About a year ago we covered Plus 3 Network, the service that tracks consumers' workout miles and then converts them into charitable donations. Danish Endomondo offers similar workout-tracking capabilities but with a focus on personal and competitive motivations instead.

Now in beta, Endomondo is designed to help users keep track of their sports activities, challenge their friends and then follow them live while they are working out. With a focus on distance sports—including running, biking, hiking and kayaking, for example—the site supports most GPS mobile phones and Garmin devices. Users begin by downloading Endomondo's free software onto their device. They then bring the device whenever they run, walk, bike or participate in any other distance sport. The technology automatically tracks their course along with their distance covered, end time, average speed, split time, calories burned, and more. Users can also choose to enter their workouts manually. Either way, they can then view their complete training log, challenge their friends and follow their progress, create teams, find buddies and follow their activities. They can also find new routes, draw new ones and share their favorite ones with others.

Launched about a year ago, Endomondo also offers corporate versions of its technology including company challenges, weekly status reports and superior technical support. Those in health and fitness: how about offering a like-minded service to your own paying members, possibly as a free perk...? (Related: Site matches motivation 'buddies' with shared goals.)

Website: www.endomondo.com
Contact: feedback@endomondo.com

Spotted by: Jesper Lundgren

Located in Long Beach, California, Club Bounce is a nightclub for plus-size men and women. Or, as Bounce puts it, for "BBW (big beautiful women), BHM (big handsome men) and those who admire us". Fat or skinny, everyone is welcome, but its nightly revellers are definitely of a larger size than those beyond the velvet rope at, say, New York's Boom Boom Room.

We're surprised we haven't spotted it sooner, since Club Bounce has been around since 2004. It was founded by Lisa Marie Garbo, who's something of a spokesperson for full-figured people. The idea for the club grew out of her own desire to be able to go out and enjoy herself without feeling unwelcome or discriminated against. Garbo recently opened a second club in Phoenix, Arizona, and is looking to add a third. Club nights for BBWs are also organized in some other cities. While some organizations are worried that venues catering to fat people will prevent them from changing unhealthy lifestyles, size activists protest the notion that bigger is necessarily less healthy. And one could argue that a fat person dancing the night away is engaging in a healthier activity than a thinner person at home on the couch ;-)

It's no secret that entrepreneurs find lucrative opportunities by catering to niche audiences, and those gaps in the market are often found by creating a product or service that fulfills a personal need. One to replicate in other size-ist parts of the world? (Related: Baby loves disco, and so does mommy — Weeknight clubbing for the 9–5 crowd.)

Website: www.clubbounce.net
Contact: bbwclubbounce@aol.com

Aiming to set itself apart from all of the other gyms and health clubs in Australia, Jetts Gym offers cheaper memberships by cutting costs and shirking little-used or unnecessary services. Out went the exercise classes, since typically only 10% typically participate (according to Jetts), and the pool, sauna and fancy spa. Jetts Gyms are located in residential areas, close to members’ homes, encouraging people to change and shower at home and taking pressure off limited facilities at the gym. Personnel costs have also been cut by using full-time remote surveillance technology, meaning staff is only needed on site for the six busiest hours of the day.

Jetts does offer a service that most gyms don't, though: it's open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. It's designed so that members can work out around busy schedules and night shifts, or can hit the gym when there won't be a crowd. By eliminating the fluffier gym facilities, Jetts is able to offer cheaper membership rates than most gyms. Annual memberships run at AUD 468, plus a card fee of AUD 19 and a registration fee of AUD 99.00. Members are able to use any of the club’s 35 gyms across Australia.

Following in the footsteps of airlines and hotels, Jetts serves as a reminder that practically any service can be distilled to its essential qualities and offered at a discounted rate. And if you’re not busy developing your own model from scratch, franchise opportunities at Jetts are currently up for grabs.

