Let's face it, as much as we love the Holiday seasons,there's usually an obligatory Christmas Party that you dread every winter.

Not to sound like the Grinch, but we've all been to one of those gatherings with corny gift exchange games,  out of control co-workers and the one guy who had a little too much egg nogg. 
If you're stuck in one of those  situations, and you have an iPhone, here are some Apps to save your sanity.

Apple Remote:
If the guest have grown weary of your music collection playing from your iTunes, and you want to change the genre without making it too obvious that you're desperate to change the mood, the Apple remote will come in handy.You can skip, pause,skip or shuffle your songs playing through the  computer, Ipod or Apple TV without leaving the room.

Snow Report, by North Face :

Everybody loves to talk about travel, and if you live in the northeast or the Rockies, you can use North Face's Snow Report to  plan for a weekend ski trip with some friends.

Surf Report, by Oakley :

For my fellow Floridians, our winters rarely include snow, but that means we're one of the few states where you can enjoy a warm day at the beach, even on Christmas morning. If you find a friend at the party who wants to hit the waves that weekend, check Oakley's App - Surf Report to find the best waves at the beaches in your area.

Weird Facts: by Jens Bueckenhauer

Nothing kills the fun faster than dead silence, and If you're desperate for a conversation starter, a quick scan through weirdfacts will give you at least one great line to use.Among the random facts you'll learn:

Honey is used as the center for golf balls, England is smaller than New England,horses can't puke,  the cigarette lighter was invented before the match, shrimps' hearts are in their heads, and here's one you can use before the big toast: More people die from flying champagne corks than poisonous spiders.

Think of it as an emergency game of Trivial Pursuit, with a sharper, funnier twist, but remember, it should only be used when you're desperate for an icebreaker. Comedian Christian Finnegan was right when he said: If you're  you're good at Trivial Pursuit, you need to get out more. It even tells you in the title:'Hey jackass, your pursuits are trivial."

Emergency Exit Plan:
Fake-A-Call , by Excelltech

This one could be a true life-saver,and it's based on one of the oldest techniques for bailing on a bad date. If you've promised your significant other- "I promise we won't stay longer than 30 minutes", you can set the time to receiver the "important" call that requires your immediate attention.

As online banner advertisement revenues dwindle, the appeal of online video should gain traction.

An important factor to consider for online video ads is the significant influence social networks have in the distribution of content. When we log into our favorite social networks during our daily routine, we often discover some of our favorite material via our friend's posts. 

The widespread horizontal (friend-to-friend) distribution of content is worth analysis,because it offers the  chance to present relevant content to niche audiences. The increasing amount of info and entertainment that flows into our lives reaches us from a different origin than it used to. (Even as recent as a few years ago). Content viewed horizontally often falls into the coveted sub categories that leading marketers often struggle to identify.

Ian Blain, the CEO of ThePlatform and Senior Vice President for Comcast Interactive Media content publishing, believes that media companies should follow a bend but don't break philosophy regarding  mass distribution of their content, or what he calls the "Long Leash" concept.

Companies can embrace mass distribution of their content by sending their content out widely, while still retaining control over monetization. We've learned from the web that the most successful content is syndicated by consumers who share among their friends. This represents a shift toward a participatory experience rather than a one-way dialogue. The leash allows this kind of experience, so that premium content online doesn't simply become TV on the Internet,  and where content providers can better harness the power of social networking.

Just consider the subcategories within sports.Marketers could tweak their campaigns to the exact sport, rather than just the general sports audience a whole For example, many members within Facebook's University of Florida network are like to share college football highlights with their classmates, while colleges known for their basketball heritage, such as Duke University or the university of Kentucky, are likely to share college basketball content.Nike could plug its latest basketball sneaker for one network, and the new football cleats for another.

Those are just a couple of examples worth considering, because the video content doesn't travel on a one-way street anymore.

After I wrote about Pepsi's decision to test the 8-pack size, I enjoyed reading many of the comments from our readers.

The frequency and passion of your replies prompted me to send the post to Pepsi.

Yesterday, I received the typical PR response from corporate. Here's the letter:

Dear Matt,

Thanks for taking the time to contact us about our new packaging introductions.

