iPhone, Android, BlackBerry–watch out.  WP7 is almost here.

[Via Engadget]

Oh, the magical effect of stimulating advertising.  Thanks, Volkswagon.

[Via IBelieveInAdvertising; InspireMeNow; Gizmodo]

With only a few hours left until Microsoft’s press conference at E3, USA Today managed to get a hold of (and leak) the final name for Project Natal.  It’s called (drum roll please…) Kinect.  Microsoft’s Major Nelson confirms it via Twitter.  A number of casual games have been outed, too.  Kinectimals lets you play with over 20 different virtual animals; Joyride lets you race with your avatars, controller-free of course; Kinect Sports features boxing, bowling, beach volleyball, track and field, soccer and table tennis; Kinect Adventures is a river rafting game with various obstacle courses to flail your arms and legs through; and MTV Games will make Dance Central.  Disney and LucasArts are planned to unveil games featuring characters from their arsenal.  In addition, the LA Times outed four games this morning (including Richochet, River Rush, Obstacle Course, and Living Statue) and spilled that “about a dozen more” Kinect-supported games will be unveiled by other developers during E3.  It look like release date and pricing details will have to wait until tomorrow’s press conference.

Update: What appears to be a legit Italian Microsoft ad is boasting a new slimmer Xbox 360 console.  It was originally spotted at Console-Tribe.  The thirteen second spot lists features like a 250GB HDD, built-in WiFi (woot!), and compatibility with Kinect.  That last sliver of info makes this ad feel all the more authentic.  How could an imposter know about the Natal-to-Kinect transition when news of it just leaked out from USA Today?  Interesting, I know.  Well good news is that we won’t have to wait too long to see if this manifests itself into something tangible.  Look after the break for the commercial.

Update #2: Official press shots of Kinect are out!  So sleek and black and shiny.  Go ahead, take a closer look in the gallery below.

[Via Joystiq, here, here, here & here; LA Times] (Click here for more…)

Sure, it’s a fake app but the advertisement is very real and it’s downright hysterical!  This ad for the “Anti Knock-Up Application” was entered into the Cannes Future Lions 2010 competition that challenged designers to “advertise a product from a global brand in a way that couldn’t be conceived five years ago.”  This ad does a pretty damn good job at showing how such an app could scare young men into using condoms.  Ah, what a hoot!

[Via AdFreak; Gizmodo]

Sony’s advertisement go-to guy Kevin Butler is back, this time from the future where PlayStation Move is a huge success.  The commercial is filled with mockery against Nintendo’s Wii motion (in)capabilities: “You’ve got the controller and a camera with microphone working together to give you total control over your gaming experience.  Not just like this [he moves his hand side-to-side in 2D space] but this way too [he makes a forward-moving jab in 3D space].  Because real boxers to hit like this [he humorously flails his arms in front of his chest].”  He also makes sure to troll Microsoft’s upcoming, controller-less Project Natal: “PlayStation Move is not only crazy precise, its also got what we in the future call buttons, which turn out to be pretty important to those handful of millions of people who enjoy playing shooters and platformers, or, well, anything that doesn’t involve catching a big red ball.”  Oh, it’s on.

[Via Kotaku]

Rhys Darby of Flight of the Conchords fame (he played Bret & Jemaine’s boss Murray) stars in HP’s latest ad campaign.  The $40 million “Let’s Do Amazing” ad campaign includes a series of commercials that appear to reintroduce the HP brand to consumers in a new, different, and quite humorous way.  Dr. Dre lends a helping hand, making sure to promote his Dre Beats line of headphones and HP laptops.  Look after the break for a second commercial.

UPDATED: You’ll find all the current HP “Let’s Do Amazing” commercials featuring Rhys Darby, plus an interview with the FOTC alum and the “Internal Launch” video, after the break!

[Via Engadget]

(Click here for more…)

Check out this Pedigree Dogs advertisement shot in super slo-mo, 1000 frames per second.  Shot by Jordan Kretchmer.

