Wandering the Charles River Museum at Mass Innovation Nights this month, I laid eyes on what I consider one of the more intriguing contraptions I’ve seen demoed recently. What I saw was a volunteer sitting on a chair with his leg extended and wrapped in what looked like a big, inflated pant leg and boot. From the boot ran a white tube into a bucket shaped machine plugged into a nearby outlet.
Though I initially thought the man in the chair was getting fitted for a less than flattering spacesuit, what was in fact going on was a pulsating air massage by the NormaTec MVP (Most Valuable Pump).
Headquartered in Newton Center, NormaTec MVP has gotten its inflatable sleeves on some big names in the sports world. Among them, Celtics All-Star forward Kevin Garnett, 2009 Ironman winner Craig Alexander, and uber athlete Lance Armstrong. You can see pictures of them and other pro athletes wearing the nicknamed “space legs” on the MVP Facebook page. (more…)
Citizens Connect nabs 1st in Web and E-Government from PIT
Boston continued to define itself as a technology hub when it was announced by Mayor Menino on Tuesday that the city of Boston was awarded top honors twice from the Public Institute of Technology (PIT). Recognized were Boston’s iPhone app, Citizens Connect, and GIS (geospatial information system) Data Hub.
The PIT is a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C. focused on promoting and perfecting the use of technology in local government. Backed by federal, governmental, and industrial organizations, the PIT makes it their business to learn the newest technology solutions and share these with the local governments of the nation.
The PIT also recognizes local governments for technological achievements in government affairs, and as a Bostonian I’m proud to report that Boston took gold in the Web and E-Government category, as well as the award in GIS. (more…)
SCVNGR gave me the run-around, so in the future I'm leaving my phone behind
For those of you who haven’t heard of SCVNGR, it’s a Boston-based startup that allows users to create and deploy interactive scavenger hunt games hosted on mobile devices. These so-called SCVNGRs aren’t like the ones from your middle school birthday party, and can take you anywhere from a tour of the MFA, to an exploration of the whole city and beyond.
There are a lot of applications and themes for these interactive mobile adventures, one being fitness.
Since the sun was out and the thermometer was pushing 50 degrees, (unlike the last few days during which I seriously considered building an ark) I decided to sign up for a SCVNGR workout along the Charles River yesterday. All you have to do it sign up on SCVNGR by entering your cell number and some other info, then you can make your own SCVNGRs or find one someone else made. I didn’t see much fun in working out to a route I made, so I signed up for SCVNGR’s own, called Exercise Endeavor: Boston.
Unfortunately, I would soon find out that when it comes to a workout, SVNGR is a lot more like a needy girlfriend than a personal trainer. (more…)
Pop a couple chiclets for all your social media sharing needs
It’s actually a white paper, but if you want to know about chiclets, Boston based Overdrive Interactive has written everything you need to know about using chiclets with Facebook, Twitter, blogs, video and anything else you want to share across the web. Check out the recently released whitepaper Chiclets: The Social Glue of the Web to learn all about how chiclets bridge the gap between social media and the rest of the net.
Wondering how candy coated chewing gum helps you share web content? You’re thinking of the wrong chiclets. The kind we’re talking about are buttons that let web surfers link articles, videos, and products to social media apps with one click. If you want to see an example, just check out those shiny buttons to the right of this post. Those are chiclets. We’ve got Facebook, Twitter, and Reader but there are over 40 total according to Overdrive Interactive’s chiclet guide. If you haven’t before, try one out and see how easy it is to link articles like this one to your social media outlets. (more…)
Last night, Mass Innovation Nights was back at the Charles River Museum in Waltham and they made a few changes for the 12th installment of the monthly startup showcase. Presentations were moved to the ballroom which was a great improvement from the old presentation corner that brought out the worst in my claustrophobia. Demo tables were dispersed throughout the museum which was a bit fragmented but well worth the space created for the main presenters. As always we’ve got all you no-shows covered with a recap of main presentations and the demo tables. (more…)
With HomeField, players no longer need to cram into ill-equipped screening rooms to watch game film
As web startups continue to reshape the way we live our lives, I’m always wondering what the next application is going to revolutionize. If you are or were ever an athlete in college or high school, then this one’s for you: Meet HomeField, the new web application that changes the way coaches, players, and fans access and interact with team sport video footage.
HomeField mixes YouTube-style video uploading with social networking features, resulting in an interactive platform where sports teams can watch game footage, tag specific parts of the game, and discuss the videos in a private forum.
It used to be that a musty locker room and a TV-DVD combo was the only way for coach to give you pointers on the last game, or to size up the competition for the game coming up. Reece Pacheco, HomeField’s CEO, played lacrosse at Brown and later for the Boston Cannons, so he knows all too well the inconvenience of having to pile the whole team into a room for film study (more…)
I’ve always been fascinated with Craigslist as a website — mostly because it’s one of very few sites these days that is extremely popular while also being extremely ugly.
If, say, high school is any indicator, that’s typically not how it works. With virtually no aesthetic value, Craigslist gets by on raw practicality – lots of it.
How else could it drive over 10% of U.S. page views? Since its formation in the late 90s it has grown to provide a virtual bulletin board for the entire U.S. and much of the world. In the world of need-based online connections, it’s a God. So when I heard about another bulletin site called MyHometownLink.com that specifically serves Wellesley, Needham, and Weston, Mass., I had to wonder – why bother? (more…)
In the three months since I started writing for BostInnovation I’ve gotten to study quite a few Boston Startups. I’ve interviewed startups, tweeted to and about startups, written about startups – I even infiltrated one as a marketing intern to learn more from the inside.
