Iconoculture: Far-fetched flying fantasies will soon become boutique thrill realities thanks to JetLev, a personal jet pack company whose motto says it all: “Stop dreaming! Start flying!”
Soaring-obsessed consumers with serious scratch can get their hands on a JetLev starting in September 2009 for approximately $129,000. No one ever said flying was cheap.
It’s hard to conceive of a more frivolous purchase than a personal jet pack. Still, the prospect of being the only house on the block with a truly personal jet is thrilling.
Products conceptualized during flush times — JetLev development started in 2000 —sometimes hit the market facing a far grimmer economic picture. Products with long development cycles can’t rely on stable market conditions throughout their journey.
The BBC is planning to invest £25m in children's TV programmes over the next three years, meaning TV Brackets and TV Mounts could be reaffirmed as positive assets to any modern environment.
LCD TV's, programmes and TV Brackets and TV Mounts have taken a battering in recent years with many suggesting that watching TV may encourage laziness. LCD TV's and therefore accessories like TV Brackets and TV Mounts have become staple additions to most homes, but our love affair with the LCD TV has been
changeable. Click here for more info!
TrendCentral: In-Home Bars: Why go to the bar when you can build one in your loft? That was the thinking of Chicago-based artist Dustin Ruegger. Using scrap wood, bar stools found in an alley, palm leaves, and decorations from the thrift store, Dustin built a Tiki bar in his house. Channeling the ghost of tropical vacations past, Dustin strung lights and netting over a wooden fence he constructed, decked it out with artificial plants, and installed handmade shelving for a stereo system and a TV that plays a found amateur video loop of tropical fish swimming in a tank. Now instead of biking to an overcrowded watering hole, Dustin and his friends gather around his Tiki bar to drink rum cocktails and play low stakes poker.
Times Online: His cube was one of the most popular and infuriating toys of all time. Now Professor Ernö Rubik is hoping that the sphere will bring sleepless nights to the world’s obsessive puzzlers.
The creator of Rubik’s Cube is back with his first new puzzle for almost 20 years and early indications are that it is going to be every bit as irritating as the original.
Rubik’s 360, which goes on sale next week, features six small balls inside three interlocking spheres. The task is to lock each ball into colour-coded capsules on the outermost sphere. Professor Rubik said of his cube that it was “easy to understand the task, but hard to work out the solution”. It is just as aggravating to crack the 360.
Springwise: Although video games and laser tag are a popular choice for kids’ parties, getting the kids to venues can be more hassle than it’s worth. Back in January, Texas-based Games2u stepped in to solve this problem with its mobile video game theatres—self-powered, climate controlled trailers that house X-Box 360, Wii and PS3 systems, enabling up to 24 players to compete head-to-head. For parents who’d rather see their children running around outdoors, the company’s Sprinter trailers contain a range of inflatable bunkers and laser guns to turn yards and fields into laser tag battlegrounds in an instant.
Thanks to its installation of multiple 50-inch flatscreen HDTV displays and surround sound, the trailer provides customers with a much more immersive gaming experience than they could create in their own homes. Each mobile theatre is accompanied by a trained Game Coach who oversees the event and keep players engaged, allowing parents to sit back and relax. Parties start at USD 199 for one hour, USD 299 for two hours and USD 99 for every additional hour.
BrandChannel: Ask 10-year-old kids about their favorite movie or cartoon character—be it the Incredible Hulk or Bratz—and they can identify every brand extension leveraging the character’s likeness. However, as both the toy and branding industries expand into virtual worlds, new dimensions of entertainment and branding are emerging—realms that are full of both pitfalls and profits.
While the press has focused much of its attention on the adult versions of virtual worlds such as Second Life and There.com, a boom time has been quietly brewing for virtual worlds with a retail twist aimed at kids and tweens—and they are making money amid stagnant and, in many segments, declining toy sales.
Virtual worlds—colorful, 3-D interactive landscapes experienced via the eyes and ears of an avatar—offer a cross between gaming and social interaction with plenty of customization to suit the user’s/avatar’s tastes.
Born Rich: No longer can we say that automated poker tables are the future for live poker. In fact they are the present of the poker gaming. Though in the past, poker has required several physical elements to play: chips or money, a table, some chairs, and a deck of cards, it was only a matter of time before poker got automated too. Since we have managed to focus on the best automated poker tables in the (recent) past with X10 automated poker table, Amaya automated poker table and the Axtra electronic poker table, today its time to shift our focus on to the Lightning Poker Table. Big enough to accommodate 10 players with ease, it sports a 45” LCD high definition screen in the center. And of course 10 12.1” XVGA touch screens for players too.
Iconoculture: Millennial and Gen X parents are changing child-rearing expectations to remain as close to pre-kid life as possible — so much so that meeting up with friends for drinks is low-key enough to bring the kids.
Not everyone thinks it’s so sweet, though. In Park Slope, Brooklyn, Union Hall bar posted a “Please, No Strollers” sign, causing the neighborhood to go up in arms over kid vs. no-kid bargoers.
The brat wars go on. Whether at a bar, restaurant, hotel or health club, lines will continue to be drawn between kid-topia and adult-friendly zones.
Consumers see kids — or no kids — as a badge that unites them with like-minded individuals. Now that the American dream doesn't necessarily involve two kids and a dog, citizens expect lifestyle options that reflect their personal choices.
The Cool Hunter: Old school gaming is back in sleek stainless steel and is certain to be the perfect accessory to any cool modern home, workspace, studio or bar.
Loaded with PacMan, Donkey Kong, Galaga, Space Invaders and 44 other pre-installed timeless games, the 80's Gaming Table is a modern take on an old classic. The Table’s compact size (800x760x700mm) and durable construction can double as a coffee table, dining table, desk, bar, or even dance stage. It will complement your home, entertain and stimulate your co-workers, impress your friends, appease your kids and even bring out your own inner child on occasion.
TrendHunter: Now your child can swing across buildings as Spiderman or sing along with Barney, in Barney! How does this work? It’s pretty simple. Upload a picture of your child to kideo.com and it would be cropped down to a headshot and affixed on a cartoon body. A few days later, you’ll receive a DVD with a cartoon of your child alongside popular characters like Spiderman, Arthur and Dora The Explorer.
