Intel Corporation and Yahoo! Inc. today previewed plans for the Widget Channel, a television (TV) application framework optimized for TV and related consumer electronics (CE) devices that use the Intel Architecture. The Widget Channel will allow consumers to enjoy rich Internet applications designed for the TV while watching their favorite TV programs. The Widget Channel will be powered by the Yahoo! Widget Engine, a fifth-generation applications platform that will enable TV watchers to interact with and enjoy a rich set of “TV Widgets,” or small Internet applications designed to complement and enhance the traditional TV watching experience and bring content, information and community features available on the Internet within easy reach of the remote control. The Widget Channel will also allow developers to use JAVASCRIPT®, XML1, HTML1 and Adobe Flash® technology to write TV applications for the platform, extending the power and compatibility of PC application developer programs to TV and related CE devices. In addition to supporting the Yahoo! Widget Engine, Yahoo! will also provide consumers Yahoo!-branded TV Widgets that are customized based on its category-leading Internet services.

TV Widgets will enable consumers to engage in a variety of experiences, such as watching videos, tracking their favorite stocks or sports teams, interacting with friends, or staying current on news and information. Viewers will be able to use TV Widgets to deepen their enjoyment of the programming they are watching, discover new content and services, or share their favorites with friends and family. TV Widgets can be personalized because they will be based upon popular Internet services such as Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Sports, Blockbuster® and eBay® that viewers have customized for use in their daily lives.

Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics retailer, today announced the launch of two new digital programs to help prepare consumers for the analog to digital broadcast transition (DTV) taking place on February 17, 2009. The microsite, www.askablueshirt.com, gives consumers access to Best Buy home theater professionals and DTV-related educational information. In addition, the company also launched an interactive application on the social networking site Facebook, which boasts 90 million active users worldwide, to further promote DTV awareness.

“With the transition date approaching, we want to do whatever we can to help educate people about their options,” said Mike Mohan, senior vice president of consumer electronics for Best Buy. “The Facebook application and our microsite will reach out to new audiences with this message, encouraging young people to make sure they are ready for DTV, and to help family and friends who have not yet prepared.”

Askablueshirt.com features several unique resources for consumers including a blog forum and a frequently asked questions section based on the insights of Best Buy salespeople who answer these questions everyday. The DTV blog provides a medium for Best Buy BlueShirt specialists to communicate with consumers and answer questions about the DTV transition. The subject matter ranges from how to participate in the coupon program established by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to the benefits of a digital broadcast signal. Consumers also have the opportunity to post comments and responses to the blog posts.

Visitors to the site will be able to forward the information to others to educate and assist friends and family members on making the transition. The Best Buy Facebook application was developed to further engage consumers and utilize a “teach the teacher” concept of reaching additional audiences impacted by the DTV transition. The quiz mixes entertaining questions about popular TV shows from the ‘80’s and 90’s and incorporates DTV-related questions for an educational component. The “forward to a friend” Facebook feature encourages the application users to pass-along the information to other friends as well as educate older family members about the transition. Consumers can download the application from either Facebook or askablueshirt.com.

About.com (www.about.com), one of the 15 most-visited Web sites in the U.S., has launched the “48 Hours in Vegas” Confessional Sweepstakes (www.48hoursinvegas.about.com) on behalf of MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM), which owns some of the most luxurious resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. The contest will run through May 2009 on the Las Vegas-branded About.com Web site and at confessional kiosks located within the MGM MIRAGE Las Vegas properties, including Circus Circus, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand Las Vegas, The Mirage, Monte Carlo, New York-New York and Treasure Island (TI). The interactive kiosks, produced by Thinking Pictures, Inc., are a new addition to the contest this year and allow contestants to spontaneously enter the promotion and confess their Vegas secrets.
Participants 21 and older may enter the contest at www.48hoursinvegas.about.com or at any of the offline kiosk confessionals located within the MGM MIRAGE Las Vegas properties. Users can follow the links and instructions to upload a photo or video sharing their confessions from a current or past trip to Las Vegas. Those who have never visited the city can upload a photo or video showing what they would do if presented the opportunity to visit, and provide a short description. Participants will automatically be enrolled in the sweepstakes and have a chance to win prizes including: hotel accommodations for two, dinner, show tickets and VIP nightclub access at participating properties. Full sweepstakes rules are available at: http://mgm.eprize.net/lasvegasconfessional.
“Last year, MGM MIRAGE teamed with About.com to produce the successful ‘48 Hours in Vegas’ branded Web site on About.com and launched the first ‘48 Hours in Vegas’ Confessional Sweepstakes,” said Paul Peterman, senior account director, About.com. “We are pleased to team up with MGM MIRAGE once again and anticipate the implementation of the confessional kiosks in this year’s sweepstakes will be well- received by both our users and MGM MIRAGE visitors alike.”
Mail-in registration entry options for the contest also are available and no purchase is necessary to win. Additionally, users can rate and view their favorite confessions at www.48hoursinvegas.about.com. The Web site also features helpful information on Las Vegas hotels, restaurants, shows, casinos, weddings, shopping and other activities and attractions.
Sweepstakes winners will be selected randomly by an independent judging organization.

In a slowing economy, construction companies, like many businesses, are looking for ways to promote their business and services with minimal financial spend. From ensuring the safety of workers to helping to lease a new site for a big client, incorporating signage into building sites is an option that is cost-effective and gives a high return on investment.

Keeping in mind that the three basic purposes for signage are to inform, direct and sell, reassessing current construction site signage to find ways to increase its effectiveness is a good exercise. For example, a sign meant to inform passersby of the project underway can be improved by adding an illustration or color photograph of the intended result to the sign. This helps communicate basic information to viewers while promoting the future establishment.
Advances in technology have made it easier to use more creative sign options. It’s common these days to see a large wall-scape that covers a side of a construction site. These large, building-size banners are an attention-getting, professional way to promote the construction company or their client.

“Well-designed and strategically-placed signs and graphics allow construction professionals to meet many of their communication objectives and help ensure the success of a project,” explained Drue Townsend, senior VP of marketing for FASTSIGNS International, Inc.

Regardless of the project size or budget, remember the most important aspect—safety comes first. Use easy-to-view signs to remind workers to wear protective eyewear, hardhats and, if working near or on a road, reflective clothing. Also, keep in mind others who may come in close proximity of the site and, if applicable, post signs and graphics that warn these passersby of possible hazards.

From custom graphics for the company truck to project site fence signs and permit identification placards, attractive, professional and effective signage does not have to break the budget. With a few simple renovations to the existing sign and graphics program, construction professionals can build a better business, regardless of the economy.

FASTSIGNS® sign and graphics centers use innovation and technology to make the sign buying process simple by offering for a full range of custom sign and graphic products. For more information, visit www.fastsigns.com.