dBusinessNews: Spooz, Inc. announced today it will launch its flagship product, SpoozToolz(TM), at 4:00 PM CST. As pre-cursor to the product launch, Spooz will publish its e-commerce website, www.spooztoolz.com, earlier in the afternoon.

Spooz, Inc., a publicly traded company based in Chicago, provides a suite of solutions designed to simplify financial trading for traders and hedgers alike. SpoozToolz(TM) and its modules, the Company's flagship products, add built-in trading capabilities to the popular Microsoft(R) Excel software application, combining a customizable interface, streaming quotes, charts, technical analysis, a comprehensive historical database, and electronic trade execution into a simple add-in that becomes part of the Excel tool bar.

SpoozToolz to Launch [dBusinessNews]

The Prague Post Online: Espionage agents, paranoid conspiracy theorists and others prizing their privacy have cause to thank Marian Kechlibar.

Kechlibar, 27, and his friend Jiří Šatánek, 31, have devised a new program that codes text, or SMS, messages so that no third party — police, secret service, even mobile phone operators — can read them.

"We felt that there is too much phone tapping going on in this country," says Šatánek. "Everyone has a right to their privacy."

Outside it's a cold Karlín evening. But inside the three-room, wood-paneled Prague 8 headquarters of CircleTech, a company that creates mobile phone software, it's warm and cozy. And quiet.

Kechlibar, his long hair tied in a low ponytail, reclines in a mustard-colored plush armchair. Šatánek is there, too. Speaking in low, polite tones, both men sound excited in their own restrained ways.

Their program, appropriately named SMS 007, is one of the first of its kind that can be installed into most cell phones. The two are working on a version that codes regular cell phone conversations as well, and they hope to release it next summer.

Read our text messages? Just try [The Prague Post Online]

Gizmodo: NaturalNano has used nanotechnology to develop a type of paint that stops cellphone signals. It’s done by blending particles of copper that are inserted into nanotubes, and then mixing and suspending these tiny particles into a can of paint.

NaturalNano’s idea is to completely block cellphone signals with this paint, and then provide a radio filtering device that will allow wireless signals to pass through only when they’re appropriate. Using this system, a theater owner could allow cellphone signals before the show or during an intermission, but completely block them during the movie. At the same time, that theater owner could still allow emergency radio communications to get through. While jamming of cellphone signals has been ruled illegal by the FCC, it’s not a crime to passively prevent signals from passing through, which is exactly what NaturalNano’s paint does.

NaturalNano Develops Cellphone-Blocking Paint [Gizmodo]

Teleformance: Teleformance is a Pay-Per-Call advertising account management company, and is the only company in the nation devoted solely to this service. Our goal is to connect your business to qualified consumers that are seeking your company’s product or service by eliminating the waste of traditional direct response advertising methods. We manage every aspect of the Pay-Per-Call advertising campaign process for your company. Our experienced team will work with you to customize your strategic campaign and distribute your ads across the nation’s largest network of search engines and online directories.

Teleformance - http://www.teleformance.net

Teleformance's President Terry McCarthy wrote to convince us why his company is different from the #1 business in the PPCall industry, Ingenio, which recently launched a new service called Ether. In his own words:

4. When they hit submit, the user phone will ring and a message will announce that their call is being connected. Within a second or two, the toll-free call will seamlessly ring into the client's designated phone number.

Springwise: "Prosper gives people the opportunity to take back the marketplace for consumer credit. By providing the platform and tools for an efficient marketplace created by and for people, Prosper aims to make consumer lending more financially and socially rewarding for everyone."

How it works? People who need money request it, with a listing of why they need the money, and some numbers describing their credit rating. Other people then bid for the privilege of lending money to them. The lower the interest rate offered by the lender, the more likely he is to win the bid. Prosper facilitates, in return for a one-time 1% fee on funded loans from borrowers, and a 0.5% annual loan servicing fee from lenders.