Sure it might be a little creepy for you to watch a beheaded version of your child singing a ditty with Barney, but Kideo thinks your child would love it. Kideo’s videos, priced around USD 39.95, are currently only available in English.
Iconoculture: One-armed bandits make way for the one-paddle bandit — Bally Technologies is rolling out a video slot machine based on Atari's 1972 table tennis-based game Pong.
Luck still needs to be a lady; gamblers must spin a trio of bonus icons on the five-reel monitor during regular play to activate a 45-second Pong showdown against a computer opponent.
It’s slots of fun no matter what. The bonus Pong round has a guaranteed minimum payout, so even those with poor hand-eye coordination leave a winner.
Bally Pong is the first in a planned skill-based series of electronic casino games; up next is the brick-busting game Breakout.
Sure, poker is still sorta cool, but many Xers remain nostalgic for the days of old-school games; a slot update of retro arcade staples is a decent bet to bring out the little kid in grown-up gamblers.
High-score bragging rights were once the reward for hours spent polishing game skills. Who wouldn’t trade that in for cold hard cash?
CoolHunting: We've seen the pop-up store, but a pop-up club? Kubrik is a modular open-air club located in Barcelona, Berlin and Lisbon for this summer only. Designed by Modular Beat and Light Life, the club is an open construction of light-up plastic boxes that make up the walls, hallways, DJ station and bar. Featuring a variety of European DJs, the clubs will be open until September 2007.
TrendCentral: In an effort to provide some entertainment for the kids while mom or dad is busy driving, DaimlerChrysler and Sirius teamed up to create TV programming specifically for the backseat. The service will initially be available in two 2008 minivan models, but will expand to other family-friendly autos. In the first year, the programming will exclusively be content from Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network. And it won’t just make the kids happy - the TVs will add an additional $425 to the price of the car but is expected to only add $7/month to the monthly cost for Sirius satellite radio (which is already $12.95/month).
PCMag.com: Mattel Inc. is using technology to come up with a new twist on a toy launched in 1959 to appeal to today's Web-savvy, multimedia girl shoppers.
On Thursday, Mattel unveiled Barbie Girls, a doll-shaped MP3 player that turns into a live character at BarbieGirls.com, a Web site where girls can interact with each other in a manner reminiscent of Second Life, the virtual world for adults.
The company hopes the new toy, which brings together Web surfing, shopping and music downloads, will cool demand for rival MGA Entertainment's sassy Bratz dolls—a line of big-headed, skinny dolls with scant, trendy clothing.
The world's largest toy maker is also taking aim at Apple Inc.'s iPod music players and Ganz's Webkinz, furry animal toys that come alive online.
The official launch of BarbieGirls.com came a week after the company gave it a public test run.
Toy analysts say this latest addition to the 48-year-old Barbie line should be a hot seller, helping the brand reverse nearly five years of declining sales.
"If Mattel's online community is successful—with penetration similar to Webkinz—we estimate maximum annual sales potential of about $100 million, or about 3 cents a share," Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Lisa Bolton Weiser wrote in a research note.
Retailers said earlier this month that demand for Webkinz, which are sold at specialty retail shops such as Hallmark and American Greetings Corp., has skyrocketed.
Iconoculture: Bingo's kitschy appeal dates back to gay bingo nights that raised money for AIDS charities, which we told you about in 2002. Though drag queens still occasionally call the numbers at Mo's, the only good cause in today's bar-bingo scene in Manhattan is having a good time while competing for silly prizes like NASCAR mugs.
Young bingo buffs follow the floating game to different bars around the city, creating an ad hoc community. Singles bars are so last century. Like bowling alleys and roller rinks, bar bingo offers scenesters the chance to meet somebody while having some good old-fashioned retro kitschy fun.
Iconoculture: Nerjyzed Entertainment is developing games for the PC and videogame platforms, featuring the perspective of African American consumers.
Nerjyzed is working with the state of Louisiana to help train young game developers in the four-year college system.
The gaming market is continuing to morph into sub-niches, and the African American market has been neglected to date. If it creates games that capture the imagination of the black gaming community, Nerjyzed Entertainment could find itself on the cutting edge.
Nerjyzed Entertainment's training program will produce more qualified minority candidates for gaming companies throughout the country.
FreshTrend: Inventor Secil Boyd's latest creation may just take the game of ping pong to a new level.
Boyd has successfully prototyped a new three player version of ping pong, cleverly named TriPong, that uses plexiglass "nets" to divide the table into three wedges, one for each player. Each wedge contains a neutral zone and a scoring zone, hit the ball into a players scoring zone and they fail to return the shot, you score. Simple enough.
The TriPong table is currently not available for retail but Boyd is in negotiations with a major sports company to bring the three person ping-pong table to market by the end of 2007.
Ping Pong For Three? [FreshTrend]
Iconoculture: Entrepreneurial young South Florida Latinos post their creative homemade videos on YouTube.com.
Four Latino twentysomething friends starred in a video they produced on the cheap called “Cuban Churro Salesmen,” a comedy which became YouTube’s second-most-watched comedy video within 24 hours of its appearance on the website.
The friends’ company, Four Awesome Guys Studios, has filmed seven improvised shorts. The next step: write a script and improve production techniques.
The Internet provides a forum for talented Latino filmmakers and actors with no money or connections in Hollywood, which often stereotypes and excludes them.
Popgadget: No more yelling "Stop riding your skateboard in the house!" or "You just ran over the cat -- go outside!" With the Tuck n' Roll upholstered vinyl skateboards, you can safely cruise the hallways . The site calls it "sculpture you can ride" and I wouldn't disagree. Hang it on your wall and call it an "installation."
USATODAY: The streets of New York have never looked so barren.
An occasional taxi or bus motors down a boulevard as people wander aimlessly among eerily vacant buildings. Soon, black helicopters loom overhead and armed soldiers close ranks on the streets below.
