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Good hotels can be hard to find, but not for lack of candid advice. The sheer number and dispersed nature of reviews on the web are what can make the process difficult, and that's where Raveable comes in. Zeroing in more narrowly than the likes of TripAdvisor, Raveable aims to provide a comprehensive view of hotels across the United States by aggregating and summarizing millions of reviews from sites far and wide. Drawing from more than 35 million reviews of some 55,000 US hotels, Raveable analyzes and condenses such opinions into rankings for hotels nationwide. The company begins by collecting basic information from the hotels themselves. It then gathers travel reviews from all over the internet, including well-known sites like TripAdvisor, Expedia and Travelocity as well as lesser-known contenders such as individual travel blogs. Taking into account factors including the quality of the originating site, the date of the review and the reputation of the original author, Raveable then creates colour-coded rankings for each hotel using a weighted combination of all the factors it considers. Room quality, service, value and the extent to which patrons would recommend a hotel all get individual rankings, while overall rankings compare the hotel with those in the same price range as well as all others in that city. Finally, going beyond numbers, Raveable's patent-pending technology uses semantic analysis to analyze and distill reviewers' comments about each hotel, summarizing the good and the bad about its rooms, location, service and overall. Free for users, Raveable earns revenue each time a visitor books a hotel through one of its booking partners. Indeed, it's the smart hotels that are turning transparency tyranny into transparency triumph by welcoming the spotlight when it shines on them and using it to grow, to improve, and to win new customers. Then there are the facilitators like Raveable, which stand to earn a pretty penny making it all happen. (Related: SeatGuru for hotel rooms — Hotel search tool that's all about location — Hotel search? Video completes the picture.) Website: www.raveable.com |
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Wine may make glad the heart of man, but when it's red, its effect on teeth is much less attractive. Wine Wipes are a new innovation designed to quickly and discreetly wipe away the unsightly dark film red wine can leave behind. Each compact-sized container of Wine Wipes includes 20 orange blossom-flavoured wipes and a mirror to assist in using them. Developed with the help of a sommelier, the small towelettes use salt and a proprietary mix of other ingredients that remove stains but leave no aftertaste. In fact, the wipes actually clean the palate of the user, making them particularly suitable for use during wine tastings, according to Borracha, the product's California-based maker. Wine Wipes are sold in retail shops, tasting rooms and boutique stores across the US, as well as online. Pricing is USD 18 for three compacts with a purple velvet carrying case, and Borracha donates a portion of its proceeds to support safe water projects in developing countries. International shipping is available. All of which is further proof that whenever consumers have an itch—however small—opportunity awaits those who can help them scratch it. Oenophiles in the rest of the world: how about being the first to bring these to your neck of the wine-drinking woods...? Website: www.winewipes.com |
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Targeting consumers who want to consume less energy but also enjoy shiny new gadgets, Canadian Ecobee has developed a smart thermostat that enables easy remote control of a home's energy use. Installation involves hooking up the device to a customer’s existing wifi network and then registering it online, so that users can log in to Ecobee's portal and control their thermostat from wherever they can access the web. While regular programmable thermostats stick to fixed routines, Ecobee’s online access means that users have flexible control over home heating and cooling, adjusting as needed if they’ll be home earlier or later than expected. The Smart Thermostat is priced at USD 385 plus shipping and installation, plus USD 35 per year access to Ecobee’s portal. Besides direct sales to consumers in Canada and the US, Ecobee is also pitching its device and platform to utility companies. By adding pricing visualization to the thermostat's information mix, utilities can make consumers even more aware of their energy use, which could have the added benefit of reducing peak loads. (Related: Home security with an energy-monitoring twist — Home energy monitoring, delivered by Google.) Website: www.ecobee.com Spotted by: Amanda Bond |
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Much the way Magnify helps web publishers create niche video channels, Danish Nonoba enables anyone to create a branded gaming site that's customisable with more than 4,000 games and can be translated into 26 different languages. Nonoba's first offering was an independent site where gamers can play both single- and multiplayer games for free. Nonoba Gamerise, however, is a fully functional, white-label content management system that lets anyone create a Flash gaming site of their own complete with all of Nonoba's community features but entirely customisable in look, feel and targeting. Sites built using Gamerise can be run on any domain; hosting and operations are managed by Nonoba, leaving the partner free to focus on content and monetization. Available features include a catalogue of more than 4,000 games; messaging, forums, chat and friend lists; and news feeds based on friend activity. Visual design and branding can be modified for both the site and any emails sent from it, while all phrases and texts presented to the user can be rewritten or translated into up to 26 different languages, including Chinese, Hebrew and Indonesian. Features are also available to enable site owners to control advertising. More than 100 partners have signed up since the launch of Gamerise in March, including game portals in the Netherlands, China, Belgium, Portugal and Slovenia. By providing an easy-to-use platform for such developers, Gamerise is much like "Ning for gaming sites," as Nonoba cofounder Oliver Pedersen explains. One to try out, partner with, or otherwise get involved in...? (Related: Launch your own mobile network.) Website: www.nonoba.com/developers |
