John O'Hea has joined DOJO in San Francisco, reporting to creatives Geoff Edwards and Mauro Alencar. O'Hea comes directly from Goodby Silverstein & Partners where he was an art director/associate creative director. At DOJO O'Hea will assume the title of creative, the same title held by all creatives at the agency….BRW USA, Los Angeles has signed Canadian helmer Mark Palansky for commercial representation. With a feature background, Palansky will be launching his commercial career with BRW USA. Prior to joining BRW USA, he directed short and feature films including: Penelope (2008) and The Same (2001). His debut commercial project is a :60 for Fiat out of Global Hue, Detroit. A :90 version of the spot also appeared alongside the launch of the latest FIAT model at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Upcoming work for the director includes the road trip dramedy Pete & Goat starring Anton Yelchin and Amanda Seyfried….Creative director Wonhee Lee has joined Bigsmack, a creative agency specializing in entertainment marketing and branding. An animator/designer whose credits span such clients as Coke, Nike, Apple, NBC, Fox, Honda and Pepsi, Lee owns the hip Mobius gallery/retail store and is a teacher at the Otis College of Art and Design….
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More