Hasta La Gadget!

TV viewers are a famously fickle bunch, which tends to drive TV advertisers crazy. The prevalent theory remains that skipping past ads using a pesky DVR is the biggest enemy of marketers, but new research has once again contradicted that received wisdom. The IPG Media Lab in Los Angeles pulled together a representative group of 48 TV and online video viewers and asked them to sit through some programming while equipped with the usual “devices or distractions” that accompany their viewing habits. Central to the study was the measurement of time each person spent facing the screen and how engaged they were with the content. The first thing noted was that 94 percent of TV viewers and 73 percent of online video consumers used some other form of media to augment their visual entertainment. Smartphones were the most common, with 60 percent of test subjects resorting to their handset while gawking at the TV. That’s resulted in a mediocre 52 percent attention level during actual programs and 37 percent during ads. In other words, two thirds of the time, commercials are being ignored and smartphones are helping people with that heinous behavior. Ironically, fast-forwarding adverts using a DVR garnered attention levels that were 12 percent higher, mostly because people were trying to make sure they didn’t skip too far ahead. Damn, why does reality have to be all complex and stuff?

Smartphones, not DVRs, are the biggest threat to TV adverts originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 08:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Painting a large installment on a wall is usually a pretty time consuming task. However, one group of guys found a way to paint a monster of a picture in literally an eighth of a second. Created as a marketing stunt for the V Energy drink, a popular energy drink in New Zealand and Australia, […]

Samsung seems to be killing time until it finally ships the Galaxy S II by making promo videos for its dual-core superphone. The latest in a series of ads for the S II spends a few precious seconds reminding us just how excellently thin it is, and gives us a particular usage scenario where that slim profile truly becomes practical. We won’t spoil that for you, though we should play spoiler in noting the barely readable small print above — “Thickness of the device may differ by country or carrier.” So remember, just because you and your pen pal from across the world are both buying a product with an excruciatingly specific title like Samsung Galaxy S II doesn’t mean you’ll both get the same thing. All that said, the 8.49mm-thick version of the device is ready to wow you on video just past the break. We’ve thrown a couple of Samsung’s earlier commercials in there as well, just to complete the set.

Continue reading Samsung makes sure you know the Galaxy S II is really, really thin with silly new ad (video)

Samsung makes sure you know the Galaxy S II is really, really thin with silly new ad (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 10:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SpaceX promised something big, and it’s now delivered. The company today revealed its plans for the Falcon Heavy, which promises to be the “world’s most powerful rocket.” Just how powerful is that? SpaceX says the 22-story rocket will be able to carry satellites or spacecraft weighing over 53 metric tons (or 117,000 pounds) into low earth orbit, which is nearly twice what the Space Shuttle is able to carry. What’s more, this isn’t just a far off promise. SpaceX says the rocket will be “ready” sometime next year, and the first test flight is planned for 2013. The rocket’s sheer size isn’t it’s only selling point, though — it also promises to drastically reduce the cost of sending things into space, with each launch expected to cost “only” $100 million. Head on past the break for a taste of what’s in store.

Continue reading SpaceX reveals plans for world’s most powerful rocket, the Falcon Heavy

SpaceX reveals plans for world’s most powerful rocket, the Falcon Heavy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s getting a bit tough to tell Samsung’s various Galaxy Players and their changing names apart these days, but the company has found a fairly unique way to drum up attention for its new Galaxy Player 70 model, which looks to be nearly identical to the Galaxy Player 5 being released over here. Mixed into an otherwise bright and cheery new ad are images of what we can only presume is an alternate reality where the Android robot is real, and in charge. Head on past the break to see for yourself.

[Thanks, Rachid]

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Player 70 captures vision of Android-ruled world in new promo video

Samsung Galaxy Player 70 captures vision of Android-ruled world in new promo video originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 01:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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