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Cheil Welcomes New CEO
Well, it didn’t take long for Cheil USA to find a new CEO. Just a week after we reported that Dave Weaver called it quits at the agency, Cheil has gone ahead and hired Alex Van Gestel to take over as president/chief exec of of its U.S. network. Before joining Cheil, Van Gestel spent 18 months executive director of worldwide brands at Anomaly, working with clients including Converse, Diageo, Budweiser, P&G, PepsiCo and Sony in the process.
Prior to Anomaly, Van Gestel spent nearly four years as global brand director at Euro RSCG and had stints across the pond at the likes of JWT, Leo Burnett and M&C Saatchi.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
McDermott Leaving Dentsu
Sources close to the hip confirm that Brian McDermott, who was appointed as chief creative officer of Dentsu America last June, is leaving the agency. We haven’t been given a timetable for McDermott’s departure, but we’ve been told that the exec is moving out of the New York area. McDermott (pictured) was initially promoted to his CCO post a year ago after spending a year as managing director/ECD at McGarryBowen, which of course operates under the ever-growing Dentsu West umbrella.
Prior to his Dentsu relationship, McDermott worked as a creative director and GCD at Y&R and McCann Erickson, respectively. Spies allege that Dentsu is eyeing Paul Bernasconi, who sold his Oasis International Group to the Japan-based network over a decade ago, as McDermott’s successor. We’ve reached out to Dentsu to get some clarification on the matter. Stay tuned…
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Tuesday Morning Stir
-Digital agency network iCrossing opened up its 19th office across the pond in Manchester to service regional clients. This is the third U.K. office following London and Brighton.
-Mark Netter joined Santa Monica-based shop Blitz as VP of business development.
-Here are 10 ways people use Facebook to spy on others. link
-BBDO NY seems to be busy this week, this time creating an app for client Lowe’s. link
-B-Reel Films’ directors group The Colony launched its own VFX unit dubbed Afterparty.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
creativebitsorg: New StockLogos contest: Turnkey Suites - US$200 prize http://t.co/jr37kEiV
Daily Update for May 7, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.
You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.
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Daily Update for May 7, 2012 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 07 May 2012 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Daily iPhone App: Escape from Age of Monsters runs on
You may remember Age of Monsters -- it was a really simple game put together by developers working with artist Jeff Matsuda, featuring some really gnarly art and some rock/paper/scissors game mechanics. Now, Matsuda and his team have come back to iOS for a second title, this time called Escape from Age of Monsters. This game is based in the same world, and features the same wild art, but is a running game in the style of Canabalt rather than an RPS title.
It's still very simple, and that's almost too bad -- with art as colorful as what's used here, you almost expect a little more from the game mechanics. However, it's a quality running game with that same wild style: There are children running behind you that count as your "lives" in a morbid kind of way, and you are faced with red and blue walls that you have to punch through with certain colors to keep going. Get caught three times, and the game is over, with the goal being to run as far as possible before that. There are boss levels and powerups to find, too, if you get far enough.
If you like Matsuda's style, you'll love the art, and the music in the game isn't bad either. For 99 cents, it's worth a try, especially if you like the running game genre. I'm a little disappointed that Massive Joe Studios hasn't gone for more -- the gameplay on these two titles hasn't matched up to the quality of the art being used.
Daily iPhone App: Escape from Age of Monsters runs on originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 07 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
TUAW Bookshelf -- The Business of iPhone and iPad Development: Making and Marketing Apps
A recommendation by Chris Forsythe pointed me to Dave Wooldridge and Michael Schneider's book "The Business of iPhone and iPad Development: Making and Marketing Apps" (Apress, 2011).
A practical primer on creating your business plan, the book offers advice on topics diverse as protecting your intellectual property and why testing and usability is crucial for app success.
It's an easy read (admittedly a little choppy in the writing at times) but I found it full of valuable advice, especially for anyone who is thinking about entering the App Store ecosystem but hasn't jumped in yet.
You'll find coverage about competitive research and being realistic about what it takes to succeed in App Store. From pricing your app (free or not), monetizing free apps (iAds and other in-app opportunities), to Freemium models (leveraging in-app purchase), a large part of the book centers on understanding how to sell. A final series of chapters covers marketing issues, like creating pre-release buzz and press releases.
If I have any criticism, it's that the authors sometimes went a little too technical (there's actual code in the book and their intro recommends a programming background) for a general business text. The advice here is perfectly valid for people hiring tech personnel, not just one-man dev shops. There's also a bunch of lists that seem to be there to increase the page count rather than offer a practical value to the reader and the ebook table of contents was set up in an odd way (you have to click on page numbers, not section names). Those are minor quibbles.
I wish the authors had spent more time on the strength of the book (creating a business plan) and less on technical implementation details. That said, there's plenty of good, solid advice and you should not be scared away from purchasing this title if you're not a programmer.
[Full disclosure: Steve Sande and I are writing Pitch Perfect, which talks about how to pitch your app for reviews and has some (but not much) topic overlap with this book.]
