29
Apr
2013-04-29_15h00_34

Samsung Completely Loses Its Mind With Gangnam Style Parody And Indulgent Design Ads

Posted by in News, Samsung

We should've seen this coming. Really, Samsung, it's our fault. We should've stopped you when you put on that incredibly sexist Broadway show. We didn't. We argued that it was funny and then even enabled you by saying you have better marketing than HTC. We set you up for this. What could we have expected except a Gangnam Style parody that touts the virtues of the Galaxy S4?

The above video of the song...*sigh*...Samsung Style, was taken at a Galaxy S4 launch party in India. The man you see singing on stage is Ranveer Singh, a Bollywood superstar.

11
Mar
2013-03-07_18h55_29

Samsung Vs. HTC Advertising Smackdown (Or: This Is Why The Galaxy Brand Is Killing The One Series)

Posted by in Editorials, News

We've mentioned a couple of times on this site that when it comes to the battle of HTC versus Samsung, advertising is of paramount importance. Why? Because people who don't read blogs with names like 'Gizmondo,' 'Android Cops,' or 'The Precipice' have no idea what makes the Galaxy S IV better than the HTC One or vice versa. In fact, more often than not, the average Joe looking to buy a new item in a field he has no expertise in has just one question: what's a good brand?

Marketing is the art of getting people to know and trust your brand.

04
Jan
2013-01-04_14h04_58

HTC's CEO Peter Chou Talks About The Company's 2013 Plans: Better Phones, And Better Advertising

Posted by in HTC, News

I miss you, HTC. My Evo was the first phone I ever truly loved, and between 2007 and 2010, as a company you did remarkably well for yourself. Then the Thunderbolt happened, and then Beats got involved and... Well, let's just say it hasn't been a great couple years. So, when I hear that your CEO, Peter Chou, is planning some bold new changes for 2013, I'm hopeful. Skeptical, but hopeful.

It hasn't been any secret that HTC hasn't been doing so hot. Its stock has plummeted (from a high of 661 TWD in February of last year down to 287 today), its market share is dwindling, and while it has promised to streamline its product portfolio, we're still getting bizarre mid-range devices that break way too many branding commandments.

01
Jan
android-a-look-back-to-2011-and-a-look-forward-to-2012

Android: A Look Back To 2012, And A Look Forward To 2013

Posted by in Editorials, News, Rumors
Last Updated: January 7th, 2013

Happy New Year! It's that time again; with the new year comes our new annual prediction post. I tackled this last year, and rather than do a bunch of crazy, pulled-from-thin-air predictions, I ended up with a link-filled research-fest for the year. It worked out pretty well, so that's what's on the docket for today. First though, I'll take a look and see just how many of last year's predictions and rumors came true, and provide some updates for the more important topics.

A Look Back To 2012

What a crazy year. 2012 brought us two versions of Jelly Bean: 4.1 and 4.2.  We saw a complete transformation of Google Search with the Knowledge Graph, Google Now, voice output, and Google Goggles integration.

27
Sep
unnamed (1)

Zeebox TV Companion App Comes To The US With Comcast/NBC Backing

Posted by in Applications, News

Zeebox, a social TV companion app that's already found popularity in the UK has officially hit the US, aiming to make a splash thanks to monetary and promotional backing from both NBC and Comcast.

Essentially, Zeebox serves as an auxiliary guide to TV enjoyment as well as a social platform where users can see which shows are hot, who's watching them, and what they're saying in response. Users can see what their friends (and everyone else) are viewing or planning to view, chat with friends, start a viewing party, or tweet reactions.

What's interesting about the service's arrival in the US is that it's being heavily backed by broadcast giant NBC as well as Comcast Cable, meaning you aren't likely to see this app fade out of conversation very soon.

29
Aug
2012-08-29_10h45_36

New Nexus 7 Video Features A Curious Little Girl, Yanks Fiercely On Your Heartstrings

Posted by in News, Nexus 7, Videos

Google's not pulling any punches this time around with its ads for its newest Nexus device. When it's not physically invading one of the most visited sites on the internet, the Nexus 7 can be found in some adorable videos that play to every one of your sappiest emotions. Take this newest ad, featuring a five-ish-year-old girl reading Curious George, and planning her trip to the moon. (No one tell her just yet, okay?)

The video follows its predecessor entitled Camping in the marketing style of "Look at this! Isn't this adorable?!" It also demonstrates one of the primary features of the Nexus 7: it's tossability.

23
May
gamefly_logo

GameFly To Start Publishing Android Games, Setting Up Investment Funds For Independent Game Developers

Posted by in Games, News

Well, this might be one of the most (potentially) awesome stories we cover this week. GameFly, the company best known for setting up a Netflix-style gaming rental service, has announced that it plans to open up a third-party gaming store on iOS and Android (think TegraZone, but with less hardware tie-ins). This would, presumably, be in addition to the already-existing GameFly app. Additionally, the company has "set aside a game development fund" that it will use to fund game developers with great ideas, but less cash flow. This is fantastic news.

For starters, the transition from game rental service to distributor is a huge move for GameFly.

17
May
image

Vodafail: The Story Of The Stolen Xperia Play Shipment In New Zealand Is Fake, Just A [Tasteless] Marketing Ploy

Posted by in News, Vodafone

Earlier this morning, news broke of a horrible deed - the entire stock of Xperia Play phones was allegedly stolen from Vodafone NZ, leaving hundreds of giant-thumbed customers button-mashing nothing but air for the foreseeable future. We deliberately skipped this story, even though it was spreading like fire, but what happened next prompted me to grab my pen keyboard and give this crime some coverage.

Remember those missing devices? Yeah, never happened. The whole event that started with last night's post on Vodafone's own Facebook page, later augmented with video footage of the alleged attack, was a carefully orchestrated stunt by the company.

17
Mar
jobs liar

Dissecting The Falsities In Apple's Misleading New "If You Don't Have An iPhone" Ad Campaign

Posted by in News, Off-Topic

Ah, the arrogance of Cupertino. Does it know no bounds? In Apple's latest attempt to frame their iPhone as being the obviously superior choice over Android, a new series of ads start with "If you don't have an iPhone... ". They then proceed to boast about features that are on both iOS and Android, using their typical clever wordplay to convince the less-knowledgeable that you can only get these features on an iPhone.

The first ad starts with:

If you don't have an iPhone, you don't have the App Store. So you don't have the world's largest selection of apps.

Well no, but you have the Android Market, which is growing at a much faster rate than Apple's and that analysts predict will catch up to the App Store in the number of apps within the next several months.

03
Feb
atrix

[Updated] AT&T Officially Reveals Release Date, Pricing Details For Motorola Atrix 4G: $200 On Contract, $500 With Laptop Dock

Posted by in AT&T, Atrix 4G (Olympus), Motorola

We're hearing quite a bit of news about the Atrix 4G today, and from all over the web, no less. First and foremost, AT&T has officially revealed that the Atrix will go on sale March 6, for $200 with a two-year contract. Electronista is reporting that you can buy it bundled with the laptop dock for $500; if you choose to buy the phone first (for $200) and the dock at a later date, you'll still end up paying $500 for the dock (bringing your total to $700).

Update: Official press release from AT&T, which also introduces the Entertainment Access Kit, is now included below.

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