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May 11 2012
Magic Wands and Smartphones Mix in Real-Life Fantasy Game
Harry Potter is always turning to magic to solve problems. Whether it’s banishing Dementors or dueling fellow wizards, his wand was ready to shoot furious, powerful spells. Harry Potter and so many other magical, fictional worlds have captured the imaginations of children and adults alike, making them wish they could perform magic themselves.
A startup called MoveableCode hopes to make magical worlds real by creating wands that sync to players’ smartphones, allowing them to cast spells with the wave of a hand. MoveableCode has launched a Kickstarter funding initiative for the game Incantor, in hopes that it can bring this technology to the masses.
“If you’ve ever been into fantasy, we think this will appeal to you,” said Nicholas Napp, founder and CEO of MoveableCode. “We asked, ‘How can we use technology to make people suspend disbelief and feel immersed?’”
We’re curious, too.
How It Works
Incantor is based on a magical world that Napp and chief creative officer Kevin Mowrer have been constructing for the last 18 months. Mowrer previously worked at Hasbro, helping in the research and development of several franchises, including Wizards of the Coast, best known for its Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons properties. He specialized in creating “meta-story,” or gigantic game worlds, and he has planned something similar for Incantor.
The game world supposes that Earth is a magical realm with dimensional doors to five other worlds. Magic is being “leaked” into our world by beings called “Incantors,” who want to deputize players to become their assistants. These players will then be given wands to help them harness magic, which includes casting spells with and against other players, and fighting foes that appear in the world.
The wand a player purchases, which MovableCode says will cost as much as a console game, links to his or her smartphone via Bluetooth. Players can then use either an iPhone or Android phone as an alternate reality heads-up display. It’s useful for finding nearby players, but also scrolls with new spells and other hidden secrets that will help players become more powerful.
Flipping the phone into portrait mode allows players to manage their spells and counterspells, and view their health meters. Napp said this interface will be familiar to players of MMOs, as players will have to manage their resources when casting spells.
The Wand
The wand, of course, is the most important peripheral of the game, and what separates Incantor from any other experience like it. There will be 10 different wands, each representing a class, and each with distinct appearances.
Mastering the wand’s capabilities will take more than just waving madly. Napp said higher-level spells require a series of gestures to cast, almost like a “language.”
“If you want to cast a lightning bolt, that might be just like throwing, but if you wanted to cast a fireball, you’ll need to conjure it with your wand, then throw it,” said Napp.
If you’re skeptical that people are willing to mime-throw fireballs in the street, rest assured that Mowrer has done his homework. He points to the 600 or so clubs around the country dedicated to playing Quidditch, the broomstick sport from Harry Potter. “People are out there running around with broomsticks between their legs,” said Mowrer. “It gives people license to descend into fantasy.”
“We’ve seen no resistance from those same type of people,” added Napp. “Those who would be our core were so excited.”
But Napp said they’re still considering collapsible wands that can fit in a pocket — for those “adults with real day jobs.”
Making It Social
From the beginning, Napp and Mowrer have focused on how to best create and foster player relationships and the community.
“I spent a lot of time looking at big MMOs, and it’s crazy how hard they make it for their community to talk,” said Napp.
The team already has several social plans in the works, such as local and national player meetups, guilds of up to 12 players, and a Facebook presence to answer players’ questions.
Napp said the jumping off point for the community will be Incantor’s Kickstarter page. “I want everyone to know how much I’ll treasure each Kickstarter backer, and they’ll always be the first in line as new developments happen.”
MoveableCode is asking backers for $100,000, which Napp says will get them to a real product and help gain attention from real investors. Anything beyond that will go back into Incantor’s development.
“We wanted to use Kickstarter because the product is a tough sell for investors, and we didn’t want to dumb down the product just to make an investor happy,” said Napp. “By then, it probably wouldn’t appeal to the fans.”
According to their Kickstarter page, the wands will be shipped to backers this December, or earlier if backers pledge more to be beta testers.
What do you think of Incantor’s gameplay style? Let us know in the comments below.
