Motorola Unveils Phone Vending Machines

DaveWick79 writes "The 'Instantmoto' is being installed at 20 malls and airports nationwide and will carry about 30 products including 12 phones and 18 accessories. Included is the popular Razr and you can choose whether or not to purchase with a service plan. Instead of being dropped into a tray, apparently a robotic arm will 'gently deliver' the product to consumers. The only question now is, will we be able to pay for these items using our cell phones?"

Comments

can I

[geekoid]

use the cell phones I want to purchases to purchases the cell phone I am purchasing?

Re:can I

[Anonymous Coward]

"First Psot!!!1!" Would have been more constructive.

Re:can I

[volvolus]

yes. In addition, when the payment is approved you're instantly able to place and receive free calls from yourself on the same cell phone. Freaky!

Just like iPods

[johndierks]

I've seen some of the iPod vending machines with the robotic arms. Seems like this is pretty much the same idea in the same locations.

Re:Just like iPods

[johndierks]

Here's the link.

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/ipod-vendin g-machine-133740.php

Re:Just like iPods

[aplusjimages]

What is the percentage rate of items getting stuck, like in a food vending machine? I would be pretty pissed if I just fed the damn machine $250 only to see it dangle at the end of the arm. Then some dude puts down his $250 and gets 2 ipods for the price of one.

much better

[User 956]

Instead of being dropped into a tray, apparently a robotic arm will 'gently deliver' the product to consumers.

That's much better than the prototype I saw, where the robot arm disembowels the customer and spills their entrails all over the linoleum.

Re:much better

[schwaang]

That's much better than the prototype I saw, where the robot arm disembowels the customer and spills their entrails all over the linoleum./blockquote
Whiner. What part of "you have 30 seconds to comply" did he not understand?

Re:much better

[Sqwubbsy]

That's much better than the prototype I saw, where the robot arm disembowels the customer and spills their entrails all over the linoleum.

Dude, I saw that movie. It sucked.
The sound track rocked, though.

Re:much better

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh please! That only happens when you sign up for a service plan with Sprint.

btw, the manufacturers resolved this issue in v2.0. They replaced the linoleum with pergo.

Fast turnaround!

[SanityInAnarchy]

Just saw this concept in Ultraviolet -- you could buy a phone from a vending machine, and it would be "printed", ready to go. It usually takes much longer for a concept like this to go from scifi to reality!

Re:Fast turnaround!

[critter42b]

I think that says more about the quality of that particular movie than the novelty of the concept...

Re:Fast turnaround!

[SanityInAnarchy]

Well, true, it is the kind of movie you'd expect to get from a vending machine...

Can I find the operator 's manual

[Anonymous Coward]

Online, so i can get back $20 for every $5 worth of minutes

Disposable Phones...

[Abreu]

I remember that some company in the late 90's had a brain-dead business plan to sell "disposable" cellphones in supermarkets and vendor machines. Made out of cheap plastic and designed to be thrown away once the minutes in it were exhausted...

Yeah, probably the people in charge of this "great idea" are not panhandling now, as I thought they would.

Re:Disposable Phones...

[thesandtiger]

I use "disposable" phones all the time when I travel for pleasure. They're a fantastically useful thing for many purposes, and if they get stolen (NOT an uncommon experience) it isn't like it's a huge loss.

For day-to-day use, yeah, they're a dumb idea. But for certain uses, they're awesome.

Re:Disposable Phones...

[Abreu]

True, this idea might work in kiosks set in airports in touristic areas...

The bigger question...

[Tavor]

Is if these are being installed in airports, will we be able to take them onto planes in the future?

Re:The bigger question...

[corsec67]

No, you will have to use them up before you board the plane. Because, the phones in a vending machine inside the secure area of an airport could hold explosives, like a battery.

ipod.. maybe not so bad.

[adam]

cellphone vending machines just seem like a bad idea to me.. the general public is not very sharp, and need things spelled out for them by an "informed" consultant (aka guy in collared shirt who makes min wage + %).

ipod vending on the other hand.. not nearly so many options, and i could see myself using an ipod vending machine in an airport. generally when i am flying, i am in a rush and trying not to forget things, and inevitably i forget something stupid.. like bringing a book to read, etc. this is why periodical shops exist in airports. if the vending machine had an ipod that included the ability to perform itunes purchase + wireless download enabled, that is a combination i can see being very effective in airports; buy ipod, download $30 worth of itunes music, enjoy flight. of course, it's moot because ipod doesn't do wireless download [yet?].

