No surprise that Tron: Legacy won the weekend, taking in $43.6 million in the U.S. The sequel that took nearly three decades to make is being heralded as a lot of things, although "good movie" doesn't seem to be one of them.

But Tron: Legacy is being recognized for one accomplishment. As one Twitter user summed it up: "Tron, the story of a Ducati rider struggling to find a CD by Daft Punk."

Yet, as much as Tron: Legacy showed off its Ducati, the film may be an even more effective ad for the iPad.Continue reading...

How does Google thank its advertisers? With a 4-minute video salute to its more than 1 million AdWords clients worldwide (and a fictitious research department). After the jump, another thank you to advertisers and Google's 10th anniversary AdWords retrospective.Continue reading...

Android is booming thanks to Asia.

Boeing boosts jet prices, drops short-range carrier.
 
Boston Scientific abandons sale of pain-management unit.  

Brett Favre sits out Vikings vs. Giants game, ends streak at 297 NFL games. 

Comcast tests combo web/TV service.

Costco rebuffed by U.S. Supreme Court in challenge against Swatch's Omega watch brand.Continue reading...

The lasting "legacy" in this week's upcoming release of Tron: Legacy may be its marketing tie-ins. Brandcameo has already looked at the Ducati, Apple, Coors and Motorola product placements onscreen. But offscreen, there is far more to Tron's marketing partnerships, thanks to a raft of licensing deals. Far, far more.Continue reading...

Apple receives patent for glasses-free 3D TV.

BBC iPlayer is coming to the US — via an iPad subscription.

Cracker Barrel commits to install some electric-vehicle charging stations.

Dish Network touts iPad service.

Ford and Nissan lead US car-sales gains in November.

Hulu says it’s open to new investors so it can expand abroad.

IAC founder Barry Diller is stepping down as CEO but "not going anywhere."Continue reading...

Nokia designers post YouTube videos answering users' questions (about new devices and mobile phone design in general) tweeted with a #nokiadesign hashtag.

Which brands got the most check-ins on Black Friday? Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Toys R Us and Apple. Target puchased the #blackfriday hashtag on Twitter and duly became the #1 store for Foursquare check-ins, which accounted for 25% of all check-in activity on Friday. Verizon, meanwhile, is paying for the #cybermonday hashtag on Twitter today.

NASA, the White House and PETA top a new ranking of social media savvy by public brands.Continue reading...

Airtel's new logo — "blobby" or "modern, vibrant and friendly"?

Apple is preparing for patent showdowns with Nokia, Motorola and HTC.

Audi puts focus on US Sunday TV advertising.

Batten & Company, a new unit of BBDO, opens shop.

Black Friday sales saw more foot traffic but lower-than-expected sales as retailers cross fingers for Cyber Monday.

BP is commissioning a feature-length documentary about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill — but the company says it is not intended to scrub its reputation clean.

Delta and Southwest Airlines aim to emerge from among branding-challenged air carriers.Continue reading...

Nokia hails from a nation where building ice and snow sculptures are part of the DNA. So the ice touchscreen experiment above should come as no surprise.

"We decided to see if we could make an ice sculpture that was interactive," says Nokia's Antti Virolainen to the New Scientist. "It was -15 °C out there so it was very interesting to show ice on fire. It wouldn't have been anywhere near as interesting with a plastic screen."Continue reading...