While we usually feature companies when they launch, we love seeing their creativity develop and grow after that initial period. And we just spotted a fun example: the made-to-order muesli mixers of mymuesli recently created the first TV commercial filmed and edited entirely on the iPhone 4.

In the three years since we first featured mymuesli, they've expanded to the UK, Switzerland and the Netherlands, and have been joined by similar concepts in other countries, including [Me]&Goji in the US. They've also forged smart alliances with established health, fitness and beauty brands, and developed a convenience product: mymuesli2go.

Which brings us back to the iPhone. mymuesli's founders were so impressed by the phone's video quality, that they decided to use it to shoot and edit an ad for their new product. Highlighting the convenience aspect of mymuesli2go, the ad features a skydiver eating cereal before jumping out of a plane. (The video below shows both the ad and 'the making of'.) The commercial aired on German and Austrian television over the weekend.

Whether or not you're an Apple fanboy, there's no denying the buzz surrounding their product launches. And latching on to that early fervor can be an inexpensive way for young brands to draw some attention their way. Watch and learn ;-) (Related: Fashion shoot uses iPhone 3GS.)

Website: www.mymuesli.com
Contact: www.mymuesli.com/kontakt

Eco-minded products are all very well and good, but for many consumers the important thing is the green credentials that go with them. A new smartphone from German sports company Puma—launched just last week in Europe through a partnership with France's Sagem Wireless—promises to serve both purposes by featuring both an integrated solar cell and an eco-metering function that displays all the resulting energy savings.

With a tablet form factor, a 2.8-inch thumbable screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera and a VGA video call camera, the Puma Phone is available SIM-free for an estimated retail price of EUR 399; it's also available subsidised by local operators as part of a contract bundle. The sports-centric phone is shipped in eco-friendly packaging, and just one hour of sunshine provides enough power for one hour and 30 minutes of MP3 play or about 30 text messages, its makers say. Even more interesting is that users can easily see how much of their phone calls, music and messages have been powered by the sun—data that's eminently shareable for a quick boost in status. According to a report on Gizmodo, solar power usage also translates into points redeemable in the Puma store.

Of course, in addition to providing an eco-metering, status-conveying alternative to the rest of the cellphone pack, the Puma Phone is also a nice example of what our sister site would call a branded brand. Makers of other eco-minded goods: what are you doing to help your customers flaunt their green credentials...? (Related: Fitness-focused cell phone — Laundromat reaps solar rewards — Energy meters get tweeting — Thermoelectric wellies charge festival-goers' phones.)

Website: www.pumaphone.com
Contact: info-de@puma.com

Spotted by: Henry Mason

There's no shortage of bath and body products made with organic ingredients or otherwise positioned as earth and human friendly. Hoping to stand out in that increasingly crowded marketplace, a new German company is taking things a step further: instead of a regular brand name, it operates under a message: Stop The Water While Using Me.

Stop The Water currently sells shampoo (EUR 13) and shower gel (EUR 12) through its online store, with toothpaste in the works (EUR 8). All products are made with organic and/or natural ingredients, packaged in biodegradable containers, and manufactured with sustainability in mind. But the standout feature is that message, reminding people to switch off the tap while lathering up.

Managed by ad executive Stefan Kolle, Hamburg-based Stop The Water was shortlisted for a 2010 Cannes Lion and is currently seeking retailers to sell its products. Whether or not you sell bath products, the concept of message-as-brand is worth a brainstorm. (Related: Smart devices help households monitor their energy use.)

Website: www.stopthewaterwhileusingme.com
Contact: hello@stop-the-water-while-using-me.com

Spotted by: NOTCOT

We've noted on numerous occasions the fact that traditional advertising can no longer hold a candle to promotion via social media—see New Zealand's Pass It On initiative for one recent example. Aiming to make the value of such social endorsements explicit, Pay with a Tweet is a platform that lets content owners sell their goods in exchange for a single tweet rather than cash.

Developed by German-American Innovative Thunder, Pay with a Tweet bills itself as “the first social payment system where people pay with the value of their social network.” In other words, rather than paying with currency, purchasers of any kind of content tell their friends on Twitter about it instead. Interested content owners simply sign up with Pay with a Tweet, including the download URL, the tweet to be posted and a link to their company's website. Purchasers, then, follow a “forced viral” model to promote the product in question far and wide. Pay with a Tweet is currently available for testing on Innovative Thunder's own book, “Oh My God What Happened and What Should I Do?”