This isn't your run-of-the-mill video game: Left Behind: Eternal Forces is based on the best-selling Left Behind book series about the apocalypse. But it's the apocalypse without dismemberment or graphic bloodshed, though the game has an element of violence that some Christians argue is counter to teachings of the Bible.
The game's creators say they hope to wriggle into the multibillion-dollar mainstream video game market by offering a real-time strategy option for serious gamers. Yet, they believe the faith-based theme is important, too.
Iconoculture: Watch and sniff? Specially equipped Japanese movie theaters are enhancing the cinematic experience with scene-synchronized scents. The Fragrance Communication system uses NTT Communications' seat-mounted machines to release preprogrammed aromas.
The fragrant feature will make its big-screen debut at showings of Terrence Malick’s The New World, a retelling of the love affair between John Smith and Pocahontas. The film's "fragrance schedule" of custom scents includes Grandeur of Nature, Joy of New Love and Grief of Separation.
TrendHunter: Movies will now be a treat for the eyes, ears… and nose.
A Japanese cinema screening Colin Farrell’s latest film, The New World, will enhance the film by filling the theatre with a variety of fragrances. The smells will waft from machines located at the back of the theatre. For example, floral smells will accompany love scenes. (Woo-hoo! What a turn-on.)
This is only the beginning. Other cinemas will soon be able to download programs to control scents for other films.
The company producing the theatre machines actually launched a home version last year. Costing approximately US$900, the machine provides aromatherapy for work or relaxation. The machine must be topped up with various liquids to produce the scents.
Playfuls.com: If music truly is the universal language, then millions of music hopefuls are sure to be talking about the new Cingular Mobile Music Studio available exclusively on MySpace. Announced at CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment 2006, Cingular's Mobile Music Studio is a first-of-its-kind platform that offers hundreds of thousands of unsigned artists and bands on MySpace the tools needed to turn their self-produced music into ringtones.
As the leading lifestyle portal and social networking community, MySpace has more than one million bands and artists using the site to connect and engage with fans. Together with InfoSpace Inc. , a long-time Cingular partner and a leading provider of mobile content, Cingular's Mobile Music Studio will help these artists generate even more exposure and excitement for their music. The Mobile Music Studio is just one more example of Cingular's leadership in the convergence of wireless and music.
Currently, the Mobile Music Studio is being trialed by approximately 75 unsigned MySpace bands and artists. Through Cingular's Mobile Music Studio, located on a dedicated page on MySpace, these unsigned artists will first be guided through the licensing and production process led by InfoSpace.
TrendCentral: You may have heard about YouTube and the viral video craze that’s become one of the hottest Internet trends since the birth of social networking sites. Two major viral video portals you may not know of yet are Channel 101 and Channel 102. Think of these sites as the localized, viral video equivalents to American Idol. Here’s how it works: anyone can submit a TV show pilot (up to five minutes long). Every month the shows are screened for live audiences in Los Angeles (Channel 101) and New York (Channel 102), and viewers can vote on which shows to renew and which shows to cancel. The top five shows then become the “prime time” lineup, while the losing shows are cancelled forever. At the next month’s viewing, the prime time shows test new episodes against a new selection of pilots, and so on.
Iconoculture: TiVo is going even more consumer-happy by offering TiVo KidZone, a “safe” place where kiddies can connect only with programming that meets parental approval. TiVo’s offering isn’t just a no-brainer blocking service. KidZone automatically filters TV content based on families’ personal values. Soft on cartoon violence in general, but touchy about lewd language? Or just can’t stand the Wiggles? Set your preferences, and TiVo keeps the offensive out. While KidZone could be a gouging opportunity, the special service isn’t priced as an add-on. Beginning in mid-2006, it will be part of the general TiVo package.
DailyCandy: Alarm clock goes off. You throw on clothes. Check watch. Gobble toast. Check watch. Down coffee. Grab bag. Leave house. Check watch. Sprint for bus. Check watch. Miss bus.
Sometimes it’s just plain old hard to keep up.
But with a Peekaboo Dance Pole, you can keep it up for as long as you want. Erect or dismantle this rod and writhe upon it at your own discretion; the sturdy steel pole has three extendable spring-loaded sections to accommodate most ceiling heights.
And though fancy G-string and body oil are not included, you do get a DVD and a book of pole dancing moves for those who really want to impress. Plus, the makers of the set guarantee that this pole goes up and down in less than a minute.
CoolBuzz: If you are a gaming-geek then this Entertainment System Sound Mat is all what you could have asked for! Now you don’t need to be grounded for hours for you can now lie down comfortably even while you play! The Pyramat mat is loaded with hi-tech like it includes two 4″ 25 watt coaxial speakers, a 25 watt subwoofer, detachable remote, pockets for your remote or your cell-phone and between the pockets is a variety of A/V ports so you can connect everything from your Playstation 2, Xbox, Gamecube, TV, DVD Player, or Stereo. The mat features dual-layer cushions for maximum comfort. The bottom layer elevates you off the ground, the top form-fitting layer is molded to support your neck and back for maximum comfort and no aching. And, if you love to play for hours at-a-stretch then don’t worry! The mat is made of rip-stop fabric cover and the wipeable nylon used in the mat allows you to clean it properly too!
ActiveMaps Inc: Founded in 2003, AMI began its mission to improve out-of-home digital networks by offering relevant and entertaining media in high-traffic commercial environments. With experience in software development and technology management, AMI developed a proprietary application that delivers real-time media over cellular networks.
AMI develops, deploys, and manages out-of-home digital networks. AMI's digital solution provides an opportunity to aesthetically upgrade commercial environments, entertain your customers, generate new revenue through advertising, increase in-store revenue through point of purchase strategies, and incorporate internal training vehicles.
AMI's out-of-home channel provides real time Sig-Alert and Clear Channel traffic, ESPN sports, MSNBC breaking news, E! Entertainment news, live surf reports by Surfline.com, and Yahoo! stock quotes. AMI's content driven network remains focused on delivering educational, informative and entertaining media for consumers throughout their day.
