Microsoft’s latest Scroogled ad warns against downloading apps on Google Play

Jordan Kahn

If you don’t know by now, since early February Microsoft has been running its “Scroogled” smear campaign spending 7 figures on a series of print and online ads attacking various Google services. The ads originally focused on Gmail and how Google displays ads based on the content of user’s emails, but Microsoft’s latest Scroogled ad (above) takes on another Google app– Google Play.

The ad is currently featured on the front page of Microsoft’s Scroogled website and features a warning that Google passes off personal information about users to app makers without consent from users:

When you buy an Android app from the Google app store, they give the app maker your full name, email address and the neighborhood where you live. This occurs without clear warning every single time you buy an app. If you can’t trust Google’s app store, how can you trust them for anything?

We expect Google will be issuing a response to Microsoft’s claims shortly. Another Scroogled ad claiming Google Play sends personal data to app makers below: Read more

Samsung releases another Galaxy S4 teaser with part two of Jeremy campaign (Video)

Jordan Kahn

Samsung started a new ad campaign to tease its upcoming next-generation Galaxy smartphone earlier this month. We weren’t huge fans of the ad that featured a top-secret meeting with Jeremy, the 13-year-old “secret messenger of Samsung Unpacked 2013.” Today, Samsung has released part two of the ad. It continues with Jeremy’s story but doesn’t reveal anything new.

Google replaces Reader ads in empty Gmail inbox with Google+

Jordan Kahn

If you ever happen to have no messages in your Gmail inbox, you might notice Google’s subtle way of promoting Google Reader with the small ad for Google Reader (below). Now, Google has removed the “Try Google Reader” link and replaced it with a new message promoting Google+ (via Google Operating System blog). The message now reads, “No new mail! See what people are talking about on Google+” (pictured above). Within the new message is a link to the “What’s Hot” stream of Google+.

With the launch Google+, and its incredible growth (about 750,000 new users a day), many warned the growth was attributable to Google’s ability to pull in Google+ users. So, what happens when it runs out of Gmail users to bring in? Google may have already thought that through with a recent update to the Google account creation process requiring users to both create a Gmail account and automatically create a profile and Google+ account. In other words, not only is the company pulling in Gmail users, but also anyone that wants or needs a Google account for other services.

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Verizon and Motorola hit the streets to hand out new Droid Razrs

Jordan Kahn

It’s Droid Razr launch day today and in addition to a price tag of $111.11 ($11?) for today only on Amazon, Motorola also gave us a look into the engineering behind the device’s 0.28 inch “impossibly thin” design, and now Verizon is hitting the streets to hand out free Droid Razrs to probably the last remaining original Razr owners. You can check out our full review of the Motorla Droid Razr here.

Yesterday Verizon launched their ‘Payload’ commercial for the Razr where they continued with their typically masculine ad style in an ad appearing more like a Hollywood action movie trailer than the usual iPhone commercial clone.
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