Samsung may reveal “vibrant” new brand identity at CES 2013

Samsung is reported to be planning a complete brand overhaul for CES 2013, ably assisted by Brandstream and its CEO Scott Bedbury, who was responsible for turning Nike and Starbucks in global phenomenons.

Samsung is planning something special for CES 2013, and although we’re sure many new products will be among them, a rumored overhaul of the company’s branding may take center stage.

The news comes from a report published by Channel News in Australia, and quotes anonymous sources who say Samsung is almost ready to unveil a “more vibrant international brand image.” While the specifics aren’t discussed, the familiar blue Samsung oval will be replaced, and each part of Samsung’s business will get its own individual color that will be used in its advertising.

On the subject of advertising, this will shift from being based around features and benefits, to focus instead on “lifestyle activities.”

According to Channel News’ sources, the man at the helm of this ambitious project is Scott Bedbury, CEO of brand development consultancy Brandstream. This is a fascinating choice, and if anyone can enhance Samsung’s already well-established brand image, it’s Bedbury.

During his time at Nike in the late 80s and early 90s, he directed the launch of the Just Do It campaign, which you’re probably familiar with, and turned Nike around from being a youthful, aspirational American brand to being a global, all-inclusive fitness phenomenon. After Nike, he pushed Starbucks out into the world, and introduced the comfy chairs and CDs.

Since then, he has gone on to work with companies including Nokia, Facebook, Amazon, T-Mobile and Google.

Public perception problem?

A complete brand overhaul means Samsung may have taken recent comments regarding the way it’s perceived to heart. When a judge in the UK says your products aren’t as cool as Apple’s, it’s not only bound to smart, but also raise concerns about the opinion of the man on the street too.

The really interesting thing is, Bedbury isn’t a fan of “cool.” In an interview with FastCompany.com way (way) back in 2002, he warned companies “not to worship cool,” and called it a “false god.” He said (rather prophetically, as it turns out) that companies should “be more concerned with their karma than with being cool,” and closed with the thought that “big doesn’t have to be bad, that profits are only one measure of success, and that great brands can use their unique superhuman powers for good. Now that would be cool.”

An attitude like this makes a major Samsung brand identity alteration intriguing, as it could take a very different route not only to the one it has been on for a while, but the one Apple has chosen too.

Next year’s International Consumer Electronics Show begins on January 8 and ends on January 11.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Apple management shake-up – iOS software chief Forstall and retail boss Browett both given the boot

Apple announced some big changes at the top of the company on Monday, with long-time Apple employee and iOS software chief Scott Forstall and retail boss John Browett both removed from their positions.

Apple has kicked the week off with a major management shake-up, with iOS software chief Scott Forstall and retail boss John Browett both given the boot.

News of the departures was announced in a statement on Apple’s website on Monday. While Browett appears to have had his contract terminated with immediate effect, Forstall will stay on in an advisory role until 2013.

The precise reason for Forstall’s departure isn’t clear, though many will point to the disastrous rollout of Apple’s iOS 6 Maps app last month as a possible factor. But with Forstall an integral, long-established member of the Apple team – he joined the tech giant back in 1997 – it’s hard to believe he’d get dumped over one misstep.

The decision to end Browett’s tenure with the company, though somewhat surprising considering the Brit had only been in the job a matter of months, may be more clear cut.

Browett was recruited from British electronics retail chain Dixons in January and was Tim Cook’s first major hire after becoming CEO in 2011 following the death of Steve Jobs. “Our retail stores are all about customer service, and John shares that commitment like no one else we’ve met,” Cook said at the time.

John Browett

Having streamlined Dixons’ retail business and improved its financial position, he seemed to set about doing the same with Apple’s retail business, although by all accounts it was doing OK as things were. Reports of recent hires at Apple stores being axed and existing staff having their working hours reduced hit the headlines over the summer, creating confusion and resentment among the workforce.

A short time later, the tech firm admitted that the layoffs had been the wrong thing to do and started hiring new workers again. “Making these changes was a mistake and the changes are being reversed,” Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said in a statement, adding, “Our employees are our most important asset and the ones who provide the world-class service our customers deserve.”

However, it hasn’t been all bad for its retail workers under Browett’s tenure, with employees at the stores reportedly receiving pay rises of as much as 25 percent as well as being offered generous discounts on Apple products.

Cook will be assuming Browett’s responsibilities until a replacement is found, Apple said in Monday’s statement.

In other changes, Apple’s design guru Jony Ive is set to take on more responsibilities, as is senior vice president Bob Mansfield, senior vice president of Internet software Eddy Cue,  and vice president of Mac software engineering Craig Federighi.

UPDATE: A Wall Street Journal report late Monday suggests Forstall refused to sign the apology letter which Tim Cook issued in response to complaints about iOS Maps, which, if true, would certainly have strained the relationship between Cook and Forstall.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Head of iPhone and iPad Software, Scott Forstall, To Leave Apple

Scott Forstall at iPhone 5 launch (Credit: Joanna Stern / ABC News)

Silicon Valley isn’t letting Hurricane Sandy get in the way of big tech announcements today. On the heels of Google and Microsoft’s big product launches this afternoon, Apple has just announced a big executive shake-up.

Scott Forstall, the senior vice president of iOS (the software made for the iPhone and iPad), will be leaving the company next year. In his absence, Jony Ive, Apple’s lead hardware designer, will take over leadership and direction for, what Apple describes as, “Human Interface.”

