“I text for coffee” is not a bumper sticker (yet), but it’s actually how we get our coffee in the morning.
As a part of CTIA’s Landline Texting Working Group, Zipwhip modified a regular commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) espresso machine so when a user sent a text message to a particular landline number and tell it either coffee or coffee double, it would create either a single or double espresso.
We use it. A lot. And we love it. A lot.
Founded four years ago, Zipwhip focuses on “cloud texting” so subscribers may text to and from virtually any connected device. While technology allows for users to send and received text messages from whatever device they are using, the implications for Machine-to-Machine, or M2M, technology go much further.
M2M is applications or mobile units communicating with other machines through a wireless network. Beyond text-enabled espresso machines, the possibilities grow exponentially every year as technology aims to make systems, such as the smart grid and healthcare, work together. Cars especially are having a big M2M moment as manufacturers and developers start to make transportation smarter, from paying for parking to a car that starts its engine with a keyword.