Today's brilliant tech idea -- an easier way to make a shopping list
by John Fisher,posted Oct 30 2012 11:28AM
Here's a genius device that a startup is trying to launch: It's a super easy way to make a shopping list. It's a little white thing that looks like a bar of soap -- it's called Hiku (pronounced "haiku".) You keep it in your kitchen and when you notice that you're running low on, say, Tim's Cascade Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips, you grab the Hiku, scan the barcode on the chips, and the device adds the item to a shipping list that shows up on your phone. You can also speak into Hiku, just say "broccoli" and it'll add that to your list. I've tried iPhone apps that sort of do the same thing, but you have to tap the icon for the app and fire it up, which seems like more trouble than it's worth. Hiku is a way simpler solution, although it does cost $79.
Here's the Hiku dude doing a rather dull demo, but you get the idea:
