This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here . The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. Name: Quirky Quick Pitch: Quirky is a social product development company founded in June 2009 by 23-year-old entrepreneur Ben Kaufman. Genius Idea: At its core, Quirky builds consumer products. It sells cable organizers , a modular spatula system , and double-sided USB sticks . It’s how they create and develop their products that really makes them stand out, though. Quirky describes itself as a “social product development company.” It essentially crowdsources product ideas and then places them at the mercy of Quirky’s thousands of users. The community votes on which ones they want to develop and then adds its input on things such as product aesthetics, design, logo, and even its name. The best ideas are then taken by Quirky’s team of engineers and designers and turned into 3D renderings. The next step is the most important one: the product is then placed on pre-sale, where anyone can buy the product. However, Quirky will only sell something if it hits a minimum number of sale commitments (usually under a thousand). Once that number is reached, the product is made and person who submitted the original idea gets a piece of the revenue pie. There are a few things to know before you go off designing tons of products for Quirky. First, it costs $99 to submit an idea. Second, even if your product is selected by the community, it doesn’t mean it will become a major hit. Finally, many products on Quirky still have yet to hit their minimum purchase requirement, and some of the products on sale on the site aren’t cheap. In the end though, we believe that Quirky is a killer tool for both entrepreneurs without the means to bring an idea into production and for geeks looking to buy useful — if not odd — products. The best ideas find their way to the top and are vetted by the community, which brings multiple perspectives and opinions to a product’s development. Quirky was founded by Ben Kaufman, who is the creator of Mophie , the popular iPhone and iPod accessory company, so it has some serious brainpower behind the company. You can learn more about the Quirky process here . Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today . Entrepreneurs can take advantage of the Azure Services platform for their website hosting and storage needs. Microsoft recently announced the “new CloudApp()” contest – use the Azure Services Platform for hosting your .NET or PHP app, and you could be the lucky winner of a USD 5000* ( please see website for official rules and guidelines ).” For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook , PHP , Twitter Tags: bizspark , Crowdsource , Product Design , Quirky , shopping
AT&T is rolling out a stopgap solution to its ongoing service woes in at least one major market: they hope to alleviate data congestion issues by blanketing New York City’s Times Square with free Wi-Fi. Any current AT&T customers with 3G smartphones or mobile broadband cards, or who have AT&T as their high speed Internet provider, will be able to hop on to what is essentially a giant hotspot being installed in the north central area of Times Square. Smartphone users should even automatically be switched over from 3G service and connected to the hotspot when they come within acceptable range. For now it’s just a pilot project, but if all goes well the company has said it will be considering free Wi-Fi implementations in other congested major markets in the U.S. It’s an interesting solution that shows the carrier is more than well aware of the service issues faced by customers in crowded locations, but it does leave other parts of the city (and country) out of luck for now. What do you think of the idea of alleviating cell bandwidth woes by providing free Wi-Fi? And would it be enough to prevent mass exodus if AT&T were to lose iPhone exclusivity? [via Boy Genius Report ] Image courtesy of iStockphoto , SVLumagraphica For more mobile coverage, follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Tags: 3g , att , iphone , new york , NYC , smartphones , times square , wi-fi
According to new data from consumer electronics company Retrevo, iPads might be putting a significant dent in netbook sales. Tablets in general are newer, sexier and sleeker than netbooks, their hardworking if relatively old-school counterparts. When iPads were announced, many consumers put off their netbook purchase plans in order to try out and consider buying an iPad instead. And for folks currently considering a smaller, portable computer, an overwhelming majority are leaning more toward iPads. That being said, laptops are also holding a steady lead in the portable computer market. In the past year and the current year, 65% of consumers who had to choose between a netbook and a laptop went for the latter in the end. If you had to choose between a laptop, a netbook and an iPad, which way would you lean, and why? Do you think netbook sales will suffer further when non-Apple tablets are released? For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Tags: apple , ipad , netbook , sales
Droid Incredible which I am currently writing review (soon to be released) is hard to order or get anywhere! After all, you are talking about powerful phone that beats Droid, Nexus One and any other… [{To Read More, Click On The Link Above]]
