February, 2009

If you're like many people these days, you're probably attached to your iPod or MP3 player 24/7, whether it's to go for a run, hike in the woods, or when you're just out and about town. A new fashionable clothing line, Sound Walk by AZA Extremes has created fashion with built in speakers which is reminiscent of the 80's, when music was made portable with large boom boxes; however with Sound Walk the clothing is more fashionable and the music is built in.

If your child has a habit of sitting in front of the television all day long or doesn't get quite enough exercise, this new interactive gadget may have you all jumping for joy!

Congratulations on tying the knot! Now that he's gotten that ring on your finger, you may have decided to change your last name to share it with your new husband. Getting your name changed after saying "I do" is a headache, and that's putting it lightly, so an innovative Canadian Company, I'm a Mrs. has put together a process that makes changing your name go more smoothly. While you may suffer from identity confusion due to your new role as a wife, after using I'm a Mrs.' services will make sure it doesn't occur because you haven't changed your name.

Effective marketing strategies can make a great contribution to the success of a business. While many marketing agencies are turning to blogging and online marketing to advertise their clients' services; Curb is going green in their marketing strategies by using eco-friendly, sustainable marketing methods that rely upon nature.

Some of us of a certain age may have fond memories of the Disco era.  Others, well, not so much.  But whether you loved Disco or hated it, this isn't your average, run-of-the-mill hat! 

Even designer clothing isn't designed to last forever. Howie's Hand Me Downs specializes in making high-quality clothing that uses fabrics and materials made to withstand the tests of time; so not only will your fashion purchases last your lifetime, they can spend their days draped on a second generation wearer and still look great. Read on decide if this clothing manufacturer that emphasizes recycling fashion is onto a trendsetting concept, or if its classic style is a fashion flop.

PolyFlav is a company that believes the things found in plastic containers, just don't taste good enough on their own.  This strange company is in the business of producing flavored plastic that will keep your taste buds satisfied.

Yes folks, bug season is here!  HEXBUG,  the small robotic bug from Innovation First, was a great big hit at the 2009 Toy Fair held in New York.

T-Post is a fashion brand that combines fashion with news. The t-shirt subscription service sends out a unique t-shirt based on a current news story to its subscriber base every six weeks; keeping the public informed about current events while ensuring they're also dressed fashionably.

After a long night of dancing and partying at the hottest nightclubs, especially if you like to let loose Studio 54 style, there's nothing worse than having to walk home in the high-fashion heels or stilettos that you started the evening with. Fashionable and convenient vending machines popping up all across the UK to give club goers (and those suffering from other emergency shoe dilemmas) the convenience of comfortable shoe dispensing when they need it most.

Soul's Calling, an online shopping website that features inspirational products, may seem like a normal business, but to see why it's so strange, you need to look at it a little bit closer. The owner of this weird and wacky home business, believes in Positive Energy Transfer which she instills in her products through prayer, meditation, and of course, hugging.

Timex and Core77 have collaborated to introduce one of the world's smallest watches. This unique, wearable gadget is disposable timepiece designed to mould to your fingernail and with its light up function makes a bold fashion statement.

Fired with creativity, tempered with nature, these rings will surely command a second glance and are guaranteed conversation makers, even if they do not take your relationship to newer heights.

Digiwall is another fine example of a company focused on keeping things active through interactive fun. Their digital climbing wall, which combines visual and aural experiences incorporate challenges, games and other fun activities to make indoor rock climbing even more enjoyable for children and other sport enthusiasts.

A progressive fashion company, Worn Again, which produces sustainable fashion accessories, proves that fashion can be eco-friendly, practical and attractive. Their line of bags, the newest sustainable fashion available from their line, is made from recycled airplane seats from Virgin Atlantic and seatbelts. Worn Again's collection of luggage and handbags are proving to be trendsetters in green fashion.

Blogs aren't just online anymore! A new business model, The Printed Blog, is launching an innovative publication which will take content that is only available online, and print the articles twice-daily in newspaper form. This Printed Blog business hopes that combining new and old media outlets will make a successful venture.

These non-licensed brand name products might last a few days, or if you are lucky, you might just be able to say, "I can't believe this is not the real stuff."

You wouldn't think that I beams, common beams used in construction, would make comfortable pieces of furniture and, even less so, very attractive furniture. Not until you see Filippo Ghezzani's very livable and "workable" line of interior design...

Those of us of a particular age, may remember the Rubik's Cube craze from back in the day.  While some may have fond memories of the plastic puzzle, others may have tried to completely erase it from memory. But whether you loved it or hated the old Rubik's Cube, there is a brand new cube coming to town that you will want to see.

The pendant along with the long delicate chain retails at $28 and looks discreet and eminently stylish...and not like a piece of cheap glass.

Layoffs suck, and choosing who to fire when all of your employees are doing a good job sucks even more for businesses stuck with the decision of who to layoff.  A new website, You Choose We Fire, takes the decision of who to layoff out of their own hands, and allows web surfers to choose the unlucky employee who will be fired.

Until recently, chocolate has simply been a sweet indulgence. Now chocolate is a material used to create other items that typically aren't meant for eating, including clothing. These innovative, strange and delicious fashion items will make your mouth water.

Millions of people lose their luggage when traveling each and every year. While 99% of lost baggage gets returned to its owner, much of it remains unclaimed. Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, Alabama collects the unclaimed luggage from airlines across the country, and sells the items contained in the unclaimed baggage at affordable prices. Talk about profiting from the misfortunate from others in a way that's still respectable.