Prosper, one and for all [Springwise]

CoolBuzz: If you are a gaming-geek then this Entertainment System Sound Mat is all what you could have asked for! Now you don’t need to be grounded for hours for you can now lie down comfortably even while you play! The Pyramat mat is loaded with hi-tech like it includes two 4″ 25 watt coaxial speakers, a 25 watt subwoofer, detachable remote, pockets for your remote or your cell-phone and between the pockets is a variety of A/V ports so you can connect everything from your Playstation 2, Xbox, Gamecube, TV, DVD Player, or Stereo. The mat features dual-layer cushions for maximum comfort. The bottom layer elevates you off the ground, the top form-fitting layer is molded to support your neck and back for maximum comfort and no aching. And, if you love to play for hours at-a-stretch then don’t worry! The mat is made of rip-stop fabric cover and the wipeable nylon used in the mat allows you to clean it properly too!

Pyramat Entertainment System Sound Mat [CoolBuzz]

Israel21c: The first thing most people probably feel like doing after talking with Theodore Welt and Jonathan Weisberg is brushing their teeth and cleaning their tongues.

It's not because they're disgusting or anything, quite the contrary. It's just that the two founders of Israeli company VeriFresh Ltd. are very persuasive and descriptive when talking about their line of futuristic products including tongue cleaners, gum massagers and flossers. They believe they're setting a new standard in oral care, which provides a solution for the 200 million Americans who suffer from a range of oral problems ranging from bad breath to periodontal-disease-causing bacteria.

"Wherever there are toothbrushes, there's also going to be a tongue cleaner," Welt states emphatically like a mouth care evangelist, as he takes the VeriFresh tongue cleaner out of his briefcase to demonstrate.

According to Welt, the tongue cleaner is a new design of an age-old product that provides many oral and general-health benefits.

VeriFresh makes people stick out their tongues [Israel21c]

Ubercool: In 2005, U.S. energy drink sales grew to US$3.3 billion, up 75% from US$2 billion, making it the fastest growing portion of the non-alcoholic beverage market, according to Beverage Digest. Globally, the energy drink market topped US$5 billion in 2004.

Dozens of energy drink brands have hit store shelves since Red Bull was introduced to the U.S. market in 2001, including PimpJuice, which Nelly promises will “make you party all night just like a pimp.”

Given the sagging libidos of hundreds of millions of baby boomers, Austria’s energy drink Turn On, containing Schizandra, a native Chinese herb that has for centuries been used for its aphrodisiac effects, should find ready appeal.

Energy Drink [Ubercool]

Springwise: In London alone, 10 women are attacked each month after getting into an unlicensed mini-cab. No wonder that many women feel safer taking a taxi driven by a woman.

Pink Ladies spotted a business opportunity, and created the UK's first women-only private car hire franchise. The Pink Ladies drive Renault Kangoos that are pink inside and out, making them highly visible. Passengers sign up as members, and fares are either pre-paid, paid by credit card or with a 'pink account', which is both convenient for members and safe for drivers.

Cabs for & by Women [Springwise]

ActiveMaps Inc: Founded in 2003, AMI began its mission to improve out-of-home digital networks by offering relevant and entertaining media in high-traffic commercial environments. With experience in software development and technology management, AMI developed a proprietary application that delivers real-time media over cellular networks.

AMI develops, deploys, and manages out-of-home digital networks. AMI's digital solution provides an opportunity to aesthetically upgrade commercial environments, entertain your customers, generate new revenue through advertising, increase in-store revenue through point of purchase strategies, and incorporate internal training vehicles.

AMI's out-of-home channel provides real time Sig-Alert and Clear Channel traffic, ESPN sports, MSNBC breaking news, E! Entertainment news, live surf reports by Surfline.com, and Yahoo! stock quotes. AMI's content driven network remains focused on delivering educational, informative and entertaining media for consumers throughout their day.

ActiveMaps Inc.

Yahoo! Finance: As Americans look for easy, everyday solutions to get more fruits and vegetables into their diet, Dole Packaged Foods, LLC introduces DOLE® Frozen Fruit -- a new selection of delicious fresh frozen fruit with the natural goodness and nutrition benefits of fresh fruit. Judged best tasting overall among major national competitors by a panel of professional chefs of American Culinary ChefsBest(TM), Dole's extensive selection of over a dozen fruits includes colorful antioxidant-rich berries and Dole's signature Tropical Gold(TM) Pineapple. All DOLE Frozen Fruit products are 100% natural fruit, flash-frozen at the peak of ripeness, washed and ready to eat.