After reading your message it's clear that we've disappointed you, and for that I'm truly sorry. I'd like to share some of the reasons that prompted the change. As you may imagine, because of the economy, we've had to make some adjustments to our pricing and packaging. Rather than simply raise prices, we’ve done some problem solving around packaging.

Our consumers tell us that the 8-pack and 18-pack sizes are good options.  It would allow them to stay within a certain budget, and in some households, still be able purchase a variety of flavors for their family. Please know that the new package sizes will continue to be featured with promotional pricing as often as possible throughout the year.

Again, I’m truly sorry for any inconvenience these changes may have caused you. I'm so glad you contacted us and promise to share your concerns with our packaging team as well as local bottlers. And thank you, always, for being such a loyal and valued consumer.

Pepsi has insulted our intelligence with this "packaged" response.

First of all,when Pepsi claimed customers say the 8-pack and 18-pack are good options, it  categorically dismissed the consumers who commented on our post. Pepsi also claimed that they didn't raise prices, but they hyped the promotional pricing a few sentences later.Who cares if they didn't RAISE the prices if they're charging the SAME price for a SMALLER size?

For updates on this ongoing saga, and other marketing stories, subscribe to our RSS feed.

How do you feel about Pepsi's response? Share your thoughts at bringbackthe12pack.com.

Major book publishers are feeling the crippling effects from a slow economy and video-driven  culture. 

Dark clouds formed on the horizon last month, when Barnes and Noble halted its plan for new store openings and downgraded its holiday sales forecast.
Simon & Schuster cut 35, which is only 2% of the staff, but CEO Carolyn Reid admitted the entire publishing industry is coping with "truly difficult circumstances."

Last month, I suggested our society may be suffering form book burnout, and the latest news from the Associated Press affirms my hypothesis.

At Random House, the country's largest general trade publisher,Stephen Rubin,the man who helped give the world "The Da Vinci Code" is in talks for a new position, while Irwyn Applebaum the publisher of Danielle Steel and other brand-name authors is leaving altogether.

These unfavorable conditions should pressure publishers consider a significant shift to alternate forms of media, especially digital publishing via audiobooks and software similar to the Stanza application for iPhone.

Waiting for the world to change? So are Millions of viewers expected to visit howcast.com for a live stream of the Alliance of Youth Movements Summit.Access 360 Media, Facebook,Youtube,Google, MTV, Columbia Law School and the U.S. Department of State are also sponsoring the inaugural event  at Columbia University Dec.4-5

Guest speakers include Whoopi Goldberg, Dustin Moskovitz, the co-founder of Facebook, James K. Glassman, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State,Oscar Morales, Founder of One Million Voices Against the FARC, Roman Tsunder, Founder and President of Access 360 Media

They will discuss strategies, resources, contacts and most importantly support, for the continual global fight against violence and oppression. The Summit combines 17 of the largest global youth movements. Online viewers will have the chance to share their thoughts via video wiki guides and community forums. Howcast has a "Facebook Connect" to login with their Facebook user ID to interact. This isn't the first time Facebook has played a major role at a political forum. You may recall when they co-sponsored two presidential debates with ABC.

With online video consumption exploding in the younger demographic markets,  I expect many similar forums in the near future.

A recent survey by the cable association CTAM, found that cable subscribers were watching twice as much online video (5.9hrs/week) as Video On Demand from cable set-top boxes on a weekly basis (2.9hrs).

One of the leading video management and publishing companies,thePlatform, has 26 million broadband subscribers, and its customers had a combined total of more than 355 million video views in September 2008------Important stats to consider for the future of online advertising and broadcasting.

Apparently, there's some truth to the old saying "You get what you pay for", because Google Analytics (a free service) has been acting very odd today.

At 9 a.m., one of the sites we tracked showed over 2,000 visitors for Monday, Dec 2, and Tuesday, Dec. 3, but at 11 a.m., we noticed a disparity of  approximately 700 visitors. For whatever reason, Google revised its figures, and we can't help but wonder if any of you have encountered similar problems.

