Microsoft launches Windows Phone ad blitz with Jessica Alba, Gwen Stefani

In an attempt to use the power of celebrity endorsements to promote the Windows Phone, Microsoft has rolled out new ads featuring prominent women.

Taking an aggressive approach with the promotion of the Windows Phone platform, Microsoft has launched two new advertisements starring actress Jessica Alba and No Doubt musician Gwen Stefani. Airing during primetime television tonight on commercial breaks within ABC’s Modern Family and NBC’s The Voice as well as late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live, the two advertisements highlight different ways that the Windows Phone platform has changed their daily life. The 33-second spot with Jessica Alba features the Nokia Lumia 920 and is co-branded with AT&T. However, the 32-second Gwen Stefani advertisement features the 8X by HTC and splashes the Verizon Wireless logo on the screen.

During the Jessica Alba spot, Microsoft is attempting to promote the use of the Kid’s Corner feature since young children like to play games on their parent’s smartphones. Similar to Netflix’s Just for Kids section, Kids Corner on the Windows Phone acts as a parental filter.

After Kid’s Corner is launched, it’s impossible for a child to access text messages, emails or other important areas of the phone without a password. In addition, parents can populate the Kids Corner with approved applications such as entertaining games, learning programs or other fun apps for young children. Kids can also listen to approved music through the Kids Corner interface as well as personalize the background. 

Alternatively, Microsoft is trying to highlight the usefulness of the Windows Phone platform for busy working women during the Gwen Stefani ad. Since early adopters of smartphones tend to be both men and women these days, Microsoft is clearly going after the female demographic for the opening round of Windows Phone ads. Ads featuring male celebrities are in the works though. According to Ad Age, two more advertisements will follow later in November featuring Saturday Night Live alum Andy Samberg as well as Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. 

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

JAYS of Sweden adds Scandinavian flavor to your headphones, we go ears-on

JAYS of Sweden brings a rare, but welcome Scandinavian approach to personal audio products. The Stockholm-based company offers headphones which along with being well-made, sport an affordable price.

Quite frankly, my only experience with Scandianavian-flavored headphones has been trying out Bang & Olufsen headphones in a store. The goodies from the Danish company are well known for their quality and design, but also come with hefty price tag. In the case of JAYS of Sweden, I got a chance to try out the a-JAYS One+ and the a-JAYS Four. Both headsets are priced slightly above the $50 range, which was enough to get me curious.

The a-JAYS Four earbuds are specifically designed to work with Apple products. Naturally, they do sport a three-button remote control and a built-in microphone for making phone calls.

The a-JAYS Four headphones offer one of the cleanest designs I have encountered. The headset is utilitarian all the way with no unnecessary distractions. A couple of contrasting JAYS signs grace the headset, which comes available in black or white.

a-JAYS Four live photos

Build quality is great. The headphones feature a 5mm wide tangle-free cable and an L-shaped connector, both of which are well made and ready to take plenty of abuse.

There are no complaints on the ergonomics’ side either. At 14 grams, the a-JAYS Four headphones are among the lightest I have used. The retail package includes five different sizes for the ear sleeves, so finding the right fit was not a problem.

And now the most important part – the sound. The a-JAYS Four feature 8.6mm speakers with frequency response ranging between 20 Hz and 21 000 Hz. Sensitivity and impedance are 96dB and 16 Ohms at 1kHz. The headphones produced fine sound with a well-balanced high and mid-range. Bass was good and punchy as well, but we’ve come to expect such a thing from much cheaper headphones.

The a-JAYS One+ on the other hand is an entry-level headset, compatible with any smartphone, sporting a 3.5mm jack. The headphones feature a single-button configuration to go with the built-in microphone.

Design and build quality of the a-JAYS One+ headphones are virtually identical to those of their a-JAYS Four siblings, save for the button configuration. The same goes for the ergonomics and weight – the a-JAYS One+ weigh 14 grams, too.

a-JAYS One+ live shots

In order to make up for the one-button configuration, the a-JAYS One+ headphones come with an optional application for Android smartphones. It allows you to apply custom controls to the music player through the headphones’ only button.

The dedicated Android app

Sound-wise, the a-JAYS One+ is slightly less capable than its Apple-loving sibling. The headphones pack practically the same size speaker, sensitivity and impedance. The frequency response range of 20 Hz – 18 000 Hz however is slightly more limited. The resulting sound is more bass oriented, compared to the one produced by the a-JAYS Four headset.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com