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Tired of making trips to the bank to stuff legal documents in a safe deposit box? Now consumers can lock up their important documents online, thanks to electronic document archiving soon to be offered by banks.
Stories were all over the place this weekend about China denying its Internet users access to YouTube because of videos posted about the crackdown in Tibet (see NY Times story). Other countries such as Pakistan and Turkey have recently done the same.
Considering the viral nature and growing pervasiveness of the Web, it will be interesting to see how these countries attempt to control future information they deem unacceptable. Many governments administer the Web portals in their borders, but even with legions of censors, it is going to be difficult to slam the door shut on information.
Starbucks reported last week on its ambitious plan to provide free Wi-Fi at more than 7,000 company-owned locations across the nation beginning this spring. That means you can get your fill of a double-tall non-fat no-whip half-the-mocha mocha plus a serving of free broadband to boot.
Most marketers wish there were more holidays. As Forbes reveals, this Valentine’s Day will be worth about $17 billion. President’s Day weekend will be worth billions, too. So will Easter, Mother’s Day, Memorial weekend, the 4th of July, etc. Then of course there is the granddaddy of all holidays—Christmas—when consumers spend a whopping $475 billion. Every holiday provides reasons (well, actually implores) people to spend money in one way or another. The spending might be for gifts, food, travel, entertainment, or for all of them combined.
Reports this week illustrate the yin and yang of the exploding arena of mobile payments: one study suggests that mobile payments will grow to $22 billion by 2011, thanks to technology which will turn your mobile device into a virtual ATM in your pocket; yet other reports cite significant security issues as banks scurry to protect data and dollars as more customers use mobile devices to make payments.