IBLOG SPACE

When a contest gets announced, the parameters generally have to be pretty interesting to make even the coolest prize seem worth it. After all, you can’t just have a boring contest. Where’s the fun in that? You already know the answer to that. And that’s why we’re happy to announce that HP and Ivy Worldwide have officially unveiled the winners of their X510 Data Vault creative contest (which was linked to our own Data Vault contest,right here) — and the submissions are definitely creative. Readers were supposed to enter in their own creative ideas to win an X510 Data Vault, and from what HP and Ivy Worldwide are telling us, the contestants did everything they could to get noticed. But, on a more personal note, we’re proud to say that two of the winners are from SlashGear . Both the first and second place prize winners were submitted by us, and so we’re happy to announce that here. As for the third winner, they were submitted by Neowin and GottaBeMobile . Yes, there was a tie for thir

It feels like it’s been forever since Microsoft announced Windows Phone 7 . And, despite the fact the details came afterward , it almost feels longer since we actually heard any details about one of the future mobile Operating System’s coolest features: Xbox LIVE support. We know it goes beyond just having your Xbox LIVE profile/avatar, and we know the XNA framework will make it easy for developers to integrate features from the console to the handset, but apparently Microsoft is going for the throat on this one. According to Oded Ran, who is the Head of Consumer Marketing for Windows Phone, “There are four million Xboxes in the UK compared to 2.5 million iPhones; we’re now working with developers who know how to make games, and they’re able to port Xbox Arcade games to mobile phones easily.” Obviously, the defining line has been drawn in the proverbial sand, and Microsoft wants to leverage the strength of their Xbox 360/LIVE/Arcade platforms, and make them a paramount feature on their

The life of the Microsoft Courier over the last few months has been one for the script of a soap opera. Fromseeing video of what the Courier concept would be, to its terrible cancellation, to some software confusion, the Courier has lived and died in such a roller-coaster fashion that it could be tough for anyone to keep up with. Even when Microsoft execs were being shuffled around (supposedly due to the Courier’s axing), the Courier was always the main focus. And today, based on a patent months old, we’re reminded all over again about what could have been. A patent dating back to January 19th of this year just broke cover in its acceptance, and the receipt shows the design of the Courier plain and simply. As you might expect, even if Microsoft has officially canceled the digital journal, they now own the design for the thing, which means they could actually put the dual-screen tablet into production if they wanted to. But, we wont’ hold our breath.

While some people may not look forward to their Wednesdays, we can’t help but be excited about today due to the brand new MeeGo 1.1 User Interface screenshots that just made their way to the Internet. And, to make it better, today actually marks the first day of the MeeGo Handset User Experience Project, which seems to be designed to showcase MeeGo in its current form. Nokia is still planning on launching MeeGo 1.1 on Nseries devices later this year, and from what these screenshots show, they’re doing well for themselves. And if you’re a developer interested in the next mobile Operating System from Nokia and Intel, you can download a preview image from the first day of the handset project, which you’ll be able to browse the source code with and go from there. And while the images and video are great to look at, probably the best piece of information comes from the MeeGo blog, which states that the team has been hard at work on MeeGo 1.1 for quite awhile, and they’re planning to launch

Honestly, it might be too late to save mobile TV , at least in the U.S., where the broadcast network for mobile devices has yet to catch on like it has in Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea. The competition is fierce, and growing almost daily, and mobile broadcast TV service offers few benefits over its competitors. The first question you might ask is: what is mobile TV? Right now, most mobile TV devices sold are cell phones, and the carriers have shot themselves, and Qualcomm, in the foot over this option. Carriers have for years been pushing their concept of mobile TV, which until recently was really streaming video clips, not true broadcast TV. By the time Qualcomm finally decided to bring its own personal television device to market, the market was so confused about what to expect that nobody bought one. It’s a portable device with a rate plan and a subsidy, but it doesn’t make phone calls? Carriers had been pushing their lousy on-demand streaming clip service so hard, b

