Brands and marketers are heading to Las Vegas for the International CES show this week, which is expected to be an "evolutionary" showcase for "phablets," smart cars, mobile entertainment, celebrity-gawking and trend-watching. So what's in store for this year's edition of "the mother of all trade shows"?

A lot of noise from the many brands looking to make some noise in Vegas, including:

• Audi and Toyota will unveil self-driving cars among other auto brand moves.
• Corning will unveil tougher Gorilla Glass for smartphones and tablets.
• Google TV news is being closely watched, along with YouTube integration, while execs speak on "Brand Matters" lunch panel.
• Huawei is bringing the Ascend D2 among other "competitive" new devices.Continue reading...

Remember Corning's viral video hit, "A Day Made of Glass"? Today the company released "A Day Made of Glass 2," described as "Corning's expanded vision for the future of glass technologies (that) will help shape our world." Watch a behind-the-scenes video below.Continue reading...

With all the excitement and many happenings with Apple and the iPhone 4S lately, it didn't take long before the standard new-phone video took hold: the drop test. So classic, David Letterman made it a regular segment on his show for years. What makes this particular drop test so juicy? It's with the brand new iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy II.

The first test was a waist high drop. The second, a shoulder high drop, and the third a facedown drop. The winner? While there's never a winner in a phone dropping contest, the least damaged phone was the Samsung Galaxy II, while the iPhone 4S was virtually shattered. No surprise there. The Galaxy II uses plastic all around and nearly indestructible Corning Gorilla Glass on the front. The iPhone uses a metal band with glass for the front and the back. But how about the idea of the video?Continue reading...

The closing of the 108 year-old Steuben glass factory, its only production facility and an iconic presence in Corning, NY, marks the end of the luxury glass brand that defined a category and an era.

"It was absolutely perfect glass, something that was revered and respected all over the world," said Jim Bacalles, former Corning mayor and state Assemblyman, in a brand obituary in the Ithaca Journal.

Steuben, founded in 1903 by Frederick Carder and Thomas Hawkes was sold to Corning Glass Works, now known as Corning Inc., in 1918, who maintained ownership until selling to Schottenstein Stores Corp. of Columbus, Ohio, in 2008.

Its heritage is one of "casual luxury": within reach, yet often presented as an elite gift fit for popes, leaders of state and other VIPs. "Presidents of the United States have sent many Steuben pieces to heads of other countries. The queen of England got one from Eisenhower or Truman. It's sad, very sad,” added Fran Gehl, former president of Local 1000 of the American Flint Glass Workers Union.Continue reading...

How many things can one accomplish thanks to glass? Corning's answer — virtually anything.

Garnering more than 14 million views since being posted on YouTube in February, and winner of the video category of the BMA B2 awards, the video is a spectacular display of the potential of Corning glass.

The video shows a day in the life of a family that interacts with glass surfaces constantly, including windows, stove tops, refrigerator doors, outdoor displays, mobile phones — glass is everywhere, and Corning leaves nothing to the imagination.Continue reading...

Mobile apps for cats aren't new, but Friskies is getting in the game with its iPad and Android tablet games for cats at (you guessed it) gamesforcats.com. Above, the Nestle-owned brand shows some feline fans playing games including Cat Fishing, Tasty Treasure Hunt and Party Mix-Up (Wonderland Quest II too difficult?) One word of warning: you might want to use these kitty games on an Android tab until Apple finally decides to use Corning's scratch-proof Gorilla Glass in the iPad.

Sony revealed its latest TV commercial on Facebook and YouTube today — "Television Redefined."Continue reading...

A continuation of the brand's Open Happiness campaign, this clip of Coca-Cola's Happiness Truck dispensing balls, surfboards, frisbees — and, of course, Coke — on the streets of Rio de Janeiro is trending today on YouTube.

Check out a companion video showing a Happiness Truck in the Philippines below, plus other trending/shared videos on YouTube today from Corning, Old Navy, Miracle Whip and an Apple fan.Continue reading...