TrendBlog: Be it hair cuts, laser hair removal or acupuncture, Lifebooker’s appointment-booking model is especially convenient because you can go to it on an as-needed basis, rather than a "I think this might perhaps come in handy in the future” basis, which is often the case with Groupon-style deals (although Lifebooker also offer have their own Groupon-style "Lifebooker Loots”). Other Lifebooker advantages include not needing to wait until the end of the day to confirm a deal; being able to book appointments immediately and at short notice, even today or tomorrow; the business not being booked up for weeks in advance because of a rush of new coupon-holders; and not having to remember coupons as payment occurs at the establishment. Lifebooker is great for businesses, ... Read more »

Iconoculture: FaceCash, the innovative mobile payment platform launched by one of Facebook’s founders, is about to get a trial run in the real world. Select Subway restaurants in Southern California will be accepting FaceCash payments at the register beginning in November 2010. FaceCash is a free app for smartphones that operates like a funded debit or cash card. Its security features include a photo of the user that appears on the merchant’s monitor at the time of purchase.

CScout: Usually we try to visit pop-up stores in person, but a new store has made that a bit more challenging: Airwalk launched their limited edition of the 90’s style Jim Plastic and Jim Tennis shoes by invisible pop-up stores in New York and Los Angeles. There were no walls, no store fronts, no sales people or shoes to try on.

The iPhone app is an Augmented Reality (AR) app developed by the mobile start-up GoldRun. The way it works is that you download an app to your iPhone, go to a specified location and then snap a photo of the shoes that will appear on the screen. Collecting the virtual item with the phone qualifies one to queue-up and pre-order one of the only 300 pairs.

Springwise: Dutch Deadjeans accepts the back pockets of beloved denim pants from all over the world. In return, it will fashion those pockets with felt lining and convert them into unique smartphone holders. Consumers need only carefully remove the pocket they have in mind — it must be at least 14cm high by 9cm wide — and mark the front and back of those pockets with stickers Deadjeans provides. They then send in the designated pocket and wait for Deadjeans to turn it into a smartphone holder; pricing including shipping is EUR 29.90. Currently, Deadjeans makes smartphone pockets for phones close in size to the iPhone 3G(s), the iPhone 4 and the BlackBerry Bold 9700.

CNET: As if it weren’t already a breeze to spend money on Amazon, the retail giant’s updated Amazon for iPhone app just made it even easier to instantly shell out for wares. The latest version of Amazon Mobile, 1.2.8, contains a bar code scanner in its search screen. As with bar code scanners in other mobile apps, Amazon Mobile uses your iPhone’s camera to take in a product’s zebra-striped bar code. Amazon’s servers then find a match, and after you select the item, you can sign in to your account to purchase the product on the spot.

TrendHunter: Berlin’s Kochhaus grocery store is making shopping easy for tired, hardworking customers. Throughout the store are stalls that advertise meal ideas with takeaway recipes that list all the ingredients and the total cost of the meal per person.

Meals such as coq au vin and chocolate lava cake from scratch are all easily accessible to Kochhaus grocery store customers. This approach to shopping is what sets Kochhaus apart from other luxury grocers. No longer do customers have to wander the aisles aimlessly in search of inspiration and ingredients.