I always appreciate a free service, but I expect Google to have a tighter grip on these figures. Perhaps this is just a temporary hiccup in the system, but we want to know if any of you have also seen altered results for old data. Let us know via Poll.

KickApps unveiled version 3.2 this week, and one of the main highlights is the addition of ClipBlasts video collection (50 million) to search and embed.
Users can search ClipblastThrough the KickApps rich text editor, then embed videos with a single click. KickApps' platform gained popularity for its widget-studio, which simplified the widget creation process.

Alex Blum, the CEO of KickApps, said the partnership with Clipblast is the latest effort to expand the platform's abilities and enhance the user interface.

Video has become a staple of online self-expression and embedding video into posts and messages provides people with an added dimension. The breadth of the ClipBlast! index makes it extremely easy for members of KickApps websites to find the perfect video or videos that help to complete their stories. Our integration of ClipBlast! is yet another example ofKickApps' ability to extend the KickApps Platform by integrating best-of-breed functionality from third party applications.

I'm curious to see if this partnership will successfully lure the desired amount of new publishers. ClipBlast's distinguishing feature is its Intelligent Index, which includes of some 50 million videos. The index pulls video from more content providers than anyone on the web, and uses its intelligence or "knowledge" to promote and distribute each video .

KickApps' notable affiliates include major media studios such as BET,HBO,the CW, Scripps Network, Cinemax, Cox Television,and ABC family. the, as well as three sports teams: The New York Knicks, the New York Rangers and Phoenix Suns. 

If there's one area where Apple's developers dropped the ball with the iPhone, it was the camera. Sharing pics from your camera requires the recipient's number plus a special code for their respective cellphone  provider.

Addy Mobile eliminates little nuisances such as searching for the correct MMS code for the provider along with number of the cell phone you want to send my picture to- a process as daunting as Ralphie Parker's challenge to crack the secret code with Little Orphan Annie's Secret Decoder Ring in the movie A Christmas Story.

Quip felt our pain and eliminated those annoying steps with Addy Mobile, so your friends just have to click the link they receive via text. The only negative aspect I noticed was that you couldn't send the photo to multiple contacts, but perhaps that will be addressed in the next update.

Who wants to look all of that up when you're just trying to send a funny photo? Nobody!, That's why the third request on my wishlist for the 2.2. update was: Simplify the multimedia messaging process

Steve Jobs and his worker elves at Apple were too busy to notice my request, but Quip developers was a step ahead of the field when it released Addy Mobile on Sept. 16. Sitting as the hottest item in social networking apps, Addy Mobile features free unlimited messaging that doesn't count against your text messaging plan.If you're searching for an easier, cheaper way to send your iPhone camera pics, I definitely recommend Addy Mobile by Quipp.

Occasionally, I'll notice a news story that's worthy of  Dave Barry's attention-. In other words- it's a story that re-enforces a stereotype regarding American laziness, one of Barry's favorite topics.

A story on CNN.com today titled :"Are you afflicted with TiVo guilt?", is just the latest example of American laziness. Evidently, many DVR users have developed a packrat mentality with their favorite shows , and when they're ultimately forced to make  final cut- the task has become too draining and demanding for the timid.

CNN's story quoted Brad Berens, chief content officer for iMedia Communications, who analyzes how media advances change people's behavior.

(The following paragraph is NOT  a joke)

You want to watch TV, and what do you have? You turn on your DVR and you have a homework assignment. Economists call this 'opportunity costs.You're sitting there and you have to weigh, well, 'I have to watch this thing, because I promised myself when I told Tivo I want the whole season of that! Go get it! And go get things like it!' And so you've committed to this decision and it's a burden -- suddenly your relaxation has turned into more work.

My last roommate was the perfect example of a DVR user who suffered from a disorder I like to call T.S.D.-Television Stress Disorder. Symptoms include channel surfing, show hording and clouded judgement. T.S.D is often accompanied by R.S.D.- Radio Stress Disorder- an uncontrollable urge to change the radio station every 20 seconds or less.

It seems like every week we see a a new pill that treats a disorder you've never heard of. I wonder if the major pharmaceutical corporations will hatch a scheme to cash in on the chance to treat this unofficial epidemic. Who could blame them for trying? The only problem is, their target market would fast forward through their TV ads.

