You think Apple is going to take its fancy phone being relegated to the Island of Misfit Toys in a Verizon ad laying down? Nope. These two new iPhone ads seem to gun right at the big V.

[Engadget]

Sure, the Wii might actually have a shot at keeping awkward conversation to a minimum, but it faces the same problem that the Commodore 64 had when it reigned supreme: You’ll still probably be booted from the TV when the football starts.

Technologizer has collected 10 of the most disturbingly perky tech ads from the 1980s, and it’s a fun look at how far we’ve (sorta) come. [Technologizer]

When I think escalating mega mobile phone carrier ad war, I think actor Luke Wilson. Oh wait, no I don’t, and yet here he is, again, striking back on behalf of AT&T against Verizon Wireless.

Now, good on AT&T for fighting back with more ads and not more silly lawsuits and all, but the Verizon holiday ad lineup is pretty strong, and I don’t see many Verizon customers losing sleep over Luke Wilson covering a giant coverage map with post cards.

As tipster Eric notes, AT&T selectively does not mention Edge, 3G or voice/data distinctions in this commercial, opting instead for vague blanket statements like “AT&T covers 97 per cent of all Americans – that’s over 300 million people.”

Just as AT&T’s injunction for the Verizon “There’s a map for that” ads to be taken off-air was denied, the company’s own pugnacious messages started playing. I somehow doubt that these “Side by Side” commercials are gonna make Verizon cry.

US District Court Judge Timothy Batten Sr remarked that people might “misunderstand” the commercials, “but that doesn’t mean they’re misleading”. He continued to add that “most people who are watching TV are semi-catatonic” to begin with. Let’s hope his train of thought remains during the follow-up hearing on December 16, because the case is starting to lose any entertainment value. [AJC via Engadget]

[jenntotten via Geekologie]

When your lawsuits sound like press releases, it’s because they probably are (not that we care, the whole case is pretty entertaining). Check out this opening statement from Verizon:

AT&T did not file this lawsuit because Verizon’s “There’s A Map For That” advertisements are untrue; AT&T sued because Verizon’s ads are true and the truth hurts.

YA BURNT, AT&T! Verizon goes on to accuse AT&T of failing to adequately expand its 3G coverage to match demand for its smartphones, which is sort of a hard point for AT&T to argue. Verizon claims that its advertisements are “literally true” (instead of philosophically true? Metaphorically true? True in the sense in which it is used in animal husbandry, as in purebred? What?) and not misleading, and that AT&T has failed to provide customers with an accurate map of its coverage. It’s pretty great, really — if you’ve ever wished the American legal system was more like it is on Law and Order, this whole statement is a gift. [Engadget]

Keep it tasteless 1984. I’ve got no idea what fine publication this appeared in, but it looks like the sales came out of Mission, Kansas. And no, the 1800 number no longer works.

How much would this ultimate conversation piece have set you back? Just $US75, including shipping which takes 3-6 weeks. That’s an insane $US150 bucks today. I wonder how many they sold… [Paco Camino and LiveJournal via CopyRanter]

Here is a new ad currently running in England, featuring Kevin Spacey, In it, he uses the word “hurty” to sell Olympus Pen cameras. Still hurting from K-Pax, K-Space?

[Copyranter]

The latest object to shoot high-def video from the edge of space is… an armchair. To promote its REGZA SV LCD TVs (LED backlight, local dimming), Toshiba trekked into the Black Rock Desert with a helium balloon. This is the result.

This is the first part of the ad. The second half for their Satellite T Series ULV laptops will come out next year. [Toshiba UK via Engadget]

Facts about the shoot:

• The shots were taken at a staggering 98,268 feet above the earth using Toshiba’s own cameras
• To reach the altitude required and to conform with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the weight of the rig had to be carefully managed to a weight of no more than four pounds
• Tied to the rig was a specially created full-sized model chair made of biodegradable balsa wood – the chair was made by a company called Artem and cost about £2,500
• Launch coordinates of the rig were – 119 degrees, 14 minutes by 40 degrees, 48 minute (12 miles North-East of the town of Gerlach, Nevada)
• The quality of the footage from the Toshiba IK-HR1S cameras was: 1920×1080 pixel count; 1080i @ 50hz; 100 Mbps
• The temperature dropped to minus 90 degrees when the chair reached 52,037 feet
• The chair took 83 minutes to reach an altitude of 98,268 feet where it broke and took just 24 minutes to fall back down to earth with the rig.