AbsolutelyNew Blog

The best inventions of 2009

What do you think are the best, most revolutionary new products of 2009?

We’ve got some picks of our own... but we’ll keep them to ourselves right now and wait to hear back from the editors are Popular Science – they’re gearing up to answer this question for the magazine’s annual “Best of What’s New” awards. PopSci’s now accepting applications for a range of categories including everything from Gadgets to Home Technology to Recreation.

If you’ve commercialized a truly revolutionary invention – PopSci doesn’t give out awards for evolutionary products, no matter how absolutely awesome they may be – definitely consider applying. Note: your invention must either be available for purchase by 9.30.2009 or a future sales date must be formally announced by 9.30.2009.

And if you’re not yet ready for this year’s competition, that’s OK too. The important thing is that you’re acting to advance your invention, to make it big next year. For inspiration, here’s a link to last year’s winners. Pictured above right is one of 2008’s picks: the sweet-looking, compact, and reportedly very easy-to-operate Icon A5 seaplane.

A tale of two inventions

We’re reminded of Charles Dickens’ famous words (you know, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....”) in two inventions we recently came across: the Early Bird™ alarm clock and the Shape Up™ alarm clock, both from the company Fred & Friends.

We like the company behind these – its a group of playful designers who appeal to the kid within each of us, creating fun things like tooth-shaped candy dishes and cheese plates made to look like giant mousetraps – but we also think the two clocks are representative of how one invention can hit the mark while another can fall a touch short:

The Early Bird clock gently chirps and illuminates to wake you up. Since many people don’t want or need a jarring buzzer waking them up, and still others need a little bit of sun-like light (especially on those dark winter mornings), we think this clock hits the mark dead-on. Some of us here will be placing our amazon orders shortly.

Meanwhile, the dumbbell-sized Shape Up won’t stop buzzing until you lift it for 30 reps. The idea’s cute for about two seconds, but we suspect the novelty will be gone about a second later... and the clock will be in a box in the garage, or yard sale fare, soon afterwards. We prefer for an invention to have a little more life to it.

What can we learn from the two inventions?:

1. Be novel. There’s a huge market for new & different products, especially those that are affordably priced to serve everyday needs. In this regard, the $28 Early Bird can chirp all the way.

2. Be THE solution. The Shape Up solves one problem by creating another. It’s like punching someone in the arm to make them stop thinking about their headache... or invading Iraq so that... well, you get the idea. So while we give a quick nod to the attempt at inspiring early morning workouts, we advise everyone out there to reflect on whether you’re really, truly providing the total solution or simply replacing one problem with another.
3. Be buzzworthy. We learned of the Shape Up from Gizmag, which designated it as gift-worthy for people you dislike. From here, we discovered the Early Bird. The lesson: whatever you’re selling, media attention is good. And yes, it can tactically serve you very well to use one buzzworthy product to draw attention to another that you’re more keen to actually sell.

BTW, Dickens continued with “… it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness….” Here’s to learning from both in order to make your invention better!

(Full disclosure: we’re guilty of playing in the novelty clock arena too, most recently with our Flying Alarm Clock on QVC. Objectively speaking, the Early Bird gets the worm ahead of ours; however our clock comes in well above the Shape Up on balancing practicality and playfulness).

Sinful invention and the 4th of July

We recently discovered The Voodoo Doughnut Burger at the Original diner in Portland—it’s a juicy cheeseburger served on a glazed doughnut that’s been halved like a bun, buttered and then toasted to perfection. Talk about sinful.

What sparked this invention? Creativity. Curiosity. Perhaps a tired cook playing with leftovers in the kitchen one night.

Whatever the case may be, and irrespective of whether you order it with fries, soup or a salad (yes, you can have it with a salad... although we feel that greatly diminishes the "You did what?" response after you tell people what you ate), we like this invention. Why?:

1. It’s new & different. True to the name of their diner, the Original folks came up with an original idea, and they’re getting credit for it. We advise every inventor to make sure his or her product offers meaningful, differentiated benefits… and it’s nice to recognize those who do so.

2. It’s tasty. Really. Just like salty and sweet work well in Thai food and chocolate-covered pretzels, this combination hits the spot. New & different matters, but an invention also needs to deliver on its primary benefit.

