, it's still not easy to tell if a tweet or status update is actually a company trying to sell you something. It's a practice that the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has become increasingly aware of, so it's begun consulting opinion on whether it should enforce stricter rules on promotional messages shared by financial firms. Blogs, social networks and photo and video services are all in the FCA's crosshairs, as it looks to crack down on companies that rely on misleading messages like "Join us now and we promise you'll make a 758% profit on your first stock investment" to sign up new users.
Daily Roundup: Ashton Kutcher designs smartphones, March Madness on WP8, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
The Daily Grind: Do you like time-limited goodies?
Star Wars: The Old Republic offered a little goodie for players who wanted to commemorate the anniversary of Knights of the Old Republic in the form of a title. If you didn't buy it yesterday... well, it's gone. It was incredibly cheap and freely available for everyone for that day, but that was the only window of opportunity you had. This brings to mind a very different set of questions than time-limited content. A time-limited title or vanity item doesn't actually affect the game when it shows up or leaves since it's just for fun. At the same time, a promotional item that players can't get immediately becomes intensely desirable, and it means that new players are forced out by necessity. So do you like time-limited goodies that have no effect on the game as a whole? Or would you much prefer that vanity items be limited through some other means? 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!
Microsoft reveals new logo after 25 years, proves that it's (still) okay to be square
Remember that time Microsoft teased what most sane humans thought were new logos? That was right around two years ago, but the branding you see above is no mistake -- that's the new Microsoft logo, landing just months after Windows 8's new flag and merely weeks before the aforesaid operating system takes the planet by storm. Astoundingly, it has been a full quarter-century since Microsoft gave itself a new logo, and while we're sure pundits will jump all over it just because "dealing with change is hard," there's no doubt that the outfit's new face is bold in its simplicity. Care to learn more? There's a happy-go-lucky video waiting just after the break.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 appears in 30-second commercial (video)
If -- for some outlandish reason -- you were still doubting the imminent release of the Galaxy Note 10.1, let us invite you to have a peek at the video just after the break. Sure enough, it's an official Samsung teaser showcasing some of the more seductive features of its forthcoming Android slate -- the slate that appeared for but a moment on Amazon. If you're looking for a brief update on how we got here, you may recall us first touching the 10.1-inch Note back at Mobile World Congress in February, with the device caught on camera elsewhere as recently as last month. There's still no definitive ship date to grab hold of, but all comes in due time, readers. All in due time. Update: This post originally and erroneously made a connection between the Note 10.1 and the Judge Koh ruling on the Galaxy Tab 10.1. It has been updated. Update 2: We've removed the commercial after the break at the request of its copyright holder.
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.
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.
Yes, there is a Del Taco / Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet crosspromo
Look, sometimes things just happen and there's no explanation, okay? The universe is random and we're all going to have to come to terms with the fact that rhyme and reason are a luxury we're not always afforded. There's an Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet promotion going on at Del Taco right now and that's just the world we live in.For a limited time and at participating locations, every Kid's Meal comes with an Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet sticker board and matching static clings. Why have a promotional tie-in so long after the game's release, you might ask? Because it's Del Taco, and Del Taco is a confusion singularity. Adding seven-month-old gaming merch to the burritos, crinkle fries and chicken strips you're already getting at 4:38 in the morning makes complete sense when your understanding of the universe is Of The Taco.
Sprint merging consumer and business sales / marketing units, giving four execs the boot
According to a brief report that just went live at Reuters, Sprint is "merging its sales and marketing operations for its business and consumer operations in a streamlining that includes the departure of four top executives." Reportedly, that news was delivered by none other than CEO Dan Hesse himself, who has been in the news a fair amount since 2012 began. Reportedly, the carrier is aiming to "gain efficiencies" in a market where hordes of customers snap up services as individuals, but actually use services tied to "employer-related contractual discounts." Hesse's exact words? "As the wireless market has evolved, the lines between consumers and businesses have blurred." Evidently, they've blurred enough to oust four unnamed bigwigs, too.
Nokia: iDoalotmore talking about Symbian than a zombie OS deserves
When you've got an OS in the final throes of life, your choices for stimulating interest are a little limited. Having exhausted the usual avenues of introducing pink and gold-plated versions of its older phones, Nokia is now resorting to the mobile industry's standby marketing crutch: poking fun at Apple. Its latest ad campaign in India features the tagline iDoalotmore, which takes a rather overt shot at Apple's iPhone and general tendency to preface its wares with an "i." Sadly, there are no spec-for-spec smackdowns over on the accompanying promo site, but you can learn all about Symbian's excellent features and radically new rounded icons. Or are they iCons now?
Conan O'Brien produces a more honest iPad 2 promotional video
Feeling a little underwhelmed by this week's iPad 2 launch? This promotional video recently unearthed by Conan O'Brien goes some distance in explaining why this might be... and why you're probably not alone. But just in case you did buy into the hype, don't feel bad: it's easy to get suckered by a smooth talker with "a non-specific ethnic accent." See for yourself after the break.
