7Eleven
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7-Eleven is testing a ‘scan and go’ mobile checkout system
Cashier-less checkouts are supposed to be all about convenience, so it's only right that a convenience store gets in on the action. 7-Eleven is launching a new pilot program called Scan and Pay that lets you scan your purchases and checkout with your smartphone without needing to visit the cashier. The chain is testing Scan and Pay at 14 locations in Dallas.
E-cig makers have 60 days to show they aren’t targeting minors
The Food And Drug Administration may force several e-cigarette brands to stop selling flavored products if they can't prove they can keep their products out of minors' hands. The brands -- Juul, Vuse, MarkTen, blu and Logic -- have 60 days to convince the agency they have adequate plans to stop kids from vaping with their products. Those five collectively account for more than 97 percent of the e-cigarette market.
DelivAir uses drones to deliver to people, not physical addresses
Drone deliveries -- the impatient consumer's Holy Grail -- have been in the pipeline for some time, and while Amazon is pioneering the cause, (although Rival 7-Eleven has completed nearly 100 aerial deliveries to date), its model is still somewhat encumbered by factors at odds with the advantages drone delivery technically offers. Recipients need to be present at an address, for example. Now, though, Cambridge Consultants -- the team that brought us intelligent bins and Renaissance doodling -- has developed a drone delivery system that'll get you your stuff anytime, anywhere, in a matter of minutes.
Soylent sits alongside Slurpees at some 7-Elevens in LA
Good news if you're all about nutrition, but not a fan of actually eating while on the go: Soylent is now available at select 7-Eleven stores. The meal replacement substance was only sold on Amazon and the company's own website prior to this, and CEO Rob Rhinehart told The Verge that soon enough the 7-Eleven deal will go wider than the 18 stores in Los Angeles. Now that no one is getting sick off of algae powder (a previous ingredient) the company stands to make some pretty big inroads with the mass market.
7-Eleven strikes deal with Hon Hai to sell tablets and notebooks in Taiwan
The stars have aligned in such a way that two of our favorite, yet disparate interests are crossing paths: gadgets and Slurpees. Hon Hai Precision Industry (better known as Foxconn's parent company) has struck a deal with 7-Eleven, and will manufacture slates for the latter to sell in Taiwan. Details are slim on the 7-inch (7.11-inch?) tablet, but it's now up for pre-order, and the pair hope to give 3,000 units new homes in the first three months of sales. As absurd as it sounds, this isn't the first partnership between the unlikely couple. In June, a similar deal resulted in 7-Eleven-branded TVs (in 40-, 60- and 70-inch flavors), and over 15,000 have been sold since. Now, a 50-inch set has been added to the mix, and between five and ten new products -- which include smartphones and laptops -- will be available by years' end. Rather than crowding the inside of shops with the gadgets, the televisions were up for order through the convenience store's 7net website as well as brick and mortar locations, and it appears the other hardware will follow suit. We don't expect the gas station to dabble in electronics stateside, so you might as well make the most of a trip to Taiwan and pick up a Honey Lemon Slurpee while you're at it. [Image credit: Nicky Fernandes, Flickr]
T-Mobile brings prepaid option to 7-Elevens nationwide, doesn't come in Piña Colada flavor
It's 3 AM and you have a cravin' for something grape-flavored. How about a new phone while you're at it? Now you can have both (thank heavens). T-Mobile's made an agreement with 7-Eleven to sell prepaid service in its stores; it's ideal for those times that a Slurpee just won't hit the spot, but a tiny entry-level flip phone will. Up for grabs -- in the easy-to-open blister packs, we hope -- is the LG GS170 clamshell, packing a VGA camera and Bluetooth 2.1, and it can all be yours for $30. Not good enough, eh? You drive a hard bargain, so they'll cut the price of the handset in half with the purchase of a $50 prepaid card. Just do us all a favor and pass on the hot dogs this time, okay?
Nokia 1680 comes to Canada by way of 7-Eleven
How do you say "boring" in Canadian? The Nokia 1680 is a good guess, especially considering that the company had intended this puppy for emerging markets -- which, nine times out of ten, is code for "boring." 7-Eleven's Speak Out Wireless is the upstanding organization that we have to thank for this particular launch, bundling the 1680 with 20 minutes of talk time for $89 Canadian -- about $73 -- and when you take into account the VGA cam and integrated FM radio, we guess the price ain't bad. Yeah, there are plenty of cheaper prepaid phones on the market, but how many of 'em let you snap uselessly blurry photos?[Via MobileSyrup]
Halo 3 pre-order at 7-Eleven
Get a Slurpee and pick up your copy of Halo 3 at the same time? One reader sent us this shot from his local 7-Eleven where you can apparently "reserve your copy today" for the return of Master Chief this September. We don't know if this is a national offer, but if there is some way to avoid the GameStop madness and possibility of the title being sold out at logical retail locations, we'll take the three-day-old hot dog and Halo 3 to go from the corner store for sure.One of our own writers here at Joystiq remembers seeing PS2s for sale at his local 7-Eleven when they first came out. We're still trying to find out if this a national thing, but if you see this sign at your local 7-Eleven leave a comment below. Despite how convenient it would be to pick up Halo 3 from our local convenience super-chain, there's still that nagging awkward feeling of pre-ordering your video games from the same place you pick up emergency condoms and munchie satiating chips at 3AM.Update: It does appear to be a national 7-Eleven promotion. Replaced old pic found after the break with very official looking pic from Sunnyvale, CA. The reservation price seems to be in question, some people don't have to put any money down for a reserve and others are being charged. Most tragically, the game will apparently not be coming with a free Slurpee.[Thanks Pat, Brian and everyone else who contributed]
