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Lab works. Power to the Pixel is looking for folk to come along to The Pixel Lab, a cross-media project open to European media professionals. The Lab has a particular focus on the creation, finance and distribution of cross-media properties to create sustainable European media businesses.
PttP will select up to 40 European participants – 20 producers with cross-media projects, and 20 audio-visual professionals without.

Rocking brand. T-Mobile has signed on as launch partner of the Rock Band Network to develop an Artist Of The Month feature, starting next month, to help fans identify and connect with new talent in the Rock Band Network.
Harmonix and MTV Games have just opened the Rock Band Network Music Store to give Rock Band [...]

Mobile steel. The Tate Modern has come up with an iPhone app for its latest Turbine Hall commission, How It Is, from Miroslaw Balka. The Polish artist’s steel structure stands 13 metres high and 30 metres long in situ, and the accompanying app is an interactive interpretation of his work.
There’s a ‘thumbpad joystick’ which allows [...]

Added value. WildTangent has rolled out an ad tool, Brandboost, which allows advertisers to relate to gamers as they play. With Brandboost deployed, users can choose not to pay for a title and to engage instead with a brand. WildTangent serves a logo and leaderboard ad from the sponsor, plus a 30-second video, played while [...]

Virtual footwear. adidas has launched a limited-edition line of sports shoes, with the sneakers doubling as gaming devices. The adidas Originals AR Game Pack shoes come with an augmented reality code printed on their tongues. When users hold this up to their webcams, they’ll get the adidas Originals Neighborhood vitual world which will feature a [...]

Added sports. Advertisers interested in sports content who are not leveraging in-game advertising are missing a big opportunity, according to TNS/ESPN.
“Today’s interactive entertainment enables fans to engage with their favorite sports on a platform that looks incredibly close to the real thing,” says Robert Fox, svp at TNS and executive director of the ESPN Sports [...]

Playing FirstPlay. In a tie-up with media group Future, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is launching Europe’s first high-def interactive show for gamers. The FirstPlay format will be made available exclusively on PlayStation3 consoles linked to the PlayStation Network.
The first weekly episodes, featuring reviews and previews of the latest games and exclusive access to downloadable content, will be delivered to UK gamers starting next month, and Sony will roll out across selected European territories later this year.

Auto title. Ford and USA Network have launched on online game, White Collar: Chasing The Shadow in which the player fills the role of an FBI trainee tasked with tracking down a criminal while driving the car brand’s Taunus model. Ford says it expects the majority of those playing the new game will come from [...]