Best Time To Go Pee During A Movie? There's An App For That.

Yes, there really is an app for just about everything. And RunPee is proof of that. The app, which is downloadable for the iPhone, Android and Windows phones, is pretty damn genius. Not only has Dan Florio come up with a wonderful idea for movie watchers with small bladders or enlarged prostates, but he has also created and implemented the app in such a way that it is truly helpful and more informative than one might think.  

Note: The logo, social media sites and website are in desperate need of a redesign, but I'm going to disregard that for now.



How Does It Work?
After carefully watching newly released and in-theater movies, RunPee determines the best "Pee Times," 3-4 minute windows during which nothing crucial, extra funny or visually fantastic is occurring, for a large database of commercially produced films.



You start a timer at the beginning of the movie and your phone will vibrate (no bothering fellow movie-goers) a few minutes before each Pee Time so you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the movie.



It offers "suggested Peetimes" - Not all peetimes are the same. Some are better than others. The apps have a short message before the peetimes informing you which one we would recommend using and which ones might be for emergency use only.



There's even a synopsis of what you might miss during a particular Pee Time (you can read that on the toilet):



Scanning the movies to find these times where you need not worry you wasted your hard-earned movie ticket money and you can slip right back into the movie, able to pick up where you left off without having missed anything major, is only part of the app.

Additional Features:


• Gives you a synopsis of the first 3 minutes of most movies just in case you’re running late.

• Check-in to social media sites Facebook and Twitter



• Lets you know if there is anything during or after the end credits that you should stick around for like bloopers, outtakes, epilogues or funny jokes. No more waiting 8-10 minutes for nothing. [Note: This is also very helpful for those movie theaters with crowded parking lots so you can just duck out the second the movie ends]



• Quick access to RottenTomatoes.com ratings as well as information about the cast and crew from IMDb.com



• Uses local storage to store movie data on your phone for use later when in case you are offline inside the theater.

• Sign up for an e-mail notification as to when a movie is released on DVD/Blue-Ray.



• Post movie reviews to Facebook from the app without the trouble of texting:



• View ratings/ reviews by other RunPee app users




The website RunPee is free to use, but the mobile app has certain advantages over the free web service, such as most of those listed above. The movie list on the free website only goes back 3 months but the mobile app let you view every movie in the database - covering nearly ever wide release movie since Summer of 2009.


above: Dan Florio, the brainchild behind RunPee, came up with the idea for the app while watching the 2005 three hour remake of King Kong.

In addition to the aforementioned, the Run Pee page on Facebook also gives you a peek at movie trailers for upcoming releases and reviews of new movies.

With the help of movie critic, Shanee Edwards, who now works for the folks at RunPee, they have access to movie screenings before a movie is released to the public, so that in most cases PeeTimes for a newly released movie are posted quickly.



The app is only .99 cents, which is a great bargain.

Download it here:

Sweet Co-Branding: Google and Nestlé Give Us The Android Kit Kat.

To mark the release of Android KitKat, the latest operating system from Google, more than 50 million specially branded KitKat bars shaped like the Android mascot, will be available in 19 countries including Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Dubai, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Kit Kat's own website has been redesigned as a parody of a tech site as part of the promotion:

The press release:
Sep 3, 2013 Google and Nestlé announce Android KitKat



Google has ended months of online speculation about the name of the latest version of its Android mobile operating system by revealing it will be called ‘Android KitKat’, after Nestlé’s popular chocolate and wafer confectionery.



The creators of the world’s most popular mobile platform have teamed up with the world’s biggest food and beverage company to name the next release of the platform ‘Android KitKat’.

Android KitKat 4.4 - The Future of Confectionary video:


SWEET THEMES
Android has been developed by the company’s engineers under sweet-themed names ever since the release of Android Cupcake in 2009 and continuing in alphabetical order until the most recent version, Android Jelly Bean.


above: The Android KitKat statue at Google's Mountain View campus along with others representing previous operating systems, such as Gingerbread, Jelly Bean, Ice Cream Sandwich and cupcake

The news that the letter ‘K’ will be dedicated to Nestlé’s KitKat will surprise most technology commentators, who had widely thought the latest version would be ‘Android Key Lime Pie’.

“We couldn’t imagine a better name for our Android K release than the tasty chocolate that’s been a favourite among the team since the early days of Android,” said Marc Vanlerberghe, Director of Android Marketing.

STRONG DIGITAL PRESENCE
“We’re excited to announce this partnership with Android, the world's most popular mobile platform, which will help us to enable even more KitKat fans to enjoy their break,” said Patrice Bula, Nestlé’s Head of Marketing.


above: A small number of Android robot-shaped KitKat bars will also be offered as prizes in addition to the 50 million created.

