Cloud-based computing offers tremendous upside opportunities for developers. By offering a subscription rather than a disc or download local solution, a relationship with the client is created. Renewal marketing is reduced. Packaging and shipping are eliminated. Service options are increased.

But all of this predicts the user will always have access to the Internet. And, that such access will be of a high quality. Before that happens, the quality of Internet connectivity must not only improve, but stabilize. Mobile companies in particular must put on big-boy pants and recognize their clients for what they are: users of technology, not dependents without choice or options.

There is a group of people who believe we’ll all be living in the clouds fairly soon. A recent survey by Elon University of more than 900 Internet and technology experts found that 71% predicted the majority of people will use web-based and mobile apps by 2020. Working in conjunction with Pew Research Center, the experts predicted that entities like Google will own the airwaves not only as a conduit, but as a destination for personal and business users.

Make no mistake, we’re very strong supporters of Software as a Service. At the same time, the ability to utilize applications on a local level remains equally important. It isn’t a game of lessor or greater – it’s an apple to an orange.

I can connect to my Mac and control it from the iPad. Cool!

The Apple iPad has been on the market for a week. In that time, it has been both praised and condemned. Those who have grabbed one have been called lemmings, sheep, and just plain stupid. After spending extended time with the iPad, I believe it to be a game changer. No, it doesn’t replace a netbook. It isn’t a laptop killer. It does, however, establish something that Apple has proven to be expert at: evolution that benefits the user.

I’ve been asked on multiple occasions, “why do you like the iPad?” At first, I really couldn’t say, specifically, what it was that made me so giddy to pick it up and turn it on. Now that some time has gone by, I have a good idea about how important this new device might be…

The iPad redefines how we as individuals and groups use the Internet and share content. In that regard, it’s nearly perfect. It also can redefine how many types of individuals and industries use lightweight hand-held computing devices. If you focus your attention in that area alone, the iPad is not ideal – at least not yet.

Too many devices today try to do things that relate to “functions” or “applications.” In fact, in many cases, the things that people complain about in terms of features are things they already have, or, better put, that aren’t really important (yet) to the iPad. A camera is a perfect example. Could you use a camera in an iPad for a variety of things? Sure, but to do so, the applications and how users interact with the device would take on an entirely new level of complexity and support.

The iPad is so remarkable because it does specific things so well. It’s bright. It’s fast (relatively). And, it draws the user in. No mice. Just tap. Tap and watch. Tap and read. It’s bright, clear, focused, and uniquely pleasant.

It doesn’t feel like a computer. And in that regard, it will be attractive to ordinary people – kids, parents, teachers, trainers, business people, designers, sales people, and so on. Grandparents will delight in its simplicity and ease of enjoyment. Photo galleries are stunning in quality. Videos are crisp and HD movies look terrific.

I would also like to end some confusion for those PC fanboys out there that don’t understand products designed for people and harp on misinformation so they feel better about themselves:

1. I can print from the iPad (network printing).

2. I can share files with my Mac or PC via the iPad.

3. I can create and manage a file structure for the iPad.

4. The iPad (and iPhone) are multi-tasking capable. The limitations are intentional, temporary, and oriented around quality product development and usability. See iPhone OS V4 for an update on that.

5. It isn’t a slate PC. Bill Gates proved that nobody wants one. Apple sold more iPads in the first week than slate PCs have been sold in a decade. Ouch.

6. Apple is expert at marketing 101, 201, 301, and beyond. So, expect the iPad, as with every Apple product, to evolve.

There are plenty of reasons to not purchase an iPad. I guess the key reason I’ve written this blog entry is because it is so remarkably cool for content creators – and that’s what we do. Create content.

It is important that anyone who uses an iPad “get it” as well. So, here’s a test: Go to an Apple Store or visit with a friend that has an iPad. Visit the BBC news website. It looks like a fairly standard newspaper website. Now, launch the BBC iPad app. What happens? It loads faster. It is far easier to navigate. The video clips are built into the stories – it’s totally Minority Report – but it’s happening now. If the iPad version of the BBC isn’t more appealing, don’t buy an iPad.

So, what does this have to do with a creative media publisher?

It opens a new door for us. We can share our work with clients more easily. We can improve our work in the field. We’re already using our iPads as slates for each take in video production. We have a teleprompter app that runs beautifully on the iPad. Our presentations, all created in Keynote on a Mac look great – and I can show the presentation to a group of three or four, or, using the RGB connector, can show it to a room of 200 people.

