Amazon is launching Amazon Cloud Drive, a consumer-oriented service that allows users to back up their local music libraries and play them remotely from anywhere.  This service is amazing for anyone who loves music and downloads it from their house but would like the ability to listen to their favorite tunes in other places, such as the office, without having to hook up an iPod or have the files physically on the computer.  All US-based Amazon customers automatically get 5GB of Cloud Drive space to upload their AAC or MP3 muisc files.  If you purchased your music from Amazon’s MP3 service you are really rewarded, as you automatically get 20GB of space and any new files you purchase are automatically copied to your cloud without counting against your storage.  Amazon’s Web Streaming service can be accessed via IE, Firefox, Safari for Mac and Chrome.  If you are an Android user, there is a downloadable Cloud player app for you to use.

The launching of Amazon’s Cloud Drive is a huge accomplishment for the web giant, as they managed to beat Apple and Google to the punch.  Although it’s rumored that Apple is working on a cloud-based music service for MobileMe, it’s not expected to come out until summer or later. 

Although, Amazon’s Cloud Drive is focusing on music right now, users can store all of their other types of files on the Cloud.  Some believe that music is Amazon’s way of getting the public’s attention, but they are really positioning themselves for a legitimate online storage business (similar to Dropbox).

For more information, go to: http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/032811amazon

Qatar was a interesting choice for the 2022 World Cup.   The World Cup usually takes place in summer and  Qatar’s summers usually reach upwards of 122 degrees Fahrenheit.  I don’t know many athletes, especially professionals, that would be okay with such harsh conditions.

So while FIFA, the World Cup organizing body, was considering moving the 2022 tournament to winter, Qatari scientists provided an alternate option: Artificial clouds.  These huge artificial clouds would float over the venues to block direct sunlight.  This would not only help cool the crowds and help the players, but it would also negate the need for the enormous amount of air conditioners that were Qatar’s first line of cooling.

Each one of these clouds are “massive dirigibles filled with helium, built of carbon fiber and super-light fabrics, and equipped with four solar-powered engines to move them into place and keep them stable even in changing winds.”  They would be large, flat, inflated platforms and would cost around $500,000 per device.

Let’s not totally look past the fact that with a shape like this and with the positioning directly above the stadium, it is a prime advertising position, which I’m sure will be sold to help offset the costs.  If Qatari scientists can actually pull something like this off, it’s definitely a product that many organizations, teams and venues will be going after.

For more information, go to: http://www.fastcompany.com/1742615/remote-control-clouds-incoming-for-qatari-2012-world-cup?partner=rss

This weekend’s AT&T announcement provided information on 3 of the 4 major mobile carriers in the US, but what about Sprint?  Well, Sprint is not panicking and although they do not have the iPhone, they do have 2 new devices they believe will keep them competitive in the market.

The new HTC EVO 3D runs on Android and promises to deliver 3D imaging, without glasses.  Consumers will also be able to share their 3 dimensional content on their 3D TV.  Sprint really believes that real estate agents will want and love this phone.  The ability to give virtual home tour, with the dual facing camera, could be very handy for agents.

The second smartphone announced is the HTC EVO View 4G.  This 7-inch touchscreen tablet features a digital pen for drawing and taking notes.

Both phones haven’t announced pricing yet, but are both 4G and slated for a summer release.  For those consumers who don’t need to have an iPhone and aren’t locked into a contract, Sprint might be a good option for them.

For more information, go to: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2011/03/sprint-unveils-glasses-free-3-d-smartphone/1

While most of California was trying not to get washed away in the storm this weekend, AT&T announced something huge, they are buying T-Mobile.  Although the deal, which will cost AT&T $39billion, is not about increasing their number of subscribers it does position them to be the largest mobile carrier in the US (if all the regulatory hurdles can be cleared).  AT&T and T-Mobile combined have over 25% more subscribers than Verizon by a count of 125+ million vs. 93 million.

This acquisition really came out of left field for a lot of people, but AT&T believes it’s the only way that they will be competitive and ready for the 4G era.  AT&T’s less than stellar reputation for their data speeds and limited network accessibility has really taken its toll on the company, especially in the past month since Verizon started selling the iPhone.  Purchasing T-Mobile allows AT&T to merge their network with T-Mobile’s and to fix some of their coverage problems in a more timely manner.

It’s not like AT&T wasn’t trying to resolve their network issues but the process to get approval for new towers is long and arduous and metropolitan cities like San Francisco, where the coverage is unbearable, couldn’t trust the company was moving forward to fix the issue.  So their thought process was if we can’t build the towers, buy them, which is exactly what they are doing.  And since T-Mobile uses GSM technology, AT&T can immediately use the towers to boost their network. 

Honestly, this acquisition isn’t about 4G technology, as the press release would have you believe, it really is about repairing AT&T’s broken reputation.  AT&T knows its problems and this was a big step in right direction and making it up to the consumers that have either stuck with the company voluntarily or those who didn’t have the money to break their contracts.

For more information, go to: http://mashable.com/2011/03/20/att-tmobile-ope/

Pepsi new all-plant-based bottle is truly an environmental and marketing achievement.  The new plastic bottle is chemically the same, made with the resin polyethylene terephthalate (PET), but is made using renewable materials such as switch grass, pine bark and corn husks, instead of relying on petroleum for production.

In the future Pepsi aims to use other materials such as orange peels, potato peels, oat hulls and other agricultural byproducts.  These byproducts can be found from PepsiCo’s other food businesses, such as Frito-Lay, Tropicana and Quaker.

