 |
|
|||
|
|
||
|
Home security may be an age-old need, but that doesn't mean it can't be addressed in a thoroughly modern way. To wit: AlertMe, a service that combines home security and energy monitoring for automatic delivery via the web or a mobile phone. Originally released in January, AlertMe is a wireless system whose security component monitors doors and windows and detects motion or other potential emergencies within the home. Users can self-install the technology without the need for wires or drilling; rather, they simply place a set of sensors around their home. Those sensors then communicate wirelessly with a hub that gets plugged into the home broadband connection. Then, in the event of a burglary or a smoke detector going off, a sensor is triggered to alert the hub, which sends the information to the AlertMe servers; those, in turn, send an instant alert to the user via mobile phone. The system is controlled via key fob, with battery backup and GPRS connection in case broadband goes down. In September, AlertMe announced a new application for its platform that will add energy-monitoring capabilities to the security system. Called the Smart Plug, the new technology plugs into any outlet and uses the same AlertMe hub to monitor and control the energy use of any appliance that's plugged into it. Customers can see both live and historical consumption and control appliances remotely through the web or phone. The device can automatically turn on lights, for example, and it can also alert users remotely when key appliances fail. Perhaps even more compelling, it can automatically turn off appliances when users leave the house and then turn select ones on again—say, a kettle readying water for tea—when they're on their way home. AlertMe's security kits are available now, starting at GBP 149. The energy-monitoring Smart Plug is due to be released soon, the company says, with pricing reportedly at about GBP 25 per plug. Heating control and meter-reading features are due to launch next year. Meanwhile, the UK-based company is currently setting up a network of authorized distributors; one to get in on early? (Related: Stylish fire protection kits — Visualising energy use — Greener driving with Fiat & Microsoft's plug & play eco-monitoring system.) Website: www.alertme.com
|
|||
 |
|||
|
|
||
|
If crowdsourcing can be used to improve product design, music promotion and sports team management—to name just a few of the examples we've written about—why not the process of finding sales leads? That question is about to be tested through a new site that aims to put the crowds to work as a sort of community sales force. LeadVine lets users post the types of sales leads they seek along with the referral fee they're willing to pay; the community is then invited to earn that fee by making the desired connections. Fees listed on the site must be at least USD 50, but the range is considerable. One listing, for example, offers a USD 100 referral fee for help in finding companies in need of online chat support. Another offers USD 50,000 for investors to contribute USD 2 million toward an Oregon real-estate development project. Requests are listed by category, and buttons for each allow others to bookmark them, share them via e-mail or make a referral. The resulting transactions are conducted outside the site, but LeadVine facilitates the payment of referral fees via PayPal. Community members can also rate each other on the site to reflect the quality of each transaction. The company explains: "Every day, people come across information that is useless to them but useful to someone else. Ever know of any friends looking for a new job, looking to add a new room to the house, looking to build a new website, etc.? What did you do with that information? Probably nothing. There are companies willing to pay for that type of information, from recruiters, construction contractors, web developers, etc. LeadVine gives you the ability to make money with information that is at your finger tips." Now in beta, Kentucky-based LeadVine is currently free for users around the globe. One to watch—and experiment with! (Related: Tapping into the referral economy.) Contact: www.leadvine.com
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
Here to save those who are tired of listening to music, making calls, playing games, organizing their lives and waving light sabers on their iPhones, PMc is the world’s first paid, iPhone-only magazine. Named after its creator—noted nightlife photographer Patrick McMullan—the bi-monthly title is pronounced ‘Pee-Mick’ and is the property of New York-based Hot Phone Hit Factory. PMc’s target audience of style-conscious readers can download the mag from the iPhone App store for USD 0.99. Like other new magazine concepts Issuu and MagCloud, PMc holds a large advantage over conventional publications by escaping large and costly print runs. And although it might be less glossily satisfying than a printed mag, the digital format eliminates transportation and waste, and can be purchased and carried wherever the reader goes, no matter how small his or her it bag is. Although it’s a first, don't expect PMc to be the only magazine of its kind. The iPhone’s low-cost platform presents a low-risk testing ground for new publications, with a convenience factor that could encourage established brands to reach out to customers in new ways. Website: www.hotphonehitfactory.com Spotted by: Ruben Trist
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
