kalm, nieuwsgierig, vastbesloten
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Just so you remember. Not everyone has an iPhone either.
This will work while we all wait for the Near-Field Communication chips to become commonplace in all phones.
We’ve covered the green lady’s apps before, and it was about eight months ago that the company expanded a small pilot program in Seattle and Silicon Valley to all of their caffeine-dispensing outlets in U.S. Target stores. Now you can pay for your Venti Double-Shot Caramel Macchiato by simply waving your iPhone — loaded with the Starbucks app — at that emo teenage barista who is trying very hard to look intellectual and off-put.
The payment system doesn’t use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to send your bank account numbers to Starbucks headquarters. Instead, the app is linked to your Starbucks Card account, and you use it to display a barcode that is unique to your account. Point that at the scanner in your Starbucks, and your digital wallet becomes magically lighter.
Somebody please help FabLabs around the world get their hands on this!
See that golf ball-esque piece in the top there? That’s created from pure titanium powder by a company called i.materialise. The idea is that, instead of just doing 3D printing to show prototypes, you’ll actually be able to have pieces crafted that can be used in the real world:
Of course it’s a bit pricey, so you’ll need to bear that in mind before you go having your titanium chess set crafted. A 2x2x4-centimeter item will run you a cool $124. Want to super-size? You can step up to an internal volume of 4 centimeters for a mere $192. Then again, compared to the over $1 million price tag to buy the printer for yourself, that’s quite the bargain.