KIOSK: In late May McDonald's unveiled plans to bring a taste of Hollywood to Denver by offering new release DVD movie rentals for just one dollar per night, plus tax. McDonald's, long recognized for successfully bringing together the elements of food, lifestyle, and entertainment, is installing fully automated Redbox DVD rental machines in over 100 restaurants throughout Denver, giving customers another great reason to visit The Golden Arches. At the same time, the company is experimenting with quick service ordering (QSO) kiosks at locations around the globe. In short, this quick service restaurant leader has gone kiosk crazy.
In Denver, customers can visit the Redbox DVD machines at participating McDonald's and rent the newest DVD movies releases for just $1.00 per night, plus tax - with no membership forms and no late fees - and return the same movies at any participating McDonald's Denver location. The latest new DVD releases are added to the Redbox DVD rental machines every Tuesday. McDonald's is the first quick service restaurant to offer new DVD movie rentals to consumers, extending its legacy of introducing new and innovative ways to create relevant, satisfying, and unique customer experiences in its restaurants.
CNet: Dirty secret or not, the Web has long been a platform for downloading and watching pirated clips of television shows like "Lost" and "The Simpsons," much to the chagrin of the television networks.
But now TV producers are turning the tables, creating new shows around video clips culled from the Web.
Bravo TV is among the pioneers of the genre. This week, it began airing a new half-hour series called "Outrageous and Contagious: Viral Video," a show featuring the most popular video shorts circulating the Net, including parodies of the gay-cowboy movie "Brokeback Mountain" and clips of President George Bush's many verbal faux pas. It could be likened to a digital-age version of the old bloopers TV shows.
USA Networks, Fox and NBC are producing similar programming in the coming months. And ABC News Digital plans to enhance its television news program by drawing on video captured by viewers using cellular phones.
Popgadget: If, for you, a relaxing afternoon on the lanai must include an hour with Oprah, you're in luck. Perfect for patio, gazebo, or cabana, the SunbriteTV is protected from rain, dirt, and excessive temperatures. The flat-panel LCD-design has a variety of mounting options to suit your space and is significantly brighter than standard LCD screens to overcome the inevitable outdoor glare. Available at Hammacher Schlemmer. There's even a remote to lose under the cushion of your chaise.
The Cool Hunter: Illuminated dance floors are nothing new. In the seventies they where all the rage, the problem was that dancers flared hot pants would cover the floor panels and kill the effect. Now, flares or not, the illuminated dance floor is back, this time in LED form. Using the latest in pressure sensitive LED technology, these panels are designed to interact with club goers moves as well as D.J's sets. Special plug ins can be downloaded into the D.Js computer equipment allowing an entire set to be pre programmed where the music and lights work together. The panels are not restricted to work only on dance floors and can be fitted to walls, bar tops and Lionel Ritchie's favorite place to dance, ceilings.
TRENDWATCHING.COM: US-based Magnolia, a division of BestBuy, is turning the art of installing home theatres (from reclining seats and huge screens to sophisticated sound systems) into a branded, nation-wide business: "Magnolia is the new service that will customize your home theater [i.e. tell you exactly what to buy] and make it all work together [i.e. come to your house and hook it all up]". There are currently 70 Magnolia store-in-stores in BestBuys across the US, targeting a massive market: according to the National Association of Home Builders, 36 percent of people building new homes want a media room, with the majority spending USD 5,000-55,000 (EUR 4,125-41,250/GBP 2,840-28,400) on their systems. International expansion sounds like a no-brainer.
BusinessWeek: It's not safe coaching third base -- or any base, for that matter -- when the ZOOperstars are in town. Just ask the countless coaches who have been swallowed whole by 10-foot-tall Clammy Sosa, one of the most popular of the ZOOperstars.
In the mascot troupe's signature bit, the impressively tall inflatable clam clad in a Sammy Sosa jersey greedily "devours" opposing coaches, bat boys, or whoever else happens to be around, then spits out his meal's shirt, shoes, and cap, all while Weird Al Yankovic's Eat It plays in the background.
"Yeah, the Eat It skit is a real favorite," says Dominic Latkovski, who founded ZOOperstars with his brother, Brennan, in 1998. "The crowd loves it."
It's just one reason why the Louisville-based ZOOperstars have turned into one of the hottest sideline acts in the sports world. The company's goal is to perform in 300 shows at various events this year -- from the hardwood of the National Basketball Assn. to the fields of Minor League Baseball, the company's biggest sport. Latkovski says revenue from ZOOperstars may hit $1 million this year.
BizReport.com: It won't be long before gamblers are shooting dice while queued up waiting to see their favorite comedian. Or playing poker and roulette under a poolside umbrella. Even a trip to the buffet will no longer keep casino patrons from playing slots. A law signed last month by Gov. Kenny Guinn made Nevada the first U.S. state to approve the use of wireless, handheld gambling devices at its hotel-casinos.
It's a small step forward for casino companies aching to offer Internet-based gambling who are watching offshore competitors reap huge profits from a business that federal law bars them from entering.
Joseph Asher, Managing Director of Cantor G&W holds an HP PDA with a roulette wheel program, one of many gambling programs available, Thursday, June 23, 2005 in New York City. Nevada has become the first state to approve the use of wireless, handheld gambling devices at its hotel-casinos.
The few crumbs of spare attention anyone has left over from the barrage of daily media will soon be eaten up by "video snacks," little chunks of content delivered to cell phones to fill those awkward moments when no one is calling, texting or e-mailing us.
On Thursday, SmartVideo Technologies announced a content deal with Two Minute Television, a production company that specializes in entertainment for teentsy attention spans. The two companies will offer a free, ad-supported mobile TV channel featuring shows like "Adventures in Speed Dating."
SmartVideo takes broadcast-quality video and transmutes it for the small screen. It plans to let users subscribe directly while also offering the service to content creators and mobile network operators. The SmartVideo catalog includes programming from ABC News, NBC Universal, Fox Sports and The Weather Channel.
Phonemag.com: This summer, moviegoers walking through theater lobbies in three cities might have felt a sudden vibration in their cell phones, the work of a nearby Bluetooth promotional kiosk.
