commercials

Inside the SpaceX Dragon capsule (panorama)

Get a feel for what it's like inside the Dragon capsule by panning around the panorama image below.

SpaceX CRS-2, loaded with more than 1,200 pounds of supplies, including science equipment and spare parts en route to the International Space Station, lifted off this morning aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 40 in Florida.

Just after the carrier rocket delivered the Dragon capsule into its target orbit, however, a problem arose. As the Solar Array was set to be deployed, which is necessary to provide enough energy to reach the ISS, a problem was … Read more

Audrey Hepburn shines again in new CGI ad

No one can play Audrey Hepburn as well as Audrey Hepburn.

Through the magic of computer-generated imagery, the Galaxy chocolate company -- known as Dove outside the U.K. and Ireland -- has brought the deceased movie star back to life for a lovely one-minute commercial by ad agency AMV BBDO and visual-effects company Framestore. … Read more

Dish declares the death of commercials -- in a commercial

Dish is taking its digital video recorder, the Hopper, national today, and it's doing it with an ad that declares the death of TV advertisements.

The campaign is just the latest salvo in a fight between Dish and the major broadcast networks, including CBS, the parent company of CNET. Dish and the broadcasters are tussling over the legality of the Hopper's automated ad-skipping technology, which the networks believe threaten a business model heavily dependent upon commercials for revenue.

Dish said it now offers the Hopper's service nationwide and to promote its news, the company has launched, ironically, … Read more

Twitter's Super Bowl touchdown

Monday's CNET Update ran out of dip:

Today's tech news roundup centers around the Super Bowl:

- Twitter tops in Super Bowl commercial mentions

- How Oreo's blackout tweet won the Super Bowl

- BlackBerry's marketing chief explains the Z10 Super Bowl commercial

- Helmet sensor warns of concussion risk via phone app

- Android malware uses your PC's own mic to record you

Watch CNET Update in the video above, or subscribe to the podcast via the links below.

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RSS (HD) | RSS (SD) | … Read more

Sustainable fishing 'SafetyNet' catches big prize

Imagine yourself as a little fish swimming far below the surface of the sea, just trying to make it in a big blue world. Suddenly, a horizon-encompassing net grabs you and takes you away from everything you once knew. Things go from bad to worse as the commercial fishing net rises and the pressure change kills you.

This fate, which often befalls millions of smaller non-target fish around the world every year, could change with the invention of the sustainable SafetyNet, which today was named winner of the prestigious 2012 James Dyson Award for design. … Read more

iPhone 5 gets soaked filming FlyBoard ad, survives

It's not often that the story behind the filming of a commercial is worth my time, but this spot for what's basically a levitating wakeboard filmed entirely on an iPhone 5 caught my attention.

According to Sparkhouse, the marketing geniuses behind the whole campaign, the ad for the FlyBoard from Fly Jet Sports was filmed entirely using an iPhone 5 coated in a water-resistant coating made by Liquipel.… Read more

iPhone 5 lines cropping up across country, overseas

Across the country and overseas, small groups of potential iPhone 5 buyers have begun to form lines outside of Apple Stores.

Employees at Apple Stores in Chicago; Palo Alto, Calif.; and Southlake, Texas; confirmed that people began waiting outside their stores starting today. People are also waiting for the iPhone 5 to go on sale in Sydney, Australia. According to MobilePhoneFinder.com.au, which helps users compare cell phone plans, one of the company's employees is first in line in Sydney. The company said that because of the time zones, its employee will be the first Apple customer in … Read more

Apple wins patent on audio, video ad skipper

Apple has won a rather interesting patent on a way to let consumers sidestep commercials.

Dubbed "Seamless switching between radio and local media," the patent describes a method for "seamlessly switching media playback between a media broadcast, such as a radio broadcast, and media from a local media library." That seamless switching occurs when the respective device "determines that an upcoming media item in a media broadcast is not of interest to a user."

AppleInsider was first to report on the patent.

Apple's patent could solve a problem many app users face today. … Read more

New Nexus 7 commercial taps into father-and-son relationships

Google has released a Nexus 7 commercial to keep its tablet's momentum going.

Dubbed "Camping," the one-minute commercial shows a father and his young son camping and exploring the woods. Throughout the commercial, the boy and his dad are seen using the Nexus 7 for a host of activities, including finding their way through the woods, searching locations in Google Maps, and playing games in their tent.

Google's Nexus 7 promotion comes at a time when the company's tablet is selling like gangbusters. The 16GB version of the 7-inch tablet is out of stock in the Google Play store. … Read more