Filed under: Competitive strategy, Google (GOOG), Marketing and advertising, Next big thing, ValueClick Inc (VCLK), Technology

I was doing some research work and surfing on the great tech blog, TechCrunch, when an article caught my eye. (Actually, I use techmeme to search for important tech stories and came across the aforementioned article — but, that’s not important right now.)

The article was about a $20 million infusion by the Carlyle Group and H.I.G. Ventures in a Southern California-based company named REVShare. Your friend and mine, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), has made a push into Cost-Per-Action (CPA) advertising. CPA advertising is the holy grail for advertisers, because the advertiser only pays when an action he defines (like purchasing a product) occurs. This has long been a mainstay of internet advertising, as it’s relatively easy to gauge such metrics. Commission Junction, part of ValueClick, (NASDAQ: VCLK) has been making a living at this for a long time (in relative web years). Television, on the other hand, has always been a slippery bugger.

Until REVShare. According to Tech Crunch, REVShare “…manages those ads that urge viewers to call a 1-800 number or go to a website. The company has relationships with 1,500 TV stations (most of these tend to be local, infomercial-style ads).” The rest is metrics — providing the advertisers with enough info to match what they’re willing to spend on a new sale with the cost of advertising.

Very interesting stuff. As Google has made its mark into newspaper, radio, and even in-game advertising, maybe REVShare and television advertising is next on the horizon.

Zack Miller is the managing editor of IsraelNewsletter.com and a former equity analyst for a leading multinational hedge fund. The author holds a long-term position in GOOG.

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Filed under: Competitive strategy, Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT)

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) have been working on online storage services for what seems like forever. Microsoft’s Live SkyDrive is still in beta (pre-release) but is functional. But there are quite a few gyrations just to log in to the service and access it (like many Microsoft services). Google’s famed vaporware “GDrive” product has not made it to the public yet, leading many to believe if a product even exists.

Google’s Gmail and Picasa products provide a good amount of storage, but the primary function of both services is not standalone online storage. Box.net, a small startup that is dedicated to online storage (and lots of it) is set to outpace innovation by these much larger rivals.

Additionally, it has some killer features, such as OpenBox Services — this allows online applications to be accessible anywhere a web browser exists, much like Google Docs & Spreadsheets. However, there are applications from many vendors available, not just simplified online tools like Google currently provides.

Is that a huge value add? You bet. After having checked it out, I’m amazed that Google or Microsoft have not gotten there first. Startups are where magic happens in many cases, and this begs a question about Box.net: when will Google acquire it? I doubt Microsoft wants to acquire a software-as-a-service company that runs applications from multiple vendors over a web browser, but I could be wrong. Google has built an amazing business around software-as-a-service (at least from my perspective), and a move into further competition with Microsoft’s Office software franchise would seem appropriate.

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Filed under: Good news, Google (GOOG), Private equity, Next big thing, Entrepreneurs, Technology

It seems that Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is not only interested in conquering virtual space but outer space as well. Through the ever expanding horizons of billionaire Google co-founder Sergei Brin, Google has created together with the X PRIZE Foundation the Google Lunar X PRIZE. Like so many Google activities, this is a very long-term enterprise.

Our architecture practice has done work for the aerospace industry, including the structural test lab for the space shuttle and other unique projects. This created the impetus for our involvement with numerous interesting organizations, one of which is the X-Prize Foundation. It and the Ansari Family Foundation were instrumental in the promotion through a $10 million prize to privately fund sub-orbital travel.

We had the spectacular privilege of being present at both launches of Space Ship One from the Mojave Spaceport (thanks JSS) near Edwards Air Force Base that managed to put a manned vehicle outside the atmosphere for a duration of 60 seconds twice in a ten-day period. Space Ship One, the winning entry, was designed and built by Burt Rutan, supported by funding from Paul Allen.

While Burt Rutan is working on Space Ship Two in partnership with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, another challenging project with a new mission is starting up. The Google Lunar X PRIZE has offered $30 million to the first private enterprise team to achieve the soft-landing of a robotic craft on the moon and start roving on the surface. This mission has never been done without government support.

The following just arrived in my “in-basket”:

• The first official team has completed registration for the Google Lunar X PRIZE. Odyssey Moon, from the Isle of Man, announced its contention for the prize on December 6th at the Space Investment Summit in San Jose, CA. The brainchild of Robert Richards, one of the founders of the International Space University, Odyssey Moon views the Google Lunar X PRIZE as a short term goal. Long term, they will work toward lowering the cost of going to the moon by an order of magnitude and eventually to the peaceful development of the moon. In all, the Google Lunar X PRIZE has received 350 requests for information from more than 40 countries, 11 of which have started or completed letters of intent.

