Amazon, you have discovered the future

Sometimes I wonder if Amazon might be trying to take over the world and I get nervous. Then they release a product that is so mind-blowingly cool that I start to think “Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad!” I had one of those moments earlier this week when the company unveiled a flashy new device. Called the Amazon Dash button, the product allows consumers to order a specified product at the touch of a button. So if you were sitting on the couch munching on pretzels, for example, and you suddenly run out. If you wanted to buy a new bag before you forgot, you could just push your designated “pretzels” button and the order would be placed instantly.

How exactly does it work? (Not through magic, unfortunately.) The process is relatively simple. First, decide what product you want to assign to the button (there are currently only 17 brands to choose from but there are more on the way). Then, sync the button with that product on Amazon. And that’s it. If all goes well, you’ll have a fully-functioning button that can fill your life with K-cups and toilet paper in no time.

And don’t worry about losing it in your couch cushions or dropping it on the street somewhere. The buttons have adhesive on the back, allowing you to stick it virtually anywhere: on the wall, your coffeepot, the cat (in case you need to get more kitty litter, I don’t know). Don’t worry about leaving it out around your kids, either. The device recognizes duplicate purchases, so you don’t end up sitting on the remote and accidentally ordering fifteen cartons of ice cream.

Sounds too good to be true, right? Hang on, it gets better. The device is free. Well, almost. If you’re a member of Amazon Prime, you can order as many buttons as you want for free from their site. This means that you’d have to invest in an Amazon Prime membership, but this isn’t really the worst catch in the world. Amazon Prime has a lot of perks that make it worth buying, like 2-day shipping and cheap movie rentals. The Amazon Dash button would only be a bonus.

And before you start Googling all of this and getting confused: Amazon Dash and “the Amazon Dash button” are two different things. Amazon Dash is essentially a magic wand that lets you make a digital grocery list by pointing at things and then ordering it all on Amazon. The Amazon Dash button is an offshoot of that service.

The future is here. Happy shopping!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMacTuHPWFI

Featured image via Amazon