New app Instead- now in beta- was designed to help non-profits who are looking for a tech-forward way to get their message out and raise funds. Rather than create individual apps for each non-profit that asked them for help, software studio Ovenbits decided to make one app to help them all through mass micro-donations and shifting behavior. Instead works by asking you to live slightly below (or within) your means, and give the what you would have spent on a luxury to a worthy charity. For example, if a friend asks you to drinks, you can pass, open up Instead and donate $5 that would have other gone towards booze and a hangover to one of the many charities participating. When they launch publicly, Instead plans to add more features that will encourage giving with social challenges and gamification. 

(Source: GOOD)

Louis Vuitton’s new 100 Legendary Trunks app is a perfect example of a luxury brand doing it right; incorporating their history and heritage into a modern interface, while giving Ys a taste of the Louis Vuitton archive. Well it’s, almost perfect—the iPad app costs a whopping $19 (making it the single cheapest item sold by Louis Vuitton)! We would love to see more brands incorporate brand lifestyle and tradition this way… for free. 

I hadn’t fully known that we had arrived at the future until the Japanese maker of my blue jeans woke me up on my iPhone with an app that featured music by a grammy nominee that alternated based on the day’s weather forecast. But here we are. 

Uniqlo’s Wake Up app is surprisingly wonderful to use, with a gentle voice waking you up (accompanied by a piano crescendo) telling you what day it is, what time it is, and what the weather’s going to be like. Very interesting brand placement Uniqlo! I am now in bed with Uniqlo.

We’re not sure what is better about this app- how adorable it is, or how adorable the story behind its creation is. Kaitlyn Trigger knew nothing about computer programming but taught herself to program in time for Valentine’s Day. She created Lovestagram for her boyfriend of 2 and a half years- her boyfriend who just so happens Mike Krieger, the co-founder of Instagram. Aw, techie love! Lovestagram turns any Instagram photo into an instant digital Valentine. 

(Source: instagr.am)

Want rappers boiled down to one phrase, a laugh and yes a “Brrr”?  The Rap Board is a new one-off website that does just that. Click on your favorite rappers face to hear their catch-phrase. With the simple design, clean interface and with the app coming out soon, we could see this going viral faster than a Diddy giggle. 

Disney’s new AppMATes toys link the tactile, physical world of child’s play with the infinite images of the virtual world on an iPad. The toys come to life with digitally with integrated sensors on the bottom, enabling them to automatically interact with a dedicated iPad App that lets children explore the virtual worlds of favorite Disney characters—the first line of toys are from Cars 2.  It’s like a virtual play mat, so at least you won’t be tripping over piles of blocks and LEGOs—but your iPad may be jeopardized by “enthusiastic” playtime! 

In this first release of AppMATes featuring the world of Cars, children can compete in races, complete missions, upgrade cars or explore Radiator Springs. The iPad app differentiates between characters, so narration and dialogue vary depending on the vehicle they’re playing with.

This new venture from Disney demonstrates how digital is not the demise of toys and imagination, but possibly just the beginning. And of course, we should expect new apps and toys from popular Disney films in the future.  

Although Zipcar is a great model for those living in dense urban areas, a new peer to peer car sharing service, Getaround, enables users to borrow cars from neighbors by the hour. Members can simply rent and unlock cars with the Getaround app, which is currently being tested in beta in the San Francisco and San Diego areas. From Bugs to Beamers, the available car models range from $5 to upwards of $50 per hour. Not only is this great for borrowing, but also for earning money by renting out that car that just sits in the garage, longing to be driven. Getaround says:

We saw a common problem with the personal automobile.

Car owners invest huge amounts of time and money into an asset they barely use. Cars are driven only 8% of the time, while potential drivers walk past block after block of underutilized cars.

Getaround is a social car sharing service.

We enable car owners to safely rent out their underutilized cars to a community of trusted drivers. People in need of a car can rent one by the hour using the Getaround website or iPhone app.

Imagine a world with fewer cars, without traffic jams, and with less pollution.

We are…passionate about using mobile technology to create sustainable transportation solutions. We want to empower people to travel more efficiently and cause a shift from personal to shared transport.

With gas prices tipping the scales and my monthly parking fee in Los Angeles eating up a hefty chunk of my disposable income, I’ll seriously consider this person-to-person car sharing service if it comes around to LA anytime soon. If any city needs it, it’s this one! Not only is this an efficient, effective way to take advantage of underutilized resources, it is part of the essential new ideology as we cope with our vast overconsumption—and it looks like we’re continually turning to a peer-to-peer model to solve that problem.

This new system could solve a tragically persistent problem I have of leaving my key inside my apartment. While this habit has led to some epic second story break-ins, I’d rather refrain from breaking-and-entering yet again. 

The Lockitron system consists of an app on your smartphone (or using texts on your dumb-phone), plus an electronic lock system installed on your door. I would absolutely love to have this installed in my door, considering my iPhone is permanently installed in my hand. 

Drawbacks I instantly thought of: What about when your phone runs out of battery? Sleeping on the iSidewalk. What happens when drunk-texts let in the wrong friend, or sloppily misspelled codes prevent you from entering? Making iMistakes. Regardless, I still like the concept of “one less thing in your pocket,” and giving the smartphone yet another responsibility in managing my life. 

There’s a new smart phone app called SugarSugar, which basically allows for legal prostitution.  Woman looking for a Sugar Daddy can scour the site for wealthy men seeking a girl they can pay to hang out, hook up, date, or whatever—it’s pretty undefined.  I was  feeling slightly unhinged about the whole online dating thing but after hearing about this new site I wondered how behind I was.  I had to investigate so I went onto the location-based site and put in my info (i.e. woman seeking man, location, ..) and oddly enough age was not asked of me! Terrible!  Pages of profiles came up of men, looking to pursue a relationship as Benefactor, for lack of more PC term.  It’s like a skeezier version of MySpace circa 2006, with all the false pretenses stripped away.