Earlier today, Google Chrome and Safari  browsers discovered an unwelcome surprise when they went to Facebook. Both browsers flagged the social network as a potential "phishing site"-  a site that tricks users into providing personal information.

Connect, Facebookslatest revenue-boosting venture, was cited as a potential culprit,and Facebook's folly became the hot topic on Twitter, and TechCrunch, which provided updates  as the social networking giant scrambled to solve the problem. Facebook's developers claim a bad advertising link as the root of the problem. Facebook's excuse probably won't suffice for skeptics and critics of its latest addition- Connect- which launched last Sunday

Connect's main function is to link Facebook users with prominent media sites such as Digg, Discovery Channel and The San Francisco Chronicle, the genealogy network Geni and Hulu.

The concept behind Connect indicates an interesting transition in the marketer's approach- from data mining to data sharing. Perhaps niche marketing has temporarily taken a back seat, as quantity becomes more valuable than quality. The New York Times' Article "Facebook Aims to Extend its Reach Across the Web" explained the logic behind the new angle.

Instead of trying to hoard information about their users, the Internet giants have all announced plans to share at least some of that data so people do not have to enter the same identifying information again and again on different sites.Supporters of this idea say such programs will help with the emergence of a new social Web because chatter among friends will infiltrate even sites that have been entirely unsociable thus far.For example, a person might alert his Facebook friends to the fact that he is watching a video on CBS.com and invite them to join him there to watch together and discuss the video as it plays.

Connect is the latest of several controversial alterations for Facebook's format, including  Beacon, the installation of the sophisticated user interface and the network's decision open its access to the entire public. The series of changes has spurned many loyal users.When I joined Facebook in 2005, the social network was in its infancy, I preferred it to  Myspace, because of its unique structure and purpose- to keep college students and alumni connected.Its close-knit community provided a comfortable, insulated atmosphere where you weren't bombarded with ads and other obnoxious clutter throughout Myspace.

My how the times of change. Facebook enjoyed rapid growth and surpassed Myspace, but Zuckerberg and the rest of Facebook's staff have learned there's truth to the old sports motto: "The No.1 team has the biggest target on its back."

Was your last party a flop? If you didn't party like a rockstar, you can tell everyone that you were just too busy partying with a rapstar- Lil Wayne.

Thanks to EpicTilt and Universal Music Group's new iPhone App- Be Like Lil' Wayne, you can make insert Lil Wayne and all of his favorite bling- including grills,necklaces and tattoos to your collection of photos.

Once you've added Lil Wayne to your entourage, you can upload it for the whole world to see  at EpicTilt's photo gallery.

(Looks like Lil Wayne stopped by Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville to catch the Jaguars' NFL game. My old friend, Jimmy Cromwell, was thrilled to meet his favorite musician.)

Lil' Wayne's last album, the Carter III, topped Billboard charts sold 1 million copies during the first week of its release and went double platinum. Considering Lil Wayne's recent success and the rising popularity of photo bombing, (crashing a stranger's pic), I wouldn't be surprised if Be Like Lil' Wayne enjoys a similar run as one of most popular items the App Store.

To counter economic hardship, many companies responded with a time-tested method:cut costs and increase efficiency.

Gresham Enterprise Storage (London Stock Exchange- GHT) designed the Clareti Storage Director to help the process. CSD is powered by Express DR 1050 Capacity Optimization Cards from Hifn (NASDAQ:HIFN). Through a  process called tape virtualization and backup virtualization, Clareti Storage Director doubles the capacity of disk and tape devices by integrating data protection management and consolidating miscellaneous tape libraries.

Express DR 1050 cards use load-balancing, bus-mastering DMA,  a 4-lane PCI Express bus and enhanced LZS technology. The components enable CSD to eliminate data expansion and maintain compressed data- simultaneously. Up to four DR 1050 cards per node can be added to scale performance up to 3.8 Gbytes/sec and Hifn's zero-defect data design ensures compressed data reliability with 100 percent data verification and CRC validation.

Ed Ahl, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Gresham, explained the decision to integrate Hifn's cards.
 

