Extreme sports such as bungee-jumping from the Macau Tower may well be enough to satisfy the adrenaline needs of the majority of premium thrill-seekers. Those still wishing for more, however, have a new alternative: they can pay to be kidnapped, without warning, by French Ultime Réalité.

"Kidnapping", "Manhunt" and "Go-Fast Adventure" are all among the standard services Ultime Réalité offers, but it's open to special requests. Through the company's simulated kidnapping packages, for instance, the participant is abducted without warning—after leaving a restaurant, say, or in the supermarket parking lot. Paying "victims" are then bound, gagged and imprisoned for four or 10 hours (depending on the scenario they choose), allowing them to experience the terror of the real thing. Additional elements such as ransom, escapes and helicopter chases can also be involved. Manhunt packages, meanwhile, can last either one or two days, with the option to play the role of either hunter or prey. Then there's the Go-Fast Adventure, where participants take the role of a drug dealer smuggling cargo on the high seas. Finally, a recently added "extreme" package allows clients to wake up on an autopsy table in a morgue, surrounded by corpses and body bags. Pricing on a basic kidnap package is EUR 900.

Just a few weeks into its launch, Ultime Réalité was already getting as many as two requests per day, according to Reuters primarily from top-level executives seeking an extreme-sports alternative. Don't look now, but the premium bar just got raised again... (Related: Paparazzi for the rest of us.)

Website: www.ultimerealite.fr
Contact: contact@ultimerealite.fr

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

We've already covered a few wearable fitness devices that measure the physical activity of users throughout their day, but what separates Gruve from other monitors is the real-time feedback it supplies. The device has an indicator light that changes colour according to how much energy the wearer is burning over the course of a day, and it vibrates if the user has been inactive for too long: a polite reminder that it is time to get moving.

Developed in cooperation with Mayo Clinic, Gruve keeps track of the user’s metabolic progress against his or her pre-measured metabolism. The information collected is then synced to the Gruve Online website, giving users the ability to view their daily calorie burn and weight loss progress. Gruve is priced at USD 199.95, which includes a one-year subscription to Gruve Online.

Gruve’s targeted customer base is corporations looking to reduce their insurance premiums and employee healthcare costs by improving the health of what are often increasingly sedentary employees. It's a savvy strategy: the US Department of Health estimates that the annual obesity cost to American companies exceeds USD 120 billion. The health market should be on every entrepreneur's watchlist. Tracking and activity-based weight management products in particular are proving to be a growth market, with lots of room for regional distribution and adaptation. (Related: Wearable device tracks fitness data 24/7 — Wrist device rewards kids for exercising.)

Website: www.muve.me
Contact: joel.silverman@muve.me

Spotted by: Frank

Niche social networking sites aren't new. We've written about plenty of them, covering a diverse range of people and interests including travellers, property owners, office workers, restaurateurs, people with disabilities, baby boomers and even dogs. So, who is the newest kid on the social networking block? FaceChipz, a safe, age-appropriate online networking site for "tweens" where friendship links can only be made as the result of face-to-face exchanges in the real world.

Created by parents concerned about whom their kids were communicating with online, FaceChipz caters for tweens, who have outgrown traditional children's websites but aren't yet ready for the open social networking experience. FaceChipz has all the features of any other social network, but the one major difference is that kids can only interact with people with whom they've physically exchanged unique tokens—FaceChipz.

The way it works is: parents register their child on the site for a one-time fee of USD 1. Kids purchase packs of five collectible FaceChipz tokens from select retailers and then register each token online by entering the unique code printed on the chip. Once the FaceChipz are registered, kids hand them out to friends. A receiver goes online and they also enter the chip's code. The FaceChipz database then confirms the friendship, and the two people are linked. It remains to be seen whether FaceChipz will be able to thrive alongside existing social network giants. But there's no doubt that tokens are a clever angle, providing parents with a sense of security while potentially unleashing the viral power of a schoolyard collectible craze.

Website: www.facechipz.com
Contact: info@facechipz.com

Spotted by: Frederick Ashton

Withings is a French company that develops smart and hyperconnected objects. Their first product is a wifi body scale. Like other high-end personal scales, it not only determines someone's weight, but also estimates their body fat and lean body mass.

