Really, live isn't enough?

FanVision is a new product developed for sports fanatics. The product offers spectators at the game opportunities to watch the game on TV while being at the game live. The device allows people to keep up with their fantasy points and stay entertained during the time outs and commercials.

Only 12 NFL teams have adopted the product. The teams who have decided to embrace it installed their stadiums with four transmitters to allow the system to run on its own Network and not use cellular or wi-fi bandwidth. FanVision was presented to all NFL teams, but 20 have rejected the item. “A lot of them are old school and don’t move too fast on new ideas, so they said, ‘Let’s wait and see how the other teams do," says Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins.

There are costs associated with the product. Ross has been paying to have the stadium wired and offered the team 5000 devices which they can distribute as they wish. They then sell them for $200 each at the stores and kiosks inside the stadiums.

The product has potential. However, I think that most people have a similar device in a cell phone. Most cell phones offer TV and I know there are apps for Fantasy Football. It seems like just another device to have to hold...and who has 4 arms for a beer, a hot dog, a phone, and now a FanVision? Maybe the teams who are resisting are not old school, but they took a step back and asked "is this filling a void fans are missing? or replacing something they already have? If it is just replacing, it better be a really fabulous product. I am just not sure this will go very far. Also, maybe I am just being resistant to change...

Wine? Please!

This week we have focused on when to invest in technology and whether to create a new playing field or just keep up with the competition. Restaurants are creating a new playing field. Several high-end restaurants have invested in iPads to help customers order wine. Instead of receiving recommendations from a waiter (who is likely biased for several reasons (1) he wants you to spend a lot of money and (2) the restaurant may have 200 extra bottles of a certain wine they are trying to quickly sell), the customer can now read about the vineyard and rankings prior to ordering their drink of the night.

While there was some hesitancy in whether this would be a successful investment, it has paid off so far. One customer purchased a wine which cost 25% more than his normal purchase simply because he was able to read about the rankings. He also tried a new wine in which he had never heard of before and liked it.

This is an interesting concept. I drink a lot of wine, and my family makes wine in France. However, I am no expert when it comes to choosing a wine at a restaurant. Usually, I pick one with a cool label or name. However, if I had an iPad full of information regarding the wine, I could make a wiser choice and likely get a better wine for my buck. To top it off, I would be learning about wine and different vineyards around the world.

I think this is a definite shift in the playing field for high-end restaurants. Even though I only eat at nice places for extra special occasions, I would definitely love to order my wine via iPad.

Frustration Free Packaging.

Remember on Christmas morning when you were 7 years old (ish) and all you wanted was the latest Barbie that came with all the fancy clothes and accessories? Do you also remember how long you had to wait while your parents fought to get everything out of the package?

Well, Amazon is pushing companies to move towards easy to open, environmentally less wasteful, and less fancy packaging! There is absolutely no need for a glittery package when you order an item online. Consumers simply want their item to arrive in one piece. Further, we are so eager to use our new purchases, we get frustrated by the need to whip out our machetes just to see our new phone, camera, book, or sweater.

Currently, only about 600 of the millions of items on Amazon come with frustration free packaging. Wal-Mart and Target have yet to make any changes. Companies would have to provide two different sets of packaging. One for in-stores and another less-fussy package for online orders.

The in-store items need to remain flashy and hard to access to encourage sales and prevent theft. However, these reasons do not exist with online purchases. Amazon stated that products with less hassle packaging have received a 73% reduction in negative feedback. Businesses are still resisting the change because it may initially cost both time and money. However, an e-commerce friendly packaging option will result in benefits for the consumer and the company.

The article specifically addresses the fact that many companies are not willing to change because of the expense of change. This emphasizes how important it is to be adaptable (unlike Mrs. Fields). In the long run, companies would ultimately save money on packaging. First, companies can use pure cardboard for shipping. Then, the cardboard can be recycled and reused. Sounds like a win-win...

Check-In Fatigue?

Currently, I am at home sitting at my desk hurriedly working on school work so I can eventually go relax before bed. Typically, I would keep these unimportant life details to myself (unless someone calls to inquire). However, today many people are sharing each and every detail with their hundreds of Facebook friends. I first heard about FourSquare over the summer when I read an article on CNN explaining the "check-in" phenomena. Red flag: absolutely NO privacy.

After reading this article on CNN, I may be a convert to the idea. Maybe not FourSquare, but the Shopkick and Geoloqi concepts are really interesting. What girl wouldn't go for the idea of earning discounts at clothing stores for taking a simple picture or just being in the vacinity. Currently, Shopkick is only available in large cities, I sure hope it comes down south soon!

Geoloqi sounds awesome. I want my grocery list to be texted to me when I am arriving at a grocery store. And, running late to work? No worries! The app will email your boss for you (my husband needs this one...)

While it is a little freaky that you are being tracked 24/7, in reality, these apps/programs could make life and business easier and more interactive. Is there a better way to advertise and create customer loyalty than encouraging them to become the mayor of your store/restaurant/bar? (FourSquare. Some people are growing fatigued of checking in to their locations; don't worry, you can set up automatic updates.)

And, Yelp, the venue review site helps businesses immediately adapt to customers wants, complaints, and needs (if they read the reviews, of course!). As consumers review restaurants, we are able to assist other customers in making decisions while also assisting businesses make new business decisions.

I recently bought a new phone, a Google Android MyTouch 3G. (My first internet friendly phone!) There is an option to set my phone up so that it will automatically change settings depending whether I am at work, home, or school. I have not set this program up yet because I am just not sure I want my phone to outsmart me... I guess this is so you can have a dreary setting while working and happy when at home?!

While most of these programs/applications are really intriguing, they are also a little bit scary as they step a little bit too hard on the toes of privacy.