The Pomegranate Phone: Dialing Up Interest In Nova Scotia

Introducing the Pomegranate Phone: A mobile phone, mp3 player, gps system, internet, global voice translator, camera, video player, movie projector, coffee brewer, razor and harmonica in one!



Okay, before you get too excited and start scouring the net for release dates, tech specs and availability, it's not an actual product but an ad campaign ruse launched on October 1st, 2007.

A well-produced false product introduction complete with hilarious video vignettes by Journeyman Films, tech specs, accessories and more, this micro site is a wily subterfuge to introduce you to Nova Scotia's Come To Life tourism campaign, positioning the province as the venue that has a lot to offer.





The micro site is impressively designed and filled with all the demos and charts you'd expect from an actual tech product introduction. Even the voice over and music (by Windom Earle) are great.




However, marketing critics are calling the campaign a bust. (Update: this post has consistently been the most widely read and searched for post on my blog since this campaign broke and still is one full year later - editor)

Jeff White of Brightwhite says:

"Viral marketing is great, but the fact that Nova Scotia taxpayers have spent $300,000 to foot the bill for this campaign is a shame. Next to no one will have any idea that this even is a site about Nova Scotia. And those that do find this more or less hidden link feel cheated.
 

So, even though lots of people will forward the site to their friends, very few will get to the true nature of what it's trying to say and that makes this a very expensive experiment. You only need to read what people are saying on Twitter to see that the general opinion is that this campaign bombs."

It's even been deemed the Pombomb by tweeters.


Nevertheless, I applaud Novia Scotia for trying something bold and new and without all the actual media placement info, et cetera, I, personally, will refrain from hypothesizing about why it may or may not have succeeded. Besides, it's too soon to tell and I have yet to locate actual stats as far as visitors, etc.

But I will show you some screen grabs, because whether or not the site is driving interest in Nova Scotia, it deserves kudos for imaginative thinking, clever copy, nice design and wonderful videos.

As a coffee maker:




As a razor or shaver:


As a movie projector:

As a voice translator:

As a harmonica:


They even included faux 'goodies' such as a a lucite holder, speaker system and t-shirts:




If you don't respect it as an attempt to be a 'viral' campaign (which, by the way, is not something you can set out to do, but instead a campaign may become 'viral' if one is lucky), at least take a look at it for entertainment.

credits: The campaign was produced by Bristol Group, Egg Films/Hatch, and Breathe Media.

* Art Director: Dan Couto
* Copy writer/creative director: Albert Ianni
* Production Manager: Collette Snow
* Designers: Andrew Grantham, Michael Gatto
* Internal Programmer: Melissa Castle
* External programmers/designers: Breathe Media
* Production/Post: Egg Films/Hatch Post
* Actors/Models: Christopher Killam, Lita Lewellen, John Beale, Laura Bleasdale, Andrea Wilson, Pasha, and others

Special thanks to Alex Asher Sears!

The Pomegrante Phone

If you are a fan of clever 'misdirects', you'll love the TATTOO YOUR HEART site for the launch of Vikunja. See that here.

Wakamaru: Mistubishi's Personal Robot, No Longer Personal, But Still 'Alive'

Let me start out this post by letting you know that this 'personal' home robot by Mitsubishi, which initially listed at $8,500.00 USD when introduced to the market in 2005, is no longer available for purchase. When he first came out, there was a lot of news about him and I wondered what had happened to Wakamaru?

Apparently he got a job as a salesman at the New York Soho Uniqlo store!

Yep, I saw on Engadget that he's now being used in the SOHO Uniqlo store as a salesman (salesrobot?) of sorts.


Read the story about that here.

Back to our little "Wakamaru". He was created by the development staff at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., incorporating advanced robot technology and designed by Toshiyuki Kita. "Wakamaru" was created to communicate with people and all of his features were developed to enable such communication.



"Wakamaru" is not a home electric appliance you just turn on when you want to use it. Nor is it a robot that will activate after receiving a command. Rather, it remains active without the assistance of humans as long as it is powered on. "Wakamaru" has its own rhythm of life and moves around autonomously. It will want to be near people in movement, stay active throughout the day by charging itself, and rest up at the charging station at night.



"Wakamaru's" rhythm of life may be left autonomous or set to a pre-determined schedule.
He can recognize the faces of people that have been recorded, respond when spoken to, meet a person's gaze, offer up subjects of conversation, etc., all to ensure naturally rich communication. As "wakamaru" freely moves about a predetermined area and decides for itself when to recharge, its movement require no human assistance.



How does he work?

