Somewhere, Justin Long and John Hodgman are chuckling. T-Mobile's new marketing for its myTouch 4G handset takes a direct swipe at Apple's long-running "I'm a Mac" commercials with new spots that take aim at Apple's iPhone 4 and its still-exclusive mobile partner, the 3G-saddled AT&T.

The spot above dismisses AT&T's 3G network with the tagline, "America's Largest 4G Network," while other spots (after the jump) talk up MyTouch features such as the Genius button — a veiled swipe at Apple's Genius concept? — while the myTouch moniker echoes Apple's iEverything naming convention.

Is this 4Genius marketing by T-Mobile ... or 4Getful? Let us know what you think in the comments.Continue reading...

Sony and Samsung, with similar products, have different priorities. [Business Week]

Verizon text messages donate $3 million to the Haiti relief effort. [Daily Finance]

Ford's MyTouch software adds smartphone-like applications to its vehicles. [CNN Money]

AT&T launches unlimited plans available for all phones. [Consumerist]

"Moldy" odors causes Johnson & Johnson to recall several over-the-counter drugs. [CNN Money]

Electric bikes are the future of transportation. [NY Times]Continue reading...

HTC is ready for its closeup. In a way. Advertisements debuting this week from the young smartphone brand place “You” front and center, with the HTC brand a solid second.

With ads running across 20 countries, the Taiwanese smartphone marks their first foray into advertising with the tagline, “You don’t need to get a phone. You need a phone that gets you.”

As part of their “Quietly Brilliant” brand positioning, the new campaign focuses on “You,” the consumer. Rather than technical capability or product specifics, the “You” campaign trumpets the emotional connections made possible through smartphones. The two television commercials are riveting, one shot from a phones-eye-view, portraying individuals from various walks of life using their phones for work, life and play.

But the relatively unknown brand should be more boisterous. Currently, their best performing models feature no branding by cellular providers. Consumers would never guess that the myTouch, Dash, or Wing – all offered by T-Mobile – are HTC products. The manufacturer has better branded their Hero phone through Sprint. If they expect the "You" campaign to garner greater brand awareness and market share, it will all be for naught without consistent branding through cellular providers.Continue reading...