Incantor's Wand
An alpha prototype of the wands that will be available for Incantor. Image courtesy MoveableCode.
Click here to view this gallery.
All images courtesy MoveableCode.
More About: Entertainment, features, Gaming, kickstarter, Mobile, trending
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May 10 2012
Fuel Cell Charges Phones for 2 Weeks [VIDEO]
Midday phone death is a hassle for anyone, but it gets even worse if you’re out and about. A new product can help you avoid that frantic search for an outlet the next time your phone’s battery tanks.
Lilliputian Systems has created a butane-powered fuel cell, which acts as a “plug in your pocket,” according to the company.
The device, which connects to a phone via a USB port, holds enough energy to charge a cellphone battery about a dozen times. After that, the butane cartridge can be replaced and the charger used again. It will soon be available at gadget retailer Brookstone.
Check out the video above for the full details.
Would you carry an extra piece of equipment around if it meant you could repeatedly charge your phone anywhere?
More About: chargers, Gadgets, Mobile, Tech
Budget Camera Accessories on Kickstarter Stabilize Moving Shots [VIDEO]
Professional and amateur movie-makers have been there before: After you spend hours capturing video, you realize your footage is too shaky. MoveeGo, created by Los Angeles-based engineer Sylvain Lepoutre, is a low-cost solution to a frequent problem.
The Kickstarter project hopes to make iPhone and compact camera footage significantly better. The MoveeGo package offers two incredible camera stabilizers that will make video footage crisp and stable, every time.
SlideeGo, one option costing $79.95, is a metal beam you gently slide your camera across, allowing for smooth pans from side-to-side.
Then there’s the SteadeeGo, a stabilizer costing $69.95, which dispels shakiness by letting videographers walk, climb stairs and move with their cameras.
The camera accessories can be assembled without tools in a few minutes and the stabilizers are conveniently built to fit in a backpack. You can see the SlideeGo and SteadeeGo in action in the video above.
Currently four days away from its Kickstarter funding end date, MoveeGo has raised about four times the initial goal of $3,300. So far, 178 backers have pledged $15,257.
What are your must-have camera accessories for handheld cameras? Tell us in the comments if you’re interested in the MoveeGo package.
Image courtesy of Flickr, badswan
More About: digital cameras, gopro, kickstarter, Mobile
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How to Get Started With Viddy
Haven’t you heard? Photos are so 2011. Video is where it’s at. More specifically, take a look at Viddy, a social video editing and sharing app that has just surpassed 26 million users.
Much in the way people use social photography apps to beautify and share everyday moments, Viddy wants to do the same for videos. The app gives you 15 seconds to capture your footage, whereupon you may add filters and music to give the clip a cinematic feel. Then, access built-in social options to share your clips with friends.
If you haven’t yet signed up, don’t worry. Our easy guide shows you how to get started with Viddy, from setting up your account to finding people to follow to posting your first clip.
SEE ALSO: The Best Instagram Photos Ever Taken [PICS]Take a look through our simple walkthrough above and get shooting. Then, come back and link in the comments to any great Viddy clips you’ve created and would like to share with the Mashable readership!
1. Viddy
Launched in April 2011, Viddy is available on iTunes for iPhones, iPod touches and iPads. It's free to download. The app lets you capture, edit, filter and share 15-second video clips, or "viddys." One-click share your creations to popular social networking sites, and find fresh content to watch.
Click here to view this gallery.
More About: features, How-To, iphone, iphone apps, iphotography, Mobile, photography, Social Media, Startups, viddy, Video
May 09 2012
President Obama Wants Campaign Song Requests for Spotify Playlist
President Obama will now take your song requests.
President Obama’s team has set up a page on BarackObama.com for voters to submit potential campaign songs that could be added to his Obama 2012 Supporter Picks playlist on Spotify.
“As we head into rally season, what music gets you fired up?” the page asks. “Submit your favorite tracks below, and you could see them on the Obama 2012 Supporter Picks playlist on Spotify.”
