Smart Suitcase That Follows You

Travellers having to drag a heavy suitcase around as they navigate through airports will soon be a thing of the past.  Madrid based designer, Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez has come up with an ingenious idea to resolve this problem.  Meet the smart suitcase named “The Hop” which will follow its owner around. The Hop has three receivers, which communicate with the traveller’s smartphone app via Bluetooth.

The Hop will follow the user at a set distance and can also be set to have multiple Hops follow each other and trail behind the user. If lose of signal, then the user will receive an alert on their smartphone and the Hop locks itself in position to prevent tampering.

In an age of increasingly security conscious airports, there are some obvious issues to an automatic hands-off carry-on luggage roaming around an airport. This will be an issue Rodrigo will need to overcome. The Hop is currently in development with no date of launch.

The Hop suitcase is a simple extension of technology that has already found applications in other devices like lawnmowers and vacuum cleaners. Surely it won’t be long before you see these suitcases at an airport near you.

If You Fancy One of Your Facebook Friends, SlipperFits is for You!

Ever had a crush on a Facebook friend and wished you had the courage to ask them out? Maybe the fear of rejection held you back and, before you knew it, the chance was gone? Way too embarrassing …

If that’s you, breathe again – with SlipperFits, a free app for PCs, tablets and smartphones, you now can use Facebook to find out anonymously if the object of your desire feels the same about you.

The idea is simple – using SlipperFits, you create a private HOTLIST of Facebook friends you’d like to get up-close and personal with. Each of them receives an email, telling them they have a secret admirer and encouraging them to create their own HOTLIST on SlipperFits.

If someone on your HOTLIST puts you on theirs, you have a match, and SlipperFits emails you both to let you know. So far, it’s all completely anonymous, and if you want to find out which of your friends fancies you, you pay a small fee for the privilege – it’s totally up to you.

Maybe you just prefer knowing that someone else has the hots for you … what would you do?

Human 4G Hotspots

We have all experienced situations where mobile data coverage has been poor. Well advertising and communcations firm BBH New York, have initiated a charity campaign called "Homeless Hotspots".  Homeless people were engaged to roam the streets of Austin Texas during the SXSW Awards week in March 2012, wearing T-Shirts reading "I am a 4G Hotspot" and offering conference-goers and other passersby access to the 4G Mobile data network for a donation.  

BBH New York, states that "this charitable innovation initiative attempts to modernise the Street Newspaper model employed to support homeless population. At the same time providing a service to the data hungry public and a financial benefit to the homeless. 

There have been mixed reactions to this campaign.  Call it a PR stunt or truely charitable gesture by BHH New York, either way the idea is a innovative one. 

Is this a PR stunt that is objectifying the homeless or is it truely innovative WiFi concept at the same time increasing awareness of the homeless, what do you think?

Human mobile data access points, Telco and ISP product managers take note!

Image Source: Callier Richmond

Drivers Auction Public Parking Spaces

We have all experienced the inconvenience with lack of parking space and not to mention high cost of parking in central business districts. New York based startup Parking Auction Inc is resolving this everyday problem for city drivers. 

Launched 1st August 2011 in Manhattan, Parking Auction iPhone app has created a crowdsourcing marketplace for public parking, by connecting drivers vacating a parking space (the seller) with those searching for a one (the buyer) for a small fee.

The car spaces are not for sale. What is actually been sold is the information and knowledge that a space will be available soon. If someone gets the space before the buyer, both buyer and seller are out of luck hence buyer does not need to pay the seller.

Currently in Beta testing, buyers are paying between $3 to $20 to find out soon to be available parking spaces. Parking Auction take a small commission on each transaction.

Parking Auction have plans to expand worldwide and partner with major car parks to offer guaranteed reserved parking spaces. 

As stated on their site, Parking Auction's mission is to "Make parking convenient" at the same time reducing traffic congestion, stress, time and money for drivers, along with reducing carbon on the environment.

We can see a similar concept been adopted to many other market segments especially the entertainment or event industry and the like, where space and seating is a premium. So what are you waiting for start molding a similar concept to your corner of the globe.

Photo courtesy of Christian S/Flicker

Free solar charging for mobiles

We are living in a digital world where we heavily depend on mobile and multimedia devices for communication and leisure. Batteries are pushed to the limits with the introduction of new devices and technologies on a daily basis, hence more energy been continually consumed. 

We have all experienced the dead battery scenario with our devices which seems to occur whenever we need our devices the most. To resolve this day to day inconvenience, a group of students calling themselves the "Strawberry Energy Team" from the University of Belgrade have possibly created the first public solar charging station for mobile phones with the "The Strawberry Tree". 

Located in the town square of Obrenovac district in Belgrade, The Strawberry Tree offers free solar mobile charging to the public.

Installed and launched late last year, the charging station supports up to 16 various types of mobile phones with a charging time of 10 to 15mins. The station also has a built-in battery to enable charging during nights and poor weather periods.

May this year, the Strawberry Energy Team was awarded the "Sustainable Energy Europe Award" for 2011, which has sparked great interest from across the globe. The Strawberry Energy Team has plans to launch The Strawberry Tree in a number of other cities in Serbia this year. 

Emphasis on sustainability, The Strawberry Tree located in busy public spaces also brings social communities together in the form of a meeting place for locals.

This innovative eco concept, opens up a huge potential for brands such as mobile carriers and device manufacturers to partner with and inturn stamp their mark on eco friendly sustainability.