Wake Up To A Speaking Newspaper!

Lakhs of readers across six cities in India, woke up with a surprise, hearing their newspaper speak mysteriously! Yes, it was 21 Sep, when Volkwagen, the car company put a little audio device on the last page of the magazine of the Times of India Newspaper, which would play the recorded advertisement, when the paper is unfolded.

(I know I am a bit late to write about it now, but nevertheless, am dying to write about it in my blog!)

The device

If you ask me, initially I was  surprised... although I live near a noisy main road and it's no wonder to hear some sounds even early in the morning..... but was a bit surprised to hear a man speaking in an unfamiliar voice and accent, and the sound quality was also not too good to impress, as a matter of fact.

Ah! and when I realised this gimmick, I smiled!  Immediately I was transported to the Harry Potter world!  I had been watching all those movies on TV with my kids.  In their University where Harry studies with his friends, they are provided this strange newspaper - the audio visual one.  And I think it gives live coverage!!! I mean, you have this newspaper, in which you see those event happening live, each coloumn, separate news! You know what I mean?! That had always fascinated me.... And here, today, we have it's first little glimpse (although not so impressive).

Talking about its goods and bads - it made many people scared, thinking it was a bomb, or even a ghost! It disturbed people early in the morning.... it amused children........ it must be a pain for that newspaper vendor, who had to hear a hundred such voices when his carton fell upside down! And think of the unncessary pollution it would generate...... huff.... too bad.

But, honestly, my kids enjoyed it every bit.  They had left for school by the time, paper was delivered.  So they came back from school asking for the device, as it had already become the talk of the town in their classrooms! My son devised a way to trouble me with it! He hid the device in the fridge and it would speak each time, when I would open the fridge!!! Needless to say I was irritated, searching for it desparately in the compartments of fridge!  But it was sweet !

What do you say?  Did you also get this with your paper? You must have heard about it? Let me know, what did you do? how were you surprised or shocked or amused?!

RESTLESS