Spotify is a music streaming site that gives users free access to millions of tracks on their computers and mobile devices. It also allows users to create playlists, see what their friends are listening to and to download third-party apps to discover everything from song lyrics to recommendations.
SEE ALSO: Obama Supports Gay Marriage, ABC Breaks News OnlineObama’s team is no stranger to using Spotify to get the word out about his campaign and connecting with supporters. In February, they introduced their first playlist which featured songs from a variety of artists, from Bruce Springsteen and Earth Wind & Fire to No Doubt, Florence + The Machine and Sugarland. It also featured “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green, which Obama sang a few weeks earlier at the Apollo Theater in New York.
In other presidential news, Obama also declared his support for same-sex marriage in an interview with ABC News Wednesday.
Which songs do you think are good for political campaigns? Let us know in the comments.
More About: Facebook, Mobile, Music, president obama, spotify, Twitter, U.S. presidential election
Could Video-Sharing Apps Hurt YouTube? [STUDY]
Mobile apps that promote photo and video sharing are eating up more of consumers’ time and representing a threat to YouTube‘s dominance, according to a new study.
Flurry Analytics tracked 180,000 apps from October 2011 to March 2012 and found an 89% jump in minutes spent on photo and video apps. Next on the list was music, productivity, social networking and entertainment. Consumers spent 87 minutes a month using such apps — including Viddy and Socialcam — in October and 231 minutes in March, according to Flurry. From July to March, meanwhile, time spent rose 166%. (The research did not include stats from Instagram, and Flurry doesn’t break out figures for photo-sharing vs. video-sharing apps.)
Researchers then compared those figures to YouTube’s. What did they find? YouTube still has a big lead, although the video apps are making inroads. Consumers spent 425 minutes, on average, on YouTube in March, which is far ahead of the time spent on mobile photo and video-sharing apps. However, YouTube’s time spent average fell from 472 minutes the month before.
A blog post from Flurry expands on this phenomenon:
“While mobile app video consumption grew more than online consumption, the gap in usage at the end of 2011 was still meaningful. During 2012, however, is where things get interesting. As online video consumption dropped by 10%, mobile video app consumption increased by another 52%.
While it cannot be concluded that mobile video apps are cannibalizing YouTube, the shift in time spent between these two platforms appears to be a signal of disruption. Think of it this way: With every mobile video you share of friends, family, vacations, parties and weddings, you are likely loading another bullet in the chamber for Web 3.0. For YouTube, it appears they need to run, outrun your gun.”
For Flurry, this is just the latest sign of the web’s transition from the social media-dominated era of Web 2.0 to the mobile-first period of Web 3.0. The research company found last June that for the first time consumers were spending more time on mobile apps than on the web. That data supported a hypothesis from Wired in August 2010 declared that “The Web is Dead,” pointing to a shift in consumer usage of the web to apps.
A Google rep says YouTube doesn’t see much of a threat from mobile devices: “Developers bringing more video applications to the Web is good thing for consumers.” The rep pointed out that YouTube has more than 3,000 partners using its open API to upload hundreds of thousands of videos every day. Mobile playbacks on YouTube have tripled in the last year to more than 500 million views a day and every minute over three hours of video is uploaded to YouTube from mobile devices. Says the rep: “We continue to invest in this area and developers can expect more improvements in the months ahead.”
More About: Mobile, socialcam, viddy, Video, YouTube
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May 07 2012
Lenovo to Spend $800M to Develop Mobile Products
Lenovo, best known for its PCs, plans to get into mobile in a big way with an $800 million base in Wuhan, China, dedicated to developing mobile Internet products.
The facility, set to open in October 2013 and house thousands of employees, is charged with developing and delivering “new mobile internet products and bring(ing) them to its customers even faster,” according to a company statement. Such products include smartphones, tablet computers and other mobile devices.
The move comes as Lenovo continues to build market share in PCs, a tough segment. Last year, Lenovo surpassed Dell in sales to become the world’s number two player in the category next to Hewlett-Packard.