Website: www.jetts.com.au

Spotted by: Edward Baral

Fitness enthusiasts can already use their cell phones and the web to keep track of their progress toward their health goals, but typically such applications track a limited set of data or rely on accurate self-reporting. Fitbit, on the other hand, is a small device the user can wear around the clock for continuous, automatic and comprehensive fitness reporting.

The Fitbit Tracker can be clipped loosely on clothing or undergarments or worn directly on an included wristband. With a 3D motion sensor like that found in the Nintendo Wii, the Fitbit tracks the user's activity in three dimensions and converts that data into useful information. Calories burned, steps taken and distance traveled are all recorded by the Fitbit automatically, for example, as are sleep quality data such as how long it took the user to fall asleep, the number of times they woke up during the night and how long they were actually sleeping. A blue OLED display on the rechargeable device shows data about the user's overall activity level; in addition, any time he or she walks within 15 feet of the included wireless base station, data from the Fitbit is silently uploaded in the background to the Fitbit website. There, users can view detailed data about their fitness-related activities; they can also enter data about what they've eaten and participate in collaborative fitness goals with friends, family and co-workers. The complete Fitbit system, including tracker device, base station and software, is priced at USD 99.

California-based Fitbit is currently filling pre-orders, and will start filling new orders October 31st. Because of the necessary government certifications for wireless and product safety, however, it will initially ship only within the US. Fitbit does hope to enable international orders down the road—one to partner with and help make that happen...? (Related: Mobile apps hit the slopes.)

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

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

Eco-stroller-bikes like the Taga, trioBike and Zigo Leader offer green-minded parents an emissions-free way to get their babies—and themselves—from point A to point B. While Orbit Baby's Infant System doesn't offer the pedal-powered functionality, it does feature an innovative rotating stroller plus eco-credentials of another kind.

Priced at USD 900, the Orbit Baby Infant System includes infant car seat, base and rotating stroller that work together in modular fashion. The foldable stroller—priced separately at USD 485—features 360 degree rotation that allows the child to face forward, back or even sideways. An exclusive twist-and-lift mechanism permits one-handed folding, while a patent-pending, removable Cargo Pod makes getting to all of baby's stuff a breeze. The stroller is compatible not just with Orbit Baby's infant car seat, but also with its bassinet, toddler car seat and toddler stroller seat. Perhaps best of all, Orbit Baby uses micro-fiber upholstery fabric certified by the International Oeko-Tex Association, which limits more than 100 potentially harmful substances and chemicals. Its flame retardants, for example, meet all applicable standards without the use of many of the commonly used—and potentially harmful—chemicals. Its rain shields, similarly, are PVC-free, and its Green Edition footmuffs and car seat upholsteries—coming soon, and made of organic cotton and wool—will feature what the company says is the industry’s first fabric to be naturally flame retardant without any harsh chemicals. Orbit Baby is also working on a product recycling program for when families outgrow its products.

California-based Orbit Baby's products are currently sold in the US, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Turkey and UAE. One to bring to green-minded parents in your neck of the woods....?.

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

Spotted by: Lori Webb

Among all the many greeting cards out there for birthdays, weddings, funerals and other occasions, few are appropriate for someone who's behind bars. With that in mind, Three Squares Greetings has developed a complete line of cards specifically focused on prisoners.

Los Angeles-based Three Squares Greetings, which was launched about two years ago, sells a wide variety of cards designed for inmates to both send and receive. Some are centered around traditional occasions such as birthdays and Christmas, while others are prison-specific, such as "getting out" and "tough love." Even cards for the traditional occasions, however, are targeted specifically at those in jail. One birthday card for incarcerated recipients, for example, reads, "Birthdays come and birthdays go. But you're still not here. I miss you." Some even use humour, such as the Christmas card that begins, "You had the choice to be 'naughty or nice.' And you chose..." In Three Squares' "Inside/Out" category, meanwhile, are cards designed for prisoners to send to those outside, such as an "I'm Sorry" card that reads, "I’ve disappointed you too many times. For that, I apologize. I’m trying to get myself together in here."

