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Amazon’s Dash Button lets you refill home goods at the simple press of a button [VIDEO]

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amazon dash tide

Our immediate reaction to Amazon’s latest announcement was that it has to be an April Fools joke, but perhaps that’s a testament to just how cool and future-thinking this product actually is. This is the Amazon Dash Button, a tiny little button that you can press to instantly order replenishment for any perishable product you need from Amazon.

amazon dash button maxwell

Whether that product is a huge case of diapers, enough gatorade to supply a full basketball team or some macaroni and cheese, you only need to press the button once and Amazon will automatically place an order for shipment to your doorstep. You’ll get a notification on your phone to confirm the details of your order, and Amazon’s app will make it easy enough to make changes to your button’s behavior whenever you need, such as setting up different quantities or flavors.

The buttons can be ordered from Amazon, and the best part is it’s free for any Prime user. You might also find some products that come with Amazon Dash Buttons pre-installed, such as a washing machine with a Tide button or a water cooler that’ll get you jugs of nature’s primary element whenever you need it.

amazon dash button phone appIn fact, there’s already one such product that exists. It’s Poppy’s smart coffee machine that’ll make you coffee whenever you need it, whether you set an automatic timer to have it make a batch in the morning, or you tell it to make a cup via the smartphone app for when you get home. Poppy’s machine integrates Amazon’s dash replenishment service to automatically detect when you’re running low on coffee and place an order for more to ensure you get a shipment before you run out.

You’ll see the same sort of functionality in Brita’s smart filters and Brother’s printers. Sounds like cool stuff. Unfortunately we’re not yet sure of some of the details of Dash Button, such as whether you’ll be able to order a generic one to program for getting items such as those that can be bought through Amazon Subscribe & Save.

Amazon users who are interested can actually sign up to be let in on the early round of testing set to go down within the next few weeks. In the meantime be sure to check out the early crop of products you’ll be able to order Dash buttons for right here once Amazon’s fully launched this thing, and keep your fingers crossed that this isn’t the most elaborate April Fools day joke in existence!

Quentyn Kennemer
The "Google Phone" sounded too awesome to pass up, so I bought a G1. The rest is history. And yes, I know my name isn't Wilson.

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20 Comments

  1. This has to be a Aprils Fools joke.. Someone could press that button 100 times, and you’ll get 100 gillette razors.

    1. I though the same. I have a kid that would love to give that button a few presses

      1. it also said somewhere that once the button is pressed and an order is submitted, pressing the button again will do nothing until after the order is delivered. So only 1 order every few days at the most.

        1. And it can be canceled from phone..or just put it where child can’t reach

          1. HAHA, children are resourceful. Can’t reach? No problem, grab a chair or stepping stool

    2. looks like they send an alert to your phone for verification with a few extra steps.

    3. It’s not. I registered to try it. You have to be selected though.

  2. I found this not too long ago after finding out that the M9 was availale for preorder on amazon for Verizon and shooting over to Amazon to place a preorder. I initially thought the button was an April Fool’s joke but a quick Googling turned up some articles claiming it is real. Unless Gizmodo is in bed with Amazon on the joke, I guess this is real. I clicked the invite button, so we’ll see what happens. BTW, The Verizon M9 is only in gun metal black for Amazon right now. I didn’t pre-order it.

  3. It will come to the point we will all stay inside our homes…a la surrogates

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  4. I want one for Colorado chocolate…

  5. I lost my USB cable. Time to buy another weekly one only to find ALL the other cables I bought after I place my order and the cable is shipped. ._.
    #StoryOfMyLife #FirstWorldProblems

    1. You need a USB cable keychain, and keep in mind Amazon is pretty good with returns.

  6. i watched this figuring it was an april fools gag too – but something along these lines could be very interesting.

    i’d think using an NFC tag linked to the amazon app on your phone would be better though – otherwise the button could be pressed a bunch of times (say by a toddler or by someone leaning on it) without any real control.

    an NFC tag could be branded just like these and could fire a notification on the phone showing the last time the item was ordered, the price, and either a 30 second window to cancel the order or a proactive “yes i want to buy this” button to press on the screen. NFC tags would be far cheaper too.

    if this is a gag then amazon really dreamt up something useful as the gag. if it’s a real product then i wonder why they didn’t go with the cheaper and more secure solution of NFC tags…?

  7. I just need my items added on and I’ll go for it.

    Of course my Amazon App download is still pulling ‘error 24’ so I’ll have to wait until I change phones unfortunately.

  8. If they would enable this to be customized products, I’m all in. That video clicks. Those certain items that you’re in such a rhythm you forget to get too close to runout or. Tape it right above the pet food.

  9. I…. was all ready to bash this, but this is some innovative stuff. I dig it!

  10. I watched it, and I still think it’s an early April Fools joke. In any event, knowing that the possibility may exist in the near(er) future to push a button and theoretically walk out to my deck an hour later to receive my (FILL IN THE BLANK) from an Amazon Air Drone is too cool.

  11. It’s fake. The button for an invitation doesn’t even ask you to either log in or for an email address.

  12. It may be an April Fools joke but the concept seems good. What about if it was baked into the Amazon app? You could mark specific products/items as favourites and then create a widget on the home screen for a one click order for those products. Seems like a cheaper and more practical way to achieve the same thing. Also, it has the benefit of being more secure so toddlers and mischievous guests wouldn’t be able to click to order.

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