Worlds smallest microwave plugs into USB | Hacker News Reader

Worlds smallest microwave plugs into USB

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8 pointsravindra19829 comments

I don't understand how this is supposed to work with the 2.5W you're allowed to draw from USB, does it contain batteries and charging over a few hours?

I mean, those "snap pots" look like they can hold about 100ml of food. (assuming 5x5x4cm) The specific heat of water is over 4000 J/kg/K, if you need to heat it from 20°C to about 40°C that's a total of 8000 Joules, which at 2.5W takes about 3200 seconds, or almost an hour, even if it ran at 100% efficiency.

Since it's not available "yet" it's quite possibly vapourware intended to generate buzz. They even leave it open whether the device will ever be released - "if customer feedback is positive": http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ariel-schwartz/sustainabilit...?

Edit: looks like others have noticed this, too.

It's unlikely that even positive "customer feedback" can overcome the laws of physics.

An interesting debunking:

http://sethf.com/infothought/blog/archives/001434.html http://sethf.com/infothought/blog/archives/001435.html

It's not really a debunking - it is the worlds smallest microwave, and it does plug in to a computer by USB, just as claimed.

Nowhere does it claim to be USB powered.

A 1000 Watt microwave it takes 1 minute to boil 1 cup of water.

(2 cups 1000W * 1 min / cup) / (60m/h))/ 2.5= 13 and 1/3 hours

So, it could be USB powered if you only used it for ~2 cups a day.

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ariel-schwartz/sustainabilit...:

The Beanzawave, which measures just 7.4 inches tall by 6.2 inches wide and 5.9 inches deep, doesn't even need to be plugged into an electrical outlet. The device contains a USB port, so mid-afternoon snacks can be heated up at the computer without expending excess power.

Haha ... I am laughing now thinking of the 30 Rock episode when the guy played by Alec Baldwin thinks up the smallest microwave ever, and that was like a funny thing. And now its a reality, :) ( by the way the microwave showed in that episode was bigger than this one )

I wonder what kind of parts are inside...although I know that microwave dissasembly is supposed to be dangerous (lethal occasionally).

"Turquoise plastic tat sold by association with one-piece-machined-aluminium stylish computer"

"If you don't have time to buy a sandwich to eat at your desk, you wont have time to buy a pot of beans and a spoon, but we hope you've bought this before you realise"

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