What it does

Passwords can be broken or forgotten and they tend to multiply like rabbits when you spend a lot of time surfing every day. You have a specific password for your online banking, another for Facebook, and one for each of your email accounts, and to make things worse, you are often unable to use the same password for each of these sites. So what if you could eliminate the need for all of these passwords by using the one unique thing you have—your face. This is where Xidtech’s FaceLogOn steps in by offering facial recognition software that anyone can use to protect access to their personal computer. While it is not currently available for outside applications like your webmail account, one doesn’t have to look too far to realize that facial recognition software could become the ultimate password solution. Currently, Face LogOn utilizes your web-cam to verify whether you are indeed allowed to use the computer or not.

In their own words

“Using a simple web-camera, Face LogOn ensures the identity of the user by providing biometric verification in an automatic continuous process, based on award winning XID Face Recognition Artificial Intelligence technology.”

Why it might be a killer

It would not be at all surprising to see Face LogOn take off in a big way and expand to offer a wider range of password solutions. Facial recognition is a perfect way of protecting your PC and Face LogOn’s free 1-month trial and $19 price tag after that make this an interesting solution that could take off.

Some questions

Already eluded to above, but worth repeating, is whether they will be developing a functionality that will allow users to use the Face LogOn solution for all of their online-password needs? Also, how accurate is the facial recognition software and will it support multiple users?

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What it does

Communipare is a new engine for displaying comparison tables, launched earlier this month. With Communipare, users can create a comparison table that contains a high level of information but with a relatively small footprint. You can then embed these tables on any webpage. Users can also take advantage of Communipare to build “community-powered” comparison tables, in which the information contained in the table is drawn from the community. Anyone who views a community-powered table can add their own information, if the creator has set permissions to allow it. When you create a table using Communipare, it is easy to customize the appearance, font, etc., and if you see someone else’s Communipare table and like it, you can easily copy it to use as a template.

In their own words

"Communipare is an engine for displaying comparison tables. It enables users to compare scads and scads of candidates and characteristics - all on a relatively tiny footprint… Until now, the only way to display comparison tables has been through inflated HTML table tags and uncontrollable scroll bars. Communipare is a powerful widget builder that can "squeeze" comparison tables of any size (e.g.100 x 100) into a 400-pixel-wide blog article or a 200-pixel-wide sidebar."

Why it might be a killer

Communipare does a nice job of compressing a lot of information into an attractive chart that can be easily embedded on your blog, MySpace page, or any other webpage. Because you can create a comparison chart on absolutely any topic you want and include any comparative information you want, there is virtually no limit on the possible uses of a Communipare chart.

Some questions

How does this site plan to make a profit? Will they embed adds in the charts or anything along those lines in the future? Are there many practical uses for a Communipare chart? Can you embed a Communipare chart on webpages like a Facebook profile?

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What it does

BabelYou is a new international social network. Given its target and its namesake, it’s a given that the site functions in a variety of languages. When you first enter, you’ll have the choice to choose your country and preferred language. There’s a focus on trading and exchanging languages—you can find someone on the network to brush up on your French or German through the Language Portal, a virtual classroom. Find a language buddy by browsing member profiles to see who speaks what. The site also comes with a classifieds section, so users can find summer jobs or internships in other countries they’re learning about. Other features include events, private messaging, and chat. BabelYou is free to join and registration is required.

In their own words

“Babelyou ist an online network functioning, in many languages, which enables people to make coommunicate worldwide.

At Babelyou you can log in for free and set up your own profile so that you will be able to connect with your international friends.

Contact among members of our community is free-of-charge.

At Babelyou you can search for a language-buddy and learn a new language with him/her in a virtual private classroom that is offered to you through the Babelyou language portal.

Futhermore, you can learn about other countries with the help of other members, you can find useful tips for your next visit abroad or you can search for a summer job.”

Why it might be a killer

BabelYou is more than just another social network. It’s an international community with a focus on language and knowledge exchange. It makes for a great way to practice your foreign language skills and expand your view of the world.