Traditional advertising's impact has been fading for some time now, but this is one of the first attempts we've seen to make social media's value explicit. Content creators the world over: one to try out on your own latest work? (Related: Free products for bloggers at invitation-only events — Travel company gives bloggers free trips — Connecting restaurants and bloggers for 'tastecasting' via Twitter.)

Website: www.paywithatweet.com
Contact: team@knarre.com

Allotments and community gardens have long been a refuge for gardenless city dwellers wanting to grow their own food. But for garden newbies, the commitment and work involved can be daunting; not to mention having to deal with waiting lists and established social dynamics on a shared piece of land.

Which is where our latest (sub)urban farming spotting fits in: Meine Ernte—German for My Harvest—rents out vegetable gardens for a season, and takes care of soil preparation and planting. Once the plants start growing, members come in and spend 1-2 hours a week caring for their plants and harvesting their crops.

Prior gardening experience isn't required. A professional is available onsite once a week to answer any questions the amateur gardeners may have, and detailed information on plant care and harvesting is accessible through a members' area on the company's website. Meine Ernte provides members with the necessary tools, and offers gardens in three sizes: Small (enough veggies for 1-2 people, for EUR 149 per season), Standard (3-4 people, EUR 289) and Large (5-6 people, EUR 433). According to Meine Ernte, members can easily get EUR 600 worth of produce from a standard size garden. In advance, Meine Ernte sows and plants over 20 varieties of vegetables, while a section of each plot is left open for gardeners to add varieties of their own choosing.

Launched this year by Natalie Kirchbaumer and Wanda Ganders in cooperation with local organic farmers, Meine Ernte currently operates garden sites near six German cities, which it hopes to double in 2011. There's no doubt about it: consumers are increasingly interested in growing their own food, helped by smart entrepreneurs who turn those novice (sub)urban farmers into paying customers. (Related: Remote-controlled farming for city dwellers — Homegrown vegetables, no green thumb needed — More homegrown veggies without the sweat — Five new business ideas for urban gardening — Matching would-be vegetable gardeners with arable land.)

Website: www.meine-ernte.de
Contact: www.meine-ernte.de/kontakt.html

Spotted by: Anna Brones

The attraction of cycling as a green, healthy, and cost-saving form of transport is huge for consumers, especially so at a time when the environment and world financial woes dominate the zeitgeist. Businesses doing something a little different for cyclists are a strong bet for success. Here's five we recently spotted:

1. GREEN GOOSE — As part of their package of web services allowing users to track healthy lifestyle achievements, Green Goose's bike-mounted sensors record cycling activity and upload the data over wifi. The company also provides services to help employers encourage cycling to work.

2. E-WERK — The energy generated pushing those pedals has long been tapped to power lights using a dynamo. But why stop there? German manufacturer Busch & Müller sells a dynamo-powered power supply allowing users to charge phones, MP3 players and other mobile devices. E-Werk comes with a selection of connectors including USB.

3. VELOCOMPUTER — Some cyclists may prefer not to fit an assortment of paraphernalia to their bikes, be it for security, aerodynamic or purely aesthetic reasons. VeloComputer is a mobile phone-based alternative to traditional bike computers and uses the accelerometer built in to many modern smartphones.

4. THE HUMBLE VINTAGE — If a cyclist is away from home and hasn't got their bike with them, they may want to rent something with a bit of personality that doesn't clearly signpost them as a tourist. Melbourne-based The Humble Vintage refurbishes classic and vintage cycles as a rental alternative to the ubiquitous MTB.

5. BICYKLO — Aiming to make it easier to find the perfect cycle tour, Bicyklo aggregates thousands of tour offers from hundreds of operators worldwide into a single database, allowing cyclists to search by area, duration and type rather than have to seek out individual operators and investigate what they have on offer.

Spotters: Doug Jost, Robin Benjamins

Insurance companies, courts and lawyers all require detailed depictions of traffic accidents to successfully resolve claims for compensation. Currently in public beta, AccidentSketch is a free online tool that allows users to graphically document car accidents with ease.

Using a simple drag and drop template system, recreating the circumstances of a collision using AccidentSketch is much like putting together pieces of a puzzle. First, road 'pieces' are added to a grid to create an accurate depiction of the road, including curves, intersections and more. Next, vehicles are placed on the road map, with specification of vehicle colours and inputting of license plate numbers optional. Final details are then added, such as bicycles, pedestrians, traffic signs, lights, arrows and braking marks. AccidentSketch also allows users to create a text report explaining the details of the accident. The finished sketch can be printed out or downloaded as a PDF file.