Doodle Jump makes deal with Universal, gets movie tie-in
Here's an interesting story out of Macworld this week. Doodle Jump, recently featured as the Top Paid App of all time, is going to Hollywood, but not quite in the way you might think. Rather than a Doodle Jump movie, the movies are instead coming to Doodle Jump, as Universal has announced a deal to put the main character of its upcoming film, Hop, in the popular iOS game as a promotional download. The movie comes out April 1, but in February, Doodle Jump will get an Easter-related level, with the official Universal character in the app as a bonus. Sure, it's probably not the most exciting iOS tie-in -- the film was directed by the same guy who did the recent Alvin and the Chimpmunks movies, and unless you brought kids, it wasn't much to write home about (and even then, we hear it wasn't all that great). But still, this is an iOS title that's making a major deal with a Hollywood studio -- very impressive for the folks over at Lima Sky, and it's probably an indication that we'll see more collaboration between indie iOS developers and other forms of entertainment in the future.
Sony giving away PlayStation Move for block parties, along with completely wild freebies
Looking for a free PlayStation Move setup and a bunch of useless schwag? Too bad you didn't sign up for Sony's Ultimate Block Party. In the vein of the hilarious Windows 7 and TiVo promo giveaways of yesteryear, PlayStation's thrown a virtual bash that actually requires a modicum of interaction to properly enjoy this time. As this isn't a retail Move package, there's no traditional unboxing to be had, but soon-to-be-host Phil does show off a demo disk (with eight titles and uproarious setup guide) that we pray will be included in the final kit. Other than that, the promo box includes your standard array of party supplies -- PlayStation Move cocktail napkins, Sports Champions mini-frisbees, plastic soda can handles, and the gift that keeps on giving: a bag of Kevin Butler button badges. Because real boxers don't do Tupperware. Spot all the goodies at our source link.
Brazilian laundry soap comes with a GPS surprise
The crackerjack marketing teams at Unilever Brazil have come up with a promotion for the ages -- they've implanted GPS tracking devices into fifty boxes of the popular Omo laundry soap, and plan to follow buyers all the way to their doorsteps. We're sure it's a harmless promotion -- the chosen get a free video camera -- but on paper it sounds hilariously bad. You see, the promotions agency (aptly named Bullet) may be knocking on doors in neighborhoods with high crime rates, where unwitting individuals may not open the door, but should that happen there's a backup plan -- they'll instruct the box to start beeping via remote. If the bomb scare doesn't smoke out prospective winners, we're not sure if Bullet will bash down the doors, but the disastrous recipe also includes plans to post the general vicinity where winners live (complete with photographs) at an experimental website. And you thought Walmart's new RFID tags were bad.
Prince of Persia Flash game is better than you think
For all the vitriol we hurl at Wii shovelware and farming-centric Facebook games, we often forget the class of electronic entertainment most deserving of scorn: The Flash promotional game. No, not a game promoting The Flash (honestly, dude could use some love right now) but rather those diminutive, ugly trifles that litter official sites of movies and (in some cases) fast food restaurants. So understand that when we say, "This Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Flash game is actually kind of good!" it comes from people who expect the worst from this particular breed. That said ... it is kind of good, right? In an overly complicated Canabalt sort of way?
Point and click your way through Mafia II's Story of Frankie Potts
We kind of like this trend of free Internet-based games made just to promote their big-release cousins. Dragon Age Journeys is the standout so far, but Mafia II is entering the ring with a free point-and-click game called The Story of Frankie Potts, playable right now on the game's website. There's not much to see yet (just a few clickable scraps of paper and a darkroom where you can develops a new screenshot), but the timeline feature hints that there will be new content every day to check out. And not only will you get to learn about Mafia II, but eventually there will be "four challenge games" in which you can compete with other players around the world for "limited edition swag," and even a copy of the game along with a PS3 and 60" TV with surround sound system to play it on. Yes, it's "promogaming" -- the goal is to sell you on the game. But especially if these free experiences are intriguing, we'll welcome a little extra gameplay for no extra charge. It's better than just reading a press release, right?
Hyundai Equus now comes with an iPad
If you're willing to spent 5 grand on an iPad, why not cough up an additional 50 and get one sweet accessory: A Hyundai Equus. For a limited time, Hyundai is cashing in on the iPad frenzy by offering one to every customer who buys a 2011 Equus. Rather than just tossing it on the back seat, the iPad will contain the car's user manual, which Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik calls, "interactive." There aren't a lot of details on the app (we assume it's an app), but customers will be able to use it to schedule maintenance appointments. We don't know which model is being offered, so you'll have to call your friendly neighborhood Hyundai dealer to find out. Of course it's free, so you can't really complain. If you get one, please let us know.