TUAW Bookshelf -- The Business of iPhone and iPad Development: Making and Marketing Apps originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 07 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
5 Free Cardboard Brushes - Photoshop Brush Set
Amtrak conductors to "punch your ticket" using iPhones
Here's a modern twist on a time-honored tradition for train travelers. Since last fall, Amtrak has been training conductors to use an iOS device to scan passenger tickets on some selected routes, including Boston to Portland, Maine, and San Jose to Sacramento, California.
According to the New York Times, 1700 conductors will be using the new system -- which combines an iPhone with a custom hardware sled for receipt printing -- across the country by late summer. The Amtrak tool was developed in part by Seattle's Übermind agency, which was acquired by the consulting arm of Deloitte at the start of 2012.
Passengers will still be able to print their tickets, but alternatively they can show a 2D barcode on their mobile phone screens, eliminating paper completely. This is similar to Fandango's app for movies or air travel boarding pass apps.
This is a big switch from the classic hole puncher the trains have been using since, well, forever. Where I lived there weren't a lot of useful train routes the family could take, but I'm always reminded of that old chilling Twilight Zone episode where passenger James Daly gets on a train and heads to a simpler world when his ticket is punched for Willoughby. That episode kept me off trains for a long time. This new ticket tech might get me back on one.
Amtrak conductors to "punch your ticket" using iPhones originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 07 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
MobileMe customers get free 20 GB of iCloud storage until September
Last year, Apple announced that it's shutting down MobileMe at the end of June 2012. To ease the transition from MobileMe to iCloud, the company offered 20GB of free iCloud storage to all existing MobileMe users. This free storage expires June 30, 2012, but a change in Apple's website, noticed by Macotakara, suggests the company is extending this freebie until September 30, 2012.
Apple's FAQ page for the MobileMe transition was recently updated and now reads,
MobileMe members with 20GB of purchased storage receive a complimentary iCloud storage upgrade of 20GB, and accounts with additional purchased storage (40GB to 60GB) receive a complimentary upgrade of 50GB after moving to iCloud. These free upgrades are good through September 30th, 2012
When the free trial ends later this year, customers can pay to keep the 20 GB of storage or accept a downgrade to the free 5 GB iCloud storage plan.
[Via AppleInsider]
MobileMe customers get free 20 GB of iCloud storage until September originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 07 May 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iOS 5.1.1 update now available in iTunes and OTA
The latest point release of Apple's mobile OS hit today, with fixes for several issues on the iPhone and iPad. iOS 5.1.1 (about a 50MB download over the air, depending on your device) addresses the following issues:
- Improves reliability of using HRD option for photos taken using the Lock Screen shortcut
- Addresses bugs that could prevent the new iPad from switching between 2G and 3G wireless networks
- Fixes bugs that affected AirPlay video playback in some circumstances
- Improved reliability for syncing Safari bookmarks and Reading List
- Fixes an issue where 'Unable to purchase' alert could be displayed after successful purchase
The security fixes for this update are not yet listed, but when they are published you'll find them on Apple's security rundown page.
[hat tip to Ars Technica]
iOS 5.1.1 update now available in iTunes and OTA originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 07 May 2012 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Glif+: Even more iPhoneography love in the same small package
If there's one accessory that every iPhoneographer should have in his or her pocket, it's the Glif. You probably remember our previous coverage of this cool little gizmo -- it fits onto the side of an iPhone and has a standard tripod screw mount on the bottom. Now Studio Neat has made the Glif even spiffier with some new additions. The Glif+ (US$30) adds two pieces to the original Glif ($20) to make it even more useful.
What's new? Well, there were always two little problems with the original Glif -- first, it was easy to lose and second, if you put the iPhone and Glif into an odd position the phone could fall out. By adding the Serif and the Ligature to the Glif, Studio Neat solved both issues.
Gallery: Glif+ Tripod Mount for iPhone
The Serif is a tiny plastic piece that snaps onto the existing Glif and provides an "arm" that holds the iPhone into place, even when the Glif and iPhone are hanging upside-down. Of course, you can always use your Glif "sans Serif" in the traditional manner...
The Ligature is a tiny metal ring that screws into the bottom of the Glif, allowing you to attach your Glif to a key ring or hang it from a strap. This should be very useful for keeping the Glif close at hand for your iPhoneography needs.
If you already have a Glif, you can buy just the Serif and Ligature in a "+Pack" for $12. Oh, and one more thing -- the box that the Glif+ comes in? It can even be used as a tripod. Very clever, these Studio Neat guys.
[Thanks to Photojojo.com for providing a review unit]
Glif+: Even more iPhoneography love in the same small package originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 07 May 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Shadow Era getting physical cards to go with iOS game
I am a big fan of Shadow Era, a really solid World of Warcraft-style virtual collectible card game for iOS. It's been out for a little while, and with a few excellent updates and expansion packs released, there's a lot of game here to be had, starting at the low price of free. Now there's news that the game is about to get a lot less virtual: Shadow Era is releasing real, physical cards to play with.