Re:ipod.. maybe not so bad.

[Anonymous Coward]

cellphone vending machines just seem like a bad idea to me

As a drug dealer, I think the idea is brillant.

Re:ipod.. maybe not so bad.

[squiggleslash]

Given the amount of crap I've been told by "informed consultants" I have to disagree.

I think it's a good idea, especially for out-of-contract phone sales. One thing I'm surprised by is that Motorola doesn't generally sell unlocked cellphones directly in the US, and I'd like to see them change that habit. But selling out-of-contract is good, and putting the entire thing in a vending machine makes it very clear cut what you're getting.

Trying to buy an out-of-contract phone from a shop is a PITA. In 99% of cases, the salesman will attempt to pressure you into renewing a contract or even switching carriers. You can't just walk in and expect to see the price you'll be paying.

I dislike salespeople, especially in areas where I know more about the subject than they clearly do, but I absolutely cannot stand businesses that force you to deal with them just to have basic questions like "How much does this phone cost?" answered, especially businesses that give salespeople incentives to steer customers towards "solutions" that have little to do with what they want.

Bring on the vending machines. Bring on simpler, up-front, pricing and ultimately the devaluation of contracts.

they found a market for the

[geekoid]

prototype you saw.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_booth

Re:The bigger question...?

[Anonymous Coward]

This seems like the smaller question to me.

Have I gone crazy?

what about the cell phone service provider?

[gnaa323]

Looks like an easy way to get the phone itself. But what about a cell-phone service plan and provider or carrier or whatever they're called (like verizon, att, bellsouth, etc)? Do you get to choose that too? Or are you stuck with one you might not like by default?

Re:what about the cell phone service provider?

[ackthpt]

Looks like an easy way to get the phone itself. But what about a cell-phone service plan and provider or carrier or whatever they're called (like verizon, att, bellsouth, etc)? Do you get to choose that too? Or are you stuck with one you might not like by default?

Ah. That would probably be like the Disembowling one mentioned above.

• Insert Arm Into Machine
• Insert Leg Into Machine
• You now have agreed to pay in advance for a standar 2 year service agreement
• You will receive your arm and leg back at the end of 2 years
• Have a nice day and thank you for choosing ...

Re:what about the cell phone service provider?

[Anonymous Coward]

and can buy with or without a service plan for T-Mobile, Verizon and Cingular service

So, yeah. RTFA before bitching.

That is all.

Re:what about the cell phone service provider?

[Anonymous Coward]

Most likely the default phone comes with some number of free minutes on activation. After that, you can buy a refill card or sign up for a service plan.

Re:what about the cell phone service provider?

[Widderschin]

All in southern Chicago? How far apart? How long does it take for them to pop out of the machine, from completing the spec? It sounds to me as if they are assembled at the mentioned central location and sent to the vending machine via a pneumatic tube. The only unlikely part is that this wouldn't require anything like the bulk of three coke vending machines for the end user terminal. Afetr all, with RFID tags pneumatic tubes get routing capability, as the destination of a shuttle can be read as the shuttle whizzes by. So it's perfectly easy to have a city wide pneumatic tube infrastructure. But it would have to be fast to be viable. All's technically feasible. It's the humans that are the problem. Time to exterminate them.

And the password is...

[PatPending]

The default password for this vending machine is... the same as the ATM's: 0012345

Re:And the password is...

[Cheapy]

Amazing! That's the combination to my luggage!

Re:And the password is...

[Anne_Nonymous]

12345? That's amazing! I've got the same combination on my luggage!

Re:And the password is...

[KaoticEvil]

That's amazing! I have the same combination on my luggage!!

Value of phones for sales tax purposes

[whoever57]

It's going to be interesting to see what price they put on the phones without a service plan. I suspect that the phone companies inflate the value of the phones that they discount, leading to inflated sales tax payments in most states in the USA (for those who don't understand this, when you buy a phone with a service plan, because services are not usually subject to sales taxes, the state insists that the vendor collects and pays sales tax based on a nominal full price of the phone, even if the price paid for the phone is discounted, sometimes to zero).

If the price without a plan is less than the price that the phone company would normally quote for the phone, one could argue that less sales taxes are due on a new discounted phone.

