Engadget

Google+ Local sees reviews from friends, Zagat invade your restaurant hunts (video)

Jon Fingas — Wed, 30 May 2012 09:22:00 EST

We'd been wondering what Google would do following its acquisition of Zagat, and now we know: it's part of Google+ Local, a boost to Maps, general search, and Google+ itself. Zagat's point system now automatically shows up in search results for restaurants that have been given the extra scrutiny. Those of us who don't trust The Man for reviews will also now see Google+ friends' picks surface at the same time. The addition is considered important enough that Google is even adding a Local tab on Google+ just to show recommendations, so you won't have to abandon your constant updating (you're always posting on Google+, right?) to find a well-rated sushi place. Local should be live soon, if not now, and will make search plus Your World that much more omnipresent.

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Google+ Local sees reviews from friends, Zagat invade your restaurant hunts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NTT DoCoMo menu translator app hands-on (video)

Zach Honig — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:24:00 EST

NTT DoCoMo menu translator app hands-on (video)

NTT DoCoMo begins testing automated Japanese / English translation app that actually works (video)

NTT DoCoMo exhibits on-the-fly speech translation, lets both parties just talk (video)

Have you ever tried to read a Japanese menu? If there aren't pictures to reference, you'll likely have a difficult time figuring out what to order -- unless you can read Japanese, of course. NTT DoCoMo hopes to improve the dining experience for those of us that can't tell our ウニ (sea urchin) from our カニ (crab), building an app that can translate any of 9,000 possible menu entries from Japanese into English. It also supports English to Japanese translation, along with Chinese (both Mandarin and Cantonese) and Korean translations as well. The app worked fairly well, occasionally mistaking things like salmon caviar for "a rare part of the pork." OK, so perhaps there's a bit more work to be done. Either way, real-time visual language translation is definitely tricky stuff, and could be enormously helpful to travelers once devs figure out how to make it work -- and work well. Jump past the break to see the app do its thing at CEATEC.

Gallery: NTT Docomo Menu Translator hands-on

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NTT DoCoMo menu translator app hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google acquires Zagat: good news for foodies, bad news for Yelp?

Lydia Leavitt — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 23:04:00 EST

Long before Yelp, there was Zagat -- a point-based restaurant rating guide, compiled from the best (or worst, depending) crowdsourced reviews. Today, Google has acquired the brand and plans to integrate Zagat's now expanded shopping, eating, drinking and hotel tips into both search and maps. For gastronomes, travelers and locals, that means crowdsourced tips for superb noms and activity recommendations from around the world. Sounds great, guys, as long as your new found friendship helps us find the best bacon-flavored ice cream cone, we're all for it.

Google acquires Zagat: good news for foodies, bad news for Yelp? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 23:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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McDonald's to start accepting contactless Visa payments in all UK restaurants by this summer

Vlad Savov — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:57:00 EST

The UK already has a big old investment in contactless technology with London's rather successful Oystercard travel scheme, but now the whole Kingdom can get a taste for airborne payments thanks to a new initiative from McDonald's and Visa. The two giants of commerce are uniting to bring NFC tech to all of the former's 1,200 fast food restaurants within the UK, allowing hungry Brits to pay for meals costing up to £15 by simply waving their credit card in front of the till Obi-wan-style. Of course, the real excitement of such large-scale NFC proliferation is in the potential to use those automated tills with your Nexus S (which has an NFC chip built right in) and other devices coming up this year that look set to feature the technology. So yeah, Visa had better be working hard on putting together some mobile apps.

