Iconoculture: When U.S. consumers swipe their debit cards, they’re typically asked to choose “credit” or “debit” for the transaction. The first requires a signature, the second a PIN, but either way the money still comes out of a savings or checking account. But what if consumers really had the option on a single card of either charging via a credit […]
Debit or Credit? You Choose
Pay with Kwedit
Iconoculture: Teens love to buy virtual goods from videogames, but if they don’t have access to Mom’s plastic, they’re often out of luck. That could change dramatically, now that Kwedit has launched. It’s a sophisticated honor system that allows anyone over age 13 to buy virtual goods with a promise to pay later. How will they pay later? By taking […]
Barter for Classes
Iconoculture: OurGoods, a New York community bartering network, has established a night school that offers adult continuing education to students in exchange for barter items the teacher might want. One example: A writing instructor would like more locally grown organic produce. Students wishing to take her class can sign up to bring a nice basket of in-season vegetables. Grand Opening […]
What’s Fresh?
Iconoculture: When a cook has a need for a specific ingredient, how does she know if trudging to the farmers’ market will be a waste of time? Enter WhatIsFresh.com, an online guide to the greenmarkets in the boroughs of NYC. Consumers can use the site to search by market location, day of the week, vendor or ingredient. The latter category […]
Ooh Local Activities
If you can find and do great, local stuff at home, why not do great local stuff that’s run by local people when you’re away too? Ooh.com is an online notice board and listings site where anyone in the world who offers trips, courses, classes and events can list their activities for free, and take direct bookings and payments through […]
Reknit Your Old Sweater
Springwise: Each month, Reknit will unravel old sweaters and re-knit them into a different item; this January, it’s scarves. Consumers begin by choosing from two different scarf styles—each priced at USD 30—and sending their old sweaters to Boston-based Reknit. Then, “my mom will turn your old sweater into a new scarf,” as the site’s creator explains it. Visitors to the […]
Up Your Gift Card
UpYourCard.com was created to give consumers greater choice in using gift cards. With many American families struggling to make ends meet during the economic downturn, Robert Schroeder and David Krouse realized an online forum that enables consumers to seek maximum value for gift cards could be a useful resource. With that goal in mind, the two recent college graduates are […]
The Office Kid
Urbandaddy: You might want to look into this thing called The Office Kid — an ingenious little kit that gives you all the upside of parenthood, without the pesky downside of having to endure Bob the Builder. Here’s how it works: you get a prepackaged box full of kid paraphernalia (framed photos, hand-drawn cartoons of “Daddy,” etc.), which you then […]
PicTranslator
PicTranslator turns your iPhone camera into a translator. Just point-and-shoot to translate road signs, newspapers, menus, warnings and more. No phrase lookups or typing in foreign languages required. You take the photo, and PicTranslator takes care of the rest. PicTranslator will also read the text in your pictures aloud, so you know how to pronounce what you see!
Kitchens For Rents
Springwise: Philly Kitchen Share is a shared-use commercial kitchen available for hourly rental by caterers, personal chefs, bakers and other food professionals in the Philadelphia area. Created by the founders of PhillyCarShare, the 800-square-foot cooking space actually features two adjoining kitchens, for rent separately or together: one focused on traditional cooking or catering and the other on baking. Together, they’re […]