The United States economy has long depended on being at the forefront of the latest technologies. Although there will be entries from all over the world in this competition, the focus is here in the U.S. and Google in concert with the X PRIZE Foundation is helping to reinforce that goal. It just needs to continue to stimulate larger numbers of students to pursue engineering and science careers, so that we can continue to maintain our (eroding) edge. This will also be a major challenge.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the principal for design and research at an architecture & planning firm.

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Filed under: Products and services, Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Marketing and advertising

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) says it has launched mobile advertising on its MSN Mobile portal optimized for viewing on smartphone and cellphone screens. It’s about time — mobile advertising, as many industry pundits has said for years, is the next frontier of online advertising. Competitor Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is right there as well, and company CEO Eric Schmidt never misses a chance to say how important mobile web access is to global internet users.

MSN Mobile will now feature miniature banner ads suited specifically for each web browser type and screen size resolution based on the type of device each mobile customer uses to visit MSN Mobile. Microsoft services like Hotmail, MSN Messenger, Live Search and others are all available on the portal. The question is whether customers will use them in increasing fashion. When it comes to mobile web access, Microsoft definitely does not enjoy the monopoly it holds with its desktop software and operating system presence.

But there is more — MSN Mobile allows movie ticket purchasing, and the downloading of background images and ringtones for any customer who visits. With ad backers Bank of America, Paramount Pictures, and Jaguar, MSN Mobile has some decent partners lined up to begin with. That, of course, does not guarantee success. Google’s mobile ad efforts are proceeding along at lightning speed too.

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Filed under: Videos and Screenshots, Galleries

We’ve got our hands on several new screenshots of Soul Calibur IV in action. In this entry, you’ll see some girl on monster action as well as some manly girl on girly man action. Intrigued? We think we are, too. This is always one of the most enjoyable fighting franchises out there (right next to Guilty Gear, of course…) and these screens show that in addition to the fantastic gameplay we’ve grown to love, we’ll also have to make sure we remind ourselves that it’s just a game and by drooling and ogling we’ve become something marginally less than human. Enjoy!

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Filed under: Hands-on

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is now available in Japan. However, US drivers will be able to get behind the wheel at the beginning of next year. The game, which will be available as a retail Blu-ray disc and as a downloadable title, is shaping up to be one of the best looking games ever made. Running at 60fps at 1080p, Prologue sports an incredible amount of detail. The cars are undeniably beautiful, but what really steals the show are the incredibly meticulously crafted car interiors. Not only do they look realistic, but the displays on the dashboard will accurately represent information to the player. Rear view and side view mirrors offer graphics just as detailed as the main game. We’re sure that with Logitech’s steering wheel installed, this will be the closest representation of real-life driving ever created in a video game.

We were surprised to see the wide variety of car models and colors offered. Prologue may be a “taste” of the final GT5 (whenever it’s done), but this sampling feels just as realized as full retail game. We’ll have to spend more time with the final code, however, to make any final judgments.

In addition to racing, Prologue offers an early version of GTTV, a VOD feature that grants access to the world’s most prestigous car-related programming. Thanks to Sony’s efforts, US owners will be able to watch programming that was once available exclusively in other territories. Esteeemed shows from both Japan and Europe will be available through the service.

Prologue is yet another fantastic release for Q1 of next year. Some will want to hold off until the full version of Gran Turismo 5 is readied. Real car enthusiasts will find Prologue to be a fully featured, well crafted release that’s worthy of their collection.

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Filed under: Hands-on

At a recent NYC media event, PS3 Fanboy was able to get our hands on a newly localized version of Hot Shots Golf 5. The newest iteration of Clap Hanz’s casual golfing game keeps the franchise’s highly accessible gameplay, but gains a new level of unprecedented detail and personality, made possible by the PS3. The visuals are impressive, but considering how old the Japanese original is, it no longer has the “wow” factor it had when we first saw the game.

The build we played featured the same characters from the Japanese game and the same charming voice acting from the Japanese original. However, localization is not yet complete, and the Sony representative on hand was unable to comment whether or not both English and Japanese language tracks will remain in the game. We urged them to — let’s hope they take our advice.

The traditional three-press model returns in Hot Shots Golf 5, which has you timing button presses to determine the strength of a shot. However, a new advanced mode of swinging has been introduced. In this mode, you must look at the character and the position of their club. As they lift their club, you will press X to command them to swing. Because it doesn’t use a HUD, it’s a very natural way of interpreting the sport, although it does take some time getting used to. Supposedly, you’ll be able to add a bit more slice and spin to the ball in this mode.

