Here at Esurance, we love gizmos and gadgets and just about anything that makes life simpler and smarter. In fact, as a long-time innovator in our field (car insurance, if you didn’t know), we always strive to push the envelope on what can be done to make things easier for our customers.

So when the opportunity presented itself to sponsor South by Southwest (SXSW) 2012, we jumped. SXSW, which takes place in Austin, Texas, has been a springboard for numerous “next big things” (a little thing called Twitter made a big splash in 2007), and we think it’s one of the coolest events of the year.

That’s why we want to give you a chance to check it out for yourself. Just enter the Esurance Go Platinum Sweepstakes* for your shot at:

2 Platinum badges (which give you access to music, film, and interactive events)
A 10-night stay in Austin (hotels are booked SOLID for the duration of the festival)
$1,000 (spend it however you like!)

The sweeps is taking place on Facebook, and in the interest of full disclosure, you have to “Like” us in order to enter. But that’s it. Once you “Like” us, you can enter the sweeps for your chance to go to one of the most happening events of the year. On our dime! The sweeps ends February 27, so don’t dilly-dally … enter the sweeps today!

Good luck. We hope to see you in Austin.

About SXSW

Happening March 9–18, 2012, SXSW takes Austin by storm and is a 9-day entertainment extravaganza bringing together an exciting mix of music, film, and interactive events. Here’s the breakdown:

SXSW Interactive: March 9–13 (schedule)
5 days of presentations featuring the best in video games, websites, and startup ideas
SXSW Film: March 9–17 (schedule)
64 world, 17 North American, and 10 U.S. premieres
SXSW Music: March 13–18 (schedule)
2,000 musical acts performing at 90 stages throughout downtown Austin
Check out the full SXSW 2012 schedule.

Stuff our legal team makes us say

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Sweepstakes begins at 10:30 a.m. PT on 2/9/12. Ends at 12:01 a.m. PT on 2/27/12. Open to legal residents of any 1 of the 50 US or DC (excluding FL and NY) who are at least 18 & age of majority. Internet access, a Facebook account in good standing and a “Like” of Sponsor’s page are all required. Void where prohibited by law. SUBJECT TO FULL OFFICIAL RULES. ARV of prize: $6280. Prize details may vary. Winner must be able to attend SXSW events in Austin, TX from 3/9/12-3/18/12 or the prize may be forfeited. Prize does not include air travel or ground transportation. Limit 1 entry per person and per email address. Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received. Sponsor: Esurance Insurance Services, Inc., 650 Davis St., San Francisco, California 94111-1922.

Not to show favorites or anything, but man are we geeking out on Audi right now. The automaker has positioned itself as the leader in automotive electronics, pushing into the connected car frontier with its Audi Connect. Why should you care about this? Because it’s really cool! Check out these highlights from this year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show) to get a glimpse of exciting new technologies Audi has in store.

Modular Multimedia Interface

As if being a top safety pick for 2012 weren’t enough, Audi’s 2013 model will feature the latest rendition of its modular multimedia interface (MMI). MMI is just a fancy name for the infotainment (yes, it’s a word) system Audi developed, which features a nifty control knob in the center console and a slim, sleek 7-inch touchpad built into the dash.

The MMI integrates Google Earth (including Street View), voice, navigation, and telephone control, as well as traffic info and Google’s POI (point-of-interest) search. You can even playback audio and video using this unit’s processing power (please, just not while you’re driving).

What this means (basically) is that you get the same computing muscle that’s going into today’s cutting-edge tablets and other mobile devices — all in your car. Fancy that.

LTE under the hood

3G is so 2010. So this year, Audi’s raising the bar by introducing 4G technology into the Connect. It could be a while before you can get a taste of this faster form of mobile access, however, as Audi has to wait for carriers to support it.

Still, it’s a pretty cool thing to look forward to.

Word of mouth, connected-car style (aka gossiping cars)

Another technology Audi’s touting is Car-to-X communications, which allows cars to network together and relay important info about road conditions, traffic patterns, and more. So if there’s an unexpected traffic jam coming up in a mile or 2, cars that have already experienced it can share that info with your car, which can then inform you of the upcoming hazard (and possibly plan an alternate route for you).

Paving the way for a safer and smarter driving experience, this is probably as close as we’ll get to driving KIT from Knight Rider.

Head-up display of the future

Some of the gadgetry Audi has in the pipeline might take a driver’s eyes off the road (such as integrated Twitter and Facebook access), but with the head-up display, important navigation and traffic info appears 7 feet out in front of you and in your field of view. And the next generation of this technology will include directional arrows to guide you as you drive, so you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to look at a navigation screen. This directional arrow can even indicate what direction a road bends when you’re in hilly terrain. Pretty cool, huh?

Cell booster

Audi also has a solution for losing cell reception on the road. Utilizing an external cell antennae, your phone can tap in and boost its signal, all from a little storage unit in the center console. And while this is cool, it also means you can no longer use the “going into a tunnel” excuse when you don’t want to talk to Aunt Meg anymore.

Why we think it’s cool

At Esurance, we like tech. A lot. We also like cars. And though we can’t build a car that talks to you or helps you find the shortest distance between 2 points, we’re always coming up with new ways to make your car insurance cooler (and smarter).

And because there’s nothing smarter than great rates, we’re excited about anything that might make for better drivers and fewer accidents. Though some of Audi’s innovations don’t necessarily contribute to safer driving, others — like Car-to-X and head-up display — do.

So in the interest of safer roads, cooler cars, and (possibly) better rates on car insurance we say, “Well done, Audi. Innovate on!”

Related links

GM’s solution to being bored in the backseat
Learn about cool car tech that makes driving safer
Alternate-fuel cars strut their stuff at a recent event

The latest Esurance commercial from our insurance for the modern world™ campaign is now on the airways. And not to brag or anything, but we think it’s … well, pretty cool-ish.

Here’s the transcript (for all you readers)

What if an entire car insurance company was thought up and built and run to save people money? What if that company was born online, with tools and apps to make people feel like geniuses? And what if that company was now backed by the stability and reliability of Allstate? Well, what if that company was Esurance and this wasn’t just a bunch of hypothetical questions?

Could be cool-ish.

More from the new Esurance campaign

Find out which celebrity is the voice in the new commercial.

Got that catchy tune stuck in your head? That’s probably because the Esurance commercial song is Grammy-winning “Jam Man” by Chet Atkins.

Our CMO discusses the new campaign and explains what it means to be insurance for the modern world™. Watch the video.

Check out the rest of the commercials

Watch the Savings commercial
Watch the Trust commercial
Watch the Dollar Karma commercial
Watch the Allstate Relationship commercial