Some questions

Does the site offer language learning tools—dictionaries, grammars etc? What about media sharing? How will it attract new users?

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What it does

iRead is an application and online community for book lovers. Once registered, you list, rate, and write reviews about books you are reading or what you have read in the past. Based on your reviews and preferences, you can find other readers with similar tastes, and check out their reading lists and recommendations to find more books you might enjoy. You can also browse randomly through other users’ reading lists and reviews. The iRead application for Facebook has already become very popular, with over one million registered users. The eight-month old site claims to have over 20 million books added to date. You can also add the iRead to your MySpace, Vebo, and soon, Orkut pages.

In their own words

"iRead is a community for book lovers. Whether you love classics or popular fiction; whether you love Dickens or Dan Brown; iRead is a place where you can find others who share your reading tastes and through them discover new books that you will love."

Why it might be a killer

This site and its Facebook application have grown very quickly in just eight months since launching. If they could tie in a way to purchase recommended books directly from their site, it could prove very profitable.

Some questions

Will we see this site incorporate a way for users to purchase the books recommended to them? Will iRead continue to grow at such a fast pace as it has so far?

Updates


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What it does

NoMoreNotebooks is a social shopping site which allows users to compile wishlists. Created by a Leeds University student, the site aims to make listing simpler. Users can create any number of lists and they can add an unlimited number of items/products to their list from any webpage. Members can add products via the NoMoreNotebooks bookmarklet. They can also search through the products on site using the search bar. Lists can be dated for important events such as anniversaries and birthdays. Each item comes with a short description and picture. Lists can be sorted by price and alphabetically. Other features include member profiles, featured lists and recommendations. Sign up is free.

In their own words

“No More Notebooks is a social shopping experience that allows members all over the world to create an unlimited number of lists containing an unlimited number of items from any webpage. People use No More Notebooks to keep track of items they wish to buy, create lists for specific events and generally interact with one another.”

Why it might be a killer

NoMoreNotebooks has a clean, simple interface. It’s easy to use and it reduces the need for making lists on multiple websites. This in turn makes it easier to keep track of lists and to share them with friends and family.

Some questions

How is this funded? What other features will be added? How will it compare to the competition?

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What it does

European Startup companies, especially those from the non-Anglophone regions of the continent, have been under-represented and overshadowed by their English counterparts in the media. Europeanstartups.com hopes to alter the balance of power. The site is a forum for the employees of all startups based in Europe, and fosters a dialogue and publicizes the companies through blog entries by CEOs, discussion boards and debates, and a featured a “startup of the month.” Every company has a profile page that lists information, including location, tagline, employees and company objectives. The site encourages CEOs to submit information in a variety of languages to reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of the companies.

In their own words

“EuropeanStartups, founded on September 25th, 2007, is a weblog dedicated to spread a word about European Web 2.0 and 3.0 startups.”

Why it might be a killer

European Startups is a great resource for those looking to learn about and discover companies outside of the English-language sphere.

Some questions

How can the information be presented in a more coherent manner? While everything that is included on the site is great (discussion boards, jobs, etc) the presentation is not eye-catching and a little overwhelming.

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What it does

Geewa.com is a multiplayer online games site that can be accessed from any internet-connectable device. With a good selection of games and an already impressive number of users, Geewa.com is a great option for playing online games with and against other users. Think of it as more of a community where you can meet new people by playing games with them. Some of the popular titles available at Geewa.com include: World Soccer, Climbers, Pool, Sudoku and even Strip Poker. Simply sign up, pick a game that you’d like to play and then either join an already existing game or start a new one. At this current moment, there are more than 9,000 players online, making it almost a guarantee that you will be able to find someone to play with you.

In their own words

“Geewa.com is a community portal offering casual multiplayer games which are meant for everyone who likes to play for fun and meet new people and old friends. Geewa games are played by women and men alike and by young as well as more senior players (30% of our players are over 30). The Geewa platform has attracted many fans since its start in 2005 and currently 100,000 players visit it every day who play 700,000 duels. Our original game Word Soccer (in its Czech version) has become the most played game of the Czech Internet."