Most importantly, we don’t feel like we’re using a computer when we pick up the iPad. It’s more akin to using a television, or – and this sounds silly – like diving into a good book – and no, I’m now saying it’s like “reading a book” because it’s more than that. What the iPad does better than anything I’ve seen in my 30 years of creating software, video, websites and so on -  is share content. And for content creators, ranging from our boutique firm to a major newspaper or magazine, that’s good news.

The initial model (unnamed as of this date) in the NXCAM series does a number of really important things: It records AVCHD full HD 1920×1080 material (in all variations of resolutions) and as such, is easily compatible with other cameras, including as one example, the Canon 7D hybrid still/video camera. It utilizes a relatively new type of glass, and although fixed to the camera, this lens, called a G-Lens, delivers excellent optics, no doubt a result of Sony’s purchase of Minolta. And, the camera is ideal for the wide variety of production requirements a documentary requires.

In our situation, we’re interested in the best tool for a variety of situations. That means we’ll shoot portrait interviews, mount a camera on a moving vehicle, hang from a helicopter, and so on. And, if we’re doing all of these things, it also means we’re shooting a lot of material (hours vs. minutes). If you’re making a film, you’ll work from a shot list, and the shooting ratio may be 3:1. In our documentary work, we’re going to capture reality as it occurs, and then weed out the footage that isn’t essential to telling the story. The result is often 30:1 or higher. That’s right, we may shoot 30 hours of video to get a one hour show. In fact, for a documentary we did in Australia that covered two weeks of a cross-country race, we shot more than 100 hours of video. The final product was a broadcast-ready 44 minutes.

The AVCHD format is ideal for this type of work. And, being able to record to a flash drive that mounts into the camera is fantastic. There’s no box attached to a shoe that gets in the way of moving the camera about. It snaps into place. You can record literally hours of material, and then, using USB connectors, transfer the files directly to your PC or Mac.

There’s more to like as well. The imagers in the camera are native 1920 x 1080. The imagers in other cameras in this class are typically 720p and upscale to 1080p. This is really important and becomes even more so when you discover that the camera will output a full HD 4:2:2 signal via the built-in HD-SDI port while shooting. That type of flexibility allows us to integrate this camera with other, far more expensive cameras.

It’s difficult to capture a strong, clear image if you can’t see what you’re doing. The NXCAM shown off by Sony offers a 1.2 million pixel 16×9 display using backlit LED technology. The Panasonic HMC-150, by comparison (same compression system, similar price, etc.) has a display with approximately 210,000 pixels in a 4×3 display that is letter-boxed. What? To use the Panny (which has great images), you really need to add an external monitor, or you’re going to be disappointed with the results. Sony avoids that extra complication. Add-on monitors are terrific if you’re on a tripod and locked off. They don’t work if you’re jumping off a fire engine and following firefighters into a smokey building. Sony resolves that problem with not only the flip-up external monitor, but the built-in viewfinder as well. You can learn more by watching the intro video produced by Sony.

So, as we envision some of the production work we’re scheduled to produce this year, the Sony NXCAM fits in really well. We can shoot portrait interviews using prime glass on our Canon 7D. We can match that (remember, same codec) with footage captured “in the field” with the Sony NXCAM. And, we can edit in both PC and Mac NLE solutions without drama. No tape. No fuss. Oh, by the way – there’s more to like as well. Because we shoot on location, as documentary producers, we are careful to log everything we shoot. Now, with the NXCAM, there is GPS data added to the metadata of each file. Whoo hoo! So, the next time we travel 2,000 miles across the Stewart Highway in Australia, we’ll know where each shot was captured. And, if we decide to shoot in a studio, we can lock multiple NXCAMs together, thanks to the new (if proprietary) timecode in and out connectors.

The only bad news is that the camera isn’t available yet. Hey Sony – want some remarkable footage of firefighters saving lives? How about the California coast and wine country? Or, how about some footage of the latest sports cars being testing on windy country roads at speed? If so, get us an NXCAM ASAP. We aren’t asking for a freebie. We’ll own it. Love it. And we’ll tell the world.