“His incredible design aesthetic has been the driving force behind the look and feel of Apple’s products for more than a decade,” Apple said in its press release.

The reasons for Forstall’s departure are not given in Apple’s press release. However, Forstall has been responsible for Apple’s Maps and Siri features, both of which were criticized as half-baked at the time of launch. When iOS 6 and the iPhone 5 launched in September, Apple was knocked for its inaccurate Maps; CEO Tim Cook was forced to apologize to customers. According to Apple, Eddy Cue will now oversee Siri and Maps.

Industry analysts seem to agree that the Maps and Siri fiascos prompted the decision. “Apple Maps and Siri fell well short of both Apple and industry expectations. Since Forstall was in command, he was taken out,” Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, told ABC News.

Ryan Block, a long-time Apple watcher, echoed the same thoughts. ”Scott was also in charge of the new Maps product, one of Apple’s most visible (if not monumental) failures of a flagship product in quite some time. SOMEONE’s head was going to roll, it was just a matter of whose. (The last time Apple had something blow up this badly in its face — iPhone 4′s Antennagate — iPhone hardware executive Mark Papermaster was unceremoniously fired.),” Block wrote on gdgt.com.

Apple announced that head of retail John Browett is also leaving; the company will be looking for a replacement in the coming months.

Apple announced last week its new iPad Mini and that it had sold 27 million iPhones in the 4th quarter.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Here is the Halo 4 launch trailer

Microsoft and 343 Industries released the Halo 4 launch trailer today. It’s produced by David Fincher and directed by Tim Miller (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World).

The video features both live-action and CGI effects, just like previous Halo trailers. Enjoy!

Halo 4 will once again give us control over Master Chief and we’ll have to fight an ancient threat. The game launches on November 6 only on Xbox 360.

As every other year, the marketing campaign is huge and includes live-action mini-series called Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn. You can watch part one below and then make your way through the links for the next episodes.

The complete Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn series is also a part of the Halo 4 Limited Edition. You can learn everything there is to know on the official website.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

FTC Cracks Down on Fake Tech Support Firms

Credit: Peter Cade/Iconica/Getty Images

ABC News’ Scott Goldberg reports:

The Federal Trade Commission announced a worldwide crackdown on firms running bogus technical support scams that targeted  victims in the U.S. and five other countries.

“These scam artists we’re talking about today have taken ‘scareware’ to a new level,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, who estimates the schemes have cost consumers “tens of millions of dollars.”

The FTC said six operations based in India posed as legitimate computer companies, such as  Microsoft or Symantec, and  convinced people to use their credit cards to pay as much as $450  to fix problems that didn’t  even exist.

So-called representatives  from the phony companies used technology to disguise their phone numbers, making it look as if they were calling from the same countries as their victims, claiming to have found  viruses on the users’ home computers.  Leibowitz said the callers would point users to a standard Microsoft warning message and claim it was a virus posing a serious threat to their computers.

The FTC said  a trustworthy computer company would never “cold call” computer users, and anyone who receives  this type of call should hang up.

Although the exact number of victims stung by these scams is not yet known,  the FTC said it received 2,400 complaints from  the U.S. alone. The callers also targeted computer users in Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the U.K..

As part of the crackdown, Leibowitz said the FTC  got a federal restraining order that froze the assets of the six operations in India, and shut down the phone numbers that were used to make the calls.

 Leibowitz emphasized that the FTC was  not a law-enforcement agency and didn’tt have the power to make arrests.

For more information visit: www.onguardonline.gov.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

DT Daily: Curiosity fires up laser, SMS scam threatens iPhone

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August 20, 2012

• DT Daily Syndication

NASA's Curiosity rover fires its lasers, director Tony Scott commits suicide, a SMS scam hits the iPhone, Best Buy names a new CEO, and more.

Related Links:

• Mars Rover Opportunity Fires ChemCam Laser For First Time, Zaps ‘Coronation’ Martian Rock
• Official: British director Tony Scott dead after jumping from California bridge
• Apple: We can’t protect you from fake SMS messages, just use iMessage
• Best Buy Names Hospitality Executive as New Chief
• Sony Xperia SL
• StatCounter data shows Windows Phone overtaking Blackberry in US by November 2012
• CastleMiner Z becomes fastest selling Xbox LIVE Indie game

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Movie director Tony Scott jumps to death from California bridge

Movie director Tony Scott died Sunday after jumping from a bridge in Los Angeles. A suicide note has reportedly been found at his office.

Tony Scott, director of hits such as Top Gun, Days of Thunder and Crimson Tide, has died after jumping from a bridge in Los Angeles.

According to Lt Joe Bale of the LA coroner’s office, 68-year-old Scott was seen by several witnesses parking his car on the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro around lunchtime Sunday shortly before jumping into the water. His body was recovered around three hours later.

Early reports suggested a suicide note had been found inside his car, but it now appears the note was instead discovered in his office.

The British-born director, brother of Ridley Scott, had been working in Hollywood since the early 1980s after beginning his career directing commercials. His filmography includes blockbusters such as Beverly Hills Cop II, True Romance, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 and, most recently, Unstoppable. At the time of his death, he was as busy as ever, prepping Top Gun II as well as a number of other movies and TV productions.

Speaking to BBC radio shortly after Sunday’s news broke, Steven Gaydos, executive editor of entertainment magazine Variety, said he felt “extremely shocked” by Scott’s death, calling him “one of the most popular, successful, stylish, creative filmmakers in Hollywood over the last 30 years.”

[Image: Featureflash / Shutterstock]

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com