Hulu made waves with the announcement of the much-rumored Hulu Plus . A brand new subscription-based methodology to stream your favorite TV shows, whenever you want. For just $9.99 per month, you’ll get your hands on the “Season Ticket,” which will let you watch any episode of a particular season, with no expiration date (which is the general rule of thumb on Hulu right now). And, with that announcement, came the revelation that Sony’s PlayStation 3 would be getting support as well in the near future. But, there could be some very important fine print not quite revealed. Based on some source code dug up by Technologizer , which they found on the Hulu Plus page, it looks like you may need a subscription to PlayStation Network+ to get your hands on the Hulu Plus subscription service. As the code says: “The instructions below will help you install Hulu Plus on your PS3. Note: you must be a subscriber of the PlayStation Plus Network.” That means you’ll be paying the $49.99 per year for PSN

When Apple announced earlier this month that it was releasing a new Mac mini that featured an improved design and far better specs than what was previously available, I was excited. As a long-time Apple customer, I have everything from an iMac to an iPhone to an Apple TV running in my house. But as Apple continues to call the Apple TV a “hobby,” I’m left wondering if it’s really true. I’ll be the first to admit that I use my Apple TV more than any other device connected to my television. It’s my entertainment hub for when I want to watch some of my favorite video casts, listen to music, or watch some movies that are made available for rent. But in those moments when I want to check IMDb for an actor’s name or Google something related to a show I’m watching, the set-top box isn’t the device I use. I’m forced to put my Apple remote down, pick up my iPad, and check the information out on that instead. It’s a major issue that Apple, for the past few years since the Apple TV has been avail

Blue Microphones, as their name suggests, are generally all about the audio, and they’ve a strong reputation among musicians for the quality of their hardware. The Blue Microphones Eyeball 2.0 takes the distinctive Blue Snowflake and discretely adds a pop-out 2.0-megapixel webcam; once we’d finished popping the lens in and out of its spring-loaded silo we set to work reviewing it. You’re unlikely to mistake the Eyeball 2.0 as anything other than a microphone first. The shiny mesh-covered ball rotates on its twisting mount, and has a sturdy U-shaped metal bracket that – depending on orientation – either hooks onto the top of your laptop display or stands the Eyeball 2.0 up on the desk. On the back is a regular miniUSB port which you can use with the three foot USB cable Blue supply or any you might already have lying around. There’s also a plastic case section which slots onto the back of the Eyeball 2.0’s stand and gives you a place to tuck the cable for transport, together with a rub

New Android 3.0 Gingerbread details have emerged, courtesy of notorious mobile industry insider Eldar Murtazin of mobile-review and his Russian-language Digestive podcast. According to Murtazin – handily translated by UnwiredView – we can expect Gingerbread in mid-October 2010 with the first handsets preinstalled with the new OS arriving in November/December. They’ll be impressive beasts, too; minimum hardware requirements are apparently a 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, and a 3.5-inch screen or larger, with up to 1,280 x 760 resolution displays supported on 4-inch or bigger handsets. Meanwhile the UI as a whole will be updated, with Google apparently looking to the Nexus One’s gallery app for their inspiration. Expect plenty of animation and transitions throughout, which should tax those CPUs a little. As for positioning, Google are apparently set to officially split Android into two tiers, with 2.1 and 2.2 Froyo co-existing alongside 3.0 Gingerbread. The 2.x OSes will serve the ma

As notebook markets go, the 15.6-inch segment is probably the most hotly contested; manufacturers are forced to look to gaming, multimedia or battery longevity in order to differentiate their wares. Gateway’s NV59C09 upicks HD video as its forte, squeezing in a Blu-ray drive as standard together with easy connectivity for your HDTV. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut. Features Under the hood is an Intel Core i3-330M 2.13GHz processor paired with 4GB of RAM and a 320GB hard-drive. The 15.6-inch display runs at 1,366 x 768 and uses integrated Intel HD graphics, while connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n, three USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA, ethernet, audio in/out and a 5-in-1 memory card reader. There’s also a Blu-ray drive, 1.3-megapixel webcam and integrated microphone, but no Bluetooth (even as an option). Multimedia is certainly Gateway’s intent with the NV59C09u – the Blu-ray drive and HDMI output are testament to that – but the notebook’s display disappoints. Picture quality is fa

