By: Co-Editor, RB:
For those who are 2.0 renaissance men or women, there is a new product that might interest you.
MyVoxtopia.com offers Voxtopia. Voxtopia provides smart, virtual phone numbers in over 40 countries that allows users to forward calls anywhere in the world for pennies, screen and block unwanted callers, make cheap international phone calls, make conference calls, get faxes and voicemails sent to email and much more.
Voxtopia is a product of WorldTalk Incorporated, a privately owned, global Internet Telecommunications provider specializing in next generation voice, video and mobile technologies. WorldTalk provides international consumers, small-to-medium sized enterprises, and Internet Telephony Service Providers (ITSPs) with cutting edge, inexpensive communications tools and services. They are located in Los Angeles, California.
Using Voxtopia, you can manage call settings, view instant call history, manage contacts and download your messages anytime online. You can sign up for free and receive one free US phone number. They provide similar features for two other killer services (google voice and ringcentral) but in a combined package, with extra goodies and available in over 40+ countries. They also give free phone numbers away. They also have plugins for other great services: Highrise, Twitter, Facebook (it allows Facebook users to call you from the web without giving away your number).
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By: Co-Editor, RB:
The startup world and the Internet are replete with sites that recommend travel sites, restaurants, bars, entertainment and the like. I have come across a site that takes the opposite tact and thus it aroused my contrarian nature.
AvoiditNYC.com bills itself as New York City’s first and only comprehensive negative review website. The site was launched in December of 2009.
As the founders state on the site review websites typically have mostly positive reviews, which cause negative reviews to be overlooked or disregarded. AvoiditNYC.com is the first comprehensive negative review website allowing users to share their bad experiences and vent their frustrations, but actually have their opinions acknowledged.
Further, the founders hope that the website will provide business owners and managers with a unique opportunity for business improvement through seeking negative consumer opinions and learning about their wrongdoings.
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By: Co-Editor, RB:
For hip city dwellers, getting into clubs and knowing about the latest cool and trendy hot spots takes a lot of time even for an in-the-know socialite. In fact here in New York, the New York Post ran an article about how selective the hottest clubs in New York City can be. They sent six stereotypical uncool people to the clubs to see who would get in.
Apparently hipsters in Mumbai, India have the same concerns. At least that is what the new website TheHangout.in hopes.
Launched in Mumbai this past March, TheHangout.in is a local hangout search engine that lets you search for cool hangout places in your city.
The founders say that the site was born out of the sheer frustration and inability to find out about all the so-called cool hangout zones and those legendary thelawalas (Street Food Stalls) in and around Mumbai.
The founders, Mayur and Lokesh Motwani, founders of Styx Infogateway LLP in India, decided to take it upon themselves to spoon feed the Indian urban yuppies on their favorite hangouts.
TheHangout.in purports to be different from search engines in a way that it gives local information like the address and contact numbers of places to hangout in an area. It saves its users the pain of putting all the types of keywords one could think of and still not finding that perfect category of places to hangout. The site enables users to search the type of hangout they want to search by simply clicking a button.
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By: Co-Editor, RB:
As Thomas Friedman discussed in his best selling book-The World Is Flat technology has given the world great opportunities for individual empowerment. Similarly, GreatStartups.com has no geographical boundaries when it comes to looking at companies operating on the Internet.
In that regard, we have come across a new site based in Turin, Italy called HiNii.com.
Currently in beta, HiNii is a web service that helps people to discover new things to do in leisure time.
HiNii means “Hello Nii”. Nii is the little green men who are connoisseurs of travel, art, entertainment, restaurants and especially leisure time. Therefore Nii is the advisor/search engine that proposes you the itineraries, locals and places where you can spend your free time. In reality HiNii.com is more of a project at this point than a business.
HiNii proposes a list of activities like restaurants, museums, beaches and more, depending on the type of day you want to spend. These items are subdivided based on city, and activity or category.
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By: Co-Editor, RB:
The first cash register was invented by James Ritty following the American Civil War. He was the owner of a saloon in Dayton, Ohio and wanted to stop employees from pilfering his profits. He invented the cash register in 1879 after seeing a tool that counted the revolutions of the propeller on a steamship. It was patented in 1883.
The first registers were entirely mechanical, without receipts. The employee was required to ring up every transaction on the register, and when the total key was pushed, the drawer opened and a bell would ring, alerting the manager to a sale taking place. Those original machines were nothing but simple adding machines.
Today cash registers are basically PCs with software designed to do myriad tasks. A new website is looking to compete with the big boys in offering affordable software to lower point of sale costs.
Chicago based CashierLive.com offers easy to use web-based point of sale software. Cashier Live has positioned himself as a disruptive competitor to Microsoft’s and Intuit’s point of sale offerings. Cashier Live utilizes web-based software to lower the costs of point of sale software. Others in the traditional point of sale business charge $1,000 plus in upfront costs, while Cashier Live has no upfront costs at all. They have signed up over 650 stores since launching in early February, 2010.
In addition to software, CashierLive sells point of sale hardware or a complete point of sale package.
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By: Co-Editor, Bobby B:
As my readers know, this space does not focus solely (or even primarily) on gadgets or the latest technology craze. We focus on startups and issues affecting startups and small business. However, I was recently tipped of to the latest offering from Skullcandy.com. The company that recently launched new earbuds, and based on the fervor in which people espouse the “coolness” of Skullcandy’s other products, this interested me.
