Friday, June 18, 2010

Fresh Ideas

I get a weekly update from Springwise. Here's the latest:


qliance
Health care by monthly membership
Life hacks / Government


Seattle's Qliance uses a health care model resembling a fitness club
membership: Members have unrestricted access to its clinicians and
services for a monthly fee of between USD 44 and USD 129.


sproutrobot
Gardening service sends seeds when it's time to plant
Lifestyle & leisure / Food & beverage / Homes & housing


SproutRobot generates a personalised planting calendar for users
based on historical weather data for where they live. Seeds and
instructions can then be delivered according to that schedule.


woolfiller
No-darn repair kit breathes new life into worn garments
Eco & sustainability / Fashion & beauty / Style & design


Woolfiller repairs holes and hides stains in woollen jumpers,
cardigans, jackets and carpets, by causing the original and patching
wool to bond - simply by pricking both with needles.


rainbowcollection
South African fair trade bracelets for Dutch soccer fans
Non-profit, social cause / Fashion & beauty / Style & design


The Orange Bracelet, made of beads in the Netherlands' national
colour plus the rainbow colours of South Africa, is a locally made,
fair-trade alternative to mass-produced World Cup merchandising.


sandawe
Fans buy shares to fund comic books
Media & publishing


Belgian comic book publisher Sandawe relies on crowdfunding to
select and finance new titles. Authors display artwork and reveal plot
summaries, hoping to excite the interest of potential investors.


topguest
Social media check-ins earn loyalty program rewards
Tourism & travel / Marketing & advertising


When users sync their various location-based social networking and
check-in services with Topguest, they get to qualify for an array of
hotel and airline travel and hospitality rewards.


eventnow
Consumers' event plans matched with professionals
Lifestyle & leisure / Marketing & advertising


EventNow connects people planning an event or party with
pre-screened event service providers who compete for their business.
It's free for consumers; vendors pay for each matched lead.


hotelvitale
Hotel's chef service includes trip to farmers' market
Food & beverage / Tourism & travel


At the Vitale in San Francisco, guests may call upon the hotel's chef
to help them choose and buy ingredients at the nearby farmers' market.
He'll then help them prepare the resulting meal - or do it all for them.


rosettastone
Tablet adds digital data to cemetery headstones
Lifestyle & leisure


RosettaStone is a stone tablet that can be attached to new or existing
gravestones. Engraved symbols and a built-in microchip carry data
about the deceased's life, to be accessed using normal mobile devices.


personalisation
Five (more) businesses selling personalised products
Retail / Fashion & beauty / Style & design


Childrens' audiobooks narrated by their parents, stuffed animals that
caricature their owners, and online software allowing users to design
their own quilts, ski livery, and map-based jewellery.


key2luxury
Key ring delivers uber-premium freebies for life
Marketing & advertising


Only available for purchase to companies as a corporate gift for
favoured clients and customers, the Key-2 Luxury key ring grants its
recipients access to a host of VIP privileges for the rest of their lives.


akashganga
Rainwater harvesting system stores enough for a year
Non-profit, social cause / Eco & sustainability


Winner of this year's Energy Globe World Award, Aakash Ganga is a
sustainable system that channels rooftop rainwater from every house
in a village into a network of underground reservoirs.


powerwellies
Thermoelectric wellies charge festival-goers' phones
Eco & sustainability / Lifestyle & leisure


Orange Power Wellies feature a phone charger that sources power
from the heat produced while the boot wearers trudge through
festival mud. Dancing generates an extra boost.


vendr
An instant storefront for any website or blog
Retail / Media & publishing


Vendr seamlessly adds storefront capabilities to any website or
blog with just a few lines of code. A "Store" button executes a
lightbox-effect store with integrated payment and management tools.


otarian
Eco-minded restaurant lists carbon footprint of dishes
Eco & sustainability / Food & beverage


Along with using recycled furnishings, local ingredients, energy-
efficient equipment and renewable power, vegetarian restaurant chain
Otarian publishes the full carbon footprint of all items on its menu.

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