TomTom has just released a handful of new "fun" voices for its navigator devices. In order to support charity event Children in Need, the satnav firm has teamed up with the BBC to offer travel directions voiced by Terry Wogan, Alan Dedicoat, and Radio 2's traffic presenters Lynn Bowles and Sally Bozeman.

The last two, with their pedigree in traffic announcements, will surely make any information sound bad, but Dedicoat is the voice of the balls on the National Lottery programmes so he at least stands a chance of making a string of M-, A- and B-numbered roads sound interesting - even if drivers rarely prove to be winners.

And Terry Wogan just stands a pretty good chance of directing everyone to the quaint Cornish town of Helston, which provided him with a hit record many moons ago.

Altogether in the Floral Dance then?

Posted by vnuneteditor on October 14, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)

The EU has decided to take action and warn young people, AKA tha kidz, that the personal music players that they are so often glued into could be damaging their ears. Yeah, possibly even more damaging than all those piercings and popular music concerts.

The EU had some science done, which worked out that about 10 per cent of music player users risk permanent hearing loss if they use the device for more than one hour per day a week for at least five years. We want to know what MP3 player they are using, it has one hell of a battery life.

Meanwhile what will it mean in-house at the EU? By the looks of the picture above, even some of our most favourite leaders are often to be found mashing it up in a large pair of cans. Respect.

Posted by vnuneteditor on October 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pharrell Williams has become one of the faces in a new Microsoft Windows UK advertising campaign, going some way to replacing the less cool Jerry Seinfeld across the pond. 

The uber-cool music producing, model dating, skateboarding fashion designer has a longish standing relationship with Microsoft. Pharrell helped Bill Gates launch the Xbox 360's Halo 3 game in the UK last year and now he and his band NERD feature in the latest slice of Microsoft's marketing onslaught - the "Life without Walls" campaign.

In the advert, Pharrell, who presumably doesn't conform to technological fashion trends asserts, "I'm a PC, just like BG" - we expect that Big Daddy Bill appreciated the effort at rapping. 

Deepak Chopra, the noted author is also in the campaign. Chopra tells us that he is a human being, not a human doing, or, we assume, a human waiting for something to restart, in his five seconds of Microsoft fame.

Also in the UK we lucky Windows users get the opportunity to contribute to the campaign. A join-in button lets you see a number of other lucky punters share their experiences while also encouraging you to send in your own message to the site. As well as this, we are advised to go on the look out for a magical mystery tour bus that Microsoft is wheeling around the country. Inside the bus are videopods in which you are encouraged to voice your messages and opinions about the software.

The envelope-pushing advertising agency behind the campaign said that it is designed to help people express their positive experiences of using Windows, so please don't throw yourself in front of the vehicle when it is moving. No matter how tempting that might be. 

Posted by vnuneteditor on October 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now listen here. I've covered the e-commerce space for over three years now and the one perennial topic of conversation, at roundtables, on conference calls, at tradeshows, is always: yeah-the industry is doing superbly well, but how much better it would be if they could just get delivery right.

Over in Japan they've solved the problem through a superior service culture - although it'll cost you extra, no one would begrudge paying more to secure a two-hour window for delivery. Over here you're lucky if you get to specify am or pm. And so industry body the IMRG had the great idea last year of launching its Internet Delivery is Safe initiative.

Quite simply it's a kitemark given to retailers who can tick certain boxes in the delivery space - things like offering clear delivery information, guaranteeing delivery within specified times and generally providing a convenient and reliable service. Until now though, I've not shopped online with anyone with the symbol on their site, unfortunately, and suffered the same old waiting around for a delivery which doesn't come in the specified 6 hour time period.

Well, having just purchased a bed from the web site of the Co-operative, it's time to put it to the test, and so far so good. A few days after buying - during which time I was able to specify Saturday delivery at no extra cost - I received a phone call checking all contact details and confirming delivery. An email soon followed to confirm a three hour slot on Saturday. All at no extra cost. Fingers crossed I can actually fit the bed through the door.

Posted by Phil Muncaster on October 10, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you are one of those individuals that regrets writing a drunken email to a woman you fancy or a married ex-girlfriend, Google can ensure this will never happen again.

"Hopefully Mail Goggles will prevent many of you out there from sending messages you wish you hadn't. Like that late night memo -- I mean mission statement -- to the entire firm," Gmail engineer Jon Perlow said in the Gmail blog.  

Posted by Rosalie Marshall on October 7, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

With the climax of the American elections slowly approaching, what better way to show your support for your favourite candidate than a mobile phone application?

Some political supporters might favour the good old-fashioned sign in the front garden approach, or a pin badge or rally.

But for someone who is very with the programme, such as US Democrat candidate Barack Obama, that's all old hat. This week, Obama and his campaigners launched an application for iPhones that lets you "organise your personal contacts and ask them to 'get out and vote'."

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Supporters are also told they can call their friends - surely a staple of the iPhone?; make notes on which ones they have bothered with their tiresome reminders of the right to vote; and thanks to GPS, find their way to the nearest campaign office. 

Other features include up-to-date news, videos and photos. And yeah, lets mention it again. This is all done on the iPhone.

In a country, indeed century, not known for its high turnouts at elections any push here is to be applauded.  But an iPhone application?

This could be just the start of campaign teams adopting populist platforms to gather support, and perhaps the ideas will soon trickle through to UK party leaders. Will David Cameron throw his weight behind a Wii game in which points - or votes - are scored with the flick of a wrist? Will Gordon Brown marry and divorce Britney Spears? Will Nick Clegg fall out of a taxi with Amy Winehouse? 

Or will the entire democratic process be judged on juggling abilities, and decided on by Simon Cowell.

Time will tell.

Posted by Madeline Bennett on October 3, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)