Amazon brings its Dash grocery scanner to the UK

Now that Amazon's grocery delivery service has launched in the UK, many of the devices that make it easier to order food and household items are starting to make their way here too. The first is the Dash, a small handheld gadget that lets you add products to your basket with its barcode scanner or by simply using your voice. All that's then needed is to open the Amazon website or mobile app and complete your order.

Amazon says that Dash is available for free between today and August 28th, as long as you complete two Amazon Fresh orders. It you don't, it'll cost £35. It operates much like a dictaphone, storing your orders as you speak into its built-in microphone, while its LED scanner helps add items that either aren't recognised or hard to describe.

With the Dash scanner now available, it'll probably only be a matter of time until Amazon brings its super-simple Dash Button across the pond. The Dash buttons are small plastic, er, buttons that are pre-programmed to order a certain brand name item. In the US, over 100 brands -- including Huggies, Energizer, Red Bull, Starbucks Samsung -- are already on board, but you can bet the retailer is already in talks with UK-centric companies.