Sprint Gets on the Level with New Palm Pre Ad

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@emmanuelvivier of Buzz Paradise drew our glances to the first-ever Sprint ad to feature the delectable Palm Pre.

Yeah, we know how you feel about iPhone killers (death of the Storm, anyone?) but after seeing the Pre demo at CES we're feeling optimistic about it.

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Mobile Trends Toward Futurism, Commerce, and Laziness

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Saturday's session at SXSW 2009 on Emerging Trends in Mobile gave audience members food for thought and panelists a run for their money.

The heavily international crowd (which included an estimated 25 percent non-American attendants) seemed to be, from a show of hands, a well-informed group with a good number of mobile developers in attendance.

Topics ranged from better device-charging solutions to developing for devices that come closer to standard Internet browsing every year. All in all, it was given that WAP technology is dead, fully Flash-enabled devices are the next step, image recognition capabilities and more detailed location-based information are crucial, and the idea that you'd have to actually plug a device into an outlet for any reason is becoming increasingly laughable.

What does this mean for marketers?

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by Jolie O'Dell    Mar-15-09    
Topic: Mobile/Wireless



Dockers Makes Shakeable iPhone Ad

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Dockers finally produces an ad that enables you to realize a fantasy you've probably had more than once: the ability to shake the living crap out of it.

The ad features urban street dancer Orbitron (Dufon) of Circle of Fire. He'll appear in iPhone games "iBasketball," "iGolf" and "iBowl," as well as lifestyle application iTV, AdAge says. At various intervals, users have to shake the iPhone to get Dufon to bust a move.

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by Angela Natividad    Mar-13-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Games, Mobile/Wireless



Whatever Happened to Progressively Smaller Handsets?

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Riding Ad Land's current obsession with breaking into Guinness, Cricket has just produced the world's largest cell phone -- a gigantosaur Samsung Messager composed of "wood, metal, lights, wizardry, and love."

Video here.

The phone -- so big you risk cardiac arrest if you happen to be lying on it in vibrate mode -- kicks off Cricket's Get Some Respekt campaign. See it in person through March 15th in Chicago; the monster of mobile hits Philly on the 20th.

Orchestrated by Seattle's Cultural Engineers and events firm NEVERSTOP.

by Angela Natividad    Mar-12-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Events, Guerilla, Mobile/Wireless



Cannibal Pigs Plug Boost Mobile Over Dinner

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Boost Mobile's "UNwrong'D" campaign continues with two fine-dining pigs that like ham. (Think of it as enjoying the flavours of a fallen friend. Don't act like you're too good to tear into the carcasses of the downtrodden, literally or otherwise.)

The talkier pig puts their behaviour in perspective by telling users the real wrong in life lies in mobile carriers charging hidden fees. In contrast, Boost Mobile charges a flat fee for dependable, unlimited nationwide service.

Hear-to-the-fucking-hear, then, and pass that human flank real quick.

At a loss for words? Doff your hats to 180LA.

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Cisco Explains Mobile Internet to Common Man

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Okay. See the hands at left grasping greedily for the giant diamond? That's supposed to represent the mobile web ... and the faceless villains that will immediately try to exploit it.

This is the first of a three-part video series that explains the whole "4G=IP" thing to people that buy tech items, such as iPods, primarily because they like the pretty colours.

We're suckers for smooth animated magic -- and for Cisco in general -- so we kept our eyes on the piece, which was a comfortable length and not too stuffed with strange-sounding geek noises. It's possible we even learned things.

That squeaky Adventures in Odyssey-sounding narrator kinda pissed us off though.

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by Angela Natividad    Feb-20-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Good, Mobile/Wireless, Online, Video



Breaking! New Technology Turns Computer Screen Into Tanning Bed

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To convince people of the dangers of skin cancer, UK charity SKCin, with help from Rubber Republic, has launched ComputerTan, a fake company and website that purports to have developed a "revolutionary new way to help keep you looking healthy, young and attractive in the office."

The gist? ComputerTan makes it possible to get a tan from your computer monitor. Activating the free trial loads a cool, full screen tanning screen which, after a while, delivers the punchline...in the form of disgusting pictures of people with nasty skin cancer legions. Gross.

But, it works. The effort hopes to make people aware of the fact skin cancer kills up to five people each day in the UK. There's a mobile app and even a line of products supporting the effort.

An infomercial-style video placed on YouTube hopes to lure visitors to the site under the guise ComputerTan is the real thing.

by Steve Hall    Feb- 3-09    
Topic: Cause, Mobile/Wireless, Online, Spoofs, Video



It's an iPhone Advergame! Help Name It.

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Fuel Industries is preparing a new iPhone game for client Vans. But it's not really sure what to name it, so it's soliciting help from Y-O-U. See demo.

It's not immediately clear how you can get your ideas over to Fuel if you have any, but hell, we're sure they'll be perusing this page from time to time, so comment away if you want. (If you're thinking BoardX in honor of jPod, don't bother; we already did.)

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by Angela Natividad    Feb- 2-09    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Games, Mobile/Wireless, Online



Alltel's Wireless Guy Schmoozes with Santa

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This holiday season, Alltel reprises last year's concept -- vintage animation -- to push the superiority of its My Circle unlimited free calling plan. The ad features the carrier's Nick Nayloresque mascot Chad, yukking it up with Santa about how some people just don't get the meaning of Christmas.

And like last year, Alltel's effort falls in the shadow of Apple, which also pinned the old hero vs. villain dirge to an animated backdrop. Unlike the chill scruffy Mac, however, the guffawing greased-up Chad rings a lot less likable.

Production work by Bent Image Lab, agency Santo.

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Laptop Tattoos, Adult SocNets Exiled, Wal-Mart Roves for Digital Agency

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- Wal-Mart's looking to unload its $40 million digital ad account. The shortlist includes Resource, Digitas, MRM, R/GA and Razorfish.

- Digital Mad Men! Watch. Watch. Because Vince Kartheiser talking Caturday is probably the funniest he's been in his short career so far.

- Dell cracks open Design Studio -- where users can pay $75 to get a unique image "permanently tattoed" onto their laptop lids. o_O That's a slightly steeper commitment than the peel-off-friendly GelaSkins.

- Arby's brings hard-ons. I really hope they don't put this on TV.

- MySpace does video streaming on mobile phones. With ad support.

- As of January 1, adult social networks will not be permitted on Ning. (Pretty good) reasons listed in the link.

- YouTube cobbles together digital chamber music orchestra.