My Lifestyle, Gadgets, Fashion, Travel, Food

Automated Retail Spot Shop

Free Wi-Fi is on its way to some Japanese vending machines. Working much like a mobile hotspot at your local coffee shop, people located near the machines would be able to connect to the internet for 30 minutes at a time and surf the web. The vending machines are for the drink company Asahi. Connecting to the web using a machine can be done without any kind of log-in, and if your initial 30-minute connection to the network expires, you can connect again and keep on surfing. The service is available to anyone, to use with any smartphone, tablet, or computer and does not require the purchase of a drink from the machine. Why vending machine hotspots? Free internet hotspots in the country are few and far between due in part to Japan's early adoption of mobile broadband, which led to a lack of free Wi-Fi locations. Now that tablets and smartphones have taken off, there's a growing need for Wi-Fi. While there are a few hotspots at places like McDonalds, the vending mach...

One big advantage of Kindle Store, iBookstore and other e-book store is users can easily download and buy books anywhere. Same as drinks / snacks / tickets / crabs automatic vending machines, consumers can make payments by cash. After payment, vending machines will print out a receipt with a QR code. Consumers through taking photo of QR code to obtain the e-books’ download link. Compared to the online book store, Glory’s book selling machines could display all the sold books through a large-screen, providing a “look” books place for passers. In addition, the payment method of Glory is traditional, it does not require users to register account which reduces the cost of the primary user to get started. It is an interesting attempt – but I am afraid it is only an interesting attempt nothing more.

Japan has become infamous for its vending machines. Pictures of ever stranger items being sold, such as batteries, eggs, or even underwear, can be found around online. When I asked rock music and radio DJ Brian Hardgroove about any strange experiences he’s had while traveling in Japan, his first thought was “just the fact that there were soda and drink machines on the street.” How many vending machines are there in Japan? According the Japan Vending Machine Manufactures Association (JVMA), there were 5,263,900 vending machines in Japan in 2008, with drink machines making up 49% of that number. That means there is about one drink vending machine for every fifty people in the country. Although America is said to have the most vending machines in terms of overall numbers, at 7.76 million, Japan is the number one vending machine society in terms of machines per person. What kind of vending machines are there in Japan? The JVMA divides vending machines into three large categories:...

With consumers wanting quick and convenient access to various products, it is possible to buy almost anything in a modern vending machine . This post features a collection of the world’s most unusual vending machines. Socks Vending Machine Useful machine for when you are in desperate need of socks. [ link ] Apple iPod Vending Machine Innovative vending machine where you can buy an iPod by selecting it on a touchscreen and entering your credit card information. [ link ] Gold Vending Machine The gold from the “Gold-to-Go” vending machine comes with its own gift box, and at a price 20% cheaper than what customers could get at a German bank. [ link ] Replacement Body Parts Vending Machine To highlight the consequences of poor work safety practices, WorkSafe Victoria brought to life the terrifying nature of work place incidents with this striking installation. A vending machine designed to sell spare body parts. The Body-O-Matic. [ link ] Wine Vending Machine Anger Release Vending ...