Mobile apps are, of course, big business – the iPhone app store in particular has over 100,000 available apps – with over 2 BILLION downloads to date.

And while the bulk of apps can be broadly classed as either games or simple productivity tools, there are also a growing number of more content based apps making their way onto the scene.

MentalWorkout for example, produce apps designed to help make your life better:

Mental Workout designs, develops, and markets mobile applications focused on improving lives by helping people resolve issues and increase mental performance. The applications are based on the latest research available and developed in partnership with world-renowned experts and market leading corporations.

Current apps include meditation-based stress management, a 5-week treatment program for improving sleep and overcoming insomnia and course based on Virgin Atlantic’s renowned Flying Without Fear program.

Undoubtedly, this is one (of many) futures of mobile content – broadly educational resources delivered with all the benefits of a mobile device (’mobile learning’ perhaps). What else could you teach people on an iPhone?

Site: www.mentalworkout.com

Thankfully, a new plam-sized inhaler before the Food and Drug Administration in America might just prove a more discreet and less painful alternative. The inhaler, developed by California-based MannKind Corporation, contains an insulin powder which passes from the lungs into the blood stream.

While insulin inhalers have been tried before – Pfizer launched one in 2006 but it was so large and awkward that it never really caught on – this one seems to gaining some good publicity ahead of its release.

Site: www.mannkindcorp.com

Have some brush that needs clearing? No problems.

Seattle-based Rent-a-Ruminant will rent you a herd of 100 goats to munch through it – no machinery, no pesticides, no permits required. Apparently 60 goats can get through 10,000 sq ft in 3-5 days (not bad) and their little hooves are better suited to uneven terrain than chunky earth movers.

At about $700 a day, they’re not cheap but likely cheaper than the alternatives and you get that warm green fuzzy feeling too. Possibly a nice option for diversifying farmers?

More: Goats on Good.is

Pic: Flickr Creative Commons (nbraier)

Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, its back again – in virtual form at least.

Berlin-based company Metaversum creates ‘realistic replicas of the world’s most vibrant cities in 3D’ via their virtual world Twinity. They have already created virtual versions of Berlin and Singapore, with London soon to launch.

To help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, they have rebuilt a section in virtual Berlin in partnership with the Berlin Senate and Berlin.de. Rather suitably it was launched with a press conference in front of a virtual Brandenburg Gate.

The idea of virtual tourism is gaining ground, fuelled by both economic and environmental factors. But undoubtedly cities and museums across the globe are hoping that virtual tourism will whet the appetite of a few non-virtual tourists as well -  creating plenty of scope for co-operation between real and virtual tourism businesses.

Tanzania Women’s Bank is a perfect example. Although they do accept accounts from men, the bank has tailored their services to attract what they see as an underserved market, Tanzanian women.

“The difference between us and other banks is that we are specifically designed to cater for women’s banking needs stemming from the fact that in the past most women were ignored in other conventional finance institutions.”

The bank’s MD, Margareth Mattaba Chacha, was further quoted by the BBC as saying:

“We know some women hesitate to come forward – they are too shy and think they don’t know anything.

“But here we’re going to have a big group of professionals to take women through step-by-step until we really reach our women.”

In addition to the professional support, the bank has also simplified the process of opening an account (the previous system required title deeds or other prrofs of wealth, thereby excluding many women) and reduced the minimum opening deposit.

By creating a product/service that caters to a well-defined niche – and addressing the unique issues of that niche – the bank has set its business apart.

How could you tailor an existing business idea to better address the needs of a specific customer?

Sometimes the answer isn’t inventing the coolest new idea but rather drastically improving and reimagining an existing technology or business.

Robert Scoble posted a recent interview with UK-based search technology company, PrismaStar – discussing their new offering AnswerOil. In simple terms, AnswerOil makes searching for products within an ecommerce environment MUCH easier – and has led to 30-40% increases in conversion (i.e. the percentage of website visitors who go on to buy) as a result.

It’s also pretty slick looking too.