But Ford is truly using the downturn in the economy and the drama with its Detroit cousins to get up and deliver. While quality may have been their long-term mantra, Social Media may now be at the top of their marketing agenda.

Scott Monty is the head of Social Media for Ford. He clearly gets it. On a daily basis, Monty is working to let people know that Ford is not a building, not a car, but a company that is made up of people. Not only does Scott understand Social Media as a marketing tool, he understands the audience. GM and Chrysler both use the typical Social Media mechanisms, including FaceBook and Twitter, but just like their current overall situation, the effectiveness of their use of these tools leaves something to be desired.

According to Trendrr, a Social Media trending firm, in May of 2009, Chrysler had approximately 850 Twitter followers, while GM blew past them with more than 5,000 followers. On the other hand, Monty’s Twitter audience jumped to 20,000 people. That’s not even in the same solar system.

Ford created an effective and useful promotion using YouTube to market the introduction of the new Ford Fiesta. By creating a series of contests, Ford drew thousands of submissions, created a steady stream of Twitter “tweets,” and got substantial blog and news coverage. The bottom line: Ford reached a broad audience, interacted with them, and saved literally millions of dollars in advertising.

We like to collaborate with our clients to ensure they understand both the commitment that is required when diving into the Social Media pool, and the rewards for a job well done. It isn’t a mysterious endeavor, but it does require care, focus, and a strong understanding of whom the customer is, what they expect to see, hear, and read – and how to share things that will generate a response.

If you’re interested in how Social Media can work for you, please give us a shout. We’d love to hear from you.

For many companies, daily reports from the media about huge losses on Wall Street and in the Fortune 5000 translates into a big red stop sign. “We’ll wait until things improve,” is a common phrase. In the next room, the VP of sales is telling his sales team, “you’ve got to do more than ever to close those sales!” For many people, our economic workflow has slipped into a catch 22.

But there are methods for reaching out. Using video is just one of them. YouTube is now showing billions of videos every month. That’s more, not less. Vimeo, a high-end video distribution site, is also growing, not contracting.

There are some important factors related to this. Just several years ago, streaming video from your own servers or host could be very costly. Video uses more bandwidth than text or most other data files. Just several years ago, we had several dedicated servers set up purely for the purpose of supporting streaming files. No more.

Today, we utilize third-party resources for nearly all of our streaming requirements – and those of our clients. It’s free or nearly so. That’s a great phrase in these times.

But, it’s equally important to have something to say. And that’s where our creativity can come into play. I’ll write more about that in a few days.

Our world is much smaller now. Smaller than ever before. It is so because of technology, and we must be ever vigilant about it, or it will pass us by. All of those things we’ve talked about in our businesses for the past decade as, “things for the future” are now upon us. And never was it more evident than in the inaugural coverage witnessed by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

CNN invited the world to submit photos. They had cameras across the country and we watched each other watching – in high definition. When the president-elect walked down the steps prior to the swearing in, nearly everyone, his daughter included, was busy snapping digital photos – and in many cases, sending them to family and friends. So much so, that cell service in the Metro DC area was compromised for a time both yesterday and today. People were using flickr, twitter, facebook, myspace, their own blogs, and even CNN. The era of the iReporter is upon us.

CNN also invited people to watch the post-inagural parade and other activities via computer. Literally. “Watch CNN on your computer – www.cnn.com” was displayed on-screen multiple times. And overall, the graphics we see now move, change shape, and are presented in computer-display clarity. The move to push people to watch was most likely a calculated marketing move as well. Once the inauguration was over, people headed to work. By promoting viewership via computer, CNN was essentially encouraging people to watch from work. And, if they watch today, what about tomorrow?

And the technology outreach via the web wasn’t limited to CNN. More than ever before, the use of technology is being used to communicate with everyday people in this country and across the planet. CNN is also partnering with Facebook and users of the system provided real-time impressions of the event. Those impressions appeared in a “facebook” window on the cnn.com website. According to the Los Angeles Times, there were more than 1.3 million concurrent connections via Facebook. By 10AM, CNN reported it has delivered more than 10.7 million video streams this morning, a new record.

CBS and its anchor Katie Couric will host a webcast in which anyone with web access can submit questions. Fox News has decided to use a third-party web service, Hulu to stream the event. Following today’s activities, Hulu will make the entire inaugural and all such speeches an on-demand product.