“KitKat is one of the world’s top ten fast-moving consumer goods brands in social media in terms of fan numbers and engagement,” he continued. “We continue to build on its strong digital presence with interactive, creative branding campaigns.”



To mark the release of Android KitKat, more than 50 million specially branded KitKat bars will be available in 19 countries including Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Dubai, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.


above: The Android KitKat robot arrives at Nestlé headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland.

The packs will lead consumers to the website android.com/kitkat where they will have the opportunity to win prizes including a limited number of Google Nexus 7 tablets, and credits to spend in Google Play, Google’s online store for apps, games, music, movies, books and more.

CLOSER TO CONSUMERS
Nestlé’s branding partnership with Google is the company’s latest move in its ambition to leverage digital technology and online content to get closer to its consumers to better understand and cater to their preferences.

Earlier this year, Nestlé acquired its first-ever piece of online content property, the Petfinder website in the United States. The online database, which links prospective adopters with adoptable pets, is visited by more than 100 million pet-lovers annually

all images courtesy of Nestlé and Google

Hot Design and Branding For A Cold Product: Batch Ice Cream

The Ice Creamists and Eyescream and Friends are only two of the newer ice cream companies to have unique and fun branding. Meet Boston's Batch Ice Cream.


above: Batch Ice Cream founders Veronica Janssens and Susie Parrish

Founded in 2009 and launched in 2010 by native Bostonian Susie Parrish and Netherlands-born Veronica Janssens, Batch Ice Cream is ice cream made completely from scratch, using only real ingredients. By “real”, they mean there’s nothing in there with a crazy name, like xanthan gum or carrageenan or even corn syrup. The two worked with many local and Fair Trade suppliers to find just the right ingredients for their natural, pure and unique flavors.




Now with seven delicious flavors and a mobile food truck, Batch Ice Cream has been receiving a lot of favorable press in the Boston area. Not yet available outside of New England, the simplicity and purity of the product is conveyed through their chalkboard-illustrated packaging and branding.

Packaging:




Mobile Truck:




Point of Purchase:


Info Cards:


Logo:


Website:
Their new website, created by the Boston office of Arnold Worldwide, utilizes the chalkboard typography and look in an easy-to-navigate, charming and informative fashion.

Below are examples of the website's design and interface:




Pints of Batch Ice Cream can be found in grocery stores and other shops throughout New England - look here for the list of shops that carry batch® -

Batch Ice Cream
images courtesy of Batch Ice Cream, The Boston Globe and The Dieline.

iPad Foosball. New Potato Tech Scores With This Fun Dock and App.

Classic foosball has been brought into the future with New Potato Tech's Classic Match Foosball for iPad accessory. Powered by the iPad, iPad 2 or iPad 3rd generation, you can work your pull, snake, bank and bread and butter shots, fake out your opponent and deliver the ball into the goal with a resounding "thunk", all on a table top foosball dock for your iPad. Just like real tournament tables, Classic Match Foosball brings the complete foosball experience to your iPad.



Complete with eight functional 2-axis control bars and real scoring markers at each end, this app enabled accessory immerses you in game play as good as a tournament grade table, allowing the most expert player to show off their well-oiled skills.

screen shots:






Gameplay features all the elements you can think of in a complete simulation, but unlike simple software-only foosball emulation apps, this accessory brings the real deal to your iPad with advanced peripheral-to-game dynamics for an incredible experience.



Just plug in your iPad, fire up the free Classic Match Foosball app, and start playing. All 8 of the 2-axis control bars will move your virtual players around the table, so up to four people can join in! And this ingenious dock even comes with little scoring markers at both ends.





The Lowdown
• Play classic foosball (table football) on your iPad
• 8 working 2-axis control bars with tactile elastomer handles
• Real scoring markers at each end of the table
• Removable legs for easy portability or storage
• 3D instant replay of every goal to recap the action
• Includes multiple Playfields and alternative foosman and layouts
• One, two, three, or four person play
• USB connector to charge and sync iPad while docked
• Classic Match Foosball application downloaded (FREE) from the iTunes App Store
• Powered by Apple 30 Pin Dock Connector

Gameplay Features
• Dazzlingly real foosball experience
• Classic foosball play fields and layouts
• Realistic game and crowd sounds
• Tournament Foosball rules
• Multiple layouts and play fields
• Customise your table and team colors and sponsors
• Unparalleled play and feel for iPad

Accessory Features
• Realistic foosball game table for your iPad
• Foos buttons on both sides to launch the ball into real play

System Requirements
• iPad, iPad 2nd Gen, iPad 3rd Gen running iOS 5.0 (or higher)



$99 USD, Buy Classic Match Foosball for the iPad here