Heinz Introduces World's Smallest Microwave, and It's USB-Powered
In England, Heinz has unveiled the world's smallest microwave—and it plugs into a USB port so you can nuke some grub at the desk or on the go. Called the Beanzawave, it's obviously a ploy to increase brand awareness for Heinz baked beans, but you could also warm some coffee, tea, or maybe a meatball or two.
Don't get your wallet out yet, though. The 7.4-by-6.2-by-5.9-inch device is still in prototype stage, and who knows if it'll ever see the inside of stores.
Apart from its size, the key breakthrough is the use of a combination of mobile phone radio frequencies to create the heat to cook both on the outside and within in under a minute....
"It is possible to heat a pie, a burger, a cup of soup or tea in quick time," said [Beanzawave designer Gordon Andrews].
Andrews created the whimsical appliance after Heinz approached him looking for a device that could heat its Snap Pots line of single-serve bean containers. [via Josh Friedland]
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16 Comments:
Yay more plastic crap!
simon at 2:43PM on 06/09/09
Nice because fat people on the computer are having a hard enough time getting sustinance. All we need is a computer chair with a toilet and we are good to go.
NYBITECLUB at 3:00PM on 06/09/09
Meanwhile, the geeks over at Apple are developing a USB sous vides chamber for the Mac Book Air.
JudgeFudge at 3:03PM on 06/09/09
30 Rock called this MONTHS ago! I hope they come up with an appropriate name ...
robinsparkles at 3:21PM on 06/09/09
Lovely, now I can microwave my curry right in my cubicle. My coworkers will love me even more.
bionicgrrrl at 3:21PM on 06/09/09
Robinsparkles - Are you trying to say "Beansawave" is not an appropriate name?! Because that's crazy talk! I can already feel the word becoming part of popular jargon... Beanzawave adj. used to describe inexplicable novelty devices meant to accomplish tasks previously unessential to every-day life regarded with general bemusement. Ex: "Have you seen the new bed-side Bacon-Toaster?! It's soooo Beanzawave!!!"
JudgeFudge - Oh em gee, you're so right.
papagena665 at 3:46PM on 06/09/09
This scares me.
P.S. @robinsparkles: Nice pseudonym.
CanadianFoodieGirl at 3:49PM on 06/09/09
Here comes the FUNCOOKER!
painaxl at 4:13PM on 06/09/09
This is clearly a viral marketing gimmick for Heinz. I don't even believe that this thing works, given that even USB 3.0 can only put out 4.5W. Isn't it pretty, though? Why don't we get Heinz blue cans here in North America? I guess we need a picture to tell us what beans are.
drastic at 4:50PM on 06/09/09
"I don't even believe that this thing works, given that even USB 3.0 can only put out 4.5W."
FTW
simon at 5:19PM on 06/09/09
This is a joke, right? It's like something one would read about in The Onion. "Mobile phone radio frequencies"? Uh huh.
Lorenzo at 5:37PM on 06/09/09
Yesssss...my preciousssss.....another way to keep the serfs at their desks! Bwah-ha-ha-ha!
chanterelle at 10:58PM on 06/09/09
Aww...How cute!
paris221966 at 11:17PM on 06/09/09
I'd worry about power surges during "nuking" blowing out my hard drive or motherboard. Don't think I'd want one...
@Lorenzo~ I'm going to check out snopes.com and see if they have anything on this.
@chanterelle~ LOL
iamon02 at 1:10PM on 06/15/09
Scary, extremely scary, and yet I think I want this...if only just to reheat coffee. =)
akk328 at 1:20PM on 06/15/09
Sounds something John Kerry invented to impress his wife (the one with the money)...
Gerome at 1:37PM on 06/15/09