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Crowdsourced creations already form the foundation of sneaker brand Ryz, which sells high-tops featuring graphic designs created and voted into production by consumers. Now, a similar concept is being used to create Exuve, a new line of clothing "where the designer and the consumer are one and the same." California-based Exuve is a new fashion label for women and men that sells dresses, tops, skirts, jackets and bottoms designed and voted on by the crowds. Users can submit their designs for any of the site's monthly competitions using any combination of pictures, illustrations, words and specs. Submitted designs then get posted for critique and review by other members of the Exuve community; the designers, meanwhile, are encouraged to promote their work on their own blogs, social networks and personal pages. The designs in each category that get rated the highest are put into production for purchase in the company's online boutique, and winners are rewarded with USD 500 in cash, a USD 200 Exuve gift certificate (redeemable for USD 100 cash) and 5 percent of net revenue royalties from sales of the item through Exuve.com and its affiliate retailers. There are currently some 70 users registered on the site. With companies like Exuve, Ryz, Infectious and Threadless—among many others—it's not hard to imagine a future where product designers no longer exist per se, replaced instead by the prolific and eager hordes of creative consumers. Marketing, of course, is also taken care of by those same socially connected masses. Fortunately, there will always be a place for you, the inspired entrepreneurs who make it all happen! ;-) (Related: Open-source label for green fashion.) Website: www.exuve.com |
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For socially conscious entrepreneurs, implementing a "buy one, donate one" matching program is an easily communicated way of being generous. TOMS Shoes gives away a pair of shoes for each pair sold, for example, and LJ Urban's Good matches domestic home sales with funds to build homes in Burkina Faso. Recently, one of our spotters alerted us to a similar initiative by Picture it on Canvas. In operation since 2007, Picture it on Canvas aims to turn favourite photos into keepsakes by printing them on canvas, endowing them with an artistic texture like that of a hand-painted piece along with UV protection. At the end of April, the California-based company announced its intent for the rest of this year to donate the equivalent of one 8-by-10 gallery-wrap canvas print to a charitable cause for every canvas print purchased via its online store. Specifically, for each canvas print purchase Picture it on Canvas now sends a gift certificate for USD 35—the value of such a print—to the nonprofit of its choice. Bob McKeon, president of Picture it on Canvas, explains: “We’ve completely changed our business model. We are embracing the conscious capitalism business model in use by TOMS Shoes and other companies. I know this may sound trite to some, but in a small way we want our company to help make a change in people’s lives.” So far, Picture it on Canvas has donated to Operation Love, the San Diego County Adoption agency, Friends & Family Community Connection and local fund-raisers for needy projects. Need more convincing? Check out our sister site's Generation G briefing. Corporate generosity won't be an option for much longer; soon, it will be hygiene. Start brainstorming now! Website: www.pictureitoncanvas.com |
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We've written about several tools that help apartment tenants notify landlords of the need for repairs, but recently one caught our eye that focuses on the flip side instead. Specifically, Tenant Txt gives landlords a simple, paperless way to keep tenants informed. Tenant Txt, based in Houston, is a mass alert and reminder system that allows rental communities of all sizes to easily communicate with tenants, maintenance workers and office personnel about maintenance repairs, criminal activity or community events via email and text message. Landlords can maintain an unlimited number of contacts along with their emails, mobile phone numbers and addresses; the online service uses a flat-file database, making it easy to import such information. To send an email or text message, users simply type or paste in their communication and submit; Tenant Txt then broadcasts it to the relevant list. Following a free, 15-day trial, Tenant Txt is priced starting at USD 25 per month. An autoresponder and a personalized Tenant Txt URL and email address are included with each subscription to the service. By giving landlords a faster and more eco-minded alternative to distributing paper notices and other communications, Tenant Txt offers significant benefits on the user's end. Tenants, however, will also surely gain a better sense of immediacy and connection. Seems like a win-win all around and a no-brainer to be implemented—or emulated—in housing communities around the globe. Another paper-based process bites the dust! ;-) (Related: Web tools for landlords — Using pictures to help tenants request repairs.) Website: www.tenanttxt.com |
