We’ve already seen one mobile app that rewards kids for keeping parents updated as to their whereabouts and well-being, but Evado Filip takes a different approach. Earlier this year the London-based company launched VIVOplay, a wearable mobile communications and location device designed to help families stay connected.

Watch-sized VIVOplay uses a combination of GPS, WiFi and GSM technologies to let parents and kids easily get in touch with each other whenever they need to. Featuring location and date/time/alarm features built-in, the water-resistant device lets parents send short messages to their child, such as ‘“dinner is ready’.” With the VIVOplay’s calling functionality, meanwhile, parents can designate five predefined numbers via the parental mobile app that accompanies the device, thereby limiting the numbers their child can call. Parents can also create “safe zones” and get notified when their child strays outside them; baby monitor functionality is available as well. Last but not least, an emergency button gives parents a way to instantaneously broadcast their child’s location to all five pre-programmed numbers, and to record all sounds around the device.

Evado Filip explains: “”VIVOplay delivers all the benefits and independence of a cell phone and minimizes the concerns that keep parents from buying mobile phones for children aged 5-12. VIVOplay is flexible enough to be worn as a wristwatch or fit into custom accessories to meet changing tastes and keep it from getting misplaced.”” The video below explains the premise in more detail:

Evado Filip is gearing up to launch VIVOplay early this summer; no word on pricing so far. Eventually, however, the company sees a broader range of applications for the device, such as keeping the elderly safe as well. Safety-minded entrepreneurs: One to get involved in?

Website: www.evadofilip.com
Contact: contact@evadofilip.com

Spotted by: Alexia M

Internet marketplaces have made it possible for sellsumers to turn their unused objects into extra cash, but the process of getting those items online, ensuring they sell and packaging them can be a laborious process. That’s where Sold. comes in, with a mobile app that aims to do all of the work for them.

Focusing on mid-to-high value goods – such as electronics, fashion and luxury items – Sold. users take an image of the object they want to sell. Using “smart pricing analytics”, the startup attaches a price tag and finds a buyer. Once a sale has been agreed, sellers are sent a Sold. box, which comes “pre-paid, pre-labeled, pre-insured, tracked, and filled with bubble wrap”. They can then leave it at a designated drop-off spot, or arrange to have it picked up by the Sold. team. The app is availale for free on the App Store. The video below explains the premise in more detail:

Sold. estimates that there’s more than USD 30 billion is currently “sitting in the growing closets and drawers nationwide, and it hopes to help get those assets back into the economy. Currently serving only US customers, is this one emulate in your neck of the woods?

Website: www.usesold.com
Contact: hello@usesold.com

Spotted by: Donna Whalley

We’ve already seen the GothamBox subscription service give New York and San Francisco residents the chance to try each other’s local cuisine through monthly parcels. But what about those wanting to sample culture from further afield? Try The World is offering boxes of products sourced from a different corner of the world each month.

Founders Kat and David are both avid travelers and have a personal connection to Paris, so to launch the service Try The World’s first package contains gourmet items picked from the shelves of boutique suppliers around France. It includes tea from Le Palais des Thés, artisanal salt from Brittany called ‘sel de Guerande’ and natural jams by Alain Milliat – products that are all hard to find in the US. While the first box focuses on the cuisine of the country, future editions will contain an assortment of products to give subscribers a greater feel for the culture. Enabling anyone to get a taste of a new country without leaving their home, each box is priced at USD 49.50.

Try The World is currently trialling its first offering and hasn’t yet set up its subscription process, but customers will be able to set up regular delivery of boxes in the near future. Are there other ways to make the subscription model more global?

Website: www.trytheworld.com
Contact: www.trytheworld.com/pages/contact

Spotted by: Jessica Benjamin

Location information can enrich and transform the capabilities of a wide variety of mobile apps, and we’ve seen those focusing on transportation, beer and news benefit in the past. Our latest spotting is JobProx, a smartphone app that connects recruiters and employers with job seekers when they happen to be in the same vicinity.

Using JobProx’s proximity feature, job seekers and recruiters or hiring managers are alerted when they’re nearby. Users can then request a meetup; recipients of such requests, meanwhile, can select one of three options: meet now, set up a future meeting or politely decline. “You could be ordering coffee at your local coffee shop, picking up your weekly groceries or going about your daily life,” explains the JobProx team. “When an employer sees that you are within their set proximity and have the qualifications they’re looking for on JobProx, you could be on the path to receiving your next job.” The video below explains the premise in more detail:

Launched earlier this month, North Carolina-based JobProx is now in the midst of an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, which so far has met with only limited success. Mobile- and HR-minded entrepreneurs: one to get involved in?

Website: www.jobprox.com
Contact: www.jobprox.com/contact.html

We recently wrote about Homesnap – an augmented reality app that enables locals to bring up real estate data about any home in the neighborhood. Now BlockAvenue is bringing more data to the hyper-local level, offering detailed statistics about specific blocks in the US.

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the company aggregates information about general areas such as crime, demographics and amenities and combines this with geodata – such as distance to transport facilities for a given point – user reviews and third-party data about specific locations. Those looking to move into a neighborhood – or residents already living there – can then use the app to find out more about the area, right down to the individual block. Users can see detailed information on shops, schools, hospitals and entertainment venues – from how many there are to how good they are – as well crime, business and governmental statistics. Each area is given a score between A and F to give searchers a quick indication of what it’s like to live in that location. Existing residents can also use the app to connect with locals and get notifications on news for their block.

BlockAvenue is part of an increasing trend to grant people access to as much data as possible about their environment and themselves to help improve their quality of life. Although developed with citizens in mind, could governments harness this kind of technology to discover the communities most in need of their help?

