Email

Apple revealed its long-awaited cloud sharing and sync service today, iCloud. Far more than a way to back up files to a distant server, iCloud is integrated across Apple desktops and mobile devices to ensure that all of your computers can synchronize contacts, calendars, email, apps, music, photos, and more.

Urban Daddy, a site that delivers email about lifestyle opportunities for men, said large advertisers are increasingly embracing email marketing. Much of that interest has been sparked by Groupon and similar entities -- their very paper value alone grabs attention. Still, Urban Daddy CEO Lance Broumand said while backbone technology may be getting sturdier, the "front-end" presentation -- the content and the targeting -- can improve.

The online coupon phenomenon, Groupon, is back in the news again with its newest deal that transcends your local coffee shop or hair salon. Those local businesses are small fries compared to the nationwide deal they made with the Body Shop.

Facebook is making an announcement on Wednesday that is widely assumed to be about its mobile strategy: either it will roll out a mobile phone or announce a deep integration with a service provider such as Skype.

Men's lifestyle publisher UrbanDaddy on Monday is expected to relaunch its Perks programs with an exclusive sponsorship from Heineken. The email magazine directs discerning readers toward exclusive venues for eating, drinking, shopping, and the like.

Exploring the trends and technologies impacting the email marketing activities of SMB marketers in 2010, most SMB marketers see the benefits of incorporating video into their email messages. Over 80% of respondents plan to use video emails in 2010, while in 2009 only 15.7% of responders used video in their email campaigns.

While video email marketing is still an emerging technology, a new survey by GetResponse suggests that marketers are intrigued by the technology's potential to increase conversion rates - and plan to adopt it in the near future.