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Unless they’re incredibly quiet or potentially explosive, you won’t find us waxing poetic (or even prosaic) about leaf blowers. But if a company that produced leaf blowers made a motorized calendar that tore off its own pages? We’d tell you about that in a heartbeat — even if the wonderfully wasteful contraption turned out to be a viral ad by agency Euro RSCG rather than an actual household organizer, and even if its pages aren’t nearly as saucy as Stihl’s usual NSFW fare. Believe it or not, there’s no blade inside that brushed aluminum shell; the process works by ripping out the bookbinding thread along the calendar’s spine using a motorized reel. Join us in celebrating the wonder of pressed dead wood floating to earth all by its lonesome with a short video after the break.

Continue reading Stihl’s autumn calendar automatically rips through to tomorrow

Stihl’s autumn calendar automatically rips through to tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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YouTube will now display banner ads on the mobile version of its website. Google made the announcement in a blog post today, enticing would-be advertisers to sign up by saying that users of its mobile video website are tech-savvy early adopters with cash to spend — the ideal ad demographic.

Google’s all about the mobile ads nowadays; it acquired mobile ad network AdMob for $750 million last November, and AdWords (those contextual sponsored links in search results and the like) went live on iPhone and Android a year ago.

YouTube has experimented with mobile ads in the past, running exclusive campaigns with select advertisers and deploying ads to some users in the United States and Japan. Sony advertised the DVD release of recent Oscar-nominee District 9 on YouTube mobile, for example.

The company’s leaders and engineers are wise to try and stay on top of this. The search giant is a prominent force in desktop ads, but as more people adopt smartphones it’s not hard to imagine that mobile will eventually be an even more powerful influence in the advertising sphere.

Reviews: Google, YouTube

Tags: ads, advertising, business, MARKETING, Mobile 2.0, youtube

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/HP_Slate_makes_an_appearance_to_show_off_Flash’; It shouldn’t be any surprise that the HP Slate supports Flash, since it runs Windows 7, but we’ve seen so little of the device since Steve Ballmer first waved it around at CES that we’re still totally intrigued by this video from Adobe showing it in action. Yep, there it is, playing video, running casual Flash games, and using AIR applications. We also get a quick shot of the on-screen keyboard, which looks like a mildly tweaked version of the standard Windows 7 keyboard. We can’t say until we use it, but it certainly doesn’t look like it’ll be fun to type on. Interestingly, Flash is said to be hardware-accelerated on the Slate, which suggests something other than a bone-stock Atom setup in there — we’d guess it’s an Atom plus a Broadcom Crystal HD Accelerator, but there’s a chance it’s something else entirely. HP’s also posted up a new marketing video, which bears a striking resemblance to last night’s iPad commercial — until the end, which frankly makes no sense. Check ‘em both after the break.

[Thanks, Rick]

Continue reading HP Slate makes an appearance to show off Flash, stays for a rock concert

HP Slate makes an appearance to show off Flash, stays for a rock concert originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen lemons power a digital clock, and we’ve seen an Orange tent energize a gaggle of Apples. But have you ever wondered how many oranges it would take to charge just a single Apple? Name games aside, we have to hand it to Imperial Leisure, the company that executed a new iPhone-centered advertisement aimed at raising awareness for Jaffa oranges. We won’t spoil the whole thing for you, but we will say that you’ll be far hungrier after watching than you are right now. Video’s past the break, per usual.

[Thanks, forumz]

Continue reading How many oranges does it take to charge an Apple? (video)

How many oranges does it take to charge an Apple? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve already looked at how on-air Super Bowl advertisers fared with audiences during the Big Game, but how did online viewers react to the spots? Check out which ads were the biggest winners — or losers — with the Hulu crowd.

The 2010 Super Bowl was a big win for more than just the New Orleans Saints, CBS scored big-time, too, garnering the biggest Super Bowl audience on record, and, with 106 million U.S. households tuned in, the most-watched television program of all time. That means a lot of eyes were on the ads — both online and on-air. And now more than ever, we can ascertain almost instantly how these commercials resonated with viewers.

Similar to YouTube’s AdBlitz channel, Hulu’s AdZone features all of the nationwide Super Bowl spots and lets viewers vote, Siskel & Ebert-style (that’s thumbs-up or thumbs-down) on which ads worked and which ads fell flat. You can even see how many users from different demographics and locations liked or disliked certain ads, and you can compare those metrics with other ads.

Hulu explains the whole process in its blog, and voting continues until tomorrow night should you choose to check it out. Still, Hulu shared some of the rating charts with us (at least as they stand right now), and we think the results are pretty interesting:

Motorola clearly scored big time with its Megan Fox photo ad. Why? Not only is it the most-viewed commercial, it is the fifth most “liked” ad and the third most “disliked” ad. That’s some pretty serious buzz.

Other big winners? Doritos’ “House Rules” ad got high marks from viewers and racked up the online views. Likewise, Google’s big Super Bowl ad played well with audiences and got lots of views.

Proving that controversy does indeed lead to viewership, Focus on the Family’s Tim Tebow ad is one of the most watched, even if it is also the most disliked.

What was your favorite ad from the Big Show? Least favorite? Let us know!

Reviews: Hulu

Tags: ads, hulu, MARKETING, Super Bowl, super bowl as, video

YouTube delivered on its promise to upload all the Super Bowl Ads as soon as they aired today, with users voting to choose which one will grace the YouTube front page on Thursday.

The tech and web ads were a mixed bunch: Both the established GoDaddy “Too Hot for TV” schtick and Motorola’s decision to put Megan Fox in a bathtub stuck to the “sex sells” mantra, while Monster.com returned with a “Fiddling Beaver.” Intel went for a quirky “lunch room” ad while Vizio chose star power in its Beyonce commercial. We don’t know what inspired Boost Mobile’s ad, meanwhile, but the humor appears to miss the mark [Update: Commenters say it's a remake of the "Chicago Bears Super Bowl Shuffle"].

Our favorite: Google’s sentimental made-for-web ad — it was promoted to Super Bowl status after its success on YouTube. FLO TV’s retrospective on American media is also a very memorable attempt. Which ads are your faves?

Web and Tech Super Bowl Ads 2010

Megan Fox Motorola Ad

FLO TV: My Generation Ad

Monster.com Fiddling Beaver Ad

GoDaddy Super Bowl

Boost Mobile Ad

Google: Parisian Love Ad

Intel Lunch Room Ad

Go Daddy: News

Vizio Beyonce Ad

Cars.com Ad

Other Super Bowl Ads 2010

Snickers Super Bowl Ad

Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains Ad

Hyundai Sonata Ad

Doritos Ad

Robin Hood Spot

Doritos: House Rules Ad

NCIS /CBS Ad

Coca-Cola / Simpsons Ad

Undercover Boss Ad (CBS)

Doritos Casket Ad

Wolfman Ad

The Good Wife

Emerald Nuts: Awesomer

Hyundai Soata / Brett Favre Ad

VW Punchdub

Budweiser Bridge Ad

Denny’s Chicken Birthday Ad

Denny’s Chicken Warning

Alice in Wonderland

Skechers

Homeaway Vacation Ad

Dr Pepper / KISS ad

Select 55 Ice Bottle Ad

Michelob Ultra – Little Bumps Ad

Budweiser Clydesdale Fence Ad

Late Show Ad

Bud Light Asteroid Ad

Reviews: Google, YouTube, beyonce

Tags: ads, MARKETING, Super Bowl, Super Bowl ads, Superbowl, trending