Iconoculture: Sometimes, more is more. We want our indulgences, but we want to look and feel better, too. Delivering it all in one tasty package makes consumers smile – and keep on chomping. Sweet news for the sweet tooth. From tooth-whitening chewing gum to skin-enhancing chocolate to vitamin-packed fruit chews, “functional confectionery” is taking some of the guilt out of […]
Functional Sweets
Half The Price
Entrepreneur.com: Gift certificates have always been ideal for gift giving, but now they’re becoming even better for self-indulgence–at half the price. Eric Diamond, 33, spent a decade working tech-related jobs before figuring out a way to combine his tech skills with his family connections in the fashion industry. His brainstorm was SalesOffline.com, a website he originally built to advertise local […]
Pizza, Anyone?
Springwise: Invented in Italy (where else), cone shaped pizzas — think pizza slice meets ice cream cone — are the latest fast food craze. Kono Pizza offers the convenience of eating on the move without making a mess. The EUR 1.50 cones are filled with the desired toppings, then cooked in a special oven in only three minutes. Kono currently […]
Differentiated Cap Tabs
Yenra: Ball Corporation is launching a new advertising medium that allows beverage can tabs and ends to carry customized messaging. The laser-incised beverage can tab is a solid, colored tab that provides space for a small billboard for brand identity and advertising. The use of state-of-the-art computer and laser technology provides messaging flexibility, making it possible to engrave letters, numbers, […]
Spice Up Your Life
Iconoculture: Advanced palates require complex and compelling flavors, and striking new presentations of age-old ingredients will inspire many cooks to try new dishes. Velissa Van Scoyoc doesn’t think zesty spices belong in boring jars. Her Gusto! Spice Cakes are colorful blocks of “visual aroma” that inspire cooks to spike dishes with exotic seasonings and flavor infusions. “I wanted to renew […]
Barhand
Iconoculture: Long waits make nights out a drag for patrons, and impatient patrons make nights a drag for waitstaff. Dispensing convenience keeps guests and staff cheery. Elbows, curses, sneers … Just another night queuing for drinks. But Barhand could bring that to an end. The torqued vending machine’s robotic arm dispenses bottled brews, cutting queues and easing staff burdens. Barhand’s […]
Shopping Haven
Trendwatching: Yub.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of Buy.com, calls itself the world’s first shopping social network, with a mission to “provide word-of-mouth on the web, filtered by trusted relationships.” Partnering with the likes of Sony, Apple iTunes, Target, Gap, Linens ‘n Things and Footlocker, its virtual mall offers 3.3 million products. Yub customers share their opinions on purchases and everything […]
Salvage Retail
Iconoculture: DIY homebodies looking for the perfect retro pieces like the thrill of the hunt, and this one engages them in the process from start to finish. “Everything must go!” – for real. Whole House Building Supply and Salvage holds 48-hour salvage sales on the site of soon-to-be-demolished homes where DIY enthusiasts can scout, remove, and buy building parts right […]
Tech Fashion
We Make Money Not Art: Digital Wardrobe, by Chantal Mora, tries to demonstrate how users might regain control of imposed technology systems (namely RFID) by harnessing it as a tool to track the transitory narratives in our daily fashion choices. This system is made of an RFID tracking system, a database, and an interface. First, users take a picture of […]
Clean Gardening
Cool Hunting: About this time of year green thumb urbanites are struggling to find corners of land, or more realistically window sill space, to grow a few little herbs or vegetables. Garden in a Bag, available at Wishing Fish, makes the process a bit smoother by including all the necessary elements to grow various herbs and even some vegetables. For […]