Is it just me or does it seem like a good bit of the new Web apps being launched are being considered "time wasters"? The term first hit me hard when iminlikewithyou presented at the NY Tech Meetup several months ago and during their demo they stated that the app was created just to waste time. Today I thought we would take a look at a couple new time wasters. Though both of the sites below actually add some unique value which makes them actually worthwhile.

CommandShift3

Brooklyn-based CommandShift3 is similar to the long-running Hot or Not people rating system. Here you are going through Web site battles. They show you two Web sites and you select the one with the better design. Then it’s on to another set, and another set, etc. Where they add value is that you have a good chance of finding several sites each time that you might not have known about before. I know I have. Marshall has a good review of the service.

ProductClash

We initially covered ProductClash when they launched in late November. The idea of ProductClash is very similar to CommandShift3 except that its for products. They throw up two related products and you pick which you like better. Revenue is generated by Amazon referrals it appears – though the links go to the UK Amazon site – they might want to look at localizing that for maximum revenue creation. Here is an example clash using two mice. It’s an interesting way to rate products and while it’s no replacement for an actual review, it can provide a quick look at two similar products. I don’t care for the spammy text they put below the footer to attempt to rank high for SEO. I’d rather see better quality text added to the actual page.

Update: Duncan at Techcrunch has an overview of ProductClash including notes on the Facebook app – he calls the service a Digg clone. I’d suggest if it’s any type of clone, it’d be a Hot or Not clone.

Do you know of other good "battle" sites? What about other time wasters?

Find more stories about: CommandShift3, NYC, ProductClash, Reviews

Below are five of the newest startups according to Killer Startups for the period ending December 15, 2007. Check out previous Killer Startups posts.

GoLark.com – What Larks in Your Town

The question of what to do is a classic; it seems never to be answered. There are in fact whole voluminous, books dedicated to the subject. However, for a quick primer on the matter you couldn’t go wrong in trying GoLark. GoLark helps you find out what’s going on in your area. Whether it’s a food fest, a concert or a museum exhibition, GoLark will keep you informed. read more »

ProductClash.com – Social Shopping Comparison

ProductClash.com provides the ability to find user generated and user rated product information. Doing so, they give decision makers the ability to include the opinion of other people in making a buying decision. What they believe is that making a choice is more than just an individual process based on rational criteria. A purchasing decision is based on three main criteria: The influential power of other people, the emotional connection to the brand or product category, and the underlying rational need for a product or a service. read more »

NapAds.com – Napkins with Hi-Def Advertisements

NapAds is a powerful, new approach to social advertising. They have spent the past year developing its exclusive social network consisting of bars and nightclubs. NapAds are provided to its network members for free in exchange for allowing NapAds.com to place NapAds inside their venue. Their exclusive Hi-Def napkins allows for any print campaign to be duplicated on to a standard beverage napkin. Once the napkins are printed they are provided to the bars and lounges free-of-charge. read more »

EyeSpyGolf.com – Google Earth US Golf Courses

EyeSpyGolf.com allows golfers to view every golf course in America (over 16,000) on Google Earth via a state by state, county by county directory system. Each course has been given their own page with address, contact details, weather forecast, green fees, Google Maps and the all important, link to Google Earth, so golfers no longer have to troll through Google Earth hoping to find golf courses in their area. read more »

PimpMyNews.com – Text To Speech News and Blogs

No time to read the day’s news on your homepage before hopping in the car and rushing off to work? Check out what Pimp My News, a new text-to-speech service which converts your favorite news and blog sites into audio. When you create a free account with Pimp My News, you’ll be able to specify which news sites and/or blogs you wish to have PMN convert to mp3 files. You’ll then be able to listen to these files on your iPod, computer, iPhone, and other mp3 playing devices. read more »

Find more stories about: EyeSpyGolf, GoLark, Killer Startups, NapAds, PimpMyNews, ProductClash, Reviews

Below are five of the newest startups according to Killer Startups for the period ending November 30, 2007. Check out previous Killer Startups posts.

CampusDestinations.com – University Campus Map

Campus Destinations is the premier mapping and informational services company for college campuses. Campus Destinations mission is to save students time and money by eliminating inefficient ways of allocating their schedule and funds and creating an interactive portal that enables them to profit from the correction of this externality. Additionally, the company allows users to register on the site to rate local restaurants and share "cool-facts" about local destinations on campus. read more »

BookThief.com – The Textbook Black Market

BookThief.com hopes to upset the textbook market by forcing bookstores to compete based on price, locally. Once called a ‘broken market’ in a study commissioned by Congress, the used textbook market has had little competition for too long. Collectively, 18 states have current or pending legislation aimed at reducing textbook prices. BookThief.com isn’t a real textbook black market of course, but the Web site hopes to give students a viable alternative to buying and selling textbooks at the campus bookstore. read more »

Tagiton.com – 6 Degrees of Email

You probably know the whole 6 degrees concept, made popular by the Kevin Bacon game of the same name, in which every one is connected by six degrees of separation; well Tagiton has taken the concept and applied it to email. Register with Tagiton, and your communication will be separated and organized into degreed tags which indicate social layers. read more »

ProductClash.com – Social Shopping Comparison

ProductClash.com provides the ability to find user generated and user rated product information. Doing so, they give decision makers the ability to include the opinion of other people in making a buying decision. What they believe is that making a choice is more than just an individual process based on rational criteria. A purchasing decision is based on three main criteria: The influential power of other people, the emotional connection to the brand or product category, and the underlying rational need for a product or a service. read more »

Loonapix.com – Add Frames To Your Photos

In yet another bid to make your pictures look fabulous and funny, all at once, LoonaPix has launched an image processing service which you can use to add frames to your photos. It’s pretty simple and straightforward to apply. Just upload any photo or select an image from the web (paste the URL in the appropriate area), and choose a frame you like. read more »

Find more stories about: BookThief, CampusDestinations, Killer Startups, Loonapix, ProductClash, Reviews, Tagiton