Lenovo currently offered some mobile devices, including its LePhone smartphones and its ThinkPad tablets (pictured). In the last fiscal quarter, the company shipped 6.5 million handsets and 400,000 tablets globally. Lenovo blamed its relatively slow growth in PC sales in 2011 to the growth of tablets, led by Apple’s iPad. Lenovo was the number two seller of tablets in China last year next to Apple.
Could Lenovo shake up the mobile market? Let us know in the comments.
More About: lenovo, Mobile, tablets
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google play app store
Way to blow your own horn, Google. Yesterday a newspaper in the UK, the Independent, ran a short item about how Google was about to reach an app milestone -- 15 billion apps downloaded! So we reached out to Google to ask about this... and guess what? It already happened. A Google spokesperson, Gina Weakley Johnson, tells us that the milestone was passed "a few weeks ago."
digitallife2
AT&T has just announced a new security and home-automation system called Digital Life, which will be an IP-based platform that allows users to monitor and detect activity throughout their house remotely, and "take action" (as AT&T put it) on devices like PCs, tablets, and smartphones. AT&T actually goes so far as to say "there are no capacity limits to the number and variety of devices [they] can connect to and integrate," since it's an all-digital system. Functions include access to automation, energy and water controls, and security systems. AT&T will thus be introducing a new branch called the Digital Life group, which will work in "AT&T owned-and-operated 24/7 security monitoring centers."
May 06 2012
Screen Shot 2012-05-06 at 5.31.14 PM
As a resident of NYC, I find little use for the SF Climates iOS app that all of my San Francisco-based friends (read: social media whores) are boasting over today. But a lot of you do live there, so you might find it useful. Let's say you live in the Marina and for some reason need to go to the Dogpatch or vice versa but you're unsure what the weather is like. Or maybe the grit of the Mission is getting to be a bit much and you want to hang out with a bunch of babies in Noe Valley. Do you pack a sweatshirt or put on shorts?
Kickstarter Project Connects Your Mobile Device to the Real World [VIDEO]
A new Kickstarter project wants to build an even closer connection between our real lives and mobile devices.
The Rowdy Robot team has created a device called Tōd, which it hopes the Kickstarter community will be eager to fund. Tōd is a programmable Bluetooth dongle you can connect with Bluetooth 4.0-enabled devices, such as the iPhone 4s, Droid RAZR, and HTC One S and One X.
You connect Tōgs to real world things in your life — like your dog or car. The device uses proximity triggers, which work at up to a 500 foot range, and connect to a Tōd app on your smartphone to keep track of your belongings. You could use Tōd to find where you parked your car or attach one to your pet’s collar so it doesn’t get lost. You can learn more about the proposed product from the team’s video pitch, embedded above.
Tōd’s almost halfway to its $50,000 goal. Does it sound like a gadget you’d purchase?
BONUS: The 10 Craziest Kickstarter Projects of 2011
1. Portals
Funded: $1,934
This project uses a box and an old monitor to simulate virtual reality. It is an incredibly cool project, but its Kickstarter backers shouldn't expect anything in return other than a "big happy thank you."
Click here to view this gallery.
More About: bluetooth, kickstarter, Mobile, smartphones
Editing Text On Your iPad? Speed Up The Process With SwipeSelection
More than a few people have been clamoring for Daniel Hooper’s thoughtful iPad text editing concept to become a real thing since his video started making the rounds, and now all you mobile text editors have reason to celebrate.
Thanks to the efforts of an intrepid iOS hacker named Kyle Howells, that awesome vision of quick-and-painless text editing has been realized with a new (and free) iOS tweak called SwipeSelection.
Even if you aren’t a seasoned grammarian (or a beleaguered copy editor), SwipeSelection strikes me as terribly useful tool to have at your disposal. Instead of having to poke at precisely the right point in a word or sentence to fix an error, SwipeSelection allows you to drag a single finger across the iPad’s keyboard to place your cursor.
Need a bit more speed? Drag with two fingers to add some extra oomph to the process, which comes in especially handy when you’re grappling with a more than a few paragraphs.