What sets this scale apart is that it automatically transmits that data to the web. Next time the user is online, they can access their Withings dashboard, which displays graphs of their data over time, alongside recommended healthy ranges. The dashboard can manage up to eight users and the scale can recognize which person it's weighing. Users can even opt to automatically broadcast their weight on Twitter, and an iPhone app is available for tracking information on the go.

We've already seen connected cooking aids and wifi thermostats, but this is barely the beginning. Expect a heavy load of wifi-enabled products in the coming year, including plenty that will socially communicate on behalf of their users. (Related: Wearable device tracks fitness data — To improve employee health, gadget tracks every move — Connecting online and off with RFID for the masses.)

Website: www.withings.com
Contact: www.withings.com/en/index/contact

Spotted by: Jim Stewart

There are ever more fish in the sea of online dating, but still not everyone is willing to take the plunge. Concerns over safety and privacy, as well as a lingering stigma associated with dating services, mean that plenty of potential soulmates continue to float untethered. Now, Thread aims to reel those consumers in by tapping into the trust shared among Facebook friends.

Launched in September, Thread prides itself on saving users from the long questionnaires and registration processes of other dating sites. Rather, because the free service is based on Facebook Connect, users begin by simply logging in to their Facebook account and answering a few quick questions including their gender, city and relationship status. Once connected, they can easily browse a list of their "friends of friends," or second-degree Facebook connections, sortable by gender and relationship status. If they see someone who looks promising, they can ask a mutual friend for an introduction or simply send that person a Facebook message. Alternatively, Thread lets users play matchmaker by forwarding promising profiles to their single friends. In the interests of privacy, Thread stresses that nothing users do on the site will be published to Facebook unless they specifically request it.

Now in beta, Thread is the brain child of California-based SofaLabs, which raised USD 1.2 million in startup capital through Facebook's own fbFund incubator program. The site isn't yet wearing its revenue model on its sleeve, but possibilities include charging users to find out who has viewed their profile or to send virtual gifts, according to VatorNews.

Given how many aspects of life have already benefited from the addition of social networking capabilities—from ride-sharing to real estate—there's little doubt dating should be among them. Facebook's 350 million or so users, meanwhile, make it the perfect match for such applications. Time to think about how your business can leverage the massive but globally interconnected ranks of Facebook friends...? (Related: Dating via Twitter — Online speed dating — Dating cards — DNA-driven dating — Group dating.)

Spotted by: Susan Johnston

Virtue may be its own reward, but that doesn't mean tangible prizes won't make the deal even sweeter. Just as SmartyCard uses gifts from popular vendors and family sites to reward kids for completing educational games, so Switch2Health uses much the same approach to motivate them to exercise.

New Jersey-based Switch2Health now offers the S2H REPLAY, a fun and innovative wrist-worn device aimed at tweens and teens that allows them to quantify their level of physical activity. In addition to displaying the date and time, the device also tracks and registers continuous, moderate-intensity activity, subdividing each hour into 20 three-minute segments. When users complete a full 60 minutes of physical activity over time, the device generates a reward code that can be uploaded and converted into points on the company's website. Those points are redeemable for items such as gift cards or free months of membership at sponsors including Barnes & Noble, GameStop, Best Buy, Webkinz and Club Penguin. Consumers can also set each other specific challenges and reward them for success using S2H REPLAY. No cables or software are required, nor is there any need to recharge the device's battery. Available online for USD 19.95, S2H REPLAY is water-resistant and available in three sizes. The device comes with a blue silicone band, but alternate colours are available for USD 2.99 each. A fully brandable device is also available for use in corporate promotions.

As part of a recently announced partnership with Boston Celtics captain Paul Pierce, S2H REPLAY will soon be incorporated into Pierce’s FitClub34 from Harvard Pilgrim. Other fitness organizations around the world: could be a novel way to reward and engage your own customers or members. All others: One to get involved with on the sponsorship end? (Related: Gyms for kids use gaming to keep them hooked — iPhone game gets kids into the (hidden) park.)

Website: www.s2h.com
Contact: amado@s2h.com

Spotted by: Goutham Bhadri

The ink had barely dried on our story about Blippy when one of our spotters alerted us to yet another social shopping venture, this time out of Estonia. Much like Blippy, WhosRich.me gives consumers a way to share their latest purchases and comment on those of their friends.

