Would You Buy A Tweeting Kettle?
Think real hard about the dumbest thing you have ever purchased then take a look at this Kettle that Tweets you when your water is boiled. I bet the Twettle beats the item you are thinking of. Have we really become this lazy? How does it work? Why am I so compelled to buy this right now?
This smartly-designed kettle aptly named Tweetle tweets via Wi-Fi to alert you when it's boiling. Designed by Ben Perman and Murat Multu, it also records details on how many times it boils each week, and just how much water you've boiled up. Unfortunately it's not a real product, but the designers are looking for an investment of $500,000 to get the $115 kettles onto the production line. Perhaps they can tweet when it's ready?
The Twettle works via WiFi, connecting directly to the internet and tweeting when it has boiled. Now, if you switch it on yourself, you know that the kettle will boil in a minute or two, but in, say, an office, it might be helpful to know that the water is done so you can rush to the kitchenette with a sachet of powdered soup, or even to catch up on gossip as others make their tea.
But putting WiFi into a dumb appliance isn't easy. You need, for instance, a way to get the network password into the wireless radio (housed in the kettle's base). The simplest way turned out to be a small screen, something that microwaves and other appliances already have. You also need to enter Twitter account details.
The Twettle also has an API (application programming interface) to allow others to hack it and add functionality. For instance, you could actually switch the kettle on via Twitter Direct Message (useful in student houses where nobody wants to leave the sofa - or the joint - to make the tea). Or the Twettle could be told to "boil" at a lower temperature for making coffee. Would you buy this? Let me know on Facebook:
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