Useful as SwipeSelection is, it’s worth nothing that it’s not a one-to-one manifestation of Hooper’s vision. As it turns out though, that may have been for the best. Hooper’s original video has users holding down the Shift key while dragging their fingers in order to select text — hardly a dealbreaker, but why use two fingers when just one will suffice? Howells instead chose to have users select snippets of text by starting their drag from the Shift key, making the editing process even quicker.
It probably goes without saying, but here I go anyway — your iPad (or iPhone, or iPod Touch) won’t be able to handle usefulness of this magnitude unless it’s jailbroken. If you’ve already taken the plunge though, SwipeSelection is free and waiting for you in Cydia as long as you have access the BigBoss repository added.
[via iDownloadBlog]
pair3.23.123
It was less than a week ago that Tenthbit, the developers of the buzzy, new social-networking-app-for-couples (or other partners) Pair, picked up a $4.2 million seed round, money the founders said would be used to expand its mobile development and design teams. Now it looks like some of those funds might also need to go to legal bills. Tenthbit is getting sued by pair Networks, a hosting and domain registration company based in Pittsburgh, for trademark infringement. Tenthbit, meanwhile, has also sued pair Networks, to prevent the other suit from going ahead. Pair Networks is asking for an injunction on Pair the app, as well as "other relief as this Court deems appropriate." Tenthbit argues the two do not compete directly, and would therefore not result in any brand confusion.
May 05 2012
Life-Size 3D Holograms Bring Us Closer to ‘Teleportation’ [VIDEO]
Will life-size holograms of your colleagues and friends be the new norm? The Human Media Lab of the Queen’s University in Canada says yes.
Researchers were inspired by Star Trek-like teleportation to create the TeleHuman cylindrical telepresence pod. A long tube is outfitted with six Microsoft Xbox Kinect sensors, a convex mirror and a 3D projector. The TeleHuman pod lets users “teleport.”
Their image is beamed to another translucent cylindrical pod with a 3D projector. TeleHuman makes it so people can walk fully around the 3D image when talking.
This technology allows full interaction between people in different places. They can talk and interact as if face-to-face. The team says it’s the closest thing to zapping into thin air and traversing space.
The image created by the TeleHuman is not your average hologram. The Human Media Lab team takes it to the next level by incorporating more control and “human-scale” interaction. Natural face-to-face “gaze and eye contact” are preserved in the process. Other natural components of conversation researchers kept intact include the 360-degree motion of the bodies, fluid movement and the realistic image size.
SEE ALSO: 5 Tech Advances That Are Transforming Digital EntertainmentTeleHuman, created by Roel Vertegaal, is highly recommended for your next in-office video conference. Watch the above video to see why.
Another application of the 3D-projection technology is the BodiPod. The team also created the BodiPod application, which projects a full-scale, 360-degree model of the human body. Individuals can stand in front of the life-size image and use in-air gestures, pointing and moving forward and back to study human anatomy using the model.
Would you consider using life-size holograms for company meetings? Sound off in the comments.
Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, gnackgnackgnack
More About: Mobile, Tech, Video
attonex
HTC won over some hearts a while back when it released its bootloader unlock tool for a good number of devices. It basically allows owners of Android phones to load custom ROMs onto their phones in exchange for any warranty rights they may have been enjoying. It's a fair trade considering a solid percentage of Android power users prefer Android based mostly on the fact that they have this option, but without solid hardware the ability to load different versions of Androids becomes less and less appealing. And so is the case with the HTC One X. It's an excellent handset, and possibly the best HTC has ever made. But unfortunately, the company won't be offering the bootloader unlock tool for this particular handset.
May 04 2012
Facebook Launches Two-Filter ‘Instagram’ on ‘Facebook for Every Phone’
One month after its $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, Facebook has added filters to one of its apps.
Users of Facebook’s app for non-smartphones, “Facebook for Every Phone,” can now tweak their photos with Sepia or Grayscale filters similar to those Instagram offers.
Instagram had nothing to do with the new feature, a Facebook spokesperson told Inside Facebook. Rather, the apps were developed at an employee hackathon.