3. The timing is right. With plans to grill on July 4th (aka: the day the U.S. was invented), we might just have to make our own doughnut burger. After all, not every one of us can build a robot or mag-lev vehicle, but we sure can stop at the Krispy Kreme on the way home from the butcher shop. And what better way to celebrate a new product and the birth of a nation!

The founder fathers would likely be proud… after a very big “Ye did what?”

Invention lessons from Billy Mays (1958-2009)

The invention world has lost one of its greatest champions: TV pitchman Billy Mays died unexpectedly over the weekend.
 
We sometimes laughed at Billy’s larger-than-life style, but we also greatly respected the fact that he got behind so many individuals' inventions early on... and used a louder-than-life selling approach to make them very big hits. From OxiClean to Mighty Putty to Mighty Mend-It, Billy’s fingerprints (and signature hand gestures) are all over the success.
 
In tribute to Billy Mays, here are three lessons learned from the black beareded, blue-shirted master (and yes, we’re tempted to write in ALL CAPS... but Billy was really much more nuanced than that once you study him carefully):

1. Convey your benefits. Billy understood that most people don’t want to hear about the 19 different features of an inventive new product -- they want to hear the top 3 benefits they’ll experience, with tangible examples to drive the message home. What’s more, Bill always made sure to show at least one dramatic visual torture test to close the sale. Remember when he poured OxiClean powder into iodine water and the liquid turned from red to clear before your eyes? When Billy Mays sold it, you knew the exact benefits you’d get. You should do likewise as you sell your product.

2. Test it. In his Discovery Channel TV show Pitchmen, Billy and his co-host made sure to put each invention through its paces before deciding how to proceed. For a salon product, he gave it to women at a nearby salon in exchange for their candid feedback. For a cleaning product, he asked a professional housecleaner to evaluate it. To be sure, we’re fans of deeper research than the show depicted, but we appreciate the realities of a TV show... and we appreciate the broader point that Billy made sure to dig in and learn before moving into selling. Everyone out there should follow such a path.

3. Be passionate. Within the advertising world, Billy’s critics (yes, there were a few) accused him of “yelling not selling.” But the fact is, Billy effectively sold a whole lot of products. It’s the only reason he was able to stay in the business. Why was he so good, even when he was so loud? Among other reasons, because shoppers saw his loudness, his boldness, and his conviction for what it really was: genuine passion. We’re not saying everyone should try to mimic Billy’s style; however, being passionate about your product will only serve to excite others too. And isn’t that what selling is all about?

RIP King of Patents

We’re going to miss you, Jacko.

In honor of Michael Jackson, aka: the “King of Pop,” we wanted to highlight the artist’s inventive side: Jackson is the primary inventor named on U.S. patent 5,255,452, granted in October 1993, for a “Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion.”

It’s true. Moonwalking thru the 80’s was one thing... but Jackson wanted to further defy gravity in the 90’s. This time around, he needed a back-up device to support him and his back-up dancers. And when the Gloved One found no such device to enable the moves he envisioned, he invented one of his own. The specifics:

• Jackson wanted to include leaning far forward—far more than is humanly possible—into his dance routine.

• The artist explored various waist cable support options but reportedly dismissed them because they didn’t work well for him during concerts.

• Thus he created (or, more likely, imagined for others to subsequently build) a shoe-based system that allows a dancer to engage (and disengage) supports in the stage… and pull off some moves that were just plain awesome.

You can click here to see Jackson’s patent. RIP King of Patents.

Just shy of networking

Invention success often requires networking with the movers & shakers in your particular product category or industry. We enjoy this.

For those who don’t, we found some helpful tips in a recent New York Times column, written for people who are more comfortable tinkering than talking about their creations. A few highlights:

1. Be you-ish. As you meet people, try to be more outgoing and sociable than you normally are. But don't push to an extreme because, if you’re shy by nature, trying to be the total extrovert will likely come off as artificial.
2. Be objective. Yes, you’re "networking." But really this is just business-speak for building relationships. So focus on the objective of building relationships with these people just like you would with others… and don’t feel you need to sell from the start – build that relationship first.
3. Be in the moment. Don’t fret about what to talk about with those people you’re just getting to know – talk about the present. For example, if you’re all at a conference, talk about something conference-related. If you’re at a tradeshow, discuss the tradeshow. This immediate common ground can be a very good ice-breaker.

You can click here to read the full article (free registration is required) with additional detail and tips.

We like this!

