Hasta La Gadget!

There might be a tiny bit of upheaval up at the peaks of Nokia management today, but that doesn’t mean we all need to stand around looking serious and forecasting who’ll leverage what synergies in order to actuate the requisite paradigmatic shift in the company’s device portfolio. No, we’re much more inclined to go check out a new ad video that show off the mods and hacks Nokia users have put together with their handsets. It’s quite the breathless run-through, this ad, but if you’re careful you’ll spot a few of your old favorites used in quirky new ways. March past the break for a gander.

Continue reading Nokia celebrates its users’ inventiveness in latest N8 ad (video)

Nokia celebrates its users’ inventiveness in latest N8 ad (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Nokia (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

Apple’s iPhone users may be buying more apps but when it comes to mobile ads, it is Android customers who are click happy, says an online advertising network.

Android users click on ads 81 percent more often than those who have an iPhone. That makes Android users much more valuable to advertisers, says online ad network Chitika. But here’s another interesting data point. Apple’s iPad did better than the iPhone when it comes to ad click-through rates. The data is based on a sample of 1.3 million impressions across Chitika’s network.

“iPad users are much more likely to click ads than their iPhone-using contemporaries.  This may be chalked up to the difference in display size,” says Chitika on its blog.

The numbers from Chitika are similar to those from another mobile ad company called Smaato in June. Android devices are more friendly to mobile ads compared to the iPhone, says Smaato.

The data about how smartphone users react on different platforms comes as Apple has started rolling out its iAds mobile advertising platform. So far, only five of the 17 iAd launch partners have managed to roll out their advertising campaigns since Apple introduced iAds in April.

Though early advertisers have said they are happy with the results they have seen so far, data from companies like Chitika and Smaato is not an encouraging sign for Apple.

It is not clear why Android devices are ahead of the iPhone when it comes to getting consumer attention for ads, says Chitika. Android users show a click-through rate of 1.187 percent compared to 0.654 percent click-through rates on the iPhone. The lack of iPhone-like elegance in the Android’s interface could result in more user clicks–including those on mobile ads, says Gigaom.

But that alone can’t explain why the Android platform is ahead of the iPhone in getting consumer attention for mobile ads. It’s something that Apple may also be trying to find the answer to.

Chart: Chitika

It’s rather astounding to believe we’ve come this far without Verizon or Motorola so much as recognizing the Droid 2’s existence, but with leaks like this on a weekly basis who needs traditional marketing? Astute reader Greg from North Carolina tells us his local Best Buy has those leaked dummy units out on shelves, and lo and behold, there’s a set of price tags right next to them. As originally rumored, the phone will launch at $199 with carrier subsidy and $599 should you choose to cart it home without a plan in tow. Still no solid confirmation of that August 12 release date, but at this rate we expect the handset may sell out before Verizon’s PR team breathes a word. Spot the full image after the break.

Update: On a related note, the original Droid is now “out of stock” on Verizon’s website.

Update 2: Oh what the hell, dropped in an official “coming soon” Droid 2 advertising supplement making its way into newspapers.

[Thanks, Greg and Jeremy C.]

Continue reading Best Buy pegs Droid 2 at $199 with 2-year activation, $599 without (updated)

Best Buy pegs Droid 2 at $199 with 2-year activation, $599 without (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Buy a Core i5 laptop or a Toshiba TV, and if your country wins the World Cup Final, we’ll refund your money. Simple and to the point, don’t you think? Toshiba ran this advertising campaign in Germany, England, Portugal, Italy and Spain in the run-up to the global football tournament, but now that one of those nations has actually gone and scooped the silverware, refunds seem remarkably hard to come by. As it turns out, the small print on that ad included instructions to see Toshiba’s site for further details, which elucidated a requirement that all claimants must register their product by the 17th of June. Naturally, that’s now led to a whole heap of peeved Spaniards feeling cheated, and big time consumer association Facua arguing that such a major condition to recovering your cash shouldn’t have been hidden away online. In the absence of it being clearly marked on the promotional materials, it argues, Toshiba should honor everyone’s receipts irrespective of registration. We’re inclined to agree — maybe the Japanese company can recover any losses from the wages of its cheeky advertising staff.

Toshiba reneges on promise of free laptops and TVs if Spain win World Cup originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Spanish  |  Facua.org  | Email this | Comments

Steve himself noted at WWDC that iAds would go live for “all iOS 4 devices” on Canada Day, and sure enough, they look to be popping up today. One eagle-eyed tipster has already found one within the ‘Mirror: for iPod and iPhone’ app, shown above. It’s certainly quite a bit more visually soothing than some other ads we’ve seen, but we aren’t here to judge — instead, we’d love to hear your take on it. Have you seen any iAds creep into your apps today? Whatcha think of ’em? Let us know in comments below.

Update: Looks like a Nissan Leaf iAd has debuted as well; the vid’s after the break of that one.

Update 2: Oh, and this is just for North America for now. Everyone else will have to wait. Crushing, we know.

[Thanks, Spencer]

Continue reading Apple turns on iAds for iOS 4 devices in North America, right on schedule

Apple turns on iAds for iOS 4 devices in North America, right on schedule originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments