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Microsoft's nasty, nasty anti-Google ad magically appears

Please play a game with me.

Who dislikes whom more? Google or Microsoft?

I only ask because at Wednesday's I/O conference Google's chief preacher, Larry Page, bemoaned what he believes is Microsoft's reluctance to do what Google wants.

No, he didn't quite phrase it like that. It was more berating Redmond for allegedly milking Google for its own profits.

Yes, just like Google milks you.

For its part, Microsoft has spent quite some time claiming that Google is, in fact, Scroogle -- a company that is either Scrooge or screwing you or perhaps even both.… Read more

Top mobile carriers join forces to stop texting while driving

The four major wireless carriers are putting their sway behind a massive ad campaign that aims to lower the amount of people that text while driving in the U.S.

Initiated by AT&T, the multi-million dollar "It Can Wait" campaign now has the support of Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and more than 200 other organizations. Besides rolling out TV, radio, and Internet ads throughout the summer, the campaign will also travel to thousands of retail stores, create a social media presence, and display messaging on Goodyear blimps.

"Texting while driving is a deadly habit that makes … Read more

The 404 1,267: Where we fang with briends (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- The Worst Room makes everyone in New York feel terrible.

- San Francisco hotels pricey? Van on Airbnb is only $92 a night.

- A bold new font lets dyslexia sufferers read.

- Bang With Friends goes mobile, because some people want to get it on the run.

- A Wi-Fi enabled Microsoft ad printed in Forbes magazine offers free Internet to readers.… Read more

When 'Star Trek' stars play product pitchman

If Starfleet Academy has a Marketing 101 class, these commercials must surely be on the syllabus.

Twice in recent days, Earth's ad agencies have dispatched officers of the "Star Trek" franchise on missions not to seek out new worlds, but to sell new products.

First came a video clip from PC maker Acer using clips from the imminent "Star Trek Into Darkness," docking soon in a movie theater near you, to pump up the excitement for its new flagship Aspire R7.

Then Audi flew into view with a two-minute Spock vs. Spock spiel for its … Read more

Free streaming TV and movie app has a couple of flaws

Crackle for iOS provides completely free streaming of television shows, movies, and other video content. Sure, it's ad-supported, and programs are occasionally interrupted by commercials, but considering the amount of content available, it's still worth it. The only problem is that none of it is in HD.

If you've used Netflix or HBO Go, then you'll probably notice that Crackle's user interface is similarly simple and intuitive. The Home screen starts you off with featured content, while the main navigation buttons on the bottom lead to pages with Movies, Shows, and your personal Watchlist. Content … Read more

Hate Facebook mobile ads? Now you can hide them

Facebook is letting mobile users hide ads in their News Feeds, the company confirmed today.

This applies to the ads that Facebook Pages share featuring photos or links, and is available on iOS, Android, and the mobile Web (Pages are Facebook profiles for brands or public figures). The feature, which was already available on the desktop, has been live for about six months now, according to a representative. Just click the "x" button in the top right of the advertisement.

The Atlantic noted this change after writing an article about how annoying the Facebook mobile ads were.

Additionally, … Read more

YouTubers watch more than 6B hours of videos per month

On the heels of YouTube celebrating 1 billion unique monthly visitors to the site, the company announced Wednesday that these people are watching more than 6 billion hours of videos every month.

For a little perspective, that's equal to nearly 684,000 years of viewing -- or -- an hour a month for every human on Earth.

The 6 billion hours is up 50 percent more than last year and is also up substantially from just January, when the YouTube announced users were watching 4 billion hours of videos per month.

What exactly are people watching besides ads and … Read more

Twitter ads now available for all U.S. users

NEW YORK--Twitter on Tuesday opened up advertising on its site to all businesses and individuals, giving the company another avenue for generating money.

Twitter has allowed organizations to pay for promoted tweets and promoted accounts since last March, but it was on an invite-only basis. It now has given everyone access to its self-service advertising platform, Kevin Weil, Twitter senior director of product for revenue, said Tuesday at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in New York.

"Business has been on Twitter since Day 1," Weil said. "We're very excited everyone will be able to leverage Twitter advertising.&… Read more

Yahoo continues to recast itself and debuts two new ad features

As Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer continues to work to reformulate the company as a modern mobile-forward search engine with new products and features, she's also thinking about earning revenue the good old-fashioned way -- advertising.

The company launched two new ad features on Monday. One is a new way of introducing ads called Yahoo Stream Ads, and the other is a redesigned Yahoo Billboard.

"As we continue to build products and features that inspire and entertain our users, we're committed to delivering engaging and effective advertising opportunities," Mayer wrote in a blog post Monday. "Over … Read more