Website: www.blockavenue.com
Contact: www.blockavenue.com/contact

We’ve already seen Amabam use the subscription model to help adults pursue a new hobby with monthly learning boxes, so surely the same could be done for kids? genius.box has answered that question, with the aim to get children completing projects related to STEM subjects on a regular basis.

Aimed at children aged eight to 12, the boxes will be themed by each of the four STEM areas – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. According to reports, the startup has already demonstrated two of the boxes, featuring a ‘kitchen chemistry’ set that gets kids growing crystals and an electronics kit that teaches them how to build an electromagnet to power an LED. The concept has already won second place at the Husky Startup Challenge and once launched, the monthly boxes are set to be sold at around USD 20 each.

genius.box hopes to use regular deliveries to keep kids engaged with subjects that are currently experiencing a lack of students wanting to pursue a career in those industries. Is there an end to the possible applications of the subscription model?

Website: www.geniusbox.launchrock.com
Contact: www.twitter.com/geniusbox4kids

Spotted by: Murray Orange

We’ve already seen CrowdSend tap the crowds to help consumers identify unlabelled products in online images. Improving on this concept, myStorey is a new platform that enables users to create curated digital pinboards, with photo-tagging capabilities to let friends know where they bought the items.

The idea behind the site is that people can tell their stories through the things they own. Aimed at sharing between close friends and relatives, myStorey provides a pinboard for users to upload images of products, which they can tag with rich information – from the people in the photo and the location it was taken, to what clothes they’re wearing and where they got them from. The tags act as a kind of passive referral system for brands and outlets, while users benefit through recommendations from people they trust. Users can perform price comparisons on the site and also receive notifications when something they’ve interacted with has gone on sale. Tags are made discrete by only showing up when an image is hovered over, meaning users can enjoy it more as a social tool than a place to be advertised to.

myStorey goes some way to better integrate social sharing with digital identification and online shopping, with big aims to compete with established sites such as Pinterest, The Fancy and Stipple. One to keep an eye on for the future?

Website: www.mystorey.com
Contact: www.twitter.com/mystoreyllc

Spotted by: Murray Orange

Music lovers are now well versed in buying albums and singles off the web, whether through downloading or online stores. But what about live events? In the past startups such as eMusic Live have enabled fans to buy video of the show they just saw at on-site kiosks, but EVNTLIVE is an online concert venue that lets users watch a customizable live feed of shows with friends.

While many consumers may have good intentions about attending live shows, their time and location-sensitive means that it’s not always possible – and tickets to see popular artists can either be too expensive or sell out before they get the chance. Those logging onto EVNTLIVE can browse the shows that are coming up – in the past it has broadcast concerts by bands such as Gogol Bordello, Flogging Molly and Bon Jovi – and buy a ticket. Shows run on a pay-per-view basis, typically costing around USD 3 or 4 to watch. Users are notified when their concert is about to begin and can see if any of their Facebook friends have also bought a ticket. During the broadcast, fans have control over the camera angle to personalize their experience. After the show is over, the video is free to watch.

EVNTLIVE offers a way for consumers to see sold out shows as they happen, while also opening up an extra avenue for income for bands and event organizers. Are there other ways live events can be brought into the digital world?

Website: www.evntliveinc.com
Contact: inquiries@evntlive.com

While platforms such as Blippy have provided a way for consumers to share their every purchase, they can still remain in the dark about how their money is being spent by the businesses they use, especially when it comes to hired professionals whose costs can grow as the job goes on. Viewabill enables clients to monitor their contractors’ work hours and expenditure in real time, helping them to keep bills under control.

Initially designed for those dealing with attorneys and accountants, Viewabill works with professionals’ existing time sheet and invoicing software, providing clients with 24/7 access to the activities they’re getting billed for. Rather than waiting until the end of the billing cycle to discover the cost for a job is much higher than expected, or that a problem made the project go over budget, Viewabill enables clients to use mobile or tablet devices to see exactly how their contractor is spending their time and money. Any important matters can be settled at the time – instead of weeks or even months afterwards – meaning that issues aren’t all raised in one go and clients are more likely to get paid on time. Companies and contractors can also become ‘Viewabill-certified’, illustrating their trustworthiness and potentially boosting sales. The video below explains more about the service:

The transparency that Viewabill offers aims to create a greater relationship between professionals and their clients, avoid unexpectedly high bills and help both parties save time and money. Are there other industries where open models such as this could be profitable for businesses and their customers?

Website: www.viewabill.com
Contact: www.viewabill.com/pages/support

Spotted by: Murtaza Patel

The success of any loyalty program depends largely upon the ease with which rewards can be earned. That’s no doubt why Kroger chose to tailor discounts based on customers’ existing shopping habits, for example, and why French fast food chain Bert’s chose to let patrons use their public transport cards. The latest example? Perk, a browser that rewards users simply for surfing the Web.

Now available for Mac OS X 10.6 and later, Perk “rewards you for doing what you already do online,” explains Jutera Labs, its Texas-based maker. Users can download and use the free, Chromium-based browser to earn points when they shop, search and share their findings with their friends. Currently, participating brands include Ace Hardware, Dockers, Walgreens and Nordstrom. The points users earn browsing can then be easily converted into gift cards, airline miles, donations to nonprofits, and more. The video below explains the premise in more detail:

It’s no secret that today’s consumers expect to be rewarded for the effort they expend. How can your brand turn that inclination into a winning business proposition?

Website: www.perk.com
Contact: www.support.perk.com

Spotted by: Katherine Noyes