[zanny]

Opening an app is, thankfully, something the tech industry has managed to train the average consumer to do.

I'd argue though remembering where you put this thing, or "oh hey the wifi password got changed why isn't the food scanner working?" adds lots more complexity than hitting an app icon. The app route also enables you to have multiple scanners - since the target audience of such a product is probably already heavy on tech, and most probably have multiple cell phones.

I guess that last line might be the issue. It isn't really a cell phone, it is a capacitive touch computer with a microphone and speaker, but that is something we haven't yet conveyed well.

[dotBen]

Respectfully, there's geek-thinking again. Wifi password changing is a straw-man argument - most households use the default SSID and password that came with the router (if you don't believe me go to a residential area outside of SF and see how many 2WireXXX or ATTXXXX SSID's there are). Those that do set their own password never change it again.

Apps enabling multiple scanners - again assumes multiple smartphone ownership in the house in order for everyone to use it vs just having a single dedicated scanner that (as Amazon suggests in their site) hangs on your refrigerator.

I'm not even sure the average consumer is sufficiently trained yet about opening apps. I heard a segment on NPR recently where multiple callers (and the host) referred to a company's mobile-optimized website as an "app", many normal people don't really know what an app really is. I'll dig out the Pew Research study on mobile phones that said something like 20% of smartphone owners don't install any apps on their phones beyond those that came with the device (perhaps because they're fuzzy on the concept).

UPDATE: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-01-30/sm... - 17% of smartphone owners don't use any apps at all according to Pew.

[AdrianRossouw]

I'm a geek and I don't use apps. I only use safari, flipboard (which is html based), and comiczeal. I'm actively building a streaming web-based replacement for my comic book reader.

I think people who think their phone can replace a dedicated barcode scanner should be forced to stand in a busy super market where all the checkout counters are forced to use an app to scan everything.

[Ma8ee]

Opening an app is awkward when you do something else, in particular something like cooking. This gadget I just pick up from the counter, press a button and scan or speak. I don't have to worry about slightly wet or dirty fingers. Compare that with my phone, which either is somewhere else in the house or in my pocket. Before I pick it up from my pocket I want to make sure that don't have meat juice, tomato sauce or chocolate on my fingers. I have to press one button to start the phone, maybe press a pin code, find the app either by sweeping between several screens with icons or by starting search and type several characters hopefully not making any mistakes and finally be able to scan or speak to the app. At this point the meat is burnt and the sauce has boiled over.

Dedicated devises definitely have their uses, and this one is one of them.

[bitrazor]

Keep in mind that phones have a pretty high per-use setup cost: 1) Not all phones are voice activated, you you have to pick them up

2) If you're cooking and your hands are occupied/covered, you're going to have a hard time using a phone with your hands. Phones aren't typically waterproof, and touchscreens don't typically work well with water on them.

3) If you use a screen lock on your phone, any app is immediately inconvenient given #2

This device seems to be designed specifically for the job, and has a low per-use setup cost.

[cookiecaper]

I think the grandparent's post is blowing the issue out of proportion. Amazon Dash isn't a phone app because phone apps are really slow and difficult for this use (if you've ever tried to use a barcode scanner based on your phone's built-in camera, you know what I'm talking about), not because people can't understand that their phone can do more than one thing. It is true that non-technical people are probably less annoyed by redundancy, but we shouldn't presuppose that this product is actually redundant just because phones can eventually do all the same tricks. The thing is that phones can't do those tricks as well, so the separation is justified.

[porterhaney]

The loop on the end is for opening beers.

[Zotabite]

Its rubberized. Would be pretty hard to open a beer bottle with it. :)

[zhte415]

A lot easier. I imagine you have never opened a beer bottle with a paper handkerchief?

[vuzum]

They released this amazing piece of hardware, and then they can use the same technology to complement it with an app. So you have both worlds happy - with or without a smartphone in the house. ;)