shopping

Web video pioneer returns with checkbook in hand

Tom McInerney, the Web video-sharing pioneer who left the sector 18 months ago, is making a comeback.

This time, however, the co-founder of video site Guba is an investor. He's one of the backers of Shopflick, a company trying to become the Web equivalent of the Home Shopping Network. The site enables apparel merchants to showcase the clothing they offer by uploading video clips. Many sellers use the opportunity to channel their inner Francis Ford Coppola.

For example, the style mavens at designer Ric Rac shot a scene of two women wearing nearly identical versions of the company's $… Read more

A calculator spawned from the keyboard

Press Windows + R, then type "calc" and enter. That's how you can quickly bring up the calculator application on your Windows computer. This is also the reason many of us do not need a physical calculator around as there's always a PC nearby. But if you are going to have a calculator, here's one worth getting--the 10 Key Calculator created by U.K. designer Sam Hecht, as seen on Boing Boing.

It doesn't really have only 10 keys, but this calculator looks very much like your computer's numeric keypad. You no longer have … Read more

Move over scratch 'n' sniff, here's Peel 'n Taste

First Flavor Inc. has developed a new way to entice potential customers into trying new products: with Peel 'n Taste flavored advertising. Soon you'll be able to stroll down the aisle of your local supermarket and try before you buy.

This updated version of the scratch 'n' sniff sticker being created by First Flavor is a new way to market and advertise products. According to the company: "Using the latest in taste-matching technology, we replicate the flavor of your product and deliver it to consumers in a compact, dissolving edible film." The actual flavor strip can then … Read more

The 404 108: Where Caroline McCarthy loves to Tumble

Veteran 404 guest Caroline McCarthy of News.com makes a guest appearance on today's borderline indecent show. We touch on Hello Kitty fetishism, Pork and Beans, Reggie Love, the perils of softcore Youtube porn, and our secret pickup tactics. This episode is rated R, recommended for adults and pubescent adolescents alike. EPISODE 108 Download today's podcast

Zappos vs. Piperlime: A head-to-head

I am a big and vocal fan of Zappos.com for all things shoe. Huge selection, decent (if not bargain) prices, and free shipping. Returns are dead simple, and my love for Zappos has, at times, bordered on actual zealotry.

So, when the Gap Empire introduced Piperlime, I wasn't buying. It seemed like a Zappos rip-off with a more yuppie-friendly design scheme, and even though I'm a Banana Republic card holder and Gap Empire devotee, something about Piperlime just didn't work for me. Plus, they gave me the Web site hard sell--a constant barrage of coupons and … Read more

A microlaser for the gadget-freak dentist

We're not sure how comfortable we'd be with our dentist using equipment made by an outfit called Zap Lasers, but it's probably better than a pair of rusty pliars.

The "Styla" is a pen-like device that's billed as the first microlaser for making soft-tissue incisions. Measuring less than 7 inches long and weighing under 2 ounces, it can be used for such procedures as performing biopsies and removing tissue. It can sense whether the person using it is right-or left-handed and, for the novice, even has eight pre-programmed procedures, according to Gizmag. (Shudder.)

A … Read more

Comparison shop on the fly with PriceAdvance

I love things that save me money when shopping online. While PriceGrabber and Google Shopping are my two go-to sites for finding the lowest prices on electronics, tons of sites track prices and give the heads-up when something goes on sale or gets its price reduced.

There's also PriceAdvance, a browser plug-in that will pull up competing prices from other online sellers automatically whenever you hit a page with a product and price on it. Its latest iteration for Firefox and IE doubles the number of prices it shows you compared with the previous version.

Right now it only … Read more

U.S. consumers the least 'green', survey says

U.S. consumers have the least "green" habits in the world in terms of energy use, transportation, travel, and goods, according to National Geographic and polling firm GlobeScan.

Blame the American appetite for large, two-car, gadget-packed homes located far from work, along with a general disregard for conservation and eco-friendly products, the report says.

The Greendex results, released Wednesday, are based on online surveys taken earlier this year examining the shopping habits and attitudes of 14,000 consumers in 14 countries.

Among Americans' un-green daily habits, 59 percent said they drive alone, and a trifling 5 percent use … Read more

Fake the fake!

This high-end designer boutique in a trendy part of Seoul sells these bags at higher than Louis Vuitton's full prices, which is not nearly as hilarious as Louis Vuitton's unique methods in fighting back counterfeiters these days. Just look at this fake set-up of a fake bag seller that sells real bags during a recent exhibit launch party in New York. (via Notcot)