Last month, 20th Century Fox signed a deal with Loews Cineplex Entertainment to distribute movie trailers, ring tones and pictures through kiosks in three Loews theaters, in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The promotional material can be picked up by anyone with a cell phone equipped to handle Bluetooth, a form of short-range wireless transmission.
Downloading a full-length movie trailer from the kiosk takes about 30 seconds, and there is no fee from the phone’s service provider. One ring tone offered is an emphatic voice from the movie “Kingdom of Heaven” that declares, “Protect the stones!”
Moviegoers can also download cell phone screen “wallpaper” of Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” (Pitt has been downloaded more often.)
“Everyone in the entertainment space is looking for creative new ways to access consumers,” said Grant Wakelin, chief executive of the WideRay, the San Francisco company that developed the wireless technology behind the service. “This is a cool new approach.”
TMCnet: Verizon Wireless, owner and operator of the nation's most reliable wireless network, and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino today announced a partnership that will bring top tier music artists and interactive wireless technology to Las Vegas. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino concertgoers will be able to interact with the artists and share PIX and TXT messages on interactive plasma screens visible throughout the "The Joint," the hotel's concert venue, as well as on channel 25 shown throughout the casino, pool, restaurants and hotel guest rooms.
"Our partnership with Verizon Wireless reflects the true meaning of partnership marketing," said Philip Shalala, vice president of marketing for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. "Their commitment to innovation, music and technology provides our customers with a quality interactive experience. Together, we have been able to create measurable results among a specific target audience."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: It's back to the days of Sputnik and the Jetsons for a small company that makes retro televisions for people who could afford the latest in plasma-screen technology. With their funky shapes and stained-wood finishes, Predicta televisions capture the spirit of the 1950s and 1960s but use modern electronics and have color screens.
"The spirituality of the TV is what's important," said David Riedel, owner of Telstar Electronics, the producer of Predictas - a television that had a cult-like following in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
In the basement of his rural home, Riedel and about five employees custom-build televisions based on the original Predicta designs from Philco Co., which filed for bankruptcy protection in 1962. This month, Riedel is moving into bigger digs in the Dousman area, partly so that he has more room to work. His company builds about eight models of the Predicta, including the Pedestal version that originally had a yellow painted top and a mahogany-finish cabinet. Everything on the retro televisions is meant to be functional, rather than window dressing, including the big knobs, dials and swivel screens.
There weren't enough of the original Predictas in circulation to restore them in meaningful numbers, so building new versions was the better choice. The new Predictas sell for between about $1,400 and $3,600. It takes at least 40 hours to build each television, and sometimes there's a waiting list to get them.
Popgadget: Here is a game I will never be able to win. If, like me, you are also chronically unable to relax, then “Relax to Win” could either finally make you achieve this long awaited goal, or … send you straight into a mental institution.
“Relax to win” was developed by Media Lab Europe and the Orange Brand Futures group, the major UK cell phone service provider. In order to play the game, which is based on the idea that the more you are able to relax, the more points you will score, you need the above sensor designed by Philips Designs. By placing it between your fingers, the device will measure the player's galvanic skin response and sends the data by wireless connection to a PC or cell phone screen.
Iconoculture: Airstream’s convertible RV, the SkyDeck, features a rooftop lounge with an entertainment center, wet bar, and beach umbrellas.
It’s an ultimate party pad on wheels. For ultraluxe road warriors, every day has the potential to be a day in the sun. So why not live it up?
The latest status symbol in the RV park? Cocktail parties up top, my dear. Airstream flips its lid for luxury with its convertible SkyDeck, a fully furnished rooftop lounge complete with barbecue, entertainment center, wet bar, and jaunty beach umbrellas. An elegant hardwood staircase inside the coach leads up to the deck, which pops open with the flick of two switches in just 30 seconds. The open-air patio seats at least 15 people on comfy cushions, yet adds only 10 inches of height to a standard coach when it’s collapsed.
The panoramic view from the rooftop alone might lure some affluents to take this, the ultimate party pad on wheels, for a test drive. For outdoor partiers, upscale tailgaters, and the superluxury RV crowd, every day feels like a day in the sun. So why not bask?
Businessweek: As video and PC gaming's popularity skyrocketed in the past few years, our favorite TV shows ("The Simpsons"), movies ("Catwoman") and comic books ("Batman") were turned into games. Now, we are on the brink of a new era, it seems: Games publisher Atari just released a game based on a book THAT HASN'T EVEN HIT THE BOOKSTORES YET. That's right.
The novel, called "Act of War," was written by Dale Brown, a former U.S. Air Force captain who'd previously penned action-packed best-sellers like "Fight of the Old Dog" and "Air Battle Force." The book, coming out in June, is full of video-gaming's mainstays like futuristic weapons, terrorists and battle scenes.
So is Atari's "Act of War: Direct Action" game, which launched on March 15. In the game, military veterans and young techies are recruited into a special high-tech task force, tracking terrorists and uncovering international conspiracies.
This industry could, eventually, become as powerful as Hollywood, which has long ordered original stories for movies. Just imagine playing a character and then reading all about his or her adventures!
PSFK: Skateboarding was just a fad back in the early 80's but 25 years on and it is a multi-million dollar industry that continues to grow. A recent website to promote the book 'Built to Grind' captures the world of these early skaters to present day through amazing photgraphy and an accompanying audio by skate veteran Steve Alba. The book's launch coincides the 'Independent Truck Company' 25 year anniversary of making mini axles for skateboards and can be viewed here. Skateboarding as an industry has exploded, spawning clothes lines, musical associations, video games, high-profile events, media coverage and rider and team sponsorships. Tapping directly into the youth lifestyle of being free and expressing oneself through a chosen activity, the sport has managed to retain its 'alternative' label and not be swallowed up by the mainstream. With a few of its participates even becoming household names the longevity of the sporting pull is unique, with people in their 20s and 30s even 40s still skating hard and catching 'major air'.
