Iconoculture: “Have bottle, will travel!” That’s the modern parent’s bottle, er, battle cry. But where’s a dad to stash the immediate gotta-haves, like bottle, binkie, and wipes? Hook and Tackle figured out a manly way to make do – and give an existing product a contemporary pop-friendly spin. Their Bottle Shorts do the trick, with a formula-size side pocket and […]
Daddy’s Shorts
Marriage Business
USAToday: When Dane and Nancy Bryant were married two years ago, the guests gave them silverware, wine glasses, a picnic set and a business idea that dramatically changed their lives. Dane, a Web site developer, had decided to make CD wedding invitations for the 115 guests. The discs featured a photo montage of the couple, a two-minute video of them […]
Skin Networking
Technology Review: This month, NTT Labs, the research and development wing of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, plans to start conducting field trials for a radical new “human area networking” technology called RedTactont that uses the naturally-occurring electrical fields of human skin to transmit data. The slim, PCMCIA-based RedTacton transceiver combines a an optical receiver circuit equipped with a super-sensitive […]
1TouchConnect
Yenra: An innovative cell phone service offers live interpretation, concierge assistance, and help services with one touch of a keypad. 1TouchConnect is the first international telecommunications provider to combine convenient local and international calling with traveler assistance. “We created 1TouchConnect to bring added comfort, convenience and security to vacationers and businesspeople who are once again traveling in record-breaking numbers,” says […]
Relax To Play
Popgadget: Here is a game I will never be able to win. If, like me, you are also chronically unable to relax, then “Relax to Win” could either finally make you achieve this long awaited goal, or … send you straight into a mental institution. “Relax to win” was developed by Media Lab Europe and the Orange Brand Futures group, […]
SpotScents
We Make Money Not Art: SpotScents, developed by Yasuyuki Yanagida at the Media Information Science Laboratories in Japan, uses scent projectors to deliver localized odors to a human’s nose through the air without requiring users to wear any special devices. A scent projector is composed of an air cannon that launches vortex rings which can travel several meters. Because Scent […]
Online T-Shirts Seller
Startup Journal: Dan Mowry thought he knew just how to turn his family entertainment newsletter into a successful online business. Two years ago, he designed an attractive site and loaded it up with features to entice readers and advertisers: electronic crossword puzzles, a history quiz and cartoons. Almost as an afterthought, he designed a T-shirt with his company’s logo, a […]
Bookmarking Retailers
RFID in Japan: A Tokyo-based company TechFirm is launching a service that connects consumers and small retailers using RFID. Consumers having RFID-chipped phones can “bookmark” their “favorite” stores by showing their phones to RFID readers installed in stores. Information about a “bookmarked” store is automatically transmitted to a mobile phone. Consumers can access information about all “bookmarked” stores using dedicated […]
CoolBusinessIdeas Newsletter Issue 15
CoolBusinessIdeas Newsletter Issue 15: 24/04/05 – 07/05/05 New Business Ideas/Opportunities Featured In This Issue: MARKETING Star Wars In Action Star Wars is one of the all-time moneymaking franchises. Consumers are being flooded with Star Wars-themed goods. TRENDS & INSIGHTS Remix Culture The Remix Culture is not just a techie-only affair… it works just fine for sneakers too! MOBILE mobuzzTV MobuzzTV […]
T-shirts Made Fresh Daily
Springwise: Three great examples underlining that retail formats and shopping habits continue to blend, turning everything into easy-to-ogle, easy-to-customize and easy-to-buy: At The T-Shirt Deli in Chicago, unadorned shirts are selected from a deli counter and then adorned with garnishings of personalized lettering, delivering on a “T-shirts made fresh daily” tag line. The starting price for t-shirts ranges from USD […]