2ReCall

2ReCall is a great application of VoIP technology. It lets you record a phone conversation without any software or hardware, from any landline or wireless phone. The concept is simple- you call their 800 number, and then initiate the actual call to receiver via their VoIP service. Once the call ends, you can log into your 2Recall account online and listen (and annotate) the conversation in .mp3 or .wav format. Obviously, the service is not free, but their plans didn’t sound expensive.

Limbo

Unbelievable. What business models people think of. Limbo is a mutant bidding site that has been around since October 2005. It’s a game where you compete against other (real, live) players to find and retain the lowest, unique bid. If your bid is the lowest and unique (no one else has submitted the same) then you win! Keep in mind that if someone else puts in the same bid, then yours is no longer unique. And the game moves to another, higher unique number. Don’t think of overloading the bids by submitting all numbers because there is a daily limit of 20 bids per person.

Damn.. somebody actually won a Mini Cooper for $50.43! So you are thinking “How can they give away those prizes for nothing?”. Seems like the guys at Limbo have created partnerships with big companies who give away stuff in sweepstakes all the time. Limbo provides these big companies to still throw away their ‘prizes’ but get a heck lot more eyeballs and action in their target customer age (18 to 35 year-olds).

I was so intrigued by it, I signed up. Haven’t played much, but I can tell right now that it is addictive. I’ll update this post when I find out more (or win ).

Blue Chip Expert

Blue Chip Expert adds the flavor of ‘exclusivity’ to he mundane networking & recruitment process. They aim to bring together highly specialized candidates, hiring managers and recruiters, but membership is granted by invitation only from an existing member.

There isn’t much that I could see since I didn’t have an invite (I might ask them for one- there is a email address you can send requests to).

Update: So I asked for an invite and got it yesterday Now I am registered member, and can invite others. Let me know if there is someone who wants to join.

RedRoller

Think of RedRoller as the google of shipping services. It lets you search multiple carriers (USPS, FedEx, DHL, etc – all but UPS) from one page. The site is very usable and of course the concept is new. It’s still in beta phase though.

Mercedes A-to-S

The A-to-S website of Mercedes-Benz is a great example of interactive marketing in style. Although it’s essentially a commercial for their product line, it hardly feels that way while you cruise through the site. There is apt mix of mystery, elegance and creativity here- you need to experience it for yourself.

Perceptive Pixel

Perceptive Pixel is a company founded by Jeff Han to commercialize his revolutionary touchscreens. You can watch the video or read about it- It takes you through the Minority Report-like user interface that Han demo’d at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference 2006. Very cool.

Sidenote – It’s not like Jeff is the only one in this game. Big players like Microsoft, Mitsubishi are also taking a swing at it. I’ll post more as I find out..

The Sneeze

Dont know how I landed on this one, but I found it’s ‘Steve, Dont Eat it!’ section really funny. The guy subjects himself to eating abnormal things, and then blogs about it in detial (with pics) to take you through his experience. Gross.. Masochistic, in way. But damn funny. If you like gross humor once in a while, check it out. But not while eating, I recommend. 

PatentlySilly

Fantastic site- you’ve got to see it. PatentlySilly writes about real patents issued by USPTO (US Patents & Trademark Organization) that are so absurd that you’ll wonder if it’s a genuine patent. Rest assured, the write does his homework, and puts out links to the real patent application online. If you havent heard of McDonald’s patent for ‘Method and Apparatus for making a sandwich‘ or ‘Garments Having Edible Components and Methods for Making Same’, you have some serious reading to do here.

The site is brilliantly designed (specially the cool banner and logos).

King Nutter

King Nutter is some guy who collates links to funny eBay stories and YouTube videos. The site is easy to navigate and cool-looking. I check it out once in a while.

1-800-FREE411

1-800-FREE411 is just like 411, only better because it doesn’t cost anything. In case you wonder who pays, it’s thier advertisers (you are subjected to short ads during the call). And if you are interested in one of the offers in the ads, they’ll connect you to the advertiser.

Very cool concept, and judging by the press and numbers they have made, it is destroying the traditional 411 market. Another great web 2.0 application.