Condoms already come in plenty of forms. You’ve got your ribbed, you glow-in-the-dark, your cola-flavored, your French ticklers and your textured and studded ones. But Bill and Melinda Gates would like to see one that hasn’t been invented yet—and they are willing to fork over more than $1 million for it.

That's why the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is offering up the cash to anyone who can design such a thing in the hopes of stopping the spread of HIV and AIDS, CNN reports.

The contraceptive they’d like to see is a "next generation condom that significantly preserves or enhances pleasure" and promotes "regular use" as part of the foundation's commitment to addressing the global HIV and AIDS crisis.

"Male condoms are cheap, easy to manufacture, easy to distribute, and available globally, including in resource-poor settings, through numerous well-developed distribution channels," the Foundation says, according to CNN. So what’s the problem? Well, people complain that condoms get in the way of intimacy and pleasure, which are generally the goal of most people having intercourse.Continue reading...

Colorado-based condom brand Sir Richard’s is a cheeky marketer, as we noted last year. How's it looking to make some noise this year for its all-natural brand? Supporting today's first annual Birth Control Day, "a holiday commemorating the responsible decision of choosing not to be a parent."

Their prophylactics have no spermicide, parabens or glycerin, and while the company "has nothing against parents, or even children for that matter,” it encourages “you and your significant other to celebrate the ability to fornicate to your heart’s content without procreating."

The campaign features 12 digital “Happy Birth Control Day” cards with Somecards-style messages to be disseminated on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or via email. Samples include: “Let’s not make the same mistake our parents did,” “I’d rather not remember we slept together in 9 months,” “You had me at ‘condoms’,” and “Let’s change positions, not diapers.”Continue reading...

The good folks at Trojan are known for their condoms, but the company doesn’t want anyone to think they have to actually wait to have a partner involved to enjoy sexual pleasure – and the company has data to back it up that you won’t find in any Election Day exit poll or Nate Silver analysis: Research from The Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University shows that 53 percent of American women and 45 percent of American men have used a vibrator in their lifetime, a Trojan press release reports.  

For Americans who haven’t experienced those good vibrations, Trojan is looking to help you out. The brand is going to be handing out free vibrators across the U.S. in the coming months, going from city to city with its trusty Pleasure Cart that will dole out a slew of vibrators rather than the hot dogs it was originally designed for. That's right, folks — the Trojan vibrator giveaway is back!

This past August, after a bit of bureaucratic interruptus, the cart rolled out in New York City and was greeted with ecstatic gratitude by thousands of New Yorkers.Continue reading...

Sick of Trojans and whatever else you’ve found in your pharmacy’s aisles to aid your to pregnancy-free sexual adventures? Well, there may soon be a new condom in town and it’s coming all the way from China. 

The Financial Times reports that Chinese condom maker Safedom is “seeking European partners or acquisitions as part of a bid to go global.” The company is, um, rising fast with 200 million sales expected this year in China and sales of a billion next year, the FT reports; now it's eyeing Bangladesh and African countries for expansion.

Safedom’s CEO, Brian Fu, recently visited the United Kingdom to meet with potential partners, and funding “will either come from existing shareholders, bank loans or possibly through an overseas stock market listing,” Fu told the paper.

Of course, condom makers have an edge in China, where couples are (officially) still subject to the country's controversial one child policy. Still, Fu is taking his product global, though he says that his company’s strength is “in manufacturing and technology,” so he will look to have “branding and marketing expertise” brought in from outside sources.

Meanwhile, a British "Viagra in a condom" concept is making waves for "unprofitable" drugmaker Futura Medical.Continue reading...