So, you thought the market for reusable bags was saturated? Having found a niche that has yet to be infiltrated, The Green Garmento hopes to help green up dry cleaning. Introduced last month, The Green Garmento is a garment bag made from non-woven recyclable material that can be used as a duffel bag to transport laundry to the cleaners, or as a suit bag to protect garments on their return journey. Unlike plastic bags, The Green Garmento ‘breathes’ and doesn't trap chemicals, meaning garments can be stored in the bags without requiring airing. The Green Garmento is currently offering its positive associations to dry cleaners (and consumers) at a cost of USD 9.99 per bag for orders of 10 or less, going down to USD 5.05 for quantities of 1000+. The bags are available in six colours, and can be Logos can be printed on the bags, which reminds us of EcoHangers’ in-wardrobe advertising. It’s yet another nail in the coffin for single-use plastic bags. Which dry cleaners will jump on board first to grab the green dollar? (Related: A green alternative to traditional dry cleaning.) Website: www.thegreengarmento.com Spotted by: Emma Crameri
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
A shining example of crowdsourcing at work, Ushahidi is mobilizing citizens to report and map conflicts. The project began as a way for Kenyans to log reports of violence during the post-election fallout of early 2008; a period when mainstream media was banned. A new Ushahidi engine is currently in development that will allows users to SMS, email or an online form to submit reports that are then flagged on a map that anyone can view to gain a speedy understanding of where issues are happening. Reports are broken down into categories that include deaths, looting and peace efforts. Ushahidi works with NGOs to verify reports, helping ensure that content is as accurate and complete as possible. Reporting in this way promotes peace efforts, increases awareness of violence and provides a permanent log of events, referral to which may help in future conflicts and ensure that what happened is not forgotten. Ushahidi plans to release the tool as a downloadable application that is both open source and plug-in friendly, meaning it can be customized for different needs and locations. As we’ve seen before, crowds are more than ready to adopt applications like this when the cause is right, fully aware that it increases the transparency of events receiving limited or skewed media coverage. (Related: Front page rivalry—pros versus citizen journalists.) Website: www.ushahidi.com — legacy.ushahidi.com Spotter: Kevin Rombe
|
|||
 |
|||
|
|
||
|
There’s an ever-expanding group of customers willing to part with their cash to tackle health concerns. By offering them customisability and convenience, Maryland-based leViv aims to grab a slice of the meal delivery market. Launched in July 2008 and available throughout the United States, leViv offers 28-day meal programs delivered on a bi-monthly basis. Each program consists of over 110 items, providing two meals and two snacks per day. Customers need to add some specified fresh items like fruit and vegetables to follow the simple recipes for each meal. Packages start at USD 299 for 28 days of food, and programs are tailored to such specific issues as cardiovascular health, type II diabetes, men's well-being and kidney health, providing customers with a hassle-free way of eating well. Extra services include access to online recipes and communities, educational resources, health strategies and professional advice. While customized meal delivery programs such as Calorie Care have been on the market for a number of years, leViv differentiates itself by focusing on specific health conditions, rather than healthy living alone. This makes partnerships with other niche health organisations more attractive, increases the business’s appeal to specific niches and lets the company add a potentially lucrative lease of life to an existing idea. One to partner with if you’re in the health or well-being industries, or to bring to a country outside the US. Website: www.leviv.com Spotted by: Brian Goldsten
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
While it may seem that all the world is communicating online, the fact remains that there are exceptions. Much like Postful, which we covered last year, a new Facebook application provides a way for those online to communicate seamlessly—and for free—with the offline world. Facebook users can already send real flowers and candy to their virtual friends, and now Peggy Mail allows them to send real postcards through snail mail. The application was inspired by a real-life but offline grandmother who found it increasingly difficult to stay in the loop with the younger and wired members of her family, the site explains. To use the service, Facebook users need only download the Peggy Mail application and enter their message and the recipient's address from within the social networking site. Peggy Mail then prints and delivers the postcard along with a pre-addressed, pre-stamped postcard for reply. The service is available only within the UK and Ireland, and is free during its beta period. As indicated by its tagline—"Send real nice messages even Gran can get"—the concept aims to connect generations that use different modes of communication. (Yes, we know that many grandparents are far more web-savvy than their offspring's offspring, but a sizeable segment never made it online.) As the digital and concrete worlds continue to overlap, the opportunities are many for feeder businesses to support the OFF=ON (and ON=OFF) phenomenon. Make it easy for consumers to bridge these two worlds, and you could end up on top of the world yourself! ;-) Website: www.sendwithpeggy.com
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
