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Live inside the future Kindle!

I have a couple of friends who absolutely adore their Kindles. And while they admit that a year ago they could not conceive of owning one, now that they do, they can't imagine going back "to your primitive 'books' as you call them" said one of my friends. I'm pretty sure he was joking.

Anyway, the following Kindle parody kinda sums up my personal feeling about the Kindle DX. In the video, Amazon introduces the "Kindle 9XXXD" and hilarity ensues. 'Cause it's big ladies and gentlemen...Anyway, I thought it was funny.

Kindle 9XXXD… Read more

Behind-the-scenes Palm Pre advert leaked...and stars Facebook?

We've already seen Palm and Apple clash when it comes to print advertisements, but now details of what could be the first Pre TV advertisement have leaked. Photographer and film maker Jaime Gonzalez had been tweeting (of which has mysteriously disappeared) about his part in filming the commercial in Los Angeles, and even uploaded a photo of the massive Facebook set involved.

The tweet came from Mr. Gonzalez yesterday evening while at the Warner Bros. film studio, saying the following:

Back at Warner Bros! Palm Pre in the house...It's the iPhone for chicks! LOL Okay, being a &… Read more

In defense of Chad

Back in January, I wrote a column on what Alltel customers need to know about the merger between their carrier and Verizon Wireless. Most of the questions I addressed in the post came from readers, but the last question was all mine: "Will I no longer have to suffer through those irritating "Chad" Alltel commercials?" I've never been a fan of Alltel's "Chad" commercials, which feature the ever perky and always smiling Chad continuously outsmarting much dorkier reps from the other major carriers.

Now, I have nothing against Alltel, and I wasn'… Read more

Sprint's new ads stress savings, 3G network

Last month, I celebrated the fact that Sprint was killing its bizarre ad campaign with CEO Dan Hesse. Reader response to the blog was divided--some readers said they liked the ads, while others shared my joy. A Sprint spokesperson even chimed in to say that the ads "ranked among the best wireless ads in recent months for memorability."

Sprint also was good enough to send me its press release for two new TV, billboard, and Internet ad campaigns. The first, which (surprise!) features the Palm Pre (at least someone gets to touch it), revolves around Sprint's Now Network, aka the carrier's wireless broadband network. The central message appears to be the breadth of Sprint's network and the services, information and communication available on it. The campaign launched April 6.

You can see the video on YouTube and Sprint has launched a "Sprint Now widget" that gives you a taste of the campaign. On the widget is a treasure trove of random facts that will fascinate the trivia buff.

You'll find everything from Sprint-related factoids, such as how many text messages are being sent to the carrier's network, to the very non-Sprint-related, such as how many babies are being born right now. You'll also find completely useless information, such as how many people are stuck in elevators are this moment. … Read more

Sprint kills baffling ad campaign, we smile

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Sprint will soon end the ad campaign featuring Dan Hesse. Produced by San Francisco-based agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, the black-and-white spots show Hesse in various New York City locations from Central Park to the back seat of a taxi on the Brooklyn Bridge.

I've never been a fan of the ads, mainly because I don't see how Hesse talking about the need for communication in our society really sells Sprint and its services. Sure, he does mention Sprint's Simply Everything plan, but even then I just don't get … Read more

This is no overgrown toaster oven

The other day a friend and I were discussing which was better to own: a toaster or a toaster oven. Toasters, being specialized appliances, tend to do a really good job at making toast. Toaster ovens however, sometimes fall short. But when it comes to practicality, the toaster oven is perfect for a multitude of tasks. In the end there is really no debate, as the only answer is simply to have one of each. While that may seem a bit overkill to some, it certainly isn't if the appliance you choose is more oven than toaster.

The Cadco Commercial Convection Oven … Read more

Sony Walkman promos are awesome, confusing

Over the past few months, Sony Japan has been marketing its Walkman brand of MP3 players with short, online videos showcasing experimental Japanese musicians. Personally, as someone who loves weird music, I think these video shorts are amazing. I'm not sure if they do anything to make me want to buy a Walkman, but I'm certainly convinced that the Japanese experimental music scene is alive and well.

The video above shows off Atsuhiro Ito, a musician who plays a mic'd up fluorescent tube called the Optron, which he runs through a series of guitar effects. The video … Read more

Video: The Super Bowl ads were awful

Did you like the Super Bowl ads? I didn't.

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DVR imperfection leads to 'Lost' night

A few years ago, this wouldn't have happened. It would have been unthinkable, too terrible even to imagine. No, a few years ago, I never would have missed the season premiere of Lost.

So imagine my surprise when my boyfriend and I were minding our own business, watching our previously recorded Top Chef two nights ago, when, during a commercial break we were barreling through in fast forward, I happened to catch the words "Lost returns tonight." Stop. Rewind. What?

We backed up to the beginning of the ad, and sure enough, Bravo HD was proclaiming that Lost had returned a few hours before!

Had we set it to record? No. Had we even known it was coming back this week? No! We don't watch ads anymore. Ever. But without them, we are apparently living in a dark age so backwards it's as though TV Guide hasn't been invented yet. Now my grandpa is more informed than I am about television culture.

If we didn't have a DVR, we surely would have known, because I bet Lost ads have dominated the airwaves for the past few months. Lost isn't a show to announce itself softly: it usually has weeks of setup, marathons of previous seasons, call-in shows, etc. If we didn't have the ability to fast forward through that dreck, we would have known to be home, in front of the TV, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Sure, we would also have been brain-washed by a desire for a Snuggie and Wendy's new chicken sandwich, but information comes at a cost. As Tina Fey would say, "a doy." … Read more