The ability to access pricing while at the store, instead of relying on memory of a price search at home is a clear advantage to buyers. Though even with the enhanced Froogle Mobile, the site may not operate as intended. A trial run said there were results, yet none were viewable. There are few sites that are truly optimized for mobile, but that's changing.

Google has bought several mobile companies recently, speculation says it is building its services in that space. The company bought mobile firm Android last month with little fanfare. The acquisition has been kept quiet, and little is known about what Android will do for Google. The company's co-founder, Andy Rubin, started the company Danger Inc., the maker of the ubiquitous Sidekick.

Android is the most recent of a chain of acquisitions Google has made in the space. There will likely be continued enhancements to mobile services like Froogle Mobile, and new mobile products and services from Google in the coming months. ]]> http://blog.clickz.com/archives/050817-163656.html http://blog.clickz.com/archives/050817-163656.html Mobile Wed, 17 Aug 2005 16:36:56 -0500 Would you please turn down that smell on the TV? I'm trying to make dinner!

"The Japanese Communications Ministry is to establish a research group that will work to commercialize virtual reality television by 2020.

VR TV will enable images to be seen in 3D from any angle at a quality equivalent to that offered by high-definition TVs, and allow viewers to feel and smell the objects they are watching.

Users watching a home shopping programs will be able to examine products from various angles and feel them. VR TV technology will also likely be used in telemedicine and other fields.

To simulate the sensation of touch, researchers are considering using means including ultrasound, electrical stimulation and wind pressure. For smells, the development of a device that mixes natural aromatic essences to recreate particular scents will likely be given a major focus.

In addition, studies of human neural pathways and an array of related basic research are expected to be carried out."

via we make money not art.

Players will get keywords, likely printed inside Coca-Cola products, and will be able to use the keywords to unlock content in the game. New items include menu graphics, courses, vehicles, and sound effects. It is unclear whether the content was previously built into the game, or will be downloaded from the Internet via a Wi-Fi connection.

Wipeout Pure was among the launch titles for the PSP. It contains the Web browser used by the Wi-Fi-enabled PSP to access the Internet. ]]> http://blog.clickz.com/archives/050810-120125.html http://blog.clickz.com/archives/050810-120125.html New/Cool Wed, 10 Aug 2005 12:01:25 -0500 Our columnist-from-across-the-pond Mike Grehan has been on an unofficial campaign to re-dub this publication "BritZ." Looks like he got his wish, sort of.

When clients are demanding the same analytics capabilities offline as they're getting online, it's just one more example of how the lines between online and offline marketing are blurring, with marketers looking at their marketing campaigns as a whole instead of in distinct silos.

Old and new: Whirlpool tries to tap into American family archetypes with a new podcast series.

Lynx deodorant: You punch keys on your keyboard, and a disembodied pair of lips moans in various expressions of ecstasy. Sex sells, in case you hadn't heard. Except when visitors can't click through and leave after 10 seconds because they're bored. Hey, at least it's interactive.

Virgin Mobile continues the diabolical combination of religious themes and no-commitment phone plans that worked so well for it during the holiday season. The Fallon-created Paygoism Saves site uses an Oddcast-created preacher avatar named Reggie to delineate the precepts of pay-as-you-go. Southern Baptist all the way.

Only this e-mail didn't have my name in the "To" field, much less in the generic "Hello" salutation line.

It read, in part:

"I am contacting you on behalf of Microsoft. Your background is of interest to me in regards to some excellent employment opportunities available with MSN....we are staffing a highly-talented team of search engine marketing professionals to work within the new division of MSN - which is handling online marketing."

They're deadly serious. The mega-trade org has created the ne plus ultra of supression lists: the Deceased Do-Not-Contact list.

A: The contextual ads on the Gizmodo post about that very problem (scroll down to see 'em). Nothing in the reader comments really helps to address the problem. But somehow, it now seems things could be worse. Much worse.

Thanks, Google. I guess.

The e-mail went on to highlight Verizon's Get It Now applications. Ring tones, downloads, and a tutorial to get me on my way downloading services and ringing up microtransactions. Because of the pitch, I get the feeling Verizon checked into the services and verified they are compatible with my handset.

This is an example of customizing done right. Customizing e-mail campaigns for the sake of addressing the recipient by his first name is nice, but including information specific to the recipient is relevant and effective. Verizon just demonstrated it got it.]]> http://blog.clickz.com/archives/050721-102215.html http://blog.clickz.com/archives/050721-102215.html E-Mail Thu, 21 Jul 2005 10:22:15 -0500 So I ordered a bunch of trousers from EddieBauer.com (because every women's store on the planet has a 'petite' section, but it's a law of the universe that 'tall' is online only). Before the order arrives, I start getting e-mail about the EddieBauer.com summer sale. So I click. Most of the stuff I've ordered (which was already on sale) is now more on sale.

I call before even receiving the package (because the online form is broken). They cheerfully refund the price differential - about $30. And I mean cheerfully ("Honey, that's what e-mail is for!").

But wait -- it gets better.

With both the temperature and the humidity index spiking into the 90s, isn't it nice to know those of us within walking distance of the spectacle who feel the need to see it can do so online, just as cooly and conveniently as anyone else?