October 2008

October 2008

• Twingly is the newest addition to the world of blog searching.  Unlike Technorati and its other competitors, it offers a spam-free blog search.  It only tracks blogs with proven legitimacy, rather than indexing all available blogs.
• PMc, the first magazine created to be read exclusively on the iPhone, launched last month.  Covering luxury, art, entertainment and fashion stories, the bi-monthly digital magazine is available for download at Apple's iTunes application store for $0.99 per issue.  The magazine features photography by Patrick McMullan and articles by prominent guest writers.
• Peek is the world's first device designed and dedicated to mobile e-mail only.  Featuring a large color display and full keypad, the lightweight, slim device can be used to access up to three email accounts.  The device, available online and in Target stores, is priced at $99.95, with unlimited emails for $19.95 per month.  Using Peek involves no contracts or activation fees.  
• YouTube recently launched a new feature called Hot Spots for content creators that allows members to examine exactly where in their videos viewers gain and lose interest.  To determine which points in a video are "hot," Hot Spots compares each video to other videos of similar length on YouTube.  If viewers are leaving more quickly than average at a given time, content creators know they have some editing to do.  The site also tracks rewind and fast forward data, noting which sections viewers are repeatedly watching.

• Nightclubs are catering to working professionals with earlier alternatives to a typical late night out.  With stick-to-the-schedule partiers in mind, Toronto's Gladstone Hotel recently launched a series of dance parties that take place each Wednesday night beginning at 7:30 p.m. and ending promptly at 10 p.m. - "so you can go home, watch 'Law and Order' until 11 pm and go to bed on time," as the hotel puts it.
• British publisher Penguin Books has partnered with Match.com to create a new online dating service called Penguin Dating.  According to the publisher's blog, Penguin Dating helps singles strike a connection, "based not just on superficialities like hair color and star sign, but on truly important things like what books they like."  Each dating profile features the most recent book read and a brief description of the member's opinion of it.

• Foodzie is an online marketplace dedicated to helping consumers discover and buy food from small artisan producers and growers.  Much like Etsy, the online marketplace for handmade goods, Foodzie acts as a product aggregator for gourmet and organic health foods.  The site operates on a commission-based model where producers pay the company a 20% fee for each transaction conducted through the site, allowing the product producers to keep a full 80% of what they charge.
• WSJwine is a new partnership between The Wall Street Journal and the world's leading direct-to-home wine merchant, Direct Wines.  Customers have the option to buy individual bottles, full cases or receive ongoing shipments of mixed cases to their homes or businesses.  Offerings include everyday wines, fine wines and "rare specials," available through a dedicated website, toll free number or standard mail.  WSJwine is operated independently of The Wall Street Journal's news department.

• Gap Inc.recently announced the acquisition of Athleta Inc., a women's sports and active apparel company. The 10-year-old, California-based company caters to the 25-to-55 age group and offers clothes for yoga, running, skiing, snowboarding and surfing. Athleta, which sells its merchandise primarily online and through its catalog, will eventually become the fifth brand in Gap's online portfolio, which includes its namesake brand, Old Navy, Banana Republic and online shoe retailer Piperlime.

• In a standard custom logo assignment, the average graphic designer develops a number of concepts for evaluation by the client.  Only one of those designs will be used, leaving the other concepts in the recycle bin.  IncSpring, a virtual marketplace linking graphic designers and businesses interested in corporate logos, was created in an effort to utilize "leftover" ideas and as a way to capitalize on the many hours put in by the designer. Potential buyers can evaluate market reactions to the designs they see via IncSpring's  social network, which lets users rate and provide feedback on submitted ideas.  When a purchase is made, IncSpring charges a commission of  15%, artist receives the rest and the buyer receives the design in a ready-to-use digital format.
• The Detroit airport now features the first USA Today retail stores. Most of the USA Today stores will be divided like the newspaper - the red Sports section will carry magazines about golf and baseball, for instance, while the green Money section will have books on investment and finance. The stores will also sell refreshments and branded merchandise. Sports Illustrated, CNBC, The New York Times and Fox News Channel also have a retail presence in airports, with a number of branded stores across the country.
  
  

• Next spring, US Weekly will introduce a fashion quarterly designed to give readers a guide to dressing like the celebrities who appear in the magazine's weekly pages. The new magazine marks an attempt to replicate People's success with its monthly celebrity-driven shopping guide, StyleWatch, which now sells more copies on the newsstand than more established fashion monthlies like Elle and Vogue.
• The Food Network and Hearst Magazines will launch Food Network Magazine on October 14^th, with a second issue planned for January. The publication will focus on recipes and tips, as well as its Food Network stars.
• Niche Media (Gotham, Ocean Drive, Vegas, etc.)recently expanded its coverage of urban cities to Chicago withthe launch of Michigan Avenue. The magazine will publish a holiday issue this year and move to a 10-times-a-year publishing schedule next year.