GeekSugar

What Do You Think of the Tamara Hope Palm Pre Ads?

GeekSugar — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:33:25 -0700

The Pre, Palm's latest smartphone, is a pretty cool phone, with its attractive exterior and sleek OS, but its ads are another story. Where the first commercial featuring actress Tamara Hope was pretty epic, with a serene Buddhist scene, the most recent ads are a bit mind-boggling. In one, Hope talks of going with the flow, and more bizarrely, she admits that the Pre can do something cooler than let her read her email: it reads her mind.

I'm a little weirded out. But maybe I'm just used to my cell phone ads incorporating some catchy pop song and knee-jerk editing and I need to slow down and appreciate Hope's Zen-like attitude about her phone. What do you think of the ads?

How to Get Rid of the TiVo Pause Menu Ads

GeekSugar — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:02:11 -0700

Last week's revelation that TiVo is rolling out their Pause Menu Ads to their Series 3 and HD TiVos aroused many opinions - some of you are annoyed at having to see more ads, while some of you think that the pause menu ads are pretty unobtrusive.

In the former group? TeamSugar member Blaq came to our rescue in the comments with instructions for how to bypass the ads. Though TiVo says you can't permanently disable the ads, it's nice to know they can be stifled.

Blaq advises:

Activate quick dismissal of the progress bar (and related ads): while playing, press PAUSE and DOWN to hide the ads, then enter the code “SELECT-PLAY-SELECT-PAUSE-SELECT". You will hear three chimes when the code is accepted. (Repeat to toggle it off.) From now on, both the ads and the progress bar will quickly disappear when you pause.
Hide both the pause-screen ads and the progress bar: when paused, press CLEAR.
Hide the ads but keep the progress bar: as instructed on the pause screen, simply press the DOWN arrow when paused. TiVo will remember your choice for the rest of that program. This is my favorite approach, as I like the progress bar and don't want it to disappear. You simply retrain your "finger memory" to press PAUSE-DOWN instead of PAUSE. It'll quickly become second nature.

Thanks, Blaq!

Should Having a TiVo Mean You Never See Ads?

GeekSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:33:20 -0700

When I got a TiVo, my motivation was basically wanting to be able to watch TV shows on my own schedule (whether that has made me smarter or cooler is debatable). Not having to watch commercials was a small reason, but a huge bonus - I paid for the DVR technology, so I felt entitled to control what I watched.

Except having a TiVo isn't synonymous with ad-free TV anymore. Not since they rolled out their innovative but slightly annoying pause menu ads to series 3 and HD TiVos (pause menu ads are when you have TiVo paused, and an ad bar shows up onscreen, like the image at right).

So even though you're still watching commercial-free TV, you haven't escaped from the audience of advertisers, which may irk those who have a TiVo specifically for that purpose. On the other hand, maybe you're just happy to be able to watch your shows whenever you want.

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Guitar Hero Makes Risky Business For Celebs!

GeekSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 04:00:10 -0700

Though we have yet to see Tom Cruise, Guitar Hero has employed a wide gamut of celebs to play his famous role in Risky Business, but with a GH twist. With the latest March Madness/Metallica inspired spot, I thought I'd remind you of the past stars who've stripped down to their pink shirt and undies, and slipperiest socks, and yes, taken those old records off the shelf.

View Slideshow ›

Nokia Puts Bruce Lee on N96 and in Its Commercial

GeekSugar — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:05:27 -0700

Nokia has some seriously amazing people making their commercials these days; remember the epic "Fourth Screen" commercial? Recently, I found a commercial that's been airing for the past few months for the N96, and they're using old footage of martial arts icon Bruce Lee. During the ad, Lee is is playing ping pong with nunchuks (in addition to flashing his image on the phone itself).

Do they want the N96 to seem as legendary, or astonishingly capable as Lee was? Maybe. Is it an awe-inspiring video? Certainly.

The Boost Mobile Armpit Hair Commercial: Huh?

GeekSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:32:45 -0800

I get the main point of this commercial: that it's wrong for cell phone companies to charge hidden fees, sure. But why exactly is waist-length female armpit hair used to make this point? Are we supposed to be grossed out? Think it's "wrong," like the woman asks? I just think it's weird. Of course, it's not my first time being completely flummoxed by a tech ad.

Are Microsoft Kid Ads Better Than Previous Microsoft Ads?

GeekSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:05:26 -0800

I'm human; I was totally charmed by Kylie, the little girl from the new Microsoft ads. "I'm a PC and I'm 4!" she exclaims. While the Seinfeld ads were semientertaining, they were also pointless in that they didn't illustrate Microsoft's product at all.The following, more direct "I'm a PC" ads got more to the point (all kinds of people are PCs, dig?). Now it looks like Microsoft is going for our sweet tooth with the Kylie ad, first, and now, this one featuring 7-year-old Alexa, also showing how easy it is to upload photos to her PC.

Even though I think Macs and PCs are equally easy to upload photos to (maybe show the kids doing something a little more, complex, hmm?), I have to say that I like this series, known as "Rookies," a whole lot more.

What do you think?

Daily Tech: The Storm, Curve, and Bold Go Head-to-Head

GeekSugar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:22:30 -0800

What do you get when you put the new Curve 8900, the Bold, and the Storm together? Three BlackBerry's that put some other smartphones to shame. But what features differentiate each phone? - Engadget
If you've been waiting to get your hands on an Eye-Fi wireless photo uploading card, Evernote has teamed up with Eye-Fi to offer the card for only $60. - Lifehacker
Check out some of the most creepiest ads on the Internet today. - Switched
The T-Mobile G1 Android firmware update version 1.1 will officially roll out to customers between Feb. 5 - 15. - Gizmodo
Google has just launched an iPhone-friendly version of Google Books, which gives iPhone users access to 1.5 million books. - Wired

T-Mobile's Dance Commercial Is For Sharing

GeekSugar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:00:07 -0800

It's rare when commercials make you feel good, and even rarer when they can make technology seem like a community enhancer rather than a discourager (much like that inspirational Nokia commercial). This T-Mobile commercial also manages to uplift with this ad with what seems like an entire train station of London commuters spontaneously dancing together (400 people were in on the commercial gig). They really drive it home with the tagline "Life's for sharing".

And dancin', I might add.

Busted! Calling Out Photoshop on the Streets

GeekSugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:00:37 -0800

What should we do as a society to combat unrealistic images of celebrities due to the widespread use of Photoshop? Rant and rave on a blog? Publicly shame them on sites like Photoshop Disasters?

Or, you could take it back to the streets, as was done on an ad of celebs in a train station in Berlin; the geeky street artist affixed a Photoshop menu and commands onto the smooth faces of Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears.

Public comment plus geekiness? I'm all for it.

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