What would happen if we woke up to a world where all of our data and applications lived in the cloud instead of our desktops?  A world where we would leave behind our fixation on physically possessing our data and trusted a third party, like Google, for example, to store all of our precious information?

Earlier this year, Google sent out more than 60,000 pilot CR-48 Chrome Notebooks via a random lottery to early-adopters who, in return for receiving a free laptop, promised to submit all of their user data back to Google for analysis.

So what makes the CR-48 different? The anonymous-looking notebook is designed to work a lot like a smartphone with a much larger screen and keyboard, and there are no function keys. There is no desktop to exit to, as there is in more traditional operating systems. The browser is there when you boot up, and it’s gone when you shut down. So are all your files, everything you’ve been working on, saved in a separate cloud platform ready and waiting for you to log back on to the cloud.

Are you ready for the cloud, or at least the cloud as Google sees it? Here’s some things to consider if you’re thinking about trusting your everything to Google’s cloud with the CR-48:

Simple set up

Only your Gmail email address is needed to get this laptop up and running. All of your settings such as bookmarks, saved passwords and browser preferences will be transferred.

Incredible speed

Chrome notebooks go from power off to full speed in about 10 seconds, and resume from sleep instantly.

Internet access at all times

Wi-Fi and 3G internet connection at your fingertips – Verizon is also promising 100 megabytes of free connection per month for two years for every Chrome notebook.

Same experience everywhere

All your apps, documents, and settings are stored in the cloud so you will be able access them from any computer, anywhere, anytime

But what about security (who watches the watchers)? And is Chrome really a suitable substitute for a full-blown OS like Windows or OS X? And don’t even get me started on compatibility – as of right now, there are many programs that can only run on your desktops. It will take years before they convert into full blown web apps, so what to do in the meantime?

And can your business (or your clients) switch to the cloud? Popular B2B staples like CRM salesforce.com are powering a move away from traditional hard-copy license-based software to cloud-based functionality and monthly subscriptions, which begs the question – are you an early-adopter or will you be dragged, kicking and screaming to the cloud? How much of what you do is already on the cloud, and you may not even realize it?

If you are curious to see how this could potentially work for you (or if you’re ready), you can take this Google quiz just download Google’s Chrome browser, and head over to the Web app store where you can download apps such as TweetDeck, Amazon Windowshop, Dropbox, Gravity, WebApp Note and Cloud9. What are your thoughts? Would you be willing to switch to the cloud?

I love reading and recently came across a great book written by Keith Pigues and Jerry Alderman, “Winning with Customers: A Playbook for B2B”. Practical and entertaining, “Winning with Customers: A Playbook for B2B” explores the science of creating value for customers in the B2B commerce world.

The book is divided into six steps:

1. Discover: Learn to understand what value you offer to your customer’s business
2. Analyze: Collect all information and prioritize opportunities
3. Executive: Create a plan to capture value for you and your customer
4. Measure: Create a dashboard to help you track the results
5. Certify: Spread knowledge throughout your organization
6. CVC Management System: Combine people, processes and technology to ensure long-term results

“Winning with Customers: A Playbook for B2B” is also filled with case studies, examples and workable tips to give your business everything it needs to succeed including:

• Hands-on advice about what winning with customers means and measurements that really work
• Guidance for moving you from anecdotes and gut feelings to sound metrics for success
• Resources you need to collect your customers’ perspectives on the value you create for them
• Step-by-step customer plans that can be executed by the organization
• An accompanying website

Consider picking-up a copy of “Winning with Customers: A Playbook for B2B”. And, if you need more guidance about how to win with your customers, give Canyon a call at 480.775.8880.

As we all know, Steve Jobs’ attempt to build a community around iTunes failed. Ping never really got off the ground—it is estimated that only around 2,000 artists joined, and many users who did sign up, ended up not liking it. One of the main issues was that Ping lacked an easy way to find out who, among your friends, was already using the service. There was no way to integrate it with Facebook, Twitter or an address book.

After months of negotiation, Apple finally solved that problem by teaming up with Twitter. Starting this week, people can use their Twitter account to share their Ping activity, preview songs and share links to purchase and download music directly from the iTunes store.

And, thanks to Twitter’s recent redesign, the shared Ping activity will appear in Twitter’s new details panel, literally transforming half of Twitter into the iTunes store.

So what do you think? When it comes to reputation management, can Twitter save Ping, or is it already too late?

Thanks to the tremendous success last year, Phoenix Design Week is rolling out again. This year, the event is being held September 29–October 3 at the Phoenix Convention Center.

It will include two full days of ADOBE training and a weekend conference with more than 30 national and local-based speakers. Some of the speakers scheduled to appear include Hillman Curtis, Von Glitschka, James Victore, Paul Sahre, Mike Joosse and Brian Singer.

Phoenix Design Week is a great event for anyone with an appreciation for print, web, motion, industrial and interactive design.

The event is presented by AIGA and Dojo Collective and is open to the public. Cost is $125 for the weekend or $75 per day. But, if you get a group of 5 or more attendees together, the cost goes down to $99 per person for the weekend.

Registration closes Saturday October 2 so hurry and get your tickets soon! See you there.