David H. Murdock, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dole Food Company, Inc., stated, "Dole is committed to introducing nutritious products that can help people achieve their healthy eating goals. Our newest product line, DOLE Frozen Fruit, is a great fit for busy, on-the-go American families striving to eat nutritiously."

Dole Introduces a Cool Way to Eat Healthy [Yahoo! Finance]

DailyCandy: Okay, class, in today’s history lesson, we’ll be learning about primitive forms of technology. You see, before MP3 players or iPods, and even before CDs, back in the ’80s and ’90s, people listened to music on devices called cassette tapes.

And thanks to the Plusdeck 2, a cassette deck for computers, we can bring it back to life. All we do is slide the internal drive into the CD drive bay, pop in this plastic rectangle known as the cassette, and we can listen to the tape (that’s street for cassette) through our computer. Any questions?

Be Kind, Rewind [DailyCandy]

Iconoculture: Ask any canine or kitty: It’s doggone traumatic when owners go away. But Mazzu’s Dog and Cat Hotel in Philadelphia aims to ease things with tony boarding options that include dinners of filet mignon or fresh salmon. A standard “personal suite” gives furry family members a TV, toys, unlimited spring water, daily maid service and “unlimited personal affection,” with add-ons like a fresh salmon dinner ($22) or filet mignon ($22). Going for highbrow clients, Mazzu’s rejects any and all “fleabag” hotel jokes, requiring pets to be on active external parasite meds before check-in.

Pet owners who blow out of town and leave the critters behind have some serious guilt to assuage – and a compelling desire to keep their loved ones comforted while they’re gone. Pets-as-people consciousness says animals get stressed upon a change of scenery and the departure of their clan.

Mazzu’s pet hotel stakes a claim to filet mignon [Iconoculture]

Local6.com: A brewer in Dallas has created a beer that promises to be better for you because it is filled with vitamins, according to a Local 6 News report. Stampede beer is enhanced with B vitamin, folic acid and other essential vitamins, according to creator Lawrence Schwartz.

"Stampede is the first Vitamin-enhanced beer," Schwartz said.

Schwartz said the federal government told him that he cannot claim the beer is good for drinkers and can't list vitamins on the labels because it would be an implied health claim. However, that's how the beer maker is setting his beer from the rest of the brands, according to the report. Schwartz said Stampede tastes just like regular beer but with a kick.

Brewer Creates First 'Vitamin' Beer [Local6.com]

BornRich: Want more furniture like the mood light furniture that changes colors as per your mood, then I bet you will be completely mesmerized with the Animi Causa’s “Feel Seating System” which can change its form according to the emotional state of the body! The Feel gathers all positions in one object. The shape of the stunning seating system is inspired by a molecular structure. The feel seating system is made of 120 soft balls covered with elastic fabric. The molecular structure allows the chair to create multiple positions that you can’t even think off!

Feel Seating System [BornRich]

USATODAY.com: Schauffler, creator of the high-end Devine Color brand of interior house paints, plans to expand her $10 million annual business by introducing a line of custom window coverings she calls corsets: valances that hug the top of window frames and transform into full-length draperies by zipping on skirts of different hues and textures.

Her approach to the product illustrates why Schauffler has transformed in a few years from stay-at-home suburban mom to a businesswoman whose products have national reach. To get a precise fit, she hired an apparel company to shape the window treatments — making the corset moniker more than just a marketing ploy.

"We decided to tailor the window with color," Schauffler says, predicting this corset will liberate women who tell her they have few good choices beyond lower-end, unlined window panels and fussy fabric-store treatments that don't convey the modern look they crave.

Colorful dreamer turns her passion into thriving paint biz [USATODAY.com]

BRANDWEEK: Known throughout the ad world for its iconic “Doublemint Twins” ads, the Doublemint brand today debuted its first new product in nearly a century, along with an ad campaign that satirizes its own brand.

Wrigley’s Doublemint Twins mints feature two flavors in one mint. Offered in both Wintercreme and Mintcreme flavors, Doublemint Twins mints packaging comes with the familiar blue and green Doublemint arrows and come in a convenient, flip-top pack. Suggested retail price is 69 cents for 37 mints.