The New York TImes reported in August 2011 that Facebook was developing a set of filters for its mobile app “with the hopes of drawing off fans of Instagram.”
Given its recent $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, that is no longer Facebook’s motive. But it could help users of phones that can’t run the Instagram app understand what the fuss is all about.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it would be expanding the feature to its other apps.
More About: Facebook, filters, Mobile
May 02 2012
The Future of Money and Mobile Commerce [INFOGRAPHIC]
If you’re over the age of 20, you’ve likely used a credit card, counted change and maybe even written a check. But is all that about to change?
Mobile payment hasn’t become the de facto method of financial transactions just yet, but it is projected to overtake those archaic checkbooks and bank notes you’ve been lugging around.
Our friends at SapientNitro have compiled research to create this infographic, which details the past, present and possible future of mobile commerce. The company shares the three types of mobile payments that dominate the marketplace today: m-commerce (uses a mobile browser and online wallets), m-payments (uses mobile apps), and m-wallets (replaces your entire wallet). Furthermore, consumers can access several forms of transaction on their mobile devices, including scannable barcodes, mobile coupons and self-checkout.
SEE ALSO: How PayPal Here Stacks Up Against Other Mobile Payment OptionsBut are consumers ready to wholeheartedly adopt the latest in mobile payment technology? Adults who are unbanked, for instance, may face a barrier to mobile transactions — there are currently 17 million unbanked adults in the U.S. But many smartphone users welcome the convenience of mobile payments (87% in the UK), while others worry about the privacy factor (79% in Asia). Still, 49% of consumers in the U.S. found shopping on a smartphone awkward.
Then again, many people found paper checks awkward and credit cards confusing the first time around.
Where do you fall in the mobile payment debate? What kinds of transactions do you handle on your smartphone? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
More About: apps, Business, infographics, Mobile, mobile payments
April 30 2012
Folding Smartphone Charger Saves Space, Prevents Damage [REVIEW]
Product: The Mu Folding USB Adapter
Price: £25 (approx. $40)
What It’s Good For: Slimline smartphone charging.
Who It’s Good For: Anyone who wants a compact charging solution on the go.
Bottom Line: The Mu improves the traditional British plug with its innovative folding design.
A Look at The Mu
After its clever concept product design went viral, UK firm Made in Mind brought an altered version of the product to the British market.
In 2009, designer Min-Kyu Choi’s YouTube video (embedded above) showed a cunning concept that dramatically reduced the size and bulk of the British plug. Choi’s vision hit a chord with consumers, and was quickly shared online, covered by tech blogs around the world, and went on to win design awards.
Choi explains how the design came about. “I was frustrated by the dimensions of the traditional plug, and felt that the existing unit, which dates back to 1947, was out of touch and incongruous with modern design. My idea was very simple — redesign the plug to bring it in line with the clean look and feel of today’s technology, without compromising functionality.”
While a laptop charger is still in the works, the Mu, a folding USB adapter for smartphones, is now available for purchase in the British Isles.
A small, white device, the Mu folds out to reveal three prongs, two of which swivel to take the traditional plug shape, ready to charge your USB-powered smartphone. When folded down, the Mu is compact and (crucially) safe to chuck in your bag, without fear of the prongs damaging your kit.
At £25, the Mu is a pricey alternative to an iPhone USB plug (OEM versions can be picked up for a couple of pounds), but it is a price many design aficionados and digital nomads will be happy to pay. And if its fold-down design prevents the pain of stepping on an upended plug even once, it’s priceless.
1. The Packaging
The Mu's sleek, white packaging and simple, curvy logo complements the slimline design of the device.
The name was crowdsourced from the original folding plug concept's fan community.
Robin Freeman came up with "mu." It's Greek for "micro."
Click here to view this gallery.
More About: chargers, concept designs, features, Gadgets, Mobile, review, Tech
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April 26 2012
Pinterest-Based Startup Rents Designer Bridal Gowns at Discount
Nearly Newlywed is a newly launched startup that lets women rent gowns and bridal wear by highly coveted designers, including Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Rodarte and Carolina Herrera.
