1. TWITTER

Twitter is an online social networking service that enables users to send and read short 140-

character messages called "tweets".

Twitter Inc. is based in San Francisco and has more than 25 offices around the world.[11]

Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass

and launched by July 2006. The service rapidly gained worldwide popularity As of December

2014, Twitter has more than 500 million users, out of which more than 284 million are active

users.[8]

...we came across the word 'twitter', and it was just perfect. The definition was 'a short burst of

inconsequential information,' and 'chirps from birds'. And that's exactly what the product was.[21]

The first Twitter prototype, developed by Dorsey and contractor Florian Weber, was used as an

internal service for Odeo employees[22] and the full version was introduced publicly on July 15,

2006.[9]

With Twitter, it wasn't clear what it was. They called it a social network, they called it

microblogging, but it was hard to define, because it didn't replace anything. There was this path

of discovery with something like that, where over time you figure out what it is. Twitter actually

changed from what we thought it was in the beginning, which we described as status updates and

a social utility. It is that, in part, but the insight we eventually came to was Twitter was really

more of an information network than it is a social network.[26]

2. Tesla Roadster

Batteries Included

What goes from zero to 60 in 4 sec., tops out at more than 130 m.p.h. and appears to be missing a

gas tank? The Tesla Roadster 100. It's pure California: a hot sports car that doubles as a

statement against pollution and oil dependence. Its massive lithium-ion-battery array can power

it for up to 250 miles of highway travel, and even though it will fatten your electricity bill, the

Roadster is still twice as efficient as a Toyota Prius.

Inventor: Tesla Motors

Availability: Now; $100,000

To learn more visit teslamotors.com

3. Yacht cu panouri solare

Sun Strokes

Late this month the sun21 catamaran will leave Seville, Spain, bound for Miami and then New

York City just to prove that solar power can take you that far. The 46-ft. vessel has no sails or

gas tank, only two electric motors that run on batteries charged by photovoltaic cells. By day,

rooftop solar panels generate more power than the boat consumes. The extra energy is stored to

keep things moving after sundown. How fast does it go? About 5 to 6 knots, same as most

yachts. A Swiss crew of five will attempt the record-breaking five-month, 7,000-mile trip to

spread the word about the wonders of renewable energy.

Inventor: MW-Line

Availability: One of a kind

To learn more visit transatlantic21.ch

4. Dispozitiv de gasit lucruri pierdute

Finder of Lost Gloves

For years, people prayed to St. Anthony for help finding misplaced items. Now you can attach

radio-frequency-emitting tags to your most losable possessions. When something is missing, fire

up the Loc8tor, and it points you in the right direction--not just left or right, but up or down too.

It homes in to within an inch of your item, while the tag itself emits helpful beeps. The only

thing the system can't do is locate the Loc8tor itself. For that you still need St. Anthony.

Inventor: Loc8tor

Availability: Now; $190

To learn more visit loc8tor.com

5. Degustator de vinuri

Sauvignon Bot

This squat robot with a swiveling head can "taste" wine using infrared light sensors and a

spectrometer in its left arm. When training its beam directly onto a bottle of, say, Sauvignon

Blanc, the bot can analyze the chemical composition of the liquid inside to determine type, brand

and flavor and then suggest a complementary cheese (it relays the info by speaking in a high-

pitched voice). NEC's mechanical sommelier is the latest robot with an "optical tongue" to

emerge from the company's research lab in Tokyo; the first, PaPeRo, unveiled last year,

identifies ingredients in food.

Inventor: NEC System Technologies and Mie University

Availability: Prototype only

To learn more visit necst.co.jp

6. Umbrela

Drip Patrol

Umbrellas are supposed to keep the water out, but those $5 throwaway models will soak through

in a downpour, and even the best umbrellas drip annoyingly when you bring them indoors.

Here's a dryer, albeit pricier, alternative. The NanoNuno umbrella dries after a quick shake, so

you don't have to park it outside the door on rainy days. The canopy's nanotech polyester surface

is designed to repel water droplets, so they don't end up on you or your floor. Its inventors were

inspired by the way moisture and dirt roll off the leaves of a lotus plant.

Inventor: Pro-Idee

Availability: Now; $95

To learn more visit proidee.co.uk

7. Bluza de imbratisari

Amazing Embrace

Loreffrey for TIME

Remember when PDA stood for something other than personal digital assistant? It can again

with the Hug Shirt, a high-tech garment that simulates the experience of being embraced by a

loved one. When a friend sends you a virtual hug, your cell phone notifies the shirt wirelessly,

via Bluetooth. The shirt then re-creates that person's distinctive cuddle, replicating his or her

warmth, pressure, duration and even heartbeat. And, yes, the Hug Shirt is fully washable.