[Thanks, Tim S.]

The very first iPad commercial aired last night during the Oscars.  Per usual, Apple found a very catchy song to pair with it.  It’s called “There Goes My Love” by Danish band  The Blue Van.  And if you were wondering, Steve Jobs did attend the Oscars, likely cheering on Pixar’s Up.

Nike is back with an all new baller commercial for its Sportswear products.  Per usual, the production team does not disappoint.  The new mantra?  “Everybody gets knocked down, how quick are you going to get up?”

I caught this a couple times during NBA All-Star weekend.  It’s just so freakin cool.

LeBron James and Dwight Howard star in this remake of the 1993 Super Bowl commercial The Showdown, which featured hall-of-famers Michael Jordan and Larry Bird in trick-shot competition for a Big Mac and fries.  Look after the break for the 1993 version.

[Via KanyeBlog]

(Click here for more…)

And just when you thought the Verizon Wireless and AT&T ad war was cooling down…Verizon is back with more!  Check out this latest spot that rips off the current vampire craze.  Twi-hards will surely get a kick out of it.

[Via Engadget]

On Sunday Super Bowl XLIV was crowned the most-watched show in U.S. history.  Averaging 106.5 million viewers, this year’s Super Bowl dethrones M*A*S*H, the previous record holder that garnered 106 million viewers during its two-hour series finale in 1983.  M*A*S*H star Alan Alda has this to say about the loss of such a coveted record: “I’m happy for New Orleans. I want to see that city come out first in every way that it can, even if it means giving up a record that M*A*S*H held for a long time.”  With M*A*S*H out of the way, TV viewers and analysts now have Super Bowl XLVI as a new comparison to look at when discussing most-watched television programs.

In related Super Bowl news…want to know which ad people liked most?  According to the USA TODAY ad meter, Snickers’ ad with Betty White and Abe Vigoda getting pushed around in the mud playing football earned the top spot.  The ad meter panel gave the Snickers commercial a rating of 8.68 out of 10.  Lesson learned?  People like watching old people playing rough sports.  Missed out on the commercials?  Check out a bunch of ‘em here.

[Via NYT; AC]

Overall I found this year’s collection of Super Bowl commercials to be stale.  Super Bowl commercials are supposed to be top notch, big budget, and make you fall over laughing by surprise.  In fact, there are some people out there who watch the Bowl just for the commercials.  The smorgasbord of reusable ads from GoDaddy and the beer companies simply didn’t cut it this year.  Anyhow, I’ve collected this year’s favorite ads and pasted them below.  At least Megan Fox was featured in one of them!

Motorola, featuring the Motorola Devour with MOTOBLUR w/ Megan Fox

Bud Light, autotune with T-Pain

Look after the break for more Super Bowl commercials, including those from Vizio, Bud Light, Snickers, Doritos, Audi, Coke, FLO TV, Cars.com, Intel, and Google. (Click here for more…)

Fast food giant McDonald’s has gone ahead and put a steam machine inside a transit shelter marquee to promote their hot coffee to freezing cold people waiting for the bus.  The ad reads “Your coffee is ready.”  Not so sure this will have people running to their local McDonald’s for their gross coffee, but the effect will definitely turn heads.

[Via Gizmodo]

According to this commercial we all need HandJobs, STAT.  Only thing is, I’m not sure if by ordering a $5 HandJob I’ll be getting a “revolutionary multi-grip” sponge or..something else.

[Via Gizmodo]

The latest stop motion TV spot for the Amazon Kindle features up-and-coming artist Annie Little.  She stars in the commercial and sings the song “Fly Me Away.”  The Fly Me Away EP includes three songs and is available at Amazon to purchase.  The song used in the commercial is available for free, so you should definitely pick it up.  She’s quite talented and I’m sure this will not be last we see of her.

Adam Frucci at Gizmodo has created this oppositional AT&T ad that makes the original, well, all the more truthful.  It’s a hoot.

