All Things Digital iPhone App

Although the Wall Street journal already has an iPhone app, the recent All Things Digital D7 conference saw ATD launch a dedicated iPhone app of its own. The new app offers a distinct advantage over the WSJ version through deeper content and a free download. The ATD app delivers the same articles as the WSJ app, but also dedicated video and the ability to share content on Twitter and Facebook.

Features on the ATD app include:

• Daily columns, blogs and video
• Product reviews and analysis
• Breaking Silicon Valley news
• Galleries of D conference videos and photos
• Post links directly to Twitter
• Share on Facebook
• Email blogs and video links
• Walt Mossberg’s Personal Technology, Mossberg’s Mailbox and Mossblog
• Kara Swisher’s BoomTown
• John Paczkowski’s Digital Daily
• Peter Kafka’s MediaMemo
• Katherine Boehret’s Mossberg Solution
• Voices links to compelling stories from around the Web

The app is available free from the iPhone App Store here.

The Journal has introduced a host of offerings in the last year and has experimented with a number of different revenue models, so the move to release a free app, offering emhanced content, may seem odd. The WSJ is one of the few online publications that currently charges for its content (over $100 a year), but WSJ owner News Corp. is clearly creating a future market with this free offering. So while the app is currently free, logic would dictate that this will not continue. Once the app reaches a tipping point, introduction of a charge system will put people in the position of paying for convenience, rather then content. A cost that current trends would indicate they are more then willing to take.

Hula Hoops: A World of Their Own

Check out the latest ad for Hula Hoops, around their 'A World of Their Own' campaign concept. It's pretty cool work by the 'puppeteer' to be able to move his fingers so freely. On the back of this, the campaign also features a microsite, calling on the public to produce their own 'finger puppet' short film. Fun stuff, and there already seems to be a lot of entries. Definitely worth a look.

No More Locked Doors

How many times have you been playing a first person shooter and you quickly start to realise that the huge sprawling city that the game occupies, is in fact block after block of locked buildings. You can't enter them and they play no significant role in the game other then as landscape. Unfortunately the cost/resources etc. to develop and render an entire city would be astronomical. What if, hoewever, there was a cheap and effective way to do it.....



This is potentially the biggest breakthrough in gaming technology.

Brainwave @ Krystle Nightclub

Rick O'Shea made the call and I hope you all answer it! Rick's asking for 2 favours, and they're not big asks either so lets just do it.

Rick is patron of the charity Brainwave and, as part of this years Horse Show Week, the charity is having a huge night out in Krystle Nightclub (replacing the old Horse Show Ball). We all know about the unspoken 'R' and the hard times that we're all in, but this really is worth it. Basically the entire club will be taken over for the night and there's space for 1000 dapper gents and beautiful ladies. In short, it's the perfect excuse to put the glad rags on and listen to some craic'n tunes from top DJs and an awesome live band.

All proceeds from the night go to Brainwave and will help them do what they do, so very well, over the next twelve months.

Tickets are now available on Tickets.ie - here

Ok, so that's the first thing. The second favour Rick asks is that you do exactly what I've done. POST IT! Do a write up, link it, and get the message out there.

Thanks folks :)

McDonald's Appoints VCCP

Yesterday Brand Republic carried a marketingmagazine.co.uk article by Joe Thomas, about McDonald's appointment of VCCP to manage its employment brand and recruitment advertising. The appointment came after a three month pitch process, with VCCP facing down DDB in the final round. Leo Burnett remains McDonald's lead agency in the UK.

VCCP's recent work includes O2's rubber duck tv ads (including an Irish version) and my favourite campaign of the year - Compare the Meerkat.