Solid graphics, solid gameplay and fantastic presentation make Hot Shots Golf 5 a worthwhile addition to the PS3 library. The beginning of the year is usually slow for games, but this will certainly make a splash when it releases in March, exclusively for the PS3.

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Filed under: PlayStation Network

Eric Lempel, director of operations for the PSN, answered questions about the Network. Here’s what he had to say.

As we’ve heard before, in-game messaging and other XMB features are on the way, though no timeline has been announced officially. The developers, not Sony, are in charge of whether or not a demo is released on the PSN. Especially for smaller downloadable titles, the group behind those games might not have the manpower to release a demo as well as the full game. It’s their discretion, but Sony absolutely encourages them all to toss a demo up. Speaking of demos, download times for some of the demos can be atrocious, even on fast connections. This is probably due to so many people trying to get it at once, putting a strain on Sony’s server, implies Lempel. They’re working on some solutions.

A final note was added about the PSN consistently getting content later than the competition. Lempel denied this, saying “as it relates to Network content I hear the exact opposite from developers … While the process may seem as simple as a developer sending us a piece of content and the PlayStation Network department posting it for download, this isn’t the case.” They’ve got an efficient system, he says, and the Quality Assurance process is very important to them. If there’s any lag between the PS3’s and the 360’s posting of certain items, over time we’re sure the difference will diminish and eventually disappear. Microsoft knows what they’re doing — Live isn’t new. Sony is still trying to really wrap their minds around this and they’ve caught up pretty well.

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Filed under: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Warner Brothers, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips

I don’t usually do this sort of thing, but I’m making an early prediction that Roland Emmerich’s 10,000 B.C. will be a big-time laugh riot. Those of you who are familiar with Emmerich’s output will know what I mean by that, but here’s a clarification for the rest of you: Roland Emmerich’s 10,000 B.C. is not a comedy. It is, however, a potentially hysterical and pre-historical action-adventure that features mammoths, sabre-toothed tigers, giant ostriches (I think), and a lead couple who look like they just fell out of the Flintstones’ equivalent of Bath & Body Works. (Did they have shampoo, mousse and mascara in 10,000 B.C.?)

The thing looks a lot like the result of a conversation that began with the question “What would Apocalypto look like with Steven Strait (as D’Leh), Camilla Belle (as Evolet) and a bunch of freaky-big creatures in it?” And I’m guessing the person who posed that question is an Austrian named Harold Kloser. After composing the score for about 40 films (including Emmerich’s The Day After Tomorrow), Mr. Kloser decided to write his first screenplay. And 10,000 B.C. is it. Anyway, head on over to CHUD.com for their exclusive peek at the brand-new trailer. (You really gotta see it to believe it. I kept waiting for Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach to show up!)

10,000 B.C. hits theaters on March 7, and considering that Roland Emmerich is sort of like Uwe Boll with a budget (yeah, I said it), I’m predicting that the flick turns out to be one of 2008’s funniest comedies. Either way, surprisingly good or outrageously (hilariously) awful, I have to see this movie.

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Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Cinematical Seven

As a longtime science fiction aficionado with a weakness for special effects, Francis Lawrence’s I Am Legend is catnip to me. That doesn’t mean I won’t be watching with a critical eye, though. I’ve accumulated a long list of pet peeves about the way that “last man on earth” stories are told, both in print and on screen, and personal warning signs have already popped up just from watching the trailers for I Am Legend. I hope I’m proven wrong and that the film allays my concerns, carrying me away to another time and place, but I’ll be on the lookout for some of the stupid things last men on earth do — and don’t do.

1. They Become Attached to Just One Pet

Uh oh, it looks like Will Smith only has one dog. That’s never a good sign. He exercises with him, tells him to eat his vegetables, hunts with him, and bathes him. (Later he holds the dog’s limp body in his arms; just before that, he screams “Nooooooo!!”, sounding like Darth Vader, which may or may not be related to what happens to the dog.) Why do you think all those old ladies keep dozens of cats around? In case one of them dies! Now, I’m not saying Will Smith’s dog dies in the movie — I told you, I haven’t seen it — but if you’re the last man on earth, you have to plan ahead. Even if your best dog friend doesn’t get eaten by lions or murdered by mysterious creatures of the night, you might actually outlive your buddy, so always have multiple dogs hanging around just in case. (Don’t fret too much; remember, All Dogs Go to Heaven.) Unless, of course, Will’s canine pal is The Last Dog on Earth, which might be another movie entirely.

Continue reading Cinematical Seven: Stupid Things Last Men on Earth Do

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