“Consumers told us that they were looking for an innovative and exciting way to enjoy the Doublemint brand that they grew up with," stated Paul Chibe, senior marketing director for Wrigley.

Doublemint Rolls Out New Offering, New Ads [BRANDWEEK]

Springwise: Appealing to the IM-generation, Eccky (created by Media Republic) is a multi-player concept that allows two people to create a virtual baby, add it to their MSN buddy list, and guide it through its childhood and teens.

The look and characteristics of the child are based on the unique 'DNA' of its parents, which is derived from a quiz the couple takes before conception. The parents then have 6 days (each real world day is equal to 3 Eccky years) to raise their Eccky into a happy, well-functioning 18 year old. Which is where instant messenging comes in: as with real children, communication is the key. Parents chat with their Eccky via MSN Messenger like they would with anyone else. Because Eccky is – in essence – a very fancy chatbot, it can engage in a conversation, responding with over 45,000 different answers about 3,500 recognized topics.

Eccky: virtual love child [Springwise]

DailyCandy: Caffeine, as many a sanctimonious health freak has informed us, is a drug. One you can be very, very addicted to.

To which we reply: So call us Pete Doherty and pass the biscotti.

Still, the late-night runs to your dealer for double espressos have gotten a little out of hand. What you need instead is SpazzStick, the lip balm formulated with copious amounts of caffeine. Invented by an Alaskan police officer in need of a wake-up aid (polar bear-on-polar bear crime is apparently way down), the balm contains skin-softening ingredients that heal your lips in even the coldest weather and comes in tasty flavors like vanilla toffee and cool mint. The large quantities of caffeine, meanwhile, are absorbed quickly and effortlessly through your lips. So you can cop a fix any time you need it.

Contact High [DailyCandy]

latimes.com: Speculators, whose robust purchases made 2005 one of the best years for new-home sales, have reined in their buying and started selling amid signs of a housing slowdown. The influx of their almost-new homes is making it harder for builders to sell brand-new ones.

"This slowing of sales activity is particularly evident in markets which have experienced significant price increases and investor-driven demand in recent years, such as California and Florida," Standard Pacific said.

Until recently, builders could sell new homes as fast as they could develop them, opening up an increasing number of new-home communities at increasingly higher prices. The result pleased Wall Street and fattened the companies' bottom lines.

Now, supply is outpacing demand in many regions, giving potential buyers more choices, including recently built houses that in many cases have never been occupied. Even though builders have tried to limit investor purchases by prohibiting buyers from selling homes within a certain time, "clearly they slipped through," said John Burns, an Irvine-based building industry consultant.

Orange County resident John Cullum is one such investor. He's trying to sell a new home he bought last year.

Cullum recently listed a four-room house in the Riverside County community of Menifee that was completed in October by privately held builder Van Daele Homes. It has never been lived in and is listed at $460,000, a price that he believes is competitive with yet-to-be-built models nearby that are being peddled by other building companies.

Almost-New Homes Hurt Sales of Brand-New Ones [Los Angeles Times]

TechCrunch: The concept of Ether is straightforward, but it has a massive back end infrastructure (thankfully Ingenio already had it built). They call it an “ebay for services”, allowing people to charge for advice over the phone (and by email - more on that below).

Service providers set up an account by providing some personal information and a phone number that they would like to be called at. Any service that can be provided over the phone is a perfect match for Ether. “Sellers” set their price, from free to anything (on a per minute or per hour basis). They can tell Ether the hours they are willing to take calls. Every seller is issued a toll free phone number (with a dedicated extension), which forwards to their phone.

Buyers can search through providers, see prices, feedback, etc. Once they agree to terms, they can place the call. Sellers only get calls once a Buyer has paid the fee and agreed to the terms.

Ether takes a flat 15% of fees for its trouble. They cover long distance charges and credit card processing fees out of this 15%.

And the fun doesn’t stop there. Sellers can also sell any type of digital content through Ether as well. The buyer is able to access the content only after paying the agreed upon fee. This content can be emailed out to people, or accessed via a link/badge that can be placed on a website.