While most schools now incorporate computers into the curriculum at least to some extent, the fact remains that most learning is still done by the book. Recognizing that today's teens spend more and more of their time online, however, a new video-based network aims to offer extra learning and college preparation in a format that's more natural for digitally savvy high-school students. Launched late last month, Brightstorm's online learning network is designed to help high-school students deepen their understanding of important subjects and better prepare for college through video-based courses designed and taught by expert teachers from across the country. Available courses cover subjects including math, writing, history, and AP and SAT test prep—with more coming soon, the company says—taught via 5-hour interactive video classes that are broken down into lessons lasting between 10 and 20 minutes each. Brightstorm's teachers—chosen for their classroom teaching success, passion for learning and professional qualifications—aim to develop unique curriculums that capture the most critical concepts in ways teens can relate to. Students, meanwhile, can not only choose the right teacher for their learning style, but can also work at their own pace in a manner suiting their digital preferences, with options to participate in interactive discussion groups and benefit from bonus materials such as interactive quizzes, "challenges" and study guides. Courses are each priced at USD 49 for a 12-month subscription. Jeff Marshall, cofounder and CEO of San Francisco-based Brightstorm, explains: "We started this company as parents, educators and technologists who saw a need for a learning network that helped teens do better in school by syncing with their interests and online lifestyles. Great learning starts with great teaching, and we're giving teens a hand-picked selection of the best teachers from across the country. Simultaneously, Brightstorm broadens the reach of these teachers beyond their hometown classrooms." These aren't your father's high-school students anymore, so to speak, so it makes sense that college prep should change too, better reflecting the online oxygen today's teens breathe. One to adapt on a localized basis for different cultures and languages....? (Related: Music school for generation YouTube.) Website: www.brightstorm.com
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
Marathons and races have long been used as a way to raise money for charity, but opportunities to participate in such fundraising efforts are typically few and far between. A new site dedicated to combining exercise and charity, however, aims to help consumers get corporate sponsorship for their everyday exercise activities. Plus 3 Network, based in California, lets consumers turn every step, turn of the pedal or stroke in the pool into a fundraising effort for the cause of their choice. Consumers begin by signing up at no cost and choosing the cause they'd like to support. Plus 3 then matches that cause with a corporate sponsor who is willing to make donations for each mile of exercise activity logged. Consumers then simply record their walking, running, biking or swimming activities on Plus 3—either by manually entering them on the site, or by uploading GPS data that includes the course, the pace, the distance and the date. Corporate sponsors donate anywhere from USD 0.0033 to USD 0.2 per mile, with GPS data earning three times as many rewards as those entered by hand. Social networking features allow users to form groups and add friends for joint activities, and participants can also earn prizes, discounts and swag ranging from trinkets to junkets, the site says. Plus 3, meanwhile, is paid by its sponsors for the opportunity to connect with members, thereby keeping the site ad-free. With benefits for consumers, corporate sponsors, charitable organizations and itself, Plus 3 offers an all-too-rare, four-way win-win-win-win proposition. It doesn't get much better than that! ;-) (Related: Tricycle race benefits social entrepreneurs.) Website: www.plus3network.com Spotted by: Chris Matthews
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
It's not even two months since we covered sticky car art purveyor Infectious, yet already the startup has made some major additions to its product line. Specifically, it has expanded beyond the realm of cars with a new range of sticky art for laptops and walls. "The speed at which we expanded beyond car art and the selection of creating art specifically for laptops and walls was 100 percent dictated by the general public," explains Joey Stevenson, artist liaison for the San Francisco-based company. "We've been deluged by customers saying that they loved our catalogue of art but that they wanted it for their laptop or their kid's room. I can definitely see us branching out into other areas, depending upon what our customers request." The new line of laptop art currently comprises 74 stickers priced at USD 29.99 each. For walls, the range includes a line of 43 sticker collections priced from USD 59.99 to USD 99.99, depending on size. Six new artists have also joined the Infectious family, and the company's crowdsourcing submission process—which we described in some detail last time—is now being used to gather laptop art for sale on the site. (The process will be reopened to car art and opened to wall art submissions soon, according to the Infectious FAQ.) As before, the creators of submissions voted into production get USD 100 cash, 5 percent of net sales and up to USD 400 in Infectious product, with extra cash up front for the Infectious team's favourite design of the month. Interestingly, on the laptop front, Dell is on the verge of launching sticky laptop art of its own with a range of USD 75 sticker designs from Nigerian painter Joseph Amédokpo, South African graphic artist Siobhan Gunning and Canadian designer Bruce Mau. Next year, it plans to begin offering an even wider range of customization options, allowing buyers to mix colors, patterns and textures in their laptop designs, according to a report in BusinessWeek. Is there any surface consumers won't want to customize? So far, it's looking unlikely. Add to that customization a splash of crowdsourced Generation C(ontent) innovation, and you may just have a (sticky) masterpiece! ;-) Website: www.infectious.com
|
|||
|
|||
|
| |||
 |
|||
|
|
|
Home | Idea Database | Become a spotter | Tell a friend | Contact | Subscribe for free | Download PDF
|