[Thanks, Steve]

McDonald's to start accepting contactless Visa payments in all UK restaurants by this summer originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chinese hotpot restaurant gets robot waiters, may soon be serving droids as well (video)

Richard Lai — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 09:49:00 EST

Why, it's another robot-themed hotpot restaurant! This time we're looking at Jinan -- once famous for demolishing a whole stash of illegal arcade machines -- up in north China, where a ballsy robotics manufacturer started trialling a robot-themed eatery. While there are still human chefs working back in the kitchen, some near-hundred customers will be served by six robots (about ¥40,000 or $6,000 each to build) that follow a white line to seat diners and deliver dishes. Oh, and don't expect any slapstick comedy here -- these bland-looking droids will only stop if you dare stand in front of them. You'll have to hurry up, though, as this venue closes in about 16 days; but for those who can't make it, we've got a video right after the break.

Continue reading Chinese hotpot restaurant gets robot waiters, may soon be serving droids as well (video)

Chinese hotpot restaurant gets robot waiters, may soon be serving droids as well (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 09:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Burger King uses 'musical shower' as latest trick to entice Japanese clientele

Vlad Savov — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:39:00 EST

A new Burger King eatery opening up in Japan isn't usually something we concern ourselves too much with, but this one comes with an interesting new twist. Those umbrella-aping translucent cones hanging over the tables are known as "musical showers," and their function is to deliver music in an isolated fashion to you and your significant -- but not too significant, it's still BK, after all -- other. All you'll need to do is plug your portable media player into the provided receptacle and the tunes you know and love will literally shower down upon you. To be honest, if the audio channeling is sufficiently precise not to disturb nearby punters, we're loving this idea. Now just give it a name that won't make teenagers giggle and bring it westwards.

Burger King uses 'musical shower' as latest trick to entice Japanese clientele originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget dines at Taipei's Windows 7-themed restaurant (video)

Darren Murph — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 21:04:00 EST

Taiwan may be a comparatively small place, but it's well known for a few things: incredible eats, incredible technology, and the best Little League World Series teams this planet has ever seen. We're experiencing the best of those first two this week at Computex, and since we were all the way over on the other side of the planet, we couldn't help but stop by the Windows 7-themed eatery that opened up for just a couple of months surrounding the nation's only hosted consumer electronics show of this magnitude. The place, as we were told by the one and only Andy Yang from Engadget Chinese, is Taiwanese through and though. It typically goes by 100 Seafood, but for a couple of months it has been transformed into a 64-bit dining location with Windows 7 wallpaper, stickers, banners, and even mugs. Each day there's a special menu item that sells for just NT$77 (around $2.38 in the US), but considering that said special was some form of intestines on the evening that we showed up, Engadget and company sprung for dishes with a bit less relation to the digestive system. In all seriousness, the grub hit the spot after a long day on the trade show floor, and the take-home mugs for us media folk made the journey even more worthwhile. Now, to see if the lid closes over if we don't activate the thing in 30 days...

Take a trip to this magical place yourself in the galleries below, or do one even better and jump past the break for a video!

Gallery: Windows 7-themed restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan during Computex 2010

Gallery: Unboxing the Windows 7 mug on location in Taipei

Continue reading Engadget dines at Taipei's Windows 7-themed restaurant (video)

Engadget dines at Taipei's Windows 7-themed restaurant (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 21:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Caption contest: Windows 7-themed restaurant serves 64-bit grub in Taiwan

Darren Murph — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:16:00 EST

We (falsely) assumed that the Windows 7 Whopper would be the last food item ever associated with an operating system, and now we're quite literally eating our words. As the story goes, a Hot Fried 77 restaurant has opened up over in Taiwan, offering tons of "Windows-themed meals" for NTD $77 (around $3 in Greenbacks), and judging by the cornucopia of images down there in the source, we're guessing this is no prank. We're debating whether laughing or crying is the appropriate emotion here.