As an iPhone user and a user of many things Apple, I am consistently intrigued with how other users defend and protect their mode of headphone (be it earpuds, noise cancellers, etc.). Moreover, the type of headphone (or earbud) one uses can apparently say something about one’s style. Skullcandy has been wildly successful reaching that market.
Skullcandy is a privately held company based in Park City, Utah. Skullcandy designs headphones, mp3 player watches, audio accessories and other audio-enabled lifestyle products, such as backpacks with built-in speakers and iPod controls. Skullcandy also collaborates with select brands to integrate its audio technology into products from snow helmets to outerwear, apparel, packs and bags. Skullcandy gear is sold worldwide through top retailers, specialty outlets.
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By: Co-Editor, Bobby B:
In the old days, in-depth market research typically required retaining a market research fund and spending gobs of dollars to get the information you needed.
AskYourTargetMarket.com is a New Jersey based startup (currently in beta) that allows you to create your own market research surveys in minutes using simple self-service tools. Launched in September of 2009, you can send those surveys with one click to your target market without a contract or even a phone call. You select the precise demographic segment of the AskYourTargetMarket.com consumer panels whose opinions you seek. Best of all, it’s inexpensive with surveys starting at $29.95 – a price that the company estimates is 95% less than the going rate charged by market research firms and competing online survey software companies.
Several years ago, David Handel and Lev Mazin set out to break down the cost barrier that has kept target market research inaccessible to the vast majority of small businesses, entrepreneurs, and students.
The project proved to be a huge success. Online influencers began embracing the model as an inroad to an industry that has been ruled by corporate tycoons and expensive market research firms for decades.
By: Co-Editor, Bobby B:
MerchantCircle.com recently announced that it had signed the one-millionth local merchant to its social network and publishing platform. In case you don’t know, MerchantCircle.com is the largest social network of local business owners.
Out of the estimated 15 million local merchants in the U.S. today, more than one million have claimed their listings and have accessed MerchantCircle’s suite of free and premium tools to reach local consumers online since its launch in 2006. More than 20 million local consumers discover small businesses in their area via MerchantCircle.com every month. The merchants on the MerchantCircle network upload pictures, blog, create coupons and newsletters, and connect with other merchants.
The company is located on Main St. in downtown Los Altos, Calif., and is funded by Rustic Canyon Partners, Scale Venture Partners, Disney’s Steamboat Ventures, and IAC.
By: Co-Editor, Bobby B:
Searching the Internet can sometimes be a real pain. Imprecise search engines and incessant registering can be a real hassle. We know there are other options than just google.com that exist.
NeedCube.com, a Budapest based start-up that was launched on October 30, 2009 seeks to revolutionize the way people find information on the web.
NeedCube is a unified place where people can submit their needs, no matter what the category of the need is. They only have to answer 5 questions: what, when, where, how many, for how much. NeedCube’s search engine will do its job by indexing and tagging all the relevant keywords to make it easy to search amongst the needs. For the sellers it can be a targeted place to see who needs their stuff.
There are obviously thousands of sites, where you can advertise your needs about a new car, new job, house, finding a date, etc. However, in order to fulfill all your so-called Internet needs, you would have to register at each of these sites, keep your data up to date. You must do this over and over again. In order to fully use the Internet to fulfill needs, we all spend many many hours looking around and registering for various sites.
NeedCube makes the Internet customized for your needs. It means you can create an online identity with all your dreams, needs, desires, wishes and requests, and people will come and fulfill your needs. The management of NeedCube believes that they can provide a very different experience than currently exists on the web. NeedCube believes that once people grasp the concept they will use NeedCube to surf the web for everything they need.
By: Co-Editor, Bobby B:
NewTek, the manufacturer of industry-leading video and 3D animation products, redefines HD portable production and takes its show on the road to New York City (November 17) in a customized MINI Cooper outfitted with a miniature HD studio-on-wheels that underscores how the company’s latest products and technologies are shattering the barriers to HD live production and delivery. The tour started on October 27, 2009.
The MINI Cooper was chosen as it illustrates the small footprint of NewTek’s powerful network-quality products. It is powered by NewTek TriCaster XD300 portable live production and 3PLAY multi-channel HD/SD slow-motion replay systems, and features a multi-camera switcher, live virtual sets, titling station, audio mixer, three-camera ISO recorder, video editing, 3D motion graphics and more.
Sign up to attend an event at to see NewTek’s first full demonstration of TriCaster XD300 with all of its live production capabilities implemented, including live switching, live full HD streaming, live virtual sets, multiple effects layers and much more. NewTek will also feature 3PLAY, a portable multi-channel HD/SD slow motion replay system. Each event showcased Canon’s XH G1S high-definition camcorders. Event guests also had and have the opportunity to participate in question and answer sessions with NewTek training and production experts. In addition, the MINI Cooper HD live production vehicle, the first of its kind to include HD broadcast and streaming, will be on display at each location.
Your can see the groundbreaking presentation and car when they are in New York City:
Tue, Nov 17, 2009 – 2:00PM
Manhattan Center
The Grand Ballroom
311 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10001
NewTek enthusiasts will be kept up to date on daily events, special presentations, and crew antics via streaming video, pictures and blogs on the tour Web site , Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Digg.