Developed by German claim management services provider ClaimMS, AccidentSketch makes consumers' lives easier at a time when they need it most. Insurance companies: one to partner with? (Related: Smartphone app serves as video "black box" for cars — iPhone app helps State Farm users submit a claim.)

Website: www.accidentsketch.com
Contact: info@claim.ms

Spotted by:  R. Stein

Now that Starbucks has turned to the crowds for help redesigning its paper coffee cups and Pepsi has asked for guidance on its community giving, it seems only natural that Volkswagen should crowdsource ideas for its next in-car entertainment system. Indeed, Volkswagen just launched a new contest—dubbed App My Ride—to invite designers, programmers, developers and interested users to help develop applications for its future in-car infotainment systems.

Volkswagen has already begun developing a prototype for its new system—involving, specifically, a touch-screen integrated in a vehicle's center console—and it hopes to research as many potential apps as possible. Toward that end, it has launched an innovation community through which consumers can contribute their own apps and ideas. To develop an app, participants must have not just an idea but also a graphic design of the user interface and the ability to program in Adobe Flash or Flex. They can then submit their compiled app as a SWF file; in fact, the contest's software development kit even includes an AppPlayer for testing those applications. Those without full-fledged apps, meanwhile, are welcome to submit their ideas for consideration as well. Participants can submit as many apps and ideas as they want by the contest's June 30 deadline. In August, the most innovative application will be chosen by the App My Ride community and a jury consisting of Volkswagen managers and external experts. The first-place winner will receive EUR 3,000 as well as a trip to take part in an international vehicle presentation, including flight and hotel. Second- and third-prize winners will receive EUR 2,000 and EUR 1,000, respectively. Other prizes for apps, ideas and participation will include non-cash awards such as a Volkswagen car for a weekend; a special prize for students, meanwhile, involves a 6-month internship within Volkswagen Group Research.

By launching this contest, Volkswagen is the first car manufacturer to crowdsource product development, it says. Given the growing ranks of major companies that have already taken that route in other industries, however, it seems safe to say it won't be the last. Which auto brand will be next to tap the awe-inspiring power of the global brain...? (Related: Crowdsourced dream cars inspired by destinations — Open source eco-car, designed by wiki.)

Website: www.app-my-ride.com
Contact: app-my-ride@volkswagen.de

Much has been written about declining honeybee populations and the danger this could have for the rest of our ecosystem, including food production. One solution is to support beekeepers, which is where Heimathonig comes in. Launched in Germany earlier this year, it's a directory that helps consumers find and buy from local beekeepers.

According to Heimathonig, there are over 85,000 beekeepers in Germany, most of whom are too small to build and maintain their own website. On Heimathonig, they can create a profile that includes information about their bees, the flowers they gather nectar from, where they're based, etc. Beekeepers can use Heimathonig to sell their products online, and can also link to their own website if they have one. The company charges an annual listing fee of EUR 60.

Honey is a deeply local product, inherently connected to the plants and meadows surrounding a colony's hive. Yet only 20 percent of the honey consumed in Germany is produced locally. (The other 80 percent usually comes in jars proclaiming markedly un-local "mixed EU and non-EU origins"). Combined with consumer interest in local food, that sounds like a sweet opportunity for growth. Time to partner with Heimathonig and start connecting beekeepers with honey-lovers in your own country? (Related: Web developer focuses on farms — British supermarket builds bee hotels to help pollinate local crops — An Etsy for artisanal food.)

Website: www.heimathonig.de
Contact: www.heimathonig.de/kontakt

Over the past few years, we've seen nearly every major clothing brand—from the Gap to Louis Vuitton—set up one or more pop-up stores, drawing attention to their product lines and to their regular retail outlets. In contrast, a Munich-based brand isn't attempting to supplement its fixed-store bread and butter; Clemens en August's only offline sales are through temporary outlets, twice a year. Avoiding the pop-up moniker, the brand describes itself as being 'on tour'.

Each season Clemens en August travels to an assortment of fashion-minded cities to sell its current collections in contemporary art galleries for only three days at a time. By cutting out the retail margin, the strategy lets the brand offer its clothes at substantially lower prices than they otherwise could. Through planned scarcity, meanwhile, the strategy creates a new sense of exclusivity based on limited availability, not price. Together, those benefits have clearly helped the brand survive during these tough economic times, allowing it to win a cult following and to see a sales increase of 30 percent in 2009, according to a report in Time. While it also sells through its online store, Clemens en August maintains a sense of scarcity: the third floor of its webshop is reserved for customers who've visited the most recent tour.

