In a bid to get back in the smartphone race, Research in Motion Tuesday introduced the BlackBerry Torch 9800, a touchscreen phone featuring a slide-out keyboard that will hit stores Aug. 12 and sell for $199.99 with a two-year contract. Like the iPhone, the new BlackBerry will be distributed exclusively by AT&T, offering monthly data plans of $15 for 200 megabytes of mobile data or $25 for two gigabytes. The Torch is also the first RIM device to launch with the new BlackBerry 6 operating system, designed to work more seamlessly with the touchscreen interface and streamline use of …

Virgin America launched a 24-hour promotion on Twitter, donating $5 from every direct booking made to an educational nonprofit cause. The airline, which launched an @earlybird special, calls it the #FlyFwdGiveBack Twitter Sale. Fares begin at $39.

Shell is launching a new marketing campaign to promote its nitrogen-enriched gasolines. The campaign centers on Shell's status as official fuel of Car and Driver and Road & Track. The deal includes a provisio that all vehicle testing and evaluations by these publications use Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines, including Shell V-Power. Shell says the deal with Car and Driver and Road & Track will include point-of-purchase materials and radio and online ads, in combination with consumer giveaways and promotions. The third-quarter point-of-purchase program at any Shell station in the U.S. includes a magazine subscription offer coupon for Car and Driver …

Bill Cosby tapped Twitter Monday to tweet he had not died after news of his death swept the Internet, Twitter and social network sites. Through his @billcosby Twitter handle, the king of comedy rebuts rumors of his demise and confirms that, indeed, he has an app sold through Apple iTunes. This is not the first time Cosby had to clear up rumors, calm nerves of family and friends, and set fans straight.

For stores, hot = value, at least according to new "Hot 100 Retailers" just released by the National Retail Federation. As consumers hunted harder for bargains, chains like Syms, which came in #1, grew the fastest, as did those offering online convenience, including Amazon (#6) and Netflix (#7.) According to the annual ranking, the recession opened the door for the speedy growth of bargain-based chains—even those that weren't on many shoppers' radar before the downturn. The ranking is published in the NRF's STORES Magazine this month, and is based on the largest percentage increases in domestic sales among private …

With health and benefits claims having reached bewildering proportions in recent years, major food and beverage marketers are taking a cue from niche companies and succeeding with a growing number of products positioned as "simple," both in ingredients and messaging. More than half (56%) of food/beverage product categories in the U.S. showed decreases in the average number of ingredients per product between 2008 and 2009, with an average ingredients decrease across categories of 2.4%, according to Mintel International CPG trend insight directors Lynn Dornblaser and David Jago, who detailed the simplicity trend during the recent IFT 2010 annual meeting …

Toyota is launching a Facebook campaign to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its Prius hybrid, the first such car that was designed to be as fully practical and powerful as a traditionally motivated vehicle. The "10 Years of Toyota Prius Anniversary Celebration" encourages fuel-efficient drivers, ecologically-minded people, tech-savvy types, and community do-gooders to submit video or photos demonstrating their passion for being green for a chance to host the official 10 Years of Toyota Prius Anniversary Celebration in threir hometown. Toyota will select the Top 10 finalists and leave it to the Prius community to decide who should be crowned …

Meredith Corp. has named Tom Harty president of its National Media Group, replacing Jack Griffin, who has chosen to leave the company to, "pursue another opportunity," according to Meredith's announcement. Harty, 47, joined Meredith in 2004 as vice president of its Magazine Group.

Who should you follow? Twitter has the answer. The company introduced Friday, Suggestions For You, which recommends people you should follow, and began rolling it out during the weekend as the service went down briefly for a scheduled maintenance. The algorithms in the feature, built by our user relevance team suggest people you don’t currently follow that you may find interesting, explains a post on the company's blog. The suggestions are based people you follow and the people they follow. You'll see these suggestions on Twitter.com and the Find People section. If you like a suggestion, click "follow"; …

How does a brand become part of the lives of young, health-oriented consumers who spend more of their time engaged in outdoor activities and the social scene than watching the tube? For Odwalla, the healthy smoothies and fruit juices brand acquired by the Coca-Cola Company in 2001, close integration of social media and targeted events is paying off, according to Chris Brandt, VP, marketing for the brand. While Odwalla's marketing mix includes some traditional media advertising, as well as PR and in-store POS, a primary thrust in recent times has been making a splash at festivals that draw …