Of ‘power wellies’; steak-smelling billboards; and dogs that look like other animals
• So you want to go out into the mud but are expecting a phone call and, with your mobile battery flat, you can’t leave the phone? If that dilemma’s been perplexing you, you need worry no longer - help is at hand. UK phone company Orange has released a pair of gumboots that will not only keep the mud off you but charge your phone at the same time. Developed for people attending outdoor music festivals such as the Glastonbury festival - where the product will be launched - the ‘Orange Power Wellies’ will give you one hour’s worth of charge for every 12 hours you walk.
• The recent launch of 3D TV is only one way in which formerly 2D media is becoming more interactive. In the US, one company has given an extra dimension to billboards by producing an ad for a grilled steak which does more than just look good to the drivers going past. It also smells good. Marketing company ScentAir says the sign, created for the Bloom grocery store chain and located in North Carolina, will dispense it’s aroma during the morning and afternoon rush hour until mid-June. Good preparation for the evening meal but not sure if I’d feel like a steak in the morning!
• Dog breeding has resulted in some strange mixes but spare a thought for a Golden Retriever and four Chow-Chows in China which have been dyed to resemble a tiger and four panda bears. The animals were all purchased by a pet park in Zhengzhou, Henan province, as part of a marketing bid.