Don't look now, but the pop-up retail model just gained even more staying power. One to try out with your own high-end goods...? (Related: Nationwide network of pop-up marketing spaces — Luxury etailer focuses on planned scarcity.)

Website: www.clemens-en-august.com
Contact: info@clemens-en-august.com

Whether it's to shrink their carbon footprint or boost their bank balance, few consumers will dispute the need for decreased energy use. Some steps are relatively easy—switching off lights, or going easy on the climate control. But for real resource management, households need to know exactly how much they're using. To help them out, companies all over the world are launching smart energy monitoring devices and systems. A few examples we've spotted recently:

Promoting shorter showers, Efergy's Shower Time tracks how much water is used when showering. It comes with a calibration bag to determine how long a specific showerhead takes to run through one liter of water. That number is then saved in the timer's memory, along with the maximum amount of water someone would like to use. During a shower, the timer indicates how much water has been used so far, and sets off an alarm when it's time to turn off the tap.

Combining hard data with an appealing interface, the Tendril Vision is a one-stop dashboard for household energy management. It not only lets users review their own current and historical energy consumption, but also that of their neighbourhood. It displays real-time pricing information, alerts users of upcoming price changes, and helps automate routine tasks to circumvent peak load times. Designed by IDEO, the system presents all of this complex information through a simple and elegant interface on a touchscreen display, developed to make energy management part of a household's daily routine.

Getting kids in on the action, Tio is a light switch ghost that shows children how much energy they're using. Tio starts off green and happy, and becomes red and angry if lights are left on too long. Information from the light switch is sent to a computer program that allows children and watchful parents to track their lighting use over a period of time. Besides reminding kids to turn off lights, the device is also a playful way of making them aware of the need for energy conservation. The concept was created by Tim Holley, a British designer based in Germany.

Like the colour-changing ghost, the Power Aware cord relies on ambient visual cues to remind consumers of their energy consumption. Launched by Static!, an interactive design agency, the cord glows blue when turned on, lighting up more brightly as energy use increases.

From partnering with appliance manufacturers to distributing smart devices through utility companies, this area is rife with business opportunities. Time to increase energy awareness in your part of the world?

This post is sponsored by PG&E (the Pacific Gas and Electric Company) as part of their wider focus on fighting climate change. As always, Springwise is adamant about maintaining editorial objectivity—PG&E asked us to write about energy conservation, but had no further involvement in the content of this or other posts.

Check out PG&E's We Can Do This website for more, including a feature on the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., a sustainable brewery.

It's been only a few weeks since we covered French WTFjeans, but we couldn't resist mentioning another gadget-friendly clothing accessory we recently came across. For those not willing to stuff their jeans with electronics—however well-suited those jeans might be—the Bandee is a multifunctional sash designed to hold mobile phones, iPods and all sorts of other gadgets that otherwise fill up pockets or get lost in handbags.

The award-winning Bandee is a “multifunctional transport solution for the little things of everyday life,” as its Berlin-based creator puts it. Cellphones, music players, wallets, ID, keys, lipstick and a virtually infinite variety of other small items fit nicely in its many pockets, relieving the wearer of the need to carry a heavy bag or load the pockets of one's clothes. Compartments are configured to ensure that nothing falls out—even on the most challenging half-pipe, say—and a variety of designs are available. Pricing ranges from EUR 29.95 for solid-coloured Bandees to EUR 39.95 for multicolour designs.

Currently selling through its online shop as well as through retail outlets in Portugal, the Netherlands, South Korea, Poland and Turkey, Bandee is now seeking distributors in other countries. One to bring to the gadget-dependent masses in your part of the world...?

Website: www.bandee.de
Contact: info@bandee.eu

Registering bicycles to make them easier to track down if lost or stolen isn't new. Many bike retailers put identification numbers on bike frames, and in some cities you can register bicycles with the police. The problem is that these methods are generally only effective at the local level. Enter German startup MyBikeNumber. Launched in December 2009, MyBikeNumber is a free online service that lets consumers register their bicycle and components, or search for them worldwide.

Users register their bike on the MyBikeNumber site using the frame number, and add photos to the profile page to help visually identify their bike. Registered bikes are allocated a unique QR code, which can be printed as a sticker and affixed to the frame. The code can be read by many mobile devices. MyBikeNumber also allows bike retailers to register their entire inventory under a single "dealer code". Registered cycles can be reported as stolen or lost, or recorded as sold to a new owner, through the site.

