Textspresso: Coffee with a text
You will probably never buy Zipwhip's Textspresso coffee machine in any store -- a fact baldly posted on the company's Web site -- but that won't stop other appliance-makers from using the company's cloud-based texting platform to one day churn out cup after cup of custom-texted brews.
In fact, Zipwhip encourages such exploration by making the code it used open-source.
With that in mind, Zipwhip hand-delivered its Textspresso machine -- really a hacked De'Longhi espresso-maker -- to CNET headquarters to demonstrate the future of communicating with your caffeine. Here's how it works.
Very simply, thirsty users text their menu order -- say a single, double, or triple espresso -- from a smartphone or desktop texting interface like Google Voice to the Textspresso's designated phone number. The machine quips back when it starts your order, and then chirps again when it's finished frothing.
And yes, it'll let you know when to refill the water or tip in more beans. In a corporate environment, the machine would likely text a facilities coordinator when levels get low.
It's all thanks to Pi To birth the Textspresso, Zipwhip started with an off-the-shelf espresso machine that costs about $500, then opened up the guts to insert a programmed ... [Read more]
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