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Saturday, October 25, 2008

What is Pepsi thinking?

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheDieline/~3/430862354/what-is-pepsi-t.html

Pepsi has announced that they are undergoing a drastic relaunching of their branding and packaging to bring "new life" to their flagship brands. The most dramatic element is a redesign of the Pepsi Globe logo, which for some reason is now supposed to represent a smile.

"Pepsi's Chief Marketing Officer Dave Burwick set the tone for the change at a meeting of Pepsi bottlers when he said "If we don't change quickly, we run the risk of being a footnote to history," according to Beverage Digest.

PepsiCo Chief Executive Officer Indra Nooyi told BD she didn't expect the changes to immediately stop the decline of Pepsi CSDs in the face of a difficult economy, but she expects the initiative to slow the decline until it eventually flattens out.

BD also reported that the changes generally excited bottlers, and that Frank Cooper, vice president of sparkling brands, promised to help bottlers convert their fleet to display the new Pepsi Imagery, which is due to hit the market late this year or in early 2009." via BevNet

What are they thinking? Seriously, this is a big step backwards in my opinion. With the change to the classic Pepsi globle logo, it looks like a cheap knockoff brand. I don't get it, just how is this supposed to increase or even sustain sales in a dwindling economy? Your thoughts?

Tesla's 4-door, all-electric Model S sports sedan gets pictured

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/431358960/

Filed under: Transportation

We knew good and well it was on the way, but now we're bubbling over with excitement. The forthcoming Model S -- an all-electric, five passenger sports sedan that will ride on a platform developed entirely by Tesla -- has apparently been revealed. Of course, there's still a real possibility that the image you're drooling on above isn't a finalized look, but Road & Track has a pretty good record to fall back on. We're also hearing that the 2010-bound whip will get around 240 miles per charge while still doing the zero to sixty in under six ticks, and the $60,000 base price just makes it all the more appealing. For those with a thing for rear bumpers, check out Autoblog's link below for a sneak peek of the fanny.

Read - Road & Track writeup
Read - Sneak peek of the rear

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Dell preloading music mixes, CinemaNow movies, world again asks "Why?"

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/431431585/

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

When Dell started pre-loading digital copies of Iron Man in new systems for $19, we didn't think that was very enticing, but at least it was a pretty good movie, right? Quite possibly encouraged by thousands of accidental purchases (we kid, sort of), Dell's announced two new content pre-loading partnerships -- Universal Music Group and CinemaNow. The music comes in 50 and 100 song bundles starting at $25, but at least it's DRM-free, so if you don't mind a mega mix chosen entirely by Dell it's not all evil. CinemaNow, though, offers $25 and up bundles including (among other flicks) world-renown classics like The Fast and the Furious and the Matrix sequels. Fear.

Read - Universal Music Group
Read - CinemaNow

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Friday, October 24, 2008

Use the T-Mobile G1 Without Activating It [T-mobile G1]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/430782975/use-the-t+mobile-g1-without-activating-it

If you don't wanna spring for the two-year contract or wait out the 90 days 'til T-Mobile will unlock the G1 for you, getting it going without actually activating it is remarkably easy. Just snag an active T-Mobile SIM card from a friend (or foe), pop it in to get through the setup process, and after enabling Wi-Fi, you can drop it like it's hot. 'Course, it won't make any phone calls, but that's not why you wanted a G1 anyway, right? [Love for Biz via Ubergizmo]

DARPA's Acoustic Coagulation Cuff Stops Internal Bleeding with Sound Waves [Medical]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/430871562/darpas-acoustic-coagulation-cuff-stops-internal-bleeding-with-sound-waves

Internal bleeding is bad, bad news, especially if you're on the battlefield and far away from a hospital. That's why the military is very interested in any technology that can help stop internal bleeding that can be applied by people other than doctors. And they may have come upon a pretty amazing solution: an ultrasound cuff that uses sound waves to stop internal bleeding. Amazing.

DARPA is working on what they've dubbed the Deep Bleeder Acoustic Coagulation Cuff (DBAC). It's a "semi-automated, ultrasound device designed to cut blood loss and shock resulting from combat limb injuries, one that can be operated by any GI with minimal training." Since an injured soldier can lose up to 25% of their blood volume while waiting to be transported, it would be hugely helpful to be able to stop that bleeding and stabilize them before being treated in a hospital.

By focusing a high-powered ultrasound beam at the bleeding area, the cuff can coagulate the blood and stem the bleeding quickly. They're hoping to have a prototype ready within 18 months. [CNET]