Concrete Pipes To Hotel

SceneTap

Have you ever gone to a new city or wanted to checkout a new nightclub or bar but was worried that it might be empty or overpopulated by a particular gender.  

Let SceneTap determine your probabilty of getting picked up by providing you a realtime snap shot of the male to female ratio at a nightclub or bar prior to arriving at the venue.

SceneTap utilise facial recognition technology with cameras installed at the entrance of clubs and bars which deterrmines the number of patrons along with male to female ratio at a venue.

The companies Chief Executive Colin Harper came up with the idea after spending money on cabs barhopping at clubs and pubs but not having a good time.

The idea leads to possible privacy accusations or seen as promoting stalking or sexual behaviour. SceneTap claims that their cameras do not identify individuals but determines male and female patrons. They also claim that data collected is completely anonymous.

In the US, 200 bars and clubs have signed for the service. The iPhone and Android app is free and is planned for launch sometime in July 2011.

SceneTap joins the likes of similar apps such as Grindr, 

Technology adding another twist and angle to the social dating scene.

Bugherd

Anyone who has been involved with web or software development knows the painful and time consuming effort in testing and reporting bugs back to the developers. Identifying the defects, then accurately and clearly describing the issue especially around UI look and feel elements to your developer is not simple.

There are many defect and change management tools out there but Melbourne startup Bugherd is taking a new approach within this space. Launched early 2011, Bugheard is a web app that claims to be the "simplest and fastest bugtracker ever".

Bugherd differentiates itself from other defect management apps by allowing testers and reviewers to flag and annotate bugs directly onto the website without the need for screen shots hence reducing risk of misinterpretation or taking issues or bugs out of context by the developer. 

Bugherd charging model is based on monthly plans which vary depending on the number of sites and users. Plans start from $9 per month.

Another innovative startup from Australia improving and simplifying a pain point within an existing space and process, in this instance for designers and developers.

ingogo

Catching a taxi just got a whole lot easier.

Ever had that problem of getting stuck in the rain with no taxi in sight?  How about trying to catch a taxi late at night and they all appear to be zooming past you engaged. 

Sydney based startup Ingogo has decided to tackle this problem facing passengers and taxi drivers. New innovative web and mobile app that is changing the  taxi booking eco system which has been monopolized for years based on an outdated booking system. 

Using GPS technology, the ingogo mobile and online app allows direct interaction between the potential passenger and the nearest taxi driver. Potential passenger requests a taxi nearby and they can bid extra for a guaranteed pickup response. They also track and receives updates of the taxi's location and progress,  upon completion of the trip passenger pays the taxi driver.

On the other hand, removes wasted hours and gas for taxi drivers searching for passengers.

Ingogo is about to shake up the taxi industry in Australia by placing control between passengers and taxi drivers.

Spotted By: David Wesson

Buy Yourself Some Gamification with CrowdTwist

Gamification's a big buzz word these days. It's always been a part of the human psyche, competition, fight for survival (getting ahead of the pack) and reputation. In current consumer times we're all very familiar with lotteries and raffles. But as of late, metrics and technology have truly stepped up the game in consumer engagement.

You've got the front runners, Foursquare doing their Leaderboard thing. Reputation building associated with venues, and point galore. But here's a service that packs it into a nice package ready to implement onto your supermarket chain site or hangbag small business or however it seems.

CrowdTwist pretty much sells a gamification package to push your product or service reach. They help you generate a social network of sorts which follows your users/customers around the web and through their social profiles. This following around leads to an understanding of how these users help spread the word. But where the gamification steps in, is that the more these users promote your product, the more they engage and spread the word, the more they can be rewarded. Through gifts, credit, monetary rewards, this seems to be up to the company's discretion.

CrowdTwist keeps your online profile together, communicates with your market and gets them engaged. I'd love to see this in action on a platform already at work.