Super-Stealth Ether to Launch Tonight [TechCrunch]

Shiny Shiny: Huzzah!, another household appliance that stops people from having to bend over (why yes, I am the laziest housekeeper in the world, thanks for noticing). The SweepEZE Vacuuming Dust Pan replaces the standard dust pan by lying in wait to "sense" dirt rather than lying in your broom closet waiting not to be found when you need it.

When dust and other bits interrupt the SweepEZE's sensor beam, it activates and automatically vacuums the mess away, allegedly freeing us all of the dreaded "dust pan line." I daresay if it had to face my floors in their current state, it's sensor beam would short out, and it would, perhaps, weep.

Automatic Dust Pan [Shiny Shiny]

DailyCandy: There are those who do the whole nondairy/nonanimal product thing by choice. To them we say, best of luck. We’ll just be over here enjoying our Easy Cheese and Slim Jims. And then there are those with allergies who do it because they have no choice. Them, we feel for — that sucks.

But things are about to turn around, thanks to Divvies. The company’s treats are made without dairy, eggs, or nuts. For an afternoon refreshment, try an oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, or molasses cookie. Or take a goody bag filled with kettle corn, chocolates, jawbreakers, and gum balls to the movies. But the best bet is the website’s monthly delivery program, which will save you from scouring grocery store shelves and poring over labels for a safe indulgence.

Too Good to Be True [DailyCandy]

KIOSK: In late May McDonald's unveiled plans to bring a taste of Hollywood to Denver by offering new release DVD movie rentals for just one dollar per night, plus tax. McDonald's, long recognized for successfully bringing together the elements of food, lifestyle, and entertainment, is installing fully automated Redbox DVD rental machines in over 100 restaurants throughout Denver, giving customers another great reason to visit The Golden Arches. At the same time, the company is experimenting with quick service ordering (QSO) kiosks at locations around the globe. In short, this quick service restaurant leader has gone kiosk crazy.

In Denver, customers can visit the Redbox DVD machines at participating McDonald's and rent the newest DVD movies releases for just $1.00 per night, plus tax - with no membership forms and no late fees - and return the same movies at any participating McDonald's Denver location. The latest new DVD releases are added to the Redbox DVD rental machines every Tuesday. McDonald's is the first quick service restaurant to offer new DVD movie rentals to consumers, extending its legacy of introducing new and innovative ways to create relevant, satisfying, and unique customer experiences in its restaurants.

McDonald's Reinventing Food Service [KIOSK]

Trendwatching: So let's start with a slew of what can now be considered ‘traditional’ pop-up BRAND SPACES, many of them of the fast-fashion type, eager to surprise either random passers-by or those select few who were in the know. Here’s a long list of spottings over the last 6 months or so (ammunition!), just copy and paste into your brand presentation you'll give to your boss or, if you yourself are the boss, to your team:

Sapphire Inspired | Last November, Surface Magazine and Bombay Sapphire launched the week long “Sapphire Inspired” pop-up store at the Bathhouse Studios in New York. On sale were limited edition items like a Sapphire inspired martini glass entitled "Broken Martini" by emerging designer Dror Benshetrit, an Ice Chandelier by designer Eva Menz, stunning wallpaper from fashion designer Jonathan Saunders and lounge furniture created by Luisa Ruge. More than 1,000 people visited the store.

Brand Spaces [Trendwatching]

Iconoculture: Pet hair out of control when owners don’t want to be? That’s the calling card for Aussie Pet Mobile, a franchise that home-delivers pet grooming services in a specially equipped van. With a grooming station at their door, owners can watch as their beloved furballs receive an in-van shampoo, conditioning, blow-dry and brush-out. Or Aussie Pet can solve pets’ hairy problems while owners are at work. Featured for four years in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Franchise 500,” Aussie Pet Mobile makes a fetching solution for dog and cat owners who want cleanliness with convenience.

Aussie Pet Mobile delivers grooming to owners’ doorsteps [Iconoculture]

Springwise: We don't mind spelling it out again: in an age of abundance, curators rule! Riding the CURATED CONSUMPTION trend in all its glory is Japanese Ranking Ranqueen, a Tokyo chain selling only the top 3, 5 or 10 items in a bewildering range of categories. Rankings are based on sales data from big Tokyo department stores and independent research.

