News and views from Beam Agency, London http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog/ An update from TechCrunch at the weekend alerted me to an interesting startup called RealScoop, a site which uses voice analysis technology in order to reveal whether celebrities and politicians are lying or telling the truth. Taking videos of various subjects including Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, this ‘Believability Meter’ swings between a ‘believable’ point (green), and the more worrying ‘highly questionable’ section (red, of course). http://realscoop.com/ The TechCrunch team remains (rightly, most probably) unconvinced by the offering, noting that ‘a person ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=118 Last week, iwantoneofthose launched their Art of Giving campaign with an exhibition of their brand new Christmas range at the Blink Gallery in Soho. More than 100 press attended the event to peruse gadgets from ‘piano gloves’, which allow you to play any surface like a keyboard, to Margaret Thatcher nutcrackers (ouch), all under the watchful eye of a huge ice-sculpture i-Sobot. The Art of Giving season celebrates the gifts that will really put a smile on someone’s face, whether ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=117 Damien Hirst might have made headlines today, making mind-boggling sales in the face of the credit crunch, but he’s not the only one who’ll be rocking the art world this week. Tomorrow, iwantoneofthose will be taking over the Blink Gallery in Soho to launch their Art of Giving Season – campaigning for more thoughtful gift giving in the months leading up to Christmas, they’ll be kicking off with a press showcase of their latest and greatest gifts and gadgets. IWOOT want ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=116 The Beam team is putting on a brave face this week. Sadly, Helen Wood - our resident fancy dress aficionado - is leaving us this Thursday in pursuit of higher education. Unafraid to don a Selk sleeping bag, dodgy wig or even an inflatable horse costume in the name of media relations, Helen has charmed the press with her hard work and cheery demeanour (and her karaoke version of Blur’s Parklife), and we wish her all the best for the ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=115 You will by now have heard about the British woman who, after putting a copy of Dream Pinball 3D on a file-sharing network, now owes more than £16,000 to creators Topware Interactive. The woman is one of thousands of people suspected of sharing the game, and is being made an example in a crackdown on online piracy. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7568642.stm This news comes as five major companies in the computer industry announce that they will begin to demand payment from the thousands of ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=114 Last week, internet radio pioneer Radiopaq announced that there’s yet another string to their audio bow… As well as providing thousands of internet radio stations and podcasts from around the world at www.radiopaq.com, they have also created their own internet radio which works in conjunction with the website. Featuring the same user interface, anything you do on the website can be saved on the new Rp5 – and vice versa. Go to www.radiopaq.com, and listen to everything from blues to big ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=113 A Stuff award? We definitely want one of those. The tech mag has announced its shortlist of gadgets and brands that deserve a bit of recognition in the industry – and we’re thrilled to see that iwantoneofthose has made the final 9 in the ‘Best Retailer’ category. This is of course fantastic news. But… we plan on going all the way. While supplying fantastic gadgets and gizmos to loyal customers across the land, what other company would bring you the cheeky ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=112 Any PR knows how depressing it is when someone decides to mouth off on the internet about some gaffe a company has managed to make - even if it's not your client, it still makes you cringe (and if it is your client, then you might start to get a little hot under the collar). And, as the saying goes, 'let he without typo cast the first blog'. But when we spotted this one, we just. Couldn't. Resist. This picture shows ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=111 As regular readers of the Beam blog will know, we had a bit of a rant about PR Fail recently. Its creator, Jonathan Hopkins, was kind enough to get in touch with us and explain a bit about how and why it was set up. He also let us know about something that should appease us disgruntled PR types: 'In the interests of balance - there's http://prwin.tumblr.com now too! I'm also going to look into ways of enabling people to comment - ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=110 Recently, we posted a story on the Beam blog about PR Fail, a blog where journalists can vent their frustrations about the PR industry, and – since we aren’t set up to receive comments on our blog just yet - we promised to post any opinions that press and PR alike sent to us. So, thank you to Jonathan Hopkins, creator of PR Fail, who took the time to respond to us with this message: 'Thanks for the mention of PR ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=109 Beam has been around for just over 4 years and so far, so good. We have a great selection of clients and a lively, talented, hardworking and respected team of individuals. What we currently need is a Senior Account Manager who has the vision to lead a team, whilst not being afraid to get their hands dirty. The ideal candidate will be/have (in no particular order): a clear thinker and fantastic communicator; a proven track record within the Consumer ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=108 Mingling with hot celebs is a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. So spare a thought for the Beam team who, in the name of hard graft, headed off to the O2 Wireless festival last week to show the stars of today what iwantoneofthose is all about. The team spent the weekend in the 'talent retreat', where a backstage stand provided a little bit of IWOOT-style light relief for all the musicians and artists at the show. Dressing up ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=107 If you’re as much of a morning person as Count Dracula, a dose of daytime TV last week might have given you some food for thought. We’re pleased to say that the mp3 alarm clock from iwantoneofthose, which lets you wake up to your own favourite playlists, rather than the infuriating peeping from your mobile phone, featured on LK Today last week. And what a response – on the day the product was featured, the search function on IWOOT went ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=106 It is with a heavy heart that the Beam team announces that we will this very week be saying farewell to Beam veteran Claire Wood. On Friday, after three and a half years, the girl with the golden tan is leaving us for pastures new. And how to replace someone like Claire? For a start, who else has as much Lionel Ritchie on their iPod? Who else would grace our karaoke sessions with such unique dance interpretations? Who else has a ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=105 Intrigued by PR and looking for the chance to discover what it’s all about? London based, boutique lifestyle technology PR Agency, Beam, is looking for a bright, creative, enthusiastic intern to join the team over the busy summer months. Work would entail general office admin but you’d also get a chance to support the various Beam accounts. So if you’re hard working, organised, passionate about working with the press and the latest gadgets, we’d love to hear from you. e: ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=104 Here’s a telephone conversation I had, with a journalist who will remain anonymous, one afternoon last week. I have in no way exaggerated my politeness, the genuine relevance to this particular person of my call, or his uncontrollable venom. Me: Hello, is this X? X: Yes. Me: Hi, this is Kate from Beam. I wanted to ask… X: [loud and deliberate sigh] Me: I’m sorry, is this a bad time? X: Yes it is. Me: Oh, I apologise, I’ll call you another time… X: What is it? Me: Don’t worry, I’ll… X: WHAT IS IT? Me: Well, I ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=103 On Monday, tech disciples across the land reverently awaited the second coming of the gadget known to many as The Jesus Phone. Yes, the iPhone 3G was finally announced, with a surprise price drop and new features such as GPS - Hallelujah. For what we are about to receive, we are truly grateful, Mr Jobs. When it comes to companies excelling at branding and PR, is there a better example than Apple? The company that changed the future of mobile with ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=102 After bustling into the office this morning, waiting for the kettle to boil for what seemed like an age, and desperately trying to chivvy my computer along with an obviously fruitless ‘come on, come on’, my impetuous eye was caught by an interesting story on the BBC website. Apparently, ‘web users are getting more ruthless and selfish when they go online’, and are increasingly aggressive when it comes to web activity. According to research conducted by Jakob Nielsen, users are not ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=101 If you’re a fan of The Apprentice (come on, who isn’t?) you will have enjoyed the delusions of several young professionals, whose indefatigable arrogance in the face of crushing failure makes for an amazing kind of weekday telly. See Jen, the self-confessed ‘best saleswoman in Europe’ who didn’t manage to flog enough Avocado & Chilli ice-cream to keep her out of the boardroom in week five. Or Ben, the ‘good Jewish boy’ who thought having a Muslim holy man bless ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=100 The menacing shadow of new media has long loomed large over the print news industry, but a survey carried out by Zogby International suggests that 85% of the UK’s newspaper editors are optimistic about the future. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/may/07/pressandpublishing.digitalmedia?gusrc=rss&feed=media Of course, the newspaper landscape has in recent decades been hewn into an unrecognisable and threatening terrain: readers find their news for free online, or in the number of freesheets which are thrust upon us every day at every city street corner. Meanwhile, traditional ... http://www.beamagency.com/beamblog-post/?post=99