Web & Technology

Some of you may remember our Bay Area Innovators series from a couple months ago, where PSFK met with a handful of Bay Area-based young entrepreneurs about the innovative companies and applications they’re creating. We thought we’d pick it back up and introduce a few more innovators from the Big Apple.

Philip James is the founder of Snooth, a web-based marketplace for wine that is making it easier for people to research wines that suit their personal tastes. The services enables users to find the perfect wine for any occasion, price range, or location. Philip goes on to explain how Snooth functions as a business and their future plans for integrating location based services.

Snooth

In another instance of intriguing brand partnerships, following on from HP’s collaboration with fashion designer Vivienne Tam that we mentioned yesterday, the same brand is now joining forces with MTV and their university channel MTVu to produce the TV and online series ‘The Engine Room’, which will feature 16 young creative types divided into four teams as they compete to produce digital art using HP laptops and other Hewlett-Packard products. The contestants will be tracked as they sit in a loft in Brooklyn, New York. Nearly 2,000 contestants from 122 countries submitted 20,000 pieces of artwork to be considered for the series. ‘The Engine Room’ is an example of the growing trend of brands latching on to online programs in a bid to reach out to young people who mostly access the brand online or through their mobile (a growing segment of the target market). It isn’t the first time HP has entered into such a partnership though - their relationship with online video seems to be tried and tested through another previous program called ‘Meet or Delete’ they presented with MTV and ‘Dorm Storm’ with Broadband Enterprises. 

From the New York Times:

“We don’t want it to be advertising; we want it to be real,” said David Roman, vice president for worldwide marketing communications at the personal systems group of H.P. in Cupertino, Calif.

“We’re learning as we go not to do so much talking about what we do but rather let people do things with the product,” Mr. Roman said. “That’s where the ‘wow factor’ comes from.”

[via New York Times, image by T.Lawrence Wheatman/MTV via New York Times]

The New York Fashion Week, currently underway in Manhattan, New York, will feature an unlikely accessory debut this year: a Hewlett-Packard laptop by fashion designer Vivienne Tam. During the presentation of Tam’s Spring 2009 line, models will carry the laptop instead of bags. HP has not disclosed the size or specifications of the laptop yet, but has said they will be the size of a woman’s clutch bag. They’re rather pretty, and HP learnt more from Tam during the collaborative process than they thought they would, as Vice-President of Marketing Communications at HP, David Roman says in the article:

One, Tam’s precise vision for the computer’s design helped its in-house industrial designers learn what was possible in terms of how complex patterns and chic colors can be achieved using HP’s current supply chain. “We use a technique that can build a design into the plastic, so it’s molded into the plastic as a computer is built,” says Roman. “It’s not painted on. We saw that we could use our sophisticated supply chain to do this and keep it at a competitive, aggressive price point.” Two, they also considered how to build buzz around a new notebook computer outside of the typical tech showcases (like CES) and target a specific consumer (in this case, “fashionista moms,” as Roman calls them, women who want a small, stylish, and affordable computer). 

[via BusinessWeek]

BusinessWeek covers the rising number of companies that are joining the Twitter bandwagon. From JetBlue and Comcast to Dell and Whole Foods Market, brands are waking up to the fact that micro-blogging services like Twitter not only magnify dissatisfied customers’ voices ten-fold, they also allow brands that are dedicated to customer service to respond and build equity. Of course, there are risks: some customers find that a brand following them on Twitter is a ‘creepy’ experience, and conversely some people pose as a particular brand and cause damage. Overall though, more and more are expecting corporate America to listen to them through services like Twitter. Twitter Search (formerly called Summize, before Twitter acquired it) and other similar tools can help companies track what is being said by the Twittersphere, which numbered over 2 million users in July 2008. As Morgan Johnston, a JetBlue employee who monitors the company’s Twitter ID says in the article: 

“Why wouldn’t you want to be able to take care of that person at the moment when it’s most important?” 

That too when services like Twitter are free. 

[via BusinessWeek]

Facebook is trying out a new interactive ad format, and is launching it by beta testing the concept with a few advertisers like Adidas, Betty Crocker and Paramount, before it goes live. They call it an ‘engagement ad’. From Brand Republic:

Looks like the Apple vs. Microsoft war is heating up as far as advertising is concerned. Just as the Mac is releasing a set of ads that focus on the fact that they can transfer files from a PC to a Mac free of charge (”just like that”), Microsoft has decided to carry out one of their biggest advertising campaigns in recent times, and has roped in comedian Jerry Seinfeld to hold their flag high. At a cost of $300 million for the campaign and $10 million just for Seinfeld, we’re going to pay close attention to how successful it is going to be (or not).

Tech magazine Crave has actually crowd-sourced the whole topic. Their readers have smartly pointed out that Seinfeld actually used a Mac in the sitcom, and have a whole range of suggestions for alternatives that Microsoft should have considered. Check them out here. You’ll have a good laugh, that’s for sure!

[via Huffington Post, CNet and Mooch]

Viking Line, a ferry service running between Finland, Sweden, and the Aland Islands, has recently introduced a new offering for its guests. In an effort to promote the on-ship dance halls, the company has created Dance Match, a purpose-built website that allows user to post videos of themselves dancing. There are several categories under which you can post your video including Disco, Boogie, and Salsa. When posting a video, you can rate your dance skills, and check out the moves of others, all in an effort to find the ideal dance partner. After filling out information on the application, users will receive a list of suggested matches. If you are happy with your match, contact will be established via email. As a prize, Viking Line is offering a free boat cruise for two, encouraging a face-to-face onboard meeting. An English version of the site is under construction and should be launched shortly.

[via Adverblog]

A user interface is the crucial middle-man between the fluidity of use and the complex technology behind it. Often a crummy interface can cripple an otherwise fine device while an innovative approach can build a success story. Smashing Magazine lists 10 designs that range from production-ready simplicity to far-fetched prototypes. The biggest stand-out is Futuristic Glass, whcih aims to migrate the wealth of information on the web into real life through a looking glass (pictured). Other designs highlight the recent trend to expand the usable space in either larger format displays of data or enable a better tactile interaction with the user. Regardless of the probability of the these designs making it from the drawing board to a store shelf, it makes for an interesting read.

Check out the complete list here.

[via The Guardian]

Google continues to challenge the old $1 billion suit with Viacom amongst privacy concerns and earlier attempts to allow advertising. Now, in another attempt to quell lawsuits and drive revenue, Google has introduced a system for copyright holders to claim and takeover popular videos featuring their content. In addition to taking the videos out of the hands of private users, the companies are allowed to embed advertising within the content.

The New York Times writes:

“We don’t want to condone people taking our intellectual property and using it without our permission,” said Curt Marvis, the president of digital media at Lionsgate Entertainment, which owns films like “Dirty Dancing” and the “Saw” series of horror movies. “But we also don’t like the idea of keeping fans of our products from being able to engage with our content” he said. “For the most part, people who are uploading videos are fans of our movies. They’re not trying to be evil pirates, and they’re not trying to get revenue from it.”

…Google has pushed the video site to innovate in the ad arena. [Google CEO Eric E.] Schmidt said last month: “I personally do not believe that the perfect ad product for YouTube has been invented yet.”

[via The New York Times]