The coffee break is an inalienable right for every office worker. The problem is, between meetings and endless emails, it can be pretty hard to squeeze one in.
Thanks to a new invention called the "Textspresso" we can shave off a few valuable minutes by texting our order to the coffee machine and simply do a drive by the break room to pick it up when ready.
This would increase my productivity exponentially if it makes it to my office.
Let's be clear. Creating a machine that pulls an espresso, and keeps it warm, just from a text message isn't as easy as you might think. It took the team from Seattle cloud texting startup Zipwhip 20 days and 300-plus parts to make the whole thing happen.
It's still a work in progress, as you'll see from the video. You'll see what looks like yards of wire and a metal arm that looks like it might buckle under the weight of the coffee mug until it springs into action. But that's all cosmetic; the Textspresso gets the job done.
The company is working on an enhancement that will imprint the top of each order with edible ink — featuring the company's logo and each person's mobile number so users will know which coffee is theirs.
Right now Zipwhip has the only device and it's not clear whether they'd ever produce it for a mass audience. Zipwhip's goal with the project was to promote text messaging as a more active, productive method of communication.
I'd say their promotional tool is a pretty good one, and if they haven't filed the patent for the Textspresso, they should call the lawyers forthwith. There are countless bathroom texters out there (you know who you are) who would love to add ordering a coffee to their multi-tasking, time saving routine.
Local
Via Geekwire