German internet provider 1&1 has outed a new Android-based tablet for its home subscribers, a 7-inch touchscreen slate with WiFi b/g/n and the ability to use a USB 3G modem. The 1&1 SmartPad will come preconfigured with various Android apps, including a digital photo frame viewer, ebook reader and weather widgets, and be sold alongside an optional dock with a remote control and subwoofer. Exact hardware specifications for the SmartPad are unknown, though it does have an SD card reader – a 2GB card is supplied – and of course the USB Host port. It’s also unclear what version of Android the tablet uses; 1&1’s screen images are mock-ups, but going by the presence of the App Drawer icon we’re guessing it’s not the latest 2.1 or 2.2 builds. The Android tablet will be offered to new 1&1 DSL subscribers as a perk of their broadband package; existing subscribers will also be allowed to purchase it, though the company hasn’t confirmed pricing as yet. It’ll arrive in July 201

Hot warranty water for Dell today, as recently unsealed lawsuit papers reveal the company not only knew PCs on sale between 2003 and 2005 were likely to suffer specific hardware failures, but that they attempted to fob off the University of Texas by claiming the school’s mathematicians had pushed the machines too hard with their tricky sums. The hardware failure was down to capacitors sourced from Nichicon, which had begun to leak chemicals and even burst; Dell , however, chose to “emphasize uncertainty” and told their salespeople “don’t bring this to customer’s attention proactively” before replacing the broken motherboards with others using the same faulty components. “We need to avoid all language indicating the boards were bad or had ‘issues’ per our discussion this morning” one Dell employee is quoted as saying to the company’s legal team, after having contracted an independent company to ascertain the possible extent of the problems. That company found that Dell’s initial estim

Massive recalls in the notebook market are nothing new. There were hundreds of thousands of notebooks from a variety of makers recalled in years past due to fire hazard from faulty batteries. Sony has announced that there is a potential issue with about 535,000 Vaio laptops around the world that can lead to overheating. Sony reports that the issue has caused no injuries that it knows of, but there have been 39 complaints that notebooks have deformed from overheating. The confusing part of this is that the AFP reports that Sony is issuing a software application that users can download to fix the issue. At the same time, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sony has issued a recall on affected machines. The WSJ reports 259k Vaio laptop s are being recalled in the US, 103k in Europe, 120k in Asia, and 52k in Japan. I hope that we can get official word from Sony on what exactly is going on. Update: According to Sony this isn’t a recall but a BIOS update. Their software fix should addr

If at first you don’t succeed, call in the troops and try again. New job listings for antenna engineers have gone live on Apple’s site, with several being posted this past month. Among the positions are “RF Systems Validation Engineer” for the iPhone, focussed on testing the various radios the smartphone now contains, together with “Antenna Engineer” for the iPad and iPhone, designing new antenna systems. The postings come as Apple faces criticism over the iPhone 4’s reception. The positions are all looking for relatively experienced engineers, with several demanding in excess of ten years industry experience, all the relevant certification and, in some cases, a PhD. Curiously, some of the most recent listings were added on June 23rd, which just so happens to be the first day that complaints regarding iPhone 4 reception began to proliferate. Of course, this could all be coincidence, but with Apple insisting that their latest smartphone isn’t out of the ordinary in the way it handle

One of the things that I really wish the iPhone could do is providing track control via Bluetooth devices. As the iPhone is from, the factory you can listen to streaming music over Bluetooth, but you can’t change tracks using controls on Bluetooth devices. This really drives me crazy in my car where I can stream tracks from my iPhone without taking it from my pocket thanks to the Ford Sync system, but to skip a track I have to dig it out and change manually. I mentioned yesterday that JayBird had new Bluetooth headphones called the Sportband SB2. These headphones have controls on them to change tracks on the device, but those controls won’t work with the iPhone right out of the box. JayBird has announced a new app that is on the App Store right now called JayBird Bluetrax. The app allows full control over tracks using the BT controls on the headphones. The app lets you pause, play, fast forward, rewind and skip tracks. I wish there was an app like this that would allow Bluetooth contr

Pantech and Verizon Wireless have announced that the Pantech Jest will be coming to Verizon as an exclusive device. The new device is a slider phone that is built around keeping the user in touch with friends and family using social networking and messaging. The jest has a slide-out portrait mode QWERTY keyboard. The screen of the handset is a 2.6-inch 262K color TFT and the user can customize all the phone’s icons. The device has a 2MP digital camera that can shoot still shots and record video. The handset also has full text, video, and voice messaging capability as well as mobile I’m and chat apps. The phone has access to Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. The device can be had for free during the special launch promotion and will land in stores on July 5 for $69.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate.

