Suntimes: Want a treat to go with your Starbucks coffee but can’t afford the 490 calories in a slice of iced lemon pound cake? The coffee chain this week added a “petites” line of bakery treats for under 200 calories and priced $1.50. The tiny lemon squares, caramel squares, cake pops (bites of cake on sticks, like lollipops), mini cupcakes […]
When Small Indulgence Attracts More
E-library at Taiwan Airport
Springwise: The e-library, based in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, has four hundred titles in its collection — available in English or Chinese, and in ePub or Zinio formats — which can be read in the airport, but not taken away or downloaded onto the user’s own device. Set up by Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, the library is run by the […]
Cereal Boxes Come Alive
MIT Advertising Lab: eCoupled intelligent wireless power is so flexible it can actually be printed directly onto packaging. A low-cost enhancement to product packaging, printed coils allow real-time communication from the package to the store shelf, and then to the store’s inventory management system. Product quantities can be identified and tracked, expiration dates monitored, and new stock automatically ordered when […]
Precision Coffee Maker
Gizmodo: The coffee’s often underextracted, even in typically great shops—and that’s not surprising when you’ve got one barista trying to handle five hand-crafted coffees simultaneously with only his two hands. Consistency is hard. It requires care, man. Unless you’re a robot. Like Starbucks’ Clover Precision Pourover machine. Right now, there is only one of these machines in the whole world. […]
Tree Windmills
Inhabitat: Large, utility-scale wind turbines are fantastic and can generate a lot electricity, but they also require a lot of land and infrastructure. What if we could harness the power of the wind closer to home in an unobtrusive way? NL Architects explored this idea of ‘domesticating’ wind power with Power Flowers – tree-like structures outfitted with multiple vertical axis […]
Happiness Truck
SwissMiss: Yes to the surfboard, no thank you to the sugary soda. Definitely like the idea of a ‘happiness truck!’ Certainly a concept worth capturing consumers’ emotions! Happiness Truck [SwissMiss]
Pharmacy Vending Machine
Springwise: There’s been virtually no limit to the vending-machine innovations we’ve seen over the years, and in the latest spotting Swedish Green Cross is using its technology to sell non-prescription drugs. Perhaps even more interesting than its use of automatic vending however, is that it recently began running specials through location-based service Foursquare. With nine vending machines in three Swedish […]
Ipod Phone Plungers
Popgadget: Instead of spending real money for an iPhone stand, get yourself one of these practical phone plungers for $15 bucks. You can conveniently watch your videos, secure in the knowledge that probably no one else on this continent owns one. Or wants one. Toilet Plunger: For Your Phone [Popgadget]
Angry Birds Real Toy
Gizmodiva: Angry Birds in no doubt a sensation and it is no surprise that they were making a big splash at the Toy Fair this year. One of their most fun items was the cool Angry Birds rubber playground balls. They look so much fun and almost as awesome as the game. I cannot wait to buy them and bounce […]
Ask an Accountant Online
Springwise: As April 15 approaches, it’s a safe bet that small businesses and individuals across the US are on the hunt for someone to handle their taxes. Aiming to make the process easier and more transparent than ever before, Teaspiller is a platform that helps users find, hire and work online with the accountant of their choice. Users of New […]