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  • Article
    Posted by  see more Posted by Knowlton Thomas on 2012-06-27 9:40:00 AM

    Each year, 1.5 million students travel to learn English in Anglophone countries. As a result, the ESL market is worth more than $4 billion annually.


    A Vancouver-based startup called ESL Explorer has just opened for business and hopes to become a part of this multi-billion-dollar market by offering a healthy dose of the Internet into an industry that operates like the travel agency industry did 15 years ago.


    The Canadian startup brings together students who are seeking to learn English and schools who teach English in a transparent online environment, combining social elements (like Facebook), ratings and reviews (like TripAdvisor), and recommendations and e-commerce functionality (like Amazon), to provide a unique community marketplace for the language travel industry.


    ESL Explorer provides a niche social network for those 1.5 million students to connect with others who share their interest in language and travel. And it even helps find the perfect experience for each student, by providing a system that matches students’ preferences to schools’ areas of strength. Further, students are able to complete the purchase of their entire language travel experience through ESL Explorer.


    "We're building technology that will do good in the world," says founder Nick Miller. "When students choose schools based on transparent reviews, the schools will focus on quality of education. With great language education, people communicate and understand each other more thoroughly. And when we understand one another, it's easier to build a better world."


    SOURCE: http://www.techvibes.com/blog/vancouvers-esl-explorer-officially-launches-aims-to-revolutionize-language-travel-industry-2012-06-27 June 27, 2012

  • Article

    In the United States alone, more than 160,000 phones are misplaced, lost or stolen everyday, costing Americans $30 billion a year.

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    In the United States alone, more than 160,000 phones are misplaced, lost or stolen everyday, costing Americans $30 billion a year.

    And the number of lost or stolen valuables is even higher than that.

    People are constantly misplacing smartphones, keys, wallets, and valuable electronics. 

    Vancouver's Linquet (pronounced Linket) is hoping to do something about it. Linquet claims to be "the easiest and most comprehensive anti-loss solution."

    Linquet users simply install a free app on their smartphone and link "linquets" to their smartphone via Bluetooth. When the phone or any linquet goes out-of-range (e.g. leaving home without your wallet) both their phone and their valuable will alarm, averting the loss.

    In rare cases where you don't hear the alarm, Linquet uploads both time and location to the cloud, giving users the power to find their valuables afterwards. And to find your in-range valuables (e.g. keys in a messy room), you can simply press a button on the phone to immediately locate your keys or you could press the button on a Linquet to find your phone.

    With Linquet you can prevent the loss of your phone and multiple valuables simultaneously. Linquet works automatically, so you don’t need to open the app or even bring out your phone. It protects your valuables constantly, even when the app is closed.

    Linquet was founded by Pooya Kazerouni and Vancouver superangel Mike Edwards is an investor. Use VIP passkey "LinkingEverything" to get early access to Linquet now.

    SOURCE: http://www.techvibes.com/blog/never-lose-your-smartphone-wallet-or-keys-again-with-linquet-2012-06-25 June 26, 2012