Think best-selling lists for bath powder. Tooth picks. Pasta sauce. Cell phones. And so on. Rankings are updated every week, mercilessly replacing the out of favor with the Next Big Thing.

There are eight Ranking Ranqueen stores in total: five stores in Tokyo (Shibuya, Shinjuku, Otemachi, Jiyugaoka, Kitasenju), two stores in Yokohama (Azamino, Kamiooka), and one store in Fukuoka (Fukuokatenjin).

Ranking Ranqueen [Springwise]

MSNBC: Psstt. KFC wants to share a secret. No, not that secret.

Colonel Sanders’ herbs-and-spices recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken is still safely locked away, but the chain unveiled a new TV ad Thursday that allows viewers to crack a hidden message if they play the spot back slowly on a digital video recorder or VCR. The gimmick is aimed at countering the rise of technology that enables television viewers to skip past commercials faster than ever before.

“This is taking the exact opposition approach — rewarding viewers for taking the time to engage and be interactive with television,” said Tom O’Keefe, an executive at Foote Cone & Belding, the advertising agency that created the spot for KFC Corp.

For those savvy enough to solve the secret, the prize is a coupon for KFC’s new, sauce-drenched Buffalo Snacker chicken sandwich. The 99-cent Snacker debuted a year ago and is credited in KFC’s earnings rebound.

KFC plants hidden secret in new TV commercial [MSNBC]

Iconoculture: Hop-on’s ChitterChatter cellphone helps parents keep kids on a long leash – and within their virtual jurisdiction. The affordable, age-appropriate tot-tracker uses GPS tech, text messaging and graphical, one-touch buttons to pinpoint little ones’ locations within 300 feet in under a minute. Parents pre-program the speed-dial phonebook with emergency and family contacts and can choose to block numbers not included on the list. The tiny device is small enough to slip in a pocket or clip on a backpack. Kids who like to accessorize with tech toys can wear it as a wristwatch.

ChitterChatter cellphone uses graphical buttons to keep kids and parents connected [Iconoculture]

Springwise: Kozmo! Urbanfetch! Food.com! Ordering a pint of Ben & Jerry's and a video from your East Village studio in your underwear. Ah, those were the days! But as predicted, beautiful flowers now grow on the graves of many a failed dotcom. In Istanbul, After 9 started delivering stuff to demanding Istanbulites in need of urban necessities like condoms, beverages, cigarettes, diapers and sandwiches. Orders are placed online or over the phone, and are delivered by motorbike or car in 45 minutes or less. Opening hours are 9pm–6am. For this urban luxury, customers pay a 25-30% premium compared to regular supermarket prices. The minimum order size is USD 7 (EUR 6/GBP 4), but the average order is closer to USD 20 (EUR 17/GBP 11.50).

After-9 & Max Delivery [Springwise]

CNet: Dirty secret or not, the Web has long been a platform for downloading and watching pirated clips of television shows like "Lost" and "The Simpsons," much to the chagrin of the television networks.

But now TV producers are turning the tables, creating new shows around video clips culled from the Web.

Bravo TV is among the pioneers of the genre. This week, it began airing a new half-hour series called "Outrageous and Contagious: Viral Video," a show featuring the most popular video shorts circulating the Net, including parodies of the gay-cowboy movie "Brokeback Mountain" and clips of President George Bush's many verbal faux pas. It could be likened to a digital-age version of the old bloopers TV shows.

USA Networks, Fox and NBC are producing similar programming in the coming months. And ABC News Digital plans to enhance its television news program by drawing on video captured by viewers using cellular phones.

TV catches the Net video bug [CNet]

Gizmodo: If your crib is getting to be a little bit too modern-looking, now it's time to funk it up a bit with some retro-refrigeration. Oddly-named Brit company Smeg is offering these old-fashioned refrigerators with a large selection of colors including those seen above. So if you're looking to sing the praises of the Union Jack or want a refrigerator to match that pink Razr you just picked up, perhaps you've just found something that's chillin’ enough.

Retro-Cool Smeg Refrigerators [Gizmodo]