Android powers the smartphone that powers the new digital ads in the latest edition of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly and TV network the CW are testing out the future of print advertising with the introduction of digital ads in the latest issue of the news and gossip rag. Upon opening to the page featuring the ad, users are greeted with video clips from the CW’s fall lineup followed by a livestream of tweets pertaining to the shows. Upon opening the page that houses the ad, Mashable discovered a full-fledged, albeit rather limited, 3G smartphone powered by Android.
The “phone” was manufactured by Foxconn in China and appears to get its guts from the $87 ABO smartphone, including a full QWERTY keyboard. Straight off the page the phone isn’t ready for much, but with a bit of tweaking Mashable was able to place a phone call courtesy of an embedded T-Mobile SIM card as well as access some basic Android apps.
It certainly isn’t the best device on the market, and it isn’t a complete phone per se, but if you happen to pick up one of the 1,000 copies of EW to carry the new digital ads you can walk away with a new smartphone after a bit of tweaking.
[via Mashable]