Grocery Shopping from Your Kitchen Counter—As if We Need It
The Ikan is a device that scans your empty jars and boxes before you toss them, making a grocery grocery list filled with stuff you now need. The list travels wirelessly to your computer, and from there to you can place grocery orders for delivery. The weak link in the service is how well integrated the Ikan is with local grocery delivery options, says David Pogue in the New York Times.
I don't know. This concept has reared its head and gotten mention on blogs and websites before—a technology that becomes aware of your empties and assists you by ordering them when you're running low. The times I've seen this idea in the past, it was based on RFID tags, with your fridge becoming a giant RFID-aware device that knew what was in it, and your waste receptacles also being wired to detect what you're discarding.
If we need this type of tech at all, I'd much rather see a passive system using RFID, as described above, not a system like Ikan that forces me to scan stuff and/or speak into it to leave voice memos for things like bananas that don't have barcodes.
Moreover, an RFID-based system could be more closely integrated into automated shopping stores, and in fact it's apparently in the works. Heck, you already use the technology if you have one of those credit cards that you just hold near the reader.
Of course, all this discussion presupposes you feel comfortable having your purchases so trackable.
I have my doubts about the Ikan and am not buying the breathless review of it that Pogue has given it. What about you all? Would you use something like this? Do you already use web-based grocery shopping services like FreshDirect or PeaPod? Would you see yourself using Ikan if it were well-integrated with a good local delivery service?
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5 Comments:
There's something hard to explain that I really love about having a dry-erase board in the kitchen to keep track of grocery needs. Convenience isn't always the best option. I do all of my shopping in the markets (I don't think there's any delivery services in my area yet) but online ordering certainly would cut down on ridiculous impulse buys.
worldcupfever at 10:45AM on 06/19/08
That thing is really unattractive. It's huge! Who wants that thing on their kitchen counter?
Raphael at 10:55AM on 06/19/08
In middle America, there aren't very many grocery delivery services (if any). Armed with a good memory and a magnetized notepad on the fridge, I do pretty well keeping up with grocery needs. I also have a shopping list on my computer of everything I routinely buy.
Given the pre-loaded viruses, etc. that lurk on anything that's hooked up to computers these days (I'm thinking of the coffee maker you previously wrote about as well as everything from digital picture frames to flash drives), I would be skeptical about this device.
I doubt I would use Ikan even if a delivery service was available. My coffee maker would take exception to sharing counterspace with it. :)
holdthemayo at 11:03AM on 06/19/08
Hope they change the name if they plan to market it to Malaysia or Indonesia, there "Ikan" means fish...
seadkdc at 11:21AM on 06/19/08
I would like this if it had the following capabilities:
1. to take my shopping list and search local flyers from grociery stores and other for the cheapest place to purchase my items, and have coupons ready to print from it.
2. I input my favorite recipes and it helps to creat shopping lists.
3. suggests recipes and foods I might like based on what I already buy (like Amazon does)
4. could actually upload and purchase my shopping list for either pickup or delivery where available.
leeapeea at 12:03PM on 06/23/08