Strands.com has announced the launch of a "plug-and-play" recommendation engine that gives online retailers the ability to offer "Amazon-like" personalized recommendations. Retailers can impliment the service through the site's API or with a widget plug-in that, according to Jesus Pindado of Strands, would only take 30 minutes of setup - a real game changer considering most recommendation technologies take days or weeks to establish (as I'm quickly finding out during the Internet Retailer tradeshow this week.) The plugin and availability of the API aims to do the same for other ecommerce sites. The service will be available by a flat monthly fee or through a revenue share program.

Strands, which was launched earlier this month as a music discovery service and mobile social networking service, was established to “help people discover new stuff.” Its mobile features include a mobile Web portal, a personalized radio station, and a personal version of partyStrands (a service for party organizers, bars, clubs and DJs.) Strands' mobile social networking service basically enables its users to find music and network with their friends via their mobile phones.

Definitely an interesting recommendation technology and one to watch out for.