Ok, so I didn’t exactly infiltrate this startup for the purpose of reporting on it here on BostInnovation, but I do happen to lend creative services to a startup in Cambridge called OfficeDrop (Full disclosure: I started there a little while before we kicked off BostInnovation, back in the fall.) Since I’ve shared so many startup profiles, I thought I’d take this opportunity to give an inside scoop on what working for a startup in Boston has been like thus far.
OfficeDrop is a document scanning company that can both scan paper documents to text-searchable PDFs, and upload digital documents to an online document management portal. From there you can organize, download, share, and search documents by word – the user interface of the online component is kind of like an email server but for converted paper documents. Not only is it a cool startup idea, it’s also a fun job. Although OfficeDrop is still one of my first employers that doesn’t require physical labor, I think working for a startup is a solid spot and here’s why: (more…)
The Boston Phoenix rating the best of everything Boston
The nominees are in, and now it’s time to vote for your favorite Boston… everything! Similar to Best of Boston but with more categories, the Boston Phoenix has opened voting for their annual Phoenix Best – Boston edition for 2010. The list includes everything from best dive bar to best comic-book store to best place to people watch – and there are a few sweet tech-related categories too. There are over 120 categories in total. Like I said, everything.
But over 120 categories? That’s a lot of decisions to make. In an attempt to prevent some headaches and minor brain aneurysms, we’ve whittled it down to Bostinno’s favorite categories – making the Bostinno readers’ best of the Phoenix Best!
RunKeeper personified as CEO Jason Jacobs marathons in the iPhone suit
In my post about fitness technology a couple months ago, I cited Nike+ as one of the best high tech ways to get fit. Then I heard about RunKeeper. After surfing the website and talking with founder and CEO, Jason Jacobs, I’m seriously considering an amendment to the previous post – kicking Nike out and replacing it with the Boston-based iPhone app.
When you look at the features side-by-side, RunKeeper simply outruns Nike+. First of all, Nike’s system uses a pedometer, which means if only works if you’re running. RunKeeper harnesses the power of GPS, allowing users to track mileage whether they’re running, biking, hiking, kayaking – hot air ballooning — or what have you. And of course you can still have your favorite tracks pumping from you iPhone.
On top of that, you aren’t stuck using Nike shoes if they’re not your preferred footwear as a runner. Though I love Nike’s concept, I’m an Asics man myself, and RunKeeper doesn’t limit you to any brand or product. Yes, you need to have an iPhone for now, but Jacobs assured me that iPhone is just a jumping point; he plans to implement RunKeeper across many other platforms.(more…)
Every so often one finds a piece of technology so stunning that it invokes a sense of awe for the accomplishments of man. It seems to belong in a work of science fiction, and makes you feel worthy of living in the twenty-first century. This has been a rarity for me, but last week I stumbled upon such technology right here in Boston. I returned a few days later with Neo-Luddite Dave to grab a video of this space-aged Coke dispenser:
The tactile joys of print media live on through digital magazines
It’s obvious that print is on the decline – falling short on cost effectiveness, reach, and overall practicality of digital media forms.
By utilizing Internet sources, readers can instantly and ubiquitously find all the content that would otherwise be stuck on the pages of some newsstand’s magazine rack. Reading is faster and easier online, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t like the experience of print materials. There is something satisfying about thumbing through the pages of a glossy magazine – an interaction which I believe to be the reason many printed publications are still hanging on.
There’s no doubt that print media will slowly be phased out by the accessibility and convenience of digital online media, even if people are reluctant to abandon the experience of bound pages. However, Zmags, headquartered in Boston, may have the technology for the experience of printed content to live on in the form of interactive digital magazines. (more…)
Stackable cars is just one of the concepts bubbling in the MIT Media Lab
The MIT Media Lab is a beacon of modern technology and the source of countless technological advances in many different fields.
Fueled by over sixty sponsors (including many major corporations), the lab is populated by the best and the brightest of MIT faculty and graduate students as well as visiting minds from all over the country and abroad. I imagine it as the Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory of technology, with the exception of orange midgets.
Come to think of it, there are a lot of parallels between the two places. (more…)
Finally, all of your product research in one place
Any good online shopper knows that no purchase is warranted before tearing the Internet apart for user reviews, comments, tweets, and anything else that might give you a feel for what said product is actually packing.
I’m especially skeptical – to the point that I end up lost in a sea of Firefox tabs that yea or nay the new thing I’m trying to buy. Lucky for me, and all you other lemon-sniffing content hounds, I’ve got good news.
I had a chat with Co-founder of SmartSymbols, Stas Antons, and his startup has created a platform that takes heaps of product content, and conveniently aggregates it in one small user-friendly space. Now you can get all your research done without browser overload. (more…)
HubSpot released some big news today – the announcement of their new Value Added Reseller Program (VAR Program), as well as a HubSpot Service Marketplace. If you haven’t read the announcements on their blog it means that HubSpot is attempting to explode their reach by changing the way inbound media marketing services are distributed. I signed up for the webinar at noon today and realized HubSpot could soon become the inbound marketing superpower.
A Brief on Inbound Marketing:
Inbound marketing is, essentially, the future of advertising and marketing. Consider the alternative: interruption marketing aka popup ads and TV commercials. CEO Brian Halligan made a great point early in the webinar, saying that interruption marketing started to die with the invention of the television remote control. I won’t rehash the whole story but basically people are done being interrupted by ads because there’s way too much other content to see. Are you going to sit through television ads when you have 300 other channels to check out? Probably not. (more…)
