Springwise | This week's most exciting new business ideas

I really like the Open Source box concept below - although it seems a bit strange. Enjoy!

Your weekly fix of entrepreneurial inspiration (View this message in a browser)

Here is your usual dose of new business ideas from around the world:

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Paris restaurant invites an amateur cook to become head chef each night
	Un Jour, Un Chef is allowing amateurs to realise their dreams of becoming head chef for one night. The temporary chefs have creative control over ingredients, menu design and the cooking process, with help from the professionals. READ MORE...

Online trading brings social engagement to fashion shopping experience
	Little Black Bag offers shoppers a mystery goody bag of top-name fashion and beauty products. They then have a week to search the site's marketplace to try and swap their items and build their perfect set. READ MORE...

Platform lets SMBs offer free public wifi in exchange for user activity
	Waffle is a Korean platform that lets cafes and other small businesses give their customers free public wireless in exchange for checking in with Facebook or Twitter or answering a short quiz or survey. READ MORE...

Japanese cafeteria offers diners in-depth advice on health and nutrition
	Tokyo canteen Tanita Shokudo provides nutritional advice and dietary equipment to help diners eat healthily. READ MORE…

Open source 'blocks' connect the offline world with the web
	Ninja Blocks is an open source hardware project based in San Francisco that aims to provide "a two-way bridge between the things in your life and the web services you use every day." READ MORE…

Ad agency rewards interns' hard work with nicer lodgings
	Brussels ad agency Mortierbrigade motivates its visiting creative interns by upgrading their accommodations when they achieve good results, while poor efforts can land them in "the basement." READ MORE…

Store delivers beer foam-free from the keg into take-home growlers
	With its first shop in New York's Greenwich Village, The Growler Station lets customers fill up 64-oz. "growlers," or reusable glass bottles, with the craft beers of their choice direct from the keg. READ MORE…

Using headset and software, users control movies with their thoughts
	UK-based MyndPlay now lets users determine movies' outcomes themselves using just the power of their thoughts. READ MORE…

iPhone app syncs with electric vehicles to track & share savings
	GreenCharge is a new iPhone app designed to help electric vehicle owners track and share their driving patterns, fuel savings and environmental contribution over time. READ MORE…

In Ottawa, a taxi service just for kids
	Fleurette Kids Taxi is a new service in Canada's Ottawa region focused entirely on transporting children. READ MORE…

In Singapore schools, a tech-enabled program for self-directed learning
	Trail Shuttle is a Singapore-based effort from gaming company Rockmoon — in collaboration with a local Ministry of Education program called FutureSchools@Singapore — that uses technology to let students direct their own learning programs. READ MORE…

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Springwise | This week's most convenient new business ideas

Top ideas from around the world - available in very small bit-sized pieces. Enjoy!

Hi Arnie,

Our latest issue is now online. Here's a quick run-down of the new products and services
that caught our attention this week:

For GBP 3.89, expert evaluation of an item's worth
Life hacks

Customers upload photos and descriptions of their antiques and
Value My Stuff Now responds with a valuation within 48 hours.
Items evaluated include furniture, jewellery, memorabilia & stamps.

Service for sports fans aims to rub in the team rivalry
Entertainment / Telecom & mobile

Using a combination of live or automated phone calls and emails,
RivalGrams will contact a friend who supports the wrong team
and taunt them with songs and plaudits about the right team.

Fair-trade lemonade supports grassroots projects
Food & beverage / Non-profit, social cause

LemonAid is a bottled drink made entirely of a few organic, fair-trade
ingredients. A major share of yearly revenue goes to support
small, locally based grassroots projects in the developing world.

Phone support for seniors, by seniors
Telecom & mobile / Life hacks

Tree Rings provides telephone-based customer service, technical
support, order and claims processing, data entry and other services,
and has offices close to large retirement communities across the US.

Recyclable picnic box with compostable utensils
Food & beverage / Eco & sustainability

Boxsal is an eco-minded spin on the age-old picnic basket. Boxes
cost USD 24.99, are made from recycled materials and contain
compostable trays, bowls, cups, utensils, napkins and a trash bag.

Card rewards consumers for buying locally in Portland
Marketing & advertising / Retail

Supportland has developed a rewards card that works at
50 different Portland-area businesses, all of which are locally
owned. Points earn discounts from any participating store.

