In an effort to create a popular new beverage for the masses, Vitaminwater is letting Facebook users pick its next flavor. Vitaminwater will monitor Facebook and Twitter for trending flavor topics related to its contest, before dwindling down popular choices in a second phase. The contest, which is open until October 20th, finds Vitaminwater sending fans to its Facebook Fan page from traditional media outlets like TV ads, in order to produce a drink its hardcore audience will hopefully devour.
Apple announced yesterday that it will begin packaging iPod nano's with built in video cameras. While Apple mysteriously will not give the iPod touch the video camera treatment, it hopes that the iPod nano video camera will be able to compete with Flip camera in the emergent micro-video device market. Steve Jobs did not introduce any new products or give an update on development of its tablet, but did note minor adjustments to current devices and cut the price of several lines.
Warner Bros. is relaunching its DC Comics brand as DC Entertainment. The move finds Warner Bros. restructuring the group just as competitor Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment. With blockbuster characters like Batman, and and the Green Lantern, which is set to hit theaters in 2011.
Google is working on new ad platforms it hopes will boost its earnings. The search giant currently only offers text ads, but that may change as Google explores visual search query ads. For instance, when people search for films, rather than merely seeing a text headline and link, users may see a Trailer or movie poster.
Google is also in the midst of developing a micropayment plan to help content providers sell content on the Internet. The system is Google's answer to the Newspaper Association of America's need for paid subscription plan technology. The plan notes that payments will be submitted through Google's Checkout service, which its hopes will take a portion of eBay's PayPal market.
Shelly Palmer is a consultant and the host of MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer a daily show featuring news you can use about technology, media & entertainment. He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC and the author of Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV. Shelly is also President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. You can join the MediaBytes mailing list here. Shelly can be reached at shelly@palmer.net For information about Get Digital Classes, visit www.shellypalmer.com/seminars