Consumers can visit the site and check the unique identifiers to ensure that the bicycle they are looking to purchase is not stolen. In the event that a bike is found to be stolen, a message can be sent securely through the site to inform the rightful owner.

According to the FBI, there were 221,936 bicycle thefts in the United States in 2008. Globally, the number of bikes reported stolen annually is estimated at 1.5 million. MyBikeNumber aims to help bike owners worldwide avoid becoming a statistic. Could this be a model worth emulating to trace other possessions vulnerable to theft? (Related: Lost & found in the 21st century.)

Website: www.mybikenumber.com
Contact: press@mybikenumber.com

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

Giving softly-spoken consumers everywhere a better chance of getting themselves heard, the Talk-o-Meter is a chat-monitoring iPhone app designed to show conversation dominators the error of their overbearing ways.

After a brief calibration period to identify the voices in a dialogue, the app recognises who is speaking and keeps track of each person's talk time. The results are displayed as red and blue bars indicating the balance. Speakers can then glance at the Talk-o-Meter as they converse, and—the designer hopes—make adjustments if they are monopolising the discussion.

Talk-o-Meter is priced at EUR 3.99 on the Apple iTunes Store. Its creator, Unperfekthaus, is working on a new version of the app that can be used by more than two people, to identify those who dominate group discussions. One to try out or get involved in?

Website: www.talk-o-meter.de/e
Contact: info@unperfekthaus.de

Spotted by: Reinhard Wiesemann

With so many innovative new materials being launched every year — take Ecovative's sustainable styrofoam substitute, for example—it would be difficult for any product designer or manufacturer to be aware of them all as they create their own new products. That's where Material Short Stories comes in. The company offers a service-cum-publication geared toward manufacturers, agencies and designers that suggests five new materials that could be incorporated in any new product design.

Clients begin by sending German Material Short Stories a visual of their product or concept via e-mail. The company then brainstorms on the concept and its user experience, factoring in branding and sustainability issues, and comes up with a list of new materials that could make sense. From there, it zeroes in on five innovative materials that could best be used to improve the product concept, and it sketches and summarizes those—including references and design recommendations—in a neat little booklet. Within a few days, clients get that booklet sent to them along with a 1-gigabyte USB card including a digital summary for use in presentations. The cost is EUR 600 plus VAT and shipping.

Given all the sustainability-related innovation these days, there will clearly be increasing need for someone to help connect those on the product side with the fast-changing world of materials. One to emulate on a niche basis—or, to tap for help with your own next design? (Related: Library of green building materials.)

Website: www.material-short-stories.com
Contact: info@material-short-stories.com

Spotted by: Cagla Pakel

When we wrote about Lufthansa's MySkyStatus tool last October, it gave travellers the option of having their flight status updates posted automatically to either Facebook or Twitter. Some 17,000 automatic tweets have since been posted as a result, and now the German airline has expanded the free service with new capabilities.

Still available for passengers on any airline, the MySkyStatus tool now gives users the option of having their departure, in-flight location and arrival updates sent via email as well. Travellers can choose who will receive their updates and when; they can also add a personalised message. In addition, a new drop-down menu lets them share their reason for flying.

There's no doubt it's a real-time world out there, with heavy emphasis on up-to-the-minute updates on as many platforms as possible, and personalisation capabilities make the deal even sweeter. Keep the (branded) conversation-boosters coming!

Website: www.myskystatus.com
Contact: konzern.lufthansa.com/en/service/contact.html

The death of the newspaper may be oft-discussed and widely predicted, but every once in a while a bit of evidence comes along suggesting that those predictions might be premature. Last year we saw the arrival of The Printed Blog, which aggregated blog content into a newspaper package tailored for local readers. That effort didn't survive the year, but now a German counterpart has picked up the torch and revived the idea with a personalised web-to-print newspaper service aimed at young readers.

Launched in November for Berlin residents, Niiu has partnered with 17 daily papers—both national (such as the Berliner Morgenpost, Der Tagesspiegel and Bild) and international (including the New York Times and the Washington Times)—to give readers a choice of content. Customers begin by selecting which pages or sections of those papers they'd like to fill their own 24-page publication, as well as any content they'd like included from hundreds of online RSS feeds. Those who don't want to specify their content piece by piece can also choose from a variety of predefined profiles focused on emphases like fashion or business. The paper can be further customised with a name and a color for the front and back; users can even choose to add a greeting, slogan or uploaded photos. Then, following an entirely outsourced production process, the resulting creation is delivered to their door. Orders for a single issue need only be placed by 2 p.m. for next-morning delivery. Per-issue pricing is EUR 1.20 for students and EUR 1.80 for everyone else, with an introductory offer of three free issues.

