Southwest Airlines is continuing its "Bags Fly Free" campaign with some very visible advertising. Over the next six weeks, the Dallas-based airline will decal more than 50 aircraft with the slogan, "Free Bags Fly Here" and an arrow pointing to its cargo bin. The airline will also tag approximately 1,000 luggage carts across the system with banners that say "I Carry Free Bags." To support the new extension of its messaging, Southwest Airlines brought some of its employees who have appeared in the airline's recent TV spots to headquarters for a photo shoot with the aircraft and airport …

First, the Web. Then the phones. Now Google wants to change the way people watch television. At a developer's conference on Thursday, Google announced it would develop an open platform to bring the World Wide Web to the television, and it has enlisted partners such as Intel, Sony, Logitech, Best Buy, DISH Network and Adobe to help. The new product, Google TV, is based on the company's Android mobile platform and runs the company's Chrome browser. IT will allow users to access traditional TV channels as well as Internet content, including Adobe Flash video. Both Logitech and Sony have …

Apple is now selling more than 200,000 iPads per week, according to RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky. In other words, sales of the new device have actually outpaced those of the Mac in the United States, and are fast approaching those of the iPhone 3GS. "Checks indicate that US iPad sales remain strong post-launch, driven by rising consumer visibility to iPad's user experience, sustained PR/word-of-mouth marketing, 3G iPad launch, and broadening iPad apps/content," Abramsky just wrote in a note to clients. "We believe Apple is now selling >200k iPads/week, greater than US Macs (est. 110k Macs/week) and just below …

Google unveiled Google TV at the Google I/O conference on Thursday in hopes of capturing some of the $70 billion dollars ad spend in the U.S. annually. The open platform will run on the Android 2.1 with an update soon to 2.2 announced today. The platform also moves the experience on the Web to the television set. Features will include a search box and the ability to personalize content. The demo operated by a wireless computer keyboard takes the user across the TV and Web. Partners include Sony (line of TVs), Logitech (companion box), Intel (Atom processor). Product …

Android has more than 100,000 activations daily, more than 1 billion miles navigated with Android on phones, and more than 50,000 apps in the Android marketplace.

The PepsiCo Foundation is extending and increasing its funding of Diplomas Now, a collaborative program by three organizations -- City Year, Communities In Schools and Johns Hopkins Talent Development -- to reduce the high school drop-out rate in select U.S. cities. During City Year's National Leadership Summit in Los Angeles this week, the Foundation announced that it will invest $6 million in Diplomas Now over the next three years, building on a $5 million grant to the program made in 2008. The new funding will support expansion within the program's current Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans …

Jumpstarted by the iPad, worldwide shipments of media tablets will grow at an annual rate of 57.4% from 7.6 million this year to 46 million in 2014, according to a new forecast by market research firm IDC. As the category matures and more specialized apps become available, IDC expects media tablets will evolve beyond nice extra devices to become necessities for many consumers. The firm defines media tablets as devices with 7- to 12-inch color displays and lightweight operating systems such as Apple's iPhone OS and Google's Android. This distinguishes them from tablet PCs, based on x86 processors …

Urbanspoon released an application Wednesday that lets restaurants manage reservations and tables, all on the iPad. The company says RezBook can help restaurants reach new diners on Urbanspoon, across the Web on sites like Citysearch, and on mobile devices including the iPhone, iPad and Android.

The nonprofit organization Consumer Watchdog said today that it has launched a new Google-tracking site, Inside Google, in order to "educate the public and opinion leaders about Google's dangerous dominance over the Internet, computing and consumers' online lives." The group says the blog aims to "expose the 'black box' at Google with an eye towards holding Google engineers accountable to social mores, ethical customs and the rule of law."

T-Mobile USA is giving away 2,010 soccer-themed and cash prizes as part of its "El Llamado del Futbol," marketing campaign. As part of the promotion, T-Mobile will host retail store events in several U.S. cities where soccer fans can meet some of the sport's most beloved players. --Aaron Baar