Got a nook? Want the latest nook v1.4 firmware but don’t want to give up your Android pleasantries like VPN support, third-party app support and root access? Head over to nookDevs, then, as they’ve just pushed out their hacked nook v1.4 firmware that lets you access all of Barnes & Noble’s latest functionality together with the benefits of having root-level access. The updated firmware will work on both the original 3G/WiFi nook and the newer WiFi-only model. It comes with softRoot, nookLauncher, nookLibrary, nookWifiLocker, Trook, VNC and busybox preloaded, and allows you to basically use the ereader like a dual-display Android tablet.

It has been a while since we talked about the XStreamHD service. We say the hardware for the HD satellite service first back in 2008 at CES. XStreamHD is a full 1080p HD satellite provider that offers movies downloaded automatically to a server for the watcher to view. XStreamHD has announced that it and EchoStar have signed a service agreement that will give XStreamHD full coverage of North America using the EchoStar AMC-16 satellite. EchoStar is the company behind DirecTV. I wonder if this means that we will see the tech showing up in DirecTV offerings at some point. Not only does XStreamHD stream content in full 1080p, but the films are also provided in up to 7.1 channel surround sound. XStreamHD and EchoStar have been working together over the last two years to test the 1080p content service.

With hardly a week passing without another case of misplaced data cropping up in the headlines, taking steps to secure the contents of mobile storage seems all the more topical. Into the fray steps LaCie’s Rugged Safe , a 500GB external hard-drive that promises not only basic bump protection but an integrated biometric fingerprint scanner paired with 128-bit AES hardware encryption. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut. A chunky silver box with a black rubberised outer “bumper”, the Rugged Safe certainly feels sturdy. It’s also relatively large for a portable drive – 90 x 28 x 145 mm and 298g – and while the upper and lower sections may be aluminium, the edges aren’t; peel off the rubber band and there’s grey plastic there. Ports include USB 2.0, two FireWire 800 and a power input, while slightly recessed on the top is the biometric finger scanner. The two FireWire ports allow for daisy-chaining multiple peripherals. Inside, the 7,200rpm 500GB hard-drive is mounted on rubb

PC Watch Japan has spent some quality time playing hands on with the new Panasonic C1 Tough Book Tablet . This might be the perfect machine for you if you want a convertible notebook, but you fear that you might drop it and break the thing. The machine in the review is powered by an Intel Core i5 2.4GHz CPU, up to 8GB of RAM, 250GB HDD, and it has a 12.1-inch 1280 x 800 LCD. The battery inside the machine is hot swappable or up to 12 hours of run time with a pair of batteries. Other features include Bluetooth, WiFi, Ethernet, touchscreen, and the machine runs Windows 7 64-bit OS. The C1 is expensive at about $2000 and aimed at the business user

I like Tron and would have gladly sold my brother to the circus as a kid to get a real Tron lightcycle . I tried to make one myself by using duct tape to secure some of those glow sticks to my three-wheeler, but it just wasn’t the same. You can now get your own real light bike that is actually street legal and comes with a Tron helmet. Someone needs to go check on Tron Guy, he’s probably in a nerd overload induced coma somewhere right now. The company who made the light bikes for the film is making five real bikes that will be street legal. The bikes are being built to the exact specifications of the ones used in the film and there will be only five made, each with a different accent color. The color options are red, blue, yellow, green, and orange. The company says that the version built to promote the film is not running and these five will be the only ones to exist. The buyer can choose a high-performance gas engine and transmission or an electric motor depending on their needs. App

Sony has confirmed that, for the first time since its original debut, the PS3 is finally making them money. A long standing joke among gamers, until now the console has cost Sony more to produce than they’ve been able to sell it for; according to Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony’s Worldwide Studios, “This year is the first time that we are able to cover the cost of the PlayStation 3 .” ”We aren’t making huge money from hardware,” he told IGN, “but we aren’t bleeding like we used to.” Still, that doesn’t mean gamers should expect Sony to slash the PS3 price from its current $299. The company is about to restart production of the newest, slimline PS3 after stocks dwindled, and while they are considering putting together more bundled packages Yoshida also believes the upcoming 3D and Move releases will ensure demand is still high.

