Hasta La Gadget!

The interesting thing that shoe makers are starting to offer these days is customizability through their website. Nike currently offers that where customers can cycle through different colors to customize their shoes for a more unique look. However if you’re bored of the color palette that Nike offers and you’re after something a little different, how about making use of your Instagram library to help color your new pair of Nike shoes? This is now possible thanks to the PHOTOiD HTML5 web app that basically combines the filtered Instagram photos that you’ve taken and applies the color palette to a pair of Nike Air Max 1, 90 or 95 sneakers. Once you’re satisfied with your creation, you can then order your pair of shoes which should arrive at your doorstep in a month.  Head on over to Nike’s PHOTOiD website for more details.

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You do not rise to the very top of the industry by remaining a follower, only leaders are able to be right up ahead of the rest of the pack. Nike has for some years now, proved itself to be a bastion in creativity where sports advertising is concerned, as they have also churned out their fair share of innovative shoes where sports and fitness are concerned. Well, their latest advertisement was recently spotted in Amsterdam, where it came in the form of holographic promotions.

The hologram advertisement that was shown off in Amsterdam pushed the new Nike Free 5.0 running shoes, where it was facilitated by Holocube, a European company whose specialty lies in holographic displays. The Nike Free 5.0 is shown rotating in virtual space, where it will twist and roll with realistic effect to entertain the multitude of pedestrians who walk by every single day. Courtesy of the transparent cube display, the hologram’s motion can be regardless of which side you are on.

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Back in December, Nike unveiled the Nike+ Accelerator program, powered by TechStars. After going through hundreds of applications, TechStars and Nike selected ten finalists. They will now begin a three-month program and take advantage of the Nike+ API and SDK to develop and release new companion products for the Nike FuelBand or Sportswatch.

The teams will relocate to Portland — next to Nike’s headquarters — where they will exchange ideas and information with mentors, such as Nike’s Vice President of Digital Sport Stefan Olander, founder and CEO of TechStars David Cohen and co-founder of Foursquare Naveen Selvadurai. By being selected, finalists received $20,000 of funding.

Here’s the full list of finalists:

• FitDeck: Digital decks of exercise playing cards that deliver ever-changing workouts for fitness and sports.
• GoRecess: Helps users find, book and review fitness activities.
• Chroma.io: An indie game studio that creates virtual worlds tied to real-world activity.
• CoachBase: Provides a digital sports coaching platform.
• GoFitCause: Leverages fitness data as a means of raising money for charities.
• HighFive: Ad network for health and fitness apps that helps people achieve their goals by rewarding them along their journey.
• Sprout At Work: Provider of corporate wellness solutions leveraging social and gamification tools to inspire employees and empower employers.
• GeoPalz: An interactive gaming and rewards platform for kids and families.
• Incomparable Things: Creates activity-driven fantasy sports leagues.
• RecBob: Offers a platform that makes recreational sports easy by organizing play.

When it comes to creating an accelerator program, there are three key advantages for Nike. Even though the details of the deal with TechStars are unknown, the program is a cheap way to imagine and develop new use cases for the Nike+ product line. Instead of paying 20 to 40 engineers for three months, Nike chose to create an incubator and give $20,000 to each team. It is clearly not a money-losing venture. Nike could even hire some of the participants at the end of the process, without having to hunt for those engineers.

Second, Nike counts on a long tail effect. If one or two teams make an incredibly successful product, it will entice developers around the world to develop for the Nike+ platform. Success stories are a powerful communication tool among developers.

Finally, fostering entrepreneurship is a trendy thing to do. It makes Nike look like an innovative company, not afraid of encouraging new ideas and up-and-coming companies. Entrepreneurship could become a brand attribute to differentiate the company from its competitors, which could drive sales.

TechStars gains a bit of mainstream recognition and press coverage by partnering with Nike. It is a well-known incubator that knows how to create and organize an accelerator program. The Nike+ Accelerator represents a new revenue stream for TechStars as well.

What’s next for the finalists? They are now working hard on their ideas and will pitch investors, journalists and Nike executives during the demo day in June. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the first batch of finalists of the Nike+ Accelerator program.

Late last year Nike announced that it was partnering with TechStars for its first ever Nike+ Accelerator program. In theory, the 10 startups chosen for this inaugural class would help strengthen and fix any glaring holes in Nike’s existing FuelBand and Nike+ apps. More »

If you put on these Nike Free 5.0s, you might not be able to ever take them off. That’s because the latest training kicks from Nike use a lockdown system inspired by Chinese finger traps. That means these shoes lock down your foot so you can move more freely. More »