I'm a sucker for a low-cost mystery, I admit it. Whether it's a mystery tee off one of those one-shirt-a-day sites or the Woot Bag o' Crap, it's really hard for me to pass up the potential awesomeness that could be delivered right to me. It's no wonder that I got super excited when I saw this intriguing invention using NFC from the folks at Razorfish.
Utilizing an old gumball machine, an NFC shield, a simple reed switch, and 2 Arduino microcontrollers, they made this prototype over a two day session at their Frankfurt office.
This is an NFC-enabled Gum Machine we have built at Razorfish that is packed with all sorts of digital goodies: Apps, movies, songs, ebooks, as well as other exclusive and location-based content that can be pushed to a phone. Simply enter a coin and turn the lever – then follow the animation and tap your smartphone next to the release chute.
That's right! Insert a quarter, get a mystery something delivered right to your phone! This concept seems like it would be fun, and with only a $.25 investment, even if you got something you didn't like it seems to me that the excitement and anticipation alone would be worth it. I'm curious if they could integrate Google Wallet or PayPal or something as well, for those of us that may not have change in our pockets. Obviously, it's just a prototype (tested on Android devices) so no word on what platforms it could eventually support. You can see several pictures of the prototype being built and find more information at the source link below.
Would you pay $.25 for a mystery download? Let us know in the comments or discuss it in the forums.
Source: Razorfish
Read more
Rogers Suretap Wallet updated to support more devices
Although it's coming incredibly later than expected, Rogers has now updated their Suretap Wallet app for BlackBerry 10. The update, which is available in BlackBerry World right now, brings NFC Payment support through the Rogers Suretap system on both the BlackBerry Z30 and the BlackBerry Q10. As an added bonus, from now until January 6th, you can receive a free $100 credit when you...
Connectedly: Here's why I implanted an NFC chip in my hand
I've recently taken a deeper step into the connected world. A step that some will describe as being interesting, and that some will describe as being crazy. To be honest, as happy as I am since I have taken this step, I have to admit that I fall on both the interesting and crazy sides myself. Before getting any further, I should mention that the "step" I took was implanting an NFC chip...
BlackBerry announces three-year deal with EnStream for secure financial transactions
BlackBerry has announced today a three-year agreement with EnStream, a mobile payments venture collectively owned by Bell, Rogers and TELUS. Through the agreement, EnStream will use the BlackBerry infrastructure to enable banks like RBC, TD and CIBC to "securely provision sensitive payment card credentials into any smartphone capable of near field communication." Mobile payments are...
Tim Hortons launches new mobile payment service
Canadian coffee shop chain Tim Hortons has just launched a new mobile barcode payments system that allows you to pay using the TimmyMe app. The payment option has been in testing over the last few months, and is now available for all users in Canada and the United States. The mobile payment service allows you to pay for your order by registering your Tim Card on your smartphone, and...