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Comment by Zigurd | Hacker News Reader

2010 called and wants it's smartphones-are-for-rich-geeks product formulation back.

Everyone who would buy their groceries via Amazon has a smartphone. This device is as baffling as it looks. With a smartphone you have the choice of UPC code scanning, QR codes, or label/logo recognition (as in Goggles).

One of the photos implies it is a laser bar code scanner. So if this gizmo is useful, it's because it would be faster and more reliable than photographing bar codes. Not because potential users don't have, or can't use a phone camera for this purpose.

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"it would be faster"

Friction is key. The example I typically use is "if the laser printer were in the basement vs. next to your desk how much would you use it?"

A device that you can pick up, hit a button, and do your thing has less friction than doing the same on a smartphone.

My smartphone is always within reach for me because I'm addicted to it. This thing? It's somewhere in the kitchen maybe.

Older generations use their phones for...calling people. Not refreshing Facebook every 30s. That means the phone will be in the last place where they made a phone call, which could easily be the basement. This thing? Its somewhere in the kitchen maybe; exactly where it is supposed to be used.

Why would this be useful in the kitchen if there's a day's delivery delay anyway?

Because that's the place where you want to quickly add an item or make a note on your shopping list.

In the kitchen maybe is the perfect place for the thing to use to have replacement food items added to your shopping list. That's where they want you to keep it even.

The type of people who would use this have lots of things in the kitchen and adding another kitchen gadget isn't necessarily the best solution.

You're forgetting the voice recognition. What if there's no barcode to scan? The Fire TV voice search is excellent -- I used it last night -- and if the Dash has similar tech then it might actually be a useful supplement to the apps.

And they could stuff the same software in a phone too.

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