Device ionizes tap water for chemical-free cleaning
Eco & sustainability

The Activeion Ionator uses electrolysis and electroporation to help
lift dirt like a magnet, enabling it to be wiped away. Plus it kills more
than 99.9 percent of harmful germs without leaving any residue.

Custom travel guides designed for sharing
Media & publishing / Tourism & travel

Norwegian Stay.com is a social platform where users can create and
share their own custom travel guides using material sourced from
a range of online sources including TripAdvisor and OpenTable.

Post-breakup gifts & support for newly single women
Lifestyle & leisure / Retail

Texas-based Pink Kisses offers heartbroken consumers a selection
of restorative packages that include chocolates, flowers, texts,
emails, virtual gifts, life coaching sessions and photo shoots.

1,500 board games on hand at wifi-free cafe
Food & beverage / Entertainment

Aiming to recreate the offline interaction of days gone by, Toronto's
Snakes & Lattes serves up not just coffee but also 1,500 board
games. The baristas offer instructions and tips to customers.

Bikes built for heavier riders
Transportation / Lifestyle & leisure

Super Sized Cycles make bicycles, electric bikes and tricycles
capable of supporting up to 550 pounds thanks to their steel
frames, wider tires, broad pedals and strong rims and spokes.

Location-based disaster alerts using mobile app
Telecom & mobile / Government

CiviGuard is a mobile app service designed to help governments
deliver emergency information to civilians in an affected area, by
contacting users whose phones are linked to nearby phone towers.

Site helps friends meet up spontaneously
Lifestyle & leisure

Users of San Francisco-based Poig can create and view "pings" with
activity suggestions. Pings can be restricted to Facebook friends,
posted on Facebook and Twitter, and filtered by geographical area.

Shimano kit converts regular bikes into e-bikes
Transportation

The STEPS kit for bicycles is designed to preserve the feeling of a
traditional bike, while adding a 250W electric motor and a
regenerative braking system to help recharge the removable battery.

Online donation platform mimics real-world equivalent
Non-profit, social cause

Nadanu provides graphical interfaces for raising money on websites,
mobile devices and social networks. Donors fill virtual receptacles
with 'coins' and make a single payment on reaching a specified sum.

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From Trendwatching...Trends you deleted when things were too hectic

Just in case you didn't see these...Enjoy!

Dear Arnie, Instead of ambushing you with yet another Big New Trend this month, we decided to make life easier for all of us and send you an overview of the trends we've covered so far in 2010. And yes, that includes the ones you deleted from your inbox when things were just too crazy ;-) February 2010 FUNCTIONALL » FUNCTIONALL highlights a new breed of products and services designed for low(er)-income consumers in emerging markets, but with crossover appeal to consumers in mature consumer societies... Includes 37 examples. (Read online or download as a PDF) March 2010 6 TREND VIDEOS » Instead of our usual text-based briefings, our March edition consisted of a light-hearted yet insight-heavy video edition, featuring consumers from all over the world speaking their minds on a variety of trend topics... (View online) April 2010 BRAND BUTLERS » Why serving is the new selling. With pragmatic, convenience-loving consumers enjoying instant access to an ever-growing number of supporting services and tools (both offline and online), brands urgently need to hone their 'butlering' skills. Includes 59 examples… (Read online or download as a PDF) May 2010 STATUSPHERE » What constitutes status in consumer societies is fragmenting rapidly, with consumers starting to bestow recognition on fellow consumers who stray off the beaten consuming-more-than-thou-path... (Read online or download as a PDF) June/July 2010 MASS MINGLING » Long gone are the days when 'online' was synonymous with social isolation and loneliness. In fact, technology is now driving people to connect and meet up en masse with others, in the 'real world'. Includes 33 examples... (Read online or download as a PDF) August 2010 INNOVATION INSANITY » With the entire world now engaged in creative destruction, the amount of talent, of creativity, of innovations, is staggering. Case in point: the 67 smart, global innovations we rounded up for this briefing… (Read online or download as a PDF)

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iPhone now 40% of Apple's revenue

Based upon Apple's published financials, the iPhone now represents approximately 40% of company's revenue. But what is just as impressive, is how Apple has fared through the recession.


