Islam makes a bid for the iPod generation

If the Diary was in a position to give out awards for ingenious ideas then the iMuslim would be in contention for one.

This device, produced by a company called Playnetics in West Yorkshire, provides followers of the Islamic faith with pretty much everything they need, in a package no bigger than an iPod.

It includes an electronic version of the Holy Qur’an, Hadith books, the 99 names of Allah, a database of prayer times, a guide to determining qibla (the direction Muslims face during prayer), and a video tour of the Holy Kabbah at Mecca, the holiest place in Islam.

The company behind the product recently trademarked the term iMuslim to ward off imitators, but the niche is a growing one. A brief online search by the Diary uncovered a range of similar electronic products for Christians and followers of other faiths.

This got the Diary thinking about what would happen if these ideas were transferred into the less profound world of marketing.

Perhaps an iMarketer device could feature a 360-degree tour of The Ivy and directions there from anywhere in Soho, as well as an electronic copy of the latest AC Nielsen spend figures plus a showreel of Guinness, Honda and Sony Bravia ads to view in times of creative crisis.