Free mobile internet for everyone!

I doubt if some of you still don’t know the company Mobile Vikings. This young company came up last year providing cheap mobile internet for smartphones and tablet PC’s in Belgium. So far, more than 90 000 users have been convinced by the new operator. Since innovativeness and entrepreneurship have always been the key driver in their business, Mobile Vikings recently launched an experiment in which customers can earn free mobile internet service by participating in offers from local businesses. The system, called “Viking Spots” has set up a network of local businesses or “spots” that can be accessed virtually  through a smartphone app. When mobile users interact with these spots, for example whey they check-in, buy something and write a recommendation, they earn free Viking Points, which can be exchanged for credit on their Mobile Vikings account. Currently, the system is only open to a limited set of users around Hasselt, where the headquarters of Mobile Vikings are located. However, a broader roll-out in other cities can be expected soon. In fact, the Viking Spots platform could be compared to the existing Foursquare-app for smartphones. Yet, the difference with the new app is that you can get rewarded for your check-ins and purchases at local businesses. As a result, powering mobile users through local business offers means benefits for both parties. An idea to watch and learn from!

Thomas Catteeuw

Your wish is Siri’s command

As we all know, Apple is the king of innovation. According to the website businessrevieweurope.eu, the company has maintained its crown for yet another year with the launch of its Siri voice recognition technology. Siri lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls and much more. She’s nothing like other speech recognition software. In fact, you can just talk the way you talk normally. Siri will understand you, unless you have a terrible English accent of course. And the cool thing is, she talks back! She answers your questions and asks you questions herself if she needs more information to complete a task. Sometimes, she even says funny things. On YouTube, you can find a lot of videos of people who are having a go with Siri. Moreover, there are websites that are entirely devoted to her funny comments. One of them is http://shitisaytosiri.tumblr.com. Have a look yourself!

Annelien

007 gadget for midgets

I think I’ve just come across the tiniest device I’ve ever seen. Isn’t it this digital camera insanely small? I think it’s even safe to say that it’s the world’s smallest digital camera! As you can see on the image below, it even fits on the tip of a finger. Despite its size, it can actually take photos as well as record videos and it supports up to 32GB microSD cards. Via USB, you can send everything to your computer, which is also the way to charge its battery. Although this tiny camera is very cute, I’m not exactly sure what you can use it for. The company suggests that you might use it for personal espionage activities. So hereby, I strongly recommend this innovation to anyone who feels –for whatever reason- the need to spy on someone. I assure you that the chances of being caught are extremely low!

Annelien

Wake up with the Drop Clock!

As I was reading a business proposal on the Dreamtime Alarm Clock (by Charlotte Verbeke, Karen Van Overbeke and Lore Ott), I found myself thinking I really liked their idea. But personally, as a person whose mornings are strictly orchestrated by the minute, I don’t think this clock is precise enough for me. Additionally, I’m not too keen on the design and the construction simply looks too complicated to me.

Frolicking through the internet, I came across a similar alarm clock with a less complicated design: the Bedol Drop Water Clock. Just like the Dreamtime Alarm Clock, this device is powered by water albeit with a less complicated construction. To power up the clock, you simply unscrew the base and fill it with clean water. The water only has to be changed every six months.

According to the website of Bedol Technology, their clock converts ions in the water into energy. A built-in memory chip remembers the time, so that you don’t have to reset the clock when changing out the water supply. This clock sounds like a great green way to wake up!

On top of all that, the clock (which is shaped like a drop of water), is relatively small and could easily be taken with you as a travel clock.

The Bedol Drop Water Clock is for sale on the company’s website. It costs about $29 (which converts to +- €22) and can be ordered in several colors.

Interested in this peculiar device? Check out the website at

http://www.bedolwhatsnext.com/water-powered-clock-c-89_199.html

Nathalie Adam

Water morgana?

Imagine yourself sitting in those typical Hoveniersbergclasses during a warm, nice day. Everyone is enjoying a drink on the Grasslay, while the MTB-community is gathering around for yet another guest lecture. The beads of sweat standing on our forehead, everyone hankering for a drop of water and finally, we reach our fata morgana ... in the form of a water cooler. But this is not a regular water cooler you find in the passage of almost every company. We, eco-friendly people from the MTB-community use a self-filling water cooler that extracts water from the air, purifies it and serves it up in nice refreshing dollops of goodness. Water passes through a filter which removes solids, oxygenates and removes any odours. Every 24 hours, this cooler generates 20 litres of pure hot or cold water. But there’s even more: this water cooler is solar powered! While the world outside is almost having a sunstroke, the MTB-community is bottling their own green but clean water thanks to this dispenser!

Katrien Cailliau

Power to the Peepoople!

When I present you the PeePoobag, I don’t think you really need an explanation. It is what it is. The peepoobag is a genious invention as it is a sad confrontation. But the fact that nobody wants to know in what condition other people have to live (or to shit) on the other side of the world is hereby invalidated. Swedish architect and professor Anders Wilhelmson proved that. And he proved even more: while regular toilets  are in fact a very expensive way of flushing one’s feces down the drain, the Peepoobag has more hidden advantages. Next to being a simple solution for the lack of access to basic sanitation in developing countries, the bag itself has a harmless chemical fertilizing layer that changes the human waste witin a period of two to four weeks into a fertilizer itself. Besides that, it is also odor-free for at least 24 hours after use. Concerning the MTB-community the Peepoobag could also provide a solution for possible future accidents, as there have been in the Lost Forest a couple of months ago. The producers call themselves “Peepoople”, because “we are all the same”, says Carmilla Wirseen, product manager of Peepoople, “whether we are rich or poor, we all do it”.

Katrien Cailliau

EcoLEGOcal!

Natural disasters: they happen almost everyday. An earthquake here, a tsunami there, but has anyone of the MTB-community actually ever been in one? Does any of us know what it is to leave your destroyed house behind you and go live in a tent? A problem about emergency services is the unnecessary waste that is associated with the process of helping those who are in need. The huge amounts of tents, water, food and medications require and equally big amount of boxes, paper, bottles and other types of packaging. The LEGO-inspired brick could form a handy solution in avoiding the creation of waste. Although it only provides a temporary shelter, the LEGO-brick is not just a brick. It’s also a source of food and water: the two typical dots of the brick are actually compartments in which you can find and store food and water. Once a person has nurished himself, the bricks can be filled up with soil to form actual and usable bricks to make temporary shelters! And here’s the best thing: once a region has recovered, the temporary LEGO-houses can be deconstructed and transported to and re-used in another disaster region! So instead of leaving the ‘recovered’ zone full of ‘supportive’ waste, now emergency services can not only just help where needed, but also in a more ecological responsible way!

Katrien Cailliau