47-in touchscreen vending machines with embedded cameras!

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47-in touchscreen panel installed on vending machines!? With cameras?  What for!? All the user has to do is push a button representing the item he/she wishes to purchase and that's it! So again, what for?

Well, as we all know, Japan is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the whole world. Japan is famous for their wild, crazy, and innovative ideas on basically anything (gadgets, game shows, animes, etc). So, Advanced country + Wild ideas = 47-in touchscreen panel on vending machines with embedded camera. 

The first touchscreen vending machine was installed two weeks ago at Tokyo's Shinagawa Station. This replaces the quintessential vending machines we have, that has a poster image/logo of the product and uses a physical button to select the item. Instead, users just have to "tap" on the screen to select. 

47-in Touchscreen Panel 

(it would've been more useful if this is used as my computer monitor)

After selecting the item, there's a confirmation screen, as shown below.

"Happy" customer! (Fake smile if you ask me :|)

Besides the breathtaking 47-in touchscreen panel, this futuristic vending machine has an embedded camera. As you take time to decide on what to get, the camera will scan and recognize your gender and age, which will allow the machine to recommend a beverage/item using stereotype rules based on what the machine scanned (you).  Neat! Just like how search engines use your browsing history to show tailored ads, the vending machine also stores your purchasing history to show tailored ads on your next visit. Well, at least this super vending machine is not all looks, but is also expected to bring more revenue. Ka-ching!

Problem is, what if people started "shaking" or "beating" the vending machine up because their item won't fall down just like what most of us do today?

Source: Engadget

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Mobile Platform War: Motorola's Droid X phone mocks iPhone 4's bumpers through ads

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Setting: Grade school classroom

Scenario: During a final exam, everybody uses various techniques on how to cheat to pass their exam. Unfortunately Stevie was caught by their teacher. Since Stevie was already bound to fail the exam, he thought: "If I'm not going to pass this exam, might as well drag my other classmates. This way, I won't look like the only cheater in this class." So Stevie, looking for a "companion", finds Andy and tells their teacher that Andy was also cheating, and that everyone does it.

Same with Apple's attack on Motorola's Droid X. After the controversial iPhone 4's "Death Grip" that affects the device's signal strength when holding the phone in a certain way, Apple has decided to prove it's innocence by applying the "Death Grip" on Motorola's Droid X and say: "Hey! We're not the only one, so don't go saying our design is flawed!". Apple has posted a video, demonstrating the "Death Grip" on the new Droid X and showing that the issue persists on the device and not only on the awaited iPhone 4.

Motorola's response? They released an ad, mocking iPhone 4's bumpers.

It says: "NO JACKET REQUIRED", referring to iPhone 4's bumpers that, as a workaround, will solve the "Death Grip" issue.

More mocking on the caption below: "At Motorola, we believe a customer shouldn't have to dress up their phone for it to work properly. That's why the DROID X comes with a dual antenna design. The kind that allows you to hold the phone any way you like to make crystal clear calls without a bulky phone jacket. For us it's just one of those things that comes as a given when you've been making mobile phones for over 30 years."

Personally, I find the "Death Grip" an issue. It's a design flaw, admit it Stevie! And yet, experts say that the "Death Grip" issue doesn't really have much effect on iPhone 4 users since you won't really hold your phone that way.

But still, I enjoy the current Mobile Platform War between the two giants, their childish mockery, and taunts.

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