Specifications for Microsoft’s Kinect sensor bar for the Xbox 360 have emerged, courtesy of retailer Play, and the most interesting element is just how low-end the hardware actually is. Kinect uses a pair of VGA-resolution webcams, together with a 16-bit audio system, and is apparently only capable of tracking two “active players” at any one time. According to the specs, the Kinect can track six users simultaneously, but only two of them can actually be playing at the same time. We’re guessing that means the other four won’t confuse the motion-capture system, even if they move around; still, it’s a let-down in comparison to Sony’s Move or even the Nintendo Wii, both of which allow for up to four simultaneous players. We’ll have to wait and see quite how well it all works when Kinect actually reaches the market. According to Microsoft that will be November 4th, with various premature listings tipping a $149.99 MRSP. Sensor Colour and depth-sensing lenses Voice microphone array Tilt

Fledgeling touchscreen smartphone UI developer Emblaze has axed its First Else handset, citing “critical delays in deliveries and the current status of the project.” The First Else was to be the first device to use the company’s one-thumb interface, Intuition, promising single hand ease of use with a new, semi-circular options wheel. The First Else itself had specs much in line with the rest of the smartphone market, perhaps adding to Emblaze’s concerns they wouldn’t be able to sufficiently position the handset as distinct. However, this might not be the last we see of the Intuition UI, since Emblaze is now apparently looking for licensing opportunities which could see it used on other devices. Trimming away the hardware project leaves them to focus on their software skills, which include video conferencing and push-messaging, and to chase Apple over alleged IP infringement.

Apple may be reasonably upfront about the iPhone 4’s so-called “death grip” position, where holding the smartphone in the lower-left corner leads to noticeable signal degradation, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to start “appeasing” users. Despite having suggested that their Bumper cases can address the issue, a leaked internal memo to AppleCare staff makes it very clear that a free case is not on the cards. Instead, employees are supposed to point out that the iPhone 4 has better reception than its predecessors, and that every cellphone has signal issue s depending on how you hold it. BGR were sent the internal document, and whoever wrote it was pretty adamant about not handing out the $29 Bumper accessories willy-nilly. The smartphone’s signal problem isn’t, it maintains, a matter for warranty service, though if the iPhone 4 is experiencing problems connecting while not being held by its antenna then staff are supposed to escalate it accordingly. Frankly, it’s not exactly surp

GPS specialists Magellan have launched a new combination ruggedized battery case and signal-enhancing GPS cradle for the iPhone and iPod touch, promising increased accuracy as well as the freedom to take your Apple device out into the rougher elements. The Magellan ToughCase is waterproof to up to a meter for 30 minutes, together with being resistant to dust, rain, mud, water and snow. There’s also a 1,840mAh battery in there too, which Magellan reckon is sufficient to double your iPhone’s runtimes, while the SiRFstar III GPS chipset is accurate down to three meters. It’s not just usable with the company’s own RoadMate software, either; just about any GPS app in the App Store should get the positioning boost. You can’t exactly call the ToughCase slick or minimal, but there’s full access to all the regular iPhone/iPod touch controls together with indicators showing its own battery status. A mounting clip on the back lets it be easily used with Magellan’s various in-car, bike and oth

McCann Erickson has conceptualised the latest TVC for MasterCard. The commercial features three Indian cricketers: Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan. The trio are shown at the airport, heading to Kenya for "the great escape" to unwind. The tickets for this cost Rs 2,50,000. They are then shown hiring a car to get to the jungle, which costs them 12,500 Kenyan shillings. Another 15,000 shillings are spent on entry tickets to the reserve. All the three expenses are paid for using MasterCard. The trio then encounter a child at the reserve who identifies them as cricketers. The voiceover then says, "Escaping from one world but connecting to another is priceless. There are some things money can't buy, for everything else there's MasterCard." Commenting on the new campaign, Raja Balasubramanian, vice president of marketing, MasterCard Worldwide India, said, “We are very excited about our new Premium campaign - ‘Esc