Why it might be a killer

A couple of things help Geewa stand out from the rest. Firstly, there is a good number of games that will be especially appealing to the casual gamer. Secondly, you can play with any device that can hook up to the internet making this a great mobile games solution. Lastly, they have already reached the critical mass necessary that enables users to quickly find others to play against.

Some questions

Have they thought about opening up game development for this site to encourage the creation of new games for the Geewa platform? There is no advertising on the page, how are they monetizing this service?

Updates


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What it does

You spend more and more time of your day online and you are probably a member of more than one social networking site. If you’d like to represent yourself better online without showing the whole world a picture of yourself, then an avatar is the ideal solution. Minigao allows you to create your own customizable avatar that can look just like you, or more like the person you always dreamed of being. You can try out the avatar creator without registration and creating an avatar is simple with a surprising array of cool tools and functions available. There is currently a competition being run at Minigao, where you can vote for the best avatar under a number of categories. Finally, webmasters can add Minigao to their site and thereby allow their users to create their own avatars directly from within their own environment.

In their own words

“Create your avatars for free. Use them wherever you want, as you want.”

Why it might be a killer

This is a really fun and well designed tool that people will really enjoy using. Using an avatar instead of a picture of yourself in your profile is certainly a safer and more private way of living your online life.

Some questions

While they claim to be multilingual, the actual avatar engine appears to be currently available only in French. It is still relatively easy to create an avatar without speaking French but in order for this to really catch on in the English-speaking world, they will need to invest in a bit of translation.

Updates


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What it does

With the majority of hacker attacks coming at the web application level these days, a web application firewall is needed to thwart these attacks before they reach the web applications. Modsecurity is an Open Source web application firewall that amongst other things, allows for full HTTP transaction logging which facilitates the logging of complete requests and responses. These logging functions can be fine tuned by webmasters who can choose exactly what to log and record. Along with traffic logging, Modsecurity can also monitor HTTP traffic in real time to detect attacks and react to suspicious events quickly. With a wide array of other features, and cross-platform support, Modsecurity keeps your network safe.

In their own words

“With over 70% of all attacks now carried out over the web application level, organisations need every help they can get in making their systems secure. Web application firewalls are deployed to establish an external security layer that increases security, detects, and prevents attacks before they reach web applications.”

Why it might be a killer

This is an Open Source project and businesses of all size will be attracted to this professional solution and its tiny price tag. Why pay for a web application firewall when you can get it for free?

Some questions

Do they have any current customers? If they do, have they considered adding a section to their site where current customers can be listed and quoted? This would help them to gain more credibility in a space where it is especially important.

Updates


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What it does

SubHub is an internationally-operating, web-based firm that designs, constructs, and launches websites for their customers. Customers come to SubHub to create their website. From there, those customers have a platform for which they may generate income by charging for subscriptions or memberships, as well ads for advertisements, and eCommerce ventures. Customers may choose from four different service packages, all with varying degrees of features and associated respective prices. With SubHub product, customers are ensured a completely comprehensive and totally managed website. The system is easy to use, flexible, centralized, and maintained 24/7 by the SubHub staff.

In their own words

“The secret to building a successful online business is focusing on what you do well and getting other people to take care of the rest. Creating great content, looking after customers and assimilating into the online community all result in making you money. Hosting, security, upgrades and other “techy” stuff contribute nothing toward generating revenue - so get someone else to manage them. Invest at the outset in a solution and a company that will grow with your business needs.”

Why it might be a killer

The SubHub product is well developed and extremely customer-oriented. From the first step, Sub Hub makes users feel comfortable and taken care of, whether they are Beginner Users, Advanced Users, or Publishers. Yet although the product is on par, the website is crowded with text, and the exact point of how the company functions is difficult to grasp at initial viewing.

Some questions

How may the site be revamped to most effectively communicate with site visitors? How can SubHub’s website more simply and directly state the purpose and services of the firm? Should a live demo be added to the website and replace the salesperson interaction of viewing a demonstration of the service?

Updates


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