The New York Times: The first advertisement appeared in USA Today a week ago, right on schedule. People from around the world had stayed up all night waiting for it, talking in chat rooms and online forums. It had to be a clue, they thought. Everything before it had been a clue.
"LOST. The Cube," read the ad, posted at the top of the paper's "Notices" section. "Reward Offered. Not only an object of great significance to the city but also a technological wonder."
The cryptic notice, along with several subsequent ads in The New York Sun, The Times of London and Monday's Sydney Daily Telegraph, are the first tangible signs of a mystery called "Perplex City" beginning to unfold online.
It is the latest well-funded entry in a young medium called "alternate-reality gaming" - an obsession-inspiring genre that blends real-life treasure hunting, interactive storytelling, video games and online community and may, incidentally, be one of the most powerful guerrilla marketing mechanisms ever invented.
These games are intensely complicated series of puzzles involving coded Web sites, real-world clues like the newspaper advertisements, phone calls in the middle of the night from game characters and more. That blend of real-world activities and a dramatic storyline has proven irresistible to many.
Wired News: NEW YORK -- Picture an Elmo or Winnie the Pooh plush doll that knows a child's name and favorite food, and tells stories and sings songs incorporating such personal details. Or a new version of Furby that recognizes voices and reacts with emotions from surprise to dismay, and responds to specific words a child says.
These electronic toys, which make a child's play more interactive and personal, are among the products manufacturers are betting on to help them reclaim sales lost since 2003 to grown-up gadgets like iPod music players.
"Kids tend to remember experiences that are personalized," said Reyne Rice, a toy trend specialist for the Toy Industry Association, the industry trade group.
While these high-tech offerings account for only a small number of the products being unveiled at this year's industry expo, the American International Toy Fair, which officially begins Sunday, they represent the "wow factor" -- the kind of product that draws parents into stores, said Chris Byrne, a New York-based independent toy consultant.
We Make Money Not Art: Backseat Playground , developed by John Paul Bichard, Liselott Brunnberg and Oskar Juhlin at the Interactive Institute in Stockholm, is a mobile gaming research project that will enable kids to play with the world outside their window from the back seat of a car. This augmented reality game uses a digital compass and a GPS-receiver to connect the game to the passing landscape. By aiming the device towards objects, players can defend themselves against creatures or pick up magic artefacts.
The New York Times: Electronic Arts, hoping to shore up its eroding dominance in the sports video game market, said yesterday that it had signed a 15-year deal giving it the exclusive right to use the ESPN brand in games.
Under the agreement, Electronic Arts, the largest independent video game publisher, will pay $750 million to $850 million for the right to use the ESPN brand for games based on at least nine sports, including baseball, basketball and football, according to people briefed on the contract's terms. Some of that money will pay for commercials promoting the games on ESPN channels, they said.
USA Today: TVs are hotter than they've been in decades. Screens are getting bigger and brighter as they undergo their first major technological overhaul since the birth of color television in 1953. The highest-tech sets are so thin, they can be hung on the wall like a painting — and are vibrant enough to resemble one, too. Although early models have been in stores for more than two years, they're just now becoming cheap and bug-free enough to go mainstream. To avoid plugging a clunky old VCR into these swanky sets, manufacturers are also coming up with new ways to serve up content, from portable TiVo-like boxes to cutting-edge DVD players.
Ripe Digital Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, said this week that it will launch its video-on-demand service, called RipeTV, on Jan. 17. In its first major deal, the company said it will unveil its VOD channel the same day to Comcast's more than 8.5 million digital cable subscribers and via the cable provider's Web site.
Like the music cable channel MTV, Ripe wants to turn viewers on to short, 3- to 5-minute videos. But instead of music, Ripe will cast a wide net of entertainment programming to males ages 18 to 34, such as big surf riding, "Jackass"-like stunts and beauty contests.
It will also aim to appeal to the digital generation--whose members are growing increasingly accustomed to getting content how and when they want it--with more than 1,500 hours of on-demand programming. Comcast subscribers will be able to watch RipeTV's free videos anytime with fast-forwarding, pause and rewinding features.
As record stores brace themselves for chart-topping sales of the hotly anticipated Robbie Williams Greatest Hits album – released today - there’s a new kid on the digital music block that’s set to delight the iPod generation. The pre-loaded memory card.
EMI Music UK has agreed a deal with The Carphone Warehouse which will make Robbie Williams the first artist ever to release an entire album plus video content on a Memory Card - a tiny stamp size gizmo that slots straight into a mobile phone to deliver music on the move. Recognising the potential for this new trend is EMI Music UK and the UK’s largest independent mobile communications retailer, The Carphone Warehouse; which will be selling the cards exclusively across its 600 UK stores from next month. The sound quality will be comparable to that of a CD.
Robbie’s record label, EMI, and The Carphone Warehouse believe the new format marks the start of another era in digital music – one that will make it more tangible and accessible, especially to people without internet access.
The memory card market has exploded since cameraphones took off last year. They are revolutionising the way people use audio, video, communications, and information devices and appliances. All of the latest mobile handsets are now designed for memory cards to be slotted into the back. Revenue for retail sales of memory cards next year is estimated at £100 million.
Danny Van Emden, Digital Media Director at EMI Music, comments, “The UK is in love with the mobile and it’s the one device that we know our artists’ fans have with them at all times – so the memory card is simply the next logical chapter in the affair. The format looks and sounds great and offers the same visuals as the physical CD, but in a completely new, neat pocket-sized package.”
The Robbie Williams memory card is the pioneering product in The Carphone Warehouse’s new mobile entertainment brand, playmobile®, which will also launch next month. Set to capitalise on the current ringtone phenomena and the forthcoming 3G boom, playmobile® will bring quality value for money content to customers for the first time. It will focus on real brands, real artists, and real music and will extend to ringtones, games, wallpaper, video clips and loaded memory cards.
The Carphone Warehouse’s Director of Group Business Development Kevin Gillan explained: “2004 has undeniably seen a massive, and very mainstream, shift towards digital music. We see pre-loaded music memory cards as the next step and part of a general consumer hunger for more mobile content. playmobile ® will go beyond this and provide our customers with a quality experience at real value for money.