"Wakamaru" may operate continuously as long as it is powered on. The owner may set a time at which "wakamaru" will become active in the morning, or stop at night.
"Wakamaru's" daily activities may be set by day of the week.
The following four modes of activity may be selected:
1) Stay at charging station.
2) Stay near office.
3) Circulate around designed area.
4) Sleep at charging station.
"Wakamaru" will recharge or move as necessary when in modes 1) - 3) , When in mode 4), It will be inactive unless instructed for activity. During the night, he will remain at the charging station as per mode 4).





Eyes
"Wakamaru's" eyes are not only necessary from a technological viewpoint, but their size and shape were created to take on and express emotions. This is intrinsically connected to "wakamaru's" personality. Wide eyes express understanding when being spoken to, indicating that reliable communication is established. Eye expressions have been choreographed to create a partner of credible intelligence.



Mouth
The mouth may take on a slight smile or even express an air of melancholy. As with the eyes, the mouth will change depending on the emotions of the person with whom the robot has contact. This robot actually assumes a role when "living with humans."





Eyebrows
Although the eyebrows were designed to serve a functional necessity, their position and shape ended up giving rise to "wakamaru's" character. In fact, the name "wakamaru" came from the resemblance to 12th century warrior Ushiwakamaru's eyebrows. As with Ushiwakamaru, who grew up to be the famous Yoshitsune, we can expect growth and development in the future.



So, if you really want to meet Wakamaru, I guess you'd better go mosey over to the Uniqlo store in Soho and ask him to help you out.


Above: designer Toshiyuki Kita

By the way, if you really want your own personal robot, Gecko Systems just announced the release of their latest, the CareBot MSR 3.8 Read the press release here

Tomorrow's Transportation Today: The Uno by Ben Gulak

It has zero emissions, a simple on off switch, one wheel (okay, two wheels but they are really close together) and killer looks. And, it was invented by an 18 year old from Ontario.


The Uno by Ben Gulak. Tomorrow's Transportation Today.
Cost to Develop: $45,000
Time: 2 years



The inspiration for the cycle came when 18 year old Ben Gulak visited China in 2006 and was amazed at the overwhelming pollution that completely blocked the view of the surrounding country as his airplane came in for landing. He realized that much of that smog was coming from the thousands of motor scooters whizzing through the streets and figured that there had to be a better way.


Above: Ben Gulak, an incoming member of the MIT Class of 2012, rides the 'Uno'--a scooter-like vehicle he invented that was named the top invention of the year by Popular Science. Photo courtesy / Glenn Roberts, Motorcycle Mojo Magazine

The design he came up with has two wheels mounted side by side, very close together, and powered by electric motors. A computerized control system keeps the vehicle balanced, in a system similar to the Segway personal transporter. But unlike that vehicle, which is ridden in a standing position and is not considered a street vehicle, Gulak's "Uno" is ridden like a motorcycle and designed for ordinary roads.




Operating the Uno is so simple that it requires no controls at all. There is only an on-off switch. Once it's on, the driver accelerates by leaning forward, stops by leaning back, and steers by leaning to the side. By sitting upright, the driver can balance in one spot.




Above: inventor Ben Gulak with his Uno.

Gulak put off college for a year (now 19, he enrolls at MIT this fall) and began building the Uno at a motorcycle shop outside Toronto. He modified the frame from a Yamaha R1, which is wider than most motorcycles, so it can house the side-by-side wheels.


Above: Ben Gulak sits on his self-balancing electric “unicycle” in its early stages outside his home near Toronto. Photo by John B. Carnett

But he quickly realized that he was out of his depth in the electronics department: He would ride the Uno for a few seconds, and the circuitry would catch fire. So he contacted Trevor Blackwell, a robotics engineer who specializes in self-balancing software. With Blackwell’s help, Gulak equipped the Uno with a gyroscope and a control system that both keeps the rider balanced over the tires and manages the suspension.

The Uno’s two wheelchair motors should, theoretically, give it a top speed of 40 mph, but for safety’s sake, Gulak hasn’t taken it above 15 mph yet. “The only way to figure out if an alteration works is to jump on and ride the thing,” he says. “I’m pretty sure I chipped my kneecap in one crash.”

Gulak’s next task is reworking the suspension to handle more drastic leans, but he says he may need some help writing the code that keeps the Uno balanced at faster speeds. “The fundamental tech is figured out,” he says. “It just needs the right people to tweak it.”



Above: testing out the cool new green transportation


above: Inventor Ben Gulak, of Milton, Ontario

Thanks to Popular Science, Motorcycle Mojo magazine and MIT news for images and info

Want to invest in it?
Contact info:
BPG-Technologies
ben.gulak@hotmail.com
Phone - 416 727 4794