Re:Value of phones for sales tax purposes

[nelsonal]

The average phone in the US is sold with at a cost of about $300-$500 per user (most of this came from 3 sources: direct hardware subsidies, sales commisssions, and advertising/signups). You used to be able to see this at Nextel, who broke out hardware charges separate from network revenues and costs. When this was done most phones sold for about $70-120 less than cost. If a non-plan phone were sold at a mark up (normal markup for electronics is 20-35% with special cases being far more and far less the unsubsidized retail price would likely be several times the subsidized price ($99 phone would go to $250-$300).

mmm Instomato soup

[openright]

Just add water.

Robotic Arms

[HunahpuMonkey]

I have a hard enough time trying to pull a big old stuffed animal out with those robotic arms much less a tiny tiny phone. At 50 bucks a pop rather than 50 cents, I'm going to waste a lot of money.

001234

[holdenholden]

Now all we need is the default password and somebody who can reprogram it. Imagine: you request a Nokia 3120 and it dispenses a Motorola Razr.

Re:001234

[wampus]

I would find the person who did it and kill them with the Razr. I 3 my Nokia. It makes good phone calls, something I've found lacking in most Motorolas I've experienced lately.

a vending machine

[Xargle]

is news? given that there are already plenty of ipod vending machines etc in similar locations why is this worthy of any sort of attention? now if there was a hack to get free product from them.... then i'd be interested.

Re:a vending machine

[Anonymous Coward]

Cause now you can easily buy a cell phone or accessories without a service plan?

That was...

[ackthpt]

That's much better than the prototype I saw, where the robot arm disembowels the customer and spills their entrails all over the linoleum.

That was the RIAA/MPAA sanctioned Entertainment Media Dispenser, with Genuine Lawyer Personality, wasn't it?

we swear it was only meant to extract a pound of flesh, the drm was written with our approval by microsoft...

New meaning

[vanyel]

apparently a robotic arm will 'gently deliver' the product to consumers

Let me be the first to say this gives a whole new meaning to "reach out and touch someone"...

Depersonify

[ProfessionalCookie]

Yeah- the idea is that you don't have to interact with a person. Any more it seems that many people are more comfortable interacting with machines anyhow.

Where will we end up?

Re:Depersonify

[Sqwubbsy]

Yeah- the idea is that you don't have to interact with a person. Any more it seems that many people are more comfortable interacting with machines anyhow.


Have you dealth with any of the winners working at the cell phone store? They're almost as bad as Radio Shack associates (or whatever they're called.)

Re:Depersonify

[Nefarious Wheel]

Yeah- the idea is that you don't have to interact with a person.

Heh -- I suppose they'll buy the phones to interact exclusively with machines.

We now have a generation or two of people who are perfectly content to talk to an inanimate object. This is just the next step -- people who only talk to inanimate objects

Re:Depersonify

[tilde_e]

I think it is is easier to program the machines to force you to buy the phone insurance than to train the sleezy sales-persons that go so far as to select the option on the form for you stating that it is "required" even though the form says it is optional and you say you don't want it. Since machines don't work for commission they wont say "trust me, I'll make a note and remove it for you tomorrow."

Re:Depersonify

[Anonymous Coward]

Where will we end up? A 47-year-old virgin sitting around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake, singing "I'm an Oscar Meyer Wiener"

Re:Depersonify

[The Man]

Yeah- the idea is that you don't have to interact with a person. Any more it seems that many people are more comfortable interacting with machines anyhow.

Here's the thing: interacting with machines is usually more pleasant than interacting with the kinds of people they've replaced. Why? Because the people they're replacing tend to be salespeople, underpaid and commissioned. No one wants to deal with a desperate salesperson who will lie, hassle, and annoy you into buying whatever they're selling. There's no reason that salespeople have to be that way, of course, but their compensation structure pretty much dictates their tactics. When dealing with a machine, there's no help, but there are also no scummy sales tactics - ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies. Wouldn't it be better if used cars were sold by vending machines instead of, well, used-car salesmen? Maybe if the people we'd interact with instead of machines were more pleasant, we wouldn't want to replace them. But that will happen only when they're our neighbours and friends, which is antithetical to the entire way our society is structured. Only in densely-populated cities (where small businesses can be successful and most people do business with a small number of personally-preferred shops) and small BigBox-free towns (where small business is all business and choices are few) does that type of interaction survive. But in most places, the economics of employing salespeople, especially for things people don't understand well like cars and cell plans, makes it impossible to have a pleasant experience as a customer. I'd happily pay more for the product to have a better experience, but the market - consisting mainly of people living way beyond their means - has determined that price trumps all. As long as that remains the case, expect to have a choice between sleazy salespeople and vending machines. I'll take the machines, please.

Wow, the next thing you know...

[wwiiol_toofless]

...they'll have automated "vending" machines that serve you bubble gum and refreshing fizzed drinks. The future is now!

What's the point?

[pen]

This would be great if it truly was an impulse buy. Put money into vending machine, get phone, start using it; Refill as necessary.

But this is no different than the packaged cell phones they sell at Target and other stores -- you still need to go through the hassle of signing up for a rate plan, etc. The only difference is that now you have to pay for the phone instead of getting it free of charge for signing a contract.

Re:What's the point?

[Anonymous Coward]

My guess is that they will find some way of making these phones come with pre-paid cards of some sort. They *will* want to sell phones that are operational as soon as you get them.

en español

[burndive]

If these have an interface in Spanish, the things will sell like hotcakes^H^H^H^H^H tomales. Many illegal immigrants don't have credit card accounts.

I'm not trying to insult anyone. It's a good sales strategy.

Soda vending machine

[dochood1966]

I first saw a soda vending machine similar to this in Germany. A little elevator moved up, a robot arm gently pushed the soda onto the elevator, and it brought it down to the door. I chuckled at the ingenuity, but I really started to appreciate it after coming back and using the soda machine at church. It unceremoniously dumps it down the shoot. When you open it, it, well.... SHOOTS!!!

That soda machine ranked up there with the self-cleaning toilet seat for pure engineering coolness! Third runner up was the radar that told you how close to the curb you were. That was the first time I had ever seen that!

Those danged German engineers! They think of EVERYTHING!!!

dochood

Re:Soda vending machine

[Anonymous Coward]

Many Coke machines here in Mexico have been doing that for some time, thing with a band goes up, soda gets pushed into the band (like a 1 cm fall) and then the bandmoves down to the level where you grab the soda and dispenses it (it also helps that the product is not dispensed at the bottom but at around 4 feet from the flor whihc is much more comfortable)

Re:Soda vending machine

[EotB]

Yeah, I've seen a few of those around. I think my favourites have been the ice-cream vending machines. They basically have a fridge with a motorised lid that flips itself up, then a big vaccuum cleaner type nozzle that gets lowered down to the ice-cream, turned on, then lifted out while sucked on to the ice-cream. It then gets dropped out a chute.
Its a pretty simple idea really, but sometimes it doesn't work out and your ice-cream either never comes out or just gets dropped somewhere inside the machine.

Re:Soda vending machine

[Jardine]

I really started to appreciate it after coming back and using the soda machine at church.

Your church has a vending machine?

Re:Soda vending machine

[denjin]

The hospital I work at in the US has had these vending machines for quite a while now, so it isn't a German phenomenon. :)

Re:Soda vending machine

[theneb]

The have one at the school that i went to (purdue). Seen many engineering grad students starting at it, trying to reverse engineer it perhaps? Freaking kool tho, but i wouldnt go as far as to say the pop dont fizz, they do cause you know each coke is sent out with a fanfare by lots of lil coke workers, who are supposed to be on coke...

Re:Soda vending machine

[dochood1966]

Yes, it has a soda and candy (empty most of the time) in the fellowship hall / youth room.

Preloaded content?

[Barrellina]

Then how about preloaded content... on the mobile?

In Japan I reckon you could make a bit of a killing by preloading the mobiles with "schoolgirl" content! Some text messages, photos, a bit of video, voice mail, and some music... pretend it was an actual schoolgirls mobile that hasn't been deleted and is being resold - executives are doing it already with sensitive corporate data their smartphones and laptops http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/_Undelet ed_smartphones_reveal_corporate_secrets/0,13006174 4,139268276,00.htm!

yeah

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds like a great way to use stolen credit cards...

10 seconds

[Bizzeh]

does anyone see these lasting longer than 10 seconds before someone breaks into them and just takes everything...

My Role Playing Games are coming to life!

[daitengu]

I've been playing table-top RPGs for many years. In a game called Mage, I had a mage who carried around a "palmtop" computer. It did pretty much everything a normal computer did. Today there's PocketPCs that put to shame the desktop computers we had back then.

Our characters were also always in need of a cell phone. We invented a machine, that for $100 (or whatever currency was being used in game), you could go to a "vend-a-phone" and get one of your very own.

I should sue Motorola for stealing my idea :(

Target audience?

[Inoshiro]

Seriously, I'm not about to go buying 150-450$ of iPod + iTunes music on a spur-of-the-moment thing from a vending machine at an airport. How many people are honestly going to do this?

Re:Target audience?

[DigiShaman]

How many people are honestly going to do this?

Well, some arabs will need spur-of-the-moment remote triggering devices. It's the whole 72 virgins thing...

Re:Target audience?

[Anonymous Coward]

terrorists and bad guys using stolen credit cards...

Re:Target audience?

[ArcherB]

Which brings me to an interesting thought (for which I'm sure my Karma will suffer):

How is the Prez, CIA, NSA or whoever supposed to get FISA warrants for every one of these phones? I mean, if I were a terrorist, I would never make a call from the same phone twice, and never for more than a few minutes per call. Sure, you spend a bit more money, but by the time the Prez gets a FISA warrant, you three or four phones past the one they are listening to.

Just a question I've pondered and would like answered.

Re:Target audience?

[Pollardito]

roughly the same number of people would do this as the number of people that could expense it to their business trip cost

Re:Target audience?

[enrevanche]

more than you think.

• Travellers who want an ipod.
• Travellers who forgot theirs and are going on a long trip
• Travellers who decide that it's time to upgrade or want a spare
• Last minute gifts

The average airline passenger is far above average in income and these and also people on vacation are willing to spend a lot more than they usually would. $150 will often seem like not that much in comparison to the ticket. Also a lot of travelers have to wait a long time in an airport with nothing to do.

An airport is a very secure place to put a machine without worrying about theft.

If these machines could dispense music to those that already had an ipod, they'd get tons of business.

Re:Target audience?

[plover]

It's quite simple, really. Wipe your ass with the Constitution, throw out 38+ years of precedence, and just monitor every single cash-paid phone sold. (You can't prove it was sold to a citizen, therefore it was de facto sold to a 'terrarist'.) Give Motorola a few bucks per vending machine to install cameras with genuine AT&T direct-to-NSA video feeds, overpay a bunch of Halliburton contractors to watch those video feeds, and put a flag on every foreigner (specifically Arabs, of course, but it's not politically correct to admit it) who buys one.

I don't know how much simpler they could make it.

Really, though, as long as they get a photo of each Arab paying cash for a phone, that's all they really need. The NSA will be monitoring all these phones anyway, so I don't see how much difference it makes. Besides, all the phones will have GPS receivers in them. And as long as they believe they're tracking every Moslem in America, Bush will continue to report that we're safer, (at least for as long as we vote Republican.)

Re:Target audience?

[plover]

Ouch. I just reread this and I really should learn to not post while drunk. I'm on the f'cking watch-list for sure, now...

Re:Target audience?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's quite simple, really. Wipe your ass with the Constitution, throw out 38+ years of precedence, and just monitor every single cash-paid phone sold. (You can't prove it was sold to a citizen, therefore it was de facto sold to a 'terrarist'.) Give Motorola a few bucks per vending machine to install cameras with genuine AT&T direct-to-NSA video feeds, overpay a bunch of Halliburton contractors to watch those video feeds, and put a flag on every foreigner (specifically Arabs, of course, but it's not politically correct to admit it) who buys one.

I don't know how much simpler they could make it.

Really, though, as long as they get a photo of each Arab paying cash for a phone, that's all they really need. The NSA will be monitoring all these phones anyway, so I don't see how much difference it makes. Besides, all the phones will have GPS receivers in them. And as long as they believe they're tracking every Moslem in America, Bush will continue to report that we're safer, (at least for as long as we vote Republican.)

I guess that's what you get for asking such a stupid question.

So I guess you have no real answer then. There is no legal way to monitor these phones, so I guess we don't. What's the point in monitoring any phones at all since these are the phones anyone with terror connections will be using? Well, I guess we should give up and surrender to the Muslems now. No point in making more innocents die without a chance for giving into dhimmitude. Has your wife and daughter been fitted for their burkas yet? Your daughter knows that if she fights off a rapist, she can be stoned for attempted murder, right? Make sure you let her know. (Oh, and if she doesn't fight, she's a slut and should be stoned for dishonoring your family and soiling the rapist)

Be sure to tell the airport screeners that your privacy is more important than the lives of all the other passengers before you board a plane.

Re:Target audience?

[Anonymous Coward]

If it's between talking to the idiot 16-year old punk at the Verizon counter in the mall and talking to the touch screen on the vending machine, I'm walking up to the vending machine.

Same at the grocery store... either wait at the checkout as the horribly inept cashier tries to find the right button for peruvian guava, or go do it myself at the self checkout station.

Re:Target audience?

[cookieinc]

What if the cost of the iPod was a deposit, and you could drop your iPod at the 'Returns' counter at the destination airport and recieve 70% of your deposit back? Or if you fall in love with it mid-flight, you could just keep it...

Re:Target audience?

[Firehed]

More importantly, how are you going to put music on the thing? Sure, slashdotters always have their laptops on them, but not everyone is toting their music collection to the mall or airport. I don't often buy candy bars or soda from vending machines that I can't open until I get home, so there's not a whole lot of logic behind an impulse buy of electronics that you can't use immediately.

Re:Target audience?

[freedom_india]

Its all already done in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

**Yawn** Nothing new here.

Re:Target audience?

[The Cydonian]

Its all already done in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Phone purchases aren't tracked, but phone-line purchases (mostly pre-paid cards) are.

Re:Target audience?

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey, troll? Your bridge is calling. Go home.

Re:Target audience?

[AtomicBomb]

You miss the point: it is just another type of advertisment board.

Re:Target audience?

[dean.collins]

yep I was thinking the same thing, walk up, buy phone, blow up phone, have a nice day.

Dean

Re:Target audience?

[Anonymous Coward]

You haven't been paying attention

1. The Constitution doesn't apply to the president; he doesn't need to get warrants anymore
2. Even if he DID need to get a FISA warrant, he's allowed to get it after he's already done the wiretap

Re:Target audience?

[operagost]

Don't flatter yourself.

Re:Target audience?

[Anonymous Coward]

who the hell mods this shit as funny?
racist jackasses i guess
it doesn't even make sense, there are no "remote" things inside an ipod.
stupid racist jackasses

Re:Target audience?

[LunaticTippy]

Drunk at 6:43am?

I salute you, sir.

Re:Target audience?

[Anonymous Coward]

/tinfoil hat

well now they could ban cellphones from airplanes.
or course these vending phones could be certified airplane safe
and would only be sold post security check. /end tinfoil hat

tinfoil is fun

Re:Target audience?

[plover]

It was actually 8:43 PM local time. I normally wait until after work before hitting the bottle...

Although if you insist on your rabid fanboyism, the next time you're in my hemisphere please feel free to stop by and pick up the next round or two! :-)

Re:Target audience?

[LunaticTippy]

You were drunk at 6:43 AM by my clock, which gets you a free round.

I actually glanced around in your journal to see a mention of country but didn't find one. Sorry about presuming you were within a few hours of my time zone!

Re:Target audience?

[knarf]

Oh, but if I were a tourist^Wterrorist I'd just get me a GSM phone which I knew I could change the IMEI on plus a stack of prepaid SIM cards (or a SIM card programmer and a list of IMSI numbers). That way I could use the same phone while making it much more difficult to track me. Unless the operators implement some other tracking method based on individual handset radio 'fingerprints' (similar to Wi-Fi Fingerprints) or something fancy like that of course...

the next level?

[not a cylon]

Any idea when they will having vending machines that dispense vending machines?

Theoretically, you'd only ever need one at a location, for all of time. (Well that...and a lot of floor space.)

Re:the next level?

[Anonymous Coward]

"I want to make a vending machine that sells vending machines... It would have to be really f$!*@ing big!"
- Mitch Hedberg

And while we're at it...

"Vending machines are a big part of my life. I like when you reach into the vending machine to grab your candy bar and that flap goes up to block you from reaching up. That's a good invention. Before that, it was hard times for the vending machine owner. 'Hey, which candy bar are you getting?' 'That one...and every one on the bottom row!'"
- Mitch Hedberg

"I like vending machines, because snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at the store oftentimes I will drop it, so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential."
- Mitch Hedberg

Ah, what a great man. RIP.

Re:the next level?

[Anonymous Coward]

according to Mitch Hedberg it'd have to be real f**king big!

This is a dup article, almost.

[Animats]

Not only has this been around for a while, it was written up on Slashdot. "Get Your iPod Fix From a Vending Machine" back in May covered the same vending machine, but loaded up with iPods instead of cell phones.

Easier or harder?

[SteveXE]

Its hard enough to buy a Cell phone at a store that just sells Cell phones. Will it be easier to buy them from a vending machine? Will I still have to listen to a speech about insurance, or calling plans? Will I get my soul back when the contract expires?!

Re:Easier or harder?

[SmitherIsGod]

Will I get my soul back when the contract expires?!

No.

Re:Easier or harder?

[schlumpf_louise]

I don't know about anywhere else, but in the UK it takes a lot to get a mobile phone. Living in temporary student accomodation far away from home, when I needed a new phone it was a lot of hassle. I had been on pay as you go with this company for six years and wanted to go onto contract (I'm not sure if the following checks are needed to get a new pay as you go these days). They asked for photo ID which i didn't have because I just don't have any. They needed two bills to prove my home address, which required my Mum sending up two bills for her address. That took a couple of days, I went in with the information they asked for, then they told me they had to be within the last 3 months. I went to a different store when I got the newer bills as the staff were rude in the first one and I didn't want them getting the commision :) Then at the next store they doubted the address as it was so far away. But I explained and they were ok with that, then because I wanted the student plan I had to wait for ages for them to check my National Union of Students card as I didn't have any other photo identification on me to prove that that was me, plus the name on the bills was that of my mothers. I did eventually get my phone, but it was way too much hassle.

End of story, I wanted to buy a 12 month contract from them and they just wouldn't sell it to me without a series of checks, so how on earth would it be possible to stroll up to a vending machine and buy one? How long would the process take if they need x y z information and how would they verify it?

Well...

[Cervantes]

Well...

I bet the terrorists will just love these.

Get Real

[electrogeek_dot_com]

Who the heck is going to buy a cell phone out of a vending machine? They don't sell enough Razr's through all of their other distribution channels?

A Logical Next Step

[Anonymous Coward]

Why not just rent the phone for the specific length of time you need to talk -- like say you put in a quarter or something and you get a couple of minutes, and just add money as needed? Hey, wait, this sounds familiar...

Huh? Nothing new here.

[WrecklessSandwich]

I've been buying cell phones and accessories from a TALKING machine for years! It's called Raido Shack.

Here's a twist on iPods

[winkydink]

Was at the Grammercy Park Hotel in NYC earlier this week. In the room is a JBL iPod dock and a little note saying something like, "this iPod is provided as a courtesy for you during your stay. If you wish to purchase it and the songs we have preloaded, $750 will be added to your bill." The weird part? There wasn't any iPod in the dock! I had to call down to the front desk and say, "Hey! WTF?". They explained that the hotel had just opened and the iPods were not available yet. I'm thinking, "Duh! Then how about removing the little freakin' sign saying you're going to charge me $750 for the missing iPod???

Nooooo

[EmbeddedJanitor]

That's the handjob machine. You don't want to get these mixed up!

kmart, truck stops, quickee marts....

[zogger]

....walk in, lay down a jackson* and some coins, walk out with a little phone with some minutes on it. Been out for quite awhile now. Granted, not in a vending machine, but a blisterpack. You can buy more minutes but it's a rip if you talk a lot, ten cents a minute. It's designed for people who have borked credit and really need a phone, or to give a cheap one to the kid or grandma so they have something to use for emergencies, or say, for trips where you don't want to chance your expensive phone, like going to the beach, etc. It's a niche product but it works. From what I have seen they are little nokias.

*that's $20 to those who don't follow dead presidents "real value" wallet sized posters closely

Sexbots.

[xilmaril]

Sexbots, and the extinction of the human race. It's the only logical solution.

I just read the /. ATM post...

[RuBLed]

and from TFA: "The products are delivered to consumers by a robotic arm and are run from a central location, similar to the way automated teller machines are operated."

hmmm... nope, I'm not saying anything...

Causing Riots?

[Kamiza Ikioi]

If you think people get mad and beat machines because their $0.75 bag of chips got stuck, what do you think the person who just spent $250 on a phone are going to do when it gets stuck? That person is going to beat that machine until they break through the door. Think bats, crowbars, and smashing with vehicles, and then it's "Hey everybody, free cellphones!" (Veiled reference to a line from Police Academy.)

Here's a question. If buying too many pre-paid cellphones from Walmart can get you arrested (terrorism, drugs, etc... guilty only really of hyper-consumerism, imo), will the machine alert police to multiple purchases? Seeing as these will be in airports, if you decide to buy a half dozen as gifts, will you be allowed to board the plane, or get hauled off to get rubber glove probed?

Also, will breaking into one become a federal offence? And finally, because of the high profile of being targetting by thieves either by breaking in or by forcing others to buy phones for them, will these machines come with any type of security camera or remote help? At least then, it might be possible to talk with a service rep when the phone doesn't come out.

FTA: "The products are delivered to consumers by a robotic arm and are run from a central location, similar to the way automated teller machines are operated."

That doesn't really explain much.

Re:Causing Riots?

[operagost]

Also, will breaking into one become a federal offence

Anything could become an offense-- even trolling on Slashdot. However, breaking into vending machines is not, nor could it be construed as, a federal offense under current law.

How about travellers?

[zlogic]

In Europe the standarts are different. I'm not sure but I think that US has GSM-1900 and GSM-800 and some kind of AMPS (D-AMPS or something like that) while in Europe it's GSM-1800 and GSM-900. If someone flies from Europe on a business trip and discovers that their phone won't work, buying a phone that will definetly work at the airport without those shop assistants trying to sell you the most expensivething is a good option.

Re:How about travellers?

[Anonymous Coward]

Also TDMA (old cingular/att) CDMA (sprint/verizon) iDEN (nextel) are used in the U.S.

Re:How about travellers?

[theneb]

Most new phones are tri band, they cover the most gsm bands, almost every decent phone sold in the past 2 years should have this support by default.

Re:How about travellers?

[jamar0303]

Also WCDMA at 1900MHz (I think the auction for 2100MHz finished recently, so that shouldn't be a worry anymore.

id

[drDugan]

more important, when will you need a state issued ID to be able to communicate with them?

How often do you need one?

[cliffski]

how often do you need a new phone exactly? I've owned 3 in my life. the first lost its screen over time, the second was stolen. I've had the third maybe 3 years now, and see no reason to upgrade it. It makes phone calls. Job done. Foe everything else phones do, I have a home PC. I drive, so I dont need a phone to play games on at the bus stop, and i can't think why people MUST speak to me instantly anyway. most of the time the things left in a drawer anyway.
The thought of getting through so many phone upgrades that I use a vending machine just seems totally alien.

what about my change?

[sar]

hey, this machine ate my change!

Something feels wrong

[Plutonite]

..about putting $300 in a vending machine. Do these things have tight security, or can you open them with a minibar key?

Product Name?

[arachnoprobe]

Shouldn't it be named "VDNG MCHN"?

Not a completely new idea

[curlynoodle]

More than I year ago, I used a vending machine at Hartsfield in Atlanta to purchase a pack of CDRs. Also available was a pre-pay mobile phone, digital camera, USB flash drive, "universal" laptop power supply, and other items. The machine was rather near, using X/Y linear stages to move a bin to pick the purchased item from the rack, then place it into the delivery bin. Touchscreen interface, likely WinXPe, but nevertheless a neat machine.

Unlocked Phones?

[hydrino]

It sounds like these will be unlocked phones(at least the GSM phones). Makes me wonder if people will pay $200-$300 for a phone when t-mo will give them one for $50 with the 2 year contract subsidy.

Returns?

[BSonline]

So, what's the return policy? Will my cell phone companies insurance offer a coverage for the 3rd party purchase? If I purchase a plan with the phone, will it be ready to go out of the box?
Wasn't there just a huge problem with people buying a bunch of prepaid phones at wal-mart? What is going to keep someone from buying these phones, with stolen credit cards?

RTFA

[Slashdot Parent]

It's in english:

Shoppers will be able to use credit cards to purchase mid- to high-end models, including the Razr and the Q, and can buy [...]

Emphasis mine.

Re: talking to inanimate objects

[operagost]

Have you been to New York City lately? I see LOTS of those kind of people walking around already!

Tempting Target?

[SFSouthpaw]

I wonder how long before someone tries to steal one with a truck (like an ATM). If you get chased by the police, just use one of the cellphones to call your local news to tell your side of the story (and get the latest goings on in sports from Trip Whitman!)