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Back in 2006 we wrote about Scoopt Words, an agency that set out to connect bloggers with press outlets. Sadly, Scoopt closed its doors earlier this year, but now a new contender out of Israel is taking a different approach to getting bloggers published—and paid for their efforts. With a content network of niche websites on topics ranging from poetry to business, sports, travel, health and more, Triond accepts original content in any format, including written articles, pictures, audio and video. Users begin by registering for free and creating a public profile on the site, then submitting their content. Next, Triond reviews their submission; once approved, it publishes the work on the participating site that's best suited to it, handling all the technical, marketing, operational and financial details. Even better is that as soon as that happens, the content begins generating revenue from display and contextual advertising that's placed on the same pages, with 50 percent of any earnings going directly back to the blogger. Tools on the site allow content creators to easily monitor their content, give and receive feedback, and interact with others in the Triond community. Users' profile pages, meanwhile, can be customised with all of their creations, in effect serving as a dynamic online portfolio of their published work. Triond is a service by Tel Aviv-based Stanza Ltd. If there's one thing that seems clear in the ever-shifting—and struggling—world of journalism, it's that blogging is here to stay. Making it widely profitable is the obvious next step, and there will be no shortage of rewards for those who make that happen. One to emulate on a localized or niche basis? (Related: Free daily pays bloggers.) Website: www.triond.com |
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Providing further evidence that the future will be pedal-powered, Dutch brand Taga has launched an eco-stroller-bike much like the Zigo Leader and trioBike models we've written about before. A recent winner of the Red Dot Design Award, the Taga bike uses simple click-to fit technology that allows it to be switched from stroller mode to bicycle mode in just 20 seconds. Child seating can be reclined for a sleeping little one, and there's both a hood and rain guard for protection against the elements. Future options will include seating for two children, a car seat adapter, a cart mode, a wooden double seat and extra front-end protection. The Taga is available in stores throughout Europe and the UK, where pricing is GBP 1,695. Looking for a future-proof investment? Then look no further than the world of bicycle-based innovation and brainstorm ways to replace four wheels with two. With all the many reasons to kick the gasoline habit, one might say it's the pedal-powered—not the meek—who shall inherit the earth! ;-) (Related: Lightweight electric bike targets urban commuters — Waitrose using bicycles & carts for greener deliveries.) Website: www.taga.nl |
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Two weeks ago, we covered a smart little business that focuses on doing one thing well, and presenting it in the simplest manner possible: We Shoot Bottles takes pictures of bottles, using straightforward upfront pricing and an easy process. A case of beauty in simplicity: any potential customer will immediately understand what the company does and how it might help them. Due to overwhelming success, the concept's founders have launched a second offshoot: We Shoot Cans. We won't bother explaining what they do ;-) A third version is in the pipeline. We haven't been told what it will focus on. Boxes...? Jars...? Since shipping bottles and cans internationally would make the endeavour unnecessarily expensive, opportunities remain for photography studios in other countries. Find a good niche, pick a good name, build a one-page website—with beautifully shot products, of course—and you're off. Website: www.weshootcans.com |
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Greeting cards that talk or play music have been around for a while now, so it seems natural to see those capabilities extended to the floral bouquet. Sure enough, global florist FTD has just released a line of floral arrangements that deliver a spoken message along with the flowers. FTD's Say It Your Way line comprises three bouquets that are delivered with a chip-enabled keepsake heart ornament bearing the sender's message. Senders simply record their message by phone after placing their order; instructions are provided on the order confirmation page. For those too shy, Illinois-based FTD can also do the talking with a message that says, "Someone thinks you're special! Enjoy this beautiful bouquet!" Recipients can then play and replay the message at will, even long after the flowers have faded. Available talking bouquets include a mixed rose arrangement for USD 36, mixed tulips for USD 40 and red roses for USD 48. When it comes to giving gifts, there's no such thing as too much personalization. Provide gift-givers with new ways to put a bit more of themselves into their gifts, and they'll surely "gift" you back! ;-) (Related: Real flowers for virtual pals — Gift-giving simplified through a prepaid plan.) Website: www.ftd.com/17674/catalog/category.epl?index_id=occasion_message |
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