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Irish Picks: November 2000

Welcome to Irish Picks for November! If you know of a site we should cover, don't be shy.
Just contact our Editor, Sheila McDonald, and one of our reviewers will check it out.

Ignore the clunky design of this site and dive in to the world of salmon leather goods. Yep, you heard that right -- the folks at Irish Salmon Skin Leather Company have found a way to tan salmon skins just like animal hides. The results are the products you'll see here, although the thumbnail photos don't do justice to the soft, patterned beauty of this leather which is visible in the larger pictures. The range includes wallets, ladies' purses, credit card holders and even hip flasks (stainless steel on the inside, fish-skinned on the outside). Sadly, there's no online ordering, but an enquiry form is available.
Sometimes no amount of squinting and imagining will help you visualise what a new garden design will look like. A cool new service from Photorealistic Gardens offers a specially touched-up photo of your garden that shows exactly what new plantings would look like after growth of three to five years. The previews on the site are intriguing and show how real trees, shrubs, flowers and garden lighting will look. Mail in your photo or send a scanned digital picture; costs can go up to hundreds of pounds for more detail and different options, but avid homeowners might find it worth the cost.
You won't understand a word of it unless you're a wireless software or systems developer specialising in Bluetooth technology, but for those specialists, InfoTooth is a real find. It's styled as an information centre, glossary and knowledge base dedicated to this emergent wireless technology which uses radio waves to let devices communicate, rather like a souped-up version of infrared. The makers (two Irish hotshots) freely admit that much of their data is sourced from external resources like the Motorola Bluetooth glossary, and credit is given where due. For newcomers to the technology, the on-line tutorial is an absolute must.
Books, music and travel are still some of the hottest Web sellers, but PubXchange.com is hoping the right shoppers might be willing to fork out IEP3.8 million or so for a nice boozer. Pub sales are just one aspect of this heavy-hitting new e-procurement site for Ireland's hospitality industry. It also provides supplies ordering and order tracking, and more tools are planned for the future. Some Irish pubs may look old, but they're getting wired with services like these.
Shoppers comfortable with buying online have a new outlet for Irish goods this Christmas. Bentlys of Ireland sells tourist-style gifts like Irish linen, cookbooks, panoramic posters and Riverdance memorabilia. The site is easy to use and has useful shopping tools: order tracking, a loyalty points scheme and easy multicurrency selection. There's also free delivery, regardless of destination. The fare here is attractive but of the usual suspect variety. Still, a great place to start some holiday gift shopping.

Sites Featured in Irish Picks:

Irish Salmon Skin Leather Company - fishy gifts.
Photorealistic Gardens - make garden designs a reality.
InfoTooth - Bluetooth bonanza for developers everywhere.
PubXchange.com - Irish pubs online.

Bentlys of Ireland - gift centre.

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