medialets

The 404 446: Where Rana helps us take back what's rightfully ours

404 dear friend and marketing expert Rana Sobhany is back on The 404 Podcast today in lieu of Jeff who is taking a day off from his hard video game reviewing work. Rana always brings us something when she comes on the show, last time she brought cupcakes, so we definitely owe her a batch; however, this time she brings us exciting news that she's currently unemployed! Hooray! After building Medialets up into the iPhone powerhouse that it is today, Rana's ready to jump into a new project, but not before taking a bit of a break and focusing more on brand consulting. So congrats to Rana on her new horizons!

Of course, with Jeff away the show is left in the hands of the very capable Wilson G. Tang, who handles the board with the finesse and delicacy of a heavyweight-class UFC fighter. The first story on today's rundown is about Pepsi's controversial new app that supposedly helps men "score" with women by offering dozens of stereotypes with targeted pickup lines, talking points, and a scoreboard to "keep track of their conquests." Since we just so happen to have a stunning female in the room with us today, we have to try out a few pick up lines...and you can see where this is going.

Rana also brings us news about Twitter-branded wine! That's right, the popular social networking site has partnered with San Francisco-based winery Crushpad that lets users select a wine (only pinot noir and chardonnay for now) and even customize the label on the bottle! I wonder how The 404's own wine would taste...I'm thinking very bitter with an awful aftertaste.

Also, a big thanks goes out to Tony and Ashton from Lacey, Washington who called in this week to tell us that their entire second period Science class listens to The 404 together! Although we never considered The 404 to have any parochial merit, one thing is for sure: you have the coolest science teacher ever! I never had any high school teachers that let us listen to podcasts during class time...speaking of which, get to work! Study hard, and one day you can invite us as guests on your podcast! Speaking of which, we want the whole class and your teacher to call and leave us a voice mail, 1-866-404-CNET!

Have a great Thursday, everyone!

EPISODE 446 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 422: Where Rana Sobhany is the frosting on The 404 cupcake

Who cares about Apple's little iPod refresh yesterday--it's Rana Sobhany's birthday!! We were already excited to have Rana on the show today, but we had no idea that she'd be bringing treats. Turns out that Ms. Sobhany has been indulging her foodie side recently and baked us CUPCAKES to celebrate! Since we always strive to be perfect gentlemen on the show, we don't pry too much into how many birthdays she's celebrated so far, so I think it's safe to assume that Rana has spent a cool 19 years on this Earth.

We all get a little nervous when Rana quiets us down for some real talk, and lo and behold, she calls me out big time on my Valentine's Day fumble. Be sure to watch the video show to see how I make it up to her on the air.

On the second half of the show, Rana shows us a really cool iPhone app called Sonifi. Created by electro artist BT, the sensory application lets users physically manipulate the artist's work, essentially performing a live remix! Rana demos the app for us and soon the studio transforms into a big birthday rave.

Also, a big thanks goes out to Joshua Chu for Photoshopping us into a scene from "Futurama!" We can't believe you don't do this for a living, Josh. I think our favorite little Easter egg is the Apple logo on Wilson's case. Great work, dude!

Leave us a voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET or e-mail the404(at)cnet(dot)com and let us know what you think of the show! Also, be sure to wish Rana a very happy birthday!

EPISODE 422 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 279: Where Jason is Rana's bloody Valentine

It's Friday the 13th today, and just one day left before Valentine's Day, so we beg 404 resident hottie biscotti Rana Showbunny of Medialets into the studio to help Jeff decide what to get his girlfriend for the holiday. Her answer is definitely the opposite from what we thought! Meanwhile, I think all hope is lost for Wilson and me...I can't speak for him, but I know that by this time tomorrow I'll be curled up in the fetal position with a Snuggie watching A Walk to Remember and polishing off a Dumpster's worth … Read more

The 404 193: Where we prune the hedges of many small villages

Rana Sobhany of Medialets joins the show today for a riveting discussion of Sarah Palin centerfolds, Disney attack dogs, push up jocks and why women love Shia LeBeouf. Also, the death knells of Muxtape give way to a new music site, the future of IP addresses and, of course, your weekend box office. And yes, Sen. McCain apologized for missing the show yesterday, he was in a serious make-up session before the big debate. Wouldn't want to look too much like Emperor Palpatine, now would we?

Dan the Mantern here. My favorite story of the day, besides Justin's report on his first ever hockey game last night, concerns a mysterious package of hot dogs. Apparently, a package wrapped in duct tape was located outside Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Police evacuated the stadium and, even after discovering the innocuous contents of the package, decided to detonate those red hots. A mist of charred beef smell immediately shrouded the city. Really? You're gonna waste a bomb on a pack of hot dogs? Couldn't they have just called in champion hot dog eater Takeru Kobayashi, he can swallow like 20 dogs every ten seconds. Even better, they could have airlifted a local Boy Scout troop to the scene for a good ol' fashioned weenie roast.

EPISODE 193 Download today's podcast … Read more

The 404 141: Where this aggression will not stand, man

We have a winner! After poring over a ton of submissions, Natali chooses a winner to attend a non-date with her tonight to see an exclusive screening of The Dark Knight on the IMAX screen. Here's the haiku that took the prize, courtesy of Kin::

What do I want more? Natali or the Dark Knight? Movie first, then her...

Scallyyyyyy! Congratulations Kin, we've sent you an e-mail with instructions on how to pick up your tickets.

Our favorite guest ghost Rana Sobhany joins us again and brings her friend Alex Cone, who dishes the dirt on the Apple … Read more

The 404 138: Where the show is now called The 202

Today's show starts off a bit rough. Wilson's still gone and our guests Rana Sobhany and Eric Litman are nowhere to be found, so it's the Jeff and Justin show for the first half. We do our normal thing and chat about old people getting it on until BAM! Rana and Eric arrive and all is well again. They give us the scoop on their newest business venture, Medialets, and we also discuss the YouTube versus Viacom lawsuit. Thanks for coming on the show, guys! Episode 138 Download today's podcast