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Latest Gear Live Videos
Coke Launches a Cellular MySpace
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News, Internet,
Coca-Cola is finally invading the Internet with its own version of MySpace, only they plan to do it on cell phones. This network will be run under the auspices of Sprite (none of that caffeine, thank you very much) where its teen members can set up profiles, meet others, and post images. The site launched in China last week and will become available in the U.S. to web-ready phones June 22.
The Coca-Cola Company needs to continue to recruit future generations of consumers,” said Mark Greatrex, senior vice president of marketing for Coca-Cola. “Mobile marketing is absolutely where it’s at for us going forward.”
Good for them, but does anybody really still say “where it’s at?”
Read More 
| Reuters
Gallery: Coke Launches a Cellular MySpace
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QiGos Slated as Keys to The Internet
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, USB, Internet, Misc. Tech,
Keep an eye out for QiGo (pronounced “key-go”,) a new marketing tool aimed at selected consumers. Attach one to your PC’s USB port and get straight to the point, no password needed. A Yu-Gi-Oh version is already available for access to Konami’s web site. Another one is in the works from Fisher Price that will allow children access to kids’ sites.
“More and more companies are offering paid premium Internet services but there is no compelling way to sell that experience physically, such as at retail or in a gift box,” claims co-founder Dan Klitsner. “Our goal was to make the Internet tangible and intuitive while eliminating user names, passwords and PINs. With a QiGO, you just plug it in and it works.”
Not only can the key be used for advertising purposes such as ongoing promotions or industry related news since the memory will be stored online, it can also be adapted for online video games, your own photo and video sharing, musical groups’ itineraries, and a more child-safe Internet experience. Destined to make a large debut this fall, we are thinking it might be a good idea to keep your Victoria’s Secret QiGo (should they decide to create one) away from prying teenage eyes.
Read More | PR Newswire
Gallery: QiGos Slated as Keys to The Internet
New Version of Pac-Man Becomes Available
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Microsoft, Video Games,
X-box 360 Live Pac-Man addicts finally have something to get excited about. Microsoft and Namco Bandai have announced that they have developed a new version of the 26 year-old classic arcade game. The Pac-Man Championship Edition features new mazes for the characters and is available as of today via the XBox Live Marketplace for 800 MS points.
The announcement of the new game came during the Pac-Man World Championship held in New York’s Times Square, where Mexico’s Carlos Daniel Borrego won with a score of 22,160. We wonder if Carlos began monopolizing his parents’ TV to play the original when he was a toddler to practice for the big event.
Read More | Xbox
Gallery: New Version of Pac-Man Becomes Available
China to Allow Virtual World for its People
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Video Games,
China has commisioned Swedish software experts MindArt to create a virtual world for their country. The company already operates the online game Entropia Universe, which is based on a fictional planet and is composed of more than 580,000 players. MindArt says that it will be able to handle 150 million gamers by August 2008, which will bring in about $1 billion in revenue every year. It remains to be seen just what slant the site will offer. We are thinking that maybe the U.S. could come up with a similar plan, so that we can take a chunk out of our deficit without raising taxes.
Read More | USA Today
Gallery: China to Allow Virtual World for its People
Google’s Hot Trends Shows What People are Searching For
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Google, Internet,
The hard-working folks at Google have just introduced a new feature called Hot Trends, which combines aspects of their “Zeitgeist” and “Trends” products, both of which offer insight into internet search habits. But while Zeitgeist and Trends are based on weeks-old data, Hot Trends lists the 100 fastest moving “search trends” and is updated several times a day. Hot Trends should not be confused with the term “most popular topics”, which according to researchers, always revolve around—you guessed it—sex (Hot Trends weeds out porn and “inappropriate language“). Searched trends can range from a newly popular political phrase to a lyric in a hit song to what kids are researching to prepare for tomorrow‘s big exam. And of course, if you click on a Hot Trend, Google provides links to relevant web, news and blog sites. Furthermore, Google is expanding Hot Trends to include charts and additional data, so we can see how a trend changes over time, or even how it varies across US regions and 70 different countries. Curious? Click here to check out Hot Trends.
Read More | Google Trends via MSNBC
Gallery: Google’s Hot Trends Shows What People are Searching For
Join The Live Search Club for Freebies
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Microsoft, Video Games,
Some of us do daily crossword puzzles to ward off what may someday be Alzheimer’s (at least that’s what they tell us.) One day it is down, so we search to find it in another location. Instead we come up with the MS Live Search Club. Play 44.5 pseudo-crossword games (Flexicon) for 25 points (tickets) apiece and you can win a t-shirt. They also feature two other word games, Clink and Dingbat, which only yield 10 and 3 points respectively. The site was created to draw attention to Microsoft’s new Live Search, which is incredibly simple to use and should give Google and Yahoo a run for their money.
Director of Game Development/Creator Dan Ferguson told Gear Live that the site was only launched last week, but there are already dozens of games to play. I am already on my way to winning a free Zune with only about 700 games to go. If you can’t wait that long, you can receive a ring tone for only 105 tickets/points or a free music download after only 125.
(Thanks Dan)
Read More | Live Search Club
Gallery: Join The Live Search Club for Freebies
Free Prince Download From Planet Earth
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Internet, Music,
To promote his upcoming album “Planet Earth,” Prince is giving away the first single to cell phone subscribers. Yesterday “Guitar” became downloadable to those with Verizon’s V Cast song ID, the free service that identifies tracks by holding your phone up to a speaker. You then go to MySpace or Revver to play the video from your phone and you will receive instructions on how to load. Thanks Prince, for sharing your music with those of us who are old fans, and the rest of us that will undoubtedly become new ones.
Read More | Reuters
Gallery: Free Prince Download From Planet Earth
If you have lots of cool new toys to play with on your 2.0 web site but you would prefer to cut back on the text, try using My Cool Button. All you have to do is set up color, icon, and font, then make and download your custom .png . They are also working on another version that will include another font, a gray scale for your icon, and button refraction. Now in beta .6, the best part about the widgets is that they are free. We love it when creative types share the wealth.
Read More | My cool button
Gallery: My Cool Button is Simplified
After several months of success, Jellyfish, the anti-eBay, is now running Smack shopping 24/7. The e-company told Gear Live that there will always be an auction going on with a “first run, name brand product.” Items range from themes such as electronics, women’s fashion, and baby and kids items. So pull up a chair when insomnia hits you, get your e-paddle ready, make a bid, then play a few games or chat while you shop.
Read More | Jellyfish
Gallery: Jellyfish Now Runs 24/7
Online Extras Raise Price for Xbox 360 Gamers
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Microsoft, Video Games,
What’s worse than paying the annual $50.00 fee for playing Xbox online? The answer would be paying an inflated price for extras. Microsoft will now charge for extras such as maps and additional game levels. About 3 million players use the online service without the subscription fee but they cannot play against the other 3 million gamers who do.
The first map pack of “Gears of War” was offered as a freebie. From now on, add-ons will cost $10.00 a download. This can add up if you are a die-hard Xbox fan, but Microsoft is hoping that its revenue will help to correct its 3Q operating loss of $330 million. This just goes to prove that those that giveth will eventually taketh away.
Read More | CNN
