Home > Entrepreneur Daily > August 20, 2007

Entrepreneur Daily

Print From Your Mobile Phone

(Business News, HR and Management, Tech)

If you're an on-the-go entrepreneur, you'll want to check out this latest printing technology from Hewlett-Packard. Cloudprint is a free service that makes it possible to print documents on any printer just about anywhere in the world. With Cloudprint, users can store and print documents using a cell phone. The technology allows travelers to take their documents with them, no matter where they go, simply by bringing along a cell phone and access to a nearby printer. Don't know where that local printer is? The service will also offer a directory displaying the location of the nearest available printer on Google Maps.

Web Video Snubs 30-Second Spot

(Business Trends, Marketing, Tech)

30-second TV spots used to be the ideal way for brands to reach out to potential consumers. But with the proliferation of ad-skipping thanks to TiVo and other recording devices, they may not be having the same impact they used to. That's why Advertising Age asserts web video is a cheaper, more effective route for some marketers. The article uses Carnival Cruise, which offers a virtual tour of its ships for the inexperienced cruise-goer, as an example. Interactive, virtual experiences are said to run only about half the cost of a 30-second TV ad. It's important to keep in mind that web video isn't just a re-creation of what the brand showcases on TV; instead, it should be shot specifically with the web in mind.

Skybus Boasts $10 Airfare

(Business Trends, HR and Management)

No matter how good of a deal you've gotten for a flight in the past, chances are you've never flown for $10. That is, unless you recently flew on Skybus Airlines. According to this LA Times article, this cheap, new airline is the future of air travel. And believe it or not, the airline really does set aside a minimum of 10 seats for $10, though they get snatched up quickly. But even if you don't make it in time to get the $10 deal, one-way fares start at $50 and rise by $25 increments up to $175; the average fare is about $100. The airline is able to offer such phenomenal pricing by cutting costs in certain places. "The result is that we have a cost structure that is so much lower than anyone else," said Bill Diffenderffer, chief executive for Skybus. For example, the airline doesn't offer any frills. Instead, passengers have to pay for music, movies, drinks and food. And flight attendants make lower wages but receive 10 percent commission of what they sell on the plane, which ranges from food to watches to perfume. In addition, the airline is offering advertising space on the outside of the plane, on the overhead bins and even on the shirts of flight attendants.

The only downsides to the airline: about two inches less legroom than traditional airlines, and you have to pay for how many bags you check and for priority boarding.