Now in beta, WhosRich.me is a social utility that aims to make it easy for people to track their friends' shopping habits. Users enter their purchases via a simple interface, including a photo along with the date, time and price; for updates on the go, a mobile iPhone app is also available. From there, other members can view and comment on each other's purchases. The site's search tool also lets consumers sort results by country or keyword for a look at trends of interest to them.

WhosRich.me is free for users. No word yet on its business model, but as with other such ventures, there's clearly the potential not just for advertising but also for referral fees from vendors whose products get highlighted on the site. Next, we wouldn't be surprised to see WhosRich.me add real-time capabilities like Blippy's for an invigorating shot of what our sister site calls nowism. Another one to watch!

Website: www.whosrich.me
Contact: info@whosrich.me

Spotted by: John Greene

There are almost infinite variations on the online dating theme, but one we hadn't seen until recently was a site that puts women in charge. Sure enough, that's just what Bookioo does, giving women complete control as they browse through the profiles of eligible men.

Now in beta, Spanish Bookioo does not give men any way to learn about or contact the female members of the site. Men can join for free, if they have been invited—and if a current Bookioo member can vouch for their information. They can then post a profile for the perusal of the female—and paying—members of the site. It's those paying women, however, who get to call the shots. Female members see all the details in men's profiles—including ratings and comments from other Bookioo members—and it's also up to them to initiate contact with the ones they find interesting. They can request double-dates for added security, if they wish; also available is the option of connecting with other women on the site. Female members are charged EUR 35.90 for three months or EUR 59.90 for six months to keep their profiles private; if, after a free seven-day trial, they decide not to join, they can keep using the site with a public profile.

Bookioo is currently available in Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Valencia. Time to spread female fever and bring a like-minded offering to the lonely hearts in your neck of the woods? (Related: DNA-driven dating service — Best Buy launches store for and by women — Work spaces for female entrepreneurs.)

Website: www.bookioo.com
Contact: soporte@bookioo.com

Spotted by: Leticia Pérez Prieto

Moore's law may dictate that computing performance can double about every two years, but the fact remains that most personal computers to date have been built on roughly the same, work-focused paradigm. Netbooks have begun to push things closer to the web, but now a new contender is taking that several steps further with a home computer it calls a "webbook" that was created from scratch to mimic TV.

Launched in November, Litl is a clutter-free, zero-maintenance home computer for the whole family. Focusing initially on photo sharing and the web, the Boston-based team behind Litl set out to redesign the computer from the bottom up for simplicity and ease of use. The device's operating system, for example, revolves around an intuitive, web-linked interface that eliminates menus, icons, windows and folders. Instead, it uses a system reminiscent of Apple's iPhone OS, whereby each application takes up the full screen and a simple click returns the user to the homepage. There's no hard drive to fail, and the computer takes care of all maintenance updates overnight.

Perhaps even more interesting, however, is that when it's not being used as a conventional laptop, the webbook’s 12-inch screen and keyboard flip around its patented hinge so the computer can stand upright like an easel. A 178-degree viewing “cone” allows many people to clearly view the screen at the same time, while a hinge-mounted scroll wheel for changing web “channels” and an optional remote further enhance the device's TV-like experience. For expanded viewing, Litl also offers plug-and-play connectivity to large-screen, high-definition TVs. The device currently features several proprietary channels dedicated to content from Flickr, Shutterfly, Facebook and the Weather Channel; thanks to its use of cloud-based storage, meanwhile, sharing with other Litl users is easy. The “always on” Litl computer is available online for USD 699 with a free, two-year unconditional satisfaction guarantee.

Judging by the success netbooks have already achieved, there's clearly something to the idea of focusing home computers on the web—many, in fact, predict that will be the future of personal computing. Litl says it will soon provide the technical details necessary for independent developers and potential partners to create custom channels of their own, so for app-minded entrepreneurs, this could be one to get in on early. For all others, it's definitely one to watch! (Related: Spillproof cooking coach: a touchpad made for kitchens.)

Website: www.litl.com
Contact: inquiries@litl.com

Spotted by: Ruben Vermeersch