Last night, the news broke that mega-retailer Walmart would be offering a 16GB Apple iPhone 3GS for the bargain basement price of $97.00. The news quickly spread like wild fire. Why? The same model… [{To Read More, Click On The Link Above]]
The Dell Streak , a miniature tablet computer that runs a version of the Google Android smartphone operating system, launches in the UK early next month, followed by releases in the U.S. and the rest of the Europe later in the summer. Apple broke the dam by launching the iPad , so now we’re seeing lots of competing tablets show up. We’ve known that a Dell tablet has been coming for some months now. These devices should be easier to use on the go in your busy lifestyle than laptops with keyboards — in theory, anyway. The Streak will run Android 2.2 later this year, and with that upgrade will come Adobe Flash 10.2 support . Features and Specs The device has a 5-inch screen with 800 x 480 pixel resolution, and Dell has modified Android to take advantage of the additional screen space. For example, the notifications tray displays types of notifications that don’t show up on most Android smartphones. The Streak can be used to surf the web, run Android apps, play music and videos and make phone calls, though it’s quite a bit larger than most phones. You don’t have to hold it up to your ear, though; you can use a 3.5mm jack or Bluetooth to connect a headset. Other features include multi-touch (pinch-to-zoom is supported), GPS, 3G, Wi-Fi, a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, a 5-megapixel camera and a VGA front-facing camera for video chat functionality “down the road.” Up to 32 GB of storage is supported. Demonstration Video Here’s a video demonstration straight from Dell. Unfortunately, it doesn’t radiate either hipness or accessibility. Dell will have to roll out some better marketing in the future if it wants this device to find mainstream success. Images For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Tags: android , dell , dell streak , Tablet
Dell Streak release date in US is not announced yet, but Dell today announced that Streak is coming to UK in June and later this summer in US! Dell Streak previously known as Mini 5 will run on… [{To Read More, Click On The Link Above]]
Wal-Mart starting today will cut 16GB iPhone 3GS price to $97 with 2 year contract and AT&T as carrier, with no mail-in rebate discount as they usually do the business. Due to Apple reveling the… [{To Read More, Click On The Link Above]]
Google’s PowerMeter will now be available to consumers on real-time energy monitoring devices form Current Cost, the largest global supplier of such displays. Google’s PowerMeter helps you monitor how much electricity you use to help you save money and conserve energy at the same time. The company has been actively searching for device manufacturers for some time; Current Costs uses the PowerMeter API Google released in March to make their devices compatible with Google’s service. The ENVI, pictured above, can monitor individual appliances as well as total energy consumption. It currently monitors only electricity, with gas and other forms of energy monitoring in development. Its LCD screen displays an environment’s energy consumption over a rolling 24-hour period as a bar graph. The ENVI can also calculate to the penny how much your energy use is costing you. When connected to a computer, the monitor can stream up to seven years of historical data. With its PowerMeter integration, the data is viewable from any Internet-connected device. With Google’s expansion into the areas of energy production and consumption and their investments in green and clean energy , the company is building on its original mission to organize the world’s information to improve what we know about our own energy consumption. What do you think about Google’s efforts in the green energy space? For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Tags: energy , Google , green , powermeter
Maker Faire is the stuff of legends: Robots, rocket ships, pyrotechnics, dragons, vehicles for land and sea, and ever so much more. Even if your interests aren’t roughly aligned with those of a four-year-old boy, Maker Faire is still pretty cool. This celebration of all things DIY has something for everyone, from steampunks to crafters to techies to parents. The sheer diversity of both the crowd and the projects presented is something to see. Maker Faire is a product of MAKE Magazine, a quarterly publication about DIY and DIWO (Do It With Others) projects in the fields of computer science, robotics, metal- and woodworking, crafting, and the arts.This year marks the event’s fourth anniversary. If you’ve never been to a Maker Faire and always wondered what these events entail, take a look at this video to get an idea of the quirky, fascinating world that lies within this festival. The Bay Area Maker Faire ends today, but it’ll be back next year. Faires in Detroit and New York are coming later this summer. Previous Maker Faires have been held in Rhode Island, Austin, TX, and the United Kingdom. [music credit: Kevin McLeod ] For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook , Twitter Tags: maker faire , raygun gothic , robots