Pepsi’s new bottle achievement can really be a huge marketing platform for them.  Their biggest competitor Coca-Cola has their own “PlantBottle,” but it is only made of 30% plant material, in comparison to PepsiCo’s 100%.   In the Cola Wars every little achievement can mean huge increases to the company’s bottle line.  And in a time when both cola companies are targeting millenials and Generation Y, both who would love to be green, especially when it doesn’t cost them anything extra, this is a huge leg up.

For more information on Pepsi’s Plant Bottle, go to: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-pepsi-20110315,0,882790.story

Zaarly is a proximity based, real-time buyer powered market. Buyers make an offer for an immediate need and sellers cash in on an infinite marketplace for items and services they never knew were for sale.  Zaarly is making waves at SXSW by showcasing how easy it is for guests to get anything from Advil and Gatorade to nurse their techie hangover, to changes of clothes or phone chargers.  The key to this HTML 5 mobile app is that it focuses on the buyer’s needs.  Buyers post what they need and what they are willing to spend and then it’s up to the sellers to bid for the tasks.  Once the seller wins the bid, Zaarly connects the two parties via an anonymous Twilio-powered phone number.

Zaarly has been compared to Craiglist, because it’s based on the honor system, but Zaarly’s community managers are keeping a close eye on what goes up for sale to make sure all offers are legit and legal.

Zaarly was conceived on February 20, 2011 and already has $1M in funding.  It is currently only live in Austin but once SXSW ends it will be rolling out on a city by city basis.  To find out more about this app, go to: http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/13/hungover-at-sxsw-use-zaarly-to-get-your-gatorade-and-advil/

South by Southwest is an annual music, film, and interactive conference and festival held in Austin.  This festival has proved to be a successful launching point for several brands, apps and gadgets in the past few years.  This year’s SXSW is taking place from March 11-20th and several companies have some big things planned.

• Instagram Gadget: The hardware-software marketing shop, Breakfast, is rolling out a prototype for Instaprint, a Polaroid-esque photo printing machine.  These devices work with the iPhone app, Instagram, and will be featured at a series of SXSW-related events.  For more information, go to: http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/digital/e3i4c77c0dad42b14c8eea3483cefda1a26
• Mashable has named 13 apps to watch at SXSW: Some of the potential breakout stars include – Group Messaging Apps: GroupMe, Fast Society, Kik and Beluga; HeyTell, the free app simply turns Android phones or iPhones into walkie talkies is also hoping that SXSW helps them explode; and photo-sharing apps like Picplz, Instagram and Path are hoping to hit it big in Austin.  For the full list including details on each of the apps, go to: http://mashable.com/2011/03/09/startups-to-watch-sxsw/?cid=dlvr.it
• iPad2 Access: Apple doesn’t want all of the SXSW hipsters to feel left out of the iPad2 craze, so they are setting up a pop-up shop to sell the newest iPad and to give Apple some sort of presence at the festival.  Details on their location can be found at: http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/03/10/apple-opening-pop-up-store-in-austin-for-sxsw/

If you are interested in all things South by Southwest, their official website is http://sxsw.com/

Customer feedback is extremely useful for any business.  Although the customer might not always be right, they do love to be heard and feel like their opinion matters.  Just listening to those who take the time to share their thoughts can help build relationships and strenghten customer retention.

There are 9 tools that are designed to solicit feedback via the web, so that you don’t have to sort through paperwork or emails.

1. UserVoice has created a simple forum for submitting and voting on feedback via a widget embedded on your website.  The ability to vote gives your business the ability to decifer between the ideas that relevant to the majority of people and those problems that are isolated issues.  The widget allows business owners to respond to issues and ideas at their convenience.
2. Get Satisfaction enables customers to create a page for any company (not already in their system) as part of a user supported community.  The forum-like help page gives consumers the ability to ask questions, submit ideas, get support and give props to businesses.
3. Feedbackify gives businesses the ability to request feedback from their visitors and solicit feedback.  This app is meant to solicit feedback only and does not allow for any further conversations.
4. SuggestionBox’s sole purpose is to solicit ideas and suggestions from your customers.  Once customers vote on ideas, businesses have the ability to respond to the suggestions or mark them as “Coming Soon” or “Implemented.”
5. Kampyle  is a feedback widget so that businesses can ask pointed questions.  There is a built-in response system as well as an automatic system that sends customers relevant responses backed on their feedback.  It is integrated with Google Analytics, Omniture and Nedstate, providing owners with great insight on how the customers are interacting with the website.  The CRM is integrated through Salesforce.com.
6. OpinionLab gathers and algorithmically analyzes and sorts customer feedback from websites, mobile, social media, email, mobile comment cards and store kiosks.
7. CrowdSource is extremely similar to UserVoice.  Customers make suggestions via the feedback widget, where they are then voted up or down from other users.
8. IdeaScale provides businesses the ability “to create branded customer suggestion communities, such as this one for Avid Pro Tools.” Users will then submit an idea, others discuss and vote on it, the most liked ideas are put up on top and the business owners can comment on them from there.
9. UserEcho creates business communities where customers leave feedback, comments, vote on ideas or issues.  This widget allows multiple staff members to respond to feedback, while users log-in via their Facebook or Twitter account.

These plans range anywhere from free to a couple hundred dollars a month.  For more information, go to: http://mashable.com/2011/03/06/user-feedback-apps/