Josh T.: "While you're throwing .bak some fries and a burger, you should enjoy a .dll pickle."
Nilay: "This is not what we meant by Windows 7 Server."
Chris: "I'm a PC, and putting down a pint of Beast while installing Windows 7 was my idea."
Richard Lai: "This is the real Windows Genuine Advantage."
Joe: "We like to believe that Microsoft started with the restaurant and then reverse engineered an OS."
Richard Lawler: "Obviously, there's no word for Seagrams in their language."
Darren: "You haven't heard? Alcohol consumption by end-user is now listed in Minimum System Requirements."
Josh F.: "When reading 'serve it to us on a plate' in a literal sense goes horribly right."
Joanna: "Everything I come up with is just wrong."
Don: "Can you tell me where the XP Cafe is?"
Paul: "Would you like that in 32-bit or 64-bit?"

[Thanks, Chris]

Caption contest: Windows 7-themed restaurant serves 64-bit grub in Taiwan originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 May 2010 12:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Robot waiters serve food and dance moves in Thailand, secretly plotting humiliation revenge

Richard Lai — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 04:31:00 EST

The Far East just gets more surreal each day. For instance, how about a Japanese restaurant in Thailand served by robots? You can thank Lapassarad Thanaphant for her 30 million baht ($927,600) investment in the Bangkok-based Hajime restaurant and its four motorised servants from Japan. The brave souls who dare to enter can place orders on touchscreens, and in return watch a lanky humanoid deliver the dishes, followed by some slick dance moves if its not too busy serving others. Oh, don't worry, these samurais are tied to a track so they can barely reach you, plus you get to cook your own food in the style of Shabu-Shabu (Japanese hot pot) or BBQ, so enjoy your freedom before they take over your cooking as well. Videos after the break.

Continue reading Robot waiters serve food and dance moves in Thailand, secretly plotting humiliation revenge

Robot waiters serve food and dance moves in Thailand, secretly plotting humiliation revenge originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Apr 2010 04:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 7 Whopper claims its first victim (video)

Joseph L. Flatley — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:09:00 EST

Few brave souls will even attempt to consume the Windows 7 Whopper, and fewer still will achieve that first dyspepsic bite -- as you can plainly see in this video. Indeed, we were sure that this was some sort of promotional stunt for Microsoft in Japan, but reports are filtering in that these have been available in Texas for years now. Of course, in the Lone Star State it's not called the Windows 7 Whopper, it's called "lunch."

[Via Pocket-lint]

Continue reading Windows 7 Whopper claims its first victim (video)

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Windows 7 Whopper claims its first victim (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Burger King selling a Windows 7 Whopper in Japan

Vlad Savov — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:22:00 EST

Confirming our belief that Japan is at once among the coolest and craziest places on this planet we all call home is Burger King's exclusive Windows 7 Whopper. Seven stacked beef patties extend your usual Whopper to over five inches in height and the whole thing costs an appropriate ¥777 (or $8.55). It'll be available for one week only -- or seven days, get it? Join us past the break to see the full towering size of this meaty monstrosity.

[Via Electronista]

Update: Andy Yang, our Engadget Chinese editor, has read the smallprint and noted that in fact only the first 30 customers each day will get the Win 7 Whopper at ¥777, with the rest shelling out a cool ¥1,450 ($17.10) for the privilege. Way to break with the number 7 theme, guys.

Continue reading Burger King selling a Windows 7 Whopper in Japan

Burger King selling a Windows 7 Whopper in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Robots cook delicious ramen noodles for expendable humans

Vlad Savov — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:59:00 EST

So you think you've seen robot chefs before, huh? Well, actually, yes you probably have -- but you sure as hell haven't seen a mechanical cook spinning plates, right? We thought so. The latest culinary drone, hailing from Nagoya, Japan, features a pair of delightfully dextrous arms and is capable of serving up a yummy bowl of ramen noodles in under two minutes. With such rapid speed, the bots get some downtime, which they fill by performing a little show for their clientele. Trust us, you really don't wanna be the one person who didn't see the surreal duel that lies beyond the break.