The Carphone Warehouse is already in talks with EMI to deliver more pre-loaded memory cards this Christmas.
If you missed playing the amazing classic arcade games in your youth, you could enjoy those countless hours of sheer fun and joy again with The Classic Arcade Machine from BoysStuff. Enjoy an amazing 118 arcade classics at home with just one full-size arcade machine!
The Classic Arcade Machine features timeless favourites such as Space Invaders, Pacman, Defender and Bomber Man. The full range of 118 arcade games also includes Nintendo favourites such as Mario and Super Mario Bros, Wrecking Crew and Donkey Kong. There are also less-known yet equally enjoyable games such as Nuts and Milk, Jewellery and Horse Circus for you to try out.
To restore the nostalgic feeling of non-stop gaming which grown-ups may had in their youths, this professionally crafted retro cabinet machine features the real arcade buttons and joystick controls, giving you authenticity and reliability.
Here's the real lesson: just like what the Advert Channel has done with advertisements, the Classic Arcade Machine has turned arcade games into classic cultural icons which satisfy our longing for experiences and objects of the olden days in the face of our constantly-changing living environemnt. Another point to note: this concept of bringing arcade gaming into the home means that gamers need not step into a crowded and noisy amusement arcade again, as pointed out by Tech Digest.
Are you already thinking of marketing classic objects which can appeal to people's desire for returning to the good old days? We hope you are!
Can you imagine watching a TV channel that shows nothing but advertisements after advertisements? Having to bear with advertisements that interrupt your favourite TV shows is bad enough; why would anyone want to watch Advert Channel, UK's first TV channel dedicated to showing nothing but ads?
The world's first free-to-air channel devoted exclusively to ads will debut in September 2004, allowing UK viewers to tune in 24 hours a day to their favourite commercials, the brands ranging from Guinness and Nike.
Advert Channel promises more than endless hours of TV ads; other programmes include Ad Chat, where presenters will chat live about the top TV adverts; Advert Focus, looking at ads making the news; Adverts for You, featuring the adverts that make you laugh, cry and those that are controversial; and Adverts Today, a behind-the-scenes look at how top adverts are made. Themed shows will focus on commercials of a certain era and segments, such as ads from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's, late night adverts, sports and celebrity adverts (Source: TheAdvertChannel.tv).
The channel expects to earn its money by charging viewers to participate in phone polls and to download ads on to their mobile phones. It will also have nine minutes of paid advertising an hour.
Let's Get Down To Business... Advertisements are known to be marketing strategies, persuading viewers to purchase a certain product or to create brand loyalty with consumers. The Advert Channel has, however, reinvented adverts as a form of entertainment and culture from an artistic and creative aspect. CoolBusinessIdeas.com believes that this concept of repackaging things into cultural icons can be applied to many other areas: games, photos, ringtones, and so on.
And not to forget: focusing on a specific niche such as classic ads can attract a close knitted community of passionate consumers with the same interest. Such destinations will be able to offer razor-sharp targeting to external advertisers! And the results reaped would definitely be overwhelming.
Let's play ball! Mindball is a game where two players control a ball with their brain waves. The most relaxed player wins the game by making the ball roll over to the opponents goal, with his brain waves as the only form of aid. Surprising, eh? A ball game without all the adrenaline and the aggression.
The brain waves are detected by sensors attached to the headbands. The sensors (electrodes) are connected to a biosensor system which registers the electrical activity in the brains.
It's hard to say who will win the game because the transition from calm to excitement and vice versa happens very quickly. Mindball is an exciting audience-friendly game where the audience can follow the game both by watching the ball on the table as well as watching the hopefully relaxed faces of the players. This innovative game turns the typical concept of competition upside down and challenges consumers to think in new ways.
Drama and more drama! Soap Confidential is a new program designed to give ABC soap fans sneak preview information from their favorite characters through premium text messaging service. Fans who sign up for Soap Confidential will receive exclusive messages from ABC Daytime's most popular characters - isn't that so exciting?
Fans can sign up to receive messages from any or all three of ABC's top Daytime soap operas - "All My Children," "General Hospital" and "One Life to Live." They will receive several messages weekly from ABC Daytime's most popular characters, detailing their thoughts on unfolding events. For instance, "All My Children's" Greenlee might preview whom she'll be trying to romance next, or in the case of "General Hospital", Sonny may share his innermost fears and desires.
"Creating meaningful ways of extending ABC's soap franchise through new technologies is an important strategic priority for ABC," quips Mr. Gersh, vice president of ABC Daytime's Business Development. (Source: Hotproductnews.com)
For this initiative ABC Daytime will partner with Telenor, the first company to provide premium text messaging services in the United States. "Premium text message services have proven to be an incredibly effective method of increasing viewer loyalty by allowing them to directly communicate to characters with which they have developed an emotional attachment," said Steiner Svalesen, CEO of Telenor Mobile Interactive. Text messaging services provide a portal for developing new marketing programs and revenue streams, he adds.
Let's Get Down To Business...
TV stations can increase their viewership ratings and also maintain viewership loyalty by enhancing their viewers' experiences and truly connecting them with the TV characters. This will in turn translate to greater revenues from advertisements! And interactive, real-time services such as text messaging and sms polling are proving to be the next BIG thing for capturing the eyeballs of couch potatoes.
So if you intend to run a content provider (like MediaCorp and MediaWorks), you should provide such enhanced, premium interactive services. Besides soap operas, you might also want to open your options to include dramas and even synopsis of entertainment or variety programs. In fact, this concept can be extended to radio programs, movies, books, films.....
This cool business idea works; we're sure you can't wait to hear about the latest developments of the characters and silly things that Ross or Rachel has to say in F.R.I.E.N.D.S, right?
