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Will it take quarters?
Will it take quarters?
They already have these in the USA. I saw them myself in the Atlanta airport a couple weeks ago.
I understand these are very popular in Japan and Southeast Asia, where they vend everything from gum to porn. I saw one article online that showed a huge convenience-store-in-a-kiosk vending machine with milk, bread, cell phones - hundreds of items.
If they'd add hot pizza and hookers, you'd never have to shop anywhere else!
I saw one of these in our hotel in San Jose during GDC. This one had everything from gum and snacks to aspirin and condoms to iPods and universal power adapters. My boss bought one of the power adapter kits.
You use a touchscreen to choose the item you want, so there's little chance of slipping and picking the wrong thing. The pusher mechanism looks a little sturdier than the coils of most vending machines. The items fall into a box that moves not unlike the grabber claw game (albeit automated and in a different plane) which then zooms back under the touchscreen so you can retrieve your purchase.
and nothing is more fun than an empty music-less possibly not even charged ipod.
having a hard time figuring why this is useful. especially in an airport.
They've had this at SFO for over a year...
Don't you realize, the secret is to buy an additional one when the first gets stuck? At least you get a 2 for the price of 1 deal (on the second item) versus zero. You think people bang on the candy machine now, wait til its a $500 transaction. Oh, and someone will die tipping over the machine.