[Via Switched]

Continue reading Video: Robots cook delicious ramen noodles for expendable humans

Filed under: Robots

Video: Robots cook delicious ramen noodles for expendable humans originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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London restaurant claims fame with touch-sensitive tables, colorful menu projectors

Samuel Axon — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:36:00 EST

A chic London restaurant and bar called Inamo is making patrons' dining experiences digital by projecting colorful menus and aesthetic patterns onto touch-sensitive tabletops. When browsing, patrons can preview the food as if it were on the plate in front of them -- only flatter, we suppose. They can also order their meals, look up neighborhood services, and select one of seven visual vibes without ever interacting with carbon-based lifeforms. Inamo isn't the first automated establishment we've seen, and this sort of table menu tech isn't new -- but the futuristic panache is hard to beat. Hit the read link for more pics.

[Thanks, Nvyseal]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

London restaurant claims fame with touch-sensitive tables, colorful menu projectors originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TEC develops 3D Tobidasu table menu, makes your mouth water

Darren Murph — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST

Shortly after Teraoka's Deli Touch pen gave a reason to (almost) ignore the wait staff entirely, along comes the 3D Tobidasu table menu to make you order way more food than you likely would otherwise. Developed by TEC, the pop-up menu is designed to be integrated into restaurant tables, and reportedly, it enables patrons to browse the offerings and view individual items in "3D." Granted, the photo above doesn't really capture the effect, but if you look long enough, chances are you'll be salivating in no time.

[Via The Raw Feed]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

TEC develops 3D Tobidasu table menu, makes your mouth water originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fully automated restaurant opens in Germany

Conrad Quilty-Harper — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 05:02:00 EST

Hate interacting with humans? Well then we've got the restaurant for you, located in Nuremberg, Germany. The restaurant, called Bagger's, eschews waiters and waitresses for gravity operated ramps that sends food directly to tables. Customers order on touch screens, swipe their cards on built in readers, and wait for their food with a read-out that shows when the food is expected to be delivered. So, get ready to yell at your ordinateur when your fries are late. "Garcon!" ain't gonna cut it in this restaurant.

[Via The Raw Feed]

Filed under: Household

Fully automated restaurant opens in Germany originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2007 05:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Taylannas' Menus That Talk vocalize what's for dinner

Darren Murph — Thu, 24 May 2007 02:58:00 EST

Auditory menus might be an old trick, but it's likely to make Taylannas some serious coin if implemented in any number of eateries. The Florida-based startup has announced plans to dole out "slim electronic tablets about the size and shape of a DVD case" that sport touchscreen displays, speak numerous languages, and can even have its buttons imprinted with Braille to help the blind wade through the interface. As the title implies, the menus will vocalize what's on the docket, as customers can select different segments (drinks, dinner entrees, desserts) to be read aloud. The obvious benefactors are those who are visually impaired, but even customers who are hard of hearing were taken into account as the Menus That Talk devices also have a "detachable hand-held earphone" that reportedly syncs with most modern hearings aids. Still, we have to wonder if restaurants that rely on a quiet, low-key atmosphere won't disable the volume functions or demand a built-in whisper mode in order to maintain sanity during the evening rush.

[Thanks, Joe B.]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Taylannas' Menus That Talk vocalize what's for dinner originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2007 02:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple's iPod Shuffle: the next great appetizer?

Darren Murph — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:16:00 EST

Although this won't go down as the first restaurant to mix in a little iPod action with the meal, it's fairly safe to say that Fat Duck chef Heston Blumenthal has melded portable audio with dining like no other. Apparently, the culinary guru "wanted to experiment with using sound to enhance a dining experience," which landed a person with a plate full of silver electronics and tangled white cord to compliment the rest of the Sound of the Sea dish. Aside from the food itself, the iPod was pre-loaded with "soothing sounds of the sea breeze and waves gently caressing the seashore," presumably to further enhance the eating experience. Still, we can't really envision how listening to sounds related to our meal would make things more appetizing -- you know, unless deafening moos just jazz up your taste buds when rolling by a burger joint.

[Via Kottke]

Filed under: Portable Audio

Apple's iPod Shuffle: the next great appetizer? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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