I believe that everyone can admit without a doubt that our lives have become so busy that simple tasks like grocery shopping have become tedious and a huge waste of time. I hate grocery shopping, but being a fat kid isn’t the most conducive mindset to have on this subject. I wouldn’t mind it as much if I didn’t have to wait in ridiculously long lines, either. It’s a two hour process for me and that’s a lot of time wasted when I could be doing other important things. The folks at Ikan have the same mindset and their revolutionary product is getting ready to change your grocery shopping experience. So they say.
Ikan is a countertop unit that allows you to keep track of groceries you’ll need on your next trip. You simply scan the products as you finish them and it’s automatically added to your online shopping cart. When you’re ready to order your groceries you’ll know exactly what you need. If you’re the forgetful type, like me, then the e-mail reminders will keep you abreast of your diminishing food supply. The voice recorder also lets you tack on products when there isn’t a barcode available for scanning. Feel like taking the trip to the grocery store instead, well then, the Ikan prints out your list for you, too. Not only does this make grocery shopping easier, but you’re also conserving energy and saving the planet because Ikan tells you whether the item is recyclable and which bin to put it in. Awesome, right? Maybe, probably not. You could just write a list or order from Fresh Direct if you’re in the NYC area. This can only make us fatter and even more lazy, right? If you feel inclined then check it out and apply for the Beta.
by
Peter Ha
on
June 25, 2007
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I personally like grocery shopping. I’m the type that goes thru every isle. Yes it takes 2 hours to finish but I find the cool air relaxing.
Damn it… I can add this to my ever growing list of crap I don’t need but will end up buying because I convince myself that this will help me eat healthier and get my life more organized… great…bah!
Finally something to make grocery shopping and efficient experience…
Sweet. I actually blogged this idea a while back. I love it and I’m glad that someone has developed it.
This actually sounds dumb as hell.
I have a pen, some post-it notes, and a basic ability to know that plastic goes in the plastic bin for recycling. That seems exactly as useful as this, and less likely to cost hundreds of dollars and break repeatedly.
I really want the “online fridge” to die as the canonical implementation of pervasive computing, because it’s a horrible example – it’s a solution in search of a problem.
Hey Peter,
Looks like techdirt’s goin’ after your ass! lol
“It’s “set to revolutionize your grocery shopping experience,” cries the headline on CrunchGear…” – Perhaps they didn’t realize that you were merely quoting Ikan’s own headline?
“Perhaps the writers over at CrunchGear are too young to remember the venerable CueCat…” — ooo… fight fight fight fight! lol j/k
Google CueCat
This is about as innovative as using a leaf to clean excrement from ones back side.
Johnal-
Link me, dawg!
And if anyone is paying attention, I think this is a terrible idea. And yes, I was quoting the outlandish headline Ikan claims about their ‘revolutionary’ new product.
Revolutionize…seriously?
http://techdirt.com/articles/20070625/174752.shtml
It seems like articles written on crunchgear need to have disclaimers that clarify when the writer is using sarcasm or if the article contains a cynical connotation that is apparently not obvious enough to some readers.
http://techdirt.com/articles/20070625/174752.shtml – Example of someone who beleives CG thinks this gadget is truly revolutionary — c’mon people…learn to read between the lines.
These guys are claiming to have diferent features from CueCat.
A self standing Wifi scanner to be placed next to where you discard products.
No Sync. No missing scanner. And they claim to have a Voice Recogn sys to deal with non barcoded items.
If they make it happens it could do to the grocery shopping what IPOD did to music.
In fact Ipod did not have different features from the Rio players. Just better capacity and UI.
And they revolucionize the music industry…
Agree. Will Apply. hehe
Crunchgear is the forefront of the satire tech blog scene?
I think this is great. I do see that I will probably need two scanners, one at the source (pantry, freezer, cupboard) and one at the trash/recycling.
I like it because I have 3 gallon-containers of soy sauce and I’m OUT of flour. Why? Well, I shop with a list, always. I have coupons, always. I know the organization of the store so I can move quickly.
So what’s the problem? First, I am in a wheelchair, at least for now, and shopping is not as easy as it once was. I would LOVE to be able to organize my shopping list based on what I need (flour) instead of what I *think* I need (soy sauce) and then by the aisle in the store where I will find them.
I think it would make meal preparation easier, too. “Hmm, what do I have in the house I can fix for dinner, that includes chicken” or similar comments are common here. It would be great to “see” the contents of the pantry without having to physically go there, and plan a menu based on what I have, or get ideas from the food items on hand. Then I would also know *exactly* where the package is stored and could gather ingredients together in the kitchen for cooking without a lot of hunting.
And it would also simplify having someone else shop FOR me. Put the groceries away and scan at the same time and *poof* I know what I’ve got. Scan as I pull it out to use it, or, if I forget or need one more hand to carry stuff, I can scan it as I throw the container away. It would also be helpful to be able to add a comment such as “don’t buy this again” or “we need MORE of THIS”!
I investigated this kind of thing several years ago, but the cost was prohibitive and the software awful. Now that both are better, I am seriously considering IntelliScanner (http://www.intelliscanner.com/products/mini/features.html) as a possibility very soon.
To those who say make a list with a pencil and paper I say, “Yep, done that. Ended up with stuff I didn’t really need, and forgot to get stuff I had to have”. This is GREAT and I want a system!!!!