We've written about workout gyms and even being spaces aimed at kids, but it wasn't until just recently that we heard of a sport being completely resized for child players. Sure enough, though, a new outfit in Colorado now offers miniaturized tennis just for kids.

Founded by Dorm2Dorm cofounder Matt Nelsen, Drop Shots Tennis is a new tennis facility geared specifically to children ages 2 to 10 years old. Whereas typical tennis courts can be very large and intimidating from a kid's perspective, Drop Shots provides a miniaturized and safe indoor tennis facility comprising small courts on a carpeted surface equipped with smaller nets, rackets and balls. Using many of the programs developed by QuickStart Tennis, Drop Shots focuses each class on one or two specific tennis shots while also incorporating activities for coordination, agility and fun. Pricing is USD 120 for a series of eight weekly lessons, or USD 200 for eight weeks of two lessons per week. Birthday parties, private lessons and tennis supplies are also available.

In this era of childhood obesity in the industrialized world, it's a safe bet that parents around the globe will embrace with open arms anything that enhances activity. So far, though, Drop Shots is the only one we've heard of providing anything like this. Who will bring kid-sized sports to the rest of the country and the world....? (Related: Gyms for kids use gaming to keep them hooked.)

Website: www.dropshotstennis.com
Contact: info@dropshotstennis.com

The impatient and hungry tech-heads of London have been given a new treat with the launch of Inamo, a pan-Asian restaurant that has canned the traditional printed menu in favour of an interactive ordering system. An illustrated menu is projected onto the diners' touch-sensitive table, which also lets customers personalize the décor of the booth by selecting sounds and animated, projected table 'cloths'. While waiting for their meal--the pan-Asian menu was created by head chef Anthony Sousa Tam, previously of Nobu, Ubon and Hakkasan--diners can use the touch-table to watch a live feed of their chefs at work, or to find information on what's happening in the neighbourhood. Should the evening be going well, courting couples can use the system to book a taxi home, or if the evening descends into kill-me-now silence, rescue is at hand in the form of the system's built-in games.

The restaurant's inspiration came from the founders' frustrations at inattentive waiters when dining elsewhere. However, this doesn't mean Inamo is devoid of the human touch: food is brought to the table by staff members, who are also on hand to answer diners' questions. The restaurant's designers also wisely avoided a tech-inspired décor, instead creating a look that's fresh and attractive, with technology offered not as the main course, but as an integrated enhancement.

With Adour's interactive wine bar, and uWink's entertainment kiosks at tables, food and beverage venues are bringing a digital dimension to their offer. For more on how the offline world--also known as the real world, meatspace or atom-arena--is adjusting to and mirroring the increasingly dominant online world, check out trendwatching.com's briefing on OFF=ON.

Website: www.inamo-restaurant.com
Contact: www.inamo-restaurant.com/contact.php

Spotted by: Lieke Voermans

Helping drivers think twice before putting the pedal to the metal, Fiat has developed a new system that gives customers the insight they need to drive in more a sustainable way. ecoDrive processes driving data collected via Blue&Me, an in-car communications device developed by Microsoft. Users plug a standard USB drive into their car's Blue&Me port to gather information on acceleration, deceleration, gear changes and speed throughout the drive.

They then upload the data to their computer, where it's analysed by ecoDrive software to produce relevant tips for driving efficiency, like braking more gently into corners or maintaining a constant speed on straights. Drivers can also share their own tips and ecoDrive experiences using the ecoVille online community. Launched by Fiat in October 2008, ecoDrive is currently only available for the Fiat 500 and Grande Punto, but will work with any model featuring Blue&Me from 2009. Fiat claims the software can cut emissions and fuel consumption by up to 15%, meaning a lower carbon footprint and gas bill for drivers. An obvious improvement would be immediate feedback while a driver is behind the wheel, but we're sure that's in the works ;-)

Fiat and Microsoft's ecoDrive collaboration mirrors the successful partnership between Apple and Nike that runners can use to track and soundtrack their runs, enabling them to review their performance when they're back at their computers. As eco-awareness continues to build (and once energy prices start climbing again), consumers will become increasingly interested in tracking their personal energy use. We're confident that many other embedded eco-metric devices will follow, so if you're in manufacturing--now's the time to start researching and developing. (Related: Visualising energy use.)

Website: www.fiat.co.uk/ecodrive
Contact: www.fiat.co.uk/content/?id=3046

Spotted by: Ozgur Alaz

As belts tighten ever more in a continuously precarious economy, it's fairly certain more and more parents are turning to second-hand sources for children's clothes and other items. While thrift stores tend to be hit-or-miss and online offerings are often buried within the likes of Craigslist, a new classifieds site for moms promises to aggregate such listings from across the web, making it quicker and easier for parents to find high-quality and low-cost kids' goods.

Now in beta, Hand-me-downs allows parents to buy, sell, give away or donate new and gently used children's products in a family friendly atmosphere. Not to be confused with Handmedowns.org—a UK-based contender that facilitates just give-aways—the Beverly Hills-based site aims to create a one-stop destination for busy moms by pulling together and organizing the best listings from around the web as well as offering listings posted by its own members. The ad-supported site currently serves the Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. markets with listings including clothing, toys, furniture, childcare, and health and safety products. Donations are handled through local partner charities. Members of the site can also create and post profiles and participate in discussion forums.

Of course, besides benefiting consumers' wallets during tight times, facilitating the recycling of second-hand goods also helps the environment by reducing the tons of products that would otherwise get sent to landfills. Expect to see this industry taking off! (Related: Baby clothes rental service — Retailers recycle customers' used clothes.)

Website: www.handmedowns.com
Contact: www.handmedowns.com/contact_us

Spotted by: Ozgur Alaz

When we wrote about Meet a few weeks ago, one of its cofounders noted that the meetings industry has been in desperate need of some innovation. Continuing on that upward trend, office furniture manufacturer Steelcase is gearing up to launch a new meeting space in Chicago that will not only host meetings but also serve as a testing ground for future products.

Situated within walking distance of Chicago's Magnificent Mile, Workspring is the brainchild of a team of work experience experts at Steelcase who imagined a network of extraordinary spaces designed to inspire and support creative collaboration, productive retreat and transformative exchange. Workspring is surrounded by the quiet natural beauty of an urban courtyard, with bright modern studios and a raft of collaborative tools. Five work studios are available with ergonomic seating, in-room storage, natural lighting and a ready supply of paper, pens, sticky notes and other supplies. Lighting can be adjusted to complement changing activities, and all studios are equipped with Springboards, or layered movable planes of tackable and writable surfaces that encourage teams to create, share and rearrange content. Common areas, meanwhile, include a cafe, forum and oasis space, with services including healthful food and beverages and a resource library stocked with inspirational books and objects, printouts and photocopies. Finally, and perhaps most interesting of all, Workspring will also serve as an ongoing "lab" for new products from Steelcase designed to enhance communication and collaboration among teams, the company says. Launching in mid-November, Workspring can be booked for morning, afternoon or evening sessions, with pricing of USD 140 per person per session.

There's no doubt the time was ripe for the meetings industry to be reinvented, and what better agent to make that happen than a company that's already involved? Never mind killing two birds with one stone--this is reaping two profits with one venture. A concept to emulate whenever possible!

Website: www.workspring.com
Contact: info@workspring.com