The video above (via Building 43) does a much better job of explaining it but in short, AnswerOil allows users to define – and prioritise – multiple variables in their search criteria – criteria which extend well beyond simple categorisation.

In the example shown in the video, a user can search for the cheapest, thinnest, red or pink camera from a list of over 500 models. If then for example, price is most important to you, you can make that the priority by adjusting a simple slider.

If customers can find what they want more accurately – and faster – then they have less incentive to go elsewhere to look for it. That’s not only great for online retailers but should also be an ideal fit for comparison sites (where for example, you could define and prioritise the criteria of your credit card or airline ticket).

Perhaps most intriguingly, AnswerOil can also provide site owners with information not only about what people search for and bought, but also why they did and what features / factors were important to them.

If the improved metrics of their initial rollout continue to standup, expect to see this technology become the industry standard in ecommerce and potentially beyond. In fact, for more universal search services (i.e. Google or Bing), the ability for users to create priorities – and for site owners and advertisers to understand their actions – could be a game changer.

Site: www.prismastar.com

There’s more to Coca-Cola than just brown fizzy drinks. The company owns hundreds of brands and variations covering everything from juices to bottled waters.

Unfortunately, putting all those options on display in your local fast food outlet would be a little impractical – and so most dispensers stick to a few favourites. Although these options can be localised based on regional preferences, there are still a lot of people who walk away dissappointed with the (lack of) choice.

Enter ‘Freestyle’, Coke’s new RFID-based drinks dispenser that’s being trialled in selected US states this summer. The dispenser uses a touchscreen interface to allow customers to choose from over 100 different options, mixed to order from 30 different flavour cartridges.

Most interestingly, each cartridge is fitted with an RFID tag which feeds data on consumption to a reader built into the machine. The reader, in turn, sends the data via private network to Coke’s head office.

This real time data can then be used to help trial new products, track regional trends and preferences and potentially (I’d guess) even test market messages as displayed on Freestyle screens.

The restaurants leasing the machines from Coke benefit too. They’ll be able to access data on beverage preferences via a proprietary e-business portal, helping with inventory control.

Freestyle dispensers provide Coke with hugely valuable data – potentially reducing the number of new product failures – and give consumers more choice than ever before – likely leading to an increase in sales.

Not bad for a drinks machine.

Food is big business online. From video sites like Look and Taste and iFood.tv, to ubiquitous recipe sites and restaurant guides, to marketplaces like Foodzie - everyone wants a slice of the proverbial cake.

BookofCooks.com is the latest entry into the market and is described as:

“an online resource connecting culinary professionals and foodies in the world’s first prepared foods marketplace. Incorporating the latest social networking technology, the Web site serves as an online community to help people locally find professional chefs, caterers, specialty foods and more within a particular region …”

In practice the site acts like a directory of food professionals – primarily caterers – who can use the site to showcase their menus and images / videos of themselves in action. For existing catering professionals, it’s a simple way to attract some new business.

For gifted amateurs (or professionals looking to start out on their own) the site offers a simple, and free, opportunity to set up a ‘virtual’ bakery, home delivery restaurant or catering business. Presumably, even someone with just one ‘great dish’ could earn a few dollars sharing their food with people in their area.

Visitors can use the site to find cooks in their area to deliver prepared food, cater an event, cook for you in your home or even work with you to create a great meal. Users and listed cooks connect directly via the phone number or email address the cook lists in their profiles, so the actual agreement might be anything that the two parties come up with.

It’s a great idea. In particular, the chance for amateurs or part-time foodies to earn via the site could be a huge attraction.

That said, the challenge for Bookof Cooks is the same as for any directory or social network – scale. And, as usual, it’s a chicken and egg dilemma: you need chefs and caterers to create detailed profiles to encourage users to use the site, but you need users on the site to encourage chefs and caterers to create those profiles.

What’s more, as the site is free to join and use, the founders will need to find innovative revenues streams beyond simple advertising. A BookofCooks iPhone app could be one option, as could partnerships with cookery schools and corporate caterers.

It’ll be interesting to see how the site grows and responds to these challenges.

Site: www.bookofcooks.com