Not one to be left behind when there’s a fight to be had, Microsoft has decided to take on what it thinks are two of its biggest rivals: Apple and Samsung. Or, at least, it wants you to remember that it also makes phones too and the fued between Apple and Samsiung is a silly distraction from the awesomeness of its products.

One way Microsoft is trying to accomplish this is with a new ad. In this one iPhone users make fun of Galaxy owners and their “enormous” phones, Galaxy owners make fun of iPhone owners and call them children and the list of insults goes on and on.

If it wasn’t so heavy-handed and obvious, it would be kinda funny. Still, we do like stylized martial arts action in a church and overblown sound effects as much as the next guys/gals. The guy with the Apple tattoo is also a nice touch.

So kudos to Microsoft for at least trying to have a sense of humor and trying to do something. We may never buy a Windows Smartphone (check that, we never will), but at least it won’t be due to a lack of effort on Microsoft’s part.

Hey, we still love the XBox 360. Check out the add after the break.

Even though tablets from Apple are still the most popular, many people prefer buying a device from someone else that runs the Android OS. One very popular alternative to the iPad that does just that is Google’s own Nexus 7.

It’s getting closer to the holidays so that means we’re going to be seeing more ads trying to convince us to buy one product or another. A prime example of this is the latsst Nexus 7 commercial from Google.

In it Google continues the theme of using the tablet in your daily life to be creative and have fun with friends and family. It starts off with a girl listening to the Life Aquatic soundtrack, which then leads to a group of friends creating a life sized aquarium to call their own.

Check it out after the break. If you want an iPad alternative, the Nexus 7 isn’t a bad way to go. Pick one up here.

It’s only the first real work day back from the New Year’s holiday (aka January 3rd) and already speculation about Apple and its upcoming products is well underway. This time around that speculation is directed at a media event insider sources are saying will take place in New York at the end of this month.

According to AllThingsD, the event won’t be centered around an iPad 3 announcement or have anything to do with a the television Apple is supposedly developing. In fact, as the event will reportedly be hosted by Apple’s Senior VP of Internet Software Eddy Cue, it’s much more likely it will concern publishing or advertising.

That’s probably a pretty good bet considering New York is still regarded as the advertising and publishing capital of these United States. Let’s assume, based on this info, the event will center on publishing and advertising.

That means we might expect an announcement about new magazines joining Apple’s Newsstand initiative or maybe we can look forward to an updated app that combines iBooks and Newsstand into one, much like Amazon does with its Kindle app for iOS. That would be nice.

Whatever ends up being announced, you can be sure some people will be happy and others will lament that the event wasn’t all about a brand new iPad 3. Rest assured people, Apple will release an iPad 3. It’s just a matter of time.

Until then, try to enjoy your iPad 2 and remember there are people much less fortunate than you are out there. I’m talking about, of couse, those people still using the original iPad.

Poor bastards.

As owners and users of all sorts of Apple gear, we understand that others who don’t “get it” could misunderstand our love for all-things Apple. So, in the interest of presenting some counter-points to our Apple fanboy/girl nature, we’ve got this video from Samsung that sheds some light on those that don’t use Apple’s gear.

The video pokes fun at the Apple faithful and how we buy whatever Apple is selling, regardless of how good (or bad) it is. This video is actually an ad for the Samsung Galaxy S II, which is billed as the free thinker’s alternative to Apple’s iPhone “sheep.”

Of course, the add fails to mention that Apple’s most recent iPhone, the 4S, has pretty much flown off shelves and is the biggest selling smartphone of all time. I guess that point didn’t make it past the ad guys and gals at Samsung. Why mention the truth, right?

It’s always fun when those at the bottom pick on those at the top. Let the fun continue after the break.

With Inception hitting theaters next Friday, and expected to be one of the biggest films of the summer, you can believe that Warner Bros. won’t be pulling any punches when it comes to promotion. We’ve already seen some pretty intense trailers, which have made the epic tuba noise a ringtone for thousands of fans. Now, the film is taking to building-sized posters to bend our minds.

Only two new advertisements have been spotted so far. Both in New York City, and both pretty cool. The first shows a flood of water shooting out each of the windows. The second, and arguable the cooler advertisement, shows the side of a building being peeled back to reveal the offices inside.

The film, directed by Dark Knight’s Christopher Nolan, is about the world of dreams, and how fragile each of us can be inside of them. Check out the two full building advertisements after the jump, and be sure to catch Inception in theaters on July 16th.

Back in 2006, Apple ran the first of many different variations of “friendly warfare” commercials, which pretty much portrayed the competition (Microsoft) as a nerdy, uncool, unorganized human (played by John Hodgman), while the “Mac” was a cool, casual, suave human (played by Justin Long).

After four years the aptly titled “Get a Mac” ad campaign is coming to an end. Apple’s site has changed over to the “Why You’ll Love a Mac” page, and Justin Long even suggested a few months back that the ads were starting to dry up and he didn’t see them continuing much longer.

Losing their edge or not, it was always a treat for Apple fans to get these ads sandwiched into spot breaks between our favorite shows. Hodgman, who was also a regular contributor to The Daily Show, garnered certain fame from the campaign and has even been invited to give commencement speeches at several universities.

We’ll always remember the epic promotional campaign, and some of our favorites as well. After the jump, check out one of those personal favorites, guest starring the amazing Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean.

R.I.P. “Get a Mac” Ads.

As you probably know, especially if you’re a regular reader of this site, Apple recently released a tablet computer called the iPad. The device, a touch screen wonder that’s sold over a million units since its introduction, is an amazing piece of technology. But given that, what is it exactly?

Well, if you’re someone who’s asked that question, Apple’s now got you covered with a new commercial. The “What is iPad” spot debuted today and tries to answer that question by emphasizing the iPad’s usability, huge and diverse selection of applications, multimedia capabilities, web-related features and what Apple really does best, the iPad’s intuitive user interface.

Of course, the commercial also shows the iPad being put through its paces by a number of cool people, which only serves to make the device look even sexier and more “magical.” Oddly, even with all those people using the iPad, nary a fingerprint can be seen on its glossy screen. Maybe Apple should share the “magic” of that little iPad secret with the rest of us?

Check out the new commercial after the jump. The iPad is available now.

Jon Hamm as Don Draper

If you love the cool, stylish, sophisticated AMC series Mad Men as much as we do, you already know that the show is currently in production on its third season and will come back to AMC in the very near future. Up till now, we’ve been able to share at least a trailer for the upcoming season with all you waiting fans. But now, thanks to the folks over at E Online, we can show you something even better: an actual photo from the set.

Before you get too excited and look at the photo, we should warn you that it is a bit on the spoiler side. That is, if you don’t want to know a pretty major development for the show’s third season, you might not want to look at it.

Although, seeing the photo and what it contains certainly makes senses given the events of last season, so maybe it won’t come as much of a shock to you after all. If you want to know something new about the show and its third season, or confirm what you already think you know, check out the pic after the jump.

If you’d rather wait and be surprised, hold on because Mad Men returns for an all-new third season this Summer on AMC.