The Next Web

The Next Big Thing: Ubiquitous Internet!

Written on January 3, 2008 – 10:37 am
Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten,

The Next Web Blog covers start-up news from all over the world (not just the Valley), exciting new technologies and inspiring entrepreneurs. If you're new here, you may want to read our 'About' page and subscribe to our RSS feed.

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In 1998 I got my first always-on Internet connection via my cable provider. The move from dial-up to cable was huge. Speed was an important factor but the fact that I could access the internet at any time had an even bigger impact.

Amazon Kindle After the shift from dial-up to always-on came mobile. Mobile hasn’t caught on as we hoped it would. And it turns out it might look different than we thought. No ordering pizza on a black & white WML generated iMode site. The future of mobile internet looks different. It looks like the iPhone and more important: the Amazon Kindle.

The interesting thing about the Kindle isn’t so much the fact that it has a Wireless Connection built it. It is the fact that this Wireless Connection is free and comes bundled with the device. The seperation between gadget and mobile connection is gone. The Kindle comes with Ubiquitous Internet.

2008 will see more evidence of the Ubiquitous Internet. SanDisk launched a new USB stick today called the SanDisk Cruzer Titanium Plus. This storage device, which SanDisk believes is the first of its kind, will automatically save all data stored on it to Amazon’s S3 storage service via a synchronization service called BeInSync. The device is cheap but comes with a $29.99 a year subscription to the BeInSync online back-up service.

The interesting thing about the Cruzer and Kindle is that they simply provide you with a service and you don’t have to think about this data being on of offline. It is simply there for you and available everywhere.

There have been indications that Google is working on an offline client for their Google Docs Application suite. The interesting thing about an offline client would not just be to work offline instead of online but again to remove the distinction between the two. With a client installed at your computer your documents would simply be everywhere, and always available, forever.

The question is if Ubiquitous Internet will dramatically change business models and enable new companies. Obviously BeInSync will do well and so will Amazon. But what start-ups can we envision taking advantage of an always-on economy?

amazon, cruzer, Inspiration, kindle, Opinion, wifi, wireless

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Why Amazon partnered with SellABand

Written on December 20, 2007 – 4:24 pm
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief

As you might have read on Techcrunch UK this week, Amazon is partnering with music community start-up Sellaband. SellABand Creative Director Pim Betist gave the Next Web an inside view of this special deal.

For those of you who haven’t heard about SellABand yet, here’s a short description: any beginning band can upload their music to the website. People who like their tunes and foresee a successful future for them, can become a ‘believer’ by investing 10 dollars. As soon as the band counts 5000 believers - and thus gained 50.000 dollars - SellABand steps up and helps the talented folks to record an album with a studio and expert producer.

Since the launch in August 2006, 6.000 bands uploaded their musical creations to SellABand. Eleven of them reached the magical number of 5000 believers and recorded an album. Quite a successful concept so far, and it’s about to become even more successful now they teamed up with Amazon.

After the first meeting it soon became clear that SellABand and Amazon would be a perfect match

The media giant turns out to be a ‘believer’ of SellABand. Betist told The Next Web how it got to this point: “Proper, the largest independent distributor of the UK, approached us for a possible partnership. We came to an agreement about off-line distribution. Amazon.co.uk is one of their clients and they thought it would be a good idea to introduce SellABand to them. After the first meeting in the Amazon head office in Slough it soon became clear that SellABand and Amazon would be a perfect match.”

Jeff Belle, Amazon.co.uk’s head of entertainment, about the deal: “Amazon.co.uk is enthusiastic about new music and helping our customers find it, which is why a partnership with SellaBand makes perfect sense for us”.

But what is the real profit factor for Amazon?

Impressive results compared with the innovative character of our business model, stimulated Amazon to partner up with us.

Betist: “The music taste of most consumers is becoming more diverse. People are looking for new music, and that’s exactly what we offer. Amazon saw that we helped eleven artists to collect 50.000 dollars in just one year. At the same time they realized that it’s just the beginning. Those impressive results compared with the innovative character of our business model, stimulated Amazon to partner up with us.”

“Amazon will have a big influence on SellABand”, says Betist. “Part of the deal is that Amazon will help artists who reach 35.000 dollars to collect the other 15.000 by sending out a targeted mailing. Imagine you’re an artist whose music sounds like Robbie Williams’ music and just gained the 35.000 dollars on SellABand. Amazon will then email all its customers who once bought a Robbie Williams album that they have the opportunity to invest in you.”

That’s investing made easy and it will probably boost the number of believers. There are even more advantages for SellABand. Betist: “Amazon will also set up an exclusive SellABand store. Moreover, the Amazone Vine members (the top 50 of Amazon reviewers) will receive a copy of every SellABand album so that they can give their opinion. If the reviewers like the album, it rapidly appears in the charts on Amazon. That will increase profits for the artists as well as the believers. We’re really proud that Amazon makes this possible.”