[Engadget]

When your lawsuits sound like press releases, it's because they probably are (not that we care, the whole case is pretty entertaining). Check out this opening statement from Verizon:

AT&T did not file this lawsuit because Verizon's "There's A Map For That" advertisements are untrue; AT&T sued because Verizon's ads are true and the truth hurts.

YA BURNT, AT&T! Verizon goes on to accuse AT&T of failing to adequately expand its 3G coverage to match demand for its smartphones, which is sort of a hard point for AT&T to argue. Verizon claims that its advertisements are "literally true" (instead of philosophically true? Metaphorically true? True in the sense in which it is used in animal husbandry, as in purebred? What?) and not misleading, and that AT&T has failed to provide customers with an accurate map of its coverage. It's pretty great, really—if you've ever wished the American legal system was more like it is on Law and Order, this whole statement is a gift. [Engadget]

They focus on the new UI elements (Aero Shake, new Start Bar, themes), which is probably smart given that Windows 7's main competition, Snow Leopard, has barely any visible changes from its predecessor. I like the emphasis on Windows 7's bright shiny colors, too. Will the ads convince people to go out and buy the OS? Who knows; I'm not really sure there's a lot of mainstream enthusiasm or knowledge about upgrading an OS. But these ads probably won't hurt matters. Check out a couple more over at CNET. [CNET]

BB Gadgets posted this Honeywell ad for email, which seems to be from 1977 or thereabouts. Seeing the type of damage email was doing back then, I can understand why it took another 25 years to attract a mainstream following. Enlisting the services of that friendly, nonthreatening AOL man was a much better marketing strategy. [Boing Boing Gadgets]

Yahoo Japan plans to install billboards equipped with cameras and facial analysis technology that identifies each person's characteristics, such as age and sex. In addition to specially-targeted ads, they're programmed to display content like news and weather. I wonder if in the future these things can detect other product preferences from our outward appearances. I just hope they don't reveal anything embarrassing, like a need for incontinence pads. [Nikkei via Crunch Gear]

The PS3? The iPhone? An antique Godzilla beer device bought from a magic shop in Akihabara? Nope. It was the Xbox 360.

Nice try, Microsoft, but you've got a long way to go before you're as crazy as Sony. [Kotaku]

Mitch Gewirtz of Michigan would like to give you his 17-inch PowerBook. For free. From Mitch:

Subject: I AM UP FOR THE CHALLENGE!

To whom it may concern,

I recently watched the new PC ad on television the other night about "Lauren" purchasing a laptop for under $1000.00. It was a great advertisement targeting everyday PC users. My only concern is that I feel the computer "Lauren" chose will not provide an overall positive experience. I am asking for your assistance to help me locate "Lauren". I am willing to give her my 17" Mac laptop "FOR FREE" so she can decide which laptop is superior without putting a price tag on it.

I do believe everyone on this planet is "cool enough to be a Mac person".

Sincerely,
Mitch Gewirtz

We of course wrote back to Mitch to gauge his level of seriousness in this matter. His response:

Absolutely! I am serious!

I believe my 17" G4 powerbook is still more advanced than any PC out there today. It is a very healthy laptop that has given me a wonderful experience the last couple of years. I truly believe if "Lauren" had a chance to use this laptop she would change her mind.

Can you help me locate her?

While Apple fanboys are a dime a dozen, we like Mitch's attitude, a guy willing to put his money where his mouth is (even if that money is invested in an older machine he may be planning to replace). So Mitch, Gizmodo would like to support you on your quest to gift Lauren your PowerBook. We've got your back, buddy.

Lauren, where are you? Drop us a line (you can find my email on the side of the page). Let's make this love connection happen.

The only thing Samsung got wrong with this advertisement for the S8300 Ultra Touch was that they went for humorous instead of cute. Cute always trumps funny in the ad world. Just examine this little chart I assembled that explores the relationship of funny pets and kids to cute pets and kids.
I don't mean to be a dick about it, but someone from Samsung's ad firm should really get fired for missing a golden opportunity here. [Thanks Jamie!]

The campaign, which started yesterday for a targeted segment of pandora listeners, brings a 15-second audio spot for the Fox show "Lie to Me" (yay!) after you stream 10 songs, and then again after an additional 20 songs are played. Users who are targeted for the ad should expext to hear 15 seconds of advertising every 2 hours.

As much as I don't want to be coaxed into watching "Lie to Me" in between my non-stop flow of "coldly rhythmic" Berlin trance, this is definitely something I can put up with for a completely free and brilliant service.

[Daily Geek]

What appears to be little more than a black and white advertisement in three recent German automotive magazines becomes a 3D holographic model of the Mini Cabrio through a webcam and the Mini website. Sure, it still takes a good deal of effort on the user's part (they have to go somewhere other than the main ad to really see the ad), but I'd do it for the next year or so before the novelty wears thin. [MediaPost via technabob]

Luckily, Old Computer Ads has pages of...old computer ads...for your casual browsing and snickering. But occasionally you can find a real technological gem in the rough, like this APF Imagination Machine. I mean, I know it's old and everything, but my life will never be the same if I buy it.

Truly though, the next Dell marketed in sparkling rainbow font is the next Dell that I momentarily consider purchasing before posting about it here in faux macho disdain. [Old Computer Ads via bbGadgets]

The ASA's argument is that "all the parts of the internet" would surely include Flash and Java webpages, both of which are not viewable in their native state through the iPhone's mobile Safari. From the ASA:

Because the iPhone doesn't support Flash or Java, you couldn't really see the internet in its full glory...[Apple] made a very general claim that you can see the internet in its entirety, and actually that's not quite true - so we've upheld.

Apple, on the other hand, argued that they were referring to webpage availability, not appearance.

We can definitely see where the ASA is coming from, but there's a lot more of the internet than can be reached on a web browser anyway... [BBC]

* If the repetition of the word "cunt" didn't give it away, this video has an NSFW audio track. [via bbGadgets]

The patent goes into quite a bit of detail on the subject, but it is important to note that as far as anyone knows, Sling Media has not made any plans to use this technology. The patent simply illustrates that they could if they chose to do so —although it would probably be akin to suicide. [Patent Application via Sling Community]

A message to those PR people, engineers, product managers, VPs and CEOs at Dell, HP, Sony, Lenovo, and our other favorite PC makers: Don't let the people in charge of putting these demos on your machines ruin your computers. Please, fight back, for our sake, and for the sake of your reputations.–Brian Lam

Mac vs PC [Apple via Hickey@Crunchgear]