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Amazon Dash Button

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211–220 of 703 posts

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#211

This makes me envious of you Americans. Here in Norway online shopping involves finding an online store that sells what you need (there's no site that sells everything, like Amazon, here), going through a cumbersome sign-up/payment process, paying a lot of money for the shipping costs, waiting several days and having to go to the post office unless the package is really small (or if you're willing to pay even more fo…

I think it's ridiculous just because it clearly involved a lot of effort to solve a problem that doesn't really need solving. The choice isn't between a button and the massive hassle you describe. The choice is between a button and ordering the product on your smartphone in ten seconds, or picking up the product at the grocery store the next time you're there.

How often do you need laundry detergent? Every two weeks? If this button saves you ten seconds each time, that's a total of 4.3 minutes per year saved. And that assumes you buy the stuff one at a time instead of getting a bunch at once.

Amazon as a whole is great because you can use it for so much stuff. Saving time on a rare purchase is almost pointless, but saving time on all your rare purchases put together can be significant. But this button thingy is inherently single-product.

This is basically the ordering-side equivalent of when you buy three small items from Amazon and they get shipped to you in three separate gigantic boxes filled with vast amounts of padding. Maybe it makes sense when you see the big picture, but I can't help but scream "why??"

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#212
This is incredibly cool. I love the way it blurs the line between the physical and the digital. I very much dislike the trend towards touchscreens on everything, I personally like physical controls that have a single purpose, like a volume button.

I could easily order laundry soap on my phone, but this is far quicker and easier, and a genius move by Amazon.

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#213
post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, I would love to press a button that will order things for me without seeing the price I'm going to pay ... oh wait, no, Amazon would love that, I wouldn't. This is for people who don't care what things cost and that don't have children (children loooove pressing buttons!).

I can't imagine there wouldn't be a way to limit the price you pay; it might even be illegal otherwise.

Most likely you could cancel or return for a refund.

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#214

This makes me envious of you Americans. Here in Norway online shopping involves finding an online store that sells what you need (there's no site that sells everything, like Amazon, here), going through a cumbersome sign-up/payment process, paying a lot of money for the shipping costs, waiting several days and having to go to the post office unless the package is really small (or if you're willing to pay even more fo…

I'm pretty sure most Americans will give up amazon for free education, health care, paid maternity and paternity leave and the many other social benefits Norway provides to its nationals.

"I'm pretty sure most Americans will give up amazon for free education, health care, paid maternity and paternity leave and the many other social benefits Norway provides to its nationals. reply"

I would rather be paid enough and have the choice of where to put my money, instead of the government making all of those choices for me.

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#215

This looks awful. Imagine a house full of branded buttons. Yuk. Though I'm sure my toddler would love pressing them endlessly. And all that packaging in the video, the horror. It must an April fools joke.

> It must be an April fools joke Maybe considering their history of product announcements (Amazon Echo), they're being cautious about it this time. If it gets mocked, they'll just say "Oh it was an April Fool's joke"

That's terrible. Imagine being the team who built that product, only to have them say, "Too many people thought it was a joke, sorry"

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey Google (through my Nest), am I low on anything? If so, go ahead and order it through (whomever is cheapest|whomever can get it here today).

Now that door-to-door supermarket deliveries are a thing (at least, they are here in the UK) it actually seems that a lot of items would just be more convenient to order on a subscription basis. For example, I'm pretty much always* going to need toilet paper, soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, tea bags, salt, pepper, etc. at about the same rate as I need them now. None of those things will spoil fast enough for it…

Amazon here in the US does that. You can even get a single package of gum sent to you once a week, and you'll get a discount on it.

There are other services like ManPacks, Dollar Shave Club, etc that offer subscriptions to everyday essentials.

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#217
post #188
post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At this point in my life, I definitely wouldn't, but that might obviously change in the future.

The statement "At this point in my life" doesn't make much sense unless you specify the point in your life you're at.

I'm in my 20s and I have no dependents or known health problems.

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure most Americans will give up amazon for free education, health care, paid maternity and paternity leave and the many other social benefits Norway provides to its nationals.

I definitely would not give up amazon for free education, health care, etc... Those socialists implementations come at a very high cost. Yes, our current system is not well, but it's better than the government taking 60% of my earned income.

I agree with what you are saying, but my effective tax rate this year in California was ~40%. All of the above benefits for an additional 20% sounds like a bargain.

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#219
post #4

This looks a little too elaborate for an April 1st joke, but they can't possibly serious? I mean, who will scatter these "buttons" all over their house, which will inevitably need new batteries at ever shorter and diverging intervals...

I think the battery situation could be fine. I have a wireless mouse that boasts 3 year battery life. Since a 'dash' would only ever need to switch on and send a quick signal when pushed (which for detergent might be 50 times a year?) I imagine it could live for years (say a few hundred pushes) on a single cell.

More like 2-3 times per year. You push the button when you run low, not every time you do a load.

Re: Amazon Dash Button

#220
post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or: "Thanks Google! I didn't know I was low on toilet paper"

Didn't I just read on HN the other day that you can do motion tracking with audio? I wouldn't be shocked if my Nest thermostat and protect smoke detectors could geolocate my in my home.

"You have been pooping for 8 minutes, which is 3 minutes longer than your average. Would you like me to order some Metamucil?"

[Yes] [OK] [Sure]

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