Text messaging got your cell phone bill going through the roof?  Save a couple bucks while you're at the computer with Cherple!  Cherple bridges the gap between text messaging and instant messaging with a simple client, and you can even demo the service without installing anything.

Have you ever wanted to move something without actually touching it?  Have you ever focused on a stationary object, willing it to move by using sheer will-power, only to be disappointed it didn’t move an inch?  The new  MindFlex game may just be the next best thing.

InventorSpot.com is pleased to announce the addition of another new blogger to our writing team. 

Jace Shoemaker-Galloway is a busy freelance writer and mother of two.  For seven years, Jace taught technology to 600 young children each week.   As a child safety advocate, Jace also served as Internet Safety Coordinator for two school regions, teaching parents, educators and over 1000 children all about online safety.  She has an award-winning educational resource blog on online safety.   Although the majority of her time is spent focused on serious issues, she thoroughly enjoys finding all sorts of  innovative items for children and babies.You can read about her interesting finds at Jace's blog.

InventorSpot.com is pleased to announce the addition of a new blogger to our writing team.

Austin Keenan is an aspiring professional writer.  He is currently in college as a Journalism Major with a background in online writing, although he started off his career in media production.  When he's not working to produce online videos for his own company, SomeGuys.tv, he's scouring the internet looking for cool websites to try out, and watching lots of online videos. He will be writing about innovative forms of online media, including interesting websites.

You can read more about his cool website finds and more at Austin's blog.

Mo-bile Suds Laundry Service isn't afraid to get its hands dirty. This on-location laundry company takes its Laundromat on wheels to the sites of natural disasters all over the country to help clean up; starting with the laundry.

Infertility is no laughing manner, and while finding a surrogate to carry your child is serious business; one just can't help but smirk at Surrogacy Abroad, a company that outsources surrogacy to India. Renting a womb, or outsourcing a uterus; no matter which way you look at it, this is one business concept that is out of this world.

It's been a few months since my last funny pet ads column, so I thought I would bring you some special ones for Valentine's Day... just say they're from the pets that love you so very much. This set of 10+ international ads is just as clever as the prior sets; there's something about our furry and feathered friends that brings out exceptional creativity in ad designers. See what you think...

Have your heart set on receiving private music lessons from industry professionals and celebrities? Until recently, I'd tell you to keep on dreaming. Now, professional musicians come to your home; virtually of course, to teach you how to play the guitar, piano and more, or improve your singing voice with professional vocal lessons.

YouTube is all the rage these days. Everyone and their dog (literally) posts their homemade videos on YouTube for all the world to see. It's the era of internet celebrity, and now this has been taken to the next level by Upload Cinemas which chooses the best videos from the internet and YouTube to show on their big screen movie theatre.

For many people who live in a city but have agricultural roots, creating an urban garden or farm can be the best way to get that rural nostalgia back without ever having to leave the city. You don't need a green thumb to get organic produce right from your own backyard. My Farm creates and maintains organic urban gardens in the backyards of city dwellers, and for those a large enough green space, there's always Gardens-in-a-Bag.

Finally, a device is available on the market that screens your calls on your behalf. Caller ID, step aside, because Truecall is like having your own personal secretary, without the required small talk and paycheck.

German creator, Donkey Products has a good thing for those of us that love the comfort of the old handsets and don't want to take any unnecessary chances on microwave exposure. It's the Retrostar Telephone Handset, " the coolest accessory for your mobile phone."

Don't care for red? No problem. How about retro-orange?

When you think of a love seat, net surfing doesn't immediately come to mind. But from toddlers to seniors, between mates, friends or colleagues, most will admit that they do love the Internet. It's a good thing, because so much of our existence relies on the Internet for information and income... and more and more of us are working at home, where a traditional love seat just doesn't do the trick.

When I heard about Catwalk Genius' adopt a designer program, I thought "what a business concept!" My imagination ran wild with the possibilities of such an innovative idea, but after reading about in depth, I have to say, I'm not quite so impressed. Don't let that stop you from reading on, however, because I will reveal my expectations regarding Catwalk Genius' implications of adopting a designer and how it just doesn't live up.

Selling things you don't need can be a great way to boost your income when times get hard during this economic downturn. These businesses may not have been created with the recession in mind, but their unique existence sure comes in handy at a time like this. Read on and learn about how you can turn items lying around your household into money in your pocket.

If you don't know that healthy foods and organic eating are in, you must be living under a rock. As a result, it's no surprise how rapidly the industry has grown over the past years; and since vending machines seem to be entering the forces of many niche markets, companies like Yo! Naturals', YoZone vending machine are popping up which combine convenience with eating trends.

Old, or should I say very old, Punxsutawney Phil came out of his hole today and declared, on this 168th US observance of Groundhog Day, that there will be (at least) six more weeks of Winter. To all Winter sports enthusiasts, this is great news. You and the rest of us can drink to it with a cup of fantastic gourmet hot chocolate, because we will all need something yummy and hot to stay warm. Here are 10 of the best cocoas for drinking... and the bonus feature is my favorite hot cocoa recipe!

Sharing is a concept learned from a young age, and while we may not all do it well, new and innovative companies believe it's important to try to share and be a friend through use of their unique services. ParkatmyHouse.com connects drivers with parking spots, SingleSpotCamping.com takes backyard camping to a new level, and Bixi brings bike sharing to Montreal.

Recession or no recession, a recent study shows that Valentine's Day is a crucial holiday for the success of small businesses. Learn more about strategies used by businesses to boost their Valentine's Day sales and other related statistics by reading on.