Cofounder Wanja Oberhof explains: "It's an individualized paper which has a wide appeal because people, especially students who grew up with the Web, want to get their news from different sources." Despite the diversity of media they're familiar with, however, such readers still prefer print, he told The Editor's Weblog: "We asked this target group which is the most comfortable and which is the best distribution channel; is it an e-paper, is it only on mobile, is it printed or online? The feedback was that for now, paper is still the best distribution channel."

Niiu is currently available only in Berlin, but it plans to expand soon to other German cities. And with its highly targeted model—benefiting not just readers but advertisers as well—the concept might just work. Definitely one to watch! (Related: Web-to-print tool creates personalised magazines — Customised magazine from Lexus, Time & Amex — Magazine publishing for everyone and every niche — Personalised music mag.)

Website: www.niiu.de
Contact: www.niiu.de/kontakt

Spotted by: Lieke Voermans

Billed as a 'virtual taste search engine', Aromicon lists thousands of wines categorised by every imaginable detail. Wines can be browsed by region, grape variety or food pairing, as well as searched by keyword. There's also the option to browse according to taste, featuring a huge range of subtleties to satisfy the requirements of the most practiced palette—everything from 'kiwi' and 'butter', to peculiarities like 'animal' and 'blood' (luckily you can opt to exclude those).

Although the site is in German, it's almost navigable by its icons alone—hence the name. And in a visually innovative twist, a short animation graphically displays a wine's unique blend of flavours, showing berries, chocolate, pipes, etc swirling around in a glass. The concept is a spin-off from the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design, and features a vintage revenue model: the site essentially functions as a fully-featured affiliate sales portal linking to several German wine merchants. One to serve up for wine-lovers who don't speak German, or to partner with if you're in the wine business?

Website: www.aromicon.com
Contact: kontakt@aromicon.com

Spotted by: Franziska Luh

What's better than reading? Having someone read to you. Even better—having the author read to you. When book lovers visit an author's reading, they generally know his or her work. Aiming to introduce readers to authors they aren't yet familiar with, zehnSeiten (German for ten pages) promotes writers through videos that feature them reading ten pages from their latest novel.

Available both online and as an iPhone app, the videos are simple, fixed-camera affairs. No dramatic introductions or filmed scenes, just black and white recordings of authors sitting at a table and reading from their work. By eliminating frills, the focus is on the author and production time and costs are kept to a minimum. Videos range in length from ten to thirty minutes and feature work from a variety of publishers. New recordings are added weekly. zehnSeiten is the brainchild of five friends from Munich—an idea they had over drinks. It's a concept that's easily adaptable to others categories or other countries, at relatively low cost.

Website: www.zehnseiten.de
Contact: info@zehnseiten.de

Spotted by: Franziska Luh

P.S. For those of you who don't speak German, zehnSeiten adds that Tim Parks' and Paul Beatty's videos are in English.

German airline Lufthansa is relaunching its FlyNet in-flight broadband service. Lufthansa was the first to launch in-flight broadband in 2004, then powered by Boeing's Connexion system, which Boeing phased out in 2006. Now, in partnership with Panasonic Avionics, Lufthansa has announced that it will bring back FlyNet mid next year.

In the meantime, Lufthansa has found an innovative way to get its name pinged around the web. Through its free MySkyStatus service, fliers can sign up for flight status updates to be posted automatically to their Facebook or Twitter profiles. Available for flights on any airline, passengers enter their flight details and Facebook or Twitter login details beforehand, and MySkyStatus will post regular updates about their departure, altitude, location and arrival as they travel. Besides providing social media addicts with a cool new trick, MySkyStatus reminds us of FlightCaster for the helping hand it gives anyone expecting the arrival of a friend or coworker.

MySkyStatus taps into two growing consumer trends: the whole world is engaged in ongoing conversations that smart brands can be part of (foreverism), and 'real-time' is becoming an integral element of many products and services we use (nowism). In using this as a marketing tool (a short "powered by Lufthansa" is tacked on to every update), the airline smartly chose to open MySkyStatus to people flying with any airline, thereby initiating conversations that its competitors might not be part of.

Website: www.myskystatus.com
Contact: konzern.lufthansa.com/en/html/service/kontakt/

Spotted by: Mashable via airlinetrends.com