The social media-powered online boutique lets women pay a fraction of the usual price tag — $10,000 to $15,000 — for designer wedding dresses. The dresses are guaranteed “nearly new,” meaning they have only been worn once or twice.
The small team based in Brooklyn, N.Y., connects with customers nationally. Utilizing Pinterest, Nearly Newlywed founder Jacqueline Courtney offers personal shopping consultations with soon-to-be brides. Courtney gets to know the brides through their wedding inspiration boards, from which she makes dress recommendations on Pinterest.
“We found that women have always been planning their weddings — gathering inspiration, tearing things out of magazines,” Courtney says. “Pinterest is a great way to collect inspiration. And it’s a fun way to have a dialogue with girls.”
Facebook and Twitter are great for talking to brides and answering their questions, she says. Social media is helping the company fill a niche in the space and hold conversations people care about.
Nearly Newlywed hosts several pages of wedding, bridal and party dresses available at each time. The site allows filtering by size and length. Courtney hopes to bring in 50 to 100 new dresses every six weeks. Courtney says the company will expand into wedding accessory rentals this year.
SEE ALSO: 7 Tips for Planning a Wedding on Pinterest“I think we are doing something unique,” she says. “We are using social media to connect with brides and make the experience special and personal.”
Dresses — both in-season and unique styles — are 50% to 80% off. The Nearly Newlywed rental price covers the cost of the dress. Meaning that if you fall in love with the dress, you can keep it. You can choose to return it for 30% of the final sale price with the “Nearly Newlywed Guarantee.”
Most dresses come with the guarantee; however, if a dress is super fragile or becomes worn with wear, it is sold without the buyback promise.
Soon-to-be brides get to keep the dresses for eight months after purchase, giving you plenty of time to accessorize, make slight alterations (yes, that’s allowed) and have the luxury of staring at your very own gown.
Courtney, who got married this past June, told Mashable her own wedding dress hunt was the inspiration for the online boutique.
“The rentals I found weren’t really the right product mix for me — most of them were party dresses or a little bit more informal,” Courtney says. “I didn’t want to keep the gown afterwards. But, I still wanted it before the wedding to accessorize and just for that peace of mind and to alter the dress.”
Courtney eventually found a pre-owned full, strapless Vera Wang Diana gown to wear for the wedding, which she resold.
“I wanted to elevate the experience,” she says. “Even if the woman has a more modern approach, the experience shouldn’t be sacrificed.”
Do you love this idea of dressing for a royal wedding, while paying discount-house prices? Tell us in the comments what you think.
Images courtesy of Nearly Newlywed, Lisa Beggs
More About: Business, Mobile, online shop, Small Business, trending, weddings
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Google’s Mobile PlayBook: ‘The Busy Executive’s Guide To Winning With Mobile’
If your organization needs help figuring out what to do in mobile, Google wants to help you out in the form of a “playbook” for the industry.
Called The Mobile PlayBook: The Busy Executive’s Guide to Winning with Mobile, Google’s guide offers tips on how your company can better take advantage of mobile. The book — which is actually a mobile website — starts by asking five “crucial mobile questions” it says every business executive should be asking today:
1. How does mobile change our value proposition?
2. How does mobile impact our digital destinations?
3. How is our organization adapting to mobile?
4. How should our marketing adapt to mobile?
5. How can we connect with our tablet audience?
The book dives into each topic individually, offering examples of things your business can do to succeed.
Co-written by Jason Spero, Google’s head of mobile sales and strategy, and Johanna Werther, Google’s Sr. Product Marketing Manager for Mobile Ads, the final section of the book provides readers with a 10-item checklist of action items. What are some of Google’s tips for success?
The Mobile Playbook looks best when read in landscape mode on — what else — a tablet. The book is also available in a smartphone-optimized version, as well as a downloaded PDF for reading offline.
Have you checked out Google’s Mobile Playbook? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
More About: Google, Mobile, mobile marketing, mobile playbook
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