It's a great deal, especially if you're a fan of the game. Wulven Game Studios has teamed up with cardmaker Cartamundi to make high-quality real cards to play with, and they're selling them in a Kickstarter-esque "crowdfunding" format, with multiple rewards levels to play at. Perhaps best of all, every penny you spend on the real cards will get matched with virtual currency in the game, so you're essentially getting both real and virtual cards for your money.
The cards themselves will debut at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH in the beginning of June, and the physical cards are expected to start shipping later this month. It's great to see a big iOS property like this get so popular that it's extending off into the real world in such a huge way.
Shadow Era getting physical cards to go with iOS game originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 07 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Harmon.ie brings SharePoint to iPad and iPhone
It's no secret that Apple's iPad is making great strides in the business market, with Apple CEO Tim Cook reporting during the Q2 2012 earnings call that about 94 percent of the Fortune 500 are either testing or deploying the iPad in business. Now harmon.ie is releasing social software to make Microsoft's SharePoint collaboration software usable on the iPad and iPhone.
harmon.ie's solution is HTML5-based, and makes it possible for business users to access SharePoint from the iPad or a desktop machine, with an identical user experience. It's a potentially huge market, with about 78 percent of corporate America using SharePoint.
As an example of how harmon.ie works, a user could create a PowerPoint presentation, copy it to SharePoint, and then send a link to co-workers via harmon.ie in Microsoft Outlook or IBM's Lotus Notes. Users in the worker's circle can then access the document on their iPads or iPhones.
The app is available in both a free "Lite" read-only version, as well as a US$19.99 full version that gives users the power to edit and collaborate on SharePoint-based content. harmon.ie plans to make an MDM version with higher security available later in this quarter.
Harmon.ie brings SharePoint to iPad and iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 07 May 2012 12:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Monday Odds and Ends
-After a review that involved eight agencies, Moet & Chandon USA has finally tapped brpr as its national digital AOR.
-Leo Burnett NY has teamed up with the Village Voice to expand the “New York Writes Itself” series. link; link
-Returning BBH NY creative Peter Rosch has written a novel. link
-The digital design tournament that is Cut & Paste has announced its London champs (recap above). link
-A Woodbridge, New Jersey agency called Sawtooth Group is moving to Red Bank. link
-SS+K and Bajibot teamed up to created a “PhotoBomb” Facebook app for Kraft’s MiO. link
-Meanwhile, Energy BBDO does its own Facebook work for SC Johnson’s OFF! link
-TBWA Worldwide’s chief communications guy Jeremy Miller has split for the EVP/chief communications officer gig at McCann Erickson NY.
-HUGE CEO Aaron Shapiro likes to “travel light.” link
-Wall Street is no fan, apparently, of Research in Motion. link
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Doing the Math: WWDC capacity
Flickr: mediafury
Apple says there are 248,000 registered iOS developers in the US alone on its job creation page. This number leaves out:
- Developers registered in other countries.
- Mac Developers who may not have iOS dev accounts.
- Development team members who use a single account.
Assume that represents just a conservative 20% undercount, that would put the number of devs world wide (as in "Apple World Wide Developer Relations") at 300,000 more or less.
Number of seats available at WWDC: 5000.
You do the math.
WWDC ticket holders are roughly speaking the 1%.
Doing the Math: WWDC capacity originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 07 May 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Passwords stored in plain text after Lion update
Legacy FileVault users (those who used FileVault before Lion) running a recently updated version of Mac OS X Lion should consider changing their login passwords. According to a report in ZDNet, an Apple programmer inadvertently left a debug flag in the latest 10.7.3 version of Mac OS X that turns on a system-wide debug log file. This log file stores the user's login passwords in plain text and is located in an unencrypted area.
Any user with admin or root access can read this file, grab the login credentials and access your encrypted data. If you use Time Machine to backup your system, this log file is also available from your archive.
This glitch affects users who enabled FileVault encryption, upgraded to Lion and kept folders encrypted using FileVault. FileVault 2 users are not affected by this bug. This glitch was first noticed by an Apple Support Community member who posted about the plain text passwords back in February.
Passwords stored in plain text after Lion update originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 07 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
How To Love Your Advertising Job… Again
So, you’ve been at your agency gig, what, a year now? If you already find yourself scrolling job boards for that cushy CD spot at a big firm, stop. In this economy, it might be best to get more creative about your job duties than search for supposedly greener pastures elsewhere.
Career and job strategist Kyra Mancine says you can make an old gig feel like new simply by making or enhancing personal connections at your company. “Instead of emailing a colleague, go up to him and express interest in what he’s working on,” Mancine said.
Consider joining group activities after work, as well. (The same old parties and happy hours you go to just for the swag don’t count.) “If your employer has a community service program, use that as an opportunity to do something good for someone else and get away from your workplace for a few hours a week,” said executive coach Cheryl Palmer. “This will take your mind off your own troubles and also lend a helping hand to someone else.”
Get more tips in 6 Ways To Love The Job You Have.
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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
