Ionut Pepenar

Google debuted its first TV ad during the Super Bowl in the US yesterday.

Parisian Love aired during the third quarter of the big game and has now been viewed nearly 1.5 million times on YouTube.

this video can be found on different sites, claiming that is the new tablet device from the market, from Apple, iSlate. The question is: is this real or fake?

An interesting article on Wall Street Journal.

Global consumers are expected to spend $6.2 billion at mobile application stores in 2010, while related advertising revenue will generate $0.6 billion worldwide, according to Gartner, Inc.

Mobile app stores will exceed 4.5 billion downloads in 2010, 8 out of 10 of which will be free to end users, Gartner analysts said.

Worldwide downloads in mobile application stores will surpass 21.6 billion by 2013 and will generate more than $29 billion in revenue.

“As smartphones grow in popularity and application stores become the focus for several players in the value chain, more consumers will experiment with application downloads,” said Stephanie Baghdassarian, research director at Gartner. “Games remain the #1 application, and mobile shopping, social networking, utilities and productivity tools continue to grow and attract increasing amounts of money.”

Free Apps Dominate

Free downloads will account for 82% of all downloads in 2010, and will account for 87% of downloads by 2013. Free applications have value because the developer charges for other things within the application. There are also applications that are free to use but that charge for physical goods delivered through the application. Others derive their revenue from advertising. This is done with banners as well as full-page advertising such as that between game levels in game apps.

from here

Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone maker, launched free maps (Ovi Maps) for all users of its high-end smartphones, in an effort to win back customers that went to Apple and Google.
Their slogan: Navigation on your Nokia. For free. Forever.

Mobile navigation for everyone

Ovi Maps takes you where you want to be and shows you what you want see, with navigable maps for over 70 countries worldwide. All this with only one click. And it’s all free.

• Free Drive navigation
• Free Walk navigation
• Free maps and map updates
• Free Events guides
• Free Lonely Planet guides
• Free Michelin guides

Compatible devices: Nokia X6, Nokia N97 mini, E72, E55, E52, Nokia 6730 classic, Nokia 6710 Navigator, Nokia 5800 Xpressmusic, Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition, Nokia 5230.

More details can be found on Nokia’s website

How can you prove the quality of your products? Ask Sony, they have an interesting campaign in Island. Enjoy it!

Big Ant International have won a Gold Pencil for Design (Public Service Poster) at the One Show Design Awards held this week. Four posters were designed to wrap around poles, campaigning for an end to the war in Iraq, pointing to the Global Coalition for Peace web site. Grenades, rifles, missiles and tank guns come round the pole to catch up with the aggressor in each poster. What goes around comes around. The campaign won a Silver Pencil at the One Show and has also been shortlisted at the Clio 2009 (May 12-14) (WON GOLD) and D&AD Awards (June 11).

More details and posters on The Inspiration Room

I am not a tall person. In fact I’m just 2cm taller than Sarkozy.

When I was a kid I was upset when someone was laughing about how “small” I am. But when I become older, in fact when I get in high school, I realized that it doesn’t matter how tall are you. Ok, maybe it’s the case if you decide to participate at some sport competitions, where is needed to be tall. But in real life? All come from your mind.

This is why I don’t understand why Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, had to do this (picture taken by Corriere dela Sera). He had to talk after Barack Obama, president of USA, taller with 22 centimeters than NS.

I’m wondering why is Sarkozy is so ashamed of his height.

It’s about the new iPhone 3GS and the new Palm Pre.

I didn’t play (yet!) with any of the two handsets, although I hope to have the chance in August, when I’ll meet again two of my best friends with whom I had an interesting conversation one month ago.

The first, iPhone fan, told me that he already knows about the great success the new iPhone 3GS will have (by just reading some article about the future features of the phone), that it will be “the top of the top”, with a lot of interesting applications, with everything that you want and even don’t want.

The other, Palm (and PDA) fan, told me that he can’t wait to buy the new Palm Pre, because he knows that it will change the world as we knew it. Why? Because, comparing with iPhone 3GS, the new Palm will change your way of thinking about organizing your life, the time management, your projects and your tasks. The problem with the iPhone is exactly what the other friend said: it gives you access to a lot of applications, including the ones that you don’t want.

One was talking about the interface of the iPhone and its applications, while the other was telling me about the functionalities and the help that the Palm will provide to me.

Honestly, I can’t wait to try them both (be sure that my friends will buy the gadgets by August), but I can’t help laughing when I’m thinking how funny this is: a deja-vu. Why? Don’t you feel the same? The fight between the Windows and Linux?

I’m thinking at all the explanations each side was using in the past when fighting about who’s the best, the Windows (with the way it looks and applications that you like but not use) and the Linux (with its functionalities)

So… What do you think? Will you buy an iPhone 3GS or a Palm Pre? Why?

P.S. Extra-reading – This Summer’s Smartphone Wars Are Set, Who’s Going To Win?

Do you wanna know how it looks like?

Here it is:

via