# Thursday, June 19, 2008

Ikan

The mission of this $400 device is to eliminate trips to the grocery store. The hardware component is a bulbous bar code scanner, dressed up in Any-Décor White and mounted on a countertop stand, an undercabinet bracket or a wall mount. It offers a color screen on the front, a laser scanner underneath and a Wi-Fi antenna inside that connects to your home wireless network.

Each time you’re about to throw away an empty container — for ketchup, cereal, pickles, milk, macaroni, paper towels, dog food or whatever — you just pass its bar code under the scanner. With amazing speed and accuracy, the Ikan beeps, consults its online database of one million products, and displays the full name and description.

[ State of the Art - Grocery Shopping Made Easy - NYTimes.com ]

Apparently I am the only one who enjoys grocery shopping? So $400 for the device ($99 if you act quickly and get it through a delivery company like Pea Pod) and then Pea Pod is charging around $10 for delivery, plus you are allowed to tip the delivery guy (thus you should tip) and we're closer to $20 just to avoid doing something that I enjoy?

And for my Indonesian friends, isn't it ironic that you can't scan a fish and buy it with this "Ikan"?

#    Comments [4] |
Thursday, June 19, 2008 12:16:59 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
How do you scan a carrot?
Liam
Thursday, June 19, 2008 4:42:39 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
Hi Liam,
You can voice record carrot on your Ikan.
The server will translate speech to text and post "carrot" on your list. If the server fails on the translation you can hear your recordings directly on your list as well.
Fred Wagner
Ikan Technologies.
Friday, June 20, 2008 8:12:28 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
I really enjoy grocery shopping. (Yes, yes, I "must" check out Wegman's some time.) I just don't enjoy the schlepping back and forth and, these days, the prices. :/
Friday, June 20, 2008 8:25:19 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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