E-commerce giant, eBay launched an interactive map that provides a visualization of all U.S.-based buyer and seller transactions that occurred on eBay on Black Friday.  eBay says the map visualization is based on eBay sales and purchases occurring in approximately 33,000 U.S. ZIP codes.

Promotional Page: http://www.ebayholiday.com/black-friday

via. Techcrunch

Toshiba sent a biodegradable Space Chair up 98,268 feet using balloons and 4 GPS systems. It was filmed using Toshiba IK-HR1S cameras.  This concept is nothing new, and in actuality was originally done by four Spanish students back in March, who put together an inexpensive digital camera with a GPS attached and sent them all into near-orbit to snap some images of Earth from above.  The story and images received millions of media impressions and was later copied multiple times around the world.  – original story

Now, my point is not to knock Toshiba or their ad.  I actually think the final video above is very well done.  My comments are more to show that sometimes UGC can be right for your brand without even knowing it.  Next time you are searching for ideas, spend 30 minutes searching YouTube and/or blogosphere, chances are someone out there may have what you are looking for.

Ladies…get ready to say goodbye to dressing rooms. Last week Tobi.com (an online shopping portal) launched their augmented reality application, Fashionista. The virtual dressing room allows consumers to see how an item would look super-imposed over their bodies prior to purchase. You can even snap a picture and share with your friends to get their advice.

Ever find yourself struggling to find the perfect hotspot in your city on a Friday night? Or perhaps you’ve taken a last minute trip to Montreal without really being too sure what you’re going to do once you get there. Of course iPhones generally solve such problems, but too often I’ve found myself waiting for the browser to load with 5 or so very impatient and slightly agitated friends standing around, waiting to hear what the next move is.

Keeping this in mind I’m sure, the folks at Lastminute.com have just launched a new iPhone app TopSee (unfortunately only available in London but coming soon to the US!).

The GPS-based guide, designed for city-dwellers and tourists alike, is written by established bloggers featuring their choices of things to see, eat, do and buy near your location. Though there have been rumblings of including user-generated content at some point, as of right now the closest consumers can currently come to participating is by sharing the app on Twitter and Facebook.

The app layout features a photo touch interface with full content including articles, maps, distance from your location, and phone number amongst others. Perfect for those true travelers who are never quite sure where they’re going.

Last year, I made the decision to purchase a Moncler coat for the 2008/09 winter and I can confidently say it was one of the best fashion decisions I have ever made.  The coat is super warm, but crazy breathable – it was this feature that pretty much sold the coat for me.  Well, it seems that the celebrity world has decided to partner with the Italin brand for an upcoming fashion collection.  The new collection will be called, Moncler V and will combine the minds of Moncler Visim, a popular Japanese brand and numerous celebrities such as Pharrell Williams.  Above is the first piece and I have to say, the bullet proof winter vest has swag written all of over it.

via. Hypebeast.com

It only took over a year, but finally, ShopSavvy is available in the App / iTunes Store. ShopSavvy is an app that allows you to use your device as a portable barcode scanner. You point your phone’s camera at any barcode and it will read it, do a product look up, and give you information about the product, as well as where you can find it online or at nearby stores and for how much.

ShopSavvy was originally released on Android back in October of 2008.  The app won numerous awards and pretty much became any hardcore shoppers dream.  The reason for the delay to the App Store was due to the iPhone lacking a key feature needed for the barcode scanner: A camera that had auto-focus. Thankfully the iPhone 3GS now has this feature. (Techcrunch)  For all you other iPhone users, don’t fret the app works across all generations through there search option.

Go to ESPN Salary Crunch, pick your favorite star, enter your annual income and see how long it takes some the biggest names in sports to make as much as you do in an entire year.

The world of mobile apps has exploded over the past year.  With the Apple App Store now hosting over 100,000 applications across 21 categories, which have been downloaded more then 2 billion times, it is a vertical that has become top of mind both from a client understanding and an agency offering.  Every agency, both digital and traditional is looking at ways to design their first app, and because of this, the clients interest is not always top priority.

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I love this.  Prejean is making something out of nothing.  King has no clue what he did wrong.  There is confusion, chaos, leading to …… nothing.  At one point, King is just mumbling away.  “Did you take your mic off?”, “Who are you talking to?”, “Are you leaving?”.  This vid made me smile.  Check it out.

Game developer Activision Blizzard Inc., broke the record for first-day sales numbers, with it’s latest offering Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The game, which sells for $60 and plays on Windows-based computers, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3, was released this past week and made an estimated $310 million in North America and the United Kingdom.

Activision’s estimates that it sold about 4.7 million copies of the game in the first 24 hours it was available. That makes Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 the biggest-selling launch in the history of entertainment.