Making a pot of tea, by text messaging

By: Sabena Suri
Topics: Gadgets

Goodbye Starbucks, hello...text-activated tea and coffee maker? Imagine leaving the office after a hard day of work (or sitting on the couch on a lazy Sunday afternoon), and with a simple text message, making sure a hot pot of water awaits you. Add some coffee or tea, and voila! Ah, the comforts of modern technology.

Credit: PG Tips

The ReadyWhenUR kettle, devised by British tea maker PG Tips and U.K. cell phone network Orange and loosely inspired by invention-happy characters Wallace & Gromit, boils hot water upon receiving a text message that reads "switch on." It's that simple. The kettle is activated by SMS technology, with an integral radio receiver that can receive a text message sent by a cell phone. However, the user must be in close proximity to the pot for the feature to work, as the receiver is not incredibly strong.

Currently, only users of Orange cellular service in the U.K. have access to the product, which became available earlier this year for 100 pounds (about $188).

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by sharedbranching April 27, 2010 9:20 AM EDT: Credit unions individually don?t have the conveniences of the mega banks, but unlike banks credit unions work together; they cooperate to compete . Many share their ATMs in large (up to 28,000) surcharge FREE ATM Networks. Even single branch credit unions can belong to the Shared Branching Network (www.cuservicecenter.com) allowing members to access their accounts at over 4,000 locations across the US. Many offer the same products & services as banks including online bill pay, mobile banking, and more. But most importantly, credit unions treat you as a member/owner not just as another customer. To find a credit union, use this link: www.findacreditunion.com.; Reply to this comment


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by sjc_1 January 13, 2010 4:31 PM EST: I am going from Bank of American to a credit union. I have one from my University days that allows me to be a member. Bank of American used to be a California bank until it got bought, then their customer service got worse and worse. Commercial banks are in it for the money and the heck with the customer.; Reply to this comment


by bigoldic January 13, 2010 2:18 PM EST: This is well known, the problem is there arent too many credit unions around. As Americans we thrive on convenience, if its not
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dummified group us Americans.; Reply to this comment


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Duh!!!!!!!!!

This has been common knowledge for decades.

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by rightbehind January 13, 2010 9:34 AM EST: We all need to start joining credit unions!; Reply to this comment


by fleabag75 January 13, 2010 7:20 AM EST: I am 65 years old. The reason I mention that is because in my life I had been with 4 different banks before joining a credit union over 25 years ago and could be happier. I will stay with them forever or until the banks crush them. I have tried for years to get people to try a credit union. I don't know, for some reason seem they seem to be drawn to banks. To bad. Their loss.; Reply to this comment