[Via Gizmodo]

From Transformers to women’s lingerie, director Michael Bay can now say he’s done it all.  Enjoy everything that is in the video above (and don’t forget to switch on HD for obvious reasons).

Last we heard in this AT&T vs. Verizon Wireless “There’s a Map for That” commercials debacle, AT&T had lost in court against VZ when they tried to force VZ to pull all of their Map-related advertisements from the air.  The judge had marked a date later this month where the two companies would battle again over this silly issue.

Now, however, AT&T has decided to drop all its lawsuits against Verizon.  Finally.

Instead of putting their money towards upgrading their 3G network, AT&T has decided to spew anti-Verizon ads featuring the quirky Luke Wilson.  Let’s take a step back for a moment.  This whole thing started when Verizon aired a commercial comparing their widespread US 3G coverage (on a map) to AT&T’s dismal coverage.  AT&T sued them because they stipulated that mass audiences would read their sad 3G coverage for their vastly more widespread voice coverage.  (AT&T, I doubt anyone made this blunder in the first place.)  After losing in court they’ve decided to create these Luke Wilson ads that fight back against Verizon in a nonsensical way; these ads don’t focus on AT&T’s 3G coverage, they are all about 3G speed.  Hey AT&T–Verizon’s got the SPEED, too; plus, they cover much more of the US than you do.  I’ve said this twice now, and I’ll say it one more time–AT&T, stop the lawsuits and advertisements and start actually expanding your 3G coverage!

Oh, and not only do Verizon’s ads make sense they are far superior than yours.  See for yourself.  Look after the break for the latest “headless Luke Wilson” AT&T and Verizon “misfit toys” spots.  (True this ad and other recent VZ ads have poked at the iPhone, but what they are really hitting hard is AT&T’s dismal 3G coverage.  Let ‘em have it.)

[Via Engadget; Gizmodo]

(Click here for more…)

It has been reported that a federal judge has ruled against AT&T’s request to pull the Verizon “There’s a Map for That” advertisements from the airwaves.  No surprise here.

What’s interesting, though, is that the judge has deemed it necessary for the two celluar carriers to meet again in court to discuss the matter further.  Apparently the judge called the ads “sneaky” and said that it is possible that viewers may mistunderstand the ads intent becuase “most people who are watching TV are semi-catatonic.”  Ha!  The court meets again on December 16.

For now, Verizon has all the freedom in the world to continue pumping out these advertisements for the holiday season without any scruff from AT&T.  Unless you count this sad, terrible ad featuring one of the Wilson brothers:

[Via Engadget, here & here]

It’s called “Electric Worry” by Clutch.  One YouTube commenter calls them “ZZ Top on steroids.”  I like ‘em.  Check out the full song in the band’s music video below.  If you like it too, iTunes has it for sale.

In a strange attempt to advertise its new 2010 REGZA SV LCD TV series, Toshiba sent “an ordinary living room chair” into outerspace.  Check it out!

Facts about the shoot:

• The shots were taken at a staggering 98,268 feet above the earth using Toshiba’s own cameras
• To reach the altitude required and to conform with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the weight of the rig had to be carefully managed to a weight of no more than four pounds
• Tied to the rig was a specially created full-sized model chair made of biodegradable balsa wood – the chair was made by a company called Artem and cost about £2,500
• Launch coordinates of the rig were – 119 degrees, 14 minutes by 40 degrees, 48 minute (12 miles North-East of the town of Gerlach, Nevada)
• The quality of the footage from the Toshiba IK-HR1S cameras was: 1920×1080 pixel count; 1080i @ 50hz; 100 Mbps
• The temperature dropped to minus 90 degrees when the chair reached 52,037 feet
• The chair took 83 minutes to reach an altitude of 98,268 feet where it broke and took just 24 minutes to fall back down to earth with the rig.

[Via Engadget; Gizmodo; Toshiba.uk]

Though this advertisement for Nokia’s N900 smartphone lacks any surmountable presense of said device there’s something about it that I really enjoy.  Take a look, if you dare.

[Via Gizmodo]