Data compression is an invaluable tool to help offset the unrelenting storage growth and save customer's time and resources, which is only feasible with a hardware-accelerated, in-line solution such as the Express DR cards The value proposition of Hifn's Express DR cards complements the Clareti Storage Director's value proposition - provide our customers with a high-performance, capacity-optimized backup/restore vitalization solution that reduces operating costs.
 

Gresham's new service may remind you of Ocarina's  "O" Tier-  enhancement , which promised clients a 10:1 reduction in complex files such as email,photos,video and similar types. While Ocarina's service is similar, its methodology is different because it's based on internal upgrades,with no mention of a new device from a second party.

So what does this service mean for business owners? They can slash financial,digital and environmental wastes with one tool. Hopefully, the Clareti Storage Director of resorting to those pink slips that employees dread.

Finding a unique gift is never an easy task, especially at malls and major retail stores. Craft shows are fun but only occassional events, and it's hard to find a one-stop,locally- owned gift shop,but at Etsy.com, you'll discover a world of quality homemade goods.

Etsy's service provides an economically friendly alternative for more than 100,000 crafters and customers around the world. Etsy helps both parties avoid many of the overhead costs involved with physical stores and it provides an extra source of income for the entire gambit of crafters,which is part of its mission.

Our mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers.Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice

Susannah Compton of Cocoa,Florida is a perfect example of a young crafter who was searching for an efficient and effective way to market the blankets ,scarves and baby hats  she knitted .Susannah learned the craft four years ago and sharpened her skills during community service projects for Florida Hospital,Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital, and Winnie Palmer Hospital for women and babies (Which goes through 200 baby hats per day).

Susannah volunteered for the projects to give back to the hospitals that helped her when she needed surgery as a baby. She still knits regularly and started a store on her knitting blog, where she offers knitting advice and list a few of her items.Currently, she's a seventh-grader trying to raise funds for a laptop computer with a built-in microphone, for an online Spanish course that requires her to talk back to her computer. When she pulled up Etsy and saw the rate of .20 cents per-ad, she decided to add some of her newest items to help the fundraising effort, including flip flops.

They have good deals, and it's the first time trying to sell online.It was pretty neat. I think it's a good idea so I told my friends about it.

If you're looking for an easy way to find a unique gift and save some funds during these tight times, I recommend that you check out Susannah's items or Etsy's  holiday shopping list.

When we need instant info on the road, like a close restaurant, iPhones  can easily become a deadly distraction. The urge to type in your favorite steakhouse into Google search is tempting as a bag of McDonald's fries in the passenger seat. You're just bound to go for it,even if your safety is compromised.

 Google has elminated one of those dangerous steps with a free a voice-activated search engine-the Google Mobile App. Before you speak into the mic, Google asks if you want to search according to your current location, so your query will pull up local results for generic terms or chain restaurants, such as Wendy's. I was amazed when it recognized Fuddruckers on the first attempt and accurately listed the closest one, which is about a 45 minutes away, in Orlando.

In addition to the voice-search Google Mobile's apps tab functions as a helpful tool for quick access to Gmail,Google Calendar,Google Docs,Google Talk,Google Reader,Goog-411,Google News,Google Notebook,Google Maps,Google Translate and Google Earth .

 For the upgrade, Google should implement a talk-back feature,similar to the audio directories used in GPS navigation systems. If Google adds that feature to Mobile, I think it adds great value to the iPhone as a whole,because it would virtually eliminate the need for a GPS navigation device like Gormin or Tom-Tom. Speak now,or forever type your keys.

Spike TV wants to show you something you've never seen.

Gamers want to know what's coming, not what's already out, and that's why millions  will tune into Spike TV for the sixth annual Video Game Awards( also known as the VGAs) Sunday, Dec. 14 at 9 Eastern, with Jack Black as the host.

Spike's live, 2-hour event, is more than just an annual ceremony to honor the most successful games,it will also preview the eye-popping games to come,including exclusive screen shots and footage of Uncharted 2, Brütal Legend,God of War III, Gears of War 2, Terminator Salvation, Watchmen: The End is Night, Mafia II, Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned. It will also feature the world exclusive premiere trailer for Friday Night Round 4. EA Sports will unveil the next Fight Night game, featuring a virtual bout between two legends of the ring.