Think about this, the iPhone is only about 3 years old as a product and has a limited distribution channel in the US [even though it can be jail broken and untethered from AT&T - it operates with limited functionality].


When Apple launched the iPhone there were many debates as to how well they would do and if it would be a success. Apple was looking at capturing 1% of the smart phone market - and they believed if they could, then they would be a success. Now, they are 300 pound gorilla in the market [along with HTC - another relative new comer] and have basically pushed Nokia and Motorola out of the way during their climb.


It will be interesting to see what happens to their product line over the next 12 to 18 months - with the introduction of the iPad, the functionality of the iPod Touch, along with new laptops - and how will the product mix change during that time.

Source:
http://justanotheriphoneblog.com/wordpress/iphone-news/crazy-iphone-numbers-now-accounts-for-40-of-apples-revenue

Also visit Walt Casey's blog - http://iphoneperspectives.blogspot.com/

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Springwise for: 21 April 2010 | 10 more biz ideas

Personally, I like the p2p car sharing idea - of course I wish my neighbors would do the lawn equipment sharing thing also, but I guess if we did that, what would we all do with Saturday mornings? Enjoy!

Hi Arnie,

Our latest issue is now online. Here's a quick run-down of the new products and services
that caught our attention this week:

For twins, outfits that don't quite match
Fashion & beauty

Designed to respect twin attachment and at the same time cultivate
individuality, TOT-a-LOT's garment pairs for twins complement
each other in aspects such as patterns, prints, colours or concepts.

P2P car-sharing comes to Australia
Automotive / Transportation

DriveMyCar is an online rental marketplace that allows car owners
to rent out their cars to other private individuals for a weekend,
a week, a month or even a year.

Branded kits for DIY probiotic yoghurt
Food & beverage

Progurt offers a way for consumers to make their own probiotic
yoghurt using the company's yoghurt maker, refrigeration tubs,
electrolyte complexes, prebiotic syrups and probiotic sachets.

iPad app delivers real-time trend forecasts
Media & publishing / Fashion & beauty

Stylesignal provides its customers with fashion forecasts, trend
information and news coverage. The company is now hailing its
new iPad app as a trend book that never goes out of date.

Designer takes preorders to crowdfund new lamp
Style & design / Retail

Guaranteed demand removes risk from launching a new product.
Dutch designer Daniel Schipper's latest, limited edition lamp will
go into production when 100 orders have been received.

Platform facilitates rankings of public speakers
Marketing & advertising

SpeakerRate is a community site for event organisers, attendees
and speakers that enables ratings and feedback about speakers
and speeches and helps users plan for future events.

Mobile app helps the visually impaired to 'see'
Life hacks

Visually impaired users point their LookTel-enabled phone's camera
at something, and the app deploys object and text recognition
technology to identify the item and pronounce its name to the user.

Waste to accessories, with a charitable twist
Fashion & beauty / Non-profit, social cause

Elvis & Kresse crafts high-fashion bags, belts and other accessories
from used fire hose and industrial waste materials. The company
makes donations to causes related to the source materials.

A tryvertising store for Sao Paulo
Marketing & advertising / Retail

After paying a yearly fee, members of Clube Amostra Gratis get
to take home and try an assortment of new products before
they become available on the shelves.

App lets users attach digital content to any barcode
Media & publishing / Marketing & advertising

With the Stickybits mobile app, users scan any barcode, then attach
music, text, photos or video content. When the same barcode
is scanned again by other users, they'll see that content.

High-end clothing brand only sells on tour dates
Retail / Fashion & beauty

Each season, clothing brand Clemens en August travels to an
assortment of fashion-minded cities to sell its current collections in
contemporary art galleries for only three days at a time.

A custom, branded iPhone app for every restaurant
Food & beverage / Marketing & advertising / Telecom & mobile

Blue Shoe provides restaurants with custom, branded iPhone
apps. Patrons can use them to place orders, and restaurateurs can
use them for tracking and to post discounts, promotions etc.

______________

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The Next Web brings together the best audience, speakers
and companies to discuss the future of the web.

April 27 - 28 - 29 in Amsterdam — Find out more & register >>

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Our contact details

Springwise BV, a 53rd Floor BV company
Address: Laurierstraat 71, 1016 PJ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Web address: www.springwise.com
Email address: info@springwise.com

_______________________________________________________________________

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