Inventor: CuteCircuit

Availability: Not yet for sale

To learn more visit cutecircuit.com

8. The Doting Dinosaur

Lots of robot toys look like real animals, but they can't walk the walk. Pleo, which is modeled

after a baby camarasaurus (a plant-eating dinosaur), aims to be more lifelike. When it walks, its

whole body sways. It's equipped with more than three dozen touch, sound, light and tilt sensors,

and it even has moods. Ignore Pleo, and it will get depressed and sleep all day. Give it some

TLC, and it will wag its tail when you get home and purr like a cat. O.K., maybe it's confused

about which animal it's supposed to be--but it's sure got (a mechanical) heart.

Inventor: Ugobe

Availability: 2007; $250

To learn more visit ugobe.com

9. Talking head

Your life may not be a fairy tale, but you can make it a little more like one with your very own

magic mirror. Created by a Hollywood special-effects expert, the mirror is designed to be

integrated with your home-security and home-automation networks (if you're lucky enough to

have either of those). It looks like an ordinary mirror most of the time, but when it's activated, an

ethereal face appears on its surface, and it makes timely pronouncements--that a car has arrived

in your driveway, for example, or that the Jacuzzi is warm--in the voice of a snooty English

butler. Just don't ask it, Who's the fairest of them all?

Inventor: Craig Barr

Availability: Now; $19,995

To learn more visit themeaddicts.com

10. Bright idea

Identifying drunk drivers could get a lot quicker and easier after a new infrared alcohol test--

developed by an Albuquerque, N.M., start-up--is launched next year. Using the fact that body

tissue with alcohol in it absorbs more light than normal tissue, the device detects alcohol levels

by shining infrared light on the subject's skin and analyzing tissue based on how it reflects that

light. The test (which doesn't have an official name yet) takes 60 sec. to produce results vs. 20

min. for a Breathalyzer test and days for a standard blood test.

Inventor: TruTouch Technologies

Availability: January 2007

To learn more visit trutouchtechnologies.com

11. Self-Help

Jun Takagi for TIME

Stroke patients who have lost strength and sensation in one arm could get a boost from Realive, a

robotic suit that uses the movement of the healthy limb to help rehabilitate the damaged one.

When a patient bends the unaffected arm, sensors detect the activity and send signals to rubber

muscles wrapped around the other limb, which then mimics the healthy arm's motions. Inspired

by studies showing that simply using damaged limbs can speed recovery by stimulating nerve

cells, the device can also help motivate stroke victims to stay on track with physical therapy.

Inventor: Panasonic

Availability: By 2011

12. Power Flower

Can a lamp change the way you live? This elegant flower-shaped light harbors an eco-friendly

secret: it monitors the overall energy usage in your household. When it senses that power

consumption is low, it rewards you by blooming - its metal petals unfold attractively. If you start

draining too much electricity, it closes up again. The flower lamp was created by a Swedish

consortium called Static! that explores ways of using design to increase energy awareness and

promote greener lifestyles.

Inventor: Static!

Availability: Not for sale

To learn more, see www.tii.se/static

13 Best Way to Stay Connected for Free: IPEVO Free-1 for Skype

If youre not Skype-ing, youre paying too much to communicate! The free on-line phone service is a great way to beat high long-distance phone rates, but if your computers microphone isnt someplace handy (or like me your microphone is right next to a speaker in a laptop), your computer may not be the best mouthpiece. The market for Skype-ready phones is growing, but the IPEVO Free-1 is easily the most drool-worthy. Office product here or here.

14 Best Way to Call From the Car: Hammacher Schlemmer Rearview Mirror

Speakerphone

Rearview MirrorHere in Chicago, it's illegal to drive while using

your cell phone without a hands-free device, but when you're stuck in Chicago traffic, there's

nothing to do but use the phone. Hammacher Schlemmer has come up with a really clever way to

use your Bluetooth-enabled phone without one of those Star Trek earpieces. It's a rearview

mirror that attaches over the top of your car's mirror, and wireless connects to your cell phone. It

has a hands-free voice dialer, an LED read-out of call status, and can even record voice memos.

And if you happen to still like those Star Trek earpieces, there's one that can detach from the

mirror at any time when you're ready to get beamed up (or talk privately). Office Product here

- See more at: http://inventorspot.com/office_products#sthash.vVOhnnRV.dpuf

15 Best iProduct: iLamp

Four-step million-dollar marketing plan for the 21st century: 1) Find an everyday product. 2)

Add an iPod dock and speaker set. 3) Put the letter i in front of it. 4) Sit back and watch the dollars roll in. Into the already overcrowded iPod accessory market steps the legitimately useful

iLamp , which, despite a ridiculous slogan (The Lamp That Rocks!) is a product you could use

every day (in a welcomed variety of trendy designs) with the built-in connection for your music

player. They claim it works with any MP3 player, but the name tells you what market theyre going after. Whats nextthe iCouch? iNapkin? iPhone (we wish!). The iLamp might have been higher up the list if it hadn't been totally out-lamped by our top pick. Office Product here - See

more at: http://inventorspot.com/office_products#sthash.vVOhnnRV.dpuf