Timing is everything, as a wise Greek poet once said, and in few areas is that more true than pop-up retail. Case in point: Recognizing that many consumers are particularly focused on fitness at the start of a new year, Gap has transformed its rotating New York City concept store into a workout haven for a month.

Through a partnership with fitness chain Crunch, Gap's temporary Fitness Lab at 680 5th Ave. now features workout attire from its new GapBody Sport collection along with demonstrations by Crunch personal trainers, discounts and opportunities to win free stuff. Shoppers at the store, which will remain open through Feb. 7, can win free Crunch guest passes, for example; in addition, each day one lucky winner is chosen to receive a free, year-long, all-access Crunch membership. Existing Crunch members, meanwhile, can enter to win a USD 500 Gap gift card, Racked reported.

Far from fading away, the longstanding pop-up retail concept seems to just be getting stronger—both for major brands and for minipreneurs—and timely tie-ins stand to make its impact even greater. An example worth emulating for pop-ups the world over! (Related: Appealing to gravanity of smokers who plan to quit — A public incentive to stick to one's goals — Fitness class by Reebok and Cirque du Soleil.)

Website: www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=250293389784
Contact: www.gapinc.com/public/About/abt_contact.shtml

Spotted by: Racked via Judy McRae

Transparency tyranny has already forced countless industries to be more honest, as we've been documenting for several years. The latest to succumb? Ski resorts, which were shown by a recent Dartmouth study to exaggerate their snow conditions on weekends by as much as 23 percent in the hopes of attracting more skiers. Thanks to a free iPhone application, however, skiers need rely on the resorts' own reports no more; instead, they have access to real-time reports from their peers.

Available both as an iPhone app and as a Google Gadget, Ski Report lets skiers view and publish first-hand ski reports and photos right from the slopes. They can track their favourite trails at a glance, as well as locating nearby ski areas via GPS coordinates. Powder points highlight areas with the most snowfall, while live ski area cams and weather forecasts for ski areas are also available. The iPhone app and Google Gadget cover ski areas within the U.S. and Canada, while the SkiReport.com website includes 700 areas worldwide.

It should be noted that there are also related apps out there from brands such as REI, whose interest in the community is certainly understandable. Seems to us, though, that the ones who really ought to be sponsoring this kind of thing are the ski resorts themselves. The Dartmouth study found that resorts exaggerated considerably less after the Ski Report app came out, and that the improvement was most evident at resorts with good iPhone reception. Had that improvement been at the resorts' own initiative, they could have been the ones to lead the innovation rather than being forced to follow along behind. Dispense with the deception, embrace openness and community instead, and make the transparency triumph your own! ;-) (Related: Mobile apps hit the slopes — Ski lift tickets at a discount.)

Website: www.skireport.com/iphone/
Contact: contact@skireport.com

Spotted by: Rick Noyes

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

Consumers can already monitor their sleep patterns using wearable devices like Fitbit and DirectLife or web-based services like TheCarrot.com. Whereas such tools include sleep among a raft of other trackable health data, however, Zeo focuses squarely on sleep with an eye toward helping users improve the quality of their rest.

Five years in development, the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach system comprises a lightweight wireless headband, a bedside display, a set of analytical online tools and an email-based personalized coaching program. Each night users wear the soft, fabric headband, which accurately and safely measures sleep patterns through the electrical signals naturally produced by the brain. That data is transmitted wirelessly to a bedside receiver, which displays the user's “ZQ”—or personal sleep score—when they wake up. A graph shows their light, deep and REM sleep, while comparisons with past data—the unit can store two weeks' worth—can reveal trends and patterns. Perhaps most compelling of all for those who have trouble waking up is Zeo's SmartWake alarm, which uses the customer's sleep patterns to identify a natural awakening point within half an hour of any specified time. The result, Zeo says, is an easier time getting up.

For an analysis of long-term sleep trends, all data recorded by the Zeo system can be transferred from the bedside unit onto an SD memory card and uploaded to the myZeo Personal Coaching website, where users can tap online tools to discover correlations between their lifestyle and sleeping patterns. The final element of the Zeo package is the 7 Step Sleep Fitness Program, a personalized sleep coaching program that asks users to set goals for their sleep and then provides customized strategies to help achieve them. The Zeo system is currently priced at USD 249 plus USD 7.95 per month for guided coaching, or USD 349 with unlimited coaching for life.

Currently, Massachusetts-based Zeo ships only within the United States and Puerto Rico; one to partner with in your neck of the sleep-deprived woods...?

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

Does exercise have to mean jogging, sweat and tears? Not according to Philips, whose DirectLife personal fitness programme aims to help people adopt a more active lifestyle by monitoring and motivating them in their daily activities. Like Fitbit which we covered in October, DirectLife is based around a wearable device that uses a 3D digital accelerometer to track a person's movements. The data is uploaded via USB to a personal web-page, where it's matched against daily targets, long-term goals, and (optionally) other users.

Where DirectLife differs from Fitbit is in the provision of a personal coach, on a subscription basis. Interacting with users through the online portal, personal coaches are real people with expertise in sports science, personal training and behavioural psychology, who use their knowledge to provide users with feedback, encouragement and advice on small lifestyle changes. DirectLife is available for USD 99 plus shipping, including the Activity Monitor and first four months of membership—thereafter, membership costs USD 12.50 per month.

The other big difference is that Philips is mainly targeting employers, claiming the system reduce absenteeism and health costs, while improving employee morale and productivity. Having companies track an employee's every move, obviously isn't free of ethical and privacy concerns. On the other hand, the societal need is also clear: according to the World Health Organization, more than 60 percent of the global population fail to reach the minimum levels of moderate daily physical activity to deliver health benefits. That's a big market to move into. (Related: Fitness focused cell phone.)

Website: www.directlife.philips.com
Contact: www.directlife.philips.com/contact/