Company founder and CEO attorney Terrye L. Cheathem explains: “We know there are few words to express thoughts and feelings when a family member, close friend, or the child of a close friend is arrested. Our mission at Three Squares Greetings is to make it easier for you to communicate with those loved ones. Three Squares Greetings does not ignore the reality of those facing the criminal justice system. We recognize that when our loved ones are locked away, we still love them, miss them, and think about them."

Three Squares' cards are available online for USD 3.99 as well as in select California stores. Retailers: There are some 2.3 million prisoners in the US alone—one to add to your own offerings? Alternatively, localize the concept with translations for other parts of the world? (Related: Hot sauce made and marketed by prisoners.)

Website: www.threesquaresgreetings.com
Contact: hmj@threesquaresgreetings.com

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

For the roughly one in six couples who have trouble conceiving, manual body basal temperature (BBT) charting has traditionally been one of the most common approaches to determining the best time to get pregnant. That technique is known to be less than completely reliable, however, while other approaches—such as urine testing—are subject to other problems. Now, a UK firm has developed a device with accuracy levels so high that it offers a money-back guarantee if pregnancy is not achieved within 12 months.

Ovulation changes a woman’s body temperature by about half a degree—subtle enough to be easily masked by normal variations. Employing a more sophisticated version of BBT measurement, the DuoFertility monitor consists of a small sensor and a hand-held reader that collects data wirelessly. The sensor is attached to an adhesive patch—about 3 cm in diameter, worn discreetly under the arm—that records a woman's temperature 20,000 times a day and can detect temperature changes within thousandths of a degree. A series of algorithms identify the day of ovulation with 99 percent accuracy and up to six days in advance; combined with additional fertility clues such as cervical mucus quality and menstruation data, accuracy can be as high as 99.7 percent. Either way, data is transferred from the sensor to the DuoFertility reader wirelessly, giving users a view of their upcoming fertility status in plenty of time to plan a romantic evening at just the right time. They can also view more information about their cycles by simply plugging the reader into their PC, or request an in-depth report from one of DuoFertility's fertility specialists. The DuoFertility device is priced at GBP 495, including VAT and delivery at no extra charge.

Developed and manufactured by Cambridge Temperature Concepts, DuoFertility has already been approved for sale in many countries around the globe; its retail launch is planned for next year. One to get in on early...?

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

Spotted by: Murtaza Ali Patel

If pets now have their own airline and their own social network, it seems only fitting that the canines among them should have more sophisticated entertainment than the simple bones their forebears chewed on. Enter Kyjen, a California company that offers a range of toys designed to build the canine brain.

Kyjen's Puzzle Plush Dog Toys aim to challenge and entertain their canine users much the way developmental toys do for children. The IQube, for instance, features a plush cube with balls nestled inside to test dogs' intelligence and puzzle-solving skills as they try to get the balls out. The Hide-A-Squirrel toy, meanwhile, includes three toy squirrels hiding in a plush log, challenging dogs to find and remove them. Then there's the IntelliBone, featuring a plush bone toy surrounded by removable plush rings. Prices on the Puzzle Plush line range from USD 11.49 to USD 21.99. Kyjen makes a variety of other dog toys as well, including an Eco Hemp line and a variety of Bottle Buddies designed to hold recycled water bottles for extra crinkle noise and chewing satisfaction. The company's products are available globally in retail pet specialty stores, mail order catalogues and online, including from Amazon.

There are few things we at Springwise love more than to see products upgraded, because—as regular readers know—everything can be! But that's never more true than in a burgeoning industry such as pet products, which is expected to bring in more than USD 45 billion this year in the US alone, according to the American Pet Products Association. One to partner with or emulate for the crafty canines in your part of the world....?

Website: www.kyjen.com/products/category/dog-toys/dt-puzzleplush/
Contact: kyle@kyjen.com

Spotted by: Murtaza Ali Patel