Many of us will be barbecuing this Father’s Day weekend. So with grillin’ & chillin’ outside once again our minds, we had to share this latest patent-pending invention that we came across:

The Go Plate – a plate that fits onto a frosty bottle, can or cup so you hold your food and drink in one hand, meaning your other hand is free to use your fork… flip a burger… throw a Frisbee… or whatever.

We like this! A lot. After all, it solves an everyday problem, and it does so simply, effectively, and at a reasonable price.
 
A few details: the plates are dishwasher safe, recyclable, and sell in a pack of 42 for $48.50.

Happy Father’s Day!

Tap into crowdsourcing

Nokia recently told its design team to take a break while it let the general public design a new cell phone. Meanwhile Starbucks created a special website for people to submit tips and ideas... and was reportedly quickly inundated with 17,000+ ideas... just related to coffee.

What’s going on? It’s part of a broader movement to “crowdsourcing,” and it’s growing fast – VERY fast, in fact, since a few people first started talking about in 2006 – because companies are increasingly recognizing the benefits of outside thinking: more new ideas and inventions, obtained at lower cost than if developed internally, every so often unearthing a gem that’s perfectly in synch with a target consumer segment’s wants & needs.

It helps that the web has made crowdsourcing a whole lot easier to handle...

... at least until the ideas pour in and a company needs to review them, which is where crowdsourcing becomes a double-edged sword for the company as well as all the smart people submitting ideas.

So what are you doing to tap into this movement? And what are you doing to go above & beyond everyone else trying to play here, to be seen as a gem among those 17,000+ others who now suddenly believe they also have a real shot at success?

BTW, to bone up on crowdsourcing, you might want to check out these links: Wikipedia, Wired, BusinessWeek.

Manufacturing in China is so yesterday… or not

In today's global economy, few inventors give serious thought to manufacturing in the US or Europe. The costs are simply too high at a time when consumers (and retailers) expect you to strip out every cost and get the price lower, lower, lower.

But is China still the answer? There’s a growing discussion about how it may not be. BusinessWeek says increasing labor and shipping costs could price China out of manufacturing, with other nations including Vietnam and our neighbor Mexico stepping in with emerging capabilities... and more attractive costs.

So before you book that pricey China Airlines ticket, be sure you consider all the alternatives and make the choice that’s best for you.

All that said, our VP of Operations Tom Krysiak, who’s been in manufacturing for 20+ years, says inventors should definitely keep Chinese manufacturing in mind. He says the talk of moving elsewhere is much more applicable today for heavy equipment and goods (ie: forklift batteries, machines, large furniture) than for lighter goods… largely because of the shipping. More insight from Tom:

• Other nations are emerging as players in manufacturing, but China’s already there. Depending on what your invention is, you may want to stick with China until the others have built up their capabilities and proven themselves.

• China’s not going down without a fight. Among the ways it is evolving to be more competitive: offering extended payment terms (in other words, giving you more time to pay for your production), accommodating smaller production runs, even relocating factories further inland so it can offer you lower labor costs.

• Interestingly, Chinese manufacturers themselves are also considering setting up factories in places like Vietnam, Indonesia, and Cambodia. Some would call this diversification. We say if this isn’t telling of what’s to come, we don’t know what is.

The UPC... reinvented

Earlier this month we wrote about the ubiquitous UPC barcode turning 35. We’ve since learned that a whole new treatment of barcodes will likely reach stores soon – this one with multiple sets of bars stacked together.

What’s going on? Why the reinvention? Quite simply, in the spirit of continuous improvement, the new GS1 “DataBars” hold a lot more info in a lot less space. This means:

1. All your Chiquita bananas (and other individual fruits & veggies too) may soon sport stylin’ DataBars in addition to the oval blue banana stickers we all know and love. So no more “price check on aisle 4” for that Bosc pear or Rhubarb you’re buying.

2. You can be alerted if something you’re buying is at or past the expiration date, because this info too can be embedded into the DataBar. (In fact, they can be embedded with just about any info, from group lot data to individual serial numbers).

3. In synch with a movement from newspaper to online coupons, you’ll soon be able to easily send electronic coupons to your cell phone and then redeem them by waving your phone over the checkout scanner—the new DataBars are small enough to fit all the necessary redemption info on your screen.

Good invention is good. Good inventions made better – that’s the stuff that really gets our hearts racing.

For more info, click here for a recent New York Times article on these new barcodes.