Google releases new ads for Home smart speaker

Google seems to be reaching out to a younger crowd with the new pair of ads for Home, which come just in time for its launch later this month here. The clip we embedded here definitely feels like it's trying to appeal to younger users as it shows off its TV casting and music streaming capabilities. As for the second ad, which you can find in this link, it shows off more of what Home can do as a personal assistant. 

Source: Android Authority 

Google to bring a built-in ad filter into Chrome next year

In hopes to clean up its browser of “annoying or intrusive advertisements,” Google is creating its own ad filter for Chrome in the coming year. The company doesn’t want to call it an ad blocker as it will just block any pages that have ads that don’t meet Chrome’s guidelines. Examples are videos that auto-play with sound or interstitials that take up an entire screen. Sridhar Ramaswamy, the executive in charge of Google’s ads, says that even ads “owned or served by Google” won’t be exempted. The filter will work for both mobile and desktop. They will introduce a tool that can help publishers determine if the ads they have on their site are in violation of Chrome’s guidelines.

In concept, the idea of an ad filter can be used for good. It’ll help improve performance, since bad ads are known to make browsing slower and more annoying to users—giving you a better experience online. But this also puts into the hands of Google, an ad company, a whole lot of power over what ads we can or can’t see. It can put publishers in a bit of a bind as well as help cement Google’s dominance. But Ramaswamy says their goal is to make online ads better. “We believe these changes will ensure all content creators, big and small, can continue to have a sustainable way to fund their work with online advertising.” But again, we still can’t help but think about the implication of this move.

New Apple TV ad tugs at heartstrings to promote new iOS messaging features

Apple has long since mastered the art of creating an emotionally powerful ad. Its latest ad isn’t an exception. Promoting the new messaging features in iOS 10, the new video shows a solitary bright red balloon flying from a farmhouse window, over mountains and seas, to fly into the window in the city (where it’s already joined by many balloons) to a girl celebrating her birthday.

What Apple is trying to convey with the ad is there are a lot of new ways to send messages that carry more emotions in them. These include being able to change sizes of the text and make them animated, have color backgrounds, and even swap in emojis for words.

Source: Fast Company

New ads for iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2 focus on new features like water resistance

Apple's stepped up their game not just in terms of devices but in the quality and focus of their advertisements. Created in house, the new ads for iPhone 7 and for Apple Watch Series 2 show real-world situations. These ads focus on the practical functionality of the new features such as the water resistance, improved camera functionality for the phones as well as the GPS and swim resistance of the Watch Series 2.