The creative minds at Spike tossed out the traditional rules and devised a savvy way to differentiate their award show from the rest of the pack. The Academy, Emmy, Grammy and Golden Globe awards offer nothing more than a few recaps and recognition of great art, and it all seems so routine. Maybe that's why the ratings have sunk for the Academy Awards. (How many times can we listen to Billy Crystal's recycled material?)

Spike, a division of MTV's parent company-Viacom, energizes the VGAs with live updates and surprises. When you consider the audience, VGAs unpredictable and interactive presentation is the perfect style for gaming enthusiasts- because it delivers exciting twists around every corner. For example, at 10:15 p.m., "GameTrailers TV" host Geoff Keighley will break-in live to announce additional categories and breaking news for the event.

VGAs appeal transcends into various layers within pop-culture. Just look at the diverse group of celebrity guests,like Samuel L. Jackson, along with other stars such as skating legend Tony Hawk,actors Jack Black and Seth Green,rappers 50 Cent and Method Man. Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters rocked the stage at the 2007 awards

VGA's atmosphere is much more relaxed than the typical awards event. Last year, celebrities,including Jackson, squared off  with video game designers in a Wii Home Run Derby.

Samuel L. Jackson, who has hosted the VGAs three times, told Spike.com host Amanda MacKay

I love hosting this and I love being part of the game world. I've been doing this since it was Pong.
 

2008's show marks the first gamer god award will be presented this year, when the VGAs pay tribute to  designer Will Wright - who launched classics such as SimCity, The Sims, and 2008 mega-hit Spore.

Game of the Year nominees include Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto 4, which led the way with nine overall nominations,  LittleBigPlanet, Fallout 3 and Metal Gear Solid 4 all notched seven nominations and November's hottest release, Gears of War 2, garnered four nominations. 

The Best Music Game category might be the most contentious division , with  Rock Band 2 (MTV Games/ Harmonix) Guitar Hero World Tour (RedOctane/ Activision Publishing/ Neversoft Entertainment), Wii Music (Nintendo/ Nintendo) and SingStar (Sony Computer Entertainment/ SCE Studios London) competing for  the top spot

Studio of the year nominees are:Media Molecule,Rockstar North,Harmonix and Bethesda Game Studios

Winners are chosen by the 2008 VGA Advisory, a panel of bloggers and experts in the video game industry, including: Tal Blevins  (VP Games Content, IGN Entertainment), Eric Bratcher  (Executive Editor, GamesRadar US),Libe Goad (Editor in Chief, AOL GameDaily),Francesca Reyes  (Editor in Chief, Official Xbox Magazine)  Shane Satterfield- (Editor in Chief at GameTrailers), and many others.
 

Market analysts think 2008 could be the year when the holiday shopping season proves to be a  marathon, not a sprint.
While it's still too early to determine just how successful Black Friday was, retailers are pinning their hopes on Cyber Monday(a nickname coined by the National Federation of Retailers). In 2007, Comscore declared that Cyber Monday took in $733 million for retailers-which was a 21% increase from 2006. On Sunday, it reported that online spending was up a modest 2% for the combined Thanksgiving Day and Friday, compared with the year-ago period.

*Update: Dec. 3- Comscore reports a 15% increase in online retail sales for 2008 Cyber Monday.

For the shoppers who didn't want to risk their lives (literally) at the early sales last Friday, Cyber Monday provides a faster,convenient alternative to the bum rush at the front doors of every major retail store.

Marshal Cohen, a chief industry analyst at NPD Group, a market research group, told the Associated Press that many shoppers may be holding off for more deals that may arise over the next few weeks.

The consumer clearly is showing us that there is a holiday to be had, but the consumer wants bigger deals. And they are not panicking.They're willing to wait it out, at almost any price.
 

Gamestop.com is among the most popular stops for the best video game deals, including $10 off Shaun White Snowboarding, $10-20 off the Wall-E video game and for the Guitar Hero- 50% off Coffin Case hard flight case for your instrument.
Circut City, which is struggling to survive, is offering discounted digital cameras and PCs.