If you’re a fan of iTunes, and you’re a student of some major university out there, then you might have skimmed through iTunes U, or iTunes University . It’s designed to help students continue their learning with extra materials, visual elements, and other assorted materials based on a particular university. And, within that store, you could find The Open University, and they’ve just reached a pretty big milestone for the company. The Open University is the first university worldwide to reach 20 million downloads. That’s 20 million downloaded tracks, which actually equals to something like a quarter of a million tracks per week, according to the press release. Since the launch of the Open University in June of 2008, it seems that the downloads have been soarcing off the digital shelves. Martin Bean, Vice-Chancellor of The Open University, said: “I am delighted that the popularity of The Open University on iTunes U continues to go from strength to strength. Our success lies in providing

There has to be something said about the progression of technology. When Surface from Microsoft was first unveiled, we were all expecting Minority Report to be the next thing to happen. But, Surface still isn’t everywhere, and now we’re just looking for the next-best-thing. We may have it, and sure enough, Microsoft’s Surface has something to do with it. Thanks to Microsoft’s Applied Science Group, utilizing cameras and transparent OLED, we’ve now got something we want even more. It’s called a touchless telepresence display, it utilizes a Samsung prototype transparent OLED panel , and Microsoft threw in a sub-two-inch camera. They set up the camera behind the glass, which creates a 3D gesture-control interface. How? Well, you guessed it: thanks to the transparent display, it literally sees you through the OLED display, and it can track your every move right there. You put it all together, and you’ve got the next best thing. And, you’ve got us crossing our fingers that this is the next

Zapak Games will now be available on Facebook as an application. At present, the application features more than 30 different games. Zapak has focussed primarily on casual gaming, which includes sports, arcade, strategy and action games like ice hockey, street soccer, speedway racing and school cricket. The application allows users to select games and challenge their friends, including those who haven’t installed the Zapak application. Users can also win "prizes" for their "trophy cabinet" – a feature provided by the application which lets gamers display the trophies and medals that they win on their profile page. Commenting on the launch of the Zapak application on Facebook, Deepak Abbot, vice president - product, Zapak.com, said “Zapak has always believed in reaching out to all gaming enthusiasts to provide them with the best gaming content available. Many of our users visit Facebook frequently and this application will offer the

Lowe has conceptualized the second part of the Kiss-o-meter challenge for Unilever’s toothpaste brand - Close Up. The TVC takes forward the ‘confidence’ idea that Close Up has been imparting in its communication. Paul Grubb and Ruchi Sharma from Lowe Worldwide have created the film. The TVC features the 'Kiss-O-Meter Challenge', wherein a man is shown handing a red rose to a lady. The lady accepts the rose, which makes the man sigh. His bad breath causes the rose to die. The voiceover then says ‘Is your breath that bad?’. The lady then goes to another man who revives the rose with his fresh breath. The voiceover then urges people to take the Kiss-O-Meter Challenge.   The Kiss-o-meter apparatus will be set up in select cities on weekends for people to walk-in to test their breath.    Commenting on the new TVC, Srinandan Sundaram, category head, Oral Care, Hindustan Unilever, said, “Close Up historically has stood for freshness and fresh breath

 JWT has come up with a new TVC for Sony Vaio's new E Series laptops. The TVC, comprising of its brand ambassador, Kareena Kapoor, shows the actress in various 'vivid' colours (blue, pink and green) epitomising the new colourful range of laptops created by Sony. Commenting on the new commercial, Marasu Tamagawa, MD, Sony India, said, "The E Series models are designed keeping in mind, everyday ease of use. With vibrant, colourful looks, the new E Series laptops are perfect for everyday browsing, blogging or enjoying one’s digital media collection. With the message of ‘Go vivid’, brand Vaio sets a befitting tone with youngsters making them the proud owners of great looking, vibrant laptops. Our brand ambassador, Kareena is a cool youth-icon who exudes a tremendous sense of style that resonates well with brand VAIO.” Brand ambassador for Sony Viao, Kareena Kapoor, said, “ 'Go vivid’ is an expression that transcends simplicity, and highlights the vivacity

Apollo Tyres' new TVC for its tubeless radials for passenger cars romanticises the road and highlights the traveller's relationship with it. The campaign has been developed by the agency Capital Advertising and was shot in forests, hills and scrubland that surround Capetown, South Africa. The commercial begins with a man standing on a cliff overlooking the sea, and alongside at the the winding hill he is supposed to travel. As the viewer sees him in other locations and moments through the ad, the voiceover says: "When you are in love, she will give you a high. She can tease you one moment, please you the next. She can take you for a ride. You can’t take her for granted, but you can always depend on her. Because you and she go places together." The voiceover ends with the product benefit of unmatched comfort and longer tyre life and then, "Apollo Tyres - The Road is A Friend". Joy Mohanty, creative director at Capital and on th

Pan Vilas, a premium pan masala offering from Godfrey Phillips India, made its entry into the category with a 60-second commercial featuring actors Manoj Bajpai and Jameel Khan. Shot at The Pataudi Palace, located 70 kms from Delhi, the story revolves around an extremely particular nawab who likes things just so: like getting his newspaper ironed so there isn’t any crease on it, using German binoculars to spot beautiful women, getting Queen Victoria’s bicycle to ride around on, and choosing Pan Vilas for his pan masala. According to Ajay Gahlaut, group creative director, the positioning of “shauq” was waiting to be owned and had a seamless fit with the product and the category. Manoj Bajpai was selected for the role since he’d played something similar in his movies like Zubeida . “The shoot itself took four days, and this was in peak summer, so it was really hot,” he said. “These poor chaps were wearing bandgallas and had to keep changing outfits.” The

It’s been close to thirty years since Nick launched as a television channel and the management felt that it was time for a new approach. The transformation begins on Friday with a new logo. Nina Elavia Jaipuria, senior vice president and general manager, Nick India, said, “The first part of the two-fold idea was to synergise ourselves across the world on television and off it. The second was to make the brand more relevant and relatable for kids. Hence, the ‘Splat’ logo is replaced by one that is sleeker.” The logo is just one part of a more aggressive strategy to dominate the category, that is being put in place for the rest of the year. Jaipuria elaborated, “We’re introducing new unique content and characters that this young wired generation can relate to, like Artzooka, an art and craft show that will deal with Photoshop, photography and stop animation, and Dreamkix, a show where farmyard animals form a dream league for a sport that’s really in at th

We know that Sony’s gung-ho about 3D, and Microsoft’s obviously knee-deep in the motion-controller market now, but according to the former Boss of Sony Europe, David Reeves (who now works at Capcom), all of those new things are just stopgaps to what’s actually coming. Speaking with GameIndustry.biz , Reeves suggests that both Sony and Microsoft are already looking at the future of their next console, even as they both prepare to launch the next big thing in the coming months. Reeves believes the new consoles could show up on the scene in two to three years. Reeves had this to say about the details of those predictions: “All the first-parties have got to be working on something. The tricky thing is when do you put a stake in the ground on technology? That’s the problem. You can be waiting a few extra months to implement something, but you’ve got to set a date to go with a certain chip at a certain point otherwise you’re going to miss the key milestones.” And he’s absolutely right (obvio

Lowe Worldwide (Bangkok) has conceptualized a new TVC for Unilever's, Rexona Sure dry shield. The TVC that features its brand ambassador, Asin, talks about how a normal deodrant would not be able to stop the sweat generated, but, Rexona's new Sure dry shield reduces the under-arm sweat. The team of Roopak Saluja, Kirk Dias and Amarjeet Kaur from production house Bang Bang Films have produced the film. WATCH TVC here

Triton Communications has come up with a TVC to launch Vini Cosmetics' new face powder brand -WhiteTone. Using the line 'Har din ka Nikhaar', WhiteTone is positioned as a powder that provides instant beautification to one's face instantly compared to face creams that take four to six weeks to do the same. Commenting on the TVC, Renton D'Souza, national creative director, Triton Communications, said, "This launch film is the first of many to come with the promise of instant beauty. The market share will come from competitive products that take 4 to 6 weeks to deliver or others that are not specialists." The TVC opens with a lady holding a tube of cream in her hand and saying, all creams claim that they provide beauty in four to six weeks, but what she requires is instant beauty. A bottle of WhiteTone face powder is then shown with the voiceover saying that for instant beauty use special WhiteTone face powder.   WATCH TVC her

With every small kirana store stocking plastic boxes full of a range of candies, even a layperson would get that the category is extremely competitive. Prasoon Joshi, chairman, McCann Erickson, and the writer and creative director on the brand, added, “Nobody does homework before buying a candy; it’s an impulse purchase and the advertising has to be exciting so a brand can be top of the mind.” There wasn’t any particular brief for the new TVC, but the agency and company Perfetti Van Melle decided to continue with their ongoing campaign of Alpenliebe arousing greed. “The kids loved the crocodile, and sales shot up,” said Joshi. “This time, we were just exploring ideas, when I wondered ‘What would happen to the candy, if for some reason, humans were not the way they were and the monkeys had captured us? Would candy and Alpenliebe still be relevant?’.” Playing with the Darwinian theory of evolution, the storyline of the new TVC is this: a madaari (the master who

The very friendly and smiling face of Indian Idol 5 Shashi Suman is eliminated. He was one of those singers in the show who was well versed in classical music. He also had shown his knack in fast modern songs as well. But, now in the show competition is getting tougher and survival is on the basis of vote by viewers, which is hard to predict. He was one of the favourite singers of all the judges because of his versatility in singing. Today in the show Sonam Kapoor and Imran Khan came as celebrity guests, which was also a part of their promotion of upcoming movie “I Hate Love Stories”.

Mera Naam Karegi Roshan is the name of the new serial coming on Zee TV from 12 th July, 2010.  This serial is going to replace the flop serial “Do Saheliyan” . The title of the serial itself makes it obvious that the story of the serial is based on the struggle of a young girl to achieve dream. The main protagonist of the story is Reet , who fights against the age old tradition to fulfill her father’s dream. In her pursuit she  face the wrath of the society. The character of Reet is played by Sana Seikh , who has worked as a Radio Jockey on Radio Mirchi. Sana has also played the famous character of  Ritu Shah in Disney’s Kya Mast Hai Life. Other main characters are  played by Vikram Gokhle , Yashpal Sharma and Lubna Salim.

Roshni Chopra who started her career on Indina Television as a host of “Fourth Umpire” on Doordarshan is the winner of Desi Girl on NDTV Imagine . Roshni is also know for her portyal of the character Pia on Zee Tv Kasam Se. Desi Girl is a unique reality show of its kind on Indian Television , where 8 glamour girls from the Tinsel Town competed against each other to prove that they can live comfortably as rural Indian girl ( Desi Girl). In the final she defeated Kashmira and Ishitta

Saath Nibhana Saathiya is dominated by the female charaters of Gopi, Rashi and Kokila.  However, the charater of Ahem deserves a special mention. The charater is played by Mohammed Nazim, an exceptionally smart and well built hunk who can easily stand out in crowd. Right now his presence in the serial is quite limited but with the unfolding of the story we might see more of  this guy.

Pratigya Mann Ki Awaaz running on Star Plus seems to have all the ingredients to dominate the small screen for long time. The recent proximity between Krishna and Pratigya seemed like there is nothing much left in the story and everything will get hunky dowry in coming episodes. But thanks to the character of Angad which came out as one of the most hated villains on small screen and the political aspirations of Krishna’s father the serial has got enough to continue successfully on the same track for next few months. The recent action packed confrontation of Angaad and Adarsh in Pratigya was one of the best and reminded of mega serials of nineties.  Anyway Angad is dead or not still remains a secret but one thing is for sure Pratigya and Saxena family will get some reprieve. Kunal Karan Kapoor who plays the role of Angad has been part of Pratigya from the very begining and has given excellent on screen performance. Frankly, speaking if his character dies then the story