Even the New York Times, long known for its traditional approach to things, will stream their own or subscribed video via their websites. MSNBC will allow people to embed video streams in their websites, no doubt borrowing a page (literally) from YouTube.

The result is that live television is no longer a couch potato pastime. It is now an interactive, mobile, office, auto, and interactive television experience. These tools are important for promotion. They’re important for research. They’re vital for product marketing. And, they’re good for saying hello and staying in touch, too.

And the White House is now with the program as well. At approximately 12:03PM, once Barack Obama was officially President (but before he completed being sworn in), a completely new White House website was launched. It reflects the “with it” web 2.0 technology awareness that the President is already known for.

This has significant meaning for all of us. It’s now time to evaluate the use of these tools as a component of your 2009 business model. For us, we’re more committed than ever to recognize and help our clients realize the potential of viral and Web 2.0 technologies.

Time has a way of slipping by...

Have you noticed that as you get older, each hour, day, week, month, and year go by faster than the previous ones? Time is a luxury. And, as we move through life, it’s important to try and find ways to slow the clock. And, while some will say it’s about staying alive, I would say (or write, in this case), that it’s about living – and enjoying what you do.

This is the time of year in which many of us give thought to the events of the past year, and our plans for the coming twelve months. As I think back on the past year, a number of interesting time-related issues come to mind. The thing that each one has in common with the others is the effect more time would have on the outcome or progress of the project.

What would happen if there was more time? We know a company that has long desired to see video become a key component of their consumer marketing. Not withstanding the quality of content, we’ve done some experiments related to driving viewership using YouTube. And, the tactics used prove you can build viewership – watching other videos, inviting people to watch, encouraging people to subscribe, proper tags, and most importantly, a continuing selection of fresh content. Still, the viewership isn’t nearly what anyone would want.

YouTube has a program that enables sharing revenue with producers. When checking out the producer program, the one thing that is immediately apparent is that all of the elements listed above are in play. And, in several cases, the most popular YouTube channels are managed by young people. One channel is a teenage brother and sister who put out a five minute weekly comedic video. They have nearly a million viewers every month. Why? Well, one key reason is time.

I can think of about ten different projects that would be totally cool to produce and market through an online media community like YouTube. But, each one requires an investment of time that, as a working adult with staff, clients, vendors, and projects to be responsible for, I have no remaining time.

I know of another organization that spends extensive time discussing all of the great plans they have to make the programs they manage better. In fact, they spend so much time that when all is said and done, they don’t have any time left to do the work. And so, their reputation among their members and those around them is of an organization who doesn’t get anything done. It isn’t what their intention is, but it is what the end-result appears to be.

And as for ourselves, we’ve run out of time numerous times this past year. We have a pretty terrific stock media libary, but no time to post the images or footage. We’ve had various projects that we thought would be terrific to implement, but paying clients always take priority, so no time to get it done. And, for me personally, I spent several months in the middle of the year dealing with some health issues, and so, suddenly, I found myself always struggling for enough time during the past few months.

So, as we look forward to 2009, one of the key issues we’re focusing on is time. With the current state of the economy, we want to ensure we provide the best quality support and service for our clients. We also wish to ensure we’re helping those companies who need to quickly improve their product mix, services, and outreach to their customers. That means we need to be smart about how we use time. And, we certainly want to slow the pace enough so we can enjoy the journey. Join us!

This Fiat would be a hot seller in the US, including its use of Microsoft navigation software.

As per our standard, we now shoot everything in HD, even if the end product will be standard def – or in this case, web-based. This is one show where shooting with smaller cameras is a big plus, as we move from place to place rapidly. This run and gun style of production is useful when working with so many variables.

For a show like this, we typically look for things that we can cover a bit differently. So, rather than just shoot a reporter talking about the latest SYNC System from Microsoft, we’ll interview key engineers from Europe who worked with Microsoft and Ford to bring SYNC to market. We will also look for things that aren’t here yet; an example being the new navigation software that is part of the “Microsoft Auto” suite being shown in the parking lot outside of the convention center.

As this is a technology show, there is plenty of video to check out, too. Last year, HD transmission of 1080i and 720p images was the talk of the town. This year, things have become progressive, with 1080p (due to HD DVDs) the hot topic. HD DVD is dead and Blu Ray is going to survive, but for how long? I wonder if by 2010, we’re all just downloading our movies from a server somewhere.