There's money to be made too by being the provider of these services. With hand phone prices and subscription fees on the decline, many people would certainly sign up for interactive mobile text messaging! And you can then charge them for your services and make big bucks ;-)
You may have heard of low-cost, no-frills airlines such as Valuair and AirAsia, but what about a budget cinema? Enter easyCinema, the world's first frills-less cinema where you can watch movies for as low as 20 pence (S$ 0.62)!
easyCinema is the brainchild of EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou. Like EasyJet (yes, it's the famous budget airline), easyCinema also goes the 'no-frills, low-cost' way to attract movie-goers who are sick of spending hours queuing for over-priced tickets. It opened in June 2003 to the public at a 10-screen venue in Milton Keynes in the UK.
With easyCinema, cinema-goers have the chance to watch films at lower prices. Booking of tickets is done online or by phone; prices vary according to demand but the cheapest seats (as low as S$0.62!) go to those people who book in advance. Once you've booked your bar-coded ticket, all you've to do next is to print it out. Make your way to the screen where your movie is showing, swipe it over the infrared readers on the turnstiles, and you're on your way to enjoying the movie!
True to its low-cost, no-frills business model, easyCinema does not sell popcorn and drinks to movie-goers. For those who wish to indulge in such pleasures, they have to bring their own food along (and clean up their seats before heading home!). Trailers and ads are cut back to lower the costs of operating the cinema.
Think that you're bound to find lousy seats and poor-quality screens at the low-cost cinema? Well, think again! easyCinema features 10 auditoria with over 1,900 seats which are comfortable and fitted with beverage cup holders. All screens are equipped with Dolby Stereo, much like typical cinema screens here.
Unfortunately, Stelios is facing difficulties in convincing distributors to allow easyCinema to show blockbuster films on their first run. Why? They think that easyCinema will be a hit with existing audiences who'll be paying super-low prices for their tickets, hence jeopardizing the big bucks the distributors make on new releases. That's why easyCinema mostly screens films that are in their second run.
Still, who wouldn't love cheap movie tickets? In its first week of operation, easyCinema has achieved a 56% occupancy in an industry that averages at a 20% occupancy. For films shown during the first week of operation, easyCinema sold more than 6,000 cinema seats (Source: easycinema.com).
Let's Get Down To Business...
Low cost, no-frills airlines are making waves and disrupting the industry for a reason. Their high volume, low margin business models have proven effective in shaking up the airline industry. Companies that still insist on doing things the conventional way are indeed losing out. So what YOU can do is to apply to your own industry this approach of mercilessly cutting costs and generating volume. The possibilities are limitless: low-cost car rentals, accommodation, coach travel, sea travel, etc. We're serious! Take a look at easyCar.com, easyHotel.com, easyCar.co.uk, easyCruise.com - all owned by Stelios's easyGroup!
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TrendCentral: In-Home Bars: Why go to the bar when you can build one in your loft? That was the thinking of Chicago-based artist Dustin Ruegger. Using scrap wood, bar stools found in an alley, palm leaves, and decorations from the thrift store, Dustin built a Tiki bar in his house. Channeling the ghost of tropical vacations past, Dustin strung lights and netting over a wooden fence he constructed, decked it out with artificial plants, and installed handmade shelving for a stereo system and a TV that plays a found amateur video loop of tropical fish swimming in a tank. Now instead of biking to an overcrowded watering hole, Dustin and his friends gather around his Tiki bar to drink rum cocktails and play low stakes poker.
Times Online: His cube was one of the most popular and infuriating toys of all time. Now Professor Ernö Rubik is hoping that the sphere will bring sleepless nights to the world’s obsessive puzzlers. 
The Cool Hunter: Old school gaming is back in sleek stainless steel and is certain to be the perfect accessory to any cool modern home, workspace, studio or bar.
Iconoculture: Bingo's kitschy appeal dates back to gay bingo nights that raised money for AIDS charities, which we told you about in 2002. Though drag queens still occasionally call the numbers at Mo's, the only good cause in today's bar-bingo scene in Manhattan is having a good time while competing for silly prizes like NASCAR mugs. 
KIOSK: In late May McDonald's unveiled plans to bring a taste of Hollywood to Denver by offering new release DVD movie rentals for just one dollar per night, plus tax. McDonald's, long recognized for successfully bringing together the elements of food, lifestyle, and entertainment, is installing fully automated Redbox DVD rental machines in over 100 restaurants throughout Denver, giving customers another great reason to visit The Golden Arches. At the same time, the company is experimenting with quick service ordering (QSO) kiosks at locations around the globe. In short, this quick service restaurant leader has gone kiosk crazy.
The Cool Hunter: Illuminated dance floors are nothing new. In the seventies they where all the rage, the problem was that dancers flared hot pants would cover the floor panels and kill the effect. Now, flares or not, the illuminated dance floor is back, this time in LED form. Using the latest in pressure sensitive LED technology, these panels are designed to interact with club goers moves as well as D.J's sets. Special plug ins can be downloaded into the D.Js computer equipment allowing an entire set to be pre programmed where the music and lights work together. The panels are not restricted to work only on dance floors and can be fitted to walls, bar tops and Lionel Ritchie's favorite place to dance, ceilings.
TRENDWATCHING.COM: US-based 
BizReport.com: It won't be long before gamblers are shooting dice while queued up waiting to see their favorite comedian. Or playing poker and roulette under a poolside umbrella. Even a trip to the buffet will no longer keep casino patrons from playing slots. A law signed last month by Gov. Kenny Guinn made Nevada the first U.S. state to approve the use of wireless, handheld gambling devices at its hotel-casinos.
Advert Channel promises more than endless hours of TV ads; other programmes include Ad Chat, where presenters will chat live about the top TV adverts; Advert Focus, looking at ads making the news; Adverts for You, featuring the adverts that make you laugh, cry and those that are controversial; and Adverts Today, a behind-the-scenes look at how top adverts are made. Themed shows will focus on commercials of a certain era and segments, such as ads from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's, late night adverts, sports and celebrity adverts (Source: 
Advertisements are known to be marketing strategies, persuading viewers to purchase a certain product or to create brand loyalty with consumers. The Advert Channel has, however, reinvented adverts as a form of entertainment and culture from an artistic and creative aspect. CoolBusinessIdeas